Chapter 1: Back to the Begining

She stirred awake, but did not open her eyes. Jareth waited for her to clear her head as she stumbled from a world of secret dreams to reality. It felt like she'd slept for ages.

"Good morning precious." He whispered and kissed he forehead.

Horror struck him when he recognized what had happened. The creature beside him stirred then as if dust blown by the wind she vanished. Stupid. He had been bloody stupid.

Sarah opened her eyes, but found no joy in the light that brightened the room she was in. He eyes ached, from the haze of muddy redness that you could almost cut with the knife in the air. There was a cool breeze, thought it was smoke filled and stinking that blew in from the three of the floor to ceiling windows. She was in a very soft, silk-sheeted bed with mountains of blankets the color of violets covering her. She watched the gauze-like curtains blow in the breeze and at certain moments they appeared to be ghosts shivering in the wind. She hardly dared move; the tightness of her rigid form sent a quivering over the mattress as she strained to remain still. The air felt like it locked her in place though at any moment if she let down her guard she could tumble through the mattress and into a deeper Hell.

The wall with the huge windows was a semi-circle that built up half the room and the other side was shaped like half a hexagon with doors in ever flat of every bend. She wondered if those doors led to the front hallway with the blue flame and the leg bone stand. But her wonderings she felt wouldn't be answered if she never removed herself from this bed. So she sat up and tried to drag herself free of the tangled sheets. But she found that every time she freed her legs the sheets would grow and trap her ankles again and as she tried to manipulate over them the bed grew wider each step that she dragged on. The entire bed had grown almost a mile and she was caught in the middle, and she started to cry.

No you idiot! Don't cry, you need to get out of here, you need to get Jareth! She raised her head, not even taking a moment to wipe away the salty remains of her anger. She lunged for the edge but the bed grew much too fast though she turned and flipped off the other side before the bed could stop her. She hit the floor with an amazing thump and the bed shrunk back to what she assumed was its normal size.

She heard a laugh, more like a soft purring cackle from somewhere in the shadows of the room, and from the blank space where she could detect no detail the prim little face of Sasha peeked forth. She purred again and smiled. Sarah sighed, not exactly relieved but calm enough to exhale her breath.

"I see you've managed to escape your bed." Sasha said. The cat-girl seemed to be in much better spirits today. Even the condition of her apparel was better, no more run-down servant's dress, no more stains. Sarah thought that as Sasha moved that her limps were like melting butter, vanishing in the folds of her violet smooth gown. Sasha sighed and sat down upon a softly cushioned chair.

"To be very honest miss, you are a bit dumb." She said.

Sarah for a moment had no answer for her. Then she spoke, with a dignified tone. "How have I been dumb?"

Had Sasha had an eyebrow to raise Sarah was certain she would've raised it. But the cat-girl's expression remained as it was: a smile. "You never noticed that your lovely little crystals were missing."

The words were like a smack. The crystals! She could use them…if she had them.

"Did you take them?" Sarah asked.

"Ha!" The laugh made Sarah wince. "Finally." She pulled something out from one of her sleeves which in Sarah's opinion were far too tight and shouldn't fit anything other then arms and tossed it to Sarah. It was her sack, the one she had made out of her shirt to carry the magical tools in. Joy sprang through her like light in a dark room.

"Thank you!" She said to Sasha, but the cat-girl shook her head. Sarah's heart sank; there was a price.

"What can you give me for such a gift?" Sasha said. She was clearly enjoying herself.

"I don't suppose a first born son would do?" Sarah joked, her hands shaking.

Sasha snarled. "As if I would want a screaming mortal child! No, Sarah, there is one thing I want from you, don't look so terrified child it is not very important!" She laughed. Sarah corrected her expression unaware that her poker face had slipped to show her true anxiety.

"What is it?" She asked.

Sasha's huge eyes grew even huger. "You really don't know?" With movements much faster then Sarah could see she sprung from the chair to kneel in front of Sarah, her paw-hands holding down her ankles. She leaned in close; Sarah recoiled and leaned backwards trying to keep the distance with the creature. Until this time Sarah was not paying attention to what she was wearing, but being to close to Sasha whose body radiated feral warmth she was conscious of the thin nightgown. She could feel even Sasha's breath through it.

Sasha enjoyed her discomfort and hissed gently and bizarre laugh that made Sarah turn her face away. The cat-girl leaned in and whispered, her wild hair tickling, her fair whiskers Sarah hadn't noticed before brushing her cheek.

"I desire your magic."

Sarah stiffened. She had no magic to give, what on earth was Sasha thinking?

