"I Will Always Love You" {Concluded}
By Aimee E. Zapolya
Jareth turned to Nick and conjoured up a crystal ball.
Nick looked at the Goblin King's hand as a crystal ball apeared out of thin air. Nick didn't know what to expect from this person. And whatever Sarah had suggested seemed to have pleased him.
"Now do you still want me to prove who I am?" Jareth asked noticing how much Nick seemed fear whatever the crystal might do to him.
"Just because you can magically form a crystal ball doesn't prove a thing. Go ahead. Or at least bring a goblin hear if you can't say what you say you can." Nick said trying to act as if the stranger didn't bother him in the least.
"I'd love to bring a goblin hear but things have gotten so out of hand since I've been trapped they probably wouldn't even answer my summons. So you'll just have to settle for the transformation intead." Jareth said as the crystal flew out of his hand and hit Nick square in the stomach.
"What's . . . happening . . . to me?" Nick asked as his hands became rodent like paws and brown colored fur started to grow on his skin.
"Well you did want me to prove myself."
Sarah watched in amazement as Nick shrank to rodent size and grew bat-type wings. Then finally Nick finally finished his transformation. "Intresting."
"What have you done to me?!" Nick screamed in a high pitched squeak.
With a pleased grin on his face Jareth responded, "Isn't it clear as to what you've become?"
"NO! It isn't clear as to what I've become!"
Picking up Nick by his wings Sarah told him. "You've become a flying rat!" Sarah said with a smile.
"Why a flying rat?"
"Simple. A few minutes ago you did call me a 'flying rat'. And Sarah suggested it."
"And it fits you perfectly." Sarah said as Jareth created a large metal cage and placed Nick in it.
"Hey you can't do this to me! Let me out!" Nick squeaked.
"I just did." Jareth said as he put the cage on the coffee table.
"You won't get away with this!"
"Actually I will. You see all I have to do is erase the memories of you from people who know you along with your birth certificate, social security number et cetera. So it will be as if you never existed."
"What?! No you can't! You can't! All my plans to become rich and famous gone! NO!" Nick yelled in a high pitched squeak.
"What do you plan to do with . . . uh . . . it?" Sarah asked not too sure if she should call Nick a 'him' now.
"I'm not sure. But one thing is for sure he is going to lose his voice permanantly. It's too unpleasent." the Goblin King said as Nick's constant sceaming seaced, finally.
"Now all we have to do is to figure out what to do with it?" Sarah said as she watched Nick flapped his wings trying to fly but without much success. She didn't feel any pitty for Nick not ever a sliver of pitty. She figured that what he had done to her over the past few being turned into a non-talking flying rat was enough punishment or so Sarah thought. What ever Jareth was going to do with Nick was a mystery. She just hoped that she would never have to see Nick again.
"I know someone who enjoys unusual animals, and Nick here fits the qualifications nicely."
Conjouring up another crystal which turned into a note to whoever he planned to send Nick to, then placed the note on the cage's handle. The cage disapeared taking Nick with it.
After Nick was sent away Sarah decided to ask Jareth what had happened and why he had placed a crystal ball in her belongings.
"I didn't place it there. After you defeated me seven years ago some of my magic disapeared from my body. I have been searching for it for seven years. Without the rest of my magic I wasn't able to transform back into my human form."
"So you where trapped as an owl for seven years?"
"Yes. And because of being trapped as an owl my kingdom has been in chaos ever since. Many have fought over who is to take my place as King but none have been victorious in the attampt." Jareth said as he headed for the balcony.
"Hoggle said that 'the Labyrinth has become some what of a battle a battle field since your disappearence.'" Sarah said understanding why Hoggle discribed it the situation the way he had. "He also said that many wish you would return."
"Well that is one wish they will get." Jareth said with a half smile. "After I get everythingback in order, I'll be back to speak with you ferther. There is something I need to talk to you about."
"The way Hoggle described things you're going to have your hands full getting everything back into order." Sarah said with a smile.
"I'm not looking forward to it. It should take a good two or three weeks to straiten everything out. I'll be back once everything has been taken care of." With that Jareth was gone.
When Jareth got back to the Labyrinth he noticed that the spell he had placed over the inhabitants was still working.
At the Goblin Castle the fighting between the two last oponants was taking place in the Throne Room. When Jareth walked in his mood darkened by the site of the disaray. The on-lookers of the fight hadn't ever noticed their King's presence. All except one.
Behind the Goblin King, Hoggle had approached not believing that Jareth had actually returned. "You're Majesty?" Hoggle asked hoping that what he saw wasn't an aparition.
"Hoggle. What is going on here?" Jareth asked as he looked down at the dwarf who actually seemed to be glad to see him.
"The fightin' is over your kingdom. Many said that you abandoned us an' others said that you 'ad been trapped but no one knew fer sure so they desided to fight for yer title. I have tried to get them out of the castle and fight outside but they don't listen to what I have to say." Hoggle explained.
Some on the on lookers had turned when they had heard Jareth's voice. And as Hoggle had been talking those who had noticed him had told those next to them and so on. By the time Hoggle had finished explaining everything half of the crowd was looking at Jareth not too sure what they saw was real or not.
"It's time I took back my throne." The Goblin King said as he started to walk twords the two fighters.
"And about time too." Hoggle added after Jareth was out of earshot.
