Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Consequence , it's our need in times like these. Feeling free, it's our modern disease. Your a classic disaster with a knack for losing your exterior." 

-Underoath

Sarah Williams was bored. She was so sick of the monotonous routine that her life had become. Wake up, get Toby ready for school, sit at her computer and attempt to write something decent (and failing miserably), go to work, come home, go to bed. It was utterly dull. The sad part was that this lifestyle was her choice. After she graduated college, she had moved back home while she tried looking for a job at a publishing company. In the meantime, she was trying to write her stories, and juggle her part time job as the town's librarian. It wasn't too hard, just…boring. She longed for another adventure, but she feared that she had already had the biggest adventure of her life. And she wasn't even sure if it was real.

It had been six years since Sarah had returned from the Labyrinth. She longed to go back and see her friends, but were they actually real? Did the Underground actually exist?

After the first few months of her trip back, she could summon Hoggle and the others without a problem. Whenever she had a bad day, or was feeling lonely or upset, she could just say, 'I need you," and they were there. Her own little support group. Yet, as she started to grow up, she began to slowly stop calling on them as frequently. Then finally, she just stopped completely. She got caught up in college, and other friends, and life. When she finally stopped to take a break from her hectic life, she went home on Christmas break and tried to call her friends to her. It wouldn't work. She thought maybe they hadn't heard her, which was ridiculous, she knew. She tried again. Nothing. Sarah began to panic and frantically tried to call on them for hours. Finally, she just sat in front of the mirror and wept. She had lost them. She let them slip away as she tried to move on to be an adult. She thought she needed to be more independent and not so clingy to her childhood.

So slowly over time, without the assurance of her friends' presence, she started to doubt the existence of them, and the Underground. Sarah started to believe it was all one big, elaborate dream. There was nothing left to argue otherwise. It wasn't possible for all of it to be real.

Of course, even though she doubted it all, her subconscious would not be ignored. Night after night, she dreamed of the magic of the Labyrinth. She dreamed of seeing her friends and all the things they would do together. Mostly though, she dreamed of a certain mysterious, annoying, and arrogant man who had plagued her thoughts ever since that day. She was annoyed with herself that she couldn't simply forget her childish ways and let go finally. She had no regrets. Everything that she did in the Labyrinth, she would do over again. None of her decisions would have changed….except maybe eating that damn peach. Sure it had given her quite an interesting dream that still haunted her, but for the most part, it was quite a troublesome experience. Yet. . .even that experience might be worth reliving. Maybe.

In any case, she still would have refused Jareth's last offer. . . Not that she was admitting that it was real, per se. He had Toby, what else could she have done? He needed her to save him, and she did. Jareth was just using any means possible to win. It was all a game to him. She seemed to have the impression that he had been doing this a long time. What did it matter if one person won their loved one back?

No, she was certain that she would have still said those same words, words that seemed to almost affect the Goblin King's indifference. Almost. Six words, that's all it took in the end. And then she was back at home, with Toby-in her dream, of course since it would be silly to still think it was all real. However, she still dreamed of her friends and seeing that beautiful, mysterious land again.

Sometimes she humored herself by allowing herself to believe that it was real. On those days, she fiercely wished to be able to go back. Even if it was real though, Sarah had a feeling she might not have a warm welcome awaiting her return. After all, she did reject the Goblin King, defy his entire Labyrinth, and turn his subjects against him. Not exactly something a man can get over easily, especially for a man. They had such pride issues. If she wanted to go back and it was real, she could have just wished herself to the Labyrinth, but she never dared to try it out. What if it didn't work? She would be devastated to realize that none of it ever existed. The truest friends she ever had, had been imaginary. On the other hand, what if it worked? That was an entirely different issue to think about. Sure she would have been right all along in believing in the Underground, but would she be trapped forever this time? Would she be met with hostility by her friends? What would Jareth do?

These thoughts circled their way around Sarah's head for years. It was exhausting, really, trying to figure out if you were a little crazy, or if you had actually had a special journey into a magical land with goblins and other creatures. Either way, Sarah couldn't decide which was which, and so didn't entirely give up on either one being a possibility.

So, she went to college like a good girl. She had just graduated with a degree in creative writing. She used her experiences, or dreams (whichever way she felt about it that day) as inspiration for writing. After she graduated a few months ago, she moved back home to get her post grad life together before diving into the real world. Sarah tried getting a job at all the publishing companies, but it was harder to get hired then she thought. So, for now she settled on being the librarian. It was an easy job, and quite enjoyable at times. She didn't give up on her stories, although inspiration had been lacking of late. The library opened up many opportunities for her, one of which was meeting Jonathan.

Jonathan was a graduate from the local university the next town over. He graduated with a teaching degree in math. He was quite nerdy, but confident in himself. He visited the library often and immediately noticed Sarah. He would talk to her everyday and come in just to see her. They became friends, and Sarah really enjoyed his company. He was easy to talk to but Sarah was never very comfortable around guys. He slowly warmed her up to him until finally one day, he got the courage to ask her something.

"Um. . .Sarah," he said. She looked up.

"Oh hi Jonathan. How was tutoring today?" Jonathan was a math tutor at the high school, getting his foot in the door, as he put it.

"Good, listen, Sarah, I was wondering if you would want to go to dinner with me tonight."

"Oh." She was caught off guard. Sure she had been asked out before, but she usually kept to herself. She just never desired to pursue a serious relationship. Sure she had a few boyfriends in college, but nothing really deep or lasting. She just couldn't seem to find the right person that made her want to jump in to a relationship. No one was interesting enough to keep her attention. So when she answered Jonathan, it wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"Look, Jonathan, I'm sorry if I have given you the wrong impression, I didn't mean to. I am just not interested in you that way." The words came out in a rush.

"Oh, I see. You're already taken aren't you? I knew it! All the great girls already have boyfriends."

Sarah was about to refute the conclusion he had hastily jumped to, but stopped herself. This was an easy out. She wouldn't have to explain anything this way, like she did for others.

"Yea, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lead you on. If I did, it was unintentional. My…boyfriend is abroad so we are doing the whole long distance thing. Otherwise, you would definitely being seeing him hang around here." The lies came so easily.

"Oh, ok. Well, I know the long distance thing can be hard, but if he's the one, it will work out. He's a lucky guy."

"Thanks."

"What's his name?"

"Jareth." She was thoroughly appalled at what she had just blurted out. Her face turned bright red. Why did she say his name? It had just popped into her head, and she had gone with it.

"You're blushing."

"Um yea…I guess he has that effect on me." She wanted to smack herself in the head. She was not using her brain today. At all.

"Well, good luck, and I guess I will see you around."

"Ok, sure thing."

When he left, she slid down the length of the librarian's desk until she was sitting on the floor where no one could see her. She covered her face with one of her hands while the other was ferociously pulling at her hair. Stupid, Stupid. STUPID.

She sighed deeply. What had made her say those things? It wasn't like she was in love with the Goblin King. That would be so cliché that it made her sick to think about it. Sure, she sort of had a crush on him when she was fifteen but it had passed and now he was just a lingering reminder of an adventurous dream. If he turned out to be real, he would get a kick out of this. Oh the humiliation! He would never let her live it down. Well, she never intended seeing the Goblin King again, so that solved that problem. She stood up and said aloud, "That was nothing, just thinking on my feet," just in case he was actually real and could somehow see and hear everything that had transpired in the past few minutes. You know, as a safety. Although, he wouldn't buy it. Oh, she was losing it. She shook her head and went to shelve a pile of books that had been returned.

Chapter Text

"This has been said so many times that I'm not sure if it matters."
-Fall Out Boy 

That night at home, Sarah made dinner for her and Toby. It was like she had never left…staying home on a Friday night to watch him while her dad and step-mom went out to dinner or to a movie. Although, after the Labyrinth, she didn't really mind it anymore. She appreciated Toby so much more and they became very close. Whether it was a dream or not, she definitely got something from her time in the Labyrinth. Toby adored her, and she reciprocated those feelings. It was hard for him when she had gone off to college 200 miles away. Now, he was ecstatic that she was home for the indefinite future.

"Sarah! When will dinner be ready? I'm so huuungry."

"How can you be hungry now? You just had a snack an hour ago."

"I'm a growing boy, that's what Mommy says. I need the extra food." He gave her a wide smile that showed the gaps where his baby teeth had started to fall out.

"Smooth." She laughed at his persuasion. The kid was so charismatic at only seven. "Okay, its ready, so you don't have to worry about waiting any longer."

Sarah laid a plate down in front of Toby and watched him eat as she picked at her food. She thought about Jonathan, his asking her out, her idiotic responses, and lastly, her increasing desire to find the truth about the Labyrinth at any cost. She was sick of trying to figure out if she was half-crazy or not.

"Aren't you hungry Sarah?"

"What? Oh, I guess not. What about you? Is it good?"

"Oh yea! I love YOUR macaroni and cheese." Then he leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "Mommy's isn't very good."

Sarah laughed aloud, "Don't tell Mommy that."

"I wont," he said fervently. " I promise!" After dinner, Sarah helped him with his homework, read him a book, and then helped him get ready for bed. As Toby hopped around his room in his Superman footy pajamas (he loved showing them off whenever he could), Sarah pulled back the covers to his bed and plumped his pillows. She babied him-she knew it, but she didn't care.

She motioned for him to get under the covers and he reluctantly got in. She tucked him in and was about to turn off the light when he said, "Sarah…"

"Yes Toby?" He always tried to postpone sleep as long as possible. One time he tried to convince her that he was an insomniac- a word he heard from his mom, the therapist. Yet, instead of saying insomniac, he said "insaniac." Sarah smiled from the memory.

"Why don't you read me the goblin story anymore?"

"The Labyrinth?"

"Yeah, that one! I like that one." Honestly, Sarah was surprised he remembered it at all. She had stopped reading it to him years ago.

"I don't know…do you want me to read it to you?"

"Yes please!" He was so excited he started to get out of bed.

"Whoa, where are you going? I'm not going to read it to you tonight. We'll start it another night. Right now, you have to go to bed, mister, or your mother will be mad at me."

"Okay…" he huffed very dramatically to show his displeasure.

"Goodnight, see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight Sarah. I love you!"

"I love you too, Toby."

When Sarah got to her room, she flopped down on her bed and looked up at the ceiling. Actually, she surveyed the whole room. It had changed so much over the years. She had gotten rid of her stuffed animals, toys, and fantasy knick knacks that she had once treasured and collected. Replaced by her childhood memories, were grown up looking objects. She had a desk in the far corner of the room with a computer and papers on it. Her posters were gone, replaced with a few simple art pieces that some of her art major friends had made. Lastly, her favorite change to her room, was the towering bookcase against the wall next to her bed. She was well on her way to having her own library. As she scanned the book's spines, one jumped out at her immediately. Its' small, thin red cover with gold lettering glinted at her, almost in a mocking manner. She stood up and yanked it off of the shelf. She walked over to her vanity and sat down. She looked from her reflection to the book, and back. She wanted desperately to believe it was all real.

Sarah opened the book and started reading. She vaguely noted that her parents had just come home but paid little attention to them. As she began to reread what used to be her favorite book, the memories and images of her trip flooded her thoughts. There was no way this could have been a dream. It had felt so real. She stayed up reading, until she had gotten to the final chapter. As she read six very familiar words, a strange feeling came over her. You have no power over me. She thought about the way Jareth had looked when she said it to him. That look haunted her dreams. She remembered that feeling of relief when she realized that she had succeeded. As she watched the owl fly out of her home and out of her life, Sarah had felt so relieved that she had won Toby back. She had rushed to his room to find him there, sleeping, oblivious to everything. The depth of those emotions she had felt in that moment could not have been imagined.

It was all real.

She believed it this time, with all her heart. She didn't know why those words triggered her wake up call, but she just knew she had found the right answer. The Underground was a real place, she felt it with every fiber of her being. Her friends were real too. Sarah began to feel very giddy at the thought of seeing her friends. She wanted to see them so bad. She needed to see them. She turned back to the mirror and said with all sincerity, trust, and belief, "I need you Hoggle."

Sarah sat, waiting for him to appear. It had to work this time, it just had to!

Nothing.

Sarah was adamant though. She would not give up on them this time. She tried again. Still nothing. Sarah sighed and refused to feel defeated. As she sat there wondering why he wouldn't respond, Sarah thought of another way to summon him-a more powerful way. A way that had taken her brother from her six years ago.

As she was about to wish Hoggle into her room, she caught a glimpse of movement in her mirror. She turned around quickly and saw a transparent Hoggle standing in her room.

"Hoggle!" She ran to him but when she tried to hug him, she felt air. "Hoggle, what's going on? Why cant I touch you? And why didn't you come right away?"

"Sarah, I'm so glad you called on me. We needs you. The magic of the Labyrinth is fading, that's why I cant be here in the flesh. It was hard enough just making it here after I heard you calling."

"What's wrong?"

"It's the Underground, Sarah. Nothin's right since you left."

"What do you mean?"

"Since you beat Jareth, everything changed. If you don't come back, the Underground will fall apart. I don't know what will happen if it does. We all are scared of what's going to happen."

"What? Why is it happening?"

" I don't know! Jareth does, but he wont tell anyone. All's he tells me is that you are the only one who can do anything about it. That's why I am so glad you finally called me. We've been waiting for you to believe again and come back."

"Wait, why am I the one who can fix it?" Hoggle shrugged.

"Don't know. Jareth tells me nothin'."

Sarah couldn't keep from asking the question that had been bothering her for years. "Why wouldn't you come when I called on you a couple years ago?"

"Because you didn't really believe anymore. Sure, you probably believed a little, but not enough to have the magic bring me to you." Sarah was about to respond when Hoggle cut her off.

"Never mind that! We have bigger problems. We need you Sarah….are you coming?" Sarah thought about it. This was what she had been dreaming of for six years…the chance to go back to the Labyrinth and see her friends. Except this didn't sound like it would be a social visit. Who knew what awaited her this time? Did she really want to go back? And what if there was no way to return once she got to the Underground? Yet…it wasn't like she had much of a life here. Other than Toby, there was nothing here that held her to this world. She found her answer in Hoggle's eyes. The desperation she saw made her realize she couldn't let her old friend down.

"Yes Hoggle, I am coming with you." He looked so relieved.

"We must hurry then, Sarah. We aint got time to waist. Just wish yourself into the Labyrinth, and Jareth will take it from there. See you soon, Sarah." With that, he disappeared.

Sarah took a deep breath. She was really doing this. First, she went to Toby's room. After all, she may never see him again. She didn't know. Sarah knelt by his bed and brushed the blonde hair from his forehead, and planted a kiss there.

"Goodbye, Toby," She whispered. "I love you, never forget that." With a few tears escaping her eyes, she walked back to her room. As she wiped away the tears, she realized that she needed to be prepared for an extended stay. She changed from her sweats and slippers, into jeans, sneakers, and a comfy t shirt. Then she grabbed her shoulder bag and filled it with some extra clothes and a jacket. At the last minute, she grabbed a flashlight and stuffed it in. She was ready.

Sarah stood in the middle of her room, closed her eyes and took one deep breath before saying, "I wish I was in the Labyrinth, right now."

Chapter Text

"Can I be the only hope for you? Because you're the only hope for me. And if we can't find where we belong, we'll have to make it on our own. Face all the pain and take it on, because the only hope for me is you alone."

-My Chemical Romance

Sarah instantaneously found herself on a familiar hill overlooking the Labyrinth. As she looked out over the Labyrinth, she didn't see much of a change, on the outside at least. The sky was darker, though. Instead of the golden, orange haze that had clung to the air around the Labyrinth, a dark, grey cloudy sky occupied the air.

"Ah, so you have returned." Sarah whirled around to the sound of his voice. "I was beginning to think you would never figure it out."

"W-what?" Not only was she confused by what he was saying, but she was also a little unnerved by him sneaking up on her.

"Figuring out that it was all real. It took you long enough." He looked at her as if she were completely dense. Sarah took in his appearance and stance. He was leaning against a gnarly old tree, the bark blackened by some long ago fire. His physical appearance had not changed at all in the six years since she had been here: his long, blonde mane still stuck out at gravity-defying angles, his skin still smooth, porcelain, and flawless as ever. His eyes, however, showed their age. In his stare, he truly looked ancient. His eyes betrayed an exhausted, frustrated man.

"So…what is this all about?"

Jareth sighed and pushed himself off of the tree and walked towards her. Damn, he looked good. She hated acknowledging it, but how could she not with him standing before her in all his otherworldly glory? Instead of saying or doing anything to betray her thoughts, she lifted her head up with as much dignity as she could muster and waited for his answer.

"Well, my dear, dear Sarah, when someone comes into my Labyrinth, beats it, and then tells me that I have no power over them, things tend to change."

"What happened?"

"Being as you are the only person to have beaten my Labyrinth, it shook things up, to say the least. When you beat my Labyrinth and insisted that I had no power over you, I lost much of my power over the Underground." He had a grudging, bitter sound to his words. She guess she couldn't blame him. "If I, the Goblin King couldn't control and subdue a mortal teenage girl, then I was not suitable to rule the Underground anymore. I answer to the Underground; it has rules and regulations. Everything you did here had consequences, yet you weren't the one who had to live with them." He flung these last words at her with vehemence and irritation. Sarah took a step back to be a little farther away from the rising anger of the Goblin King.

He scrutinized the motion. "I'm not going to harm you, Sarah. Not when I need you. However, if you feel more comfortable retreating from me, then by all means…"

"I'm not retreating," she denied emphatically, "I was just being cautious."

Jareth chuckled darkly, without humor. "Oh Sarah, you haven't changed a bit. Still as stubborn, willful, and confrontational as ever."

"You're still as arrogant, self-assured, and condescending as ever."

He smiled cynically and bowed low in a mocking gesture, "I'm a man of many talents and qualities."

Sarah was growing tired of his annoying personality after only being with him for a few minutes. "Enough with the egotism. Why am I the only one who can fix the Labyrinth?"

"Because, Precious," he emphasized condescendingly, "you're the one who destroyed it in the first place." He said it so matter-of-factly, as if it was the answer four to the problem two plus two.

"You're not going to admit any blame in this?"

"I have none."

"Right…so taking Toby away and then refusing to give him to me and forcing me to run your Labyrinth was still all of my fault?"

"Precisely."

"I don't see your logic-"

"Of course you don't. You cant begin to try and accept responsibility that you wished your brother away, you chose to run my Labyrinth to get him back, and you chose to disregard my generous offers all for a baby."

"I said that in a moment of selfish stupidity," Sarah declared, "and you didn't have to keep To-"

He cut her off sharply, "Yes I did Sarah. I am bound by rules. I cannot break one of the most sacred rules the Underground has: I cannot simply give back a child that has been wished away. They must decide for themselves if they love them enough to try, and if so, put that love to the test. It is not within my power to break that rule. I was as tightly bound as you." His eyes were steely, angry. Jareth hadn't meant to show so much of his pent up anger to the girl. It was so easy to be the cool, aloof man that he had had centuries to practice being. Apparently that had gone out the window.

Sarah was speechless. She had not really considered Jareth's part in his involvement with Toby. Was he telling the truth? Had he really had as little choice as she had? She watched him as his anger slowly faded and then he was the Goblin King. The insincere smile was on his face, while the rest of his body had the devil-may-care appearance.

"Now, since you were the one who destroyed my Labyrinth, you hold the power to restore it." Sarah could tell it was killing him to admit that he had no control over his own kingdom, and on top of that, ask for help. "You have two options, at least that I can see. Option number one: deny your previous claim that I have no power over you. Fear me, love me, do as I say-"

"Absolutely not."

"-and the Underground will be appeased that you have put the power and control back in my hands. However, you would have to stay here with me permanently."

"That is NOT going to happen, Jareth."

"I though so. Lucky for me, there is a second option, although it's much harder: you must go through the Labyrinth again and beat it, just as before. You must do this not for your brother, not for yourself, but for me, the Labyrinth, and all its inhabitants. You must get to the center of the Labyrinth and win it for me. This will appease the Underground as an acceptable way to restore my power."

Sarah thought about it. "How much time do I have? Is it still thirteen hours?"

"No, I don't think so. I don't believe there is a time limit, but it is crucial that you solve it as quickly as possible. If the Underground falls apart before you make it to the castle, then it is too late."

"What happens if I don't succeed?" Sarah was afraid of the answer.

"I honestly don't know. But I have a strong feeling I will cease to exist, we all will. Even you, if you are in the Labyrinth when it happens."

This was a lot to take in. This was so much more than Sarah had expected. So much pressure! If she accepted the challenge, then she was risking death herself, but if she didn't, her friends would be gone. She couldn't do that to them…she couldn't do it to Jareth.

Jareth saw her struggling to find an answer, "There is always Option One. It's so much easier, and more enjoyable for me." Sarah gave him a dirty look. Ah, he knew she wouldn't have gone for it. Her accepting Option One was about as likely as Hell freezing over. Twice.

Sarah took a deep breath and answered the Goblin King. "I'll do it."

"Perfect! You're going to love it here. It may take a few years to get used to, but I think you'll come around."

"Not Option One! You know I was referring to the second option." He was so exasperating.

"Oh, all right, but the first is so much easier."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Is there anything else I need to know before I start?"

Jareth suddenly switched from teasing banter to serious. "Yes, by my estimate, I would guess that you have about a week to solve the Labyrinth before the Underground disintegrates."

"That's not so bad. I did it in thirteen hours, this should be a-"

Jareth glared at her. "Do NOT say a piece of cake. The Labyrinth has changed. I have become powerless to stop it from the changes it has made. It is much more dangerous, and much more hard. Be careful, and don't be stupid. I will be ready for your assistance when needed. The Underground will allow me to help you, I believe. If you get in a tight spot call me and I will be there in an instant. I will summon Higgle to help you as well, although I doubt he will be of use to you."

Sarah nodded. She had to take this seriously, all of their lives depended on it. "Okay, call for help if needed, use Hoggle, and do it fast."

"Yes, now get going. You cant afford to waste any time. Hogsbreath will be waiting for you at the gate." As she started to leave, she saw a wicked look in his eyes.

"…by the way, I don't think it would have been so bad for you to choose Option One. I think you would secretly enjoy it." He smiled deviously.

"I highly doubt that."

"That's not what it sounded like when you were explaining our "relationship" to that foolish boy." Sarah's jaw dropped and she was at a loss for words. "You know, I don't usually do the long distance relationship…but I think we can make it work, if we were committed." He laughed cynically, and Sarah turned the brightest shade of red he had ever seen.

Sarah was utterly mortified.. But that didn't stop her from thinking of a quick response, "Don't flatter yourself," she retorted, "I was just-"

"I know, thinking on your feet. I wouldn't dream of it any other way." He was still laughing as he disappeared into thin air. Sarah huffed at him and tried not to think of how humiliated she felt. Instead, she distracted herself with the very daunting task that was before her and started for the Labyrinth as she had long ago.

Chapter Text

"And here we go again with all the things we did. And now I'm wondering just who I would have been to be the one attached at all time to your hip." 
-Paramore

Sarah heard thunder rumbling as she headed down the hill that would lead to the Labyrinth's gates. She was just reaching the walls of the Labyrinth when she realized that nothing looked as she had remembered it. There was no pond where she had found Hoggle urinating. The fairies weren't in sight, and the walls seemed to have been in a recent battle. The stone walls had large chunks of it missing, and there was debris everywhere. As Sarah carefully stepped around large stones and rabble, she heard a low humming sound. An orange fairy was flying around her head. It was making high-pitched squeaking sounds and shaking her finger at her. This didn't look good. Sarah tried to get away from her, but it followed her and kept making those awful noises.

"Sarah! There you are. I was starting to get worried…is that a fairy?"

"Yes, it wont leave me alone."

"Sarah, we have to go, now."

Sarah tried to run to Hoggle, but tripped over a large brown, glittery piece of stone. Hoggle was making his way to her, slowly.

"Hurry! Before they get here!"

"Who?" She shouted.

"The rest of the fairies that she is calling!" Sarah heard it now, a growing hum, like the one that the orange fairy was making. Except this hum was much, much louder and was getting closer by the second. Sarah could see in the distance, a dark flittering mass flying towards her. Sarah remembered how painful the bite had been from just one fairy. She couldn't imagine a swarm of them attacking. And she sure didn't want to stick around to find out. Hoggle was motioning for her to follow him as they started running down the length of the Labyrinth's wall. Sarah was sprinting and in no time, had caught up to Hoggle. She grabbed his hand and half pulled, half dragged him as they tried to out run the angry mob of demon fairies. She could hear them getting closer.

"Hoggle? Where's the gate?"

"It's not much farther. The Labyrinth moved its entrance since you left." She could see it now. Last time, they had been two heavy wooden doors. Now, one of them was missing. They had almost made it when the fairies caught up and swooped down on them. Sarah felt a sharp pain on her forehead and neck. She swatted at them, but they just attacked her hand. They bit small chunks of flesh out of her hand, leaving little beads of blood on her skin. They had reached the door, and were jumping through the opening that the missing door had created. The fairies followed them and were becoming even more aggressive, if that were possible. Hoggle was almost untouched, except for a few marks from fairies that had missed her.

"They only want me!"

"Yes, they love the taste of human flesh." Fantastic. Evil cannibal fairies.

"What are we going to do? We cant keep running forever."

"We just needs to find a secret passage into the Labyrinth's inner maze and then we'll lose them. They don't dare go father than the first outer wall."

Sarah was frantically searching from wall to wall for a sign of a passage or opening into the Labyrinth proper. That worked out so well last time. Not. She had to get help from a worm.

"Aha! There's one!" Hoggle pointed to the wall on the left, where a fallen tree limb was resting.

"Hoggle, I don't see anything!" The fairies were persistent. They kept biting and snapping at Sarah and it hurt like hell. She could feel blood trickling down her face, her arms, her fingers. She was beginning to feel a little dizzy. If only she could sit and rest for a moment… Sarah's steps faltered and she almost tripped, but Hoggle gripped her arm hard and made her keep moving.

"Come on Sarah, we're almost there. Just keep moving! The fairy venom is trying to overtake your body. Just keep moving." Sarah forced herself to put one foot in front of the other. She had abandoned defending herself from the fairies. Her limbs felt so heavy. Suddenly Hoggle stopped and she was so relieved that she almost collapsed on the ground right there. Hoggle kicked the tree branch out of the way and was suddenly disappearing into the ground. He was almost completely gone when he poked his head out, which appeared to be coming out from under the wall that connected to the ground.

"How did you do that?" Her words slurred a little.

"Just walk down, it's a staircase!" Sarah blinked several times but didn't see anything but floor and wall. She tilted her head from side to side, which annoyed the fairies who were trying to get a good piece of her throat. She couldn't even feel them anymore. She was numb. As she moved her head and looked at it from different angles, she saw that the ground's dimensions changed and were no longer flat. The wall wasn't just a vertical plane either. She saw the indentations that made steps going down into the earth. She stumbled down the steps until they were underground. A few daring fairies came down with her, but when they saw where they were headed, darted out from where they had entered. Hoggle took her hand and led her up stairs which opened up into the Labyrinth proper. As Sarah began to register that she might be seriously injured, she collapsed on the ground right then and there.

"She'll be fine. Just give her a few moments to recover, Hogbog."

"Are you sure Jareth?" Jareth glared at Hoggle, and the goblin shrunk away from him. Jareth had been watching her in his crystal sphere when the fairies attacked. She had been out of his sight for less than fifteen minutes and had already been in some sort of trouble which resulted in her becoming unconscious. They were doomed. He shook his head and dragged a hand through his hair. What was he going to do with her? If she succeeded would she just return home and that would be the end of it? Of course she would. Why would she stay? For him? Ha. She would never admit to having any feelings for him. And neither would he. She had to make the first move. After the last time, he would not put himself out there again. She would have to come to him on her own.