"But…I have no magic!" Sarah said and was brave enough to push at Sasha's shoulder. The Fae moved back and leaned against the bed.

"Of course you do, darling." She said with a proud smile. "I can smell it."

But what no one knew…he had given her certain powers.

Damnit Jareth! She thought. Her mind was a tumbling storm of confusion, if she had magic, then she would certainly give it up if it meant she could use the crystals to save Jareth. But at the same time she had no idea what sort of powers Jareth had given her, and they could be of equal help for the situation. She growled quietly, her anger beginning to boil.

"Why do you need it!" She burst, biting her tongue in the process of yelling.

Sasha blinked in surprise then her slow smile crossed her face. Sarah was starting to call her the Cheshire Cat in her mind. "I simply want to regain what was once mine," She said in a voice too pretty to be natural."With your magic I can return to my original form."

Sarah couldn't help but frown. "You…you mean you're not really…?"

"Yes I'm not really a cat!" Sasha hollered. "When I was taken here her royal pain in the arsh transformed me. And changed my name for that matter and took the memory of my real one."

"Persephone?" Sarah's words that were meant to follow were swallowed up by Sasha's paw when she collided with Sarah and covered her mouth.

"Don't say he name you idiot!" She screeched. "And yes! She didn't want anyone to know who I really was."

"Why?" Sarah's muffled voice came through, but in the process Sarah got fur in her mouth.

"You tell me!" Sasha sat back again. "It's not like I remember." She crossed her arms over her chest, pouting.

Sarah thought quietly for a moment. Then an idea formed.

"Sasha," She said softly. "I want to help you…"

"I'm listening."

Irvus closed his eyes. Around him, in the Hall of mirrors were visions, many of Hell, many of himself. His memories wandered in a colorful display all around him… past and present merged in his mind as he fell back into those memories…

His eyes opened and he smiled, lying against his chest he could see the dark hair on her head, a tousled mess thanks to him. She stirred slightly and moved her head up to face him. She smiled her little pointed teeth on display. He loved those sharp teeth, and the cherry red lips that covered them. Her yellow-green eyes glimmered, the thin pupils widening.

"Don't look so cocky," She whispered and tucked a strand of his stray hair behind his ear.

"I can't help it," He laughed. And tickled her. She squealed and jumped away, like a lithe little kitten, the sheets wrapped tight around her slender form.

"Hey!" He protested."It's cold, get back here." She turned and grinned slowly.

"Catch me!"

He grinned and chased after her, relishing the moments of sheer bliss…

"Letter for you darling, from that child Above." His mother handed him the parchment and he opened it, not worried in the least.

He began to read, but noticed it was not in her handwriting:

Irvus,

We are sad to inform you that Radiance Ashton has been killed in the black flames that overtook her home. We know this to be a great misfortune for you seeing as you were good friends.

He stopped reading. In his hand the paper crumbled and he raised his arms to cover his head.

"Irvus darling?" Persephone laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Get away." He whispered.

"Whatever is the matter?" She asked, her grip growing tighter.

He did not answer. He vanished, quickly, with no trace save the flittering page of the paper. He appeared at her home. There were piles of broken wood and stone, the white curtains she had favored so much were half black, their forms blowing slightly in the breeze. However the house had managed to stand was beyond comprehension.

From his post Irvus did not move. Then he fell to the hard dust covered ground and laid there for many hours, watching the moon crawl across the sky, waiting for the moment the nightmare would end.

He reopened his eyes, and breathed in deeply, then turned form the mirrors and left, leaving behind the pain and the memories.

The palace of darkness was quiet, in a strange reposed slumber one could say when the slipping graceful figure crawled out through a servant's door. It sulked through the gardens, past the frozen statues of great sinners, the granite figurines of three-horned devils and demons. It passed through Hell like a soft shadow, untouched by the tormented souls, unfazed by their wretched cries. When all at a breath-taking instant the figure tumbled head long from the mouth of the land of agony into the field of dreams the sounds of Hell all silenced as the curse of Persephone's jealousy fell and the figure was transformed into that which they had originally been.

Only one solitary prisoner had watched the small figure leave, one crying angel among the devils. Sarah could only pray Sasha could reach Jareth in time. In time for what, she couldn't say, but an unceasing feeling of dread crawled through her veins, something she could not name was going to happen. Something inevitably irreversible.

I am sorry at how short this one is, while I write a few more chapters I encourage you to read 'The Emerald Queen' it is in need of some reviews. Thanks a million for all your reviews on this one and I'm up to any ideas anyone wants to include.