Down in the Underground

by irishgrlnextdoor

reposting of Down in the Underground largely in its original context, back by popular demand

reposting:

{NEW AUTHOR NOTE: this fanfic contained trial runs of original concepts I came up with for my original high-fantasy book series 'Fayrie Tales', now published and available (google The Book of Lo, by R. N. Floyd). The overwhelming positive response I got for my original characters, concepts, and plot really helped encourage the pursuit of The Book of Lo and I thank you all for that. For more of my free fanfiction works you may find that I switched over to Archiveofourown, but my Labyrinth works have not followed me there; still Irishgrlnextdoor.}

Title: Down in the Underground
Category: Movies » Labyrinth
Author: chemical-love
Language: English, Rating: Rated: M
Genre: Romance/Fantasy
Published: 11-25-08, Updated: 06-29-09
Chapters: 31, Words: 130,830

Chapter 1: Spirits

[Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth or any of the movie's concepts. Anything new, however, is mine or I will make a mention to say different.]

*Full Summary* Sarah has lived in the Underground her whole life, but it's not all as magical as it's cracked up to be. Humans are considered little more than animals here, and slavery is not uncommon. Of the thousands of magical beings the Underground hosts the Fae are the crème of the crop.

When Sarah's world crumbles around her a Fae is probably the last creature that would help her, but the Goblin King is her only hope.

Something to know- This does not follow the movie almost at all. Sarah and her family are not from Aboveground, nor have ever seen it. Because of the different backgrounds the characters are OOC, but I tried to leave it at a minimum.

Also, the themes are more adult and goblins aren't the cute little fools you see in the movie. The Goblin City is very large and feared by most, because of this Jareth is also feared by most. The goblin army is actually very strong and dangerous… but still doesn't contend with the Fae army. I'm not sure if I'll need you to know this yet, but I think you should know just in case.

I just thought this would be a fun little original work.

"Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child which you have stolen. For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great-

"Sarah, hurry up you'll be late for work!" Karen called from downstairs.

Sarah startled from her story and turned back towards the stairway. "Okay, give me a second!" she shouted back.

Sarah turned back to Toby who stared up at her with doe-eyes as he listened to her story. The only reason she had stopped to tell him a story was because he had started fussing the moment she had woken him up. He usually calmed down right away when she started talking to him. As far as she was concerned Karen should quit yelling and actually thank her. Not that she'd hold her breath or anything.

Sarah left Toby in the little wooden playpen long enough to go back to the room they shared. It was even smaller than the living area of the upper floor with the single-sleeper cot she slept in taking up half the space. Toby's little wooden crib sat in the far corner. Even with no more than what was in it the room was crowded, she didn't want to think about what it'd be like when Toby started walking freely.

She reached under the little crib her dad had made for him and pulled out a work dress from the pile of hers and Toby's clothes thrown under there. She shimmied out of her simple night gown and pulled on the dress. It was nothing fancy by any means, just a floor-length wrap around made of simple white cotton so she didn't get overheated. She tied a pink sash around her waist to make sure it didn't slip at all and tried to smooth out her long dark hair.

She was actually really lucky to have so much. Most human families lived out of town working on farms and fiefs and had to share singe rooms together; if they got a place to stay at all. Her family was lucky because her father had been bought by a Fae as a slave to work in the Fae's bar, The Spirits. Sarah could vaguely remember when she was just a little girl she would run around in the cellar filling mugs with different liquors to be carried upstairs and served by her mom to the customers while her father cleaned dishes and took orders.

That had been before her mom ran away.

Shortly after that the old Fae had passed away and left the bar to her father, making him not only a free man, but a landowner! That had been one of the happiest days of her life because it meant they weren't like other humans anymore.

And then Karen came along.

Sarah was willing to bet the bar that Karen had only been so interested in her dad because… well because of the bar. Sarah had told her father that when he'd told her he was going to propose to Karen, but he hadn't listened. When it came to Karen he never listened to her.

Sarah grabbed Toby and his play pen and went down the stairs to the bar. Like the upstairs the room wasn't very big and the floors and walls were stained up from anything and everything. There was only so much you could clean without magic though. Unlike the upstairs though, it was full of people and creatures.

Sarah sat the playpen down next to the stairs behind the bar where Toby would be safest since they couldn't leave him upstairs alone and placed Toby inside of it. He started fussing immediately but there was no helping it.

Next to her her daddy was manning the bar and taking orders. Barely dark outside and the place was filling up fast. She slept through most days since her family ran the bar through most of the night. She gave her daddy a quick kiss on the cheek so she didn't distract him from the customers too much. "Alright I'm going to work," she sighed, heading to the cellar door behind him.

"Ah, Sarah wait," he called after her.

Sarah paused and turned back to him.

"Karen isn't feeling too well tonight, so she's going to fill the cups tonight. I need you to serve them to the customers instead."

Sarah couldn't suppress the frown that came to her face. Sick my foot, Karen was probably just feeling lazy and made her dad tell Sarah to switch places with her tonight. She hated waiting on customers, the few times she'd done it before had not been fun. Down in the cellar she had the place to herself any from all the noise and could daydream all she wanted.

Sarah stomped down to the cellar and quickly spotted Karen loading up a tray of drinks. As far as she could see the woman looked perfectly fine. "Don't just stand there Sarah, be a dear the customers are waiting," she said, holding out the loaded tray.

Sarah took the heavy weight from the woman and turned to leave before she could say a word. She didn't trust herself to say anything to Karen honestly… nothing nice at least.

She trudged back up the stairs with the tray balanced against her hip.

"The corner table in the back Sarah," her dad instructed.

She nodded and moved around the bar with a sigh. It was going to be a long night.

Jareth leaned back against the seat of the carriage, replaying the conversation he'd had with his mother just a few hours ago. She had invited him to the Fae Kingdom again, and this time he had actually accepted. It basically had boiled down to her sitting there and informing him that he was immature, spoiled, and needed to stop playing around and step up to accept the Fae throne. He couldn't think as to why he had put off her invitation for so long.

Their conversations both bored and annoyed him. As far as he was concerned only a fool would want to be in charge of the Fae.

With goblins it was so easy and fun. He had gone to the Goblin City after they had snuck into the Fae Court and destroyed everything in sight. He had taken a handful of Fae with him for the first visit. His mother had thought he was going there to seek revenge, the look on her face when he announced he was taking control of it as his own kingdom still made him want to chuckle. The Goblins had gone right into the heart of the Fae world and no one had known until the next day when the castle was trashed. It had taken a month to put back to rights. To Jareth it only made sense to control a force like that.

He scowled and sat up when the carriage slowed to a stop early.

The Goblin that drove his carriage came around and opened the door for him. It was a fat little toad-like creature with a gravely voice. If you were to paint the thing grey you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between it and a toad. "I'm sorry your highness, but we left in such a hurry that the horses didn't get proper time to recover. We just need to stop long enough for water."

Jareth rolled his eyes. "Very well then." He climbed out of the carriage intent on stretching his legs while he waited.

They weren't far from the Labyrinth now, just across town and over the hill, but the horses were breathing very heavily. The Goblin led the two black horses over to the tub of water put out for animals so they could drink their fill.

A drink did sound good.

Jareth look at the bar they had stopped at. It was a small two-story building with the name The Spirits painted over the door in chipped black paint. It fit in well in this pitiful little town. Most towns surrounding the Labyrinth looked this way, the Goblins tended to ransack everything else.

"I'll be inside," he informed the goblin, making his way to the pub.

"Here, you go." Sarah laid out the tray of drinks on the tiny table a bunch of dwarfs were gathered around. They all emptied their glasses before she could so much as turn away. With a sigh she picked up the tray and took the empty glasses back to her father before going down to the cellar and collecting another round from Karen.

She had barely gotten around the bar and back into the service floor when the bar suddenly quieted way down. She looked up at the customers to see most were whispering amongst themselves and looking back and forth toward the door. She looked over at the doorway and her breath caught in her throat.

There was no mistaking him. The Goblin King stood at the entrance of Spirits. He was dressed in a sort of black body armor that clung to his frame like it was painted on. Wispy blonde hair grew long enough on his head to hang down in tresses and frame a sculpted noble face. His eyes reminded Sarah of a hawk's, intense and narrow. His pupils were different colors, something any female would practically swoon over. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen.

He ignored the stares he was getting, moving further into the bar. Sarah froze in her tracks as he headed straight towards her. She could hardly breathe past her heart in her throat. The king side-stepped her at the last moment and went up to the bar. She turned and followed him with her stare, not caring about subtlety at all.

Her fathers eyes were large too as he stared across the bar at the Fae. "You're- your highness, what can I do for you?"

The goblin king's eyes swept over her father once before the side of his lip curled. "Is the owner of this bar here?"

Her dad's back straightened a tad bit as he answered, "I am the owner of this business, Sir."

It was a little weird to see her daddy call a younger man Sir, no matter who it was.

The Fae's eyebrows rose in surprise and speculation before snapping back down low on his head. Sarah couldn't help but notice he looked even more handsome when he frowned. "That's… unusual for a human."

Her father started to shift his weight back and forth nervously. "It was left to me and my family when my owner passed on. Is there something I can do for you?"

The king seemed to accept her father's explanation and rested his elbows on the table bar. "I have my horses watering outside. I'll have some Sweet Rum."

"I'll get it," Sarah announced before she could stop herself. She hurried past her dad and the Fae, who turned to her, as she slipped around the bar.

"In a clean glass," the Fae shouted after her.

She reacted so fast she couldn't stop herself as she shot the Fae a glare over her shoulder. He saw her do it and his brows immediately shot up and his jaw went the slightest bit slack.

He looked like he was about to say something, but she sped down the stair into the cellar as fast as her legs would take her.

Karen was sitting on a stool when Sarah reached the bottom. She stood up when she caught sight of Sarah. "What's wrong with you? Your face is flushed and you're breathing hard."

"I need a Sweet Rum, Karen."

Karen picked out a glass and filled it up from one of the large vats. "What are you so excited about?"

"The King of the Goblin City is upstairs!" Sarah gasped.

Karen dropped the glass, causing it to shatter and rum to splash everywhere. "Damn!" Karen shouted.

Sarah sighed and grabbed another glass filling it as quickly as possible and leaving Karen to clean up her mess.

"Sarah wait!" Karen shouted in vain.

Sarah wasn't all that surprised when she re-entered the bar to see it was back to its normal loud chatter and cussing. She did pause, however, when she saw the Goblin King see her and scowl. She had almost forgotten that she had made a face at him for insinuating that their glasses were dirty; apparently he hadn't forgotten at all. She summoned her courage and went over to stand before him at the bar, forcing herself to smile and place his mug before him. "Here you go, Sweet Rum just like you ordered."

The king glanced down at his glass before looking back up at her.

It felt like he could see right through her. Those miss-matched eyes of his were even more intense than she had originally thought. She couldn't help but feel self-conscious from it and wondered if he expected her to start apologizing like a dog or something.

"Do you make it a habit?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"Do you make it a habit to pique your betters?" the look in his eyes was very serious.

She couldn't help but feel a little angry herself. He had insulted her and her father with his glasses comment. She hadn't meant to, but she had reacted and here he was practically scolding her for it. It was all she could do now to not glare at him again; instead she kept her eyes down on the bar. "I apologize if I upset your majesty," she answered, her voice sounding hollow even to her.

His eyes narrowed, clearly not buying it, but he let it rest. He took a swig from his mug as Sarah made her way back toward the cellar. She saw a gnome turn to the king and start talking to him out of the corner of her eye before she walked down the steps.

Karen rushed up to her before she could even get off the stairs. "He's really up there? You're sure it's him?"

Sarah stepped around the woman and picked up a tray, placing it on the stool so she could load it with mugs; her stepmother was useless. She had just picked up a clean glass when Karen stepped up behind her and started running her fingers through Sarah's hair, trying to straighten it out. Sarah wheeled around to face her. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to make you look at least a little nice," Karen snapped back.

"Why do I have to look nice?" Sarah demanded.

"There is a very rich and powerful Fae sitting right upstairs, would it be so bad if he were to become attracted to you?" Karen huffed, placing her hands on her hips.

Sarah couldn't help but laugh out loud. "I think he'd rather wipe his boots on me than hold even a kind thought for me, especially after I upset him."

Karen's face went pale. "You did what?"

"I pissed him off because I didn't like him being rude to me and Dad." Sarah shrugged, picking up the tray full of drinks.

"Oh Sarah, you have to learn to control that rebellious streak of yours. At this rate the only man that will put up with you will be a ditch-digger."

Sarah swallowed the impulse to scream at Karen and picked up the tray calmly. "Then I won't have to worry about paying to have you buried one day. Not everyone is interested in only money."

Karen gripped Sarah's arm and slapped her across the face!

Pain stung Sarah's cheek and heat rushed to her face. She wasn't sure what she was more pissed about, that slap or the fact that Karen had done it when Sarah's hands were full so she couldn't retaliate. The two women stared at each other for a long moment before Karen finally turned away with a sigh. "Just get back to work."

Sarah reentered the bar in a sour mood. She had known when she'd woken up that this was going to be a long and awful night, and it wasn't even close to closing time yet! She noticed the gnome still talking to the king, but he didn't seem to be paying attention; trying to ignore the little guy more like.

She tried her best not to look in the king's direction as she moved to the table set up behind him and passed out the drinks.

