A/N: Ok, since I saw "Labyrinth" a few weeks ago, (I know, a crime!) these two have been stuck in my head. And I have no idea where the plot came from! I know that I'm supposed to be working on things for poor Alice and Tarrant (and even more so for poor Harry and Hermione), but these two put a choke hold on me and made me write. Jerks.
Please enjoy! It's my very first "Labyrinth" fic.
It had only been 2 weeks into the marriage of King Jareth and his new Queen Sarah. One morning, Jareth noticed Sarah yawning a great deal.
"My sweet, why are you yawning so?" he asked.
"Hmm?" she replied. "Oh, it's nothing. Just tired."
"Tired? Are you ill? Shall I fetch the healers?"
"No, Jareth, it's nothing. I'm fine," she protested.
"Sarah, it is not nothing. You've been yawning for days now and I am seriously becoming concerned. Please, talk to me."
"I just haven't been sleeping well. That's all."
Jareth's eyebrows shot up. Surely the queen had every luxury possible for a good night's sleep. Didn't she?"
"Is something wrong with the bed? Is there too much noise coming from the goblins? For if there is, I shall have each of them dipped into the Bog of—"
"Jareth!" Sarah interrupted. "Don't go tossing anyone into the Bog. For Pete's sake, it's just something I need to get used to. Stop making a royal fuss about it."
"Precious, I make a royal fuss about many things, and you are at the top of that list. Please, my darling, tell me what is troubling your slumber."
Sarah paused. How was she going to tell him this?
"Well, it is a noise in our room…" she began.
"Our room? What on earth could be making noise in our room? Are you certain it's not goblins outside of the room?"
"Jareth! Listen to me! It's not the goblins!" She took a breath and mumbled, "It's you."
"I'm sorry, love, I didn't catch that last mumble of yours."
"I said, it's you."
Jareth froze. It was him? It was his fault that his beautiful bride wasn't sleeping? Of course, he knew the other reason he was keeping her awake at night, but that was certainly to be expected of a newly wed couple … wasn't it?
"Me? What am I doing, Precious? Has it something to do with our lovemaking? I was certain that once you were changed into a Fae that you would have the energy to keep up with me."
Sarah rolled her eyes. This was so much more difficult than it needed to be.
"Ugh! It has nothing to do with our lovemaking. That is wonderful and perfect. Jareth … you … well, you snore."
The king's jaw dropped.
Sarah reached over and politely closed it for him. "There, sweetheart. You're going to catch flies."
He still remained quiet for a few moments.
"Jareth, say something. I didn't expect things to go this rough."
"Sarah, my love, I can assure you that I do not in fact snore."
Sarah let out an un-queenly snort. "Um, yes, you do."
"I am a royal figure. We do not do something as improper as snoring."
"There's nothing wrong with it," Sarah argued. "My father snores. I frankly don't know how anyone slept in the same room as him some nights. It's just something that happens."
"Precious, it does not happen to me."
"Really? You're going to keep arguing about this?"
"I'm not arguing. I'm stating fact," he said haughtily.
"No, you're arguing over something you don't want to believe. Why does it upset you so much?"
"Because this is not something that is supposed to happen. Royals do not snore. It's … beneath us."
"It doesn't bother me. I mean, yeah, it's keeping me up a little. But maybe if you just go see a doctor –"
"Absolutely not!"
"No?"
"No. Then someone else would know."
"Are you really that vain? Wait … don't answer that. I already know."
"You know, if you weren't my queen, that kind of talk would get you in trouble," he said with a smirk.
"Then it's a good thing the king is madly in love with me," she replied with her own grin.
His smile wavered. "But it doesn't alter our quandary."
"Well, maybe if we went to a doctor in the Aboveground? No one would know who you are and certainly wouldn't care."
"I … Sarah, I don't know."
She stopped and gave him a questioning look. "Are you scared of doctors?"
"No!" he said a little too quickly.
"Mmm-hmm." Sarah could see where this was going. Jareth's pride and his fear were both going to keep him from an Underground doctor. But she had a feeling that her sleeping trouble would at least get him to her world.
"I'm not frightened. I'm just cautious of who I let near me. Assassination attempts and all that."
"But you let him monitor me when I became Fae. You trusted him with me and not with you?" she teased. Now she had him.
"Um … all right, you win. I have no fondness for healers. You may call me a baby now, or whatever derogatory term you would like."
"Jareth, I'm not going to call you a baby." 'out loud,' she added in her mind. "But something needs done, for my sake."
"Indeed."
"Will you at least let me go to a drugstore and buy some of those nose strips?"
"I beg your pardon?"
Sarah had to smile at the aghast look on her husband's face. "They're these little sticky strips that go on your nose. Open the nasal passages and all that. Can we at least try those before we talk about doctors?"
"If it will put your mind off of healers for a bit, then yes, we can evaluate these strips of yours."
"Great! Now, are you coming too?"
"No, I shall leave you to your own endeavors with this. Will you be visiting Tobias while you are up there?"
"Nah. He'll probably be in school. I'll come straight home."
"Splendid. I shall be in my study when you return."
"Sulking," she teased.
"I never sulk. I ponder, intently. And sometimes with great annoyance."
"So … sulking."
"Get thee gone, woman!" he said with a smile.
"Yes, your highness," she replied with a kiss.
"And please, Sarah, tell no one of where you're going."
"I promise, sweetheart. Your secret is safe with me."
"Very well, then."
And with that, Sarah turned and left the room, preparing to travel to the Aboveground for what she hoped to be her sleeping aid.
She went to a drugstore in a completely different state than her home. No sense taking chances. She found exactly what she was looking for, paid the clerk and hurried back home.
When she returned to the castle, neither Sarah nor Jareth spoke of the remedy in the bag by the bed. It just sat there for the rest of the evening until bed time.
Finally, it came time to retire for the day.
"Well, put it on," Sarah insisted.
Jareth carefully stuck the strip to his nose and immediately made a face. He ran to the mirror and gasped.
"Precious, I look ridiculous!"
"First off, you do not. Second, what would it matter if you did? I'm the only one seeing it. And frankly, you always look handsome. This may actually make you look more handsome since there's a chance I'll sleep tonight."
The king sighed. Anything for his Sarah.
They climbed into bed and Jareth pulled her close.
"If you ever doubted my love for you earlier, I certainly hope this has quelled those thoughts."
"I've never doubted," she replied. "But this is a nice reminder. Good night, Jareth. I love you."
"I adore you as well, my precious. Sweet dreams."
And for the first night since her wedding night, Queen Sarah of the Goblin Kingdom slept peacefully and did indeed have sweet dreams.