When he got to to two fighters who hadn't noticed the crowd had gone silent. They also hadn't noticed Jareth's apperence either. Seeing his Throne Room in such a state he halted the two fighters by lifting them both in the air with magic. The two floated in the air completely dumbfounded.
The two demanded who had put the spell on them not realising that the one who had stoppedtheir fight was.
"Neither of you have the right to make demands!" Jareth said as he let the two go. "What do you think you are doing?"
"You're Majesty! When did you get back?" One of the two asked in fear.
"Just now. Please tell me what do you think you are doing fighting over my kingdom? And in the Trone Room?!" Jareth yelled getting madder by the minute. From what he had seen of the rest of his kingdom the inside of the castle was just as bad inside as it was out. He didn't appreciate having someone try and take his throne from him. And he told himself that these two where going to pay for their treachery.
"We was just fighten' over . . . uh . . . nothen'. Nothen' at all." The other goblin said fearing for his life.
"Nothing? You call trying to steal my throne nothing?! Hoggle!"
"Uh . . . yes Yer Majesty?" Hoggle asked timidly, afraid if he said or did anything wrong it would bring Jareth's wrath upon him.
"Are there any soilders left?"
"Yes. A few."
"Find them and tell them to come here at once. And don't daudle about it!"
"Right away Yer Majesty!" Hoggle said quickly as he rushed out to find the few remaining soilders.
A few minutes later, Hoggle came back with about twenty-four soilders. Hoggle knew that Jareth wouldn't be very pleased with so few soilders. But he had done what he was told and he hoped that Jareth wouldn't yell at him because of it.
"This is all of the remaining soilders Yer Majesty." Hoggle said trying to keep the fear out of his voice.
"More than I had expected. You four take these two and put them the dungon. And make sure they are in sperate cells." Jareth said as he pionted to the first four goblin soilders.
"As for the rest of you I want this castle back in order. And once that is acomplished have the City cleaned and repaired. And the same goes for anything else that has been distroyed in my absence." Jareth ordered.
Once Jareth finished speaking every goblin ran to carry out the Goblin King's orders.
A week had passed since Jareth arrived back at the Labyrinth and Sarah silently wished the time would speed up so she could see him again. Ever since Jareth told her that he needed to tell her something, whatever it was must be important. And she hadn't one clue as to what it could be.
Sarah busied herself with cleaning her apartment and writing her novel. Just recently she got back into the mood to finally finish the rest of it. When it was completed she took it to the publishers who had called and asked when the novel would be finished.
After they had read "" they accepted to be published. And within the next week it was copied and sent out to book stores where it sold like hot cakes off a grill.
With all that was going on in such a short time, Sarah hadn't forgotten that Jareth would be showing up soon. In fact she couldn't wait. Sarah hadn't really realized just how much she had fallen for the Goblin King till he showed up three weeks before.
On Saturday evening, Sarah was at home about to get ready for bed when a rapping sound caught her attention. "What in the . . . " She said softly as she walked into the living room. She stopped in the center of the room and stood silently listening.
Then the light rapping was heard again. She walked over to the balcony doors and opened the curuain. Sarah opened the door to find Jareth standing there. When she spotted him her heart leaped in joy. She still found it a little hard to believe that Jareth of all people had captured her heart.
When she offered him a seat he declined the offer wanting to stand rather than sit. What he had to say to her made him feel a little nervous. Over the period of three weeks when ever he had the time he would find himself wondering how he would tell Sarah exactly how he felt about her. No matter how much he tried he would always end up at a dead end. And now that he was here standing in her apartment he knew that he had better come up with something quick or else Sarah would start to wonder if anything was wrong.
'Damn! There isn't any way to say what I have to say without being blunt about it. Well if I'm ever going to tell Sarah just how much I care about her I'd better tell her now for I don't have forever . Well here goes nothing.' He thought to himself as he turned to face Sarah who was watching the Goblin King with curiosity.
"When you where here last you said you had something to tell me." Sarah said breaking the silence that had settled upon them.
Not knowing where to begin he decided to let it all out. "Yes, there is. What I want to tell you that you've always ment allot to me. And when I first found out that you had become engaged to Nick, my heart nearly shatered. I knew then that if I ever was to tell you how much I care about you I would have had to find some way to get the rest of my magic back. For five years I searched not knowing where my magic had gone or if I would ever find it. If I had known you had my magic sooner, I would have come and told you what had happened and this incedent with Nick may have never happened.So basically what I'm trying to say is I love you Sarah."
Not believing what she was hearing came as a complete shock to Sarah. She had always thought that Jareth had never really cared about her let alone love her.
She was glad that at the moment the Goblin King wasn't looking at her, for she knew that her face must have a shocked expresion on it. Calming herself from the surprise of Jareth's statement she decided that if he was being open about his feelingd for her than it was only apropriate that she confess her feelings for him.
With a smile on her face she stood up and told him right out how she felt. "Since we're being honest about with each other, I think it's only apropriate that I tell you excactly how I feel about you. I never thought that you would ever care about me, so I kept my feeling hidden from everyone including myself, until a few weeks ago. I never thought much about it becouse I thought that I would never see you again." She stepped closer to Jareth and gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek.
Sarah's kiss had completely suprised him. He never would have thought that she would kiss him. Looking deep into her eyes he and found found them filled with love. He then slipped his arm around her waist, pulled her close and kissed her smiling lips.
Breaking the kiss Jareth said, "I will always love you Sarah."
"And I you." She said as she leened forward and layed her head on his shoulder.