"It's a good idea don't you think?" the gnome asked.

"You want to start producing fake gold coins to switch out at banks for real ones," the goblin king responded, "that way by the time anyone found out their gold wasn't real you'd be long gone with it."

"You got it, and you'll get a share in it if you finance the materials I need."

"In the end you are cheating the banks and then the larger land owners and making a healthy little nest for yourself in the process." He took a swig of his drink.

"So what do you say?"

Sarah couldn't help but look over in curiosity.

"I say that is the most idiotic scheme I've ever heard- amplified by the fact that you've asked one of those larger land owners, who would be losing out, to finance it. I'd make a better investment if I threw my gold into the Bog of Eternal Stench."

He turned away from the gnome to show the conversation was done and Sarah almost smiled at the stunned look on the gnome's face. Her smile dropped, however, when the gnome pulled a small vile out of his jacket and popped the cork before dumping the contents quickly into the king's drink while he wasn't looking.

"Hey," one of the customers at her table shouted, pulling her attention away from the bar, "I asked for a topper," he said, holding the empty mug out to her.

She looked back over her shoulder to see the king lift the mug he was drinking from and bring it to his lips. She didn't know what she was thinking… she wasn't thinking. She was standing there one second and the next she was right beside the king, shoving the mug away from him with all her might and sending it flying from his hand. The mug rolled along the bar and all the Sweet Rum spilled out all over the place. Her father jumped back at the mess and the gnome bared his teeth at her before jumping off the bar stool and running away.

She made to grab him but her wrists were seized, pulling her hands and her attention away from him and back to a very pissed off goblin king. He gripped her wrists in his hands and glared down at her. If looks could kill…

"What do you think you are doing human?" he demanded, his voice cold and crisp.

Sarah struggled against his grip but it was no use. She caught sight of her father out of the corner of her eye, looking scared out of his wits.

He stepped closer very slowly, obviously wanting to help her but unsure how. "Sarah, apologize to the nice Fae."

She took a deep breath and tried to gather herself before answering so her voice didn't show how startled she was right now. "I saw the gnome put something in your drink."

"You what?"

"Sire, are you okay?" a gravelly voice asked behind them.

Sarah looked around the king as best she could to see a fat little goblin looking up at them. The Fae's grip on her wrists tightened slightly and she looked back up at him. "I saw the gnome put something in your drink. I don't know what it was, but I'd bet anything it wasn't good. I was helping you."

The king turned to look at the goblin, forcing Sarah to move with him since he wouldn't let go. The goblin nodded and wobbled over to the bar where the Sweet Rum was still soaking into the counter. The goblin gripped the edge of the bar and pulled himself forward to the edge till he was only centimeters away from the counter surface. A little pale triangle of a tongue slipped out of the goblins mouth and landed on the counter top, sweeping once over the liquid. The creature smacked his lips twice before looking up at them.

"No doubt about it Sire, salt."

The king stiffened slightly next to her, but softened his hold on her wrists. Salt was very rare in the Underground and was very deadly to Faes. Just touching it would burn one of them, but to anyone else it was harmless.

"Salt?"

"Should I go after the gnome that did it Master Jareth?" The goblin croaked.

The Fae nodded his head. "Right away, bring him back to the Goblin Castle."

The goblin bowed low and then wobbled slowly out the door. Sarah wasn't sure how he'd be able to catch the gnome; he didn't seem fast enough to catch a one legged cat.

Her wrists were released and she turned back to look at the king. He didn't seem pissed anymore; he wasn't glaring at her at least. She rubbed her wrists where he had gripped her.

"I suppose I owe you a great deal," he said, looking over at the Sweet Rum her dad was starting to wipe up.

Her heart was still racing from the adrenaline and all she could do was stand there and stare with him. She couldn't help but notice though that the whole bar was staring too.

He turned back to her with a very serious but no longer hostile look on his face. "What is your name?"

She knew her eyes were bugging out of her head but she didn't care. "Sarah," she whispered.

"I owe you my life Sarah, but for now I think this will have to suit you," he reached for the black velvet bag that hung off the back of his tight trousers and took hold of Sarah's hand, placing the bag in it. "That should pay for my drink and your tip."

His eyes caught hers once more and she thought she was going to melt under that stare.

He nodded his thanks to her father and turned on his heel to leave. Sarah could only watch as he walked out the door without a second glance or thought, clutching the velvet bag in her hands.

A hand on her upper arm startled her from her trance. She turned around to face her dad. "Sarah are you okay?"

She thought about it for a second before nodding her head. She allowed her daddy to lead her back around the bar with him. "Okay everyone, go back to your business the excitements over."

The customers all grumbled as they turned back to their drinks and each other.

Her dad turned back to her and pushed her low to the floor so she was mostly hidden by the bar. "What did he give you?"

She had almost forgotten about the pouch. She looked down at the soft fabric she was crushing in her grip. She understood why her dad had pulled her back here; if it was substantial it was a good idea to not let others know. She loosened the black string around it and turned the contents over into her hand. What she saw almost stopped her heart. Ten gold coins and three small rubies sat in the center of her palm. Her family could live off this for a month! She looked up to see her dad's jaw hanging open. "Put it upstairs Sarah, don't let anyone know you have it."

She nodded her head and dumped the stuff back into the bag, hurrying past her daddy and over to Toby's play pen. He sat in the middle on the floor, sucking on his fist. She picked him up and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "It's not such a bad night after all little guy," she smiled.

Chapter 2: The Castle

The throne room was just on the brink of chaos as goblins raced back and forth and joked and cackled and jeered at the little gnome standing in the center of the room. At the head of the room Jareth sat- lounged really –on his throne like he was bored. He stared down at the cowering gnome like he was nothing more than another rock in the stone room.

"You should have just walked away." Jareth drawled.

The gnome yelped when a tall and impossibly thin goblin leaped at him before jumping back into the crowd. The goblins all fell into fits of laughter at the gnome's reaction to the scare tactic.

"Quiet!" Jareth snapped.

All the goblins stopped laughing immediately and looked up at him.

The closest these creatures came to paying attention was when they were waiting for him to tell them when they could act up again. He rolled his eyes and looked back down at the gnome. "I want to know where you got your salt. I'm sure you're aware that it is an illegal substance throughout Underground."

The gnome started to shake noticeably and nodded his head. "If I tell you, will you let me go?"

"No," Jareth answered, "But I will let you live."

The gnome looked around him, like he was considering the better option. Finally he nodded his head in agreement. "Okay, I'll tell you."

Jareth sat up straight in his throne.

"There is a ghoul in Freesia in the cellar of the Hungry Troll that has a supply there. He sold it to me."

Jareth turned to one of the goblins closest to him. "Take a few friends and go visit this ghoul. Make sure the supply is cut off."

The goblin grinned a wicked grin and ran off with three others trailing behind him, excited to be able to go take care of it. That was one thing you could count on with goblins; if you asked them to do something mischievous or even vile they wouldn't hesitate and always did it with a smile.

The ghoul would no longer be a problem, he was sure of it.

"Um, w-what are you going to do with me?" the gnome asked nervously.

Jareth slouched in his throne, but couldn't keep a little smile from his face. "I promised I wouldn't kill you, but you'll be imprisoned here, since you attempted to murder me. You are free to come and go as you please but you will not be allowed to step one foot outside the Goblin City."

The gnome's face was one of relief as he bowed low. "Thank you Sire." He stood up straight again. "No hard feelings about poisoning your drink?"

Jareth grinned. "No, but while you're here you need to serve a purpose, so when I don't need him you will keep Gork entertained."

The gnome frowned. "Gork?"

The goblins all cackled and a section of them split to let through a very large, ogre-ish goblin. The goblin had 4 feet and 200 pounds easy on the gnome, with a fat stomach that hung over a tunic and a bulky build. A fat club dragged along the ground from his right hand. His beady eyes looked down over a bulbous nose at the little creature in front of him and he smiled, slowing his lack of teeth.

"Meet Gork, you're new friend for the next five years," Jareth smirked.

"Friend?" the gnome asked, back to shaking in fear as he stared up at the big goblin.

"Fwiend!" Gork cried and raised his club high above his head, swinging down hard as the gnome screamed and dodged out of the way.

The throne room erupted in wicked laughter.

Sarah carried another heavy tray of drinks up the stairs. Neither she nor Karen had spoken a word to each other since last time, and she wasn't about to tell the greedy woman about the gold. She couldn't wait to get back to her regular job though; her back and arms were starting to hurt from carrying the heavy weights up and down the stairs.

Her dad was wiping up another glass when she approached him. "Go ahead and let everyone know we're closing up soon. That goes to the table next to the door."

Sarah looked over toward the table and her stomach dropped. Bud and some of his friends were sitting there. Sarah had never had to actually talk to the man before because she normally worked in the cellar all night, but he was a regular here and the few times he had seen her either going down or coming up from the cellar he had been very crude.

He was part of a local gang that thought they were hot shit because they were composed of Weres. Weres could change form from man into animal at will, because of this though they tended to act like little more than animals.

Bud was a big man with short but wild golden hair that circled his head and cool green eyes. Stubble covered his lower face and he was laughing loudly at something one of his friends said. She had heard from her dad that he turned into a Werelion; it wouldn't surprise her.

"Do you need me to do it for you, Sweety?" her daddy asked.

She steeled up her courage and shook her head. She'd be happy to let him know it was time to go, and after what had happened earlier she was feeling pretty sure of herself.

Sarah carried the tray over to the table and laid it out quickly so she could walk away as soon as possible. "We'll be closing up soon."

A few of the Weres looked up at her; sadly Bud was one of them. He did a double take when he saw her and caught her wrist as she turned to leave. She was getting pretty tired of people grabbing her. Maybe she should take that money she got and buy some bracelets with spikes on them like she'd seen on soldiers.

Bud grinned up at her and she could see the resemblance between him and a large cat. "Well look who it is. Where's the Ice Queen tonight?"

He had to mean Karen. "I'm covering for her tonight," Sarah said, "Please let go I need to get back to work."

He didn't let go, instead he tugged on her wrist so she had to face him. "No you don't. You just said you were closing up. Stay with us a minute, any other night you hide downstairs, so I'm not about to let you go so quickly. I'm Bud, what's your name, Sweet Cheeks?"

She felt her face grow hot and she tried to pull her wrist out of his grip, failing miserably. She should have just let her dad deal with them. His friends snickered amongst themselves when they saw her trying to resist.

"Let go of me!" she demanded glaring down at him.

"Pretty high-and-mighty for a human aren't you?" Bud smirked. "You're pretty hot for a human though too. Tell you what, after you get off work how about you meet me behind the building and I'll forgive you for your tone."

She felt fear start to creep into her heart from the predatory look both he and his friends were giving her. She looked over her shoulder and was glad to see her dad already coming around the bar toward her.

Bud looked past her and saw him too, letting go of her wrist finally just as her father reached them. "Sorry, fellows but we're closing up now; I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Bud gave a grin like a chestier cat and stretched out in his chair, getting comfy. "We're not ready just yet human. I was just getting acquainted with your daughter, you should teach her to be more friendly with customers by the way."

Sarah hated the Weres. Everyone knew there was nothing her dad could do if they didn't want to leave. There were four of them and no human was a match for even one Were. They also were known for having a violent streak and she didn't want to see her dad get hurt over this. She decided to keep her mouth shut while her dad tried to smooth things over.

"Look guys, it's getting pretty late and I'm very tired, can you do me a favor this once and take off. We'll be open again tomorrow night."

Sarah smiled at that, she wouldn't have to serve them tomorrow.

Bud shook his head. "Tell you what, me and my boys take your daughter out on a little date tonight and you can get some sleep."

Her father's face turned red at that and his tone was a little sharper when he answered. "Please leave now."

All the Were's sprang to their feet like he had thrown a punch, turning their full attention to her father. Bud got in her dad's face. "Make us," he growled.

Sarah could feel her heart speed up in her chest.

Her father up his hands up in defense and backed away slowly. "Look we don't want trouble tonight, just leave me and my family alone."

Sarah followed his lead and backed away too, never taking her eyes from the pack.

Bud's face turned from one of anger to a calm smile as he relaxed his stance. "Alright pops, we'll leave. But it's too late for no trouble. Come on boys." The Weres all backed off as one and went out the door. On the way out Bud looked back at Sarah and grinned maliciously before the door closed behind him.

Her dad turned to her. "Sarah, just take Toby and go upstairs. I'll pick things up."

He looked just as shaken up as she was. She nodded her head because she didn't know what else to do. "Yeah, okay."

He gave her a kiss on the forehead and started going around to the other tables to let the other customers know it was time to go.

Sarah went around the bar and picked up Toby, carrying him up the stairs with her but leaving the playpen. He cooed and babbled as she took him into their room and placed him in his crib to sleep with a bottle. She ran one of his blonde curls through her fingers as he calmed down and sucked on the bottle. He really was cute. She could see so much of her father in him. She was so tired and emotionally drained that she didn't bother switching out of her dress; just laid down on the bed.

She had a hard time getting to sleep, and she was still awake when Karen and her dad came up the stairs to go to bed too. She just couldn't get what had happened downstairs with Bud out of her mind. He had actually suggested to her father to let her go have sex with him. She had never had sex in her life and she wasn't going to start with a vulgar animal like him.

