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"Thanks for letting me stay late Ian, I just hit my stride and I want to finish."
"Hey, no problem Sarah, just lock up when you're done." the manager of the theater that Sarah was the head costume designer for, said as he slowly started taking a few steps to the door. When he reached it he paused and turned to the woman one more time.
"Oh, and be careful a few stagehands have said that they heard something in the prop loft. It could be mice. Or maybe birds. I've got exterminators coming in on Monday."
"Thank you," Sarah said distracted already as she started pinning the dress she was sewing. She hardly noticed Ian shake his head and leave. Too consumed with the dress in front of her. It was for the theatre's production of Riptide, a play about lovers reunited in an unexpected way 10 years after they parted.
Despite the play being full of cliches, Sarah felt the need to give her all as she always did. When she was finished pinning the dress it looked stunning. Sarah found a strong connection to the dress starting from the first moment of sketching the first draft of the design. The dress felt familiar somehow. Perhaps it's a dress she fantasized about a lot when she was younger during the dramatic recreations of her favorite books as a child. She is unsure because her memories have become blurred by time. The dress was far more elegant than anything she could have ever made in her teen years, or even into young adulthood.
The dress was a beautiful cream almost white. It had complex beading details on the bodice, the sleeves were puffy to the elbow and then cinched tight to finish. When it was completed it would look like a fairytale-like it was " Fit for a queen" said a voice. Sarah was sure it was not her own inside her mind. The voice was familiar and filled her mind completely with shock and confusion. The shock of it made Sarah prick her finger.
"Ouch!" she exclaimed the pain made her involuntarily jerk back, and at that moment something caught Sarah’s eye out the window she saw a large white owl. The creature was enormously huge for an owl and was very close to the window. It had an intense amount of intelligence in its eyes, and for a moment it was as if the bird was watching her.
"Get it together, Sarah" she muttered to herself as she got up to tend to her finger. As she moved across the room the owls’ predatory eyes were trained on her. Flutters of long-repressed memories threatened to breach the surface of her mind. Something was keeping them at bay and although Sarah was not aware of what it was she was grateful.
"As my queen, no harm would come to you, unless I wish it," The strange yet pleasing voice said in Sarah’s mind. It startled Sarah because for years she had heard and seen things others have not. She'd seen countless therapists and all said that she was fine, or wanted to work on other things, not the strange things she had seen and experienced. One had been slightly more helpful in saying that she probably had a repressed memory, but no effort to recover it had worked. Looking back out the window the owl had left and Sarah felt silly once again. She went back to her work and tried to fully immerse herself. Several hours have passed with her hearing a few more things in her mind, she ignored them, in fact, she began to make significant progress on the dress.
" You can’t ignore me much longer Sarah, the time is almost upon us," the voice of smooth velvety tone seemed to echo off the walls of Sarah’s mind and replace all of her thoughts.
"It's been 10 years my dear," The voice continued this was the longest uninterrupted it had ever been in her mind. Sarah fought to gain control over her thoughts. The voice was persistent and there was a dark command to it.
"What are you? Who are you?” Sarah asked aloud.
"You cannot have forgotten after your so-called triumph over me did you, Sarah? I thought you were stronger than that.” The voice condescended. His voice was no longer inside her mind but echoing the room she was in. A silhouette of a man that should have looked odd and unnatural appeared in the doorway, but for some reason, the man seemed familiar. Sarah couldn't quite place him but she couldn't help but think that she knew something.
Gasping as a sharp pain of several memories filled her mind, everything flooded back to her. She said the one thing that she remembered the most strongly in the moment aloud without even knowing she'd said it: "Fear me. Love me. Do as I say, and I shall be your slave" Sarah said followed by the man's name "Jareth." she confirmed as the Goblin King himself manifested in front of her.
"Hello Sarah, the Goblin King appeared not to have changed still dressed and dark leather all high-collared and wild hair. The effect he had on her was amplified from the first time that she had met when she'd been a teen. At that time she had been unable to process his appearance and how it made her feel she only thought it apprehension and not attraction. But now…
He strode to her. Not taking his dark eyes off her body. He circled here almost like a predator. All of his movements were deliberate and cat-like. She was frozen to the spot shocked at the idea that she was a grown woman and yet still so afraid.