The thought that chilled him was what if she didn't succeed? What would happen to all of them? He wasn't sure but it probably wouldn't be good. And he had just inflicted their fate on her. It was selfish. He couldn't take it back though. It was done. She made her choice. Hell, if she wasn't so stubborn and prideful, she could have just did the easier thing for everyone involved and agreed to stay and admit that he did have power over her. She was too obstinate though, which was one of the reasons why he had been so fascinated with her when she went through his Labyrinth. She had been so focused and headstrong, as he had watched her go through his Labyrinth. And he had secretly loved every minute of it.

Jareth let out a frustrated sigh and applied the medicine to her bites. The Florycupa leaves were good healing plants. It would draw out the venom of the fairies, and she would wake up in a few moments.

"Ugh…" Sarah reached up to her head to feel if it was actually being pounded at by a hammer, or if it just felt like it. She struggled to sit up, but was able to scoot up to a sitting position against the wall.

"How do you feel, Sarah?" Hoggle asked, coming up close to see if she was okay.

"I'm alright Hoggle. How long have I been out?"

"Just a couple minutes," Jareth answered. "I put some medicine on your bites. Keep them on for a little while, until you don't have a headache anymore. Then you can take them off."

"Um…thanks Jareth."

"Well, I can’t afford to have you unconscious for hours on end. I'm protecting my investment." He smirked and stood up. "So…now that you are awake and coherent, let us be off."

"Us? Are you coming with us?"

"For a little while. I want to make sure you don't get into trouble again. Once I'm sure you are stable to go on your own, then I will leave you to your task."

Sarah started to stand up and then got really dizzy. She slipped and was falling back. Her head almost hit the wall behind her, but Jareth quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her up. He used a little too much force and she went careening into his body. They almost lost their balance, but Jareth had enough strength for the both of them. He held her steady and pushed her away until she was at arm's length. Sarah was still a little disoriented and was wondering how she had ended up here, standing with Jareth's hands gripping her upper arms. It took a moment for her mind to catch up.

"Thanks," she mumbled and stepped out from his arms.

"Be more careful," he chided. "How do you expect to beat the Labyrinth if you are falling over every five minutes!"

"Excuse me," she whirled on him, "I am doing this for you. Don't forget that."

"How could I forget?" He replied sarcastically. They stared at each other: Sarah with her hands on her hips, Jareth with his arms crossed over his chest. Both were inclined toward each other, waiting for the other to speak.

Finally Sarah sighed and said, "I don’t have time for a staring contest." Jareth raised an eyebrow but did not comment. "Come on Hoggle, let's get going." Hoggle who had been standing aside watching the whole exchange unfold, quickly hurried to catch up to Sarah who had taken off in the opposite direction of Jareth. Jareth followed, if not just to keep her safe, but to annoy her some more. He would be bored in the castle waiting for her to finish or fail. Actually, he had been bored since she left his Labyrinth the first time. He quickly fell in step with her.

"Some fairies you have there," Sarah commented as they wound their way through the Labyrinth.

"They are not my fairies…anymore. I don't have the authority to control them like I did when you were here the first time."

"You restrained them?"

"Of course. I may not have wanted you to succeed, but I didn't want a dead girl on my conscience either." Sarah shuddered. Had they really been that dangerous?

Hoggle chose the time to jump in and gain some of Sarah's attention back, "Them fairies live off of live flesh, although they prefer human flesh. Human flesh to them is…"

"Irresistible." Jareth finished.

"Why are they so dangerous? They bit me but that was about it…"

"Their venom. They bite you enough times and the venom starts to work its way through your body. It makes you feel numb, tired, and lethargic. All humans have different reactions to it. You had the added side effect of dizziness. Once the venom is inside you, you are almost powerless to stop it from overtaking you. If Hoggle had not been with you to keep you moving, you would have passed out and they would have finished you off as you slept." Sarah shuddered at what could have been.

They came up on a dead end, and Sarah turned around to look for another route. Jareth just watched her with a slightly amused expression on his face. As she started down another path, Jareth said, "Do you have any plan as to how to finish my Labyrinth?"

"Not at the moment." Sarah paused before the path that now forked into two different directions. "Any suggestions?" She asked Jareth.

"I can’t say. That would be interfering too much." Sarah sighed and studied both paths. One was scattered with more debris but looked clear of everything else. The other path appeared to bend a little before entering the hedge portion of the Labyrinth. It looked calm and peaceful. She didn't trust it. Yet…last time, she had been gaining ground when she found the hedge area. She turned to Hoggle for assistance, "Which should we choose, Hoggle?" He looked from one to the other and back, before pointing to the hedged path.

They started off and Jareth was about to leave them to their journey when Sarah turned to him, "You know, I find it hard to believe that I have been the only one to finish your Labyrinth."

"You are certainly entitled to your own opinion."

"So, I really am the only person to have ever won?"

"Yes," he admitted, his teeth clenched.

"Sore subject?" She smiled when he glared at her.

Jareth ignored her satisfied smug face. "The Labyrinth was made to be unbeatable. No one ever cared enough for the child that they wished away. So, they never succeeded. The Labyrinth was designed to be impossible to beat because it is a way to protect the unwanted children form the world. A slip of the tongue, as in your case, was not considered in the making of the Labyrinth's purpose. So when you beat it, the Underground's very foundation on which it was built, started to crack." Sarah tried to take all of this in. Jareth was painting a picture that she did not wish to think about: him being the kind, protector of unwanted children. This did not fit in with her image of him.

"If I had failed to get Toby in time, what would have happened to him? You weren't going to turn him into a goblin, were you?"

"No, I wouldn't. The goblins and creatures of the Labyrinth are simply that: goblins and creatures. They were not unwanted children wished away."

"So…where did the children go when all the people before me failed?"

"After the challenger fails, the child is taken to the main city of the Underground. It is outside of the Labyrinth past the mountains that can be seen from the hilltop you started on." Sarah vaguely remembered seeing mountains in the distance.

"Then what?"

"They live out their life there where they are appreciated and loved. The magic of the Underground transforms them and they become the immortals of the Underground." Sarah was about to ask another question but Jareth cut her off.

"Enough with the questions. You have to focus on beating the Labyrinth." He got a gleam in his eye and a mischievous smile appeared on his face. "I am obviously too much of a distraction for you."

"Hardly."

He waved his hand at her in dismissal, "In any case, I must be off. I have more important things to attend to than stick around here." Sarah turned to go but Jareth stopped her. "Oh, and Sarah?"

"What now!"

"Try not to get into too much trouble while I am away. I would rather not have to continuously be worried whether or not you are about to be eaten by some creature, or lost in the Fieries' Forest." With those parting words, he disappeared.

"Uh…Sarah? We should get going." Sarah had forgotten that Hoggle was there.

"You're right. Let's move on." As they walked, Sarah removed the leaves from her bites. There were almost no marks on her skin. Impressive.

They walked in silence for a while as they made turns and twists but it just seemed like they were going in circles. She was sure that they had passed that hideous stature before…"I wonder if we could climb one of these hedges and take a look to see which direction we should be going," she thought aloud. Hoggle was a little hesitant to try but Sarah would not be deterred.

"Here, climb on my shoulders until you can pull yourself up to the top to get a good look." Hoggle being the coward he was, did not want to do this.

"Sarah, I'm afraid of heights."

"Are you kidding me? You jumped out of that huge machine at the goblin city, and now you're telling me you don't want to climb my shoulders because you are afraid of heights?"

"Um…yes?" Sarah sighed and started pacing back and forth. They had to find out where they were going, otherwise they could spend all of their time wandering the hedged maze. It was getting darker too, and they would need to find a place to stay for the night. As she thought about what to do, she ran her hand through her hair. Her ring caught on a strand of hair and she yelped when it pulled on her scalp. She was about to yank the stupid thing off and fling it on the ground, but thought of a better use for it. She slid it off her finger and said, "Hoggle?"

"Yea?"

"I'll make a deal with you. If you climb the hedge to look where we need to go, then I will give you my ring. It's cubic zirconia." She said it with reverence as if it were some rare gem. He had been fascinated by her plastic bracelet…why wouldn't he be with her fake diamond ring? It did the trick. Hoggle grabbed it and held it in his hand with awe.

"Alright Sarah." She smiled and got on her knees so Hoggle could climb up her back. His legs dug into her back as he struggled for balance but she didn't dare complain when she had finally convinced him to do this.

"Do you see anything?"

"Um…yes, the castle is that way!" He pointed to the far left of them. "Ah!"

"What? Hoggle, what happened?" She heard a screeching sound just as Hoggle flew off of her shoulders and over the side of the hedge. She looked up to see an insanely large black bird/bat/ thing flying away with a piece of Hoggle's shirt in his beak.

"Hoggle, are you alright?"

There was no answer, she tried to peel away the leaves and see through to the other side of the hedge, but it was too thick. "Hoggle!" She saw an opening up ahead and took it, praying that it would lead her to Hoggle. Instead, it took her to a courtyard with a large willow tree in the center. Some of the branches had fallen off, but it still looked beautiful.

"Hoggle? Can you hear me?" The Labyrinth had shifted slightly, and now the way she had come was blocked off. The only opening was to the far right, not only the opposite direction of the castle, but also to where Hoggle had disappeared. Sarah threw her shoulder bag on the ground and plopped down under the tree and rested her back against it. It was almost dark and this was as good a place as any to stop for the night.

Chapter Text

"Everyone wants to feel safe in the dark, forces unseen pulling strings in your heart."
-Ludo

It was nightfall and Sarah was utterly alone. She didn't want to have to face the Labyrinth at night by herself, but it seemed like that was what would happen. With the willow's branches obstructing her view of the Labyrinth and her mind tricking her into thinking she could hear whispers, Sarah was becoming more and more uneasy. She shivered and got out her sweatshirt. As she hugged her knees to her chest, she kept a watchful eye on her surroundings. When the wind picked up and the leaves swayed in the breeze, Sarah could catch glimpses of the courtyard from where she sat. It was almost completely black out there and there was no moon out, whether it was because there was none in the Underground or if it wasn't the time of month when it was out…she couldn't remember if the moon had been out last night at home.

Sarah heard a crack and whirled around to where she had heard the noise. She remembered her flashlight and snatched it from her bag. She flipped the switch on and shone the light towards the sound. The willow tree's bending branches blocked most of the view. She got up, peeled back the curtain of leaves and pointed the light out into the courtyard. She couldn't see anything unusual. She swept the light back and forth along the entire courtyard, walking around the tree in a circle until she was satisfied that she was alone.

"Stop being paranoid, Sarah," she told herself. "Get some sleep, you'll need it tomorrow." She laid down with her back snuggled against the tree and used her bag as a pillow. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep. It didn't come. She turned so that she was on her back, but that didn't help either. She let out a frustrated sigh and attempted to count goblins. Sheep had always seemed like a stupid thing to count anyway. Why not use a little creativity? She had only gotten to goblin number seven when someone interrupted her thoughts.

"Can’t sleep?"

Sarah jumped up, holding her bag out in front of her as a weapon before realizing it was Jareth. Her heart was pounding a million miles a minute, but it was starting to slow down as she forced herself to calm down.

"Holy cannoli don't do that!" She hissed. She dropped her bag and sat down against the tree again. She let out a deep breath and tried to regulate her breathing as well as her heart rate.

"Sorry, dear. Thought I might drop in to see how you were doing."

"Right, and scaring me out of my skin was just an added bonus." He smiled and took a few steps closer before kneeling down to be eye level with her. Her stomach fluttered at his close proximity to her. She would have moved back if she weren't already against the tree. She was pinned where she sat.

In an attempt to sound calm and in control she tried to be angry and accusatory, "What do you really want Jareth?"

He put his hand over his heart and tried to look as innocent and well-intentioned as possible before saying, "Honestly, I was thinking of you. I thought you might be hungry." Now that he mentioned it, she was starving. Her stomach rumbled and vibrated within her. He heard it and flicked his wrist. A peach appeared in his palm.

"Do you honestly believe I am going to eat that thing? Especially after what you did to me last time?"

"Sarah, I'm wounded. You always think the worst of me."

"With good reason."

He spoke to her as if he were explaining something very simple to a little child, "Do you honestly think I would try to do anything to you with this peach when I need you to save my Labyrinth?"

Damn, he had a point. She sighed, "Alright give it to me." She stretched her hand out, waiting for him to place it in her palm.

"No 'please'?"

She clenched her teeth and spit out, "Please."

Jareth gave it to her and when their hands touched she felt warmth flood through her. She felt stupid reacting so ridiculously to his touch. She blushed and was glad that it was dark. He jerked his hand away from hers-whether it was from the same thing she felt or just repulsion, she didn't know. Either way, he didn't seem to think anything more of it. He reached out behind his back and pulled out a small loaf of bread and some sort of dried meat as well. He placed those on top of her bag.

Sarah cursed herself for forgetting to bring her own food…and water. What was she going to do without water? As if he read her mind, Jareth also produced a large leather pouch from seemingly nowhere. She could hear some kind of liquid swishing around inside it. He handed that to her and she drank gratefully. It was water, and what delicious water it was! It tasted so sweet in her mouth. Her dry, scratchy throat was once again moist and satisfied.

"Thanks Jareth. Who knew you could be polite and thoughtful if you tried."

"Well thank you for your high opinion of me," he said sarcastically.

A brisk wind flew up suddenly, and Sarah hugged herself closer to keep warm. Jareth watched the movement and sighed. He held up one of his crystal balls and in a second, it turned into a flaming ball of fire. He set it down on the ground next to Sarah's feet. It was a small fire but it generated a lot of heat. In no time she was toasty warm. With the new light, she could see him much better. His blonde hair was as unruly and shaggy as ever. Yet, it made him look even more dignified and kingly, if that were possible. As Sarah watched the Goblin King she noticed that he was wearing his long black, glittery cape from when she had first met him. His black shirt was loose and open at the neck where it showed off a muscular chest. Sarah quickly glanced away. After a moment, she dared to look him in the face, hoping he wouldn't be watching her. For once, luck was on her side. He was staring off somewhere behind her. Taking full advantage of his mental checkout, she studied his face. His sharp features lent to his arrogant character. His sharp, thin nose definitely gave that impression. His eyes were the same cold, unreadable glass orbs as they had been six years ago, never revealing anything of the emotions behind them. He had light purple bags under his eyes, as if from a lack of sleep, but she didn't think he needed to sleep…or did he?

"Jareth, you look tired."

He snapped back from wherever he had been, "Sarah, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you sounded concerned."

"I'm not. I was just wondering…do you ever sleep?"

"Yes, but with the upcoming demise of my kingdom and all, I would think it wouldn't be too hard for you to grasp that it may cause a lack of sleep."

"Must you always be so harsh?"

He smirked. "Sarah, after a century or two of living here, there is no other option but to be cynical, blunt, and yes, harsh."

"Is it that bad? Being here?"

He thought a moment. "No. It didn't used to be. Before…" he looked at her as if deciding whether he wanted to share this information with her, if she were worthy to hear it. "Before I became the Goblin King," he said the title with slight distaste, "it was quite fun." He gave a rare genuine smile at a long ago memory.

Sarah looked to him, expecting him to look at her but he was staring into space, recollecting. The firelight reflected and danced across his cheek and made his skin glow. It made him look sweet and not so guarded. She enjoyed seeing this side of Jareth…slightly vulnerable and open. She wasn't saying that he had given her his life story or anything, but sharing this small piece of himself seemed huge for him. She dared to ask him a question that might make him angry, embarrassed, or once again snide and indifferent. She swallowed before asking, "Is it lonely living in the Underground?"

Sarah watched his reaction. First, his eyes seemed soft and sad, but in an instant they hardened and turned to hers. He looked down at her with his full arrogance. "Who could be lonely with a thousand goblins running around never giving you a moment's peace?"

She had ruined the nice moment by asking the most prideful man she ever met if he was lonely. He had returned to his snarky, sarcastic self. She sighed and sat cross-legged with her chin resting in her hand. Should she apologize? Or would that make it worse? Anything she said right then would probably not be helpful. She studied the ground trying not to make eye contact with him, but as she looked at the stone ground, she saw that there were cracks all along the stones, and some were even loose, ready to pop out from there sealed place. It reminded her of a question she had had earlier.

"Jareth?"

"What could you possibly want now?"

"Why did the Underground start to fall apart now? It seems a little convenient that we only have a few days left and I showed up here just in time to help."

"Are you insinuating that I am behind this just to lure you back here?"

She hadn't meant for him to take it that way. "No, not at all! I was just wondering how, in the six years since I have been gone, that it hasn't disappeared already. And why didn't Hoggle or the others mention it the first couple years that I stayed in contact? I could have come back sooner to help…"

"The changes were not extreme. It was a gradual change over time. I could feel something had changed but I didn't know what exactly was wrong. The Underground's very core felt like it had shifted and I didn't know what it meant. Those first years you were in contact with your little friends, I was not even aware of the danger we were in. The changes were small and did not seem to be a cause for concern." When Sarah looked at Jareth, he looked almost…guilty.

"The creatures started changing first, like the fairies. Slowly, I couldn't control them anymore. They became destructive and harmful to the Labyrinth and Underground. Then I had no effect on the plants and they could not be contained. They grew wild without restraint-anywhere and everywhere. This tree was not always here." He looked above her head to the crown of the willow tree. "The stones around its trunk have been upended unceremoniously, as you can see," he pointed at the ground by my feet. The stones were sticking out at odd angles. The tree had shoved itself above the surface of the stones, making an uneven paved ground around it.

"I did notice that the walls of the Labyrinth are not…whole."

"Yes, that came next," he said grimly. "The quakes and storms came last. The Labyrinth became chaos. My power and control over the elements and weather were gone."

"When did you realize that it was coming apart?"

"About two years after you left the Labyrinth. That was when the changes became more noticeable. At that time I had no reason to raise alarm among my subjects until I knew more. It took me almost another year to figure out why all of it was happening. Then it hit me…it was because of you. Of course, of all the people that could single-handedly destroy the Underground, it would be you." He rubbed his hand over his face, making him look haggard and worn out. It made her want to reach out to him and comfort him, but she knew he wouldn't accept it.

"So…my calling on Hoggle today was just a lucky coincidence?"

"Very lucky. The only thing I could do the past few years was wait and watch you until you made the first move. And you finally did, just like I knew along." At this, a self-satisfied smile crept onto his face. It reached his eyes where they began to sparkle with amusement.

"What do you mean?"

He chuckled. "Oh Sarah, you are so predictable. As soon as you left my Labyrinth, I knew you would leave it with a better sense of who you were, and yet, you would probably forget everything soon after."

"I didn't forget, I-"

"Whatever. In any case, you did precisely what I knew from the start."

Sarah waited for him to answer. "Well? What did you 'know'?" She used air quotes.

"That you would want more than your dreary human life after you knew about the Underground. Sarah, you are not the type of girl to be satisfied with a normal, boring life in the mortal world. Eventually, you would have come back."

"If you remember correctly, I didn't choose to come here for a friendly visit. I came here to help you and my friends, nothing more."

"Give it some time, and I'm sure you will come around."

"Come around to what?" She was getting annoyed now, and it leaked in her voice.

"The longer you spend in the Labyrinth, the more you will want to stay. Permanently."

She gave him a disbelieving look, "We'll see about that."

"You will love living here, I guarantee it."

"Umm…I don't remember agreeing to stay."

"No, not yet, but you will." Sarah rolled her eyes and stretched her legs out in front of her.

"I'm too tired to keep arguing with you. Can you please leave me alone so I can go to sleep?"

He swept his arm out and gestured for her to lie down. She eyed him suspiciously.

"What? Don't you trust me Sarah?"

"Not a bit."

He sighed dramatically and looked up into the tree. "Someday you will learn to trust me."

"Sure." Sarah fluffed her bag and laid down. As she stared up into the tree, she soon forgot Jareth sitting across from the fireball, humming to himself. She wondered what was happening at home. Was her dad looking for her? Did her step mom miss her at all? And Toby. Was Toby doing alright without her? She hoped so. He was a strong kid. He'd be alright. Hopefully.

She was drifting off but she wasn't quite asleep yet. It was like the state between dreaming and awake, this limbo where you can’t decide if what you hear and feel is real or a dream. She could have sworn she heard Jareth quietly singing a very familiar song. Her mind went back to that long ago dream which was forever linked to that song. She was alone and confused. She didn't know what she was looking for…and then a certain handsome man had started dancing with her. She had felt beautiful and grown up. Being held in his arms while he whirled her around the room had been thrilling, exhilarating, and completely terrifying. She had been out of her element in this dream, hallucination, or whatever it was. She could still hear the song playing in her head that he sang to her.

"…But I'll be waiting for you, as the world falls down…"

Wait, was she dreaming now, or did she really just hear him sing that? She was tired, perplexed and groggy so her effort to make sense of it was minimal. The last thing she thought of before losing consciousness was the way he had looked at her when he had sang that song…

Jareth heard Sarah groan, and she flipped onto her side, facing him. He sighed. "I guess that means I should be going now," he whispered to himself. He had promised himself he would leave her once she was safely asleep. He had seen her apprehension about being alone during the night. So, being the chivalrous, yet opportunistic man he was, he decided to give her some company. Oh, and she was too senseless to remember to bring food or water, so he had to get that as well.

He couldn't keep himself from staring at her when she slept. Her face was serene and beautiful when it wasn't contorted in anger or sarcasm (directed at him, no less). Her dark, long hair fell along her shoulders and back, but sometimes the wind would tug at it and send her tendrils dancing lightly over her body. It was marvelous, just how striking she was. She didn't even understand the effect she could have on him. If she ever did…God help him. Well, he wouldn't worry about that. There were much more pressing things to be concerned with. Speaking of things that were causing concern, he had to be off. As much as he enjoyed sitting here, watching Sarah sleep, he was a king after all, and things had to be done. He stood up and brushed off any dirt that may have clung to his clothes. He gave one last look at Sarah, and couldn't resist. He leaned down and planted a quick, light kiss on her forehead. And then in a flash, he was gone.

Chapter Text

"I'm a troublemaker, never been a faker. Doing things my own way and never giving up."
-Weezer

Sarah's wake up alarm was a distant squawk. She almost forgot where she was, but as soon as she opened her eyes, everything came back. She didn't know how much time she had wasted sleeping, which made her sit up quickly.

"Oooh, bad idea." She rubbed the small of her back. She was really stiff from sleeping on the hard stone ground all night. She slowly stood up and ran her fingers through her hair. She stretched and pulled her arms over her head and arched her back until she could feel every muscle loosening. As she looked around her, Sarah realized that Jareth and his crystal fireball were gone. Oh well, not like she expected him to stay the entire night anyway. Her eyes did catch something on the floor by her bag. Sarah knelt down and picked up the clothe sack. Inside held some kind of odd pastry. The entire thing looked like a muffin top- bumpy, soft, and uneven. She could see that there were chunks of some kind of fruit in it too. She smiled. Jareth wasn't as tough as he pretended to be. She brought it close to her nose and inhaled the scent. It smelled like cinnamon and freshly baked dough. It made her mouth water. She took a large bite out of it. It was still warm. Oh, it tasted so good. She devoured it in seconds. Once finished with her breakfast, she started to pack up her things. The bread and meat went into her bag, along with the water pouch. Then she stripped off her sweatshirt, packed it, and changed into some new clothes.

Once ready, Sarah stuck her head out of the tree and looked around. The coast was clear. She surveyed the courtyard, noticing that the opening was not in the same place it had been last night. Instead of being on her right side, it was straight ahead. "At least the opening doesn't face the opposite way I need to go," Sarah thought. It could definitely be worse. She didn't waste any time going through the archway. Once on the other side, the archway almost immediately dissolved into dense brush. As she turned to the path ahead of her, Sarah realized there was just a single path that she was forced to follow. Since she had no choice, she followed it, and hoped for a fork, or turn in direction or second path that would lead her in the direction she needed to go. None of the above happened. It just kept going on. The hedges gave way to the stone walls again, and everything was completely unkempt. Vines grew down the walls and stretched across the paved ground. Dirt, leaves, and branches scattered and covered the path, making a natural "carpet" over the stone ground. The path twisted and turned, but it never met up with any other courses, nor did it ever lead her in the direction she needed to go.

After about what she guessed was a half hour, the path still had not forked off. On top of that, the path was slowly directing her to the right. It kept veering away from the castle and Hoggle. She sighed in frustration. She had no choice but to keep walking, though. She could spend the rest of her short time in this Labyrinth going in circles. What if these were in fact, her last days? Did she really want to spend them wandering this place? It was a depressing thought. If she never came back, what would happen to Toby? Would he get over it? Yes, she was sure of it. He was young, it wouldn't be too much of a loss for him. At his age, he would soon get over it and live the rest of his life. Sarah would just be a distant memory that could barely be remembered. She didn't like that. No, she couldn't lose this challenge. "Well, then, I guess I just cannot fail," Sarah thought.

As she walked, the sun started rising higher in the sky. However, Sarah could see some dark clouds not too far away. Soon, she wouldn't even be able to guess at the time, with the sun hidden behind the clouds. Although, now that she thought about it, the Labyrinth never followed the rules, so telling time by the sun could be totally useless.

The morning was wearing on with no sign of progress and Sarah was starting to become impatient. Just as she was wondering if she should head back, she rounded another bend and cursed. It was a dead end. She was mad. No, she wasn't mad, she was livid. She had just wasted her entire morning following a trail that dead ended. "What in the world?" She stomped her foot like a little girl having a tantrum. "Are you kidding me?" She picked up a rock and threw it at the stone wall that stood in her way, mocking her pathetic attempt at solving the Labyrinth. She folded her arms across her chest and started pacing, now and then stopping to glare at the object of her hatred. It was just like every other wall in the Labyrinth: sandy stone, thick, tall. It had the usual vines and leaves covering it. There was nothing different about it. Why did it have to be in her way? "You'd think that the Labyrinth would try to cooperate with me just a little. After all, I am trying to help it! I mean, I am here to keep the Labyrinth from disappearing. That deserves some respect!" Sarah ranted to herself for some time, trying to let off steam. In her anger and conversation with herself, Sarah didn't pay much attention to her surroundings. "How am I supposed to get through the Labyrinth if it wont-oof!"

Something slapped her feet out from under her and she landed flat on her back. The wind was knocked out of her and she gasped for breath but she couldn't inhale air. She tried regaining her breath, and started panicking when she felt something tighten around her ankles. Sarah struggled to sit up to see what was happening. Propping herself on her elbow, she saw vines crawling moving down the wall and coiling themselves around her feet and slowly moving up her legs. If she wasn't so scared, she might reflect on the absurdity of the situation. Sarah looked around for something that would be of use to her. She saw a long, thick branch laying on the ground a few feet away. She stretched herself out to grab the branch but it was too far. She moved towards it, but the vine quickly tightened it's grip on her and started tugging her toward it.

Sarah stretched her arm out as far as it would go, straining her muscles as she did. She could almost reach it…just an inch or two away from her fingertips. Sarah wriggled on the ground trying to loosen the vine's grip, but that only made it tighter. It started to drag her towards the wall's dead end. She turned to where she lay on her stomach, and dug her fingers into the cracks between the stones. She used it to pull herself away from the vine creature. She was making slow progress. She could almost touch the branch now…as Sarah stretched as far as she could, her fingers brushed against the hard, slimy wood. She grabbed it and held on to it like a vice. As the vine pulled her back to it, her arms and hands got scraped and scratched, leaving a biting, sting. She turned around, on her back again, and swung the branch over her head. It came down on the outstretched plant and smashed it. Green pulp sprayed out from it, and it loosened it's grip of Sarah. Some of the green muck got on her cuts, and it felt like fire on her skin. Sarah sucked in a breath and grasped her wounds. They were becoming more and more red by the second.

