Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I can bear it no longer!, Goblin King, Goblin King!, wherever you may be, take this child of mine far away from me!” Sarah cried desperately, holding up her brother.

Thunder rumbled outside, breaking Sarah from her story as she lowered toby, sighing in frustration when his wailing didn’t cease. “Oh, Toby! Stop it!” returning the infant to his crib.

Sarah once again sighed, still frustrated, and exhausted.

“I wish I did know what to say to make the goblins take you, I wish….” Sarah trailed off.

“I wish I knew how to get them to take me.”

She looked back at Toby, frowning and closing the door before making the journey back across the hall to her own bedroom.

“I hate this place, I wish the goblins would come and take me away..right now.”

The storm outside seemed to grow more aggressive at her words, the branches beside her window pounding on the glass, demanding entry.

Sarah ran to close her curtains only to stop dead in her tracks at the sight before her, not only were the branches thrashing against her window, but an owl too. With a shriek, Sarah fell back against her door as the window shattered and the owl crashed through to her room, slowly taking a different form..

“The Goblin King!” Sarah gasped quietly, eyes glued to the fae, who was now standing in the middle of the girls bedroom, looking around. He smirked at the shock in her voice, looking at her face to face. “You were expecting someone else?” He chuckled, taking a step forward “Mary Poppins, perhaps?” His eyes met Sarah’s.

His pupils, two different sizes, locked onto hers, keeping her in almost in a trance like state. She shook her head slowly, trying to form words.

“I- I didn’t think-” Jareth let out at laugh, as if he found her struggle to form coherent thoughts amusing, “You didn’t think your wish was going to work. Nobody ever thinks that.” His smile faltered, his voice almost pitiful. “After all, it’s just a story. A fable.” He stepped even closer to Sarah, whispering now. “Because goblins aren’t real, are they? It’s all a made up story.”

Sarah shivered, trying not to show how uncomfortable his presence was suddenly making her.

“That’s what I’ve always been told. But I never believed it.” she said, seeming almost proud despite the childish nature behind her words.

“I never stopped believing in stories, and I want to be a part of this one.” she met his unusual eyes again, trying to keep the nervousness she felt out of her expression.

Sarah truly wanted to be swept away into a magical land, but it only ever happened to her in dreams. Now she was here, face to face with The Goblin King himself, and it felt like a very different experience than one she could have conjured up.

“You are sure that is what you desire?” the fae asked, leaning in. “To be whisked off to my castle, never to return to this world?” He hummed, examining Sarah head to toe, his shoulders jumping with silent laughter. How could this poor girl be so selfish and naive? It truly was laughable.

“You’ll never see Toby again, you’re aware?”

Sarah’s eyes widened at the mention of her baby brothers name, she had almost forgotten him. “I- Yes. I’m aware.” She stood up straighter, more sure of herself. Toby would be fine, her family could learn to live without her, she made her decision.

“This is my wish, Goblin King. I wish to be taken to your castle beyond the goblin city, at the centre of the labyrinth. I wish for you to take me away”.

The air was quiet for a moment, before Jareth let out a satisfied huff and stepped back with a grin.

“Your wish is granted, Do not regret this decision, Sarah, for you may not undo what has just been done”.

Chapter Text

Sarah scoffed, maintaining eye contact with the goblin king. “Of course I won’t regret it-” she went silent, now realizing that they had moved and were no longer in her bedroom, or even in the human world. 

Sarah and Jareth now stood in the empty throne room, in the castle beyond the goblin city. “Oh..we’re here..okay.”

 She looked around, taking in the new atmosphere. “It’s different than what I expected”.

Jareth raised an eyebrow, humming. “How so? Is there not enough glitter?” this made Sarah chuckle, shaking her head as Jareth walked over to what she could only assume was his throne and lounge across it like a mother in distress would lounge on a chaise.

“No, I just thought there would be goblins everywhere... this place feels so empty”.

The fae laughed, shaking his head. “They have homes you know. A whole city."

"The goblins that serve me can come and go from here, I just ordered them away upon your arrival”.

“Oh..” Sarah nodded, still confused “but why? It must feel so lonely here without at least a few goblins to occupy your time?”.

The goblin king nodded, sitting upright “Occasionally. But I'd prefer if your first few hours in the kingdom were goblin-free. They can be..intimidating to some humans who have never dealt with them before. They’re quite-” Jareth paused, looking for the proper word. “energetic, I suppose”.

Sarah remained silent, trying to understand what he meant by 'energetic'. She could handle energy, she hung out with Toby, and her neighbors new puppy all the time.

Jareth's voice broke her train of thought. “I could order them back in here if you wish, but I would advise you to be careful."

"How come?" Sarah tilted her head, suddenly feeling nervous as Jareth grinned maliciously

"They bite.”

Chapter Text

An audible gasp echoed throught the empty throne room “Bite?”.

Sarah paled, trying to keep the sudden nervousness from her voice.

