he will wait (until you give yourself to him)
pairing: jareth the goblin king x reader
part 2 of nowhere man
notes: when i wrote part 1 of this i had no idea i was going to do a sequel (hence why it’s been nearly a year) but i’m actually really happy with this fic :)
word count: 2.6k
You're not sure how it happened. One minute you'd been walking about the castle, reading one of the few books you'd found in the castle library that was in a language you understood, and the next you'd been falling through the floor down a narrow passage. You suspected a bitter goblin was behind it but couldn't be sure, it had all happened so suddenly. Maybe Jareth had been behind you but you doubted it. Something in the air seems to shift in his presence and you don't remember feeling anything out of the ordinary except surprise. The fall is something of a painful blur and you're somewhat dazed when you finally hit the ground.
Falling all the way into the labyrinth brings back an onslaught of memories, none of them good.
You've never actually run the labyrinth. Given that you had been offered up to the Goblin King, it had never been required of you. In a particularly heated argument when you'd first arrived the King had threatened to put you in here but had fallen short of actually doing so in what he had described as 'an act of mercy'. You'd walked through it together a few times though, Jareth liked to walk you round to display the magnificence of it on days when he was in a particularly good mood, usually because a runner had once again failed to escape it. Being here unaccompanied was much more unnerving.
It only takes a few unknown sounds coming from somewhere in the distance for you to decide to start walking.
It doesn't take you long to realise that the labyrinth is guiding you through itself, presumably back to the Goblin City. The walls seem to shift around in front of you; turning you this way or that way as the Goblin City's silhouette starts to get progressively more imposing. That knowledge brings you some comfort and slows your pace back to your place of residence. You let a hand trail across the rough grain of the labyrinth's walls and find that you never have to take it away, that the labyrinth uses it as something as an anchor to guide you back home.
You briefly wonder when you started to consider the Goblin City as your home. You're quick to dismiss that thought, that's something to haunt you before you sleep for the next few nights rather than right now. The last thing you need right now is to have a complete breakdown.
It's almost peaceful being on your own for a while. Goblin's don't venture into the labyrinth if they know what's good for them, many of them have been lost here and ended up in the bog of eternal stench so they tend to avoid it like the plague. Being unwatched for maybe the first time since you arrived here is a luxury you don't plan to take for granted.
You lose yourself in a daydream quickly, following the path being set out in front of you. It takes longer than it should for you to realise you're not as alone as you initially assumed. In fairness to yourself, it's been a long time since you've seen an unfamiliar face. You hadn't even known Jareth had taken someone recently. No one had made it anywhere near the castle for so long you'd stopped looking out the windows of the castle for them.
Another human stands in front of you, a panicked look etched onto their face. They move towards you quickly, taking a firm hold of your arm.
"Oh thank god! I thought I was the only one! You have to help me!" Their grip on your arm is firm, bordering on painful. If they see you wince they don't react, only holding you tighter. "I need to get out of this place! Do you know the way?"
You shake your head. "No, sorry. I don't know where I'm going." It's a half truth, but they don't need to know that. The runner's face pinches with frustration before it softens into something you think might be pity.
"How long have you been here?" It's a question you're not sure how to answer.
"I'm not sure. What date is it when you're from?" They give you the date they remember it being and the pity blossoms into something more tangible as your face falls. Years. You've been here for years. When they speak again, their voice is much softer, like if they speak any louder you might shatter in front of them.
"My name's Taylor. What's yours?" You give yours in a similar fashion. Your voice comes out thin, defeated. They take your hand in theirs, giving it a light squeeze. "We can work out how to get out of here together, okay? I won't leave you behind." For the first time in years, you actually take them at their word. You don't believe them, only the Goblin King himself could truly free you of this place, but you believe their sincerity.
They're 7 hours into their run, they tell you. Over half way but they've made good progress from your reckoning. The shadow of the Goblin City lingers over the two of you in the mid-day sun as they lead you down this turn and that, talking more to themself than you but you don't mind much. You're not feeling particularly conversational at the moment.
You realise long before the runner that you're going in circles. Big circles, ones that aren't particularly obvious if you're not familiar with the labyrinth, but circles nonetheless. Whilst the labyrinth had felt like something of an ally when you were on your own, it feels like an enemy to the runner. Given how well they'd done in the first half of their run, you can't help but feel bad that you're hindering their chance at freedom so badly. You almost want to tell them to leave you behind but you fall short of actually doing so. Their grip on you is tight, like they're worried you'll disappear into thin air if they let go of you for even a moment. Time passes in a blur like usual but having another human around is oddly grounding. They keep checking on you, asking if you need a rest or some water, both of which you turn down. From your estimations, you'd been walking through the labyrinth for two hours when something seems to shift in the air. It sends a chill down your spine.
"Ah, there you are dearest." The voice of the Goblin King cuts through the silence of the labyrinth, leaving you and your fellow human frozen to the spot. He's dressed in his ceremonial robes, a flurry of fabrics in a breeze that wasn't there before he appeared. A look of irritation passes over his face as his eyes land on your entwined hands. You tug your arm away like the runner's hand has burned you. The fae are possessive things, you don't want to think about his reactions to everything that's transpired in the last few hours.
"Your highness." You bow, more out of habit than any real respect you have for him, then immediately realise your mistake. The runner looks at you with an unreadable expression, eyes darting between you and the Goblin King suspiciously. Strike one, you think. No runner would ever bow to the person trapping them like a rat in a cage.
"How do you like my labyrinth? Quite a tricky thing isn't it?" Whatever was going through the runner's mind is dropped when they process the Goblin King's words. They stick their chin out at him, standing a little bit taller.