She turned over on her side and reached under her pillow to finger the soft velvet pouch that the goblin king had given her. Despite how their meeting had started off she still thought he was very attractive. With him she might not mind so much, of course he'd have to be nicer and loose the pompous attitude. She thought the goblin with him had called him Jareth. She liked that name. She took the bag out from under her pillow and brought it up to her nose. Gods, it even smelled like him. She was able to fall asleep easier thinking about him.

Jareth placed a kiss against the inside of her knee before grazing the same skin with his teeth, making her scream with delight as he plunged into her again and again. Colane moaned like a woman possessed beneath him as he hooked his arm in the crook of her knee and leaned down to capture one of her supple breasts in his mouth.

He grinned against her skin when she grabbed his head in her hands to hold him to her. He bucked his hips against her in rapid secession and she lifted her hips to meet him thrust for thrust. "Oh yes!" she called out, digging her nails into his back till he cussed.

"I- I can't… I'm gonna…" she panted, digging her nails into his skin till it gave. He thrusted harder against her to return some of the pain as she screamed and convulsed around him.

He felt her inner walls squeeze around him, bringing him to his own orgasm. He groaned from deep in his throat and collapsed on top of her. Colane giggled at something and twirled one of his strands of hair around her finger.

He propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at her. Colane was a courtier that he'd known for most of his life growing up in the Seelie Court. She had gone off to learn proper conduct as a lady years ago and came back to court fully developed in all ways. He had seen her on his way to speak to the queen and couldn't help invite her over for a visit. She had long curly red hair that stood out against her pale skin and made her green eyes shine seductively. That wasn't the only thing seductive about her; her body was a perfect hourglass figure, slim at the waist and fanning out at the hips and breasts.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"I just wasn't expecting such a warm welcome."

He grinned at that and moved his hips against her. "I think it was you who gave the warm welcome."

She giggled and kissed him lightly. "I heard some things about you when I got back. I'm glad to see they were all true."

"That I'm charming, handsome, and great in bed?"

She laughed again. He like it when she did that because her breasts shook just the slightest bit. "You forgot modest. No, I heard you'd become quite the playboy. And that you had gone against your mother and come to live out here of course. You should come back to the castle."

He rolled his eyes. "And why in the Underground would I want to do that?"

"So I won't have to travel out here every time I miss you. The castle is boring now." She stuck her lip out in a fake pout.

"There is no way I'm going back to the castle." Jareth smirked down at her. "But I'll give you a proper good-bye."

She laughed out loud as he dipped down and started kissing her neck again.

Chapter 3: Running

Shouting, she could hear shouting. Sarah turned over in her bed and looked over at the door. On the other side she could hear Karen shouting, but she couldn't hear what she was saying. The walls weren't that thick so she could only assume that Karen was down in the bar. Sarah looked out the tiny window that sat over her bed. It was still dark out, the sky just starting to turn from black to blue. She had just gone to sleep maybe four hours ago.

She heard more shouting, this time it was her dad's voice. She sat up in bed and listened hard. Heavy footsteps raced up the stairs from the bar, paused in the living area, and continued towards her room. The door burst open, making her jump in surprise. Her dad stood in the doorway, out of breath and white as a ghost. "Sarah get out of bed." his voice was shaking with panic.

She didn't stop to argue as she flung the covers off and got up. "What is it Daddy?"

"Grab your blanket and follow me, hurry now!"

She did as she was told and followed him out of the room, dragging her blanket along with her. "What's going on?" she could barely keep up with him on the stairs.

She got her answer, but not from him. As soon as she hit the bottom of the stairs she saw the fire blazing near the door. Karen was already there with a blanket, trying to hit out the flames.

Sarah screamed when one of the windows shattered and a ball of fire came flying through it, landing on the bar. She rushed over and started throwing her blanket on it in hopes of stopping it from spreading as her dad went over to help Karen. Another fireball came flying in and landed somewhere in the corner.

The smoke was starting to build up from the growing and diminishing fire and Sarah put a hand over her mouth just so she could breathe better.

"Come on out humans!" someone shouted outside.

Sarah froze in mid swing with the blanket. That was Bud's voice!

Another fireball came in through the window straight at her and she swung her blanket at it, just barely knocking it away from her face and against the wall.

"Burn baby burn!" someone else shouted from outside.

The smoke was getting very thick now, and the fire was spreading faster than they could move. Sarah wiped the tears from her eyes that were stinging from the smoke and looked over to where she had last seen Karen and her dad.

Karen was still holding the blanket, but now it was on fire too. Her dad was over by the window, peering out. She threw down her blanket and ran over to him, stopping long enough to cough like she was losing a lung.

"Daddy!" she shouted, unsure what to do or what was really going on.

He turned around and the look on his face said it all, they were going to lose the bar.

"David help me!" Karen screeched from over at the door. She had discarded the blanket and the flames were running from the floor to the ceiling now.

Sarah felt tears rush to her eyes as she stared at it and she wasn't sure if it was the smoke anymore.

"Come on out humans!" someone outside hollered again.

Her dad gripped her face in his hands and made her look up at him. "Sarah, I need you to listen to me alright Sweety?"

She couldn't nod her head so she just stared up at him and tried to focus on him and not the smoke or the heat in the room. "Go upstairs and get Toby. You need to sneak out the window in my room. Once you get outside run and don't stop running for nothing."

She clung to her dad's arm. "You're coming too right?" she couldn't keep her voice from shaking and didn't even try.

"Karen and I will be right on her heels honey. Just promise me that you'll run and keep running."

She nodded her head.

"No matter what right?"

"I promise," she sobbed. "You'll be right behind me?"

"Yes," he kissed her and pulled her into a tight hug.

She hugged him like he was the only thing holding her up.

"Now go get your brother." He let go of her and shoved her gently toward the stairs.

She shook her head to clear it for a second and ran up the stairs, where the smoke was already filling up the second floor. She could hear Toby crying in their room and rushed through the door.

Toby was standing in his crib, holding onto the side and balling his eyes out in fear. "It's okay Toby, It's going to be alright," she assured him as she scooped him up out of the crib. She wrapped him up in his blanket, covering his head from the smoke. She paused in the door way and went back over to her bed, reaching under the pillow and grabbing the bag of money the goblin king had given her. If the bar went they would need it.

Toby continued to cry as she hurried into her parent's room. It was the same size as hers, a small bed and box full of clothes taking up the space. The ceiling was greatly slanted since the roof slanted down on this side of the building. One small strip of ceiling was level because the window over the head of the bed rose up above the roofline. The window would be just big enough for her to squeeze out of with Toby and onto the little bit of roof that extended past him.

She went over the box of clothes and grabbed on of her father's long sleeve shirts. She laid Toby out on the bed and tied the waist of the shirt closed tight. She then unbuttoned the front down to the knot she had put in the bottom. She placed Toby in the body of the shirt and buttoned it back up so he wouldn't fall out. She picked the shirt up by the sleeves, bouncing it a little to make damn sure it would hold him. When she was satisfied she slung him around to her back and tied the sleeves so one went over her shoulder and the other went under her arm to meet at her chest.

Toby squirmed against it and she prayed with all she had that it would hold long enough. She tied the pouch to her sash and climbed up on the bed. The window was just a piece of glass pushed into the pane so it was easy to take it out and toss it behind her on the bed. She used what little bounce the bed offered to help her get up into the window and hoist herself up.

It was hard to do with Toby on her back to add to the weight but by some miracle she got them both up and out the window and onto the edge of the roof. She could smell the fire better from here and could see the glow coming from the other side of the house. She could also hear the pack shouting on the other side of the house. She looked around her and spotted the tree that grew next to the left side of the bar. A few branches reached the roof, but all the ones that could hold her weight were at least four feet away. She staid low on the roof so she wouldn't be seen. Toby had thankfully decided to give the crying a rest.

She moved over to the tree roof next to the tree and looked over the edge to see how high off the ground she was. The fall wouldn't kill her assuming she landed right, but she wouldn't be in good shape afterwards. Toby probably wouldn't survive it.

She looked at the tree, trying to find the closest and thickest branch. When she had the best spot picked out she rose up the slightest bit from the roof- only to eh drop back down when one of the Weres came around the corner. She watched over the edge of the roof as the male took a ball of rags in his hand and lit a match, setting them on fire before quickly tossing it through one of the windows. She looked back over at the section of roof where the window was, hoping against hope to see her dad or even Karen come out of it.

The Were ran back around to the front of the bar and she took her chance, rising up higher from the roof. She counted to three in her head and bit her cheek to make sure she didn't scream as she jumped off the roof and at the tree. Her feet missed the branch she wanted and her arms gripped the wide trunk as she fell a few feet more than she had intended, stopping when her but hit the branch she had intended to land on. She looked around when she was sure she wasn't falling anymore.

She picked out the next branch that was close to her and thick enough for her weight and hugged the tree tight as she shifted her weight and reached out for it with her foot. She was able to reach it and moved down to that branch, lowering herself to sit on that one. Sarah took in deep breaths of the fresh night air before looking for another branch.

When she had one picked out she again shifted her weight and placed her foot on that one. She lowered herself from the branch she was on to put her full weight on the next one.

Her heart stopped the second she heard a loud cracking noise. The branch snapped out from under her and she fell with it. Hitting another limb hard with her ribs before dropping onto the hard ground on her stomach.

She held still for a minute, listening to Toby start to fuss on her back, squirming around. She started to slowly move her fingers and toes, then her arms and legs. Nothing broken. She picked herself up from the ground, finding her ribs still hurt, but not enough to give her real pause.

Sarah got to her feet quickly and dashed to the back side of the house, in the opposite direction from where she knew the Weres and fire were. She gripped the shirt sleeves in her hands for security that they wouldn't give way and sprinted away from the bar till she reached the neighboring property. She stopped there and moved around the property to the front so she could see the profile of the bar. The whole front half was a wall of fire. She looked back at the window she had come out of, but there was no sight of her dad.

"Gods, please," she whispered, starting to panic. She could see at least four men at the front of the bar.

She startled and ducked back around the corner when the door to the property she was on swung open. She new the people who lived here; three old female trolls. At least two of them stood in their doorway now and she could hear them talking.

"What in the Underground?"

"It's the bar the humans own."

"Aren't those the Weremen?"

"Looks like it. At least it's just the human's place. We'll keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't spread to our property, just in case."

"Let's go back inside; it's too early for this."

She heard the door shut and assumed they were gone. Even though she didn't expect them to do anything she still felt anger and heartache like heavy weights in her chest. She went back around the corner to see she was right, they had gone back inside.

Her breath caught in her throat when she looked back at the bar. The Weres were still there, but now she could clearly see her dad and Karen with them. She fought the urge to come out of hiding and run over to them with everything she had and strained her ears to hear them over the roar of the fire that was eating up the bar like an angry giant.

Her dad shouted something at Bud. There was a pause. Then Sarah had to cover her mouth with her hands to hold back the scream as Bud hit her father with such force that his head twisted around to face the opposite direction and his body crumpled to the ground.

Karen started screaming her head off in terror and Sarah was doing the same through her hands. Tears clouded and ran down her eyes in heavy streams as she sank down to her knees on the ground. Her chest felt tight and she wasn't sure if she was having trouble breathing because of that or the big lump in her throat.

She couldn't bring herself to even blink as one of the Weres turned into a large wolf and attacked Karen, knocking her to the ground and quieting her screams in the worst way possible.

Sarah slumped where she sat and kneeled on the ground as all her strength left her. They can't be dead. I didn't just see that. They can't be dead. She heard a weird whiny sound and it took her a minute to realize she was making it. She clutched her hands against her mouth harder but she couldn't stop making the noise, only muffle it. After a second or so the whine stopped and full out sobbing was right on its heals, making it even harder to breathe.

Sarah began to gasp and pant past the sobs in hopes of simply getting air, no longer needing her hands to block the noise that couldn't get past the lump in her throat.

She leaned her shoulder against the side of the building and tried to pull herself up to her feet, her legs shaking beneath her. She swayed a little at first when she started walking, but the only instinct she had right now was that she needed to get away before the Weres could detect her or her scent over the fire. She had to get as far away as possible, for Toby's sake too. She had promised her dad she would keep running.

Chapter 4: An Eye For An Eye

Sarah's head hurt.

No, actually her arms and legs hurt.

Maybe it was actually her torso.

Hell, fact was that she hurt all over.

There wasn't a thing about her that didn't ache and feel heavy. It was a strain just to open her eyelids so she could figure out what sound she was hearing.

Toby was crawling around a foot away from her in the dirt and making gargling baby noises. She pushed herself up from the ground into a sitting position and found it to not only be difficult, but her head spun with such force she almost fell back to the ground. If she had been standing she would have fallen for sure. She waited a couple minutes while her head stopped spinning before even looked up at Toby again. The babe was crawling away from her very quickly.

"Toby!" she called out, lunging after him on instinct and just grabbing his left ankle. Toby tripped because of her grip on his ankle and fell forward onto his face. Sarah braced herself as tears immediately erupted from him. She dragged herself up onto her own hands and knees and crawled forward a few inches to him. "Oh Toby," she sighed, scooping him up into her arms as he balled.

"Ello."

She startled and looked around her in all directions. She didn't see anyone.

"Down 'ere!"

She looked down where Toby had been crawling to see a little blue worm looking back up at her. Like most animals in the Underground worms were very articulate when it came to speaking.

