"You have no power over me!  You have no power over me!"

With those dreadful words still echoing in his mind and with the burden of his defeat in his soul, Jareth, the Goblin King, flew back to his Castle.  Once there, he recovered his human body and, deeply hurt and angry, he withdrew to his private chamber... surrounded by a dark aura of sadness and pain.  As if his clothes were burning him, he took off his leather waistcoat, his shirt and boots and threw them to the floor.  He sighed and sat on the king size bed, his blond head between his hands.

He had done everything for her.  What in the world had gone wrong?  Why did she... reject him?

"Why, Sarah?" he whispered.  "Why didn’t you see... my true feelings, my precious girl?"

Grief-stricken, he extended his palm and conjured a crystal sphere.  He held the magical object and, after a moment of concentration, it showed him what -or whom- he desperately wanted to see: Sarah.  She was in her room, completely oblivious to his sorrow, laughing and dancing with her labyrinthian friends.

"Why did you have to be so blind, foolish child?" he asked her smiling image.  "SO BLIND!" he shouted, losing his control and rudely throwing the sphere to the wall.  "SO BLIND, SARAH!" he yelled, his wrath momentarily dominating him, his magic for once completely released, his body glowing with his power.  "SARAH!"

So powerful was his scream that all the windows of the castle -and every other object made of glass or crystal- shattered into million pieces.

A minute later, it ended.  Jareth’s glow faded and, exhausted, he collapsed on his bed.  "Sarah," he whispered... before passing out for the first time in his endless life.

******

Inside her room, once the party was over and all the good-byes were said, Sarah headed to the bathroom to take an urgently needed warm shower.  Twenty minutes later -clean, refreshed and dressed in her favorite pajamas- she stood before the mirror, distractedly brushing her long, black hair.  She had a faraway gaze and a dreamy smile on her lovely face.  Her mind was focused in her recent labyrinth adventure, on her new friends and specifically in him; the handsome -but spoiled- Goblin King who had taken her breath away... not to mention her heart...

Her grin faded and a sigh escape from her lips.  How much she wished she had been able to accept his offer... but no.  That had not been the right thing to do; her brother did not deserve to pay... for her fantasy.

"I hope you can understand me some day, Jareth," she whispered, sweeping rebel tears from her eyes.

Unexpectedly, she felt dizzy and her eyes hurt a bit, but it soon passed.  Shaking her head, she left the brush on a side table and went to the window.  The beautiful starry night and the spectacular blue full moon greeted her misty eyes, lightening her heart up.  She tilted her head and the dreamy smile returned to her face.  Perhaps they could meet again....

"Good night," she said softly to the absent King. 

Tired by her recent adventure, Sarah laid on her bed and fell asleep immediately, with the grin still on her face.

******

The next day, feeling the morning sunshine on her face, Sarah woke up.  She yawned and stretched her arms.  Slowly, she opened her eyes... and froze.  A chill ran through her spine.  She sat bolt upright and blinked franticly several times.  Nothing, no light, no colors, only darkness greeted her eyes.  *What?* she thought, fear raising within her.  She knew it was day for she could feel the sun... but she just could not... see...

"Please, God, no," she begged in her confusion, desperately rubbing her eyes until they hurt.  "Please, no," she repeated, tears sliding down her cheeks.  It was useless.

Panicked and deeply scared, the dreadful truth finally sunk in.  Trembling, she covered her face with her hands as she realized that... she was... blind.

"NO!" she yelled, crying uncontrollably.

******

From that moment, life changed for Sarah.  Her parents took her to several specialists and all sort of exams were made to her, but no one could explain her sudden loss of sight... and no one could find a cure.

For a long time, Sarah was in a state of shock and denial, depression and darkness being her only companions.  Hope had no place in her life.  She rarely left her house and she stayed a great part of the day in her room, always asking herself the same question, just one word... Why?  When everything had begun, she blamed Jareth, thinking that this all was a cruel revenge on his part.  However, as time went by and she slowly started to accept her new situation, she dismissed the idea... because not even the -defeated- Goblin King could be so cruel... or could he?

Time passed and, fortunately for her, hope did manage to reach her heart.  With the incredible support of her friends and family -especially and surprisingly that of her stepmother- together with her inner strength, Sarah could finally carry on.  She was able to leave the deep hole she had been in since that dreadful morning.  She learned how to use her other senses and developed new skills.  She learned simple things, such as to walk with the help of a cane or how to cross the street.  She also learned difficult things such as Braille. 

Sarah did her best to go on and so, she finally finished high school... with honors.  Yes, she was blind, but also, she was brilliant.  When she received her diploma, she smiled in triumph and decided that nothing would ever beat her again...  Nothing and no one... 

******

Ten years later...

The art gallery was filled with activity, as the inauguration of an important exhibition would be taking place that night.  Beautiful sculptures were placed all aver the main hall, waiting to be admired.  They seemed to have been taken out from a fairy tale.  Dragons, unicorns, fairies... and goblins were part of the exhibit... together with the sculpture of a certain King...

"This will be a complete success," Carol Adams said as she entered the room.  She was the owner of the gallery, and the artist’s best friend, who stood by her side.  "Your sculptures are great, Sarah," she added, excited.  "Especially the cute guy...  What do you call him?"

Sarah chuckled.  "The Goblin King."

"Yes him.  He looks so real that it seems that you--"

Realizing what she was about to say, Carol abruptly kept quiet and bit her lip.  "Oh Sarah, I..."

