Jealousy and an old promise broken...

The next few days passed by in a blur. Hours spent outside enjoying the warm spring air of the underground. Hours spent pushing a child on an old swing, and playing games that made the adults feel like children again. Aboveground became a forgotten thing, as did much else as The Goblin King and a mortal woman who had claimed his heart grew closer and closer.

It was the fifth day when Jareth gave Sarah a welcome surprise at dinner time. Already seated at the usually empty large table were Sir Didymus, Ludo and Hoggle. Sarah couldn't contain her joy and she threw her arms around Jareth, hugging him tightly and saying thank you over and over to him.

"My lady." Didymus bowed before the grown Sarah. "My have you have grown, and into such a charming young woman." Sarah, so overjoyed hugged the terrier and introduced her daughter.

"Little Sawah.." Ludo commented upon seeing Ary.

Sarah laughed and grinned at her daughter. "She does look a bit like me doesn't she?"

Ary was intrigued by the large creature who reminded her of an overgrown teddy bear and took a seat beside him at dinner asking him question after question. Ludo was very patient with her and it didn't take much for him to grow fond of her.

Dinner was spent remincing with old friends. Everyone was bubbly and full of joy, except for Hoggle who remained fairly quiet, picking at the extravagant meal the Goblin King had so graciously provided for them all. He had watched Sarah carefully all night. She sat beside Jareth who on more then one occasion had put his arm casually around her, gently touched her hair, squeezed her shoulder or gazed at her lovingly. The way he smiled at Sarah made Hoggle sick. The Goblin King had done all but kiss her passionately in front of his guests, which Hoggle believed wouldn't happen due to the young child who sat beside him at the table. Jareth could be pompous, incredibly flirtaous with women, rude at times, but it seemed he never was this way in front of children or his precious Sarah. Hoggle didn't understand where this sudden jealousy came from, but it raged within him like a violent summer storm. He realized that he should be glad that Sarah had chosen to be his friend at all. But regardless, old words echoed in his mind as he watched Sarah and Jareth together.

"Do you think a young girl could ever like a repulsive little scab like you?" He could remember how the King had spoken them, jealousy present in each and every word. He never understood where the King's jealousy had come from, until now.

He slumped in his seat as he watched Sarah lean against the Goblin King and the two of them laughed at something Didymus had said. "Why would a beautiful woman ever like a repulsive giant scab like you?" He bitterly spit quietly to himself speaking of the King. He got up from the table, tossing his napkin down and jumped down from the chair, propped with pillows so he could be even with the table.

He knew he made a scene as left the room. He heard Sarah call out to him and ask where he was going and what was wrong, but he kept walking. He had seen enough of the King showering affections on Sarah to last a lifetime. Despite what Jareth claimed and what Sarah believed, Hoggle thought the King was manipulating her, using magic to win her. He was determined to prove that he was right, so that Sarah would see the true Jareth. No matter what the cost...

"Well, I wonder what that was all about?" Didymus said aloud. "Sir Hoggle, clearly seemed angry about something."

"I hope that he is ok." Sarah added. Hoggle did seem upset about something, although she had no idea what. Sarah saw her daughter yawn. It was growing late. Dinner had been at 7 and after all the talking it was nearly 9:30. "Someone is tired..."

Ary yawned again. "I'm not tired mommy."

Jareth chuckled. "She is just like her mother, too stubborn for her own good." He rose from the table. "I'll tuck her in." He offered.

Sarah smiled her thanks as Jareth took her daughter's hand and led her away.

"The King is so different." Didymus told Sarah when Jareth and Ary had gone. "He really loves you and that is such a wonderful thing, my lady. He has never loved anyone, save himself."

Sarah rested her face into her hand. "Do you know why he never loved anyone else?"

Didymus shook his head. "I do not fair lady. His Majesty is very secretive. Even Megmora who is his closest friend in this place does not know what the Goblin King thinks and feels, not unless she senses them with her magic." Didymus smiled, his white canine teeth visible for Sarah to see. "Yet with you, he seems open. I've never seen him so affectionate before."

"Never?"

"Never, my lady. He truly loves you." The terrier yawned. "The hour grows late and I have been away from my post for far too long. It was wonderful to see you again, and you as well my brother."

"Ludo has missed brother and Sawah."

"We've missed you as well." Didymus told him. Sarah hugged her friends tightly and watched as they left. She remained alone in the dining hall, gazing at the dishes, scattered remains of an enchanted evening.

She didn't hear Jareth re-enter the dining room nearly a half hour later. She was so deep in her thoughts she was barely aware of the few goblins who had cleared the table in front of her. She felt warm breath on her neck and soft lips, kissed her gently.

"Something troubles you, my love." He said softly.

She sighed. "I just wish I knew what made Hoggle so upset at dinner. He barely said a word."

He kissed her neck again and the sensation made her shiver. "I don't think he has come to terms with seeing us together. He was staring at us all night and glaring at me."

She turned in her seat to face him. "Why is it so hard for him to understand?"

"Sarah, I've been with you, nearly everyday since we met again for the first time in so long and there are times when I can hardly believe myself what has happened. After twenty long years of being denied what it was I truly wanted and needed in life I have to admit that this all feels like a dream at times. Being able to hold you, to touch you, to see your love. It feels like a very realistic dream."

"I know." She whispered softly. She reached up to kiss his cheek. "Thank you for putting Ary to bed."

"You're welcome. She was so tired she fell asleep in my arms when I carried her down the hall. Perhaps I am exhausting her too much."

Sarah shook her head. "No. The exercise is good for her."

"You're not too exhausted, are you? For a small surprise."

She smiled sweetly at him. "Another surprise? I was quite happy with the one you gave me at dinner. Where did you find Ludo?"

"My magic found him, wandering off on his own. Now, are you too exhausted?"