“Are you serious?”

“Sometimes, they've been known to be nibblers.” came the smug reply. Jareth narrowed his eyes, trying to keep his grin at bay.

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of Sarah losing her mind once the goblins arrived, he knew those things wouldn’t hurt a fly unless he demanded it, but it was so damn funny seeing the look on the poor girls face. Any minute now she would be begging him to go home, pleading desperately to return. 

Sarah remained silent for a moment calming herself, she shrugged. She’d been bitten by Toby a few times, and that hadn’t hurt too bad, so maybe a goblin bite was the same.

She’d never met a goblin before, much less seen one, so she had no clue what to expect. He did say sometimes..maybe it wouldnt happen this time?.

“Alright, I suppose. When will I get to meet them, then?”

“You’re not afraid?"

“Of course I am, but maybe it won’t be so bad, I’m a big girl, I can handle a few goblin bites, I’m sure.”

The goblin king closed his mouth, trying to figure out what he should do next. He wanted to make her want to go home so he could test her, play his games and have his fun.

He wanted to remind her of her eternal fate, but Sarah seemed far too comfortable already and he couldn’t just make her run the labyrinth, not without some goal or good reason, of course. If only she had wished her brother away..

Yes of course. Toby.

If he could make her feel lonely, isolate her enough to beg for the company of her brother, then maybe he could have his fun. But not yet, he needs to give the girl time to adjust.

“Erm..”

Jareth was pulled from the thought by Sarah hesitantly tapping his shoulder, she leapt back in surprise when he flinched.

“Uh.. Goblin king-”

“Jareth”. He replied

“Oh...Huh?..”

“Jareth. My name is Jareth” The fae said, facing sarah. “I’d much rather you call me by my name than shout my title whenever you want something from me.” Sarah nodded slowly, trying out the name.

“Jareth.. That’s a nice name.. I never expected you to have a name like that.” Sarah smiled, meeting the man's gaze. “It suits you”.

 The goblin king raised an eyebrow, nodding slowly at the compliment. “Hm.. I guess it does. Thank you..Now, about those goblins you wanted to meet..?"

Sarah lit up at the question, her eyes showing the excitement she was too nervous to express. "Yes! Can you call them in please? I'd love to see them."

Jareth rolled his eyes, of course she'd be excited to see goblins. The girl practically breathed fantasy. "Alright then. Hope you're ready for a surprise".

He snapped his fingers, and watched Sarah's expression change damn near 20 times before settling on shock.

"Whoa..."

"Whoa indeed, Sarah. Whoa indeed".

Chapter Text

In a matter of seconds there were dozens of goblins adorning the once empty room, all shouting and laughing at each other, throwing themselves about and causing a general ruckuss. A group of young goblins ran past sarah, a few pushing through her legs to catch up to the others. Sarah let out a small shriek and instinctively kicked out her leg to shake the goblins off, jumping back and clinging to Jareth’s coat tightly. 

“There’s… so many of them..” 

Jareth glanced down at the young girls face, pursing his lips to hide his smile, he could feel her nervous tension from here, by the steely grip she had on his coat it was clear she wasn’t expecting the goblins to be so rowdy.

“Are you uncomfortable?” He asked her, leaning down to whisper in her ear to be heard better over the cacophony of the goblins. Sarah kept her eyes on the goblins, shaking her head slowly.

“Not yet.. How many are there?” 

“In here or in the underground?” 

Sarah bit the inside of her cheek, eyes scanning over the room while she thought. “Well there’s got to be at least a hundred in here, so how many are there in general? They couldn’t all fit in here, I’d imagine”. 

“Oh there’s plenty more around, but in all honesty I’ve no idea how many there are in total.” The fae shrugged, gently turning Sarah’s gaze to meet his and asked her once again “do they make you uncomfortable? Would you like them to go?” 

Sarah nodded, frowning as if she were disappointed in herself for it. 

“Yes, please.” 

“Alright, wait here a moment, excuse me.” Jareth straightened and took ahold of sarah’s hands, removing them from his coat so he could make his wait to his throne  and grab the goblins attention. 

“GOBLINS, BEGONE” Jareth's voice echoed through the room, causing the goblins to all stop dead in their tracks, looking at one another and then turning to face their king. 

Jareth lowered his voice, making his tone much more sinister to frighten them.

 “Do not make me repeat myself, or it’s to the bog of stench with all of you!”. The goblins, too afraid to call the faes bluff, began to scatter and exit the throne room, pushing past sarah once again as they made their way out. Once the last of the goblins has made their leave, Jareth sat on his throne, staring off into space for a few moments, getting lost in his own thoughts.

It was only when he heard a small cough from the other side of the room that he remembered Sarah was still with him. 

“Erm..” 

“Oh!” Jareth sat upright with a bolt, Sarah’s cough breaking him from his trance. 

“Oh, you’re still here, right.“ The goblin king relaxed again, resting his chin on his hand and motioning for Sarah to get closer. 

