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anne-chloe · 1 year ago

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Trust Me | Seven |

Jareth/Goblin King x F! Reader

Summary : As Sarah's next door neighbour, you're often Mrs Williams' last resort as a babysitter. Sarah had never liked this, but she can be extremely unreliable at times. One stormy night, Sarah grows frustrated with her baby brother and babysitter, resulting in saying a phrase that she later wants to take back. Now, you are stuck in The Goblin Kings realm with little hope to returning home again, unless Sarah can reach the castle and defeat Jareth in time.

You practically threw yourself through the hallways, calling for Tobey and Jareth. Neither of them were anywhere to be seen, and they hadn't been with you when you woke up.

You sprinted down some steps, coming to a hallway with multiple rooms. You spun around in a circle, already feeling exasperated and overwhelmed from the choice. You couldn't risk being lost in The Goblin King's castle, not when Tobey needed you more than ever. Not when Sarah had jumped through hurdles to try and find you in the Labyrinth.

You picked a room at random. It was a library. You crossed into the middle and stared in awe at the thousands of books that lined the walls, each all rising hundreds of metres to the ceiling. You couldn't even see the top, it was that high up.

A glass ball rolled out from one of the aisles. It rolled towards you, landing against your foot. You immediately picked it up, watching with wide eyes as Jareth appeared, holding Tobey in one hand and a timer in the other.

8 minutes.

"You should stop interfering," Jareth warned, his amusement long since washed from his face. "You'll only cause yourself harm."

Frustrated with his words that constantly belittled you, you pulled your arm back and threw the glass ball across the room. It smashed against a bookshelf, shattering into tiny pieces. You spun around on your heel and headed for the door which you came from.

Locked.

It seemed as though Jareth was deliberately keeping you away. Perhaps Sarah was getting closer to him, and she was almost there to save Tobey.

Or maybe Jareth was sparing you some kindness, and he didn't want you to see Tobey turn into a Goblin? With only 8 minutes left on the timer, it was entirely possible that Sarah wouldn't make it.

You wandered over to the bookshelves.

But why would Jareth confront you like that? He was cruel and calculated; he wouldn't warn you away if you hadn't been getting close to him. Sure, he had locked you inside the library to keep you from leaving, but there must be another way to leave the library.

You looked at each book carefully, trying to find one that might seem out of place. Your fingers traced the leather bound books, feeling for something that you might not see straight away.

Then, you stopped.

A book that had been placed upside down. You bit your lower lip, praying that it would lead to some sort of secret entrance if you pulled it down. And as a satisfying click resounded through the air, you knew that your intuition had been correct.

To your right, a doorway opened up. You grinned and bolted for it, stepping into the darkness as the door shut behind you again. You glanced at the spiral staircase that only led up, meaning you'd have to follow it.

You climbed as fast as you could, not stopping to take a much needed breath. You couldn't waste any more time. You'd wasted roughly 2 minutes searching for that hidden door.

A glass ball came bouncing down the steps. You reached out to grab it, frowning as Jareth appeared once more. He looked annoyed, his lips curled downwards in upset.

"Can't you see that I'm trying to protect you? Everything I am doing is for you. Don't be such a brat." Jareth said through gritted teeth. "Turn back and wait for me. This will all be over soon."

You dropped the ball and let it continue bouncing down the steps, listening with a smile as it shattered at the very bottom. You continued upwards, feeling triumphant that you were beginning to make The Goblin King impatient with your disobedience.

If Sarah hadn't have made it to the castle, then you would have admitted defeat and sat quietly. But with the chaos in the city and Jareth warning you to stay away, it only meant that you were indeed getting closer to escaping. And that must be infuriating for Jareth.

You reached the top of the staircase and froze in surprise. You had entered the same staircase room from one of the first tricks Jareth had set up for you. You looked around frantically, seeing many more steps, all leading in awkward positions, upside down and on the walls, all defying gravity. You blinked in disbelief, another glass ball rolling to meet your feet.

You picked it up.

"Last chance, [Name]," Jareth muttered. "Go back to the throne room and wait for me. Don't make this any harder than it needs to be."