"Oh, hello," she whispered, finding her voice was too sore to speak up.

"Thank you for calling off the little being's attack! I owe ya one."

Sarah looked down at Toby unsurely. "Oh, I didn't-

"How about a cup of tea? I can have the miss brew us up a nice pot." The worm offered.

Sarah looked around for the first time. There were large stone walls on either side of her and some opticon plants growing here and there. Nothing looked familiar. She thought back to last night and the images of the fire and her parents brought fresh tears to her eyes.

The worm's mouth gaped a little and he inched forward. "Ay, now don cry! You're alright."

She everything was a blur after that, she just remembered traveling for what seemed like forever. Eventually she'd come to the door of a gate and had gone inside of it, thinking she could hide behind it till day break. She looked up at the sky and saw that it was already getting close to twilight. She had slept in even more than usual and she still felt exhausted.

"Where am I?" Sarah asked out loud.

"Why, don ya know?" the worm asked, "Ya be in the Labyrinth, Being."

Her heart started o speed up. The Labyrinth surrounded the goblin city. No one came here because it was very dangerous. She was lucky to have made it through the night if half the stories she had heard were true. Goblins were murderous greedy creatures that delighted in torturing others!

She didn't want to leave though because for all she knew Bud and his gang were on the other side of the wall waiting for her. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place and it felt like both were closing in fast to crush her.

She thought about the goblin she'd seen yesterday at the bar and a shiver went up her spine at the thought of something like that finding her out here. Jareth.

Her head snapped up at that thought. Jareth, the goblin king, he was in charge here. She reached back and palmed the velvet bag hanging from her hip. Goblin king or not, there was a chance that he may honor his word and pay her back for saving his life. She sat back on her heels for a second.

If she asked him for safe passage through to the other side of the Labyrinth who knew what she would find, and even then she'd be on her own with Toby in a world were there was no sympathy for a Being. She'd have to find a job to support the both of them. That might work. She looked down at the worm. He also owed her a favor as far as he was concerned. She might not have meant to help him, but she wasn't going to ask for anything too big in return.

"I need your help." Sarah whispered.

The worm looked up at her thoughtfully. "Of course."

"I need to get to the castle at the center of the Labyrinth. Do you know the way?"

The worm shook his head. "Ya don want to go there girl."

Sarah sighed. "I have no choice. You said you owed me, will you just help me with this?"

The worm thought about it for a minute before letting out a big sigh- big for him anyway. "There's a way right behind you."

Sarah turned around to look behind her but only saw wall.

"Just go through it. Ya'll see what I mean."

She looked back to see the worm crawling back up the wall toward a crack.

"Go left and it'll take ya straight to that castle. The king uses that way for travel hisself."

Sarah took her dad's shirt off from around her torso and placed Toby back inside of it. She tried not to think about it being her dad's shirt because she knew she would lose it if she did. She slung it back around so it'd be easier to carry Toby and reached her hands out just in case the worm was playing a trick on her as she stepped toward the wall. She smiled to herself when she passed through the optical illusion and into a separate tunnel that ran parallel with the first. Since the worm had told her to go left, that's what she did.

Mavarion sat upon her throne in the Fae Court, still angry with Jareth from the night before. Her fire-orange hair fell in soft waves down her back and stopped to curl around her black-booted feet. It gave her pale skin a glow like she really was in the presence of fire. Her black gown clung to her petite body from the top of her breasts to just over her knees and a large grey wrap made of feathers draped around her shoulders and crisscrossed over her stomach to connect behind her hips and drag in two long strands behind her when she walked. The only thing that wasn't the picture of high sophistication about her was the scowl on her face.

Last night her son had finally answered to her letters to visit, and then had left after hardly an hour. And he wondered why she would start questioning and nagging as soon as he walked in, because if she didn't he'd be gone before she could even start. She let out a frustrated growl and shook her head.

"Is her majesty alright?"

Mavarion looked back up at Colane, who stood unsurely in front of her. The female was a beauty there was no denying that; she could see why her son had stopped long enough on his way out to invite her to the Goblin Castle.

She tried to soften her features a little when the female started to shift back and forth uncomfortably in her flowing spring-green dress.

"You wished to speak with me?" Colane asked.

Mavarion nodded her head. "I heard you went to visit my son at his home last night."

Colane blanched and nervously nodded her head in agreement. "Er, yes your majesty."

Mavarion stood up from her throne and stepped down to stand before the other female, who bowed low out of respect. "You've been away for etiquette schooling for the past ten years haven't you?"

Colane nodded again, staying in her bent over pose.

"You may stand up. I'm going to ask you a personal question and although it goes against your training you will answer it bluntly." Mavarion waited until the female was standing straight before continuing.

"You slept with Jareth did you not?"

Colane's face turned a shade of pink but she nodded her head. "Yes your highness."

"Do you think Jareth intends to have a relationship with you or were you two just fooling around?"

Colane's eyes dropped to the floor and her head dipped down a little. "Fooling."

Mavarion huffed in frustration. She had hoped that maybe with a woman of such great breeding as Colane Jareth would finally stop playing around. Things were different now a day than when she had come to power in the Underground. Then Faes would still have out of marriage escapades, but to do so between two Faes of good breeding usually meant a wedding. Anymore everyone was fair game it seemed. She felt like Jareth was going to always keep to his scoundrel ways.

Mavarion had ruled over the Underground for 298 years already. It would soon be time for her son to step up and take over the next 300. She had let him keep his precious goblin kingdom because there was nothing she could do to take it from him and because she had hopped it would force him to start taking responsibility. The problem was there was no responsibility in the Labyrinth for him to worry about.

He was completely unfit to assume his birthright as the King of the Fae. When she had started to tell him all this during his visit he had brushed off her concerns and told her keep the crown if she didn't think he should have it.

"Colane, do you have ambitions for yourself?" she asked.

The female smiled then. "Of course your majesty, I went to etiquette schooling so one day I can meet a nobleman and move up in rank like any courtier."

The queen nodded, knowing it was a common enough answer. "Have you ever thought of moving into the ranks of queen?"

The female's eyes grew wide and her mouth gaped for a second before she remembered to close it. "Queen? How do you mean?"

"I am saying when my son steps up to the throne I would feel better if he was more… prepared for it. Right now I feel he is still too young and reckless. Being in a real relationship with a female will help a male fix these qualities no matter what species he is, Fae, Gremlin, or Being. If you were willing to try to make something out of your relationship with him then when he became king you'd become his queen."

The female wasn't a bad choice for this approach. She was from good stock and her family was well respected. She was too simple to cause any trouble in a position of power, and she may be just what Jareth needed to shake him out of his hole.

Mavarion reached up to touch the golden hoop that rested on her head. She didn't know what was worse, that he wasn't ready for the crown or that he didn't care at all.

Nothing else had worked so far, and she couldn't wait much longer. Love was probably Jareth's last chance to man up.

Colane's green eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas. "What should I do to become queen- and to help Jareth?"

She looked up an inch or so at the taller female. "What any female does to gain a man's interest. Laugh at their jokes, keep them amused, and share any interest he has. Come now, surely they taught you this in school."

Colane smirked. "Of course, I just wanted a clear interpretation of how you think I should go about it. Will there be anything else your majesty?"

Mavarion shook her head. "That is all," she sighed, turning back to her throne. She didn't want to do this to Jareth, to let females try to trick him into love. But she was running out of time and options very quickly.

Colane bowed low and took her leave.

"Your majesty still carries hope for Jareth?" a male voice asked.

Mavarion didn't have to look back to know that her nephew Saboroth had entered the room. She held her head high a she turned back to the room before retaking her seat on the throne, slinging her extremely long hair over her shoulder so she didn't sit on it.

Slightly Jareth's senior in age, the Fae had always seemed centuries older than her son in maturity. The male was tall and slender with a face so much like her son's and silver hair that matched his eyes fell in straight strands down to his chest. He was dressed in regal robes of white silk trimmed with deep blue lining.

Judging from the clothes he had just come back from a court meeting.

Mavarion couldn't help but wish Jareth would take after his cousin at least a little. Saboroth was a born politician and nobleman. "I will always carry hope for my son, it is a mother's duty," she answered curtly.

Saboroth bowed low to her. "And I can respect that dear Aunt, but what of your duty as a queen to select the most worthy Fae to become the next ruler of the Underground?"

She couldn't help but scowl. He didn't beat around the bush at all. "And you would be the most worthy?"

He looked up at her then. "Wouldn't I?"

She decided to look out the window rather than answer him.

"My queen, my dear aunt, I only want what is best for everyone. Do you think Jareth would be happy as the ruler of the Labyrinth? He has never cared for the courts, so much so that he moved all the way to the Goblin City to escape them. He hasn't even bothered to keep up communication to learn what is current and important in our world today. He'd return to us with nothing to offer."

She turned back to him. "He'd learn Saboroth, no matter how my son acts he has always been a quick study and a sharp Fae. I will hear no more of this discussion. You are dismissed."

His face dropped as he turned away and she was not sure but the queen thought he might have scowled.

She had no grudge against her nephew; every Fae had it in their nature to want to get ahead. She'd probably take him up on his offer too, since he really was the best for the job. But she couldn't bring herself to do it after all this time because of one thing, Jareth didn't like him.

That was putting it mildly actually, her son couldn't stand his cousin. Since childhood it had been that way. Her son wasn't petty or grudge-holding, but he was a great judge of character and was never wrong in his feelings toward a person. Because of that she didn't want to give in to her nephew's desire to become king. If Jareth didn't like someone, there was usually good reason for no one to do so.

Sarah continued to walk down the path. It was starting to get dark now, and the slightest noise was making her jump out of her skin. Toby fussed on her back and threatened to start crying again. To try to make him stay quiet she tried humming to him. That was the last thing they needed for some beast to come along and swallow them up.

Snap.

Sarah gave a startled yelp and turned around, only to find she was still alone with Toby. "Okay, it's okay Sarah. Just calm down," she whispered to herself. She turned back around and continued on her way.

She sighed when Toby started to ignore her humming and whine more and more urgently. She slipped the shirt around so Toby slipped under her arm and came to sit against her front instead of against her back. She gripped his sides through the shirt and started to bounce him gently. "I know Toby, I'm hungry too."

Snap.

She spun around then, her breath catching in her throat. Again she saw nothing.

She had grown up knowing that nothing was what it seemed in the Underground though. The hairs on the back of her neck started to stand up and she strained her ears for any sound whatsoever.

For a few minutes there was nothing.

Snap.

Sarah turned back around and bolted down the path. Toby hung in front of her, screaming joyfully now like he was completely amused!

She couldn't hear anything now, but she knew there was something following behind on her heels. Sarah didn't dare pause to look back though and so made herself keep running. The long dress she wore got caught up in her legs and she went spilling to the ground, wrapping as much of her body around Toby as she could to protect him. As a result she ended up landing on her face. The entire left side of her head hurt and she was sure her face was scratched up a little. She didn't have time to get up when suddenly they were all around her.

At least four goblins were right there in less than a second. She clutched Toby to her as one of them threw a net over her.

The little garden was in full bloom this time of year. The plants were growing like wildfire since no one was there to look after them. They offered perfect cover however, and that was how Jareth liked it.

Jacqueline tumbled out from behind a gamboo bush they were using, laughing loudly when Jareth seized her hips and pulled her back behind it. Jareth hadn't expected her to come all the way to the Goblin Castle, but found himself happy that she had. She laughingly screamed again when he flipped her over onto her bare back and latched onto her neck, running his tongue along the sensitive skin there.

"Your majesty, your gluttony knows no bounds," she laughed. "You taste me as if I were supper!"

"You would too if you knew what a divine dish you were," he whispered into her ear, smirking when she shivered against him.

"Err, your highness?" a voice asked from somewhere in the garden.

Jareth and Jacqueline both froze where they were.

Just go away, just go away. Jareth listened for any sound.

Whatever goblin was there took a few steps closer to the bush. "You highness we need you in the throne room."

Jacqueline stiffened underneath him, like most females of the Fae she was scared of the creatures. He secretly kind of like that; it encouraged them not to stick around when he was done having fun with them.

Jareth usually didn't mind though because the females didn't get scared off until he was done. He'd hardly spent enough time with her and now his fun was over.

"I'll be there in a minute," he growled.

The goblin turned back around and went back into the castle.

He turned back to Jacqueline, ready to give her a send-off when she held her hand out to stop him. "You know what; I'll just let myself out."

He had been hoping she'd say that. "No, at least let me escort you out of the castle."

She stood up and started to slip back into her dress. "Don't worry about it, just go back and keep your goblins… entertained."

He smirked. That was code for 'keep them the hell away from me'. He stood up and located his own clothes as she made her way out of the garden.

The throne room was packed as usual when he arrived. Jareth made his way through the crowd of goblins and flopped down on his throne. He liked that he never had to call for meetings with the goblins; they usually just fetched him whenever they thought they had a big enough amount of problems and requests to ask of him so he didn't get mad and shout at them for wasting his time.

"Quiet!" he shouted over the noise.

The goblins all stopped talking at once and focused on him.

"Was the ghoul taken care of?" he asked.

One of the goblins he had sent out the other day stepped forward with a wicked grin. "As you ordered."

"I assume he was no problem?"

"Other than indigestion, no."

