《Matters of the Heart》Chapter 18
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"Ready?" Terra asked Sarah.
They stood on the edge of the goblin city overlooking the Labyrinth. Sarah nodded before looking to Jareth. He said nothing, just waved his hand, opening a rift in space that showed Sarah's bedroom. Sarah gasped with excitement, clasping her hands to her chest. She turned to say thank you, but Jareth was already gone. Terra sighed, stepping forward.
"Well, I'm sure you can figure out what to do from here," she said, gesturing to the portal.
"But," Sarah protested, "I didn't say goodbye to Jareth."
Terra shook her head sadly, "Let him be, Sarah. This is hard enough on him as it is."
Sarah's eyes clouded with sorrow, "I'm so sorry for hurting him."
"No, you were right. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have brought you back here. Though it was certainly nice meeting you."
Sarah gave a sad smile, "As to you. I'm sorry for being such a whiny pest at the beginning."
Terra returned the smile, "You had every right to be." She sobered suddenly. "Look, you had better not be doing this just because of me."
Sarah laughed, "Don't flatter yourself. I really do miss my family. I can promise you there is no other reason than that."
"You will be sorely missed."
Sarah turned to step through the portal before hesitating. She turned back, running forward and throwing her arms around Terra. Terra immediately returned the hug, squeezing tightly until Sarah was almost struggling to breath. They broke apart, laughing. Their eyes met and they both smiled.
"Goodbye," Sarah said.
"Goodbye," Terra echoed.
And with that, Sarah stepped through the portal and left her life forever. Terra drew a deep breath and looked down on the labyrinth.
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"Jareth!" she shouted at the air, "You know I can't teleport. Will you please—"
She didn't even have time to finish her sentence before her surroundings changed in the blink of an eye to that of Jareth's throne room. And there he was, sitting in his throne, his legs dangling over the arm and his one hand covering his face. Terra stood looking at him but he didn't move or speak.
Terra sighed, "Jareth, I need to get back home. I just wanted to say goodbye."
Jareth stirred, his hand falling away from his face and his eyes meeting Terra's.
"Please stay," he said softly.
Terra bit her lip. She was severely tempted to answer yes, to stay with him as long as he wanted. But she couldn't. It would only confuse him more. He needed time alone to sort things out, to come to grips with reality and decide where to go from there. He needed to find his own strength.
"I can't stay, Jareth," Terra said, looking apologetic, "You need to figure this out on your own."
Jareth stood, spreading his hands in front of him in a helpless gesture.
"I don't know what I'm going to do," he murmured, "I can't stand to be alone anymore."
Terra couldn't help herself. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Jareth and holding him in a firm embrace. She felt his arms wind around her shoulders, tucking her head under his chin. They stayed like that for several moments, finding comfort in their closeness. Terra was afraid if she stayed like that too long she just might give in to his wishes after all. She broke away, taking Jareth's hands in hers and looking up into his face. She smiled sadly.
"You'll be fine," she said, "I'll write as often as I can, and that way it'll be like having someone to talk to. Alright?"
Jareth said nothing but let his gloved hands slide out of hers. Terra turned on her heel and crossed the room to the exit before stopping and looking back.
"Goodbye, Jareth," she said, keeping a brave smile on her face.
With that, she left. It was only as she walked away from her friend's castle that tears began to cascade down her cheeks.
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