Sarah saw the plant retreating a little to assess it's damage and she took full advantage of it and scrambled to her knees. She finally got to her feet and went to take another swing at the creature. As she raised the branch, the vine shot out and smacked the branch out of her arm. A large red welt formed on her wrist, where it had struck.

At this point Sarah figured the best option would be to run. She took off, flying. She ran as fast as her feet would allow. She ducked branches, and darted out of the way of the vine's reach. The wind against her open cuts, was unbearable. It brought tears to her eyes, but she had to keep going. The vine slithered along the ground after her, sometimes nipping her heels but never grabbing hold of them. She looked over her shoulder to see if she had gained some ground. It snapped up and smacked her in the face. It made her falter, and the vine overtook her. It wrapped around her waist and yanked her down. She fell backwards and put her arms behind her to break her fall. Her elbows and arms got scraped up more, but that was the least of her worries at the moment. She kicked at it, but it just grasped her feet and squeezed. Sarah was at a loss as to how to keep fighting. This thing wasn't quitting and nothing was deterring it. It was crawling it's way up to her face and she was afraid to find out what would happen when it reached it. In a flash she knew what to do.

"Jareth I need your help. NOW!" She was able to say just as the vine was clamping it's leaves over her mouth. She would have bitten it or chewed her way out of this, but she figured that wasn't a good idea, considering it's green blood probably had some sort of poison in it. After all, it was burning her arms and hands like acid.

One moment, she was being constricted by a living vine, the next, she was free. She heard an unnerving screech come from the thing. She looked up to see Jareth holding one of his crystal balls, and then, he threw it at the creature. When it touched the plant, a small explosion happened, and the screeching resumed. The leathery green vines recoiled and started to retreat back to wherever it had come from. It hissed and garbled in anger. Sarah slowly got to her feet and looked up at Jareth. He was staring down the creature, as if to assert his victory over it. After it was completely out of sight, he turned to her.

"Can't you stay out of trouble for a few hours while I'm gone?" He spun to face her, putting his hands on his hips and glaring down at her.

Too stunned to fire back a sarcastic remark at the moment, she asked, "What was that thing?" Jareth started pacing back and forth in front of her.

"The Iviathas, just one of the many annoying, yet deadly plants of the Underground-that's not important. Why can’t you be more careful?" He demanded angrily, stopping directly in front of her. He was mere inches from her face as he leaned down and glowered at her.

Surprised at his hostility, she shot back with just as much anger, "I wasn't looking for trouble. It's not my fault your Labyrinth is out to get me! I was following the only path available. It's not like I'm trying to fail!"

"It matters not if you are trying to or not, just that you are."

"I'm doing all of this for you!" She pointed a finger at his chest.

"Yes, how could I forget that." He looked down at her arms and frowned. He sighed deeply to show his displeasure and said, "And you have once again injured yourself." He grabbed her arms and examined them. "Is there anything you can do right?"

"Look, I'm trying the best I can, and your yelling and criticizing isn't helping." Sarah stood tall and firm, knowing that she was in the right. She tried tugging her arms away from him, but he held firm.

"These need to be treated," he snapped at her. He flicked his wrist and a strange tall, oblong bottle appeared in his open palm. He applied it to her scrapes, and then washed it off with some water, which also appeared at his whim. "You don't have to yell at me every time something goes wrong," Sarah insisted.

He sneered, "Apparently I do. Obviously walking around for an hour without running into trouble is too challenging for you." Sarah wanted to protest but he cut her off, "And when you summoned, no more like demanded me to come to your aid, I got no 'thank you' or gratitude!" He threw his hands up in the air and turned his back on her.

As every human does in certain situations, once someone brings up the fact that you haven't said thank you, it made Sarah not want to all the more. "Thank you!" She shouted without true sincerity.

"Well, now that I feel so highly appreciated-"

"Save it. I don't need to hear more of your sarcastic remarks, especially when I didn't do anything to deserve them." She turned to leave but stopped before actually walking away. She shifted so that she could see him over her shoulder. "By the way, I am truly, very grateful for you helping me." She said it with all seriousness and meaning. "If only you hadn't jumped down my throat as soon as I was free, I might have had the chance to say so." With those words for him to think over, Sarah walked away.

Jareth stormed into his castle, fuming. He pushed open the twin doors that opened to the throne room with extra force than was needed. The doors slammed against the walls, making a loud thud. She was right. He hated being wrong. His temper had gotten the better of him, again, and it had made him look like a fool. A sickly green-colored goblin had the misfortune to walk by during Jareth's black mood, and so was given a good kick to the head. It scurried away, surprised and fearful of the volatile king. Lately his moods were so unpredictable ranging from high to low at any given moment, that his subjects had just avoided him as much as possible.

Jareth raked a hand through his hair, contemplating the recent exchange. He had been sitting on his throne, reading from the Order of the Underground, the ancient book set down from king to king which held all the laws and regulations that must be adhered to. In an instant, he had heard her voice calling him, transcending time and space, making its way to his ears. He had dropped the old, worn book on the floor and grabbed a crystal. He saw her struggling against the Iviathas, and had been there in an instant. His first reaction to her had been fear. Fear that she was seriously hurt. Then, once he saw that she was alright, he had been angry. Really angry. How did she expect to finish the Labyrinth if she couldn't watch out for herself? He couldn't be there the entire way, helping her along. The Underground wouldn't allow it. He was already pushing it with always rescuing her from her present course of self-destruction.

Jareth sighed and rubbed a hand across his face. She had been angry with him, but nothing he hadn't seen before. She would be over it soon…maybe. An idea crossed his mind-something that might make her not angry with him anymore but he quickly dismissed it. The Goblin King did NOT ask for forgiveness.

He just hoped that she would try to pay attention and actually stay away from danger for a little while. He was a king, he had things to do. He couldn't keep dropping everything to run to her aid. It showed how weak he was. A mortal girl controlled his every move. He sighed. These human feelings were quite troublesome.

Chapter Text

"If you're still alive, my regrets are few."
-Metric

Sarah rubbed her arms as she walked, glad that the medicine Jareth had applied to her cuts was working. It was rapidly healing, something she was very grateful for. The uncomfortable heat from her wounds was dropping quickly, and soon she could only see faint, pink scratches instead of the once red, bloody, infected cuts. A couple hours after her altercation with Jareth, Sarah still had not come any closer to finding Hoggle or the castle than she had this morning. After backtracking for a while, there had finally been an opening archway to the right, which from Sarah's memory would be left coming from the other direction. She should be going the correct direction now, but she could just as easily be completely lost and walking in circles. She was also concerned with the fact that she was once again in the stone-walled section of the impossible maze.

The Labyrinth's stone walls and paths were slowly becoming the worse for wear as she moved farther into the Labyrinth. The walls were almost entirely concealed by overgrown foliage, and there was a thick layer of dirt, leaves, and stone rabble covering the ground. The day had started out sunny and warm, but by early afternoon a cold front had swept in and a light misty fog had settled. Sarah could see about fifteen feet in front of her before the ominous fog swallowed up whatever was ahead. She walked cautiously, stepping over obstacles and running her fingers along the wall as she went.

She heard the flap of wings above her and she snapped her head up to look. Was the creature a threat? Would it attack her like the vine had? Probably. She could vaguely see a pair of wings beating directly above her about ten feet or so. It screeched and swooped down. Sarah ducked and held her arms out in front of her to protect her face. It came within six inches of her head and soared ahead of her, disappearing into the fog. Sarah squinted to see the creature but nothing was visible. She didn't keep her eyes off the fog in front of her. Wait, she caught a flash of something. Yes…there it was, a black figure emerging out of the grey mist. It flew straight for her. Sarah stood, holding her ground, ready for whatever would happen. It flew toward her leisurely, as if it had all the time in the world. It almost looked like it was coming at her in slow motion.

It was getting closer and closer…Sarah didn't know what to expect when it got to her. About five feet from where she stood, it stopped abruptly and perched on a branch that was sticking out from the other side of the wall on her right side. She watched it carefully, waiting for any kind of movement that would give away its intentions. She glanced over the creature and found it to be a bit ugly. It was some kind of black bird. It had shaggy, ruffly feathers all over, which stuck out with different lengths and textures. It also had a sort of mohawk. It's black feathers stuck straight up at the top of its head. What really bothered Sarah was the creature's eyes, which were a sickly green, like the color of a green olive. Those eyes watched her, with a creepy intelligence that unnerved her. The beak was its only redeeming quality. It was long and pointy and a vibrant cerulean blue. The blue beak shined and shimmered every time the creature moved its head. Its talons were long, sleek, and very sharp. It had black thick claws curled around the branch, holding the animal there. Those talons had to be a good nine inches long…like daggers. Sarah shivered at the damage those weapons could do.

"Well, if you are content sitting on that perch all day, I will gladly leave you in peace and be on my way." Sarah took a nervous step forward very slowly, giving the bird a wide birth.

"It's not very nice to ignore someone and pass by without so much as an 'hello.'"

"I beg your pardon?"

The bird had a high-pitched, irritating voice. It's voice went up and down, emphasizing odd parts of the words it was saying. It came out as an off-beat sing-song way of speaking. From what Sarah could tell, it was female.

"You are being very rude, young girl!" Her voice rose until it was a shrill screech. Sarah didn't want to upset it and possibly end up in mortal danger.

She was preening her feathers, annoyed at Sarah's impertinence. "I am so sorry if I have offended you. My name is Sarah, who are you?" She said in the most etiquette way possible.

"I am Plurea, the greatest and most majestic of the winged creatures in the Underground." She said it with such overly dramatic grandiose and reverence, making it hard for Sarah to take her seriously. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.

"Plurea, that is such a pretty name, and unique." Flattery, that should smooth things over.

Her feathers pricked up slightly at the compliment. "Thank you! It is so wonderful to finally have a civilized conversation with such a tasteful young lady. After trying to carry on a discussion with a bunch of brainless goblins, you become starved for intelligent creatures." Mission accomplished.

"Oh, I can imagine! I have only been here once before, but they didn't seem very bright."

"What did you say? You have been here before? What did you say your name was, girl?"

"Sarah."

"Oh my!" She squawked. "How did I not realize this before? You are the Sarah Williams?"

"Um…yes, that's me."

"Why, my dear girl, you are famous!"

"I am?"

"Of course! You are the one who challenged the Goblin King and his Labyrinth…and won! You are the only person to have ever done that. You must be someone very special." Sarah blushed, not knowing how to take the odd compliments from the eccentric bird.

"Uh…thank you." Sarah didn't know what else to say to the bird. Luckily, Plurea was a talkative thing, and did all the talking for her.

"Yes, the Goblin King has been brooding over it for years, a little wounded over being bested by a young girl." Sarah lightly chuckled, but Plurea just kept on rambling. "Can you imagine? A grown man, an elegant immortal with unspeakable power, losing to a mortal girl? It was embarrassing. A good many of his subjects thought it quite deserving considering his reputation as a strict, severe king. However, he is a fair and just ruler, and those subjects that have felt his wrath always deserve it. Sure he makes a lot of threats, but he hardly ever goes through with them unless it is provoked. Of course, he has had his rash moments when he lets his anger get the better of him…" She kept on chatting with no sign of stopping. Sarah needed to keep moving, and Plurea hadn't stopped talking to take a breath since she had opened her beak. Sarah was trying to think of a polite way to interrupt the bird when something she said caught her attention. "…being that way is understandable, though. Poor boy, being wished away by his own mother of all people. She didn't even try to win him back. Terrible woman!"

"What? What did you just say?"

"Oops, I've said too much. Forget I said anything." She became agitated and wouldn't look Sarah in the eye.

"Wait, Jareth was a wished away child?"

Plurea was shaking her head. "I shouldn't have said anything. He is going to be very very angry with me. Oh no! What if he decides to throw me in the Bog of Eternal Stench and clip my wings! Oh, pardon me, dear, I must be off, he is not going to be happy at all…" she fretted as she launched off from her perch on the branch. Sarah squinted to see her until she vanished into the fog. Jareth, an unwanted child? It explained so much…but then again, made room for so many more questions like when did he live in the mortal world and who was the Goblin King before him? Sarah was rattled with this new revelation. She started walking absently, thinking over what she had learned and what this meant. Did it change how she viewed Jareth? Definitely. What did those changes mean? She wasn't sure yet.

Sarah was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't look where she was going. She stepped on a crumbled area of the path which gave way under her weight. The surface caved in, taking her with it. Sarah went falling into darkness. She landed on hard stone ground and hit her head on something hard. Her head felt fuzzy and light. She was spinning and the dizziness was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. She reached behind her head and felt something warm and wet-blood. Her stomach lurched at the thought of a serious injury. She tried to look around and see what she had fallen into, but her vision was a little blurry. She rubbed her eyes, but it did no good. She didn't think she should start walking just yet, but time was precious and she didn't want to waste time sitting in some hole. Sarah tried to stand up but her legs wobbled and she pitched forward, falling flat on the ground. Well, now she had no choice but to stay. She was vaguely becoming aware that she probably had a concussion. As she sat down again, she was starting to forget how she had gotten down here.

Sleep…that would fix things, yes sleep. Wait wasn't sleep what you were supposed to avoid if you had a concussion? Sarah couldn't remember. All she knew was that she was slowly losing consciousness and had no intention of fighting it off.

"Sarah? Sarah can you hear me?" Jareth asked her. The woman was near insufferable. She had stomped off angry at him, and no more than a couple hours had gone by when he had decided to check up on her with his crystal and what did he see? Sarah, lying unconscious in one of the Underground's tunnels with a bleeding head injury. He had been quite alarmed, to say the least. After treating her head, he had attempted to wake her up. Unsuccessfully. Now he was genuinely worried.

Sarah could hear a distant voice but didn't really register what it was saying. The person was gently shaking her too, and it was very annoying. She was trying to sleep! What kind of rude person would be waking her up right now? She tried to concentrate though, because the voice seemed to become more urgent. This may be important.

"Sarah, come on honey, please wake up." Sarah really was trying to understand what was going on but she felt so…lost. She felt a hand brushing her cheek, and it felt good. She felt safe.

"Come on, Sarah. Just listen to my voice, show me something-some sign that you can hear me." A moment of comprehension, like a light bulb going off in her head, made Sarah aware. She knew that voice.

Jareth sighed in frustration. "You are so stubborn! You will defy me even if that means threatening your life!"

"You always think everything is about you," Sarah whispered, her voice hoarse and deep from sleep. She opened her eyes but the light was too bright, and she winced, closing her eyes again.

"Well, it is isn't it?" Even though he was making playful banter, it couldn't completely conceal his relief and happiness over seeing her awake and alright.

"How long have I been unconscious?"

" I am not sure, I found you about five minutes ago, before that I wouldn't know."

"Oh…do you know what happened?"

"No, you don't remember?"

"Um…no."

"I don't know either. I happened to be checking on you and see….well not a very comforting picture of my only hope to save the Underground."

"Sorry, I know I keep causing you trouble." Sarah winced as she tried to touch the wound at the back of her head.

"Don't touch it," Jareth warned and caught her hand to stop her, and then quickly dropped it when she looked up at him.

"Gee, thanks for telling me that now."

"Your most welcome. I was able to stop the bleeding and heal it, but the injury goes deeper than the surface, so it will be sore for a while."

"Fantastic." Sarah tried sitting up, but got light-headed.

"Easy," Jareth murmured. Sarah slid back down on the ground, where there was a bunched up piece of clothe with a little bit of dried blood on it. She looked at it quizzically.

"I needed to elevate your head so I used my cloak to keep your head up."

"Right. Sorry, my brain hasn't been caught up to normal speed yet, I think." As she said that, she realized her words were slightly slurred, proving her statement correct.

"Here take this," he said, reaching from somewhere behind him and bringing out a bottle.

"What is it?"

Jareth sighed. "Must you question everything I do?" Before Sarah could say something he continued, "It will help clear your head up." She reached out and grabbed it from his hand and took a healthy drink from it. "That should be enough," he said before she took another drink.

Already Sarah could feel her head clearing up. Her vision was much crisper and she could think without losing her train of thought. "Wow, that really worked well. Thanks, I'm sorry I keep getting into trouble," she repeated.

"You are being uncharacteristically pleasant ."

"I am always pleasant! It is you who has the bad temper. I only respond to it accordingly." Jareth scoffed. Sarah remembered what the old bird had said and her countenance softened. Jareth had been abandoned, just as she had abandoned Toby. No wonder he loathed her so much. To him, she was just like his mother. Jareth saw the change her face and wondered why she was looking at him like that. It almost looked like…pity? Before she could do anything else that would unnerve him, he said, "As much as I'd love to stay here and humor you with your delusions, I must be off. I should have never come in the first place."

"Wait I-" but he had already vanished. Sarah had wanted to ask him about what Plurea had said. Then as Sarah thought better of it she decided maybe it was for the best. The mentioning of his past may not be a welcome subject.

Sarah searched for her bag in the dimly lit place. Finally she felt the clothe bag and reached inside for her flashlight. She sighed in relief as she switched it on, glad it was still working. She looked around for a way out. There was a breeze coming from her left and she followed it, hoping it lead to an exit. Up ahead she could see a very faint light and she ran to it, glad to be out in the sun. 

Chapter Text

"It's been a long time coming since I've seen your face."
-OneRepublic

Sarah stepped out from the archway that lead outside and squinted her eyes so that they could adjust to the sudden change in light. As the light became less and less offensive to her sight, she looked around and took in her surroundings. It actually wasn't that bright outside. She was under a canopy of trees, and the sunlight that was escaping through the leaves and branches over head was minimal. The trees around her were large and thick with low hanging branches upon which vines and foliage dangled. The bark had some kind of glistening substance on it and when Sarah touched it, found it to be damp and almost slimy. The trees also had long roots that extended out from them and would create an obstacle for Sarah to walk through. Some were raised so high from the ground that it would force her to climb over them. The ground was littered with dead leaves that crunched under her feet as she pivoted, looking in each direction.

Sarah gazed around for a sign of which way she should go. The path to the right was so dense she didn't think she could get very far without a machete or some other tool to hack away at the vegetation, and she wasn’t going back in the dark hole behind her. That left her with two options: straight ahead or left. The left side looked clear, peaceful and open. It looked like an easy walk but it also looked safe, too safe. Nothing in the Labyrinth was what it seemed. So even though the thought made her queasy, Sarah nervously started walking into the dim forest straight ahead with no guarantee that she had made the right choice, and every doubt screaming at her that she had most certainly made the wrong one.

Walking was good. It gave her time to think over all she had learned in the Labyrinth the past two days. Jareth was a protector of unwanted children. The Labyrinth was a haven for children whose families didn't love them in the mortal realm. Sarah herself had destroyed its main function after besting Jareth to win Toby back. And the most important thing: Jareth had not always lived in the Labyrinth. He used to be a mortal like her. What kind of mother would wish she didn't have her child? Even if she didn't mean it completely, there was still that other bit Plurea had said, "She didn't even try to win him back! Terrible woman.” Who did that? Sarah knew Jareth could be difficult, and even as a child he couldn't be easy to manage, but for a mother to completely cast him off without any remorse or guilt? It was unthinkable.

Sarah knew she wasn't the greatest person. She had wished away Toby, her own brother. Even in vain anger, she had still said it and meant it in that brief moment. And she had felt so scared for him that she knew she had to get him back. She hadn't considered any other option. She had to get him back. No peril was too dangerous for her. She just didn't understand how a mother, whose natural instinct was to protect her child, just wished her child away and never looked back. No wonder Jareth was so cynical and angry all the time.

How old had he been when it happened? If he was old enough to understand and remember what happened then he must have been devastated. Sarah pictured a young, jaded Jareth finally beginning to settle in the Underworld and accept his new life, only to find out he would be responsible for looking over the Labyrinth for eternity. He would be forced to watch countless other children wished away, reliving what happened to him constantly. Over the centuries he had obviously become embittered with his fate. Sarah's heart suddenly swelled for Jareth. Sarah wanted to comfort him, help him, make him forget his past, but he would never allow it. He didn't think he needed anyone. He was so stubborn and prideful. The man’s cynicism was exasperating but Sarah understood it more fully now.

Then there was the issue of who had been the Goblin King before Jareth. If Jareth had been wished into the Underworld, who was ruling at that time and how were the kings chosen? Why was that man no longer in charge? What became of him?

Sarah was mulling over everything when she heard a crunch behind her. She looked around, scared that some creature might be stalking her.

Nothing was around.

She was utterly alone as usual.

Sarah continued walking with some reluctance. She stayed on high alert. Despite the comfortable temperature outside, her skin broke out in goosebumps.

She heard a thump a short distance behind her and she whipped around hoping to catch the creature before it could disappear. Still nothing. Sarah ran ahead and she could visibly hear its footsteps as it abandoned stealth to keep up with her. She saw some thick trees close together up ahead and dove behind one as she was passing it. She waited kneeling on the ground, for the animal to show itself. She could hear it getting closer. It was panting from the pace she had set. She grabbed a stone lying next to her and raised it, ready to pelt whatever showed itself to her. A small, mangy looking fiery was hopping along. It had a walking stick clutched in one hand and was using it as a replacement leg for the left one that was missing. Seeing the feeble threat he posed, she lowered her rock.

“Why are you following me?” Sarah demanded, standing up and trying to look intimidating with her arms crossed.

“Ah!” The fiery whipped around to her voice. Seeing her with the rock still in hand, he frantically tried to hop away but Sarah cut him off easily.

“What do you want?” 

“Don't hurt me, please!” He begged with his arms covering his face as if he expected a blow to the head. He had dropped his stick in his fear and then lost his balance, toppling to the ground.

“I'm not going to hurt you,” Sarah said a little more softly. “I want to know why you were following me.”

“You don't want to hurt me?” 

“No, I don't.”

“Lies! Everyone hurts Mirp. They all laugh at me and call me names cuz I don’t know where my leg is!” His already shrill, piercing voice raised an unnaturally high pitch as he said “leg”.

“I promise I won’t hurt you,” Sarah said impatiently. She bent down and picked up his stick. He saw it and his eyes went wide with fear. He hunched over and waited for the hit he was sure was coming. Sarah tapped him on the shoulder and he flinched at the contact but then when nothing happened, he peaked out from behind his bony, hairy fingers. Sarah was holding out his stick to him. He looked from the stick to her, assuming it was a trick but finally took it and then stumbled away from her, in case it was all some cruel joke.

“There now, don't you trust me?”

He leaned against his stick and looked up at her. Slowly he nodded. “I only wanted to follow someone so I wouldn't be alone. But every time they find out I'm following them, they hit me and make fun of me and tell me to not bother them. Mirp gets lonely out here.”

“Why don't you find some new friends?”

He became very fidgety. “I can’t. Oh no, I just couldn't. The whole clan banished me for disgracing them with losing my leg. It's the most shameful thing a fiery can do!” He started tugging at the hair on his head in agitation. “They all mock Mirp and say that they can take off their arms and heads without losing them-that they remember where they put it!”

“Poor thing. I'll be your friend. Would you like that?”

His eyes widened and she could see water filling them. “Oh you mean it! Mirp will go anywhere you want! Just let me go! I won't slow you down none, I can keep up good.” He nodded fiercely, becoming hopeful now that he would have an actual companion.

“Come on then,” Sarah tugged at his hand to follow her. “My name is Sarah, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Miss Sarah.” He smiled at calling her by name. It was something a friend would do. “Where's we going?” He asked with mild curiosity as they walked. His shrieking had calmed some, but his voice remained a brittle, grating pitch.

“The center of the Labyrinth: Jareth's castle.”

He stopped abruptly, making Sarah turn around to see what was going on. “Oh! You dare speaks the Goblin King’s name! He has a mighty temper, he does. We’s all supposed to call him by his proper title.”  

“It's okay, Mirp. The Goblin King and I are old friends...well I wouldn't say ‘friend’ is the correct term...more like tolerable acquaintances.”

He looked puzzled by the big words. Sarah felt compelled to clarify. “He knows me. I'm doing something for him as a favor.” Mirp's face relaxed and he sighed.

“Oh I was so worried for you, Miss Sarah. His temper is worser than ever! It all started a few years back when a young girl beat his Labyrinth...can't remember her name...”

“It's okay, Mirp. I know the story.” Sarah smiled and they resumed walking through the thick, warm forest. It was quite a workout making their way through the trees with their large roots, low branches, and slippery leaves covering the ground. Mirp slowed her down considerably with his cane and one leg. She should have continued alone, but she couldn't find it in herself to leave him. So together they stayed, walking as the warm sun grew hotter. Her shirt stuck to her back and the strap of her bag felt thick and heavy under the increasing heat. She was grateful for the thick canopy of trees overhead shading most of the woods. Sarah didn’t remember the Labyrinth being this warm the last time she was here. Did the Underground have normal seasons like at home? She grabbed a large leaf from a nearby tree and fanned herself as they kept going on. Mirp didn't seem bothered by the weather and whistled as they continued. He was ecstatic about having a friendly companion. A few times he would break the silence and sing a line from a song in his head. The fact that he was always stumbling around didn't faze him a bit.

As they continued, an idea occurred to Sarah that Mirp might know the answers to many of her questions about Jareth and the Labyrinth.

“Mirp?” She inquired innocently.

“Yes, Miss Sarah?”

“I was wondering how the Labyrinth came to be? Has it always been here? Who created it?”

His sudden jerk at her question caused him a moment’s stumble. A guarded expression covered his face. He was more perceptive than he let on it seemed.

“I’m just curious, that’s all.” Not a lie. “I’m not sure how this whole place works. I’ve been told there is a whole other world out there beyond the Labyrinth.”

“That’s true, Miss Sarah. I’ve heard stories about the other provinces but never visited or seen ‘em.”   

“What kinds of stories?”

“Well…” he thought for a moment. “Mirp remembers one story my clan would tell at night.” He paused, trying to recall some long ago information. “Ah, now I’s remember it. A long, long, long, looooo-“

“Ok, I get it.” He gave her an annoyed look for the interruption. This was the most attention he’d probably received in ages and now he was basking in it. Nothing was to stop him now. Sarah nodded for him to continue.

“A long time ago the fae folk liked to visit the human realm. They liked being worshipped and praised by the humans. A bunch of big, doffy headed fools, Mirp thinks.” He seemed to catch himself and stilled. “Oh! Don’t tell anyone I says that-especially the Goblin King!” He looked around, as if afraid someone would overhear. Knowing Jareth’s habit of dropping into her private conversations, Sarah didn’t doubt the likelihood. She didn’t tell Mirp that though. Instead she promised she wouldn’t tell and Mirp continued.

“They looked at humans like pets to favor or punish. Wicked people were cursed. Good and loyal people were blessed. But people started to be afraid of them, Miss Sarah! So they planned to get rid of the fae. Of course, they failed and got punished. The fae went away forever, taking their magic and blessings with them. I heard that humans completely forgot they exist now! Mirp doesn’t believe it. So silly.”

The two companions had reached a small clearing. There were waist tall ferns growing in it, and the sun beat down through the small open patch. Mirp sat on a medium sized rock and took out a water skin made of the strangest hide Sarah had ever seen. It was a dark, mossy green with yellow spider web cracks all throughout it. Mirp drank from it for several moments and Sarah realized she had not eaten or drank anything for some time. She, too, took a seat and began looking through her bag for her water bottle and food. They rested and enjoyed a simple late lunch.

Sarah ate some of the food Jareth had given her before washing it down with some water. She didn’t know when she’d see him again so used everything sparingly for now. She didn’t look forward to the idea of asking him for something so mundane as food and water.  