Jareth's lip curled in disgust. "You ate a foul ghoul?"

The goblin's face dropped and he looked disgusted himself. "What? No, I meant the salt. You said to cut off his supply, so we went ahead and ate it."

Jareth fought to hold back a laugh. Goblins would swallow any kind of food. "And what did you do with the ghoul?"

The goblin shrugged. "Learned that ghouls can't swim very good."

The throne room erupted into laughter.

Jareth even smiled a little. "What else did you want me for?"

"A bunch of stuff was found in the Labyrinth," one of them shouted.

Jareth had made them start bringing everything foreign they found in the labyrinth to him for approval to sell, keep or eat. It was the only way he could seem to make sure they didn't get into too much trouble with things they picked up, and goblins seemed to find everything and anything they shouldn't.

"Alright, what did you all find?"

A little goblin ran up with an old banged up tea kettle in his hands. "Keep?" he asked, holding the kettle up for Jareth to see.

Jareth shrugged his shoulders. "You can keep it."

The goblin squealed in triumph and ran back into the crowd with his prize.

"Next," Jareth bellowed.

Another goblin ran up and held up a sharp hook in his hand. It was a wonder he hadn't hurt himself on it already. "Eat?"

Jareth held his hand out and the goblin slowly and sadly placed the hook in Jareth's hand. "No, find something else to eat." He handed it to one of the goblin guards next to him. "Put that in the armory as a weapon."

The goblin guard bowed and ran off as the goblin that had found the hook trudged back into the crowd.

"Next," Jareth bellowed.

A large crowd of goblins split from the back of the room as five stepped forward, dragging something big behind them. All the goblins buzzed with excitement at what they saw and Jareth craned his neck to get a better look.

The goblins stopped before him, something big caught in the net behind them. As soon as they came to a stop the thing in the net started to move around and Jareth caught sight of dark hair and white fabric. It was a Being!

"Eat?" the goblins asked.

"No you don't get to eat me!" the human girl inside the net screamed.

"Let her go." Jareth demanded.

The goblins all grumbled and moped as one took out a knife and cut the netting. The brunette female inside shoved the net off from on top of her and sat up. A baby was strapped in against her chest in a strange looking sack- wait that was a shirt.

The female turned back around to face him. She was quite a sight, a scratched up face and covered in dirt. She looked like she'd had a hell of a night. Jareth couldn't shake the nagging thought that she looked familiar.

It suddenly dawned on him. "Wait a minute, I know you."

She nodded her head and climbed out of the net. "You stopped at my father's tavern the other night," she confirmed.

"What were you doing in my Labyrinth?" Jareth asked, sure that his goblins hadn't left just to capture a Being.

The female stood up straighter, wrapping her arms around the babe that hung in front of her. Her brown eyes kept shifting around the room nervously.

"Don't worry about the goblins, they wont touch you," he assured her.

She continued to shuffle nervously. Maybe she was nervous of him.

"So we can't eat her?" one of the goblins asked.

"No!" he snapped.

He turned his attention back to the girl before him. "I asked you a question human, what are you doing in my Labyrinth?"

She looked up at him then. "Do you remember last night when I stopped the gnome from poisoning you?"

Normally he would scold her for questioning him, much less when he'd already asked her a question, but in this case he simply nodded. It was obvious she was here to collect on his promise to repay her. "What do you want in return?" he didn't bother to beat around the bush and preferred to get straight to the point.

She seemed to suddenly rethink why she was even here and for a minute he thought he'd have to ask again.

"I just, I need a job and a room for me and my brother to stay."

That surprised him. He had expected her to ask for more money.

"I thought you were staying with your parents at the tavern."

She looked down to the floor like she wanted to hide her face from him. He watched as she fished behind her and pulled out the bag he had handed her the other night. "If you give me a job here in your castle I'll work hard for you. I don't care if you have me scrubbing toilets. And in the meantime I can pay for a room for my brother and I with this."

He looked her over. He didn't want a human in his castle. Goblins he could stand, but humans were virtually useless. At least goblins had magic to help them with any task he assigned them. He'd turn her away in a second, but he had given his word that he'd pay her back for his life. She obviously didn't want to tell him about her father's tavern, she had been sure to skirt that question.

Damn, if only he didn't owe her… he'd be dead.

He sighed and sat up in his throne. "Surely there's something else I can do for you. If you're running away with your son-

"My brother."

He glared at her for her interruption and she blanched as if just realizing what she had done. She lowered her head and clutched her hands together. "I apologize your majesty."

"If you're running away with your brother," he corrected, "Then I can offer you safe passage through my Labyrinth."

She shook her head. "I'd have no where to go after that."

She'd thought about this. Frankly he was surprised she turned down anything he offered. It wasn't like she had all the options in the world. She probably had nothing to lose either though.

"Money? I can offer you more money if you wish."

She shook her head again. "A human has no rights to life or property; there would be nothing to stop someone from just taking it from me."

She looked back up at him. "I would like you to keep your word and give me a job in return for saving your life."

She was a stubborn human.

Jareth let out a sigh and rubbed his face. He wasn't going to get her to bend on this. Maybe he'd have to send a goblin out to visit her father. If she was running away her father probably wanted her back. He'd give her a job in the mean time and be sending her home within a day or so. "Fine, I have no need of a drink girl, so do you know how to cook?"

She smiled a little and nodded her head. "Yes your majesty."

Maybe in the meantime then he could get a break from his regular meals. Goblins were fun, but just lousy cooks. But then again, one of them had just wanted to eat a rusty hook. "Then that can be your job. You'll cook my breakfast, lunch, and supper. Do you understand?"

She nodded her head in agreement. "And a room for me and my brother?"

Jareth sighed and held out his hand for the sack. She dumped the contents into his palm, but he couldn't help notice she kept the velvet pouch. "I'm sure we'll find you something." He sighed. He wasn't worried about it at all. He could put her up in a room for a night or two before returning her to the tavern.

He turned to one of the goblins that hung around the castle. "Lead…" he couldn't remember her name.

"S-Sarah," she prompted.

"Lead Sarah to one of the rooms on the lower level."

She smiled at him a little before turning with Toby and following the goblin out of the room.

Jareth let out a sigh once she was gone and rubbed his hands over his face. "Someone go to town and find a bar called The Spirits. Tell the owner there that his daughter is here and well and I'll be sending her back to him the second I receive word."

A goblin stood and ran out the door before he could even finish rubbing his face. "Next!" he bellowed.

"Here you go," the goblin pushed open the door and backed off so she could get into the doorway.

Sarah clutched Toby to her and stepped into the room. It was bigger than her old one, still small in comparison to the throne room, but bigger. It was about the size of the cellar back at the bar. It was very plain, bare walls and only one window. A single-sleeper bed sat in the middle and a small dresser was against the wall. A cloud of dust hung on everything; it was obvious no one had used this room in a long while.

She couldn't help but smile to herself. It was more than she had expected. "Thank you," she whispered to the goblin before he closed the door behind her.

She went over to the dresser and opened up one of the drawers. A pillow filled up the first one. The next held sheets, and the third held a heavier blanket for colder nights. They were all light yellow in color. She looked down at Toby and smiled, pulling a blanket out and shaking it free of dust. She laid it out on the bed and set Toby down on top of it.

She got down on her knees beside him and kissed his little hands as he cooed up at her. "We're going to be okay Toby." She cleared her voice when she started to choke up and fought to keep from crying. "I promise you, I'm going to take care of you from now on. I don't care what I have to do, but I'll make sure you never go hungry."

Toby gurgled and smiled at her.

"I promise," she whispered.

Chapter 5: breakfast

Sarah startled from sleep when a loud banging sound filled the room. She sat up in bed and looked over at the door that shook with the force of someone knocking on it. She looked over to the little nest she had made next to the bed for Toby. Last night she had taken the heavy blanket from the drawer and had laid it out on the floor next to the bed, making the sides rise up so Toby wouldn't roll out of it and would still be comfortable and warm all night.

He started to squirm and his face scrunched up in discomfort at being woken up.

"Hey," a gruff voice shouted through the door, "The King will be taking his breakfast in a couple hours. Get up and get to work!"

She looked out the only window in her room. It was still dark out, the edge of the sky just starting to brighten. She had hardly gotten any sleep.

Sarah groaned as she flipped the sheet off of her, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and getting up. She threw on her dirty and torn work dress since it was the only thing she had to wear and ran her fingers through her hair, not surprised to find it a tangled mess. Heck, she was a mess in general.

Toby flipped over onto his stomach and started to crawl around. Sarah sighed and picked up her father's shirt. It too was stretched out and dirty. Since it was cold in this place she went ahead and untied the bottom and threw it over herself. It's not like she'd have to dress up anyway, she was a kitchen cook now.

She scooped up her little brother and opened the door, jumping when she found a big Goblin staring up at her. She had a foot on him in height, but he was at least three times as wide as her. He had a pig-nose that he looked over at her with beady black eyes. "You'll be late."

She frowned, not sure how to respond.

He rolled his little eyes and turned around, taking up the space of the hallway as he did. "Kitchen's this way."

Sarah carried Toby in her arms as she followed the goblin down the hall and to a large wooden door.

The goblin pushed it open for her and moved out of the way so she could get inside. She wanted to scream at what she saw. It wasn't a kitchen, it was a pigsty! Besides the pots and pans thrown everywhere, it looked like a huge food-fight ad broken out and then had been left to rot for a few weeks. The smell was insulting and everywhere she looked there was mold and scum. She stepped away from the door gasping.

"You can't be serious?"

"You'll be replacing Bumper." The goblin growled out. "Get in there Being."

She hesitated before stepping back inside; trying her best to regulate how much she had to breathe in. Toby started to fuss in her arms before leaping into an all-out scream fest at the smell that was assaulting his poor nose. Sarah wished she hadn't brought him along; there was no telling how sick he could get from being exposed to so many molds. If the king's meals really were cooked here she couldn't understand how he wasn't freakishly ill all the time.

This was the place flies came to commit suicide.

The clanging of pots startled her enough to make her yelp and turn around to face a thin little goblin with the same pig-like face as the big one that had led her here. She wondered if they were related. This one, however, was barely as high as her knee. He wore a sickly-looking yellow apron and a chef's hat that looked like the top corner had been burned off.

He glared up at Sarah. "You're the new cook?" he asked in a horse and scratchy voice.

Sarah didn't really trust her voice so she simply nodded.

The goblin snorted and handed her his chef's hat, which she reluctantly took. "Suit yourself, but good luck breaking my record."

"Your record?" Was he talking about having the most disgusting kitchen she'd ever seen?

He puffed out his flat chest proudly. "I'm the first cook here who didn't blow himself up! A few close calls maybe, but nothing too bad."

Sarah's mouth dropped. How do you blow yourself up cooking?

The goblin took one look at the expression on her face and smiled smugly. "Yep, I'm pretty impressive."

He side-stepped her and marched out of the door. "Let's see how long a being can last, they don't bounce back like us goblins do!"

Sarah's mouth was still hanging open when the door closed behind him. Did goblins really have that big a problem in the kitchen? She looked around her, trying her best to tune out Toby's cries. She was starving, she was sure it was only worse for her baby brother.

Sarah dropped the dirty hat and moved around the mess and went over to what looked like a pantry door. She pushed it open, only to jump back screaming when a rat charged out under her feet.

"Oh this is disgusting!" she cried. She was going to have to clean everything up; there was no way she could work like this. She slipped into the pantry after making sure no more rats were going to run out at her and took a look at the options she had to work with. Some things she had never heard of while others she didn't dare even take a look at, like a box marked 'Lizard Skins'.

She looked at some glass jars on the top shelf. One had a barely legible label on it that read 'Uter'.

She pulled it down and unscrewed the lid, finding an untouched light yellow form sitting inside. It was butter! She looked up and found other familiar foods in the jars that she could work with. She was delighted to find a crate of eggs stuffed into the cold corner of the pantry. She'd be able to make some for herself and her brother and if she worked fast she could cook something up for the king.

She smiled to herself and bounced Toby in her arm so he'd stop crying. This just might work out for them.

Jareth trudged down to the main dining hall and took his usual seat at the head of a table big enough to seat at least twenty. He carried some papers with him to go over as he waited and ate, tossing them down onto the table top.

A goblin was already waiting for him there. The goblin waited till Jareth looked at him before approaching. "You sent me to find the tavern the Being came from your highness," it rumbled.

Jareth nodded his head, remembering. "Did you get in contact with the owner there?"

"No."

Jareth looked up at that, he wasn't used to goblins failing to carry out his orders. They never did fail, unless it was an impossible task.

"I was able to find The Spirits. It's nothing but ash. It looks like a fire destroyed it. I talked with some trolls that witnessed it and they said no one survived."

There were obviously survivors. Jareth turned back to the goblin. "Did they tell you anything else?"

The goblin shook his head. "I didn't ask anything else."

She wasn't a runaway then, she was just homeless. Jareth nodded his head grimly. "You may go."

The goblin left without needing to be told twice.

That was just great, if he had known that he wouldn't have agreed to let her stay in his castle. Humans were like wild animals from what he'd heard. Goblins were a big enough handful as it was, but now he had two humans staying here. He had thought he'd be rid of her, but with no where to go he couldn't go back on his word and caste them out. He'd find out what happened to her home first, and then if there was absolutely nothing else he could do he'd have to think about setting some ground rules for them so they didn't become a problem for him.

