Labyrinth Fan Fiction ❯ Peaches ❯ Peaches ( Chapter 1 )

[ A - All Readers ]

Mischievous. That is the only word that could possibly describe Sarah's actions at the moment. Once the idea had popped into her head she couldn't seem to get it out, so naturally she had to carry it out. She and Jareth had been sitting in the throne room with their son telling him of how they met and a bought of curiosity took over. As she sat there listening to Jareth tell of the peach induced ball she began to think of just what would happen if she could get her hands on one of those peaches for him. It didn't seem very likely that she would be able to find one, but the thought had already rooted itself in her brain and refused to leave.

A week or so had passed when the thought made itself known again. Hoggle had come to visit and was playing in the shade of a tree with her son when she suddenly thought to ask. "Hoggle, you remember the peach you gave me from Jareth? Where do they come from?"

Guilt washed over Hoggle as he remembered giving it to her. "Sarah, did you really have to bring that up, you know I'm sorry."

Sarah smiled reassuringly, "I know, and I don't blame you. I was just wondering if somehow I could get one. Jareth was talking about that ball the other day and an idea popped into my head and won't seem to leave me alone."

Her smile turned to a smirk and he couldn't help but laugh. "I'm afraid I can't help you get one, he made it out of a crystal and magic."

Sarah huffed. "Well I suppose we will never find out what such a peach would do to him then."

"But don't you have crystals of your own now? You could try to make one of your own."

"I'm not nearly skilled enough for that yet. What if something really bad happened?"

When she had given up hope on the plan completely a child-like goblin that seemed do pale that it glowed came into the garden carrying a tray. She had never seen a goblin that pale, or clean for that matter. Even if she had seen a goblin that pale she would never have known because it would have been covered in so much grime. But now one stood directly in front of her with a tray of fruit. There were apples and grapes and on the very top a single peach.

Sarah picked up the peach and looked curiously at the goblin. "You should be careful with that peach milady, it is a gift from the labyrinth herself."

Sarah smiled brightly as she took the tray from the goblin and gave her a hug. "Thank You!"

"Anything for you milady. And besides, we think he deserves it."

With a smile as ornery as Sarah's, the goblin vanished.

"Mommy, who was that?"

"Just a friend sweetie. She brought us some fruit." Sarah held up the peach as her eyes met Hoggle's, her smirk back in place.

"Hoggle, would you mind watching him for a bit?" she asked, nodding her head to her son.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Of course not. We will be out here playing."

She grabbed an apple off the tray for herself and skipped away with a fruit in each hand. She soon found Jareth in his office. Taking a bite out of her apple she tossed him the peach. "I grabbed us some fruit on the way here." She smiled innocently up at him before giving him a quick kiss.

"Why thank you." He held her close for a moment longer then released her to inspect the fruit she had given him. "I see you are still refusing to eat peaches. You really have nothing to worry about, that was a one of a kind peach."

"Well I think I shall stick with apples none the less."

"Fine, but the peaches here really are delicious." He said as he took a large bite from it.

Almost immediately he fell back into his seat in a comma-like state, but what Sarah didn't count on was that she promptly joined him there. It was then she groaned as she remembered the mischievous smirk on the goblin's face. She raised her head afraid of what she was going to see. And she was right to be wary, for when her eyes met her reflection in the surrounding bubble she found herself in tightly clinging tights and a sparkling metallic jacket of blue with frills spilling from the front. It was slightly more revealing on her that she remembered it being on him. Then she caught sight of her hair and sighed. It was wilder that she had ever seen it, almost like a bad case of bed hair.

'Oh well, 'she thought, 'if this is what I look like then it should have worked on Jareth as well.'

She quickly began searching the crowded ballroom for the white dress she knew so well. It didn't take her long to spot an angry Jareth clad in the sparkly white dress with gigot sleeves*, corseted sweetheart bodice, and the enormous skirt. His hair was adorned with strands of silver in a whimsical manner. Sarah couldn't help but laugh, but that laugh only made Jareth angrier.

She sauntered up to him while everyone around them watched wide eyed. "I'm afraid the dress doesn't suit you very well."

"Sarah," he said in a very restrained voice. "When I brought you here before it was to distract you, but it isn't a dream and these people are some of the most important fae in this realm."

She could hear the anger in his voice and thought it best to just go ahead and get the apologizing out of the way. She wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm sorry Jareth, I didn't know. You know how I get when my mischievous side takes over…"

He sighed then wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay, you didn't know. But how did you manage to get us here all on your own…and in these outfits?"

"Well it wasn't really all on my own. This goblin brought us a tray of fruit she said was from the labyrinth its self. She seemed to think that it would be funny too, now I see why. I'm sorry, I shouldn't give in to these ideas when they pop into my head."

"Well I shall have to have a chat with my labyrinth when we get back but we might as well enjoy it while we are here. We never really got a chance to dance last time. And if you have had you laugh do you mind if I make our outfits slightly more appropriate?"

"Please do." She said as she looked around at everyone staring at them.

The clothes he changed them into wasn't quite as flamboyant as what they arrived in but was still extraordinary, and more importantly on the right person.

"Now then, can I have the honor of the dance?"

And so they danced through the night. Sarah had had her laugh but had also learned a very valuable lesson that she should already have learned. Things aren't always as they appear.

*Gigot Sleeve - a type of very poofy sleeve that tapers down to the wrist common in the mid 1800's also called the leg-of-mutton sleeve.