Chapter 4

The stench of piss and beer stung Rae's nose as she wandered around the throne room, wondering how on earth the Goblin King could stand such vile quarters. He had left moments previous, probably to go spy on her sister. Before he left, he told her explicitly not to leave the throne room.

"Of course not." She said sarcastically, giving him a winning smile that quickly turned back into a frown.

"You think I jest?"

"I think you're an idiot."

His face darkened. "Watch yourself. I don't forgive easily."

Rae chose her next words carefully. "Go. Fuck. Yourself."

Jareth's eyes flashed, he raised his hand and Rae flinched waiting for the blow.

But it never came.

She looked up, confused. He towered over her, hand raised, eyes blazing, yet he didn't strike her. Instead he turned on his heel and left. "Keep her here." He informed a goblin minion as he left.

Rae decided not to read too much into his actions, instead she began to look for a way out. Goblins blocked every exit, acting casually, but Rae could see them shoot her guarded glances when they thought she wasn't looking.

"What do you do anyway?"

"What ever the King wants." One croaked. He had an askew helmet with two horns, well one and a half. He had a large nose and sad eyes.

"So you just sit in here, dance and drink?"

"What of it?"

"Oh nothing." Rae looked around the room again and realized something very important. She was taller than all of them, by a large margin. A smile spread to her face and she took off at a run, hurtling straight towards one of the blocked doorways.

The goblins yelped and hastily scrambled to their feet, brandishing whatever weapons they had on them, but Rae wasn't too concerned. Just as she reached them, she leapt over the heads, accidentally kicking one in the face as she did so. He cursed and toppled over as Rae sprinted down the hall, her long legs giving her an easy lead.

She ran, not really looking where she was going until it was too late. Stopping suddenly, she let out a cry of despair.

Somehow she had ended up in the M.C. Esher room, upside down on one of the staircases. She looked up terrified to realize that she was actually looking down. She sank to the ceiling and hugged her knees to her chest. How did she even get upside down? And how soon could she get rightside up? She looked around, but her head swam and she couldn't focus on anything, before fear and nausea took hold of her.

Jareth was going to be so pissed.

Rae stood and decided if she hadn't plummeted to her death already, then she probably wouldn't if she kept walking. So that's what she did. She spent about twenty minutes trying to find her way out of this mini-maze. Constantly taking wrong turns, trying in vain to right herself. No matter where she went, she always ended up, upside down.

Concentrating on where she placed her feet, Rae didn't notice the shadow looming over her until she ran into to something solid and warm.

Afraid to look up, but more afraid not to Rae lifted her head and found herself locking eyes with the furious ones of the Goblin King.

"I told you," he said evenly. "To stay in the throne room."

Her throat closed up and in a moment of panic wrapped her arms around him, in a death grip. "Get me out of here." She whispered into his chest, her fear rising within her. She couldn't handle being upside down, she couldn't handle being lost, she couldn't handle the Goblin King.

Jareth froze, unsure of how to react. The child clung to him as if she were drowning and he was the pillar that saved her life. Tentatively, he grabbed her and vanished, reappearing in the throne room. He sat in his chair and tried to remove the girl, but she refused to let go.

She was shaking badly, and based on the wetness of his shirt, crying as well, though it was silent.

Jareth sat there for a moment, almost tempted to stroke her long, black hair, but at the last second he pushed her away. "Would you get off!" He gave her another hard shove which sent her toppling pathetically to the floor.

The goblins laughed and jeered. One poured his ale over her head.

"Are you afraid of heights or something?" He gave her a disgusted look.

Rae wiped her dripping nose on her sleeve. "I don't like being upside down." She mumbled, before collecting the shattered remains of her unperturbed facade and plastering them back together. She glowered at the Goblin King. "Look, mister. You can't keep me here and expect me to behave like all those babies you steal! I'm an adult! You can't treat me like Sarah."

Jareth's face grew cold and the goblins were immediately silenced. "Never mention that name again."

"Sarah," Rae said evenly. "Wouldn't have stayed here either! She would have run off, yet you'd rearrange the stars themselves to have her by your side."

Jareth stood, eyes hard, lips tight. He looked beautiful and deadly. "You know nothing. Sarah chose to leave…" He looked away.

"How many times did you stalk her in owl form, hm? You couldn't leave her alone. No wonder she left, you're crazy!"

"She chose someone else over me!" Jareth roared. "I went back to her. I tried once more to be with her, but she pushed me aside for a human boy."

"So now you're trying to bone my sister. I get it."

"No you don't." Jareth began pacing, smacking a few goblins with his cane as he passed. "There are none like me here, only goblins. I'm alone. Do you understand what that is like? At first it was just the babies I would steal. I needed more goblins, but then the mothers and sisters would come for them." He paused. "They were beautiful and brave and would stop at nothing to have their children back."

"Woa, dude, I thought it was just Sarah."

Jareth gave a short laugh. "Sarah was not the first, but I have found none like her before or since." He looked sad. "It became a game for me, to watch the women, see how far they'd go for the people they loved, but when I took Toby and Sarah came after him...I have never seen a light so bright."

Rae was aghast. "You really did fall in love." she marveled.

"Of course!" Jareth cried. "How could I not? But I didn't know any other way of showing her my affection and that, in the end, is why I lost her forever."

"So why did you decide to keep trying? Why even bother with my sister?"

"I feel so dead here, I want to live again and the only time I've felt remotely so is during the Game."

"You're trying to forget Sarah."

Jareth met her gaze, eyes devoid of all emotion. "I'm trying to live without her."