After the pleasant break from the warm walk, they resumed their journey. They walked an hour or so in idle chatter, Mirp going into great detail about his clan, life with two legs, and increasingly bizarre behavior of the Labyrinth. The entire environment of the Labyrinth was unstable. He was just explaining to Sarah how the weather was hot one day and chilly rainstorms the next when a large bang filled the otherwise silent wood. Soon smoke could be seen in the distance ahead of her. It rose above the trees in dark gray clouds and Sarah feared something ominous awaited them.

“Mirp, what was that?”

He ignored her question and started hopping on his one foot. “Yes, yes! We is close! Mirp found goblins that helped Mirp. They didn't want me to stay long, but they helped Mirp when I needed food and sleep. They nice, Miss Sarah.” He tugged her along, which was impressive, considering he was still holding the walking stick with his other hand to stay upright. They half-hobbled, half-jogged to the place of the smoke. Sarah was uneasy. How well did she know this creature? Not at all. The last time she encountered his kind, they tried to take her head off. She had only known Mirp for about an hour and she was letting him direct her straight towards an explosion that went off in the middle of the Fieries Forest. It could easily be a trap.

Sarah heard a muffled bark come from the clearing. Puzzled, Sarah walked forward into the open space.

It wasn't much, just a clear space away from all the trees and roots that was about forty feet wide and thirty feet long. On one side of the clearing there stood a little hut nestled against a large tree, the source of the smoke. Giant dark clouds billowed out of the small clay chimney, like the smoke couldn't escape the small confinement a second sooner. The roof was made from some kind of dark dry grass or weed and the rest of the hut was made from the same ruddy brown clay mixture as the chimney. There was a square hole in the wall of the hut, designed to be used as a window Sarah imagined. She kind of liked it. It looked homey and quaint. She scoffed at herself for using such a cliché word as “quaint” to describe the small home. Moving her eyes over the rest of the clearing, Sarah saw that next to the hut lay a pile of chopped firewood and a small, goblin-sized battle ax settled in an old tree stump. There was a fire pit outside which was glowing with dark embers. There was also a spit secured over the pit with a wild bird of some kind slowly roasting away. Everything looked inviting and sweet, but nothing more so than its owners.

“Ambrosius! Where did you hide my fire poker? I need it for our dinner! Yes, I promise I won’t poke you with it ever again if you give it back. Yes, I swear. I swear on my brother, Sir Ludo that I will not use it on you ever again!”

“Huh? Ludo…hear…name,” a slow, gargly voice drawled from inside the hut.

Sarah's face broke out into a huge grin. “Dydimus! Ludo!” She sprinted to the little canine-like goblin and picked him up off the ground in a tight hug.

“My Lady!”

Before Sarah could get another word out, Ludo appeared out of thin air enveloping Sarah in a giant bear hug. Without any effort he was lifting her off the ground in his vice like grip.

“Ludo! I’ve missed you guys so much!”  

“SARAAAHHHHHH!” Came his deep, rumbled reply.

Such overwhelming joy took over in that moment. Her friends. They were here, and they were safe. She had not allowed her thoughts to dwell on them too much since her arrival in the Labyrinth. With the extreme changes of the Underground, she feared the worst had become of her friends, but dared not think on it. They could have died, disappeared, or transformed into unrecognizable monsters…

Sarah’s heart burst with the proof before her that contradicted these fears. She could hear Ambrosius’ incessant barking at their feet, and the rambling exclamations of Dydimus. Closing her eyes against the pooling tears, she hugged Ludo back with as much strength and love as she could muster. She was home.

Chapter Text

"I think we're going somewhere. We're on to something good here."
-Relient K

For months after Sarah’s adventure in the Labyrinth, whenever she felt down she’d call on her friends for support. Whether it was arguing with her stepmom or trying to fit in at school, they made her feel heard, understood. They knew what it was like to be an outcast. Before Sarah defeated the Labyrinth, Ludo had been a convenient punching bag for the goblins due to his soft nature and sweet naivety. Dydimus had already been exiled to the Bog of Eternal Stench years prior. He didn’t let it get him down, though. To him, guarding the bridge was a sacred duty Jareth had placed on his shoulders alone, regardless of the reasons for why. And then there was Hoggle. Jareth used him for whatever errands he needed, but he didn’t live in the goblin city or have the honor of being invited into the castle. Jareth appeared before him whenever he wanted something, and Hoggle was loath to obey. After they helped Sarah defeat the Labyrinth, they were pariahs. They never spoke of it directly, but Sarah could tell. Nobody wanted to associate with them.

They empathized with her frustrations. They, too, were in a world where they felt misunderstood. It bonded them, even more so than before.

After Sarah lost her ability to call on them, she felt this gaping hole take residence in her heart, no her very soul. Friends were kindred spirits that completed each other in a way they never knew was missing before. Sarah lost that when she lost contact with them.

Now, being wrapped up in the hairy arms of her lovable friend, Sarah felt that long-ago missing piece return.

“My Lady! You have returned to us!” Sarah tried to turn to his voice, but Ludo’s hug was a tight grip that left no wiggle room. She tugged on his arm, trying to get his attention. Realizing that he still held her suspended in air, Ludo slowly lowered her to the ground.

Once her feet were firmly planted on the ground, Dydimus and Ambrosius launched themselves at her. She scooped Dydimus into her arms and twirled him around like a doll, much to his consternation. He vocally protested “such a silly display of affection”.

“Saraaaah…baaccckk.”

“Yes, Ludo, I’m back. I wish it could be under more pleasant circumstances.”

“What dost thou mean, My Lady? We are elated to see you once again!” Glancing around the clearing, she noticed that there were many trees that had fallen over, and recently, too. Brush and wildlife had not grown over them and claimed them yet. The storms, she remembered. Jareth mentioned those were the more recent events to affect the Underground.

Besides the trees littering the forest floor, she also took closer note of the cottage’s state. The square hole with the clothe flap that indicated a window had small bits of glass on the sill and ground below. It once was a window, complete with proper glass. What had destroyed it?

Cataloging everything she saw, she noticed her friends’ appearances as well. Dydimus’ once fine clothing was now thin and worn out. The colors had faded long ago, and there was a patch here and there-from Hoggle no doubt. Ambrosius’ fur was long and unkempt, something Sarah knew Dydimus took pride in grooming. Even Ludo who had little concern for appearances, was scragglier than usual. His fiery orange hair was matted in places and one of his horns (the left one) was slightly bent. What did they have to endure in her absence?

“Well, the Labyrinth…the entire Underground, it’s falling apart. And it’s all my fault.” She looked away, biting her lip. Jareth had accused her of not taking responsibility for any of the Underground’s recent developments. He was right, dammit. Looking around at her friends, she felt the guilt seep into her.

“My Lady, you are too hard on yourself. We do not blame thee for the state of our land.”

Sarah gave him a small smile. “That’s very kind of you, but how can you say that? Your homes, your lives, are in danger.”

“Thou didst what thou had to do. Your kin was in trouble and you needed to save him.”

“Yes, but-“

“Wouldst thou have done anything differently? Wouldst thou prefer to give up on your brother?” He pressed.

“Well, um, no…”

“There, you see, My Lady!”

“But what about all the years I could have helped stop this if I had simply believed? If I had not given up on you guys, I could have stopped this long ago. Who knows what damage I could have prevented!” Sarah was not in the habit of throwing pity parties for herself…anymore. However, it was impossible for her not to accept some of the responsibility for the Underground’s state, now that she saw her friends and realized the depth of her consequences.

“Nobody blames thee for this sorry state we’re in!” He would defend her honor to the death.

“Jareth does,” she mumbled quiet enough that no one heard her.

“Saraaah here to heeeelp.” That was Ludo’s way of contributing to the conversation and making her feel better. It worked, a little.

“Yes, Ludo, I’m here to help. And I’m not leaving till I know everyone is safe.” That was a promise.

“Good day, Mirp of the Fiery Wood!” Dydimus suddenly greeted the meek fiery that had instantly latched onto Sarah’s leg once Ludo released her.

Tensing at first, he tentatively peeked from behind her leg. “It’s okay, Mirp,” Sarah encouraged. “These are my dear friends. We’re safe for now.” He relaxed and came forward.

“Good to see you again my good sir.”

Mirp glanced around for signs of a threat before finally speaking, “Hello Did-ee-moss!” He squeaked in what Sarah had come to know as his nervous voice. Mirp’s voice was already an unusually high pitch, but when something got him spooked (which seemed to be often), his voice reached a shrill peak.

Dydimus asked him some basic pleasantries and Mirp began to warm up. “…of course, our fair Lady Sarah found you and took her under her wing. She is as kind as she is lovely.” The group took a seat on a few log stumps while they chatted and caught up with each other. They were all ecstatic to see Sarah, and if she was being honest, she felt the same about them.

Dydimus was explaining how he and Ludo had repaired this cottage with their bare hands when Sarah noticed the heat of the day had passed. The sun was no longer directly above their heads in the sky. She didn’t want to interrupt this pleasant moment, but they were wasting precious time. Not only had she failed to find Hoggle, but she didn’t travel much ground today by her calculations. Sarah shook her head with disappointment at her lack of progress.

Interrupting Dydimus mid story, “I’m so sorry, friends, but I need to keep pressing on. I have to finish this Labyrinth as soon as possible and I’m afraid I haven’t been doing a very good job so far.” She briefly told them of her progress so far, including losing Hoggle.

“We can help, Lady Sarah!” Dydimus exclaimed as he waved a fire poker in the air.

Sarah hesitated. She had a feeling they would insist on tagging along to help but she knew she would travel best alone. To her relief, Dydimus suggested nothing of the sort. “We know all the best paths through the forest! We’ll show you the way, right Ludo?”

“Yeeeessss. Shoooort cuuuuuuuut,” Ludo managed to gargle out.

“That would be great, but,” and here was the difficult part, “I need to ask you to stay here.”

“What?!” Dydimus and Ludo shouted simultaneously. Mirp, startled by the sudden noise, hopped up brandishing a stick. He whipped his branch around as a gentleman might swing a rapier. Wait…that’s it! She suddenly knew how to get out of this situation.

“I need you two to stay here and look after Mirp. As you can see, he’s not in any shape to travel with us and I don’t want to leave him here alone. I was hoping you could take him in and look after him until I return?” She pleaded with her eyes, willing them to understand the importance of her request.

“But…My Lady…” Dydimus sputtered. He vehemently began listing reasons for why he should accompany Sarah.

“Okaay Saraaah.” Ludo agreed. Sarah let out the breath she was holding. If Ludo didn’t agree, she would have been doomed. Seeing Ludo accommodate her request, Dydimus began to falter.

“But…should you need us?” He asked weakly. It was a painful case of déjà vu.

“This is not about what I need,” Sarah explained. “It’s about what you need, the goblins, the Underground, even…Jareth.” Standing to address all of them, she continued. “You all need me to be strong and finish what I started. You need me to put the Underground back to its proper order. In order to do that, I need to move quickly and press on. Alone.” Dydimus still did not seem completely convinced.

“Please Dydimus,” she pleaded. “Trust me.”

“I do, My Lady!”

“Then let me go on by myself.”

Finally, he seemed to accept his defeat and hung his head.

“I wont let any of you down,” Sarah promised, kneeling in front of Dydimus. She gave him one last hug before turning to Ludo. “Thanks, Ludo.” Sarah came close and hugged him tight. Speaking low for his ears only, she whispered, “Thank you for believing in me and trusting me to do this alone.” Giving him one last squeeze, she let go and he released her.

“Alright Mirp,” Sarah looked sternly at the now puzzled creature watching the sentimental exchanges. “It is very important that you stay here with my friends. They’ll take care of you while I’m gone.”

Mirp, looking confused by the whole turn of events, merely scratched his head. “Mirp not stay with Miss Sarah?”

“No, not right now,” she answered lightly. “But, I’ll come back to see you soon.”

“Promise?” His black eyes sparkled with the need to be accepted.

“I promise. Dydimus and Ludo are very kind, and if you’re good,” she added in a whisper, “they may make you their honorary brother.” Mirp’s dark eyes shone brightly at that prospect. Nodding fiercely, he waved goodbye.

Dydimus and Ludo showed her the path that was the “shortcut” to the goblin city. Sarah looked doubtful at first but they swore it would take less than a day to reach the palace itself. If they were correct, this path would bypass the Bog of Eternal Stench, instead winding through an unseen portion of the woods Sarah had not experienced. Once out of the forest, there was a small lake and then, on the other side, the back wall of the goblin city. Their detailed breakdown of the path gave Sarah renewed confidence. She was ready.

“Leaving so soon?” a cool voice taunted.

Rolling her eyes, Sarah turned to face Jareth with a retort fresh on her tongue. It died on her lips when she saw who was with him.

“Hoggle!” she cried, rushing over to her best friend. She immediately stopped and dropped to her knees when she saw him. He had a large welt on his forehead, above his left eye. Even though he was a somewhat bumpy creature by nature, Sarah instantly recognized the injury. He also had an unseemly black and blue bruise on his left cheek. Reaching for his hands, she noticed his knuckles were bloody and bruised, too.

“What happened?” she cried, sensing this was her fault.

“He’ll be fine,” Jareh drawled, appearing bored already. Sarah shot him a glare over her shoulder.

“Did I ask you?” He shrugged, unconcerned.

“I’m alright, Sarah.” His voice was soft, tired.

“This is all because of me isn’t it? If only I hadn’t pushed you so hard to climb up the hedge…”

“It’s fine. Just a few bruises…nothin’ that won’t heal in a couple days.”   

“How did you get here? Did that creature do this to you? Why were you with Jareth?” Sarah frantically asked, hardly giving Hoggle room to speak.

Holding up his hand for silence, Sarah instantly stopped. “The bump was just the fall over the hedge. I just got scared when I saws that thing flying at me. Just panicked, is all.”

“What about the other injuries?” Sarah pressed.

“Well, um,” looking away he mumbled something that couldn’t be heard.

“What? What happened?” Sarah repeated.

“He tripped over some rubble that resulted in a few scrapes,” Jareth offered cheerfully. He clearly found it amusing.

Hoggle blushed and looked down at the ground.

“I’m sorry Hoggle. I shouldn’t have forced you to climb up there. Do you forgive me?”

“Of course, Sarah!” His eyes widened at the suggestion that he wouldn’t.

“You better go on without him, he’s no use to you right now,” Jareth interrupted yet again.

“Could you not butt in for like thirty seconds?” Sarah demanded.

Folding his arms lazily and leaning against a nearby tree, he simply shrugged. “Well it’s the truth. He’s been limping all day. You’re better off without him.”

Gritting her teeth, she turned to Hoggle to hear for herself what he had to say.

“He’s right,” the misery thick in his voice. “I’m too slow to go with you. I aint no help.”

Before Sarah could comfort him, Ludo picked him up unceremoniously and carried him to the cottage. Mirp, who looked positively terrified upon seeing Jareth, ran after them.

”Ludo…help…Hoggle.”

Dydimus bowed to his friend, and then, reluctantly, to his king. He mounted Ambrosius and galloped off after the others.

Sighing deeply, Jareth pushed himself away from the tree. “Shall we?”

Chapter Text

"When you are close to me I shiver."
-Walk the Moon

Sarah started on the path before her, making sure the straps on her bag were secure. Noticing that Jareth walked alongside her she demanded, “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be off annoying someone else?”

“Not at all. I made time in my schedule to annoy only you,” he smiled, never showing his teeth. In that moment, he reminded Sarah of a cat, sly and secretive.

“Besides,” he continued, “that’s no way to thank someone for helping their friend.”

Her steps faulted briefly. Taking control again, she marched on. “What do you mean?” The suspicion in her voice was obvious.

“How do you think Hoggle got here?”

Sarah opened her mouth to reply, then paused, unsure what to say. Jareth took that as invitation to continue his boasting. “I happened upon him today during my usual rounds. He was in a rather sorry state, hobbling around trying to find you.”

Another stab of guilt hit Sarah. Her chest tightened. Jareth didn’t seem to notice.

“I graciously offered to show him where you’d gone after your fall. The dolt lost your track several times. I had to keep checking in on him to ensure he would find you. Finally, I decided to stay with him until he succeeded in his mission.”

Once again, Sarah was indebted to Jareth. It made it hard for her to sort out how she was supposed to feel about the man when he constantly surprised her. Just when she thought he was a self-absorbed ass, he did something like this. Then, when she thought she was finally making progress with him, he would close off and say something harsh and distance himself.

“Why?” The question wasn’t meant to be an interrogation, but the way she blurted it out sounded as such.

“He’s your friend and you were worried about him.” Clearing his throat, he added quickly, “…and I wanted to make sure you focused on the task ahead, not that Huggle. We can’t afford to have you thinking about that miserable creature instead of your quest.” He had tried to pass off his care for her and her friends by adding that second explanation, but Sarah saw it for what it was. Maybe she was getting better at that: seeing when Jareth was just putting on airs, and when he genuinely meant the things he said. She would try to be better at looking for that side of him in the future, and perhaps help bring it out more.

“Well, thank you then.”

Bristling, he quickened the pace. “Come now, we don’t have time to chit chat. Let’s be off.”

The path was well worn so the dirt was packed down and easy to traverse. As they started on the path, they were able to walk side by side, but after a few moments, it narrowed due to the thick foliage surrounding it. Sarah led, but not before checking one last time that Jareth was still coming.

“Are you sure you still want to come? It’s not like there’s much to do out here-”

“I’m coming,” the finality of his tone kept her from asking him again. “You’re constantly falling into trouble.” She huffed and crossed her arms, but his pointed look said Do I really need to remind you of all your missteps so far? “I think I’ll save the time and stick with you for a while. That way I don’t have to worry about always checking up on you.”

“What about the Labyrinth?” She pointed out. “You mentioned that you didn’t think you’d be allowed to go through the Labyrinth with me, that I would have to do it on my own-as before.”

“I won’t stay too long. Just enough time to make sure you’re actually going the right direction,” his eyes alight with mischief at the barbed joke.

“I have an excellent sense of direction,” Sarah insisted, arms crossing.

“Really? Could have fooled me…” he mumbled.

Sarah either did not hear that last remark or chose to ignore it as they continued deeper down the path and through the woods. Sarah realized this was the opportunity she had been hoping for to talk to Jareth about his past. They were alone, in somewhat companionable silence, and she was sorely tempted to open the subject. He would be furious, of course. She knew that much. Jareth put up a good front but she could tell deep down that he was more affected by things than he led people to believe. If she broached the subject tentatively in a roundabout way, maybe she’d be able to do it without offending or angering him.

“Jareth?”

“Yes.” It was a tired statement, not welcoming much discussion. Letting out a whoosh of air, she dove in.

“Did you-do you…hate me?” She stumbled over the words with awkward uncertainty.

Jareth stopped short. Sarah turned to look at him, not sure what she’d see. He was staring at her with an unfathomable expression. Feeling foolish for starting it this way, she hugged herself to keep steady.

“Why in heavens would you ask me that?” He demanded.

Shrugging, “You have seen many people wish away loved ones in your experience. I would think that being in a position like that would not endear you to humans. After all, you admitted yourself that it’s your job to protect the unwanted children. In your eyes, am I not the same as those people who wished away their children and turned their backs on them?” Like your mother, she thought. “How could you not hold animosity towards them…towards me?” He looked absolutely stunned by her abrupt monologue. And she wasn’t even finished. “That’s not even taking into account that I am the one who created the situation we are in now…even if I would do it all again if it meant saving Toby.”

Before Jareth could respond, there was a sudden crackle that reverberated throughout the trees. She felt the vibrations under her feet. They both froze. Sarah glanced up into the sky, partially obscured by the branches that stretched out like long crooked fingers. A purple streak struck with ferocious speed at a nearby treetop. Sparks flew, raining down on them. The wind picked up. Sarah’s hair whipped around her face. It was difficult to see anything. And then, as if the Underground wasn’t making it challenging enough, it began to rain. Hard. Sarah felt a build up of panic. She always had been irrationally afraid of thunder storms. Even now, as an adult, it still rattled her nerves whenever she heard the distant roar of a storm. She shivered, realizing she was outside and unprotected. Ludo and Dydimus’ hut was too far back to return and there was nothing in sight that looked like a useful shelter.

Jareth grabbed her arm and she remembered she wasn’t alone. Her tense, rigid body relaxed slightly, if only a fraction. “Sarah, we must get you somewhere safe.”

She nodded at the words he practically shouted to be heard over the mounting storm. He gripped her arm firmly and pushed forward. His stride was determined and quick. Sarah had trouble keeping up. She was jogging to keep his pace. She didn’t complain though. In fact, she was grateful that he bothered to stay and help her find shelter.  It’s because he needs you alive and well. He’s protecting his investment, a cold voice reprimanded her.

Jareth could sense that Sarah struggled with the pace and he ground his teeth in frustration. He didn’t want to run the poor girl ragged but the storm was getting worse by the minute. The rain had not let up and lightning lit up the sky every few seconds. They were out of time. And options.

Jareth halted abruptly, Sarah almost careening into him at the sudden stop. Before she could even ask what was happening, he let go of her and pulled out his crystal ball. Almost inaudibly, he muttered something Sarah couldn’t make out. She watched his face as he probed the crystals’ depths. His jaw was clenched, hard as granite. His glorious eyebrows furrowed low in anxiety. His forehead sported many lines of frustration as he glared at the ball.  Finally, he seemed to find the answer he was looking for. His lips flattened in determination. He returned the ball to whatever secret place he had it stored and grabbed her hand.

 They were flat out running now. Jareth deviated from the path, turning to the left and dodging branches as they went. He zigzagged through the brush and Sarah tried her best to keep her footing. The ground had become slick and muddy. It was difficult to walk through, let alone run.

“Come on!” he shouted back, practically dragging her behind him. “We’re almost there.” That thought quickened her steps. She wanted to be out of this rain, somewhere warm. The cold water slowly seeped into her skin, into her bones.

Jareth suddenly stopped and gestured towards a large, dead tree in front of them. She gave him a puzzled look. He pushed her around the side of the tree where she could now see an opening. The tree’s wide trunk was hollowed out. Even with its large size, Sarah doubted they could both fit in there…unless he wasn’t planning on staying. That thought left a cold pit in her stomach. Deep down she had hoped he would stay with her through the storm. She should have known better.

“Isn’t hiding in a tree during a thunder storm a little…dangerous?” Fear mounted, causing her to imagine outrageous scenarios of what could happen in that tree.

“We will have to make do. It’s the only thing I could see for miles that will offer us any semblance of cover.” We? Was he staying after all? Jareth gestured once again impatiently. Sarah followed his instructions and ducked down to huddle in the hollow. Jareth was right behind her, tucking himself in to the tiny space beside her. Sarah hugged her knees and rested her chin on them. She convulsed with shivers, trying to concentrate on anything else besides her miserable, wet clothes clinging to her ice-cold skin. Suddenly she was enveloped in warmth. Sarah sharply lifted her head. Jareth had draped his cloak around her. It was completely dry. She gave him a confused look.

“What? A magical land inhabited by goblins and creatures is believable but having the magic to dry a cloak is unfathomable?”

She rolled her eyes, choosing not to comment. She was quickly warming up and the shivering had died down. In addition to the dry cloak, Jareth’s proximity was creating warmth. There sides were jammed together, his left side glued to her right. They were lucky there was room for one of them, let alone both in this forgotten tree. The body heat that radiated off Jareth gave Sarah welcome warmth, as well as painful awareness. They hardly ever touched. And when they did, it was for brief moments. Now, here they sat side by side for an undetermined amount of time. 

Clearing her throat, “You don’t have to stay, you know. You can leave and spare yourself this uncomfortable ordeal.”

He seemed offended by the suggestion. His jaw ticked. “I’m not going to abandon you to face the storm alone. You really don’t think much of me.” It was an accusation. One that instantly made Sarah guilty.

Sarah did not expect this vehement response. “No, I…”

“What?” He challenged, his eyebrows raising.

“I…appreciate your being here. Really, I do.” Almost as soon as finishing her sentence, she jumped at the nearby sound of lightning striking, as if to illustrate her point.

 Jareth studied the action before finally sighing. Tiredly he rubbed his face, an action Sarah was coming to recognize as a subconscious twitch when he was irked. “Perhaps I was a little defensive.” It was Sarah’s turn to raise her brows.

“Is the Goblin King accepting blame?”

The corner of his mouth twitched in response.

They sat in tense silence as they listened to the turbulent storm rage outside. It felt as if the Underground had never experienced rain, holding it in as long as possible until it could no longer keep the tempest at bay.  Sarah thrummed her fingers on her damp jeans, racking her brain for something to say to ease the increasing tension. In the end the decision was made for her rather abruptly. 

“I don’t hate you,” Jareth spoke so quietly Sarah wasn’t sure at first if she’d heard correctly.

She turned to him with questioning eyes. He was staring at a rather large puddle that had formed almost directly in front of the hollow’s opening. The rain splattered into it with violent delight. Sarah refused to turn away, imploring him silently to elaborate, to look at her…something!  

Without warning he tore his gaze from the puddle to study her. His eyes held her hostage. Be careful what you wish for…she mused.

“Quite the opposite, actually.” He smiled wryly. “I admire your determination and stubbornness. In my very long existence, I’ve seen almost everything. Not much can take me by surprise. That is, until you came along.”

Sarah was unsure what to say or do.  He still had not released her from his unrelenting scrutiny.

“It takes quite a bit to surprise me,” he admitted almost reluctantly. “And even more so to impress me.” At that, he allowed a small smile to pull at the corners of his mouth.

Jareth had never once shocked Sarah. Not with his unfair Labyrinth, his cruel demeanor, the ballroom hallucination he’d concocted to keep her preoccupied, or even his plea to love and obey him. Even then, she’d been so focused on getting Toby back that his offer barely held her attention. She’d pressed on with her recital of the words needed to free her baby brother. Sarah was so set on remembering those damn words that she’d barely registered what he’d said. But this, this shocked her. In her eyes Jareth always looked down his nose at her with contempt and derision. At best, she thought she was an annoyance to him. At worst, she feared he resented and hated her for beating him and winning Toby back. Now, out of the blue, he was telling her she impressed him??

Sarah didn’t realize her mouth was hanging open. Jareth wished to reach over and close it. But he didn’t. Instead, he did what he did best. He smirked down at her until she realized what he found so amusing. She finally noticed the expression she’d held and instantly snapped her mouth shut. She didn’t know how delicious she looked glowering at him even as the crimson flush crept further and further into her cheeks.

“Have I rendered the vocal Sarah Williams speechless?” Eyebrow quirked, the bastard knew when he got her.

Sarah cursed herself for her embarrassing reaction. Mentally steeling herself she responded, “No…you just surprised me, that’s all.”

“Good. We’re even now.”

At that moment the largest crackle of thunder reverberated through the woods, as if to punctuate Jareth’s words. Sarah flinched, shrinking back as far as she could into the tree. Her shoulders hunched high around her neck in defense.

“Your fear of thunder storms intrigues me. Of all the things that could scare you in the Labyrinth, this is it? Had I known this, I wouldn’t have bothered with any of my usual tricks and creatures when you were solving the Labyrinth. I would have just summoned an angry storm.”

“I can’t help it,” Sarah mumbled. “I’ve had an irrational aversion to them since I was a kid. I have no explanation for it…they just get under my skin.” She shrugged, as if that would easily relieve her of the apprehension she felt sitting inside a hollow, dead tree in the middle of a raging storm. Another crackle, this time sounding closer, seemed to shake the very ground beneath them. Sarah squeezed her eyes shut, trying to concentrate on something else.