Jareth looked up at the large clock on the wall. Where the hell is my breakfast?

Sarah had finally located some plates that weren't broken in half or worse and cleaned them in the sink for about ten minutes before all the stains came off. This place had really gone to pot as far as she was concerned. She had been ecstatic when she'd locate a highchair thrown in with the wood pile for the stove, pulling it out and setting Toby inside it so he didn't get hurt and could eat his scrambled eggs in peace.

Sarah flipped the cheese omelets and slices of bread onto a plate and set it down on a spot she had cleared off on the counter. Then she took the other plate and loaded it up with hash browns and a few good sausages she had found. All she needed was something for the king to drink. She dived back into the pantry and located a bunch of gallon-sized jugs. She popped the cork off one and sniffed at the opening, happy when the smell of grapes hit her nose. Juice would have to be good enough for him.

She found a clean glass in one of the cupboards and filled it with the deep-purple liquid.

Toby saw what she was doing and squirmed with delight at the sight of juice. It was a rare occasion when her family could afford to buy some juice for Toby besides the water they usually drank themselves. She'd have to look for milk later, pouring some of the juice into a little bottle and handing it over to Toby. Apparently goblins looked after their kids with a lot of the same materials that humans did.

A loud knock on the door startled her and she turned around to the door just as the large goblin from before opened it up. "The king is waiting for his food Being! Hurry up and take it to him before he fires you."

Sarah blanched at that. She didn't know she'd have to actually take it to the king, but then he probably wasn't about to come and get it himself. Oh well, she had waited on drunks before, she could wait on a king.

"I'll be right back Toby," she sighed, gathering the plates and glass up in her arms. She tried her best to balance them and walk quickly at the same time, following the goblin out the door and further down the hall. She didn't want to leave Toby alone with his food, but thought it best not to keep her new boss waiting any more. She'd just slip the plates down and hurry back before anything could happen to Toby.

The Goblin pointed her to another door, but before she could go through it he grabbed the sash tied around her waist to stop her. She looked back at him with a glare when she almost spilled the juice. His beady eyes glared down at her as he spoke, "Don't approach him until he has seen you. He doesn't like to be snuck up on. The last goblin that forgot was tied by his ears to the wall for a week so he couldn't sneak up on anyone else!"

Sarah's eyes bulged and she couldn't help but feel very worried.

The goblin let go of her sash and she pushed the door open with her hip since her hands were full, turning with the door so she could face the room as it closed behind her. It was massive. You could have fit the entire bar in here and still have room to move about. A very long table with finely carved wood sat in the very center of the room, running lengthwise with it. At the far end opposite her sat Jareth, bent over a bunch of papers with his head resting on his hand.

Her heart sped up from nerves when she saw him. She staid firmly planted to her spot, wanting to be sure he saw her before she moved at all. After a few minutes of him not looking up she couldn't help but notice how heavy the tray was getting. She looked down at the tray full of food and couldn't help but gulp when she noticed it was starting to shake in her tired arms.

When she looked up she jumped and nearly dropped the tray, catching it quickly and by some miracle not spilling any of its contents. Jareth was staring straight at her now with a frown on his face. He looked like he did back at the bar when she had stupidly made a face at him. She felt like a deer in the headlights as she stared back at him, her heart in her throat.

For some reason she always felt so nervous and unsure of everything when he looked at her. She wasn't really surprised though, he was intimidating.

"You're late," he stated flatly from across the room.

Sarah looked around her, unsure what to say in response. "I'm sorry."

"Yet you continue to make me wait for my breakfast?"

She jumped a little bit at that, finally figuring out what she was supposed to do. She quickly walked across the room till she was almost right next to him and set the tray down in front of him. All the while he kept those intense eyes locked on her.

In hopes of escape she bowed low before turning to leave.

She hadn't made it a foot when he stopped her. "Did I dismiss you human?"

Crap. She slowly turned back around to face him, scared he was about to order her to be tied to a wall by her ears or something weird like that.

"I sent a goblin out last night to visit your home." His voice was layered thick with what sounded like suspicion. "I had suspected you were a runaway."

There was a pause in which he seemed to want her to respond, she didn't want to though and so focused on the floor instead of him. She knew what he was probably going to say.

"I'm sure you know what was found there. Someone burned down your father's bar."

Again there was a pause she refused to fill.

"Look at me Human," he ordered.

Sarah, she corrected in her head. She forced herself to do as he said. His eyes seemed almost too powerful at this distance.

"Are you and your brother the only survivors?"

She felt tears sting the back of her eyes and couldn't help but look away again. She tried her damnedest to not cry in front of him, choosing instead to simply nod her head.

"And I suppose you have no other family?"

Again she shook her head, bringing her hand up quickly to wipe at her eyes before any tears could get away from her.

The goblin king let out a sigh and leaned back in his seat. "Then I suppose I have no choice but to let you stay here."

She looked back up at that. He had meant to send her back? She gained control of herself before she could frown this time and tried to keep her face expressionless. "Will that be all your highness?"

Jareth shook his head. "There are certain rules you will have to follow if you are to stay here. I'll give them to you now so you can start following them immediately."

Since she had no say in the matter she just nodded her head and tried to pay attention.

"First off, you may go anywhere in the castle and on the grounds as you wish but stay out of the throne room and out of the North Wing unless I tell you different." He waited for her to agree before continuing. "You will have my meals ready on time for now on since that is your only duty here."

He looked her over very slowly then, his eyes taking her in as his lip curled up in disgust. She looked down at herself and felt the need to hide herself from sight. She was a royal mess. "For now on you will be presentable when you serve me. I can't have a cook looking like vomit it's too ironic."

She couldn't help but think back to what bumper looked like and was willing to bet her left arm that Jareth hadn't seen the state of the kitchen in some time… if ever.

"I have nothing else to wear," she whispered.

Jareth looked back over at her, taking her in once more from head to toe. "That will due for now then, I suppose." He went back to looking over his papers.

Sarah stood there, unsure if she should go or not. He hadn't officially dismissed her but he wasn't paying attention to her anymore. After a few minutes she decided to clear her throat to catch his attention.

He looked back up at her in annoyance. "Did you need something?" he asked impatiently.

"Am I dismissed?" she asked, trying to keep her own annoyance out of her voice.

Jareth looked back down at his papers. "Yes. You may take this with you," he said, indicating the tray of food.

He looked back up from his files when she didn't move. Sarah stood there, just frowning down at the tray of food. He had dismissed her, why was she just standing there?

"Is there something wrong with it?" she asked, her voice careful and clipped.

He found himself frowning then. Why was she questioning him? "I'm no longer hungry."

She continued to just stand there frowning at the food.

Was she slow or something? "What?" he snapped. "What is it?"

"If you didn't want it why were you so upset that it was late?" she asked… almost demanded really as she turned to him.

Jareth glared up at her for being disrespectful like this, a little surprised when she didn't waver in the least bit. "I was illustrating a point to you that you're not to be late weather or not I want to eat. Instead of pushing the matter I suggest you just take the lesson and the tray and go back to the kitchen." There was a dismissal even this girl couldn't miss.

He couldn't help but jump when she raised her voice a little. "Do you have any idea how wasteful that is?"

Jareth looked her over once more. Her eyes were locked with his and there was anger in there that made them darker than before. Her cheeks were flushed and her jaw was set from her frustration towards him. She actually looked pretty hot like that… for a human. He was so caught off guard by her retaliation that he didn't know what to say back.

"There are countless others out there that don't get to eat something like this their entire lives. There are those who don't get to eat for days because they can't afford it. And granted it was late, but that's no reason to have it thrown out!"

He stared up at her like she had just sprouted another head. He was so shocked he wasn't even sure how to feel about it, much less react to it.

She let out a sigh and shook her head, getting a hold on herself. "Please just try it," she asked, her voice a lot calmer now. "If you don't like it that's fine, I'll take it away without a word. But don't make me throw it away just because it was a little late."

There was almost something sad about her voice. Jareth looked from her, to the food, and back up to her. A part of him wanted to start shouting at her for how she had acted just now. Another part wanted to dismiss her from his castle right here and now. A much bigger part, however, just wanted to try the food because he was actually a little hungry and it would shut her up and get her to quit frowning at him like that.

Jareth picked up his fork and took a stab at his omelet, setting his paper down so her could cut a square out. Sarah continued to watch as he brought it up to his mouth and ate it.

She looked at him expectantly as she waited for his reaction to the food. It was actually good. Pretty darn good. He didn't care for the little slices of pepper she had thrown into it, but other than that it was really well made. "It's adequate," he finally shrugged.

For some strange reason a huge smile lit up her face and he couldn't help but just stare up at her. He was completely bewildered by this girl. She wasn't used to having a real superior that was for sure.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, picking up his glass.

"From a jug in the back of the pantry," she shrugged.

"I understand you're used to working in a bar, but for now on I will not be taking wine in the morning."

The girl blanched at that. "Wh-what?" she looked back and forth from his drink to him. "Wine?"

He didn't get a chance to respond because just then a frumpy looking goblin with long white hair and whiskers ran through the door. He waited to make sure Jareth noticed him before speaking. "You highness has a visitor!" he shouted across the room.

The door swung wide open behind him, knocking him against the wall as Colane marched herself in. Jareth found himself surprised to see her, considering he hadn't invited her over. She did look good though, her long red hair piled atop her head in a large bun that butterfly ornaments were clipped to and a sleek yellow dress that clung to her curves and pushed up her cleavage.

"Colane, how nice to see you. What are you doing here?" Jareth asked, not bothering to stand up.

She smiled radiantly at him as she came up the table on the side opposite Sarah. "I just found myself thinking about you and wanted to visit. Do you mind?"

With how she was looking he didn't mind at all.

"Who's she?" Colane asked.

He had almost forgotten about Sarah. He looked back over to find her staring at the floor again. A slight tint was in her cheeks.

Either she also liked Colane's dress or she didn't like having attention brought to her.

"This is my new cook."

"A human touching your food?" she asked, disgusted.

Jareth rolled his eyes took a forkful of hash browns. "She did quite well."

"I didn't think you liked humans." Colane's voice was a tad sharp.

Jareth couldn't help but smile at the Fae's obvious suspicion and jealousy.

Sarah turned to go, her cheeks redder now. He was a little surprised she had held her tongue during their little conversation. There was hope for her yet.

Colane sighed and said in a clear distinct voice. "Jareth you really shouldn't talk about humans when you eat it will cause indigestion."

Jareth looked back down the table at Sarah, who paused in her step, but continued on and out the door.

Once the door was closed behind her Colane turned back to him with a sick smile on her face. "If you're not busy I-

"Colane, don't poke fun at my subjects again," Jareth sighed, eating more of his food.

Colane took the seat next to him, the smile gone now. "Why not? Don't tell me you care what some human thinks."

He shot her a warning look. "Of course I don't. I just think you shouldn't upset the one in charge of what I eat. I think we both wouldn't like it if I came down with food poisoning tonight," he grinned over at her.

She smiled back at him and under the table her foot started to travel up his leg.

Sarah's face felt really hot as she stomped down the hall. That female was a real piece of work. She'd never seen anyone put on a show like that, granted no one like her would ever be found in a bar like her dad's.

That Fae had to have a large brain to hold so much ignorance. It sickened her to think that Jareth was probably the same way when it came to humans; he had made it obvious he hadn't meant to keep her here.

She also didn't like the thought that he would like a woman like that. She was a real piece of work. That dress was as loud as her mouth; couldn't she have found it in her size?

She opened the door to the kitchen and gasped when she saw Toby holding his bottle up and sucking it down like his life depended on it. She had forgotten about the wine! She rushed over to him and snatched the bottle out of his hands, frowning when she saw it was only a fifth of the way full now.

Toby started crying his head off immediately and looked up at her like she was the cruelest person in the world.

"Oh no mister, you may not have the most functional upbringing, but you wont become a drunk before you can carry a tune… or after."

She looked around the room in disgust again. She was going to be in here all day cleaning, never mind cooking. Hopefully that horrid Fae wouldn't be staying for lunch. Sarah would rather clean this place bare-handed than serve food to that harpy. To be fare the Fae probably wouldn't eat her food, she'd be too full of herself already.

Stop that. She needed to stop being so catty, even if it was just in her head.

Sarah let out a sigh and fished out a broken broom from the corner. If she didn't start now she was going to be here all night too.

Chapter 6: Seeing Things

Sarah pushed a large piece of a broken cupboard up against the back wall with a huff. Once she had gotten all the crap off the floor she had been stunned to find how much room there actually was. Most of the dishes were soaking in a large wash bucket near the door and Sarah had put together an impressive trash pile against the left wall. She'd have to ask about getting it taken to the junkyard that bordered the Goblin City. There was still a long way to go, she had found under all the junk was about two inches of stains covering the floor and creeping up the walls, but as far as she was concerned she had made great progress.

She had even managed to set up a corner for Toby to play in that was clean and safe. She had scrubbed about four square feet till she could actually see the stone of the floor and had scrubbed the walls touching the area about three feet up. It was the one completely clean patch in the kitchen so far. She had kind of barricaded him into that spot then, using a little folding table and a large cutting board to make sure he couldn't get out and get hurt.

She would bring a blanket or something with her next time so he didn't have to sit on the stone floor like that.