You ignored him and dropped the ball, once again listening to it smash into pieces at your feet. You stepped into the middle of the room and glanced around, taking in the sight of all the staircases. Which one did you need to get to? You couldn't tell, seeing as how they all overlapped one another. It made you feel dizzy.

Then, you gasped loudly, watching as Tobey came into view, crawling upside down, just out of reach.

"Tobey!" You called, watching as he looked down (or from his perspective, up) at you. He seemed to recognise you, and he laughed while holding out his hands, wanting you to grab him, to hold him. "Stay there!"

You bolted for the nearest staircase and made your way up. You entered through a doorway and reappeared at another staircase, furthest away from where you wanted to be. You knew this entire task would be frustrating, and so you kept your tongue in cheek as you moved on as fast as you could.

Then, to your surprise, you saw Sarah entering a doorway and reappearing across from you. She spotted you immediately, relief evident on her face. But you saw her distress and desperation. You knew that time was still ticking.

A glass ball bounced across the staircases. Your eyes followed its movements, and you flinched as it bounced into Jareth's hand. He stood closest to Tobey, who sat at his feet. Jareth moved away from Tobey and walked to the edge of the staircase, where he stepped off and plunged towards the floor bellow.

The ground opened up, showing a maze of more stairs underneath the floor.

"[Name], there's only 2 minutes left!" Sarah desperately called out. "How do we get down there?"

You peered over the edge. Your heart hammered in your chest. Jareth had free fallen all the way down, and it was clear his expectation was for you to follow him. So, you looked back over to Sarah, who began chewing her nails nervously.

"We jump," you told her.

Sarah looked at you incredulously, as if you had grown a second head. "Jump?" She repeated, "are you insane?!"

"Do you trust me?" You asked her, growing impatient with the time ticking away so fast.

Sarah nodded. "Of course I trust you."

And I trust The Goblin King.

You closed your eyes and stepped off the staircase, now falling fast into the endless abyss bellow. Wind whipped at your hair as the staircases passed you by, the ground finally coming into view.

Just before you hit the ground, someone caught you. You breathed a sigh of relief and slowly opened your eyes, tilting your head back up at Jareth, who merely scowled down at you. He seemed reluctant to set you down on the floor, his hands lingering at your sides.

Behind you, Jareth watched as Sarah floated to the floor. She landed gently, her eyes narrowed at him in distaste.

Sarah then joined your side, her hand grabbing yours. You hugged her gently, relieved that she was truly standing by your side again, and not as a Goblin, but as herself.

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City," Sarah immediately started, reciting the very same lines she practiced repeatedly from her book. Her hand shook in yours, and you gave a reassuring squeeze.

All the while Sarah spoke, Jareth couldn't take his eyes off of you.

"To take back the child and keeper that you have stolen, for my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great—"

"Stop," Jareth said, lifting up his hand and cutting Sarah off. He suddenly approached you, his hand grabbing your free one, his thumb rubbing over your knuckles. You found the gesture undeniably soothing, but you still continued to stare with a firmness at The Goblin King.

"Everything I have done has been for you. Your expectations have exhausted me. You don't have to leave here, you can stay. All I ask is that you fear me, worship me and love me." Jareth had somehow managed to pull you away from Sarah, who was watching in alarm.

He curled his arms around your waist, holding you close to his body, embracing you in a way that he feared would be his last. Jareth lowered his head, his lips brushing against your own, his eyes low and pleading. "Do all of this, and I will be your slave."

You lifted your hands, placing them delicately on either side of his head. You leaned forward and placed a lingering kiss on his lips. You pulled back, with Jareth looking hungry and desperate for more. But you smiled at him and slowly shook your head.

Having listened to Sarah a hundred times as she recited this speech, you knew exactly how it would end.

"You have no power over me."

And the bell chimed in the distance. Jareth's grip loosened on your waist, and you swore you saw tears in his eyes as he finally let you go.

The world began to crumble around you, and before a bright light consumed you, you found Sarah and pulled her into a protective embrace.