She felt a light pressure on her knee. Peeking with one eye, she saw Jareth’s hand resting on it, palm extended up with the crystal encased within his fingers. Shooting a glance his direction, she saw him nod towards the orb. With that invitation, she leaned forward and peered into it. She saw a flash of colors and then it was like looking at her photograph from high school. Her face was fresh and upbeat as it smiled naively at a crowd of people cheering. She recognized it as the opening night of her high school’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest. Sarah landed a major part as a junior, which was unusual at her small school. It was an unspoken rule that seniors got the leads. That night was one of her best high school memories (there weren’t many others to choose from). Sarah threw a puzzled look at Jareth but he didn’t say anything.

The image shifted, drawing her attention back to it. Now she was looking at herself sitting cross-legged in her college dorm. Sarah tensed as soon as she realized what this was. Sarah was sitting across from a boy, her ex-boyfriend. Her younger self’s face stretched thin with stress. The boy, Darren, got angrier and angrier before finally jumping to his feet. He jabbed a finger at Sarah’s younger self. She also stood, face growing more agitated. Sarah remembered this as the night she broke up with him. Darren was growing very attached to her and Sarah felt uncomfortable with how fast the relationship was going. His fondness was obviously much greater than hers. When she realized this, she wanted to have a talk about it. He had taken it the completely wrong way and blew up at her, accusing her of being a cold, heartless tease among other things. He blamed her for making him feel so crazy about her. Things escalated and Sarah finally gave him a swift right hook when his anger went too far and he started saying the most hateful things she’d ever heard another person speak.

Sarah’s brow furrowed, completely confused at what she was being shown. First one of her happiest adolescent memories, and now one of her lowest?

The image changed again and Sarah saw herself playing with Toby at the park. She was laughing and shaking her head at something ridiculous he said as she pushed him on the swings. He giggled while she pushed him higher and higher…

That disappeared quickly and then she was looking at a hideously recent event. Sarah saw herself perched behind the library counter as Jonathan walked up, clearly nervous. She watched as he awkwardly attempted to ask her out. She saw herself politely decline and then utter the excuse that Jareth found so amusing. 

The image faded and then Sarah was looking at the clear crystal once again. Turning her full attention on the man next to her, “What was all that?”

“You seemed like you needed a distraction.”

“Yes, well…that doesn’t explain that.” She gestured toward the crystal which Jareth was now returning to its hidden place once again. “Why those memories? Not all of them were particularly fun highlights of my life, you know.”

“Oh I know.” His smug face was begging to be punched in similar fashion to Darren.

“Then why?” She demanded this time, unflinching eyes trained on him.

“They were my highlights,” he said lightly, lifting one shoulder.

“I don’t understand…”

“The Goblin King’s life isn’t always glamorous, you know. Boredom sets in from time to time. I got in the habit of checking up on my most memorable, if infuriating, rival.”

Sarah’s mind was reeling from the confession. “How often did you spy on me?” She accused angrily.

“Oh I don’t know,” he acted casually. “Maybe once or twice a week.”

“Once or twice a WEEK? For SIX. YEARS?”

Jareth played it off as if her wrath didn’t warrant comment.

Sarah sputtered, unable to form words anymore. She was flabbergasted. No, livid. And yet…if he was so bored, why seek her out? An uncomfortable emotion that felt like hope sprouted in her chest. For what, she couldn’t say.

After a moment of collecting herself, she managed to repeat, “Why are those particular memories your favorite?”

Now it was his turn to look slightly uncomfortable. “The first one should be obvious. It was one of your finest achievements. You were proud of the performance you put on, as you should have been. You outshone all of those other forgettable students.”

“Ok…but what about…?”

“That boy was a damn fool. He didn’t deserve to lick the ground at your feet, let alone claim to love you. I had half a mind to cross over to the mortal world and wring his neck for daring to threaten you.”

“I handled it fine,” she defended.

“Yes, you did,” he admitted grumpily. “It was most entertaining to see you knock him out flat with one hit. Ending your relationship with that boy was one of the most satisfying things I ever saw you do.” He paused, clearing his throat. “As for your memory with Toby, that was the moment I consciously commended you for what you did for him. I could see how much you cared for one another and how far you’d go to protect him. The love and devotion in your eyes was unmistakable. So even though I still brooded over losing, in that moment I was glad you had succeeded...”

Sarah wasn’t sure what to say so she waited for him to address the final memory in the crystal ball. He didn’t.

“And the last one?”

Sighing, he pushed himself away from the tree and climbed out. “It stopped raining.”

Sticking her head out, Sarah saw that he was right. She did not even notice when that had happened.

“We should get back to the path quickly and resume the trek. We only have a little longer before it gets dark. Hopefully, we can find you decent shelter before nightfall, in case it starts up again.”

Sarah clambered out, accepting that she would probably never get the answer she had asked.

Chapter Text

"All of your flaws and all of my flaws, when they have been exhumed. We'll see that we need them to be who we are. Without them we'd be doomed."
-Bastille

A pale blue sky greeted them overhead. The muffled sounds of the storm while in the tree did not prepare Sarah for what she witnessed upon exiting it. Branches decorated the forest floor in a heavy blanket. Overturned trees upended by the root lay strewn about. And Sarah couldn’t be sure but did the dead tree they took shelter in seem like it was tilting a little farther to the right?

Jareth took off towards the path not waiting to see if she followed. Sarah sighed and trudged after him. His long legs and brisk pace would make it difficult for her to keep up under normal circumstances. Add to that the littered terrain they now found themselves navigating through, and Sarah found herself staggering behind him.

It took about fifteen minutes to meet the path and start the journey again. Sarah wished to continue their previous conversation, but the pace and path made it almost impossible for her to bring it up. She was struggling to breath evenly, let alone speak. They spotted several animals scurrying about their wrecked habitat. Some looked like they were rummaging through the debris while others looked in a daze. Others seemed to have lost their home and were scavenging for a safe place to take refuge.

Jareth never said another word to her for the rest of the afternoon. They walked in silence, apart from the crunch of leaves and branches being trampled beneath their feet. It seemed like they walked for hours in this fashion, and perhaps they did. The sun was low in the sky when Jareth suddenly, without warning, left the path and made his way towards an incline to their right. The incline grew steeper until they were walking alongside a wall of rock. The wall bent out of sight about 100 yards ahead, leaving Sarah to wonder where they were going. She was just about to ask such a question when they started to curve with the wall’s trajectory, and she saw it.

 Barely visible to her, but unmistakable nonetheless, stood a small cottage nestled up against the wall of glittery grey stone. It looked as if it had not been inhabited in decades with its broken door hanging by one hinge, paint faded and stained with wear and tear of the elements, and rotted wood slated roof. Despite all these things she noticed, and more as they got closer, Sarah thought it looked like the coziest place in the universe at the moment. Her feet were sore from walking all day and she was grateful for this small bit of comfort-a place to rest.

When they finally stood before it, Jareth held up a hand to keep her from going in. He entered first, poking his head in to look around before completely disappearing into the dark doorway. Sarah hugged herself, rubbing her arms to keep warm. Her clothes were still damp and the sun had taken the last bit of warmth she had. It was not completely dark yet, but the sun had sunk well past the stone wall beside them, shrouding the forest in hazy twilight.  A moment later Jareth popped his head out and motioned for her to come inside. The relief that flooded her must have been obvious on her face because he rolled his eyes.  

“This will do,” he said, speaking for the first time in ages. “It looks dubious but I guarantee it will hold up if another storm, or worse, decides to visit you again tonight.” Sarah nodded, noting the lack of ‘we’ this time. She expected as much, but it didn’t make it any less disappointing. Deep down…she had hoped he changed, however infinitesimal that might be. They seemed to connect during the storm and come to a better understanding with each other.

The cottage was just one room, about the size of Sarah’s bedroom at home. A fireplace rested on the far wall across from the door. An overturned table and wooden chair were piled in the corner closest to her and some broken plates sprinkled the wooden floor. Other than that, the room was bare. It wasn’t much but knowing that she wouldn’t be sleeping outside again like last night, gave her great comfort. She would have a roof overhead, some semblance of shelter from wind, rain, and cold, and she could even have a fire. Her eyes returned to the fireplace. There were some charred pieces inside it, nothing more. She would use the wood from the table if she had to. She was going to have a warm fire tonight.

“Thanks for finding this place.”

“Of course.” His haughty, royal voice was back. It was his mask. Sarah had spent the day with Jareth, the lonely jaded man. Now, she was in the presence of the Goblin King. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ve been gone quite long enough. I must return to the castle.”

“Sure.”

“Try not to get into trouble the second I leave.” The words suggested a request, but the delivery made it more or less an accusation.

“Oh please, Jareth. I’m a grown adult. I can manage a night in a quiet cottage by myself.”

“Your track record is against you, dear.”

Sarah took a step towards him, hands on her hips now. It was then that she noticed she still wore his cloak. Angrily, she whipped it off and practically threw it at him. “Here, just go. I’ll be fine.”

He thrust it back to her. “Keep it. I’ve got hundreds at the castle. Besides, you’ll need it. It’s going to be a cold night.”

“Fine,” she snapped.

He said nothing to her mature response. Straightening his shoulders, he strode passed her and into the night. Sarah was alone now, in the dim cottage. She swept the broken plates to the far corner with her feet. Once they were out of the way, she draped the cloak in front of the fireplace, intending to set up a makeshift bed. She cursed herself for her impulsive words. She shouldn’t have let her anger and pride get the better of her. She had a fireplace and furniture to burn, but how would she start the fire? She never went camping, didn’t join Girl Scouts…those kind of survival skills were lost on her. Jareth could have started the fire, if she’d been kind enough to ask.

Speak of the devil…Jareth burst into the room in a black fury. The door completely fell off it’s hinge, slamming onto the ground. Sarah jumped up, startled by the strength of his anger.

She dared not speak, only looking at him with questions in her eyes. Was it something she did or said? Why did he look like he could kill someone at that moment? His eyes were dark and stormy as they glared at nothing in particular. After an uncomfortable period of simmering silence, Sarah found the courage to speak.

“Wh-what’s going on? Is everything ok?” She fidgeted with a strand of hair.

“No,” his cold vehement voice was spoken low, but he might as well have shouted it.

Sarah cleared her voice, sure that it would have been shaking. She’d never seen him like this. Ever. “Has something happened?” She thought of the Labyrinth and the little time she had to solve it once again. Oh no, what if it was already too late? “Is it…is it too late to save the Labyrinth? Did I fail?” Sarah whispered that last part, fear ripping through her for her friends, herself, Jareth.

He whipped his head around to her. Jareth internally cursed. Sarah stood in front of him, worry and fear etched into every facet of her body. He didn’t mean to scare her. Or insinuate that the Labyrinth was doomed. It had not escaped his notice that she said ‘Did I fail?’ Taking all the world’s problems on her shoulders. She really was too good for him. He berated her yesterday for not taking responsibility for her part in the Labyrinth’s demise. She clearly did see it as her responsibility, regardless of their quarrel. She took this quest seriously, and for that he was grateful. He was becoming more indebted to her each day. It bothered him.

“No,” he repeated, much softer this time. He forced his anger and frustration to dissipate. That didn’t quite happen. He was still raging internally. However, after a moment, he had it under control and was able to explain. “I seem to be unable to…return to the castle.”

Sarah went from anxious to confused in a second.

“I tried returning to the castle but nothing happened.”

His elaboration still made no sense to Sarah. “What do you mean?”

“I. Could. Not. Travel.” He enunciated each word as if it brought him physical pain to say.

“How is that possible?”

“My powers over the Labyrinth have been weakening for some time now. I suppose it was only a matter of time that my personal powers would be stripped.” His voice dripped with bitter venom.

Sarah stood there stunned. Jareth? Without powers? It seemed inconceivable…unnatural.

Somehow finding her voice, “Are you going to stay here tonight?”

“It seems as though I do not have a choice.”

He stood in the center of the room, not moving or speaking. He simply glared into the darkness. And it was truly almost complete darkness. The sun was gone, and in its place, a pale silver beam of moonlight spilled through the broken window. Sarah remembered the fire. Kicked into action at her new sense of purpose, she was grateful to have something to do. Jareth radiated black, chaotic energy as he fumed silently, fists clenched at his sides. She wished not to disturb him. This task seemed like as good a distraction as any.

Crossing over to the table, she went to pull the table leg and drag it towards the fireplace. The leg popped off in her hand. Well, that made her job easier. If the table decided it was going to dismantle itself, she would be much obliged. 

It was a fluke.

The other legs were firmly set into the table. She pulled and tugged at them, but to no avail. She sat on the floor, leg pushing against the table while she pulled. Nothing. It still didn’t budge. In exasperation she picked it up and dropped it with all the strength she possessed. Wood cracked on wood, creating a loud crash. One of the table legs came loose, rattling and rolling across the floor.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Sarah jumped at the voice directly behind her. Jareth had moved from the center of the room sometime during her battle with the table. He now stood just behind her, leaning against the wall.

“Trying to get wood to start a fire.” Her voice suggested it was the most obvious thing in the world. “But this table is being…difficult.”

He sighed and pushed off the wall. Sliding past her he picked up the table and cracked it over his knee. It fell in two pieces instantly. He picked up one of the halves and broke that piece in another two. He did likewise with the second half. He collected all the small pieces when he was finished and hurled them into the fireplace. Turning to Sarah, he arched his brows pointedly.

“Ok, now how do we light it?” Sarah asked, trying to stump him and wipe the arrogant look off his face.

He shrugged. “What was your grand plan going to be had I not been here?”

“Rub two sticks together?”

He sighed and sauntered over to the fireplace. He sunk to his haunches, focusing his intense gaze on the wood before him. It was as if he thought he could will it to catch fire. They remained like that for a minute or two: he kneeling in frustration and she standing behind him fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. Sarah studied his face as he concentrated on the task before them. Suddenly his eyes sparked, seeming to have an idea.

He held his hand out, palm up. In an instant a crystal appeared in his hand. In another, the crystal was replaced by a flaming orb. A satisfied smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. He threw it into the wood pile and the effects were immediate. The blazing fire bathed the room in light and heat. Where before there was darkness and shadow, was now replaced with a warm orange glow. Amazed, Sarah flopped down onto the floor beside Jareth. Likewise, he adjusted his stance to a sitting position, mirroring her own with much more grace.

“How did you do that? I thought…”

“I still possess some magic, apparently. I may not be able to travel anymore, and who knows what else, but it seems as though I still have some small remnants of power left. For how much longer, I do not know. For both our sakes, let’s hope it lasts until our task is complete.”

“Our task? I thought I was supposed to do this alone.”

“Since I find myself with no other option than to remain with you, I shall accompany you on the rest of your journey.”

“Will that be…allowed?”

Jareth thought on it for a moment. Lifting one knee up, he rested his elbow on it, contemplating the possibility. “By diminishing my personal powers, the Labyrinth no longer recognizes my authority in any way. I would assume I am free to do whatever I wish. I no longer hold any sway over the future course of events.”

“Assume? Look, I’m looking forward to the possibility of not being alone on this tedious journey, but I don’t want to be penalized for not following the rules because of your ‘assumption’.”

He shook his head. “What choice do we have in any case?” he gestured around them. “We are in the middle of the Labyrinth’s forest with no way to contact your friends or my subjects. The only safe path out of here is the one we are following. We must stay together. There’s no other option.”

Sarah reluctantly agreed with that assessment. They did have little choice in the matter. They were stuck together for the foreseeable future, whether they liked it or not. Sarah simultaneously felt anticipation and apprehension at that prospect.

Jareth watched Sarah from the corner of his eye as she seemed to accept their situation. Her eyes looked sunken and small. Dark circles seemed to drape under her eyes. Her skin, which typically held a creamy complexion, looked devoid of all color. Perhaps the shadows from the fire were exaggerating those features, but Jareth was not convinced. “You look unwell, Sarah. When was the last time you ate?”

Sarah opened her mouth to respond, only to shut it when she realized she could not recall her last meal. “I…I think I had some of the dried meat with Mirp just before finding Ludo and Dydimus.”

Jareth swore. That was hours ago. Eight hours had easily passed since the last time she ate or drank anything. “You need to eat.”

“I don’t have much left. I wanted to make sure it would last.”

He shook his head. “You should know I wouldn’t let you starve,” Jareth reprimanded. He held up a small pouch that looked like it’s only purpose could be to hold a few coins. He reached in, his arm disappearing into the bag all the way past his elbow. Sarah stared in amazement.

“Enchanted bag of storage,” He answered the unspoken question on her face. He flashed her a triumphant grin as he seemed to grasp something to his liking. Pulling it out, he handed it over to Sarah. It was a wrapped parcel slightly larger than her hand. She unwrapped it, excited by what she saw. A few chicken drumsticks were cleanly preserved within the confines of the paper, already cooked and seasoned. It was cold, but she didn’t care. Something as simple as a familiar dish was highly comforting.

 Sarah took out the last of the bread from the previous night and set it down between them, breaking it in two equal halves. Then she divvied up the pieces of chicken. Once everything was laid out, they dove in. Sarah was ravenous, and though she attempted to eat slowly, her stomach got the best of her. She downed the food in minutes. Jareth, who Sarah admittedly had never seen eat anything, ate his food with regal patience bit by bit.  

After they’d both finished their meal, Sarah decided to attempt the conversation of his past once more. “So, I have something I want to ask.”

Jareth tensed, wondering if she would rehash their earlier discussion about her memories. When she didn’t continue, he pressed, “Well?”

She twisted her fingers together, tugging and pulling at them. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to discuss with you but I’m not sure I should.”

“Why is that?” He cocked his head to the side studying her obvious discomfort.

“You might get angry, very angry.”

“I see.”

“Do you? Aside from the occasional argument, we’ve got along well since I’ve returned. Haven’t we?”

She waited for his acknowledgment. When he nodded slowly, she exhaled the breath she’d been holding. At least they both agreed on that. There was a noticeable amicability between them, despite their disputes.

“What does that have to do with your question?” He prompted.

“It might ruin everything. You may hate me for even bringing it up.”

“I already told you, I don’t hate you.” His voice held a touch of annoyance.

“You promise? That no matter what I say or do, you won’t hate me?”

He rolled his eyes but humored her. “I promise, although I can’t imagine what could be so serious that you think I will respond with hatred.”

Sarah nodded to herself and took a steady breath. The words came out in a rush. “Did your mother truly wish you away? Are you one of the abandoned children?”

Chapter Text

"We bide our time, stay afloat. Keepin' the dying light exposed. I never asked to know, I never lied so I could keep you on my side."
-Chvrches

Jareth inhaled sharply. His body relaxed and at ease a moment ago, now stood rigid. Sarah could not guess what the Goblin King was thinking, a blank mask protecting his face. The air became tense and oppressive as Sarah waited with bated breath for him to respond. Or retaliate. She knew she’d struck a nerve with this question. She also knew that he could be impossibly cruel when he wanted.

The wind groaned as if in response to Sarah’s question. The house joined with a creak and a shudder.

“I guess I have my answer,” she breathed when the seconds ticked by with discomfort.

He cleared his throat, as if he could also clear away an unwanted memory. “I was unaware that you were…so knowledgeable about my past.”

“Only recently-just this morning.” Her voice was soft and tentative, hoping that the conversation would continue in this calm fashion.

“Hmm, I see.”

“Are you upset?”

“Upset…?” He mulled it over like it was a foreign word. Sarah had never seen him so off guard and unsure. She expected that at any moment he would explode like a miss-timed bomb and go off on her. She tensed in anticipation.

When he spoke again, she was relieved to see that he was back to his old self-Jareth. Sarah also noted her pleasure at continuing this conversation with him and not the Goblin King. “No, not upset. Surprised. Puzzled. Unnerved.” She waited patiently for him to continue. “How is it that you are the only person to constantly illicit this kind of reaction from me?”

“I…” she frowned, unsure how to continue.

His mouth quirked up. “That was a rhetorical question, dear.”

Sarah smiled in return, slightly embarrassed.

“I don’t remember much of her or my time before the Underground.” He said suddenly, drawing her back to the original question. “When I was old enough, I was told what had happened with my mother and why I lived in the Underground. As I grew and spent my youth among the Fey of the Underground, its magic transformed me into one of them.”

Sarah was caught off guard by the onslaught of information Jareth had just willingly provided. She sat transfixed on the floor in front of him.

“You know, I just broke several of the Underground’s most sacred rules.” He threw Sarah a rueful smile.

“It’s a good thing you’ve been practically disowned by the Labyrinth then.”

“Yes, but not the Underground. I’m still a member of the Fey and the Underground.”

“Oh,” was all she could say.

He shrugged in response, obviously not worried about it. He had returned to his lax posture, sitting with one leg propped up where his arm rested, and the other leg on the ground swept underneath the arch of the first.

“I haven’t spoken of this to anyone. Ever.”

 “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to poke my nose where it didn’t belong.”

“Oh yes you did,” he countered. “It’s a hobby of yours.” The amusement in his voice soothed Sarah’s fear of offending him.

“I was merely curious about you and the history behind this place. You see, after what you told me yesterday, well scolded was more like it-“ he gave her a withering look that she ignored “-I realized everything I thought to be true about you and my time in the Labyrinth was called in to question. I thought about all my misconceptions I’d had about you, your hand in Toby’s kidnapping…I needed to know what was true and what was fiction.”

He looked about to argue at the implication that he would lie to her. “I needed to find out for myself what exactly was your role in everything that happened six years ago.”

“Why did it matter?” His tone held a touch of suspicion.

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly, looking away to stare into the fire. 

“Does this new knowledge change anything for you?” He said it with casual indifference, but Sarah noted an edge to it. She wasn’t sure what it meant.

“Maybe,” was all she would say on that subject. She sighed and propped her chin in her hands.

“Before you get too comfortable, let me check your head.”

Sarah was momentarily confused. Her head? Then she remembered her fall earlier that day. It seemed so far away. Today had been a long day. It felt like a week had passed since she fought the Iviathan or spoken with Plurea- not this morning. Was it only this afternoon that she had fallen and hit her head?

Her lack of an outright refusal was enough for Jareth to inch closer and remove his ever-present gloves. He gingerly slipped his fingers into her hair, working his way up to the crown of her head. With the utmost gentle touch, he felt around for the bump on the back of her head. Even with his careful motions, the second his fingers brushed the swollen skin, Sarah winced and instinctively pulled away. His hands held onto her, keeping her from retreating further.

“Please,” he murmured against her temple as he leaned forward to examine the wound. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

Sarah gave a noncommittal “mmh hmm” and he proceeded. He lightly brushed her hair apart and attempted to check it again. This time she stayed put, even though Jareth could feel her tense underneath him when his fingers grazed the sensitive skin. Jareth, careful not to hurt her again, quickly took stock of the situation.

Sarah could feel a blush coming on as he intimately brushed through her hair to get to the bump. His fingers created a wildfire of heated excitement everywhere they touched. The flames traveled from her scalp down to her toes. Her heart pounded as the warm blood surged through her. Alarmed at her sudden reaction to his touch, she tried to damper her body’s response. To no avail, it would seem. Each time he touched her, a fresh wave of warmth would descend upon her. Jareth had a habit of reading her thoughts and she hoped this would be one of those rare moments he remained oblivious.

Jareth tried not to linger on the thoughts racing through his head at the moment. Her hair felt just as silky as he always imagined. He fought the urge to run his fingers through her hair and cradle her head in the way he’d always fantasized. He could pull her face towards him and…No. He would not continue that thought. She was indifferent to him. It would be better to focus on the task at hand and quickly put some distance between them before he made a fool out of himself. He would not open himself up to rejection again.

Mentally chiding himself, Jareth returned his focus to her injury. He was glad to see the cut had completely healed with his medicine. The bump was still there, though. The salve he’d used only worked on open wounds and fighting infection. Bumps, bruises, and broken bones were another matter. If only he’d had the foresight to bring some of his numbing salve to help take away the pain from her bump…he definitely did not expect this to turn into an extended visit. Once he was satisfied that the lingering injury was minor, he turned his attention to the girl before him.

They were incredibly close. His hands were still tangled in her hair, attempting to disengage from the ensnaring strands. He still leaned over her, but his mouth practically grazed her forehead. Wide, uncertain eyes stared up at him. Those eyes mesmerized him, all his previous thoughts and warnings fleeing in an instant.

Jareth felt the overwhelming need to lean forward just a little farther and…

“Will I survive?” She asked breathlessly.

Her voice snapped him out of the thoughts he had been stupid enough to entertain.

“I think you’ll live,” he replied dryly. He withdrew his hands and moved back as far as politely possible. Distance was good.

“I’m shocked at how well you took my question.” Sarah returned to the previous topic with some hesitation.

“What did you expect? Tumultuous yelling? Explosive rebukes? Denial?”

Sarah shrugged her shoulders and bit her lip. “All of the above?” She saw his look of disapproval and immediately jumped in to continue. “I mean, you haven’t given me much reason to think otherwise.” Now he looked genuinely offended. “Let me finish,” she held up one finger to stop his interruption. “When we first met, you were…” she searched for the right word to embody everything he’d been towards her. Cruel. Mysterious. Flirtatious. Slightly understanding. Tenacious. “…Unpredictable. One second you were condescending and cruel, the next you were oddly good-spirited. Pair that with the fact that you were technically my enemy, and that’s all I had to judge your character for six years while I had no contact with you or the Underground.”

“And what about now?” He accused.

“Now, the past few days have been enlightening. Truly, they have.” She could not figure out why she felt the need to reassure him and comfort him about her newly reconstructed image of him.

“What information has most impacted your ‘enlightened’ state?”

“Little things over the past couple days have built up a better picture of you in my mind.”

“Elaborate.”

“You see, your erratic and often volatile nature is just one part of you. It’s like trying to solve a 1000 piece puzzle box with only a few pieces. I couldn’t do it. I needed more time, more pieces to see you better. And even though I know I am far from understanding you completely, I’m catching on.” She grinned at that, proud of the progress she’d made trying to figure him out. “I’m slowly starting to realize you have two very distinct sides that fight for control.”

 She hesitated briefly, wondering how much she should share. Seeing his patient face without a trace of anger, alright, maybe a little annoyance, she decided to be as honest as possible.

“There’s the Goblin King who is detached and authoritative. He arrogantly demands obedience and loyalty. He’s the one I blamed and resented all these years. And then there’s Jareth. He’s confident but genuine. He’s willing to be open and honest, even if it contradicts his kingly facade.”

Sarah paused for a minute to let that sink in. “These two halves make it almost impossible for me to predict your actions. Will I be reprimanded by the Goblin King or talked to as an equal by Jareth?”   

Jareth sat unmoving. He was absolutely stunned by this mortal girl’s assessment of him. Her perception disconcerted him. He himself was rarely conscious of the two parts of himself that he tended to keep separate. It was easier being the distant, cold Goblin King. More and more though, conveniently in the presence of Sarah, he was getting too comfortable slipping into just ‘Jareth’. How had she picked up on this in merely a couple days? And why did she care so much about rebuilding her image of him? Why was his character such a point of importance for her? He didn’t dare continue down that dangerous path. That way was suspiciously close to hope which he knew was a pointless, impossible thing for him.

“Well, that’s an interesting theory,” he finally offered.

Sarah tilted her head to the side and watched him closely.  She waited and hoped for him to continue but the minutes passed by with the only sound coming from the crackling of the fire. The silence lapsed comfortably this time. Instead of a thick tension filling the air, they sat side by side in front of the fire, content to simply be there.

Sarah yawned, unable to hold back the forceful urge.

“You should sleep. It’s been an exhausting day for you, and we have no idea what tomorrow will be like.” He made to move off the cloak they both sat on, but Sarah grabbed his arm.

“Where are you going to sleep?” She demanded.

“I’ll just make myself comfortable in the corner.” Sarah looked past his shoulder at the cold, dark corner he referred to.

“No way. I’m not chasing you away from the fire AND keeping your cloak.”

“I’ll be fine, Sarah.” He did not linger on the warm feeling that sprung up at her touch on his arm.