He was busy entertaining himself with a clean pot and wooden spoon she had given him, turning them into a make-shift drum and babbling as if he were singing.

Sarah smiled and blew him a kiss before throwing some more broken and bent utensils into the trash pile. She had no idea how goblins managed to make such a mess, but then again that was one of the things they were known for.

She looked over at the old clock she had found broken and sitting in the large wood-burning stove. It miraculously still kept time and she could only assume that that's what the goblins before her used to figure out when they needed to start making meals for the king. What it was doing in the stove she didn't even want to know.

It now said it was a few minutes till noon. Since lunch was usually served at 13:00 she needed to get started so she wasn't late again.

She was just about to head into the pantry when the kitchen door swung open and a transparent little orb the size of a peach rolled in on the floor. Sarah stood where she was and watched in curiosity as it rolled straight at her, coming to rest a few inches from her feet. She had heard of these things before, they were magic crystals. Fae's used them as a place of concentration for magic and such. They would focus a piece of their power into one of these crystals to make it easier to direct in whatever ways they needed.

Sarah had never actually seen one before, but she had heard of them often at the bar. They were usually something to fear.

She cautiously bent down to get a closer look at it. There was something inside of it. She picked it up and turned it over for a better look, only to clumsily let it slip through her fingers!

She panicked and tried to grab it, but only fumbled it twice before it crashed to the ground and popped as if it were a bubble or something. From out of no where the king's voice filled the kitchen, causing Sarah to yelp and jump back against the wall.

"I will not be having lunch or supper tonight Human," Jareth's voice drifted through the air as if he were standing right in front of her. "Fix up a few sugary desserts and deliver them to my room and then you can be done for the rest of the day."

Sarah didn't move a muscle, a little freaked out by the little show of magic an also because she was waiting to make sure that was the end of his message to her.

Make a few sweets and be done cooking for the day? Sounded good to her!

Sarah couldn't help but smile as she turned and headed into the pantry. She didn't know much about making sweets since she'd very rarely had them ever in her life, but she knew enough that she could get by with some frosting and sugar cookies. She looked around her at the pantry. Hopefully there was some sugar in here.

He seized the scruff of a dwarf's neck and tossed the smaller creature out of his way, taking the now unoccupied seat for himself. The rest of the dwarfs moved of their own violation to give his crew the rest of the seats at the table.

Bud grinned smugly as his Were friends all sat down with him. He looked around with a sneer at all the other creatures in the bar. Any that were feeling brave enough to stare quickly went back to their business when he caught their eyes. They all hated him and his guys.

Let them.

As far as Bud was concerned the whole town over could hate him (and probably did) and it didn't matter a bit as long as they did as he wanted. So far so good.

A little fat slob of a boogey came over and began setting drinks down at their table.

Bud looked down at the drink in front of him in disgust. He wasn't going to pay for it either way, but there was stuff floating around in his whiskey.

This bar was called "The Toadstool". He hated it, the only other- actually the only bar in town since the "Spirits" closed and not only was it disgusting through and through, but it was all the way across this slum they called a town. In retrospect he wished he hadn't have had to burn down the "Spirits". Oh well.

He had just meant to scare them a little, teach them a lesson. He and the Weres had gone over there early that morning intending to burn down the bar, but not to kill anyone. It had gotten out of hand is all.

The bar had burned faster than he had thought it would. The two older humans just barely making it out the door. The girl had to have burned up inside of it. Talk about your fucking wastes.

That had been an accident, but he wouldn't have had to kill the older male human if he had just kept his mouth shut. He had stood outside his burning bar; screaming about how his daughter and son were dead and he'd never be able to get at her now.

That had been enough to get Bud's blood boiling because it meant his track record was broken. Bud prided himself first and foremost on his hunting prowess. When he put his mind to catching something, food or female, then they were as good as caught. This human's death meant she had gotten away. That was what killed him more than anything else.

Then to make it worse the human had started to cuss him out, his last sentence was still vivid in Bud's head. "You're just a spineless pussy cat hiding behind your goons and wouldn't be worthy enough for a human to spit on!"

Then he had shut up all of a sudden when Bud had punched him hard enough for his head to face the other direction. Bud still grinned when he thought of that.

Then Tristan had gotten too excited and had decided to kill the ice-queen bitch too. Bud looked across the table at the other Were. Tristan looked back up at him, frowning at the expression on Bud's face. "What?"

Bud shook his head. "We need to find a new bar. If I have to try to swallow another one of these I'm going to hurl." He lifted up his mug and scowled when a storm of mystery specks floated around in the brew.

Tristan shrugged and held his own glass up, watching his own mystery specks swirl around. "Think of them as protein. Since when do you have a weak stomach?"

Bud laughed and threw his mug over his shoulder, when there was no crashing sound he assumed it had hit someone but didn't bother to turn around. The laughter of his friends told him he was right in his assumption. He stretched out in his seat, making himself more comfortable. "I'm hungry," he mumbled.

"Then order something," Cooper shrugged to his right.

Bud shook his head. "No I mean I'm hungry."

The Weres all looked up at that with blood lust in their eyes. "Did you want to go hunting now?"

Bud shook his head. "All the fun game only come out in the morning. We'll go then."

Sarah finished icing the last cookie with some white frosting and placed it on the large plate with the others. If the king regularly had a sweet tooth then she'd have to get some new ingredients in the pantry. It was horribly under stocked as it was.

She let out as sigh and looked over at Toby, who had finally opted to nap and give the banging of pots and pans a rest. He lay curled up on the stone floor and Sarah couldn't help but envy him, she had never been able to just fall asleep like that. Toby could do it no matter where he was or what was going on.

He'd be okay for a few minutes. At least she wasn't leaving him alone with alcohol this time.

Sarah stepped out into the hall and looked both ways down the hall. She suddenly felt very stupid when she realized that she didn't know where Jareth's room was to deliver his order to him. There didn't seem to be anyone around to ask either.

Sarah tried to think. Jareth had said stay out of the throne room and out of the north wing of the castle unless told different. It was possible the north wing was where his bedroom was. It was also possible there was some sort of scary goblin torture chamber there. Maybe she should just look for someone to give her directions. She looked back and forth down the halls again. To the left were a few doors, one of them being her own room, and at the very end of the hall was a large wooden door. Since she was willing to bet that there were just more rooms down that way she went right, passing by the doors that led into the dining hall.

It wasn't long before she could start to hear noises down the hall and continued forward cautiously. It sounded like goblins, at least a group of them.

Sure enough, there they were when she rounded the corner, standing around in the middle of the hall gathered around a chicken. They all had a thin stick in their hand and seemed to be playing a game with it. Every time the chicken would walk one way or another the goblin closet would use the stick to direct it towards someone else. She wasn't quite sure what to do. She needed directions, but was it a good idea to interrupt a group of goblins?

One of them failed to redirect the chicken with his stick and there was a mix of cheers and moans as the chicken walked out of the circle.

She took that as her opportunity. "Um, excuse me?"

They all stopped what they were doing immediately and turned to look at her, the chicken forgotten. With so many goblins staring at her, ranging in sizes from the very little to ones almost as tall as she was, she couldn't help but loose some of her nerve and fought not to back away.

The goblins seemed to notice this, as mischief filled their eyes and a few of them even smiled; a truly unnerving sight.

"Are you lost Human?" one of them asked.

One of them cackled wickedly.

Sarah felt the hairs on her neck stand up and her blood started to race in her veins. She was holding the tray of cookies so hard that her knuckles were white. Despite the panic that her body was trying to convince her to feel she refused to let her mind follow along. They were goblins, about six of them, and she was one human girl. They could attack her or torture her or do any number of awful things to her if they wanted and she'd be at their mercy. All this was true, but Sarah didn't want to think about that.

If she thought about that she would run, and she could see by the look in their eyes that that was what they were expecting. That was what they wanted.

She gathered her courage and cleared her throat before trying to talk, not wanting too much fear to show in her voice. "I- I need directions to the king's room."

They exchanged looks before turning back to her, the same sneaky smiles on all their faces. Clearly these goblins weren't as well behaved as the others she had met so far.

"Why would a human need to go to the king's room?" one of them sneered.

She straightened her back a little and glanced down at the tray of cookies in her hands. "I have something for him. Unless you want him to get mad because it's late I suggest you give me directions." She found herself surprised at her own boldness.

The goblins seemed intrigued too. Sarah's boldness left her in a rush when they moved forward, stopping just a few feet away from her or so. "No we wouldn't want that," one of them said in a venomous tone.

"Tell you what," another said, stepping closer to her. "Give us the tray and we'll make sure the king gets it."

She didn't need to be even a halfwit to know that that wouldn't happen. She clutched the tray closer to her.

These goblins kind of reminded her of Bud and his gang, nothing but bullies. That thought suddenly made her very angry. She had no idea where this new anger came from, she just knew that suddenly her face was hot, her breathing harsh, and a wave of outrage was coursing through her whole body, slamming the door on the face of her previous fear.

She was a servant here, this was her home now. The setting had changed but it was the same as before. She wouldn't take it. She'd had enough of bullies and she wasn't about to put up with it again. She lost too much from it already.

The goblins must have seen a change in her face because they suddenly stopped smiling and seemed unsure about what was going on, the exact look Sarah had sported just a few minutes ago.

"Back off," she choked out.

They all stared back at her hesitantly. None of them moved.

"Back off!" she shouted at them, causing all of them to jump and stumble backwards by quite a few feet. "I didn't ask for any of you to make sure these got to the king, I asked for directions to his room. Now someone had better show me the way there now! And I don't care if it's one of you or all of you."

The goblins all looked at each other again. They all looked more likely to run rather than lead her anywhere.

Sarah let out a sigh. Great, now she was just a bully… kind of. An idea occurred to her and she couldn't help but smile then. The goblins seemed even more startled from the abrupt change in her mood once more. "Look, if you guys tell me where the king's room is, I'll let you all have a cookie. There's more than enough here."

Once more they looked back and forth at each other.

"You mean it?" one of them asked cautiously.

Sarah smiled and nodded her head. Maybe bargaining was the answer with goblins.

One by one they all stepped a little closer, none wanting to go too far in front of the others in case it was a trick. Sarah waited patiently till they were all gathered around the cookie tray. They looked back up at her nervously.

"Cookie first?" one asked.

Sarah thought about it. She didn't trust them to not just take off with the cookies yet. "No, whoever takes me to Jareth's room can have one though. Sound good?"

They all looked down at the cookies again before nodding their heads in agreement. As soon as they did they turned around and hurried down the corridor in the opposite direction as quickly as they could.

"H-hey slow down," Sarah called after them, trying to run and balance the tray at the same time. She chased after the pack of goblins through several halls and countless twists and turns how anyone was able to navigate the castle was beyond her. They turned the corner again and she huffed after them, nearing falling over them when she rounded the corner and found they had all stopped short in front of her. A few cookies slid off the front of the tray and landed amongst the group of goblins, who quickly grabbed them up and gulped them down. Those who didn't get cookies turned back to Sarah expectantly, their hands and claws out.

She just stared back at them. "That was an accident," she gasped, out of breath. "I'll give you guys cookies when we get to Jareth's room."

They frowned and one of them turned back to the hall they had turned into, pointing at the only door in it. "That's his room," it huffed.

Sarah looked at the simple wooden door with iron slats running across the front.

"Cookies now!" one of the goblins shouted, startling her.

Her made herself calm down and shot the goblin a glare for spooking her like that. "You could say please," she sighed as she handed a cookie to each of them.

They quickly gobbled them down, making a real mess with the crumbs.

Sarah said a quick thank you and stepped around them, heading down the hall towards the door. The tray was still full of cookies in her hands and she tried to balance it on her hip to free up and hand but it didn't work. Hopefully his door opened inward. She thought she should nock but had nothing to really do it with unless she set the tray on the floor, and she wasn't going to do that. She wasn't about to get a splinter in her foot either by kicking the door. Besides, he had placed the order only an hour ago so he had to be expecting her by now.

Sarah turned around and pushed against the door with her hip. To her surprise and delight it wasn't locked. She continued to back up and turned into the room, tray held out in front of her. She froze in her tracks and her eyes bugged out of her skull.

There it was right in front of her.

Jareth and Colane.

Both in the middle of the biggest bed she had ever seen in her life.

Both were stark naked.

Both were having sex.

With each other!

Colane was on her hands and knees in front of Jareth. Her full breast hanging low and her wide hips gripped in Jareth's hands as he held her against him, his slender and unadorned torso rising up from behind her, his head thrown back and his eyes closed tight. He looked like he was in pain, but even Sarah knew better than that.

She didn't know what to do, she couldn't even think. All she could do was stare and feel the panic spread through her as Colane opened her eyes and they focused on Sarah.

All ecstasy banished from her face like a switch had been flipped and surprise and outrage filled her green eyes, making them darker. In a matter of seconds her face turned to outrage too and Sarah felt like she was watching it all happen in slow motion.

Jareth's head came forward and he saw her too, the same shock registering on his face.

"Get out of here!" Colane screeched, jolting Sarah out of her shock and giving her the push she needed to turn and run.

Unfortunately she had forgotten about the tray of cookies and when she turned to run out the door it banged against the frame and went flying to the floor. She didn't bother to stop for it and sprinted out the door and down the hall. The goblins were still there and when they saw her running straight at them full speed they all got up and started running too, screaming as they went.

