CONCESSION

By Delia Lavender

(I do not own Jareth, Sarah, or any other character from the movie "Labyrinth". I write for fun, not profit.)

The Goblin King did not relent. He did not concede. He would not relinquish what he desired.

He would not give up his Champion.

He would do whatever he needed to succeed. He would do whatever was necessary to return her to the Underground.

It was where she belonged, after all. He would accept nothing less than her total capitulation.

But, as it happened, none of his elaborate schemes were necessary.

He didn't need to threaten Toby, her baby brother. He did not need to intimidate, or frighten her. He didn't need to send goblins to harass Sarah's parents.

She called him herself, out of loneliness.

Sarah was a freshman in college. She lived in the dormitory with her roommate, a girl named April.

April was absent a lot. She had a boyfriend who lived in an apartment off campus.

It was easy, so easy to use a love spell...just a simple one, to deepen the attraction between April and her boyfriend, Brad.

So that Sarah would be alone. So that Sarah would have the room to herself, most of the time.

A slight repelling spell was all that was necessary to keep Sarah from socializing. Everyone she approached was suddenly too busy to talk to her. She made no new friends.

She stayed in her room and ate chocolate. She gained ten pounds, which looked extremely good on her.

She looked more womanly than she had before, when she had run his labyrinth.

And so, one dismal, rainy afternoon, she had finally called him. "Goblin King, wherever you may be, please come to call on me...right now!"

And Jareth, the Goblin King, had answered her. Appearing in her dormitory room in a flash of light and glitter.

OOOOOO

Sadly for Jareth, he found that Sarah was stubborn as ever.

It was undignified, it was infuriating, but he was forced to concede. He, who hadn't conceded anything since the second Goblin War, in 1802.

But it had to be done, since Fay Law required Sarah to freely give herself to him, before he could take her away.

An embrace was permitted - a comforting hug - as she would put it, but he needed a heartfelt kiss or, better yet, access to her bed.

He refused to settle for less.

But was he losing his seduction skills? Sarah was simply not cooperating.

So the Goblin King was forced to capitulate, to humor Sarah's complaints, her discontent and her strange whims.

And now here he was, sitting on the edge of her unobtainable bed, dressed in tight denim trousers that scratched his skin. He wore a cartoon tee shirt and uncomfortable, bulky sneakers replaced his fine leather boots. Sarah was brushing back his spiky hair, pulling it away from his face, securing it with an elastic band.

"Stop wiggling, Jareth...I'm almost done. And wipe the glitter off your eyelids...you still look too exotic. And try to remember: you're a foreign exchange student from another college. If anyone tries to talk to you, speak elvish or something. I'll take care of everything else. Just wait and see...this will be fun!"

And so, properly groomed and prepped, Jareth was on his way to the college cafeteria.