“No, it’s not fair.”

He couldn’t help it, he laughed. A boisterous, hearty sound that rumbled deep in his chest. Those words had practically been her catchphrase during her first visit in the Labyrinth.

Sarah stood frozen, unable to do anything. She’d never seen him laugh. Smirk, yes. Snort arrogantly, of course. But outright laugh, and loudly?? She was taken aback.

After a moment he composed himself. “I apologize for that, but do you not see even a little irony in your statement?”

Her mouth twitched upwards as her only response.

After much argument they eventually settled the sleeping arrangements. Jareth would remain on the cloak next to the fire. Sarah was adamant about that. She refused to isolate him into the dark corner like a misbehaving child.

In order to stretch out and sleep, their heads had to be towards the fire, feet pointed towards the door. It meant the lower half of their bodies would be cold, but at least they would both benefit from the fire at least a little. Jareth tried several times to convince her that he would not need the fire as an immortal being. He could survive slight discomfort for one night. She, on the other hand being a mortal, needed as much warmth as possible to remain well rested and healthy. Sarah did not go for that argument and so here they were, lying side by side, the low fire casting shadows across their faces as they looked across at one another.

The intimate proximity of their bodies was unsettling. If it weren’t for her own body’s exhausted state, she would have been too nervous to fall asleep. However, due to the excitement of the day, the instant she allowed herself to relax, her eyelids began to feel heavy. She did not fight it but welcomed the comforting nothingness.

She thought she heard him say one last thing to her but couldn’t use her brain to pick out actual words.

“Goodnight, love,” Jareth whispered.

Chapter Text

"I'm a satellite heart, lost in the dark. I'm spun out so far you stop, I start. But I'll be true to you."
-Anya Marina

Sarah woke on her side, soft grey light shining through the square window that she faced. The color outside suggested that either it was still early morning, or the sky had maintained its overcast palette from the previous day’s storm.

It wasn’t until she was fully conscious that she became aware of her position. Her head rested on a firm yet warm pillow. That pillow was Jareth’s arm. Her back leaned against him and she felt his other arm draped across her waist. His face nestled in the crook of her neck. Her heart pounded against her chest at the nearness of him. He smelled spicy and sweet at the same time…a familiar scent Sarah could not put a name to at the present time. The scent complimented his personality.

Realizing how awkward this situation could become, Sarah attempted to release herself from his grasp. She barely began to move when she heard him breathe deeply with conscious effort. She felt him stiffen behind her as their position dawned on him. Sarah cleared her throat to alert him of her conscious state. It seemed only fair.

“I told you you’d be cold.” His voice was a husky drawl thick from sleep. Even in his drowsy state, he still managed an air of superiority.

Sarah turned around to face him. The movement brought them face to face. Jareth slowly, almost reluctantly, slid his arm off her waist. She’d felt so good, lying there in his arms. It was everything he’d imagined waking up next to her, his face buried in her hair and her warm body pressed against him.

“I wasn’t cold.”

“Yes you were.”

She jutted her chin out as she glowered up at him. “I was fine.”

He shrugged. “It’s either that or you really enjoy my company at night.” He winked and smirked as her eyes widened in outrage. Even though she was catching on to him, it was still nice to know that he could unnerve her like old times.

“I-I do not-“

Jareth sat up, allowing her a moment to collect herself. He ruffled his hair and adjusted it into its perfect setting.

Sarah stood with her hands on her hips, still sputtering. He was insufferable. She wasn’t the one who had been draped all over him. And she intended to tell him exactly that.

“You know, Jareth-”

“I’ll step outside while you freshen up. I’m sure you need it.” He laughed at her glare and picked up his cloak, sauntering out of the hut before she could give a retort.

Sarah quickly grabbed a fresh shirt and jeans from her pack and quickly changed. She didn’t trust Jareth to come barging in so she threw on the clothes with haste. She also rinsed out her mouth with a water skin Jareth had given her. After a couple more minutes she finished combing out her hair and put her things back in her pack. Stepping outside she instantly noticed the change in the woods. Although the sky was grey and gloomy like yesterday, the ground was slick with mud.

“It must have rained while we slept,” Jareth echoed her own thoughts. It was going to be hell traveling through this.

“We better get started then. It’s going to take us forever to walk through this stuff.”  

Jareth nodded in agreement and they set off. Jareth took the lead, bringing them back to the path and continuing from there. They ate a small breakfast from Jareth’s magical bag as they walked.

Even with the mud slowing them down, Sarah realized they were making good progress. The trees weren’t as dense as before, and the path opened up a bit, allowing for both of them to walk comfortably side by side. They were getting closer to the end of the trail.

According to Jareth’s calculations, the path would lead them to the lake behind the Goblin City by midday. They should have been able to reach it last night, but the storm had derailed those plans. The thought that Sarah could complete her task by the end of the day gave her hope for her friends and anxiety for herself. What would she do once she succeeded? She couldn’t simply go home, never to see or hear from her friends again.

“What will you do when you return home?” Jareth asked suddenly. How did he do that? He had a way of sensing just what she was thinking about. Or was he also thinking about the coming end to the journey? Did he care what happened to her after she saved them? Was he invested in her answer or simply making small talk as they walked? These thoughts circled Sarah’s head until she realized he still waited for her answer.

“I’m not sure…” She finally replied.

“You’re. Not. Sure?”

“No.” She let out a sigh of frustration. “I don’t want to simply go back to the way things were. I missed my friends and…this place.” With a bit of reluctance she had to admit that even though her visits were always under unpleasant circumstances, she found herself enchanted by the Labyrinth and Underground.

“You miss your human life, though?” He pressed, seeming to fish for something specific.

“No, not really” Sarah realized in that moment. She frowned, unsure what to do with that information. She didn’t miss home. She missed Toby, of course. He was her brother and she loved him, but aside from him she felt nothing when she thought of her human home. The entire time she’d been here she didn’t once feel homesick or sad or unhappy. What was she supposed to make of that? “Huh, I’m not sure what that says about me.”

He didn’t say more, but something was weighing on him. He was wrestling with something, she knew. She could see it in the tense set of his eyes and the way he walked with empty steps-no purpose or thought put into them, simply one foot in front of the other.

Silence for another ten minutes or so. Sarah didn’t know what he was thinking but she wanted to find out. She attempted starting a few more conversations, but to no avail. He gave one-word answers, or just shrugged. Deep in thought, he didn’t pay her any attention. So she did the only thing she could think of to get him to talk to her.

“Why that memory? With Jonathan?” She asked Jareth finally. “Do you enjoy my embarrassment and humiliation that much?”

He stopped short. Turning to her, he searched her face. What he was looking for, she was unsure.

Jareth fought with himself over answering. He could just brush her off as before. He could lie, make up some excuse for it. He could agree with her assessment and be the unfeeling Goblin King he tried so hard to be. But that would betray every feeling within him, to tell her he enjoyed her humiliation. Never. He reveled in her accomplishments, not her failures.

Before he could stop himself, he was answering truthfully.

“No,” he sighed. “When you told that boy you were in a relationship with someone else, my heart stopped. I did not recall you meeting someone new the last few times I’d checked in on you. I never could imagine that my name would be the one you uttered on your lips. But then…you did.”

Sarah wasn’t sure how to respond. Jareth kept sending mixed signals. He was interested, he was annoyed. He was caring, he was cold. He was flirtatious, he was distant. How could she possibly learn to make up her mind about him, when he couldn’t make up his own mind!

“Any other questions?” He threw over his shoulder as he started walking again. His tone dismissed any idea of another question but as usual, Sarah ignored it. 

“Why did you make the offer for me to stay with you?” She blurted out before she could even think it through. There, she’d asked the question that had been gnawing at her for six years.

Jareth stiffened. He had not expected that question. He answered in his most arrogant voice, “I am a highly attractive man. Most young women I meet tend to throw themselves at me. Why should you have been any different?” Why indeed, he thought bitterly. “It was a last resort to win-you know how much I wanted to win in our battle of wills. It was my final effort to get you to relinquish your claim on your brother. And it didn’t work.” He shrugged as if it didn’t utterly crush his soul when she’d rejected him.

“That’s not it, come on. Be honest.”

“Believe what you will.”

Sarah cut him off, stopping in front of him. Forced to stop walking and confront her, he gave her a contemptuous glare.

“Jareth.” Her eyes asked, no pleaded, him to answer truthfully. She needed to know, needed to hear the answer. His answer would affect the course of her life, she knew it somehow. She felt the truth of that realization vibrate in her bones.

She took a deliberate step forward. He studied the movement with wary interest. She took another, growing braver by the second as he stood still not retreating. She was so close she had to lean her head back to look into his eyes.

“Please,” was all she whispered.

His face, guarded and stony at the beginning of their argument, now looked uncertain. “I need to know. I don’t know why, I can’t explain it…but it’s important.”

Jareth, mesmerized by her earnest plea, reached forward to rub a strand of her loose hair between his fingers. He didn’t seem to be in control of himself anymore. His body moved of its own desire. His other hand came up to cup her neck, thumb softly rubbing her cheek. He leaned forward with every intention of showing her exactly why he offered her that bloody ultimatum. As his lips inched closer and closer, he became aware, with distant satisfaction, that she did not pull away or protest.

Their lips met in tentative greeting. Jareth pressed light, chaste kisses to her lips, taking it slow. When Sarah reached up and grasped the fabric of his shirt, urging him on, he didn’t hesitate a second longer. He deepened the kiss, aggressive need overtaking the careful control he had held onto for so long. Their bodies melded together as one, like two pieces of broken pottery restored to their intended form.

Sarah clung to Jareth, heart beating so fast she feared it might break her ribs in its frantic attempt to escape. His kiss was demanding and violent, all the while that spicy sweet smell assaulted her senses. With no reason as to why, it dawned on her that the scent was bergamot. Any more thoughts she could have possibly had vanished the second he gently bit her lower lip. She gasped and felt him smile against her mouth. Jareth worked his way along her jaw before settling a tender kiss beneath her left ear. Sarah leaned her head all the way back, shivering at his touch. He quickly returned to her lips, kissing her with thorough determination. He couldn’t get enough of her; he wanted to know her as intimately as possible.

An earsplitting screech split the still forest. Sarah and Jareth jolted apart, searching for the source of the sound. Without another warning, something rammed into them at full speed. Hitting the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of her, Sarah tried to heave in gulps of air. It took several seconds to calm herself and concentrate on getting her breathing steady again. Glancing around for the creature, she spotted it high above them, circling them with malicious purpose. Squinting to see it better, Sarah realized it was the same creature that had taken Hoggle the previous day. Its black leathery wings beat the air, creating a thud thud thud sound. She spied its long, piercing beak even from down on the ground. She didn’t wish to stick around and wait for it to attack again. She turned to Jareth and froze. He was laying on the ground, unmoving. His cheek rested on a good-sized rock. Blood tricked from his temple onto the rock and ground. Realizing what must have happened, Sarah scrambled to him and carefully rested his head in her lap. She tilted his head so that she could get a better look at his bloody temple. The cut was caused by the blunt force when he struck the rock, rather than any intrusive jab. The wound was shallow, but flowing, as all head injuries do. Sarah snatched her last clean shirt from her bag and pressed it to the gash. He groaned, but otherwise gave no indication of consciousness.

“Jareth?” Sarah inquired. “Jareth?!”

She shook him.

No response.

She looked up to make sure the creature stayed where it was. It had dropped a few feet, but otherwise still maintained its predatory circle. Sarah wondered why it had attacked them in the first place, and then backed off. She couldn’t make out its intent. She didn’t trust it to remain in the sky hovering all day. Grabbing Jareth’s small magical pouch, Sarah prayed its magic would work for her. Pulling it open, she glanced inside. Empty.

She sighed and returned her attention to Jareth. She lifted the blood-soaked shirt to peek at the injury. It still bled, and so Sarah tore a strip from his cloak. She wrapped the cloth around his head twice and tightly knotted it against the shirt, holding it in place against his temple. Next, she grabbed the water skin and poured a little onto Jareth’s face.

He blinked slowly, first one eye and then the other. Confusion clouded his eyes. He wasn’t fully conscious, even if his eyes were open.

“Jareth? Are you alright?”

He gave a noncommittal grunt.

“A giant flying thing attacked us. You hit your head. We need to get to safety. Do you think you can walk if I help you?”

“I…” He couldn’t finish his thought because the creature shrieked again. Sarah snapped her head up to spot the creature. It had swooped lower and was only about thirty feet above them now.

“Its only a scavenger,” Jareth’s slurred voice rose up to her.

“That may be, but I’m not taking any chances. Do you have anything to protect us in your bag? A weapon? Crystal?”

He nodded and gestured to hand over the bag. She brought it to him and he reached in. He seemed to find what he was looking for, but a look of puzzlement crossed his face.

“I seem to lack the strength to pull it out,” he admitted with reluctance.

Sarah gripped his arm and shoulder and helped him pull out whatever it was he held. After a moment, the hilt of a sword protruded out of the bag’s mouth. Sarah grasped the handle and pulled it the rest of the way out. Jareth was already exhausted from that little effort. His arm dropped to the ground beside him. She could tell he was losing the battle to stay conscious.

“Stay awake, Jareth! You can’t fall asleep right now, no matter how much you want to.”

His eyes rolled back in his head. Sarah grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard. A part of Sarah reminded her to be gentle due to his head injury, while another part told her it was that exact reason that she needed to keep him awake at whatever cost.

The creature’s loud thudding wings were getting closer little by little. Torn by what to do, Sarah returned her attention to defending them. A sword was better than nothing, but she had no idea how to wield one, especially against a flying assailant. She reached for the bag again, and this time, not even bothering to look inside, she plunged her arm deep inside. Her hand grazed all sorts of objects. Some hard and cool like steel, others soft and pliable indicating clothe. Her fingers danced over a curved, smooth surface. This is what she hoped to find. Wrapping her fingers around the orb, Sarah pulled out the crystal. She had no idea if it would even work for her, without possessing some magical abilities, but she would at least try. She lifted Jareth off her lap and set him on the ground beside her. She made to stand when a hand gripped her arm. Turning back to Jareth, she frowned to see him struggling to sit up.

“Lie down,” she commanded. “I will take care of this.” Her voice was strong and certain, making him a promise.

He shook his head. Sarah would have argued but stopped when she saw him hold out his hand for the crystal. It was as she suspected, she thought grimly. It wouldn’t work for her. She handed it to him. Jareth stared into it, muttered something so quiet she could not discern the words, and then handed it back. It was all so quick Sarah didn’t even have time to register what he’d done. Had he just enchanted the crystal for her to use? She gave him a questioning look, but he was already lying down, eyes closed.

Sarah stood, holding the sword in her right hand and the crystal ball in her left. The bird, realizing that they weren’t going to lie down and die anytime soon, gave a frustrated screech and swooped. Sarah swiped at it as it dove for her. She missed completely. It circled around, coming back. She planted her feet firmly, ready to strike her target this time. Sarah swung at the ugly beast when it came within arm’s reach. She connected with something for she felt the sword hit flesh and the creature wailed. It took to the sky. It assessed the situation from above. Sarah waited, muscles tense and ready. Seeming to make up its mind about something, the creature dove sharply towards her. Only, this time, the bird didn’t go for Sarah. It made a move to grab Jareth as soon as it was close enough. Sarah twisted around and slashed the creature. She barely grazed it, but it fumbled in its flight. It flew past them, heading into the woods. She had a straight shot to use the crystal. Gripping it firmly in her sweaty hand, Sarah cocked her arm back and flung it. She prayed it would hit its target.

Instead it hit a tree next to it and exploded in a ball of flames. The creature shrunk away from it and flew even faster into the forest, farther away from them.

Sarah gripped the sword, ready if it came back. Minutes passed and she heard nothing.

“It won’t come back,” Jareth coughed. “It’s an opportunistic hunter. It will only initiate if it thinks it can win. Once he saw his chances dwindle, he gave up.”

“How are you?” Sarah asked, coming to kneel beside him.

He grimaced in response as she checked to see if the bleeding stopped. The bleeding had definitely slowed, but she could not tell if it stopped entirely. There was too much blood on his temple and the shirt to tell. She wasn’t a doctor to discern more.

“I know I shouldn’t move you, but we’re vulnerable out here in the open. Can you walk if I help?” Sarah repeated her earlier question.

He rolled his eyes, even in his state. “Of course I can walk, what kind of question is that?” He acted confident, but there was a note of uncertainty hidden underneath.

Sarah tucked herself under his left side and pulled his arm around her. She helped him to his feet, both of them staggering at first-he due to blood loss and she holding the majority of his weight. Once they’d taken a few practice steps, they quickly fell into an awkward rhythm that kept them moving. It was slow going, but thankfully the muddy ground was easier to traverse now. The cool morning had warmed considerably, causing the mud to dry a bit. Not entirely, but enough to make it manageable now.

Sarah knew they couldn’t keep this up all day, so she searched for another hollow tree, home, or other shelter to stop and rest so that she could check on Jareth’s head.

It must be her lucky day because they had only been walking, well more like limping, for fifteen or twenty minutes when she spied a small cave. They hobbled over to it and Sarah sighed. Cave was a generous term for it, really. It was no more than a few large boulders that had crashed into each other and created a natural alcove from the forest. It was large enough for them to fit inside and lay Jareth down though, so she wouldn’t complain. For now, they would be safe.

Chapter Text

"I never would've given you up if you only hadn't given me up."
-Chvrches

Once they’d settled down, Sarah unwrapped the homemade bandage. She wouldn’t be able to clean it without water and didn’t want to waste the water skin. She rummaged through the magic bag until she found an empty bowl, clothe (she thought it was one of Jareth’s shirts), and a vial that looked promising.

She took the bowl and left the cave, telling Jareth she’d be back soon. He protested, of course, but she ignored him. She wandered a bit, listening for the telling sound of trickling water. It took some time, but she found a tiny stream. First, she washed her own hands in it. They were caked with Jareth’s blood, mud, and dirt. If she was going to take care of his injury, she needed to be clean. Then, she filled the bowl and carefully walked back to the cave. Once inside, she took the fresh clothe and dipped it into the water bowl. With the utmost gentle touch, Sarah wiped away dirt and dried blood from around the wound. Then she started on cleaning the actual wound itself.

“Use this.” Jareth held up the vial she had taken out. “Just a small drop directly on it will suffice,” he instructed. Sarah nodded and did so.

The effects were immediate. The drop absorbed into the cut and the raw flesh began to heal before her very eyes. Sarah sat amazed.

“It should be fine in about an hour and we can resume our journey.” Sarah nodded. She sat with her back to him, hugging her knees and looking outside. For a moment Jareth thought she might be nervous around him after what had transpired between them, but then, a crack of a twig caused Sarah to snap her head in the direction of the sound. She gripped the sword that lay on the ground at her side. He realized, with a stab of emotion, that she was on guard. She was protecting him. Intrusive warm feelings filled his chest.

The hazy memory he had from the attack resurfaced. Jareth had opened his eyes just long enough to see Sarah standing over him in a protective stance, hair whipping out behind her, sword and crystal in hand. She looked like a warrior queen. She looked braver and fiercer than anyone he’d ever known. She looked beautiful.

Hell, she looked beautiful all the time. Like now, for instance. She sat at the mouth of the cave, hair flowing in a chocolate waterfall down her back. Her creamy skin contrasted brilliantly with her dark hair. It was one of the things he loved about her. She was full of contrasts. Soft yet steely. Intelligent yet innocent. Selfless yet stubborn. She fascinated and confused him. And she had surprised him most when he kissed her. She didn’t protest, did not push him away in disgust. In fact, she had clung to him as if she were adrift at sea and he was her only chance of survival.

Kissing her had…shaken him to his core. She tasted so sweet and inviting. The sounds she made in her throat as he took her in his arms. The little gasps when he surprised her. He reveled in it all. Did he dare to hope for a future with her? Was that possibility within his grasp now?

Sarah remained alert, never allowing herself to fully relax. The relatively calm evening in the hut last night paired with the peaceful morning walk through the woods had let Sarah’s guard down. She almost forgot how dangerous the Labyrinth could be. She wouldn’t make that same mistake again.

Her eyes swept the forest before her. Her eyes remained vigilant, but her mind wandered. Jareth kissed her. No, that was too passive of a way to look at it. She had been just as willing and eager. They had kissed. Sarah wasn’t sure how to proceed. The quest was more important than anything that happened between them, but that didn’t mean she regretted it. If she was being completely honest with herself, that kiss deeply affected her. She couldn’t put it into words. Of course, Sarah had kissed guys before; she wasn’t inexperienced. She had a couple long term boyfriends; it wasn’t like she lived her life as a nun. That kiss, however, had been something else. One couldn’t even call it a kiss. The word seemed inadequate to encompass what passed between them as they clung to one another.

These thoughts begged the question she was avoiding since she returned to the Labyrinth.

What possible options were there for her going forward? She didn’t wish to simply go home and return to her boring life, not to mention, lose her friends again. Was there a way to come for regular visits? Sarah doubted it, otherwise she thought her friends would have said something. Would she be allowed to stay here, with the opportunity to return home when needed? Jareth clearly had the power, if necessary.

Jareth.

That was the elephant in the cave. What did the kiss mean to him? Was it as life-altering to him as it was for her? She couldn’t be sure. He’d never even answered her question…well verbally, at least. Was what they shared important enough to him to fight for? How did he truly feel deep down beneath the Goblin King’s mask? If she peeled away the smirks, arrogance, annoyance, pretend indifference, what would she find?

Sarah wasn’t stupid. She recognized the signs for herself. She’d always been fascinated by the man. He was captivating. Her thoughts unwillingly led to him far too often in the past six years. She used to chide herself for the embarrassing schoolgirl crush she had for the first man to ever give her any sort of attention.

Now, she’d spent time in his company as an adult. She was a stronger, more aware person now. She knew that the past couple days had awakened something in her. Sarah didn’t simply have a crush on the man, she was falling fast. Was this the kind of attachment Jareth would welcome? If it weren’t for those confounded words he’d spoken to her…fear me, love, me, do as I say, and I will be your slave…she would answer emphatically NO. He was not the kind to accept such advances, as far as she could discern. However, why would he beg her to love him if there wasn’t some sort of feeling on his end? Oh, those words haunted her day and night, leaving her confused and uncertain about where they stood in each other’s lives.

They would have to talk about this, she decided with dark determination. Her stomach knotted at the very thought of revealing such personal feelings, to Jareth of all people. It needed to happen, though. It may be unpleasant, awkward, or even heartbreaking, but she needed to know. The second she talked herself into it with any degree of certainty, her anxiety kicked up to 99.

The sound of Jareth sitting up, alerted her to his presence once again. She had done a stellar job of forgetting he lay just a few feet behind her. Turning her attention back to the man who caused her such distress, even if unknowingly, she asked him how he felt.

“Fine. Let’s get moving. We’ve wasted too much time already.”

Despite the recent head injury, he gracefully stood in one smooth motion. Sarah, in perfect health, clambered up like a newborn deer trying out its legs for the first time. It was embarrassing really. Walking alongside him Sarah noted that he moved like a dancer, floating silently everywhere he went with ease. Sarah’s clumsy trample sounded loud even to her own ears.

The grey sky from the early morning still presided over them as they made their way back to the path they’d lost. Sarah attempted to muster the courage to address Jareth several times. Her inner voice would build her up in preparation, but when she opened her mouth, nothing would come out. Her heart would jump in her throat, causing her to swallow several times to clear it. By the time she was ready to speak, she would become nauseous with anxiety. Then the whole process would start over.

They walked in this awkward, tense silence for who knows how long. They probably hadn’t traveled for more than a half hour, but with the inner turmoil Sarah fought with each step it felt like it could have been several hours.

If the uneasy silence bothered Jareth, he didn’t let it show. He pressed onward, face completely blank. This would have convinced Sarah a few days ago, but she knew better now. He was working very hard to remain neutral, unfazed. She watched him closer. Maybe she’d pick up on something that would encourage her to finally speak.

Jareth’s eyes were strictly focused on the path ahead. They didn’t flutter to her, the sky, the area around them. He barely even blinked. His lips closed in a hard line. As Sarah looked more intently, it seemed to her that he kept them shut forcefully out of fear of words spilling out. Was it possible that he wanted to talk as much as her?

Sarah was finally ready to dive in when she noticed that there were hardly any trees around them now. The path became wide and well-traveled. When she squinted further ahead, she saw something glitter.

Jareth must have seen it at the same time. “The lake.”

It took them several minutes before they were close enough to see the perimeter of the lake and several more before they were at the shore. The lake wasn’t large by most standards. It curved inward on their right and extended about 200 yards in front of them. Beyond the lake, the tallest towers of Jareth’s castle jutted above the horizon of trees like mountain peaks. Sarah’s heartbeat quickened when she saw them. She was close. Close to saving her friends and the Labyrinth…and leaving Jareth. Now was the time to say something. They were running out of time to talk.

“Jareth-” She turned to face him and noticed that he was pulling a small boat towards the water.

“Where did that come from?”

“Once I saw that you were with your friends, I figured they would direct you to use the path through the forest. I left Hoggle momentarily and made arrangements for this to be waiting for you when you arrived. I didn’t think I would be making the journey with you, otherwise I would have chosen a slightly more spacious craft.” Looking closer at the boat, Sarah truly noticed its size. Its original intent was to be a one-person rowboat. She didn’t see how they would both fit inside it.

“And here I thought I was being quite chivalrous in giving you a small boat that would be easy to row and maneuver.”

When Sarah didn’t move towards the boat, he asked, “Don’t you know how to swim?”

“Yes, of course I do,” she snapped. “It’s not that. There’s no way we’re going to fit in there.” With frustrated energy she gestured at the boat. It now rested half in the water waiting to be boarded.

“Just get in.”

They went back and forth arguing. Jareth countered that if they couldn’t fit, he should walk around the lake so she could take the boat and reach the other side quickly. She was more important to the Labyrinth right now. Sarah refused to leave him to walk alone.

 In the end they did fit…if you called sitting back to back with knees pressed firmly against your chest so they didn’t dangle outside the boat “fitting”. Jareth faced forward so he could row and steer. She had given him a little more room to help with the rowing. She almost regretted that kindness as she sat in discomfort, wishing the ride to be over soon.

Each time Jareth plunged the oar into the water, she felt the muscles in his back ripple behind her. It had to be extremely difficult to steer both of them in such a small space. Feeling the strain of each and every muscle across his taut back made her chide herself for her ungrateful attitude before. Why did it matter if she was cramped? It was inconsequential.

“Sarah?” His tentative voice instantly caught her attention.

“Yes?” she asked, turning her head to better hear him.

“Is there a particular reason why you have been unnaturally quiet this afternoon? Have you decided to block out any…unpleasantries from the morning?”

He attempted to remain aloof, but there was a desperate edge to his voice. Jareth winced at how pathetic he sounded. He waited, holding his breath, for her to answer.

“I’m a spineless coward, that’s my only reason.”

“Oh?” was all he could muster.

“I tried to talk to you several times, only to chicken out at the last second.”

“What is it you would like to say?” He spoke with casual indifference, as if they were at afternoon tea and he had asked about the weather.

“Are we really going to do this now, cramped in a boat not even facing each other?”

“Perhaps this is the best way to address it.”

Sarah sighed but did not deny it. “Alright, here’s the thing,” she started. “I’ve always felt out of place at home. It’s hard for me to connect with people, make friends, develop lasting relationships. Toby is the only person I’ve ever truly connected with-even my dad and I are distantly polite at best. For years I blamed it on being an introvert. Being back here, I can’t help but wonder if it wasn’t me, but the place. It feels natural to be here, like coming home after a long trip.”