"It's not that tricky. We're making good progress." They almost sound like they believe what they're saying which is the most impressive thing about the runner.
"Oh, is that so? From my estimations you've been walking in circles for almost two hours." The runner's expression drops for a moment before recovering. It's enough though, you see the first signs of doubt take root in them. You're painfully reminded just how much the Goblin King likes to trick and manipulate people.
"I still have four hours left then. We can still escape." They take your hand again, making a point of you being a united front. If they notice the tremor in your hands, they don't comment.
"We?" For the first time since he appeared before the two of you, the Goblin King seems to actually start taking the runner seriously. The way his gaze lands on you makes you shrink slightly. Strike two, maze runners aren't meant to be afraid of the Goblin King. They're angry at him.
"I'm not leaving them behind. We're going to leave together." The Goblin King lets out a soft noise of acknowledgment at the runner's words, a smug looks settling on his face. He turns to you and, for the first time in a long time, you think he might actually be angry with you.
"I must say you've done a wonderful job, my dear. Wasting their time like that pretending you don't know where you're going. Very commendable." His lies have an instantaneous effect on the runner as they rip their hand away from yours. Strike three, you're out.
"What's he talking about?"
"You didn't really believe you'd just happened upon another human who got lost here did you? I thought you were supposed to be a bright one." The Goblin King speaks before you even dare to utter a syllable. Denying his claims would only serve to make you worse off in the long run but the betrayal on the runner's face is something that is going to haunt your dreams for a long time.
"You tricked me!" Their rage is burning hot, eyes a burning storm, and when they move quickly towards you, it partly horrifies you that you instinctively step closer to Jareth, hoping he'll protect you from their (well placed) fury. He does, of course, whether intentionally or not. The floor of the labyrinth almost seems to give way under the runner's feet and they fall through with a startled cry. Maybe into the oubliette, maybe somewhere worse. You're not sure you have it in you to care. It's clear their time in the labyrinth has come to an end. There's a heavy silence between the two of you for a moment.
"Is that why I'm here? So you can play with your food?" Jareth almost looks offended at your accusation. There's a whisper in your head that you'll pay for that comment at some point but there's a lot of things that have happened today that you'll probably be paying for so it almost feels logical to get all your insubordination out in one fell swoop.
"Come now dearest, even I'm not that cruel. Not towards you, at least. No, that was a goblin who had ideas above his station. I'll deal with him later."
"Oh." A wave of numbness passes through you as you turn away from the Goblin King, steadying yourself against the wall of the labyrinth which almost seems to move forwards to meet you halfway. You briefly wonder if you're going to pass out or be sick.
"Oh come now, it's not all bad (Y/N)." You freeze at his words, turning slowly on your heel. The triumphant grin on his face makes only serves to make you feel sicker. How could he…
"'You heard me." You curse yourself. You'd been so careful to never give him your true name, content to let him call you whatever else he desired to avoid doing so. It was the only thing you had over him. You hadn't even thought about handing it over to the runner when they'd asked, too overwhelmed by the situation to think about the potential consequences of your actions.
"I hear everything that's said in my lands, but you already knew that. Remarkably careless of you really. If I'd known this was all it would take to make you hand it over I would have dropped you in here eons ago." Him knowing your true name feels like a death sentence in what has been years of living in purgatory. If you had any misguided visions of one day escaping his capture and being free of this place, they've been dashed by one foolish decision on your part.
"I…" You want to lash out; scream that this isn't fair, that none of this is fair. This isn't how your life was supposed to be. Your words fail you though when you look back up at the predatory smile Jareth wears.
"It's only fair, dearest. You've had knowledge of my true name for all this time, it only makes sense that I deserve yours in turn. I've been so incredibly patient don't you agree?" You've wondered many times since that fateful night whether the name he gave you was his true name or just another lie regardless of what he promised. The idea that he freely gave you his true name even when he could've easily deceived you once again stirs something in you whether you want it to or not. It does nothing to reassure you of your fate though. Knowledge of true names is power in this realm, and you're starting to wonder if today's events make you a liability to him. Being his little pet isn't fun but it's kept you relatively safe for all this time; today is the first time in a long time that you question why you're still permitted to grace the halls of the castle.
"So what now? I become just another of your goblin slave?" His face scrunches with displeasure at your question, like you've suggested he wear the same outfit to two consecutive balls.
"Hardly. Gosh you really do think little of me, don't you?" You don't respond to that, not trusting yourself to hold your tongue. There's no sense in digging yourself a deeper grave at this point. He tuts his annoyance at your silence but continues, more than used to this particular song and dance. "You seemed to know so much about fae culture when you first arrived and yet you're entirely ignorant to the most important information."
"And what information is that?" The question spills out before you can reign it in. The smile on his face is a terrifying mix of sinister and triumphant. You're once again painfully reminded that the thing in front of you is far from human.
"Anyone who knows a fae monarch's true name and is known by them in kind becomes their consort." Your legs almost give out underneath you as you take in his words. Consort. The word spirals through your mind, unsettling every part of you it reaches. He wants to marry you? You're aware that he's started talking again but you can't make out the words, it's like your head is underwater and everything coming through is muffled. He huffs a sigh of irritation at you but doesn't push it which might be the most generous thing he's ever done for you.
The labyrinth seems to almost melt away from your sight, rough grain softening to smooth stone underneath your fingertips. You blink and you're back in the castle, your long-forgotten book only an arms reach from you. Jareth is nowhere to be seen so you allow yourself to slide down the wall, unable to support your own weight anymore. The cool touch of the stone soothes you for only a moment. A tear escapes your eyes before you can stop it.
You're never leaving this place.