She grinned wickedly. "It depends on what we will be doing."

He chuckled a low throaty sound and gently pulled her to her feet. He pulled forth a crystal and she felt the familiar warmth of being transported somewhere. She closed her eyes and when she reopened them they stood on a cliff that over looked the ocean.

It was a beautiful sight. The waves, glistening in the light of a full moon crashed against a rocky shore, lined with jagged and dangerous but equally as beautiful and breathtaking cliffs.

"This is where I spent my time, when I needed to get away. Graylor's Cliffs. The only place in the entire underground that could comfort me, that would let me escape reality. I came her often after you defeated me." He added softly.

"It's beautiful." She nearly whispered, still in awe of this amazing place.

Jareth pulled her down to sit with him on the grass topped cliff they stood on. Sarah suddenly looked very serious.

"Jareth, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

She took a deep breath. "Why....why is it, that you never loved anyone before me? What was it that made you hide your heart from someone?"

Jareth sighed deeply as memories of his past came rushing back to him like the waves rushed to the cliffs below them.

"It's hard for me to believe that I'm the first woman you've ever loved." She continued. "I saw the women at the ball, many of them were beautiful, single and strong independent women like me."

"And each and every one of them would fall at my knees if I merely glanced at them. They would do everything that I asked because they are weak and also power hungry. But you....you denied me twice. This is going to sound incredibly pompous of me, but for you to deny me...that's quite an amazing thing and for you to do such to me twice made you all the more desirable to me."

"Ok that sort of clears up why you would chose me over them, but why was there never a woman before me?"

He turned his head, gazing out into the ocean his glance even more distant then the horizon. One hand nervously toyed with the grass beside him. "There were other women before you....but I never loved any of them." He admitted softly.

Sarah couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy of thinking of him with other women, but she quickly buried the feeling. It would be completely na‹ve of her to believe that she was the first women he'd ever made love to or held in his arms.

"Why didn't you love them?" She pushed and she reached for his hands, pulling them into her own. She realized very suddenly that she knew nothing about this man other then what she had seen with her own eyes. She knew nothing of his past, his parents, his friendships. Nothing. He was almost a stranger to her and that frightened her somewhat.

"I don't know..." he offered lamely.

"Yes you do. You haven't lied to me before, don't start doing it now. Why didn't you love any of them?"

He pulled away from her, moving to stand by the edge of the cliff. "I swore to never love...and I nearly kept my promise."

She stood and moved by his side, resting her head against his shoulder. "I don't understand."

He sighed deeply and pulled her to his chest, needing the feel of her against him to comfort him. "I promised a friend...that I would never love....and I broke that promise."

"By loving me..." she said softly.

"Yes..." he whispered.

"Why did you promise that and to whom?"

"Artaygon, he was my best friend." There was sadness in his voice. "He wanted me to promise him..."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because love betrayed him...killed him...and he didn't wish the same fate to fall upon me."

Sarah lifted her head to gaze into his face. His mismatched eyes were glazed with tears and this surprised her. He looked nearly as vulnerable as the night she admitted her love to him. She hugged him to her tightly offering herself as comfort and he took it. "Tell me what happened..."

Jareth swallowed. "Artaygon and I grew up together. Both spoiled foolish princes. He fell in love first, to a beautiful woman who ended up betraying him, by plotting against him with his own brother for the throne. He was savagely murdered and as he lay dying in my arms he made me promise that I would never love, would never let anyone take my heart and trample it through the mud. I promised him and as he took his last breath I steeled myself. Put a fortress so strong around my heart that no one could reach it. I vowed never to let anyone get close to me. The death of my best friend was incredibly hard on me, but I steeled myself against that as well." He sighed deeply and stroked her hair with trembling.

Sarah could sense that he was close to breaking down. She could understand his feelings, his need to close himself off from his emotions. She has been that way at first when Adam had left her. When she had found that note scribbled in his careless hand writing that he wasn't coming back. She had steeled herself as well, but it soon became a losing battle. She couldn't imagine how Jareth could have managed to do it for all these years.

He was trembling in her arms, fighting to keep himself in control, he tried to put on his cool, arrogant mask, but he was never able to hold it up to his face for very long while in Sarah's presence. "It took me years to understand how a spoiled, mortal child could have penetrated not only the physical labyrinth of my kingdom but the one in my heart." He stroked her hair as he spoke, his blond hair blowing in the cool salty breeze. "I didn't understand how a child who didn't even love me, whom I believed never thought of me again had been able to capture me so." He gazed into her eyes. "You became an obsession. Everything reminded me of you, no matter if I changed the appearance of something with magic or hid it from my eyes. Everything reminded me of the defeat of my labyrinth and the defeat of the fortress surrounding my heart."

"I couldn't get over the reality that you had defeated me in more ways then one. Your will truly was and still is as strong as my own and that is why you defeated me. You are my equal, the other half of my soul, mortal, immortal, human or inhuman makes no difference to me. The difficult road to get here is nearly forgotten when I look into your eyes or hold you in my arms." He lowered his trembling lips to hers. "It was well worth it to break that promise to have you here with me right now. It is worth it to love and feel love in return. To live without love, is to not live at all." A tear rolled from his blue eye and she kissed it away with her lips. She pulled him to her and they fell to the soft grass. She let him sob softly in her arms and she allowed his lips to touch her. She let his touches become bolder, allowed her own to become bolder until they were both as naked as the day they were born. She allowed him to make love to her on the cliff overlooking the ocean, to heal himself, to reassure himself of her love for him while at the same time proving his love to her.

When they collapsed onto his bed later on Sarah didn't feel like he was a stranger anymore. She felt just as he that they were two halves of the same soul. Equally made to suffer until they had found their true selves in and happiness in each other.