Jareth waited for her to get to the point. Surely, he thought his impatience was a tangible cloud around them. He wanted to turn around and shake her. What did he mean to her? What was she feeling? He sat in torturous limbo as he waited for her to get to the revelation she was leading up to.

“Once I complete the mission and save the Labyrinth, I can’t ignore the question looming over me. What next? Where do I go from here? I have no future at home. I love Toby and I would do anything for that kid, but the longer I stay here the more I wonder if this is where I belong…if there’s a place for me here.” Sarah held her breath and waited. Was it enough encouragement for Jareth?

Jareth caught the upturned pitch in her last statement, phrased almost like a question. A question directed at him.

“After all this trouble, now you think you might want to stay? You could have saved us all a lot of trouble and chosen Option One from the beginning. Hell, you still can.”

“No, I can’t,” Sarah whispered so quietly Jareth strained to hear her. She was not prepared for this line of conversation. She had not expected Jareth to go this route. Why did he insist on bringing this up again? Sarah thought they had moved past this, and their relationship had evolved into something more.

Baffled, Jareth demanded, “Why? If you are so enamored by the Labyrinth as you say you are, and my presence no longer offends you as I previously thought, what is the issue?”

He was annoyed now. She’d put her life in danger countless times the past few days, all in the name of saving the Labyrinth. And yet she still refused to accept his offer. He would not just be her slave, as he’d told her. He’d worship her as the goddess she is. What was that kiss all about if she was still dead set against his offer? Her insistent refusal not only befuddled him but incensed him. What the hell was the problem then?

Sarah sighed. “Reverse our roles. If I were in your position, a place of authority with great power to wield, and you were some lowly mortal, would you be able to accept such an offer? Would you allow yourself to fear me, do as I say? Do you even fully understand what that is asking of me? It would require me to go against everything I believe in, to cast aside my independence and self-worth to appease you.” Sarah was almost shaking by the time she’d finished. She took in a few deep breathes to steady herself. Was this the issue still standing between them? Could he not see what she was saying? She wished she was facing him so that she could see his reaction.

“Well, if it would be so awful to spend a life here with me, then forget it was ever said. Do what you came to do and be on your way.”

“That’s NOT what I said Jareth, and you know it. There’s a difference between freely giving myself to someone in an equal partnership and allowing to be ruled over as a child who doesn’t know better. I simply want to be treated as an equal instead of some unimportant mortal that must be guided and cared for.”

Jareth shook his head at her words. Sarah had a feeling he wasn’t hearing anything she was actually saying. Every word was just building on top of each other to create one large pile of rejection. He couldn’t understand that she wasn’t telling him no, she was telling him that there’s another way.

She blew out an air of frustration. “Look Jareth, I’m not saying…” here’s the defining moment. She was putting it all out on the line in black and white not to be misunderstood. “I’m not saying I don’t want to be with you, I’m saying that it needs to be something we both willingly enter into with trust and respect for one another. That’s all I want.”

“You believe that I do not trust or respect you?” His back stood erect and stiff, as if to escape her touch. He refused to lean back and allow any part of her to touch him.

“Now you are being deliberately dense.”

They were nearing the shore. Sarah could see the bottom of the lake now, where previously they were too far out to see below the depths. 

Jareth refused to respond or engage in any other conversation as he finished rowing. When the boat scraped the bottom of the shallows, he jumped out of the boat as if it were on fire. He tugged the boat until it was half on the shore so Sarah could climb out without getting wet.

Finally, they were able to look at each other. Jareth’s face was completely neutral. He refused to give away a single hint of his emotions. Sarah went to speak, but he cut her off.

“I believe that it will be beneficial for the sake of the quest that we continue on separately. I must check in with the citizens of the goblin city. I do not wish to hinder your progress.”

“Jareth-”

He continued as if he did not hear her. He pointed at a trodden path up ahead. “Follow that all the way to the back gate of the castle walls. No one is guarding it. Go straight through to the castle and find your way to my throne room, if you can recall from before.”

“Jareth, what about-”

“That should be enough to restore order. If this is the last time that we see each other, then goodbye and thank you for your help.” There was no emotion or feeling in his voice. He spoke to her as a stranger giving directions to the nearest gas station.

“Can you just stop for a second Jareth?” Sarah almost yelled.

“I really must be going. I cannot imagine what the goblins have done in my absence.” With that he marched off into the woods, disappearing before Sarah could even think about attempting to follow.

Chapter Text

"All I want is nothing more to hear you knocking at my door...but if you loved me, why'd you leave me?" 
-Kodaline

Sarah stood on the beach, gaping at the archway of trees Jareth disappeared through. She was shocked by the sudden turn of events. Jareth’s pride was wounded by her rejection. Still.

He refused to see the true reason for her continuing to reject his offer. She put it all out there, told him she wanted to stay here to be with him. And the whole time he could only see her first rejection of him. He had made no effort to hear what she was saying. Was his view of love that warped that he could not recognize it standing before him?

Love.

She’d danced around the word ever since he had reentered her life. It was always there hovering in the back of her mind, refusing to be fully acknowledged. It seemed ridiculous to contemplate that this was the emotion she was experiencing. For heaven’s sake, she only just met him again two days ago! The first time didn’t really count in her mind. She was a child, still figuring out who she was, not to mention completely preoccupied with saving Toby. Any interest on her part was brushed off as a childhood crush. Now, she was a woman who had a very strong reaction to him from the moment he appeared before her. Their banter, chemistry, and newfound friendship made her re-evaluate their place in each other’s lives. But love? It seemed too soon. And so, she had ignored it whenever it tried to creep up on her during quiet moments.

Were these increasingly uncomfortable yet exciting feelings really just love pressing on her heart waiting to be acknowledged? The more Sarah thought about it the more she wished Jareth had been willing to have an open and honest conversation with her. She could really use his assistance about now. He was so quick to jump to her rescue when she was in danger, and now when she really needed him here, he couldn’t run away fast enough.

It frustrated Sarah to finally learn that Jareth’s offer came from some place of deep feeling for her just as he decided to give up on them. She wrestled with those words day and night for years on end, trying to decipher their meaning.

“Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave.”

Was he serious? Did he genuinely want her to love him? And if so, why? Was it because he held some fondness for her? Or was it all some sick mind game to get her to give up Toby? She flipped them around in her head over and over again, trying to get them to make sense. It was her own mental Rubik’s Cube. Whenever she found herself alone or bored, which was often, those words came back to her, taunting her to solve their hidden meaning.

Now, after all this time she finally knew that he truly meant every word. She could tell by that kiss they shared, and the hurt in his voice when she tried to explain why she couldn’t accept that particular offer. For whatever reason, Jareth wanted her. And what could she do with this information? Nothing. Because someone had to storm off in a huff.

Well, there was no sense dwelling on it at this exact moment. The best thing she could do right now was complete her mission and wait for Jareth to return to the castle. She would force him to listen to what she had to say if it was the last thing she did. She would make him realize that they could find happiness together, and that love was possible for them…under the right circumstances.

Nodding to herself with determination, she picked up her pace along the path. Jareth didn’t mention how long the path continued before meeting the castle, but it couldn’t be too far. She could see the castle from the lake’s shore. It didn’t seem that far by her estimation.

Under any other circumstances, the path to the castle would have been a pleasant nature walk. However, she was in the Labyrinth alone. Strange creatures could be lurking anywhere, waiting to pounce. As Jareth not so gently pointed out before, she didn’t have the greatest track record traveling alone in the Labyrinth. Traveling on her own for the first time since yesterday morning before finding Mirp, was making her even more nervous. Every crack of a twig or rustle of a leaf in the breeze caused Sarah’s steps to halt and listen. Paranoia set in. If she was doing the math correctly, this was the longest time she’d been alone in the Labyrinth since returning. On edge, she briskly traveled with eyes and ears wide open for any signs of disturbance or ambush.

Luckily, the rest of her trip passed without incident. She could see the castle gates just ahead. Her heart sped up a little when she realized she was almost finished with her task. Her friends would soon be safe, and she and Jareth could finally talk without any distractions in the way.

As she came upon the gate, she noticed that it was already open…no, it was smashed in. Someone or something had crashed through the great wooden doors. Due to the large size of the hole, Sarah could see clearly through to the other side. There was no trace of the thing that did this. Sarah didn’t know whether to feel relieved or more on edge about that. Whipping her head around nervously to make sure she wasn’t being watched, she quickly hopped through the hole.

On the other side, Sarah surveyed the area. A small carpet of weeds and grass had started to grow back here. This place had clearly been neglected for some time. When the weather and creatures started acting up, Jareth had a lot to deal with. The less important things would have surely fallen by the wayside. This area was certainly one of those.

There was a small wooden building to her left that looked like it had seen better days. The door was barely hanging on to one of its hinges. Sarah tentatively peaked inside. A few goblin helmets littered the floor and some small weapons decorated the walls. Continuing to another building right next to it, Sarah saw that this held similar equipment. This must have been the armory, or at the very least, storage sheds for additional supplies.

Feeling satisfied that she had checked the places most likely to hold the creature that broke the gate, she moved forward to the castle. Who knows how long that hole had been there? It could have been months or even years.

Despite her search of the surrounding area, Sarah couldn’t help but feel anxious. Even though she couldn’t see or hear anyone, she couldn’t help but feel watched. No matter how many times she paused to turn around or gaze across the grounds, she didn’t see anything. 

The back door to the castle stood straight ahead. Sarah was relieved to get inside. The entrance looked little more than a kitchen door leading to a now long dead garden. Dead plants once contained in neatly boxed rows, were overrun by more weeds. A few gardening tools lay on the ground forgotten. Sarah stepped over them carefully as not to trip. She was only a few feet from the door when she heard it.

A sudden crack behind her. Twisting around to the sound of the crack, she was hit across the side of her head with something heavy. And then there was blackness.

Sarah didn’t want to open her eyes just yet. The comforting pull of sleep promised relief from the exhaustion that crept into her body. Yet there was someone rudely scuffling around, disturbing Sarah’s nap. Irritated, Sarah opened one eye to search for the source of the disturbance. She was in a very dark room. Sarah had no memory of how she got here or where here even was. Recalling the castle garden, she bolted upright. There was only one small window in this room, and it was shuttered. The tiny slivers of sunlight that squeezed through the slats of the shutter were not enough to see much else. She could make out the shapes of the walls, noting the room’s apparent small size. The scuffling sound that woke her came from below her. Squinting through the darkness, she could make out a set of stairs leading to a lower floor.

Carefully, Sarah crawled along the floor as noiselessly as possible. Her hands spread out in front of her, ready to grab anything that could make a sound, or alternatively, be used as a weapon against her captor. Her fingers flitted across the wooden floorboards but nothing else came into contact with them. She kept going until she felt the drop of the stairs’ first step. Standing with slow deliberation, Sarah took each step one at a time. She put her foot down on each step and tentatively tested it out before putting her whole weight on it. As the stairs turned on a landing, she noticed soft, dim sunlight coming from downstairs. Sarah peaked around the corner of the landing silently. About twenty more steps down was the next floor, and by Sarah’s guess, most likely the first floor. From this vantage point Sarah could only see a few feet of the floor’s layout. It was enough.

Dirt, leaves, and a few bones were scattered around the floor. Sarah’s heart began pounding faster. What was down there? What did it want with her? The bones on the floor gave her ominous thoughts of the possible reasons for it taking her. Sarah was about to ascend the stairs once more and think of a plan to escape when the creature shuffling about came into view.

It was large, very large. It was about eight feet tall and very hairy. Long, shaggy grey fur covered its entire body. Long curved horns like a ram’s decorated the sides of its head. It took Sarah a moment to understand the unsettling feeling that came over her.

 It looked like Ludo.

The size, fur, and shape all suggested it was a similar species, if not close relation, to Ludo’s kind. Some small differences included the horn shape, color, and lack of tail on this creature. This beast was obviously a strong, carnivorous predator. Ludo was such a gentle creature in comparison. Sarah was lucky to have met Ludo on her first journey in the Labyrinth, and not this thing.

Or…what was it Jareth had said a few days ago? He mentioned that the creatures of the Labyrinth had gone crazy, and he couldn’t control them anymore. Had the chaos of the Labyrinth’s implosion turned a once passive and harmless creature into a deadly killer? Was there a possibility that Ludo could turn into this? If so, why hadn’t he already?

Sarah heard the creature grunt and move away from the stair. She needed to refocus so she could escape.

Creeping back up the stairs as quietly as possible, Sarah looked around for ideas for a plan. Nothing was up here except the window. The window! If this was just the second floor, Sarah should be able to hop out the window and shimmy down to the ground or lower herself as much as possible and jump. She went to the shuttered window in her room. She tried prying it open without making a sound, but it was stuck. After several moments of frustrated tugging, she accepted that if she was going to open it, she would need to use a lot of force. That meant noise.

Pausing for a moment, Sarah took one more glance around the musty room. The search came up empty. However, when she turned back to the window her foot caught on something. Stumbling, she held her breath to listen for any hint that the thing downstairs noticed. It didn’t make any more noise than it already was making, and when she didn’t hear it come upstairs, Sarah relaxed. Kneeling, Sarah discovered the course of her fumble.  A loose floorboard stuck up from the ground. Sarah tugged on the board with little effort and it broke off in her hand. Finally, some luck that went her way!

Sarah returned her attention to the window, new tool in hand. She began using the board to pry open the shutters. The board was just enough opposing force needed to pop the shutter open. When the shutters burst free from their confinement, they swung out and slammed into the building’s outside walls.

The footsteps downstairs faltered. The creature made an angry grunt and the sounds of its heavy weight climbing the first steps was enough to kick Sarah’s survival instincts into gear. Hopping onto the window’s ledge, Sarah quickly assessed her options. She was in a rundown goblin cottage somewhere within the goblin city. The second story was a bit higher than she thought it would be and the wall was completely flat with no grooves, extensions, or pipes to hold onto or climb down.

The thud of the creature’s heavy footsteps on the stairs was getting closer. Craning her neck out and looking all around for a possible escape route, Sarah spied a chimney poking out from the other side of the house. If she could somehow get on the roof she could walk across to the chimney and use that to shimmy down…

The creature’s roar was still below her on the stairs, but she could tell it was close.

There were no other options.

Sarah crawled onto the window’s ledge and stood carefully. When she raised her arms, she could grab the roof’s overhang. She lifted her leg and rested it on the open shutter. Using the open shutter as a high step, she began to pull herself up towards the roof. The shutter started swinging and Sarah had to hold on tightly to the roof so that she wouldn’t lose her footing and fall.

The creature let out a deafening roar as it presumably entered the room. Sarah was out of time. Without thinking about the possibility of failure, Sarah pulled herself up as far as she could and then swung her free leg up onto the roof. Using the momentum that got her left leg on the roof, Sarah pushed off the shutter with her right leg and tried to pull the rest of her body onto the roof. She was just getting her right leg up onto the roof when she felt a claw swipe at her leg. It was an uncoordinated attempt and thankfully did not grab Sarah.

Rolling away from the ledge, Sarah stood and walked across the roof to the chimney. She could still hear the creature yelling and pounding below her. It didn’t seem to have the intelligence to go outside and wait to see if she’d come down, and for that she was grateful. The chimney was narrow and made of cobblestone. Good. Those stones would be easy to find grooves for her to climb down.

Sarah noted her position in the goblin city before descending. She was in the outskirts of the city, still close to the back wall. She could easily see the back of the castle and its garden from here. The creature had not taken her far from the castle and the path leading back looked simple enough. Sarah was ready to climb now that she had her bearings.

“Just like rock climbing, Sarah,” she told herself, ignoring the fact that the one time she went rock climbing, she hated it and gave up halfway to the top. She was about to set her foot down on the first step when she heard it. The creature was wailing and clawing at the roof. Was it trying to follow her up onto the roof? Sarah thought its body must be too large to fit through the window. Her thoughts were proven correct when she heard it roar in frustrated anger. Leaving the chimney and crossing over to where she had climbed up, she glanced down to see its head and shoulders reaching up as high as they could go. Its claws were grasping the top of the roof’s overhang attempting to pull itself up. It was too large, though, and seemed to have its upper half stuck in the window now. When it saw her leaning over, its attempts at getting through the window became frenzied. It growled and snarled as it swiped up in its feeble attempt to reach Sarah. Seeing that the creature was otherwise engaged, she felt confident taking her time climbing down. Returning once again to the chimney, she descended carefully. She looked for large rocks that jutted out from the chimney along the way for hand and foot holdings. Her hands and legs were shaking and slick with sweat by the time she was halfway down the chimney.

When she was about ten feet from the ground, her muscles were sore, and she felt physically spent. From there, Sarah decided it was safe to jump the rest of the way. She didn’t think her body would make the climb all the way to the ground anyway. She was about to collapse from all the effort she was exerting. Pushing off from the chimney, she hopped down. Sarah landed in an ungraceful heap on the ground. Her legs were shaky and couldn’t hold her when she landed. She remained sitting for a moment to regain some strength and catch her breath.

Sarah looked around for signs of the creature, or any other adversary, and was satisfied when nothing appeared out of place. Reluctantly she got to her feet. Her muscles groaned in protest, but she had no choice. She needed to press on and make it inside the safety of the castle. She turned to the direction of the castle and ran as fast as her body could take her.  

Chapter Text

"I want a house on the hill by the ocean. I'd let the tide wash away all my critical mistakes."
-888

Sarah knew the creature’s cottage wasn’t far from the castle based on her view from the roof. The looming castle above the rooftops was another assurance of its proximity. Even though she wasn’t far off course, if her reading of the low position of the sun was accurate, Sarah would guess she lost over an hour thanks to that unwanted detour.

The creature was most likely the one responsible for breaking into the back gate, Sarah surmised. With Jareth and the goblins preoccupied with other concerns, it probably found the nearest uninhabited cottage and took up residence. It used the cottage as a lair and went out to hunt and bring food back, somehow remaining unnoticed until she unwittingly stumbled upon its hunting grounds.

Sarah’s heart leapt as she rounded the final street corner and the castle towered before her.

Finally.

The pink and orange backdrop of the setting sun gave the castle an enchanting aura. Sarah didn’t have the chance to truly appreciate it during her first journey through the Labyrinth. She and her friends were engaged in a battle with Jareth’s goblin subjects. They barely made it inside the castle at all, let alone take time to stand outside and enjoy the view. The only things she remembered about her first impression of Jareth’s castle were intimidation and fear. Intimidated by its large, imposing presence and fear of failing Toby if she didn’t reach him in time. Now, however, Sarah’s steps slowed as the full force of its majesty demanded her attention.

White walls towered over the land with regal authority. The building itself wasn’t spectacularly tall but thanks to the jagged crop of sandstone it rested on, it gave it an impressive height that many a king would envy. The central tower directly in the middle of the palace rose even higher above the rest of the structure. It looked as if it were trying to reach up to the heavens. Sarah imagined Jareth lounging at that tallest window gazing down at his kingdom in silent brooding. The mental image she conjured suited him.   

Sarah jogged around the garden to the back door again. She did a once over of the place before opening the door and stepping inside. She closed the door to ensure nothing followed her inside. Without electricity or any noticeable windows, the room was almost pitch black. Sarah retrieved her flashlight from her bag and switched it on. A long hallway stretched before her. Every step she took reverberated down the hall. Sarah tried to walk with as much stealth as possible, constantly scanning for threats, doors, or exits. She had no idea how she was going to get to the throne room from here. She never explored this back part of the castle. The one other time she was here, she had entered through the main entrance. Even then, she could barely recall the way Hoggle had shown her to the throne room.

It was strange. The hallway stretched onward without any sign of doors, intersecting halls, or ending in sight. It was eerily reminiscent of the Labyrinth’s outer perimeter she was subjected to on her first visit. The pathway had gone on and on in both directions for as far as the eye could see. If it weren’t for the kind little blue worm that showed her the way out, she may have never found her way to the castle beyond the goblin city.

Jareth didn’t mention anything about his castle being set up with tricks or traps. To her knowledge it was just supposed to be a regular castle. Why was this happening to her now? She was so close to completing her journey. Sighing, she began running since it was her only option at the moment.

Sarah was no athlete. She hated sports with a passion and rolled her eyes anytime her father forced the family to watch football and basketball, his favorite sports. In high school she got rather good at faking illness or injury to get out of whatever torturous activity was planned in gym class. In college, her freshman year roommate Kelly was big on running. Every morning her alarm went off at 4:00 am and she’d literally hop out of bed to begin her daily run. Kelly would pressure Sarah to go running with her.

 “It’s not that bad!” She’d promise. “It’s invigorating and sets you up for success for the rest of the day…and it’s also good for you!”

Her perky attitude and persistence wore Sarah down. Sarah finally agreed to go with her one morning, if only she’d promise to set a slow pace for her.

“I’m not coordinated or athletic,” Sarah had warned.

In the end, Kelly had not kept her promise to take it easy on Sarah. After about ten minutes of Sarah struggling to keep up with her, Kelly gave up on her in a frustrated huff and left her in the dust. Sarah had immediately returned to their dorm, taken a shower, and went back to sleep for four more hours. Plenty of time to get up for her 9:00 am class. Kelly never asked her to come with her again, and Sarah vowed she would never run unless her life depended on it.

Racing in the darkness now with a small beam of artificial light from her flashlight, Sarah was reminded again of how thoroughly hopeless she was when it came to athleticism. She could only have been running for a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity in the dim hallway that went on forever. She was already tired and out of breath. Slowing to a walk, Sarah clutched her side and gulped for air.

 “Really?” She panted. “I thought you’d want me to succeed!” Sarah shouted at the darkness. “I’m the one trying to save you all! You’re going to disappear if you don’t let me finish this!” Sarah knew it was irrational to throw a tantrum at the nothingness. This wasn’t going to help her find a way out. Bur it did make her feel better.

In eerie response to her tirade, the end of the hallway suddenly produced a door. Relief washed over Sarah. Maybe she just needed to be more patient? Upon walking through the door, Sarah found herself in a round room. There were over a dozen different doors decorating the walls of the circular room. Overhead was a small round window casting dim, grey twilight into the room. Sarah walked straight ahead to the door directly in front of her. She opened it about a foot, peering in to see what was there.

Utter darkness.

Sarah shined her flashlight inside to see what was there. It was like shining a flashlight into the night sky. The light beam was overpowered by the vast darkness. There was absolutely nothing there for the light to rest on. Closing the door, Sarah backed away and tried a different door.

The same thing.

Sarah opened every single door, including the one she had come through, horrified to find that they were all black holes of mystery.

Sarah sunk to the floor in the middle of the room, ready to cry. How was she going to save the Labyrinth if it was actively fighting against her? She knew this was the Labyrinth’s doing, she just knew it. It was a good thing that Jareth couldn’t see her now. He’d laugh at her weakness and taunt her for giving up so easily.

Sitting on the ground feeling sorry for herself, Sarah took a closer look at the room around her. The walls, floor, and ceiling (apart from the skylight above) were made of stone. The doors were all made of an identical dark wood with brass knockers and knobs. Thinking back to the last time she encountered a brass knocker in the Labyrinth, Sarah felt renewed hope.   

These door knockers did not have faces on them, like the ones she’d encountered before. They were simple rings hanging from the door. Sarah scrutinized every door and knocker for signs of something significant. Nothing came to mind, so she tried one at random. She knocked using the knocker and waited.

 “What do you seek?” A deep, slow voice moaned from within.

Taken aback by the sudden voice, Sarah had to take a second and untangle her muddled thoughts into a coherent sentence. “I-I wish to reach the center of the Labyrinth to save it.”

“This is not the way you seek.”

“Which door is the correct way? How do I find my way out of here?”

The voice seemed to finish speaking for it did not respond, despite Sarah’s interrogation. Letting out a frustrated breath, Sarah moved on to the door next to it and knocked again, just like before.

“What? Who is this? What do you want?” A whiny, high pitched voice demanded.

Prepared this time, Sarah answered quickly, “My name is Sarah Williams and I am trying to get to the center of the Labyrinth.”

“Wrong place!” It shrieked.

“Can you tell me where to go?” Sarah asked, rushing her words together to try and ask before it went away.

It didn’t matter; the door remained silent.

Sarah moved from door to door, repeating the procedure. Knock. Wait for the voice. Ask it about the center of the Labyrinth. Be rejected. Some doors were helpful and told Sarah where their door led: the dungeon, ballroom, front door…Others turned Sarah away without so much as a word. Sarah’s hope was fading, and she started to panic when she came to the second to last door. It started the same.

“Who dares knock on my door?” The voice was old and raspy, like Sarah’s grandfather who had smoked for forty years of his life.

“My name is Sarah Williams. I’m looking for the center of the Labyrinth so I can save it before everything disappears. Please, can you help me?” Her desperation leaked through her voice, making her last question sound like she was begging.

“If you speak truth, then I will lead you to your heart’s true intention.”

“Oh, thank God. Finally.”

“But” it warned, “if you are deceitful, I will lead you to ruin.”

Swallowing hard, Sarah nodded. Then she remembered it was a door; it couldn’t see her. So, she answered calmly, “I understand, but I must do what I came to do. I’m not stopping now.” 

The door swung open on its own, revealing a stone corridor with a spiral staircase at the end. Sarah walked forward, not sure what would await her at the top of those stairs. Whatever it was, she would face it. She’d come this far to save her friends and it was culminating here.

Jareth spent the rest of the afternoon receiving status reports on the Labyrinth and noting the deteriorated conditions of the goblin city. Things had gotten much worse in his absence. The storm he and Sarah had been caught in was nothing compared to what the goblin city had endured. The city took the brunt of the storm. The rainfall was so great, it had flooded the well and local stream. Water rushed into the streets, carrying away chickens, carts, and other valuables. Many goblins were still unaccounted for after the storm, seemingly swept away. The strong winds had also done much damage to many of his subjects’ homes here in the southside of the goblin city, near the main entrance. Goblins rushed to and fro helping each other collect supplies and tools to start rebuilding. It was a community effort, but they were making headway.

Jareth acted as though he hated these goblins and wanted nothing more than to be rid of them. Yet, he was responsible for them. It was his duty to protect them and rule the Labyrinth. He hadn’t started out so cynical and angry about his appointed position. But years and years of only interacting with mindless goblins inevitably takes its toll on a man. As the years stretched on, his patience and good nature towards them thinned.

Looking around at the destruction they had experienced, and the loss etched on their faces, Jareth felt an old pang of sympathy and pity for them that he had not experienced in a long time. That stopped him short. What was that about?

There was only one new variable that could account for this change of heart.

Sarah.

That damn woman was turning him soft, making him feel sorry for goblins. If this were how she affected him when she rejected him, he was loath to discover how insufferable he could be if she accepted his affections.

No. He would not go there. Jareth had been fortunate enough to be preoccupied dealing with the goblins’ problems all afternoon. It was an excellent distraction from dwelling on their most recent conversation.

Glancing up at the lowering sun, Jareth noted that some hours had passed since he’d left Sarah. If she had not reached the center of the Labyrinth by now, it should be any minute.

Unless…

He swore. The sudden burst of anger surprised the goblins nearby. They dispersed wordlessly, not waiting to stick around and face Jareth’s wrath.

If she hadn’t made it to his throne room yet, then something happened to her. Naturally. The woman attracted all manner of trouble when left alone. He should have put his personal feelings aside to make sure she made it safely. Especially since he didn’t have the power to check on her and make sure she was okay. How stupid and selfish of him.

Jareth turned on his heel and sped towards his castle, hoping that he would make it in time before something truly awful happened to her. If something did happen to her, he’d never forgive himself. He was the one who had asked her to go on this dangerous quest, and then abandoned her to finish it on her own. His own wounded pride kept him from his most important job: protecting her. And for what? Because she had rejected his offer? He scoffed. It seemed so petty now.