"My my my, Sarah, just look at you." He began as he towered over her when he got back to her front.
"Y- you have no power over me," she said trying to ignore her pounding heart. The words felt pitiful and rang untrue to her ears as soon as she said them. Even the first time she said them she didn't completely believe them.
“If you believe that Sarah I wouldn't be here. Would I?” Jareth leered at her. Sarah raised her chin in defiance. She did not like how she wanted to agree readily to his words. She wanted to fight how his very presence in front of her made her feel.
“I couldn't possibly know what you mean,” she forced out trying to sound even half as confident as he did. The smirk that followed on his lips was reminiscent of a cat that cornered the mouse.
“Indeed.” was all he said. He took a short half-step and then he was in her personal space. He smelled so inhuman and yet so enticing. Sweet, and entirely male.“ You haven't forgotten about me, have you, my dear?”
“ You mean how you stole my little brother and then I beat your silly labyrinth?”
Jareth moved in a cat-like quickness although he had already cornered Sarah. Now his hand had moved to her upper shoulder forcing her against the wall completely. Sarah’s mouth opens involuntarily as the air was forced from her body, with the shock of the move.
“I only ever did what I was asked of me. You wanted me to take your brother,” he leaned into her personal space with every word. His voice was quiet but it held power. “You wanted to run the labyrinth, you were rather selfish You made several demands of me, I only did as you asked.” By the time he finished, they were all but touching. Jareth made a point to not touch her, his body ghosting over hers. He wanted to prove to her how needed she was. Sarah stared up at him her eyes defiant she was not going to cower to him, nor was she going to show him how his close proximity was affecting her.
“ You were cruel. Needlessly so,” she said, surprised how her voice matched his quiet power.
“Not cruel Sarah, I can be if you lead me to it. I have where you are concerned had great self-control. When you left I realized that by your human lifespan you were not prepared to join with me completely, but now…” he trailed off deliberately he let his hand rest more firmly on her body. He slowly traced it along from her shoulder to her neck. He laid it to rest on her clavicle, he hummed and appreciated the lovely flush that her cheeks turned to, be it from anger or arousal it mattered not.
“Why are you here? I haven't wished…? I never spoke the words.” Sarah said, trying to make her face blank.
“It was 10 years exactly Sarah, the spell that was cast over you was to be released 10 years from when you spoke the words. I was going to be here to claim what is rightfully mine.”
“What's rightfully yours?” Sarah couldn't help but ask.
“You Sarah you are mine.” He murmured his breath tickling her face and making her shiver. There was no denying how she felt at this moment. He leaned in and before Sarah could protest their mouths were together Jareth’s mouth tastes of honey and metallic something that is distinctly not human. Before it can be processed by Sarah he pulls away. He's back to cornering her but not touching her.
“How dare you,” Sarah practically spits her wits coming back to her as she raises her arms to try and shove him away, or at least get some distance so she can assess herself. Chuckling to himself as if he finds her cute at the moment, he captures her arms in one of his hands lifting them above her head.
“Sarah, don't you understand? I'm not hurting you.” He purrs in her ear. Keeping the same distance with his body, but his mouth is still dangerously close to hers. His eyes roam over her face truly taking in everything about her, there was a wave of emotions over her lovely face there was confusion, want determination, maybe hate definitely lust. He could work with that.
“Even now Sarah, I am only doing what you want of me.” She only blinked back at him. To prove his point he takes his hand that is pinning her arms to the wall and moves it to her face. It's subtle at first, her eyes start to close and she leans into his hand.her breathing is shallow.
“See my Sarah, you want all I can give you. Don't fight me.”He softly commands as he claims her mouth again. This time he wants it lasts long enough for Sarah to respond. Soon she kisses him back she moans into his mouth. It actually feels so good to finally kiss him, now that she remembers everything. It all makes sense, she has always been in love with him after all no one could ever compare. When the kiss breaks she's breathing heavy and her logic has returned to her but this time she has all the facts. Her heart is still beating just for him.
She whispers “Why me?” the Goblin King gins with a genuine smile “The ocean does not speak of love to the moon, and yet it's every action shows its devotion to the moon's rule over it.”
“Oh,” Sarah says plainly at first and then a second time with more understanding. This man before her once had something similar to her. He was at least implying that he loved her in some way. Devotion was a lot, she could work with that.