Author's Note: Welcome to a new adventure of mine! This is going to be a series of one-shots based off of a tumblr post I found with 5 word prompts. Each chapter will be a stand-alone based off of one of the prompts. I don't know if I'll do all of them (there's 97 of them), but I have a ton of ideas for several of them! I'll post triggers and warnings at the top of ones that need it, and not all of them will be as dark as this first one is. With that being said, I hope you enjoy these!

5 Word Prompts

by: Ismira Daugene

Chapter 1

#78 "sometimes, I wish you died."

*Tags: Evil Jareth, Slave Sarah, Trauma, Description of Traumatic Events

Sarah shifted her legs slightly as she knelt on the rug beside his chair. The dress she wore shifted with her, and she reached to untangle it from her legs to make it more comfortable. It was a simple dress. All of her dresses were simple to show her status beneath him. Today's was a long white chemise with a blue over-skirt parted at the front and a simple brown waist cincher. The waist cinchers had taken some getting used to, and she'd tried to rebel, but he wouldn't have any of that. She'd learned quickly not to anger him. He never hurt her… physically. However threats to her family, long periods of time spent in dark oubliettes, and dark nights filled with nightmares he'd sent her were enough to convince her to behave.

She breathed out a sigh with her eyes closed as she refrained from shivering at the memory of the last nightmares he'd sent her when she'd last misbehaved. The nightmare had started nice with her back home in her parents' house. However it had taken a dark turn when the house had caught fire and suddenly was engulfed in flames. The nightmare led her through the house, smoke filling her lungs and making her eyes sting. She could hear her parents yelling for help and Toby crying in his crib in their room. She tried… she tried so hard to get to them, but the fire wouldn't let her. She woke up trembling and crying as their dying screams faded.

His hand on her head, gently smoothing her hair, startled her to the present. She jerked and looked up at him. His crystalline blue eyes examined her with what appeared to be concern. "Are you well, dearest?" the Goblin King asked. "You seemed far away just now."

Sarah took in a long breath and let it back out before answering. "Yes, I'm fine, Jareth."

His hand gently smoothed down her head and came to rest on the collar covering her neck. It was a well-made black leather affair with the symbol of his office wrought from silver fixed to the front. There was no clasp or buckle as he'd put it on her using magic, so there was no way to remove it herself aside from trying to cut it off, and she shuddered to think what he'd do if she managed to do that. His fingers slid along the edge of the collar, skimming the sensitive skin there. "Tell me what you're thinking, precious," he said softly, leaning back in his chair and pulling his hand back to himself.

"Do you really want to know?" she asked, timidly turning to face him.

He nodded, his blond hair swaying with the motion. "I will never hurt you for your honesty, pet," he replied.

She debated for a moment before finally deciding to be truthful. "Sometimes, I wish you died," she murmured. "Back during our final encounter when I ran the Labyrinth." She should stop. She knew she should, but she kept going. "When the room crumbled and I fell… I thought for sure you were gone."

He was quiet for a long time when she'd finished, and she was afraid to look up and see his anger so she kept her head low. When his hand touched her cheek, she jerked again. However it was gentle as it raised her face so she could see the smirk on his lips.

"I'm not that easy to get rid of, pet," he declared quietly. "But you know that now, don't you?"

Her mind flashed back to the few times she'd tried to kill him back when he'd first taken her. She'd tried poisoning first as it seemed the simplest. She'd received a week in the oubliette for that while he recovered. Her second attempt had taken a few months of planning, but eventually she'd acquired an iron dagger that she hid in her boot. She'd struck when she'd thought him asleep. The dagger sunk into his chest and blood blossomed forth covering her hands. However he'd merely sat up, pulled the dagger from his breast, and handed it back to her before healing himself with a wave his hand. That was when she'd learned that the myths about fae being deathly allergic to iron were false, and it had been the first time he'd threatened her family.

Back in the present, Sarah couldn't hang her head to get away from his smirk. Instead she was forced to look into his eyes as she said, "Yes, sir."

Long gloved fingers squeezed her jaw slightly as he considered her. "As I said, I will not punish you for telling me the truth," he stated. "But we will have to work on your appreciation of my hospitality, won't we?"

She wanted to shout and rail at him! What hospitality?! He'd stolen her away mere weeks after her defeat of his Labyrinth. Some claim that she'd eaten fae food and could no longer live in the mortal realm. He'd said he was doing her a favor taking her in. He'd said she should be grateful. She controlled her emotions though, and calmly replied, "Yes, sir."

He smiled at her again and stroked her head. "That's a good girl. Now why don't we have some lunch?" He stood and tugged on the delicate silver chain connected to her collar. She rose with him and meekly followed him to the dining room for lunch.