Yes, it stung to hear her reject his offer of love. Again. And it had hurt equally to hear her insinuate that she didn’t think he respected her. Of all the living beings he had met over his long, miserable life, she was the only one who had gained his respect completely. He couldn’t see past anything else after that. She reached out to him, begged him to stay and talk to her. And so, he’d rejected her this time to hurt her. Shaking his head in self-disgust, Jareth vowed that he would see her alive and well again, and that he’d let her say whatever the hell she wanted to him. He’d be damned if he made the same mistake again. If only he’d find her before it was too late.

Chapter Text

There was a tall, open window at the foot of the staircase. Sarah could see a partially obstructed view of the goblin city below. The castle’s crenellation blocked the view of the inner city, but if she looked farther out, she could see the outer city and walls. On the horizon was a sliver of purple and pink light-the final strands of the sunset. Leaning out and looking up, Sarah realized she stood at the bottom of the central high tower.

She was close.

If she followed the stairs upward, it would take her to Jareth’s throne room. It was almost over. But…what was she supposed to do when she got there? Would a magical fairy pop up and say “Congratulations, you made it! Thanks for saving us!” Would she have to recite some verse or poem, like before? She wished Jareth were here for the last stretch. It seemed wrong to take these final steps and complete the journey without him. 

Her heart dropped at the thought of him. What if he was right? What if, the moment she crossed the threshold into the room, everything was reset, and she returned home instantly? She wouldn’t get to say goodbye to her friends or have the chance to talk to Jareth. And thanks to their last conversation, Sarah doubted Jareth would be willing to bring her back for such a “trivial” reason. Should she wait until Jareth returned? That was a risk; one that might prove detrimental to everyone if she took it.

And yet…

The Labyrinth lasted this long. What was another hour or two?

Torn, Sarah searched for signs of Jareth down below. She leaned forward, straining her neck to see as far as possible. It was nearly impossible at this height and distance.

The castle suddenly began shaking under her. Sarah swayed where she was, half leaning out the window. She almost toppled headfirst out. Gripping the walls on each side of her, Sarah held on. It wasn’t just the castle that was shaking, the entire Labyrinth was as well. Sarah could see buildings trembling in the distance and the shriek of frightened goblins rose up to her ears.

Sarah waited for the earthquake to subside, but it never did. Weren’t earthquakes only supposed to last a few seconds? The ones on Earth did, at least. Who knows what the geological laws of science were in the Labyrinth. Maybe these lengthy earthquakes were quite normal here. She rather doubted it, but there was no way for her to know for sure.

Sarah struggled to push herself back through the window, now dizzy from the continuous shaking. A loud rumble rose from deep beneath the ground. The ominous sound kicked Sarah’s adrenaline into overdrive.

It hit her. This might be it, the end. Alarmed by that thought, Sarah hurled herself up the stairs, half climbing, half running. Steps began disappearing right before her eyes. The force of the quake was causing the steps to crumble and crack before falling away completely. Horrified, Sarah climbed even faster. She skipped and leaped over the missing steps that kept disappearing. Even the tower’s walls began to crack. Long, vein-like cracks clawed their way upward. The wall was no longer sturdy as the cracks spread out farther and destroyed stones as it went.  

Sarah had rounded the curved staircase for the third time, when the step she was standing on crumbled underneath her. In a moment of quick thinking, Sarah threw out her arms to catch herself before falling to her death. Her upper body clung to the steps while her legs dangled limply in the open air. Sarah tried to pull herself up, even with the constant shaking and rumbling all around her.

“Sarah!”

Sarah almost cried in relief at the sight of Jareth racing up the steps towards her. He avoided all obstacles and missing steps with the lithe athleticism Sarah had come to expect from Jareth. Reaching her, he dove down to grasp her forearms. He hauled her up with seemingly no effort. They stood facing each other, he holding her at arm’s length.

“Are you alright?” He asked frantically. Without waiting for a response, he began checking her from head to toe.

“Jareth, I’m fine.” He didn’t seem to listen as he continued checking her. “Jareth!” she snapped. They didn’t have time to lose. “I’m alright now, but no one will be for long if I don’t get up the tower to your throne room.”

Finally, Jareth jolted out of the shock he seemed to have experienced upon finding Sarah almost plummet to her death.

“Yes, of course.” He nodded up to the direction of the disappearing staircase. “We better hurry.”

The gap between the stairs was now considerable. Jareth went first, leaping up the four missing stairs. Four steps didn’t seem like a lot, but at this steep incline, it was a daunting task for Sarah. Jareth leaned forward, extending his hand to catch her if needed. Sarah took a step back and then took a running jump to clear the distance. It was too far…she wouldn’t make it. Before she had time to even contemplate what falling to her death would be like, strong hands gripped her and lifted her up.

“Thanks,” Sarah breathed. “I didn’t think I was going to make that.”

“Come, let’s end this.” He let one of his hands drop, but the other remained on the square of her back, propelling her forward and giving her support.

At the top of the stairs, Sarah was out of breath and panting. Leaning forward and placing her hands on her knees, she took in deep breaths. Her heart beat against her chest with rapid, erratic speed. Jareth rubbed her shoulder, soothing her not just with his presence, but his touch.  

“Now what?” Sarah asked after she’d caught her breath.

“We’re almost there. We just have to walk through there, and we make it.” Jareth pointed at an archway a few feet in front of them.

“Well, what are we waiting for…let’s finish it.” Sarah moved to walk forward, but Jareth caught her arm. 

“Sarah.”

The tone of his voice stopped her cold. All sounds of the earthquake faded into the background.

Turning back to him, Sarah looked up expectantly. “Yes?” Her voice low and raspy from the energy she’d just exerted climbing up here.

“I…I, uh, am glad I have the chance to talk to you one last time.”

Sarah’s eyebrows rose up to her hairline. She crossed her arms for something to hold onto. “Oh? What changed? If memory serves me, you were ready to cut me out of your life forever. You had no intention of ever talking to me again.” Sarah tried to remain calm and composed. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of showing him how much he had hurt her with his earlier cold dismissal. She needed to keep her head clear for the final moments of their journey. Anything could happen once she passed through that archway.

Jareth ran a hand through his hair, pulling at it in frustration. Where to start? The fear he felt when he decided to rush to her side and make sure she was alright had subsided now that she stood before him unharmed. He paced the room, tongue-tied and unable to say the powerful feelings that had overtaken him in his moment of panic.

“I-I thought you might have been in trouble…that’s why I came.”

“I assumed as much. I didn’t hold any illusions that you came back just to wish me well and say goodbye.” Despite her best efforts to remain calm and aloof, a bitter edge seeped into her words.

Jareth heard it and winced. Her hostile energy pulsated off her in radioactive waves. He could sense she was trying to keep it in check and was failing. “Your expectations of me have lowered even further. I didn’t realize that was possible…although I admit I deserve it.”

Sarah already had her mouth open, ready to retort any snide quip he came up with. It abruptly closed in confusion. Sighing, she asked “Jareth, what are you getting at?” They had been dancing around the conversation and she was weary for Jareth to get on with it.

“All day I’ve kept myself busy so I wouldn’t dwell on our disagreement back at the lake. I-”

“Disagreement? It can hardly be called a disagreement when one party runs off and refuses to listen or talk about it.”

He nodded in acknowledgement. “I let the problems of the goblin city distract me from the way I left things.” He quickly glanced at Sarah to see how she was taking it so far. He couldn’t find anything encouraging in her face, but he couldn’t find anything discouraging either.

He pressed on, “It wasn’t until almost sundown that I realized nothing had changed within the Labyrinth. ‘Sarah should have reached the castle by now…’ I thought. It made me realize that if you had not completed the journey yet, then something must have happened to you.”

He paused to take a deep breath. He needed to steady himself for what he was about to admit. “As soon as the thought reached my brain, panic took over. I couldn’t think rationally. The worst possible scenarios invaded my mind. I chided myself for being so prideful. If anything happened to you, it would be my fault alone. That thought left my blood cold…you coming to harm and by my own stupidity. I should have stayed with you, listened to you, protected you. I vowed that if I was given another chance to see you, I’d let you say whatever you needed to say.”

Sarah stared up at Jareth in stunned silence. She blinked a couple times, giving her time to process everything she just heard. Jareth just admitted he was wrong, and, in his own way, apologized.

“You don’t have to say anything now, if you don’t want to…I just wanted you to know that I’m here and ready when you are.”

Before Sarah could reply, another violent rumble tore through the castle. They both stumbled, holding the nearby wall for support.

“That’s our cue,” Sarah called out over the increasing noise of the castle’s demise. Jareth nodded reluctantly and reached for Sarah. He kept her steps steady as they both strode towards the archway.

Sarah looked up at Jareth and smiled. They were here. They were about to succeed in their journey. Her eagerness to cross the threshold and end this kept her from registering the state of the room. Jareth suddenly pulled her back against his chest, holding her firm. She looked up at him with questions in her eyes.

He inclined his head toward the center of the room. It was…gone.

The far wall had fallen, along with Jareth’s throne, and half of the room. The crumbling stones spread from the inner wall outward, like an infection. It slowly crept to the edges of the room, getting closer and closer to where they stood.

“How…?” Sarah began.

“I don’t know.”

“Does this mean we failed?” If the center of the Labyrinth was gone, did that mean they had lost?

“I don’t know,” he repeated in a low voice. He couldn’t stop staring at the gaping hole in his throne room. Did they fail? He didn’t feel any shift or change in the Labyrinth’s energy.

“Well, we’re still here aren’t we?” Sarah asked.

“Yes…and?”

“That has to count for something. There is still hope as long as I’m here to help.”

“Sarah, love, the room is gone if you haven’t noticed.”

“I know that,” she snapped dryly. “It doesn’t mean I still can’t save the Labyrinth. I just have to…make it to the center.”

Jareth stared down at her, utterly confused. Then, his thoughts caught up to hers. “Absolutely not, Sarah. That is out of the question!”

“What? You didn’t specify how I reach the center, just that I had to make it. I could jump it and force the Labyrinth to restart.”

“This isn’t one of your electrical devices back home. You can’t just gamble your life on the slim chance it might reset the Labyrinth.”

“We don’t have any other choice. It’s this or everyone dies anyway.”

“No, Sarah. I won’t let you sacrifice yourself for the others. It’s still possible that you can walk out of this alive. You are not a resident of the Labyrinth. You may have a chance to go home. I cannot-no, I will not-allow you to risk your life for us.”

“I’ve already decided. This is the only way. We must take a leap of faith. Please trust me.”

“I do…” he whispered, anguish overcoming his cool features. “It’s the Labyrinth I don’t trust.”

Sarah knew it was now or never. If she waited any longer, it could be all over. Not to mention, Jareth might physically drag her out of here if she didn’t act now.

Sarah turned in his arms and held his face in her hands. Leaning up on her tiptoes, she kissed him tenderly. “I love you, Jareth. I want you to know that, no matter what happens.”

Jareth froze, stunned at her bold admission. Before he could react further, Sarah pulled away and leapt into the void.

Chapter Text

"I miss you when you're not here. And I don't know if I have the right to wish that you would come. Just take me where home is tonight. Love me better." 
-Love Thy Brother

Down…down…down Sarah fell. Her heart was pounding, unsure if this would be her final moments of life. Her heart hammered in her chest as she braced for impact. Each second was agony, waiting for the end to come.

After a moment of freefall, Sarah noticed something. She wasn’t falling at the normal speed of gravity. She felt as if she were falling in slow motion. Is this how astronauts felt in space? A weird sense of déjà vu hit her as she recalled an eerily similar leap she took within these castle walls so many years ago.

Just as Sarah was beginning to wonder when she would reach the ground, or reset the Labyrinth, everything turned to black. She was in complete darkness. It was almost like she was floating in a black hole. She had no control over her body. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t speak. Sarah fought her body to do something, anything. With each passing moment in the paralyzing void, her panic grew.

A faint hoot caught her attention. It was a distant, hollow echo…but it was something. Sarah focused on the sound.

Hoot hoot.

There it was again.

As Sarah concentrated on the sound, her senses began to register other things.

A rustling breeze.

Something soft beneath her.

The familiar scent of lavender…her perfume.

Sarah tried to put these disjointed observations together. What was going on? A loud bang jolted her.

Sarah’s eyes flew open, her gaze on a familiar cream ceiling. Her bedroom ceiling.

She was…home. Sarah sat up on her bed. The loud bang came from outside her window. A bird must have accidentally flown into the glass.

Glancing around, her eyes landed on her copy of her favorite book The Labyrinth. Her time in the Labyrinth with Jareth came back to her in a rush.

Jumping up, Sarah raced to her window and flung it open. Where was the owl? She knew she heard an owl’s call a moment ago.

“Jareth?” She yelled into the night.

A whistling breeze answered. Sarah couldn’t tell if it was a good or bad sign that she was brought home by the Labyrinth. Did that mean success or failure? If only Jareth would contact her…hear his voice and be assured that he was alive and alright.

“Please, please, please answer me…” The small bud of hope she’d kept in her heart that they would succeed, withered away. For the first time since Jareth brought her to the Labyrinth, Sarah truly felt hopeless. Sinking to her knees, Sarah rested her chin on the windowsill. Tears pooled in the corner of her eyes.

Sarah let them all down. She wasn’t fast enough to save them…the goblins, her friends, Jareth. A few extra minutes would have been enough. If she had taken one less rest or ran just a little faster…it would have been fine. The cruel part was that she was still alive and well, left to remember the consequences of her own actions at the expense of those she loved. The tears spilled over, trickling down her cheeks.

“Well you certainly are the impatient one.”

Sarah whirled around at the sound of his voice.

“Jareth!” Sarah launched herself across the room and into his arms. Her arms held him tightly to her, afraid that if she let go, he’d disappear. She took in everything: his warm arms encasing her, his pleasant scent, the beating of his very much alive heart. 

His soft chuckle snapped her out of her bewilderment. Leaning back, she smacked his chest.

“Why the hell didn’t you answer me the first time?” She demanded, eyes ablaze.

“Love, I was in the middle of a reconstruction project. I hadn’t heard from you in days. I wasn’t expecting you to call on me right as I was in the middle of rebuilding the south wall of the goblin city.” He lifted an ungloved finger to wipe the tears that had not yet dried on her cheeks.

Sarah heard the explanation, and recognized the words, but the order didn’t make any sense. Hadn’t heard from her in days? Reconstruction?

“Wait, days?? What are you talking about? And if you’re rebuilding the city, then we failed…how are you alive?” In her babbling confusion, her sentences all ran together. However, Jareth was able to pick out what she was asking.

“It’s a long story, but I guess we have time now so…”

“Wait, we should go somewhere we can talk uninterrupted. I have no idea what day it is or where my parents could be.” Jareth nodded. Scooping her up, he flicked his wrist and they were suddenly in the castle.

It was a room Sarah had never laid eyes on. A high ceiling made the room feel airy and regal. A large armoire stood in one corner, with a matching desk on the opposite wall. There was also a large four poster bed against the far wall. It had extravagant blue and silver bedding, with matching curtains that hung from the sides of the window they now faced. The view was spectacular: the main center of the goblin city could be seen, with a wooded forest in the distance just outside the walls. Walls that were half crumbled, Sarah noted.

Sarah looked up at Jareth, questions in her eyes. He reluctantly set her down on her feet before answering.

“This was to be your room if you ever took me up on my offer.” A small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “It was one of many spare rooms in this overly large castle. Over the years I’ve added small things here and there I thought you might like. It was a silly hobby, but I couldn’t seem to help myself.”  He looked away, clearing his throat.

Sarah was speechless. The amount of care and thought that went into this room was evident, not just from the fine furniture, but the intimate touches that showed he knew her well like the bookshelf full of her favorite books. She didn’t have to read every spine to know the ones he’d chosen.

Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but Jareth stopped her. “Do you want your questions answered or not?” He quirked a brow, knowing her curiosity would be her downfall. She bit her lip but motioned for him to go on.

Jareth strolled across the room to trace his fingers across the book spines on the shelf. “As you are probably aware, time works differently here in the Underground.” When Sarah nodded, he continued. “So even though you were lying in your bed for what was probably only a few hours, days passed here.” Jareth paused his perusal of the books and turned to face her. “I must admit it was a special kind of torture to check on you and see you lying there, unmoving. I could only wait and pray for you to wake up. Patience is not one of my strong characteristics as you know.” He flashed her a brief grin.

“What about the goblin city…why is it still destroyed? What happened?”

Jareth waved her off. “Don’t worry about it any longer.” He strode back over to Sarah with slow, deliberate steps. He stopped only when he was directly in front of her. Sarah had to tilt her head a bit to look at him. “You succeeded,” he replied softly, looking into her eyes with a warmth she’d never seen.

Her heart began beating faster. “But-”

“You saved the Labyrinth, and all of us, from destruction. However, the Labyrinth was not letting us go so easily without some ramifications. It did not reverse any of the damages done in the past. It is my responsibility to rebuild my kingdom.”

Sarah’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…”

Jareth shook his head. “I didn’t realize that either. And, you do not need to apologize. If it weren’t for you, we would all be rubble right now.” His intense stare held Sarah captive. “You know, I was rather distracted from my duty of rebuilding the Labyrinth. I constantly checked on you to see if you had woken. I was so worried that the Labyrinth had claimed you as payment. You were so…still.” His eyes squinted as he recalled an unpleasant feeling. Sarah reached out and squeezed his arm in reassurance.

“I’m here now, alive and healthy.” He smiled softly in response and leaned in towards her involuntarily. It was a natural inclination.

“So…what happened here? After I, you know, jumped.”

Jareth’s nostrils flared and he straightened. “I’m still very cross with you for that, by the way.”

“I’m not sorry. I was clearly right, and it all worked out.”

“Humph,” was all Jareth could reply. 

“Well?” Sarah prompted.

“The moment you disappeared from sight, I felt it. The energy of the Labyrinth surged through me. I could instantly tell that the Labyrinth had stabilized, and all my powers were back. I must admit, my first thoughts were not of my subjects or the condition that the Labyrinth was in; my only concern was you.”

Jareth stopped to allow that to sink in. Sarah smiled softly in encouragement for him to continue.

“I saw that you were lying in your bed at home. I was greatly relieved at first, until I noticed how still you were. I could barely discern that you were breathing. I watched over you for longer than I’d like to admit, waiting for you to wake up and call on me. When it became evident that you may be unconscious for a while, I forced myself to return to my duty as Goblin King and start a plan for reconstruction.”

“Is the damage really awful?”

Jareth shook his head. “Honestly, the most damage was done during that final earthquake. With my fully restored powers, we’ve made quick work of the reconstruction…Oh, that reminds me. Your friends have been surprisingly helpful during this time.”

“Hoggle and Ludo and Didymus?” Sarah’s voice became louder with each name, excitement taking over her.

“Yes. Didymus has a knack for, let’s say ‘directing’ the goblins in their work.”

“So, he yells at them and tells them what to do?” Sarah surmised. Jareth laughed but didn’t refute it.

“Ludo has been a great help with the heavier tasks.” Sarah nodded, not surprised. “And Hoggle has been rather helpful to me, personally.” At this, Sarah snapped her head up.

“Did you just give Hoggle a compliment?” A mocking smile played on her lips.

“Not only that, but I’ve grudgingly grown to realize his potential. He is quite organized with tasks, lists, and reports. He’s become a personal assistant of sorts.”

Sarah’s smile widened. “That’s great. I’m glad you’re finally seeing what I see in them.”

Jareth rolled his eyes. Something flitted across his face and he turned serious instantly.

“We need to talk.”

Sarah’s light mood sobered. “Yes, we do.”

Jareth lead them to a nearby settee that was placed near the window.

“Jareth, did you mean it, what you said back at the castle?”

Jareth frowned in concentration.

She elaborated, “You said you were ready to talk about us, about everything…and that you’d wait for me to be ready to open up again.”

“Of course, I meant it, I wouldn’t have said it otherwise.”

“Well, we were staring at the possibility of failure, separation, and even death. People say crazy things under intense circumstances. I want to be sure that you mean it and weren’t just saying that in the moment when feelings were heightened.”

Jareth took Sarah’s hands in his, rubbing his thumbs along the tops of her knuckles. “I meant every word with every beat of my heart.”

Sarah smiled down at their linked hands. “In that case, I am ready to discuss our previous disagreement as you called it.” Her nose wrinkled at the inadequate word for their emotionally charged argument.

“I…I didn’t articulate myself well enough before. There was a better way I could have handled rejecting your offer. Things I could have said to help you understand. I wanted-I want to be with you. I really do, and I’m still willing to fight for this. However, I can’t agree to your original offer. I want a relationship where we’re on equal footing. I help and support you; you do the same. I never wanted a relationship founded on fear and obedience. Your offer, despite your best intentions, promised such. The bright side is, we can come up with a new offer that allows us to be together and equal partners. Can you imagine a relationship like that?”

“My greatest strength and biggest weakness have always been my pride. The first time you rejected my offer, my pride was seriously wounded, and I never fully recovered from it…from you. When you returned to the Labyrinth, I told myself that I would not open myself to that rejection again. As you know, that plan failed spectacularly.”

We grew closer and small hints here and there made me wonder if you had changed your mind somehow. Little glances that you thought I didn’t notice, the things you said like how much you cared about understanding me better. It made me hope. That was something I had not dared to do in years. Then, there was that kiss...”

Sarah grew red at the mention, and Jareth smiled. It was quite endearing.

“The small spark of hope blazed like a fire in me and I began to imagine a life with you in it.”

“And then the lake happened.” Sarah mumbled.

“Yes. I felt like a fool for beginning to hope. I was too stubborn and prideful to hear what you were saying. Now, I have had the last three days to ponder what you said and were trying to explain.”

“And…?”

He dragged a hand over his face, grabbing his jaw. “It’s difficult for me to explain, but I’ll try. You see, I’ve grown up in a place where rules, ranking, and order reign supreme. And I never cared about anyone enough to put myself in such a ‘weak’ position as equality. I was either given orders, or the one giving them. It was the only way I knew. Thinking on your words, and even reminiscing about some past arguments you had with old lovers- “

“Hey!”

“-forced me to think about how it appeared to you. You’ve always been willful and independent. My offer would have stripped that of you. It took me far too long to realize that. And I apologize for that.”

“Jareth, what exactly are you saying?”

He picked up her hand once again with sincere gentleness and brushed a light kiss on it. “I’m saying that I don’t care about any stupid offer anymore. I just want you any way you’ll have me.” He leaned in towards her, completely unguarded in a rare moment of raw vulnerability. Sarah saw hope, fear, excitement, dread, and anxiety all coursing through him in anticipation.

“I want you, too. I lo-”

“Don’t you dare say it. You will not be the one to say it twice before I’ve even had the chance to say it once.” He pointed an accusing finger at her. Sarah laughed and allowed him to continue.

“You are the only person I have ever felt an emotion resembling affection. Sarah, you’ve forever changed my life. Some days it excites me, and others it terrifies me. I don’t just feel affection for you…the word ‘love’ doesn’t even adequately encompass my feelings. But for lack of a stronger, more permanent word, I love you. I am yours, now and for all time.”

“And I am yours.” Sarah reached for him, and he obliged drawing her into his arms. The sun lowered in the distance, casting brilliant hues of orange and red onto Sarah and Jareth as they embraced. They were baptized in the light of the setting sun. Their new lives began now.

Chapter Text

Sarah worked in a flurry at her desk overlooking the city. She typed away on her typewriter, fingers flying across the keys with fervent purpose. She loved this feeling-when the words came so easily that her fingers had trouble keeping up with her brain. It was one of the most natural feelings in the world to her. She slammed one final, satisfying tap on the period key.

There. Her book was finished.

 A huge grin split across her face as the feeling of accomplishment washed over her. She finally did it. And all it took was six months…that and moving to another realm. Inspiration found her in the Labyrinth.

Sarah and Jareth discussed the possibilities open to them during the reconstruction of the Labyrinth. In the end, there was only one feasible option to be together. Sarah gladly moved into the castle, and by extension the Underground. Jareth worried that Sarah was giving up too much to be with him, but she assured him that this was where she belonged. She explained the feelings she had during her second journey through the Labyrinth: how she had always felt disconnected with everyone and everything in the mortal world, the feeling of belonging while being in the Labyrinth. It felt right.

Upon hearing that their daughter was moving out, her parents seemed to jump for joy. They were happy that she was taking steps to being “an independent adult” as they put it. Sarah conveniently left out the part where she was moving in with a man. Some things were better left unsaid. Toby was not pleased, as was expected. Sarah promised she’d visit occasionally and, even though he was still upset, this appeased him a little. She knew he would be alright. He didn’t need a second mother hovering over him for the rest of his life. The separation would be harder on her than him. He had school, friends, and little league to occupy him.

So, to keep herself busy and not dwell on Toby, Sarah began writing once again. After moving her desk across the room next to the large window, she began writing in earnest. On her next visit to her family, she would bring the book with her and look for a publisher. If on the off chance it got published, all proceeds would go to an account for Toby’s college education. She didn’t need money in the Labyrinth. She had everything she could ever need here. She smiled at the thought of her friends whom she now saw quite often.

Jareth had reluctantly agreed to appoint Hoggle his personal assistant with an official ceremony. Hoggle lived in the castle now, keeping records and books of the kingdom’s goings-on. She saw him every day. In addition to this, he was paid a handsome salary of lovely jewels and jewelry by Sarah. Dydimus was promoted to commander over the goblin army. His snappy attitude and high energy were just what the slothful goblin guard needed, according to Jareth. Ludo remained in the cottage in the forest, but frequently visited Sarah, Hoggle, and Dydimus. She was quite happy living in the Labyrinth with daily visits from her friends, and a man who loved her and exasperated her in equal measures.

Speaking of the devil, she heard a rustle behind her. Turning in her chair. She saw Jareth saunter in the room.

“How goes the novel?” He asked casually, but there was a gleam in his eye that told Sarah he already had an inkling.

“I finished it.” Sarah replied with triumph.

“I know.” Smug bastard. But he was hers and she wouldn’t have him any other way.

“Does this mean I can finally read it now?”

At that Sarah scrunched up her face. “Why would you want to do a thing like that?”

“Because you made it and I believe it will be beautiful.”

“And what if its not?” Apprehension crossing her features. Jareth walked over and pulled her out of the chair.

“It will be.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead, smoothing the wrinkles from her frown.

“Well, I guess there’s only one way to find out…”

“Absolutely. A visit to the mortal world should do the trick. Those mortals will be falling over themselves to publish your novel.”

Jareth led them downstairs and outside.

While stepping down the final step to the gardens, Sarah tripped and heard Jareth chuckle.

“You get yourself into trouble so often. I suppose I should be thankful that the only thing you managed to get into trouble with that last day of our journey was the staircase. I had a gut instinct that you were in terrible danger. I suppose it could have been much worse.”

Sarah sucked in a breath through her teeth as they strolled through the castle gardens. Sarah had lived in the castle for six months now and the gardens had instantly become a favorite place. The two of them had set to work on restoring them. With their combined efforts, the gardens were now a stunning display of exotic flowers, trees, and structures.

 “Actually…something worse did happen to me.” She debated keeping it secret but thought it only fair that she be honest with him. 

“Of course something did.” He sighed deeply, looking up at the sky. “Do I even want to know what happened?”

“Probably not.” She grinned.

Since remaining in the Underground slowly made one immortal, Sarah and Jareth literally had eternity to squabble and make up. And they wasted no time practicing.

Casually, Jareth slung an arm around her shoulder, as if he’d been doing it for years. He leaned down to kiss her and Sarah eagerly reached up to meet him. Smiling to herself, Sarah looked forward to many more arguments, adventures, and challenges with this man. This was what she’d been missing. The empty gap in her heart was full. She was home.

The End