“You realize you can move around without my command, you know, you’re not a goblin so I have no reason to hit you”. 

Sarah quickly shuffled closer to the throne, embarrassed. 

“Sorry.. I wasn’t exactly sure if you wanted me to move or not, you did tell me to wait after all”. Jareth scoffed in response, looking away before muttering, mostly to himself. “well I wasn't expecting you to actually listen to me, you're human, not one of my subjects”. 

He really hadn’t expected her to stay there, after watching her for weeks through the crystals before being summoned, he could tell she was the type to ignore most rules, even if it was on accident. He also thought that she’d have snuck out with the goblins to find a way back home, surely she must be miserable now. 

“Oh…well it looks like you need to fix your expectations of me, then” the girl replied, sitting on the floor, no longer facing Jareth. He raised an eyebrow and hummed to himself in agreement. 

“I suppose so”. 

Chapter Text

 Sarah wasn’t sure what she was expecting when she asked the goblin king to take her away, maybe a trap, something evil, at least.

Instead, the fae was leading her around the grounds, taking her on a tour of the castle and explaining how the rules of the underground worked with a tired voice. It seemed so mundane, so normal.  

Jareth stopped suddenly, causing Sarah to run into his back with a small ‘umph’ before looking up at the blond as he spoke

“...and this is where you’ll stay”.

He motioned to the large wooden door in front of them. It matched the rest of the castle, old and ornate with small designs carefully etched into the surface.

Sarah nodded, looking at the door hesitantly. “Right...” 

Taking a deep breath, she reached out and slowly turned the handle, “please be something cool please be something cool” Sarah whispered to herself,  shutting her eyes and pushing open the door. 

The room was surprisingly normal, to Sarah’s disappointment. It was roughly the size of her parent’s room, a large window sat across from the door, next to the window was a queen sized bed, and across from the bed was a wooden dresser that looked to have hand carved designs around the top.

Bookshelves lined the walls along with a few tapestries and an oriental rug covered most of the floor. Sarah took a few steps into the room and looked around. Adjacent to her room was an ensuite bathroom, basic toiletries and appliances adorned the room.

Nothing she wasn't used to.

“I hope it’s to your liking, because this is what you’re stuck with.”

Jareth’s voice broke the silence, causing Sarah to jump. She looked around the room once more before responding

“I- um.. Yes. Yes this is just fine, thank you.”

She turned to face the goblin king, nodding her approval. He studied her face for a few moments before letting out a satisfied “hmph” and turning to leave.

“Good. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable, I’ll be around if you need me..”

The fae turned sharply and caught the girl’s eye with  a sinister stare making her shiver

“But don’t need me”.

He glowered, exiting the room with a dramatic flare from his cape, the door slamming shut upon his departure. Sarah was left alone for the first time since she arrived in the castle.

She scoffed to herself at the king's words, “don’t need me” she mocked, rolling her eyes. “So much for royal hospitality”

Sarah paced the room absentmindedly, examining the books that adorned the shelves, getting a feel for the new space she was occupying.

She sat down on the bed after a while, groaning and laying on her back, glaring up at the ceiling.

“I thought getting swept away to the underground was gonna be cooler than this. Urgh I have more fun in algebra than I’m having now”. She looked out the window into the goblin city, rolling onto her side with a pout.

“I could be out there..” her gaze hardened, and she sat up, determined.

“I’m going out there, what’s the worst that could happen anyways? A few goblin bites won’t kill me”

Shoving herself to her feet, Sarah walked over to the window and pushed it open, taking in a deep breath, gagging when the smell of sewage and goblin hit the back of her throat. “BAD IDEA!  BAD IDEA!” she coughed out, closing the window and pressing her back to it

“Okay,” she said to herself, catching her breath “maybe don’t sneak out through the window, Sarah”

The girl looked around her room once more, maybe there was a hidden passageway that led outside somewhere. Sarah didn’t feel like asking Jareth to take her, he did say not to need him, after all. She could handle herself, anyways.  “Alright, let’s see here..” 

Sarah began turning knobs and pulling books off shelves, trying to find some secret door that she could escape from.

“This is so useless!” she cried after what felt like hours of searching, throwing down a book in frustration. “What’s the point of having a super cool castle if you can’t go through any cool secret rooms!”

With a yell Sarah kicked the wall next to her bed, cursing at her foot that got hot with pain immediately after. Suddenly, she heard the sound of stone scraping against stone and saw the floor just under her bed open into a small tunnel leading down. Looking over at the wall she just kicked Sarah realized that a stone had been pushed inward by her foot, activating the door. 

 She stared in shock for a moment “I did it… I did it! I found a secret tunnel!” Laughing, Sarah knelt down and pulled out her lipstick to mark the stone for later use.

“Perfect! Now, time to go have some actual fun”. Sarah beamed to herself, crawling under her bed and into the hidden exit.