Chapter 20

For the rest of the night, Sarah tossed and turned in her bed. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't sleep. When the sheets entangled itself around her legs for probably the tenth time, she threw it off her in frustration and got off the bed.

This is ridiculous!

Feeling angry and embarrassed about her last encounter with the Goblin King, she pulled out a white silk robe from her wardrobe and exited the room.

Restless, she aimlessly walked down different corridors without giving any thought to where she was.

What a jerk! Who the hell does he think he is?! Making me a Queen?! Give me a break! Who would ever want to be his queen? He's nothing but a selfish, stupid Goblin King! Who would want to rule this place anyway?

She stopped by a window and looked out at the maze, enlightened by the bright full moon. With a sigh she leaned her elbows on the hard stone windowsill and let her eyes wander over the surroundings.
No matter how hard she tried to deny it to herself, she loved the Underground. The maze held everything she could ever dream of - danger, adventure... friends...
Sarah sighed and pulled her dark hair back before straightening up, feeling the warm breeze caress her face. She folded her arms across her chest, her hand touching the spot where Jareth had held her. It felt warm under her slender fingers and seemed to tingle at the memory. Sara looked down on her arm, amazed by the reaction when a shrill cry suddenly broke the silence, making Sarah jump and turn towards the source of the sound. It came from the direction of the stairs leading to the throne room!

Her heart beating strongly in her throat, Sarah ran towards the stairs at the end of the long corridor as the cry grew stronger. Her bare feet muffled the sound of her footsteps.

"Make her stop!" Jareth suddenly barked through the even, shrill melody of the baby's cry and Sarah came to a quick halt, barely halfway down the twirling staircase.

"I'm trying!" a poor goblin in distress said and made some kind of weird gurgling sound (which was probably a way to make the baby stop crying. It didn't work.).

Jareth let out a frustrated sigh and Sarah could hear his heels move over the floor.

"Must I do everything myself?" Jareth hissed and the cry went dead quiet.
Sarah froze, fearing the worst for the baby and on stiff legs; Sarah made the rest of the way down. She stopped when she reached the bottom – her body still behind the wall, keeping her out of sight. Holding her breath, she peaked out and was shocked by what she saw – Jareth was holding the baby raised out in front of him, his arms outstretched. The baby in turn was the most beautiful girl Sarah'd ever seen.
Her hair fell down her shoulders in golden curls that seemed to glow in the light. Her bright blue eyes watched Jareth with curiosity, her small hands resting upon his leather clothed fingers.
Sarah stared at the two, her mouth slightly open. And then Jareth said something that made Sarah's heart stop in recognition.

"You remind me of the babe," he said, and was answered by a goblin,

"What babe?"

"The babe with the power."

The goblins gathered around his feet and looked up at the baby. One of the goblins frowned and looked at Jareth instead, confusion written all over its ugly face.

"What power?" it asked.

"The power of voodoo," Sarah mimed as Jareth spoke, his cold eyes turned to the goblin that seemed to shrink under his stare.

"Whu-Who do...?" the same goblin asked in a shrill voice.

"You do," Jareth answered silkily, smirking as he pulled the baby in.

"Do what?" the poor terrified goblin asked, looking around at the other goblins that all looked at him with a sneer. Jareth chuckled and sang, "Remind me of the babe!"

The surrounding goblins burst out in hysterical laughter.

"Shut up!" Jareth boomed as the baby started to whine and the goblins fell in immediate silence. A goblin then grabbed a pair of sticks and began to beat them against barrels in different sizes, creating an even beat.
Jareth turned and kicked goblins away as he moved around the room, hoisting the girl up in the air.

"I saw my babe," he sang. "Crying hard as babe could cry. What could I do?"

He went further in and disappeared from Sarah's view.

"My babe's love had gone," she heard him sing. "And left my babe blue. Nobody knew:"

Sarah looked out further to see the girl with the singing Goblin King as the goblins all fell in, "What kind of magic spell to use?"

"Slime or snail?" an old woman goblin sang from her seat on a furry carpet in the corner of the room, her furry grey hair flying all over the place as she moved with the music.

"Or puppy dog's tails?" Jareth sang.

"Thunder or lightening?"

"And then baby said?" Jareth asked, spinning the girl around, making her scream in delight. Jareth chuckled and turned around. Sarah quickly hid behind the wall again, afraid that he'd seen her. Luckily, it seemed as though he hadn't as they continued to sing.

"Dance, magic dance," the goblins sang and was answered by Jareth, "Dance magic dance."

"Dance magic dance!"

"Dance magic dance," Jareth sang and the girl laughed in his arms.

Sarah looked out again only to see Jareth throw the baby high up in the air. Shocked, she stared at the flying baby fall back down and was catched by Jareth.

"Jump magic, jump." The goblins sang, all of them jumping at the same time.
Breathing out for a second, Sarah put her hand over her racing heart in relief, only to almost scream out in horror as Jareth threw the baby up again and walked away as the baby was in midair, falling to the floor like a glove.
Sarah stood frozen, eyes wide, on the ground with her arms outstretched as though she'd catch the falling baby herself, all sound disappearing around her as the baby seemed to fall in slow motion.
Then, just before the baby hit ground, a goblin catched her and threw her up to another goblin sitting in the chandelier. The baby laughed, clapping her tiny hands before reaching out and pinched the goblin's big, upturned nose. The chandelier slowly got lowered down, the chains clatter tuning in with the music.

Sarah was so relieved that her legs almost gave in. She reached out for something to support herself on, only to have two goblins take her hands and spun her around the room. Sarah watched the same scenery pass her eyes over and over again in a bizarre blur of sound and colour.

Laughing baby, goblins, window, door. Laughing baby, goblins, window, door. Laughing baby, dancing goblins, window, do –

The goblins suddenly released her, leaving her spinning on her own, trying to find balance as she stumbled in circles, her robe entangling itself around her legs in a deadly trap. Then, she felt herself hit something hard and warm. A pair of hands grabbed her arms.

"You remind me of the babe," Jareth's voice said in her ear.

"What babe?" Sarah answered to her own surprise. She leaned back against his hard chest, the room spinning.

"The babe with the power," Jareth said, removing his hands only to put them around her waist. Sarah drew a shaky breath before turning her head to see him.

"What power?" But Jareth wasn't there.

"The power of voodoo," he answered by her other ear and he took advantage of her stretched neck and brushed his thin lips against it. A shiver went through Sarah's body, giving her goosebumps. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Who do?" Her voice came out weak, as a whisper. Jareth chuckled as his warmth disappeared from her neck.

"You do," he said behind her.

"Do what?" she asked, reaching up and put her hand on her neck where he'd touched her, it tingled under her fingertips.

"Remind me of the babe."

A sound made Sarah open her eyes and look down. In Jareth's hands in front of her, was the baby. She looked up on Sarah with her head tilted, probably wondering who the new lady was. The goblins laughed loudly as Sarah grabbed the baby from Jareth who removed his arms, leaving her to stand on her own.

"Quiet!" Jareth snapped, throwing his hand out over them. "Get out!"
The goblins scurried around the room, emptying it little by little until there was only Sarah, Jareth and the baby left.
The weight of the baby suddenly disappeared from Sarah's hands and she looked up surprised to see Jareth sit on his throne, sloppily as usual with one leg over the armchair, the baby in his lap, happily playing with his hair.

"Jareth where-" she silenced as her eyes saw what was behind him. Jareth looked at her, an evil smirk playing on his handsome features.

The even tick- tack from the thirteen-hour clock turned her insides cold.