"Hey, it’s okay," Sarah soothed her friend.  "And yes, I knew him... once...  That happened before I lost my sight," she explained vaguely, clearly not wanting to talk about him.  "Do you really think the exhibition will be a success?" she asked then, changing the subject.

Carol understood and decided not to ask more qustions.  Instead, she smiled widely and hugged her friend.  "Of course, honey!  Don’t you ever doubt it."

At Carol’s enthusiastic answer, Sarah could not help but smile and believe her.

******

At that very moment in the Underground...

Jareth was seated on his throne, deeply bored... as usual.  The last ten years had passed in a blink of an eye for him and, even though he had done almost everything in his power to take that precious girl out of his mind, Sarah’s lovely face still haunted his dreams... and his day dreams.

A tired sigh escaped from his mouth.  Nothing had helped him to forget, not even the company of beautiful ladies...

Annoyed with himself for being so... pathetic, he shook his head and rose from his throne.  What was happening with him?  HE was The Goblin King.  The incredibly powerful and irresistible Goblin King.  He was not a... love struck kid... but that was exactly how he felt...  In spite of himself, he was desperately in love with Sarah Williams.

He rolled his eyes and walked toward the window.  He distractedly looked outside, but the spectacular sight of his labyrinth brought no comfort to him.  On the contrary, it seemed to intensify his memories of the stubborn girl... who had broken his heart.

"This is ridiculous!" he suddenly yelled, startling his goblins.  "I am ridiculous," he added, morbidly amused and with a bitter smile on his face.

He sat on the ledge of the window and, not being able to control himself any longer, he waved a hand and a crystal sphere materialized before him.  He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and he did something he had vowed he would never do again: he summoned... her.  He slowly opened his eyes and lowered his gaze to the sphere... and then... he saw her.  He gasped and his heart began to beat crazily.  She was in a big room, talking to a redheaded woman, but her surroundings did not matter to him.  He only had eyes for her. She was so beautiful, just as he remembered her.  Her hair was a bit shorter and she looked more serious -and adult- but still she was... breathtaking.  Unlike him, she appeared to have done well all those years.  She had a content and somehow satisfied expression on her face... and she seemed to emanate an inner strength that surprised him.

Jareth blinked and had to summon all his will power not to transport himself where she was.  He just could not face her... yet.

******

"What is it, honey?" Carol asked worriedly, as Sarah had suddenly kept quiet.  They had been talking for a while and Sarah had abruptly stiffened. 

"Nothing... It’s just that...  Is there anyone here, besides us I mean?" the artist replied, running a hand through her hair.

Puzzled, Carol looked around and shrugged.  "No.  They all left for lunch a moment ago," she answered.  "Speaking of which, Sarah," she added, kindly patting the blind woman's arm,  "I am starving.  I need to eat or you will have to carry me in your arms," she finished in a mocking-dramatic tone.

Sarah smiled, amused, and nodded, dismissing the strange feeling she had had a couple of seconds ago... as if someone were watching them...

"What about Chinese?"  Carol suggested, smiling back.

"I love Chinese," Sarah agreed, "but I don’t think I will be able to eat anything until tomorrow."

Carol rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her friend’s slender shoulders.  "Sarah, there is no reason to be so nervous.  Tonight will be your night," the gallery owner soothed the brunette.  "You will be more famous than you already are, you will be chased by handsome men and--"

"Carol!" Sarah interrupted her, laughing and shaking her head.  It was clear to her that Carol was her number one fan -together with her family.  They had met a couple of years ago and Carol had immediately liked her sculptures.  In fact, it had been thanks to Sarah’s work that Carol decided to turn the beautiful mansion she had just inherited from her grandfather into an art gallery.

A couple of minutes later, realizing that she was a bit hungry after all, Sarah grabbed Carol’s hand and began to walk to the door, successfully avoiding all the obstacles present in the room.  "Okay, let’s go to eat!"

 Chuckling, Carol just allowed Sarah to guide her, secretly admiring her friend’s ability to perceive everything that surrounded her.  "Thank God for your mercy!" she teased Sarah, closing the door as they left.

******

Jareth watched them leave and was about to throw away the sphere, when something in the room caught his attention.  He looked closer and when he saw what it was he blinked in surprise and almost fell from the ledge of the window.  It was a sculpture of him!  His eyes widened and a silly grin spread on his face...  Sarah had not forgotten him!  He continued watching the crystal, and soon he realized there were another sculptures in that place...  very familiar sculptures.  He recognized that annoying goblin called Hoggle, that oversized fur-ball called Ludo, the hyperactive fox that was Sir Didimus... and even a replica of his own castle!  Truly puzzled now, he tilted his blond head and took his free hand to his chin.  What was going on?  As if answering his question, his gaze was drawn to a poster placed near the entrance:

"Starlight Gallery proudly presents

Sarah Williams’ work: Stone Dreams. 

Grand opening tonight..."

Amazed beyond words, he read and reread the inscription.  Once convinced that it was not his imagination, he finally got rid of the sphere.  Slowly, a wickedly mischievous grin appeared on his face as the perfect idea occurred to him.  "Until tonight, precious one," he whispered seductively as if Sarah were standing there.  Then, unable to stop himself, he burst with laughter... a good, genuine laughter.

Disclaimer:       Labyrinth Universe and Characters are from Jim Henson. No copyright infringement is intended.  The idea is mine.

Author: Mithril (perretta@entelchile.net) September 2000.

Note: A big thanks to Sand, Lynsey and Kitaya for beta-reading my story ;)