Sarah wasn't sure if they thought she'd trample them or if they just liked the commotion they were making. She didn't really care at this point. She was going to be in big trouble for this. Why oh why hadn't she knocked? She should have just set the tray on the floor and knocked. Hell, she should have just given the tray to the goblins for all the good they were now. Jareth was going to throw her out of the castle for sure now. Her cheeks were on fire and tears were in her eyes even though she wasn't actually sure why.

Before she knew it she was in the kitchen hall and the goblins all ran with her into the kitchen. As soon as she was through the door she slammed it behind her and leaned against one of the cabinets, try to catch her breath.

All the goblins were gasping too. "W-why w-were we run- running?" one of them gasped.

Sarah wasn't about to answer that question. "Wasn't it fun?" She tried to sound upbeat when she said it.

The goblins all exchanged looks as they headed for the door. "Humans are even crazier then goblins."

Sarah continued to gasp and huff as she waited for her breath to come back to her. The sound of crying kicked her heart beat up again and she went over to the corner she had set up for Toby. He was standing up and crying his eyes out, looking all around him like he was lost or something. She knew how he felt.

Sarah picked him up and bounced him against her hip. Surely Jareth wouldn't make her leave over an accident like that. She certainly hadn't meant to see what she had.

"It's okay Toby, don't cry," she sighed. "I'd give you a cookie but…

She started bouncing him on her hip again. "Will a story make you feel better?"

Toby continued to cry in her arms.

"Well, it would make me feel better," she sighed. Right now she needed a distraction, a way to forget… things. She shifted Toby in her arms and began to walk around the room as she began to tell him a story.

Awkward.

That was the only way to describe it. The air was thick with awkwardness as Sarah walked up the table toward Jareth the next day at breakfast. She stared down at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Jareth couldn't look directly at her either. He wasn't sure why he was embarrassed about it. She had walked in on him for crying out loud. All the same he didn't really want to look at her. After she had thrown cookies all over his room Colane had been too mortified and outraged to continue and had left in a fit.

Saying something about how a filthy human had violated the wholesomeness of her exposed nature.

Basically saying Sarah had gotten an eyeful and Colane didn't like it.

Jareth didn't look up as Sarah placed a tray of food down in front of him. She had made more omelets, along with some oatmeal and a glass of water. How appetizing, he thought with a sigh.

"Is something wrong?" Sarah asked.

He looked up at her and she immediately looked away, looking like she wished she hadn't asked. He kind of wished that too. What was wrong was the fact that she didn't know how to knock. Damn this is so uncomfortable.

He didn't like it at all, feeling uncomfortable at his own breakfast table. He cleared his throat before answering. "I don't care for oatmeal. Don't make it anymore," he muttered.

She nodded her head out of the corner of his eye. "I'm running low on options though."

"Then go do the weekly shopping," he grumbled.

She paused then. "Shopping?"

Shoot, he hadn't told her. "Every week the cook makes a trip to town and restocks the pantry. You can go there now and be back by lunch time." He fished into the new pouch he wore on his hip and laid a handful of coins on the table in front of him for her.

"I'll have a goblin go with you to help." And to make sure you don't pocket or run off with any of this.

She continued to just stand there, staring down at the money. The extreme awkwardness was back.

Jareth made the effort to look up at her. "What?"

"My little brother… I need someone to watch him while I'm gone."

Jareth frowned. "So get a goblin to do it." They took care of their own young well enough; they could probably take care of a human just fine.

Sarah seemed very hesitant about that.

Jareth let out another sigh. This was why he preferred goblins to humans, goblins weren't nearly so difficult to deal with. "I'll assign one that will be capable," he sighed.

She finally nodded her head and, scooping up the gold, went to leave. Only to stop and turn back to him.

"Know what?" he snapped.

Her cheeks grew bright red and she spoke in such a low voice he could hardly hear her. "About last night…"

He slouched back in his chair. Good Gods, why did she have to bring that up? "Next time just leave the food outside the door," he snapped.

She blanched before gathering herself and nodding in agreement. He stared down at his food, his own cheeks red as she left the room. He couldn't help but wonder just what all she had seen.

Colane hurried into the Queen's throne room and bowed low before Mavarion.

Mavarion knew from the look on the Fae's face that she wasn't bringing good news. "You visited my son?" she asked.

Colane stood up straight and nodded her head solemnly.

Was he bored with her already? "What happened? Did you do as we discussed? Did you try to win his favor?" Mavarion demanded.

Colane let out a huff and glared down at the ground in front of her. "It is difficult to concentrate on winning his favor when his little human girl is peeping on you."

Mavarion frowned in confusion. "Human girl?"

Colane nodded indignantly now. "He's got some smelly little human girl living in the castle and cooking for him now. Last night I was with him and she-

Colane lowered her voice, "She barged into his room and caught us."

Mavarion just barely kept the surprise off her face at this bit of information. Her son didn't even like humans. Why in the underground would he have one in the castle? That's not important, she reminded herself.

The issue here was her patience in her son. Something had to be done and soon. "So he's no closer to falling in love with you than he was before?"

Colane shook her head. "No your majesty."

Mavarion let out a sigh, granted she didn't think her son would be head over heels for Colane in just one visit, but even an invitation to come back to the Labyrinth would have been something in the right direction. It didn't take a genius to know he was just playing around. Again!

"Have my court writer come see me at once; I need to make a letter."

Colane nodded and turned on her heel to leave.

Mavarion had had it. She was going to make sure Jareth came to visit her this time. They had a lot to talk about.

Chapter 7: The Game of Chase

Sarah looked around at the different stands set up in the free market. It was kind of weird being in town again. She was just thankful that it was just on the edge and no where near the Spirits. She didn't want to see it. She didn't really even want to be here as it was. There were too many emotional attachments in this town for her.

She kept glancing over her shoulder nervously. She was trying to zip through the list she had made as fast as she could so she could get out of here and back to the castle. Funny how she now felt safer in a castle full of hectic mischievous goblins than in the town she had grown up in her whole life. She felt angry about that. She knew why she kept looking over her shoulder, who she was watching for. Bud had done this to her, made her afraid. He had driven her out of her home and had taken away her only family.

She had nightmares about him almost every night.

"Are you even listening?"

Sarah jumped and looked back at the goblin Jareth had assigned to go with her. It was the one she had seen back at the bar. The little toad-like one that creeped her out. They had taken the carriage and had traveled out here to collect the things she needed. "What?"

"I said we need to pick up some meats, tomatoes, milk, and something new for you to wear yet. Start paying closer attention."

This one was very different from the other goblins, and not just because he was shaped like a balloon. This goblin, Grungle he had informed her, was stricter and very mannered compared to the others. He wasn't really a joy to be around, but he wasn't throwing things.

Sarah couldn't help but space off. Not only did she have Bud and the past on her mind, but she was worried about Toby. She had met the goblin Jareth had arranged to watch him very briefly before she left. She had already fed him, burped him, changed him and had put him down for a nap. As long as the goblin left him alone he should sleep till she got back, but goblins weren't very quiet.

She shifted the large sack full of foods she was carrying around to her other shoulder and headed over to another food stand. The sooner she got everything, the sooner she could get back to the Labyrinth.

Nothing. They had been walking around for hours and so far there was nothing. No alystans, steers, or even a field dragon to pick off.

Bud crouched low on the ground on all four paws, sniffing at the dirt. When he didn't pick up anything fresh he let out a frustrated snort and shook his head, his thick golden mane flying around his head. Braxton came up on his right side, slightly smaller in his cougar form. From his body language it was obvious he wasn't finding anything either.

Bud looked over at him just as he shifted back into his man form. "There's nothing out here, we should head back to town."

If he could in this form Bud would have rolled his eyes. Instead he just turned his back on Braxton and headed closer to the Labyrinth gate. He wasn't ready to call it quits yet; he had looked forward to this hunt all night.

The chase always had a way of both calming and thrilling him. It was kind of like sex. It got the heart racing and there was a building pleasure to it. There was no sweeter release than the capture. He wasn't ready to let it go yet.

Tristan followed behind him in his wolf form. Despite his young impulsiveness, Bud liked the guy. He had the same little fascination for the hunt. He just had a nasty habit of going after prey at the wrong moment, and always too soon.

The wolf got in close and put his pointed nose to the ground next to Bud's. Bud raised his head and growled at the wolf till he backed a few feet away. He also had no sense of personal space.

Copper walked up behind them, in his man form and carrying all their clothes. Braxton went over to him to gather up his own clothes so he wouldn't have to continue to stand there in the buff. Cooper was a Were, but for hunts he was useless since his animal was a fox. It did make him good for carrying things though.

"Face it Bud, we've hunted out here too often, all the game has found new grounds," Braxton called over.

Damn it. He hated it but the Were was right, they weren't going to find anything. Bud turned away from the gates and lifted his head from the ground, ready to go back with his pack.

He stopped dead in his tracks. There was something there. He raised his head higher and sniffed at the air. Horses for sure; it was obvious from the grooves in the ground that a carriage had left the labyrinth just an hour or so before. But there was a scent there; one he recognized.

His comrades all watched him with confused expressions. "What do you smell?" Cooper asked, passing Tristan his trousers as the male transformed.

There was no mistaking it. Bud couldn't help his improved mood as he rose from four legs to two and walked in man form over to Cooper to gather his clothes.

"What are you smiling about?" Cooper asked, a frown on his face.

"This hunt's not over." Bud pulled his pants up and tied the draw strings around his waist. "We're going back to town."

"WHAAAAAAAAAA."

Bumper slammed his hands against his ears to escape the worst of the noise. The little human was in the corner screaming for no reason at all. He had been doing that for about thirty minutes now. Bumper had been in the kitchen for about twenty minutes with the sleeping creature when it had woken up and started screaming like that, scaring the poor goblin out of his wits.

Shortly after that Patsy had come into the kitchen, shouting about the noise. Neither goblin knew what to do about it though. Patsy had tried asking the human what was wrong but it had just continued to scream, ignoring them. Bumper and Patsy sat against the newly cleaned cabinets facing the penned-in area the baby was confined to.

"What should we do?" Patsy shouted over the noise.

Bumper simply shrugged.

"I've heard things I've eaten complain less."

Toby continued to scream and cry in his pin.

"Maybe he's sick," Patsy suggested.

Bumper turned back to him. "Why do you think it's sick?"

Patsy shrugged, "Big Beamer had a couple goblins just last spring. One of them got sick and started fussing. She said when a goblin baby gets sick you have to wrap them up in blankets and make them sweat it out."

"I guess it's worth a try."

The bigger human had already set up a large blanket in the pen for the babe to rest on. Bumper and Patsy got up and went over to the pen, moving the cutting board out of the way to get in with the babe.

Toby continued to cry as he turned to them, only slightly smaller in size than either of them. Patsy grabbed a corner of the blanket and tossed it over Toby's head. Bumper followed suit with another corner. That did no good since Toby simply rolled out from under them, still crying. Patsy grabbed a corner again and ran around Toby to try it at a different angle. Again it failed.

"This isn't going to work," Bumper shouted over Toby's screams.

"Humans are a pain, we should just leave him to cry."

Bumper shook his head. "We can't. Jareth ordered me to take care of him till the cook gets back." Bumper spread the blanket out a little on the floor and waited till Toby was next to it before tipping him over onto the blanket. Toby flopped onto his back onto the blanket and the screams intensified, hurting Bumper and Patsy's ears.

"What are you doing?" Patsy asked as Bumper took hold of the edge of the blanket and started to pull, sliding Toby over the floor on it.

"Help me get him to the king, he'll know what to do with him!"

Patsy let go of his ears and gripped the edge of the blanket, pulling Toby out of the kitchen and down the hall.

Jareth was in the throne room with his goblins when a weird noise started to grow over the general noise of the room and eventually drown it out till all the goblins gave up whatever they were doing and looked around them in confusion. "What is that?" Jareth demanded.

Everyone turned to the main entrance where the noise was coming from, getting louder and louder. Jareth rolled his eyes as soon as he recognized what that noise was. The little human was crying and the goblins were no doubt bringing him to the throne room for him to deal with. That's just beautiful.

Bumper and Patsy entered the room then with the human in tow on a blanket just like he had suspected. All the goblins stared at the human in confusion as his screams filled the throne room.

"Your highness, there's something wrong with the human," Bumper explained, stopping just in front of the throne.

"What did you do?" Jareth demanded, looking past them at the screaming babe.

"Nothing!" they said in unison.

Jareth let out a frustrated growl and got up from his seat, picking Toby up from the blanket. As soon as he did the cries became less intense, but were still loud enough to irritate the ear drums.

He started bouncing Toby a little and that seemed to help too. All the goblins in the room watched him with keen interest as Toby calmed down a little. Jareth sat back down on his throne and shifted Toby into his lap, watching as Toby stared back at him, waiting for him to do something. Jareth raked his brain trying to think of things his mother had done for him as a child or other women of the court had done for their children in situations such as this. He couldn't come up with much, but he did remember that his mother used to sing to him when she thought he was acting up to try to clam him down.

Maybe that would work. He picked out a Fae lullaby his mother used to sing him and cleared his throat. Toby was still fussing in his arms as he began to sing.

"There's such a sad love, deep in your eyes.

A kind of pale jewel, open and closed within your eyes.

I'll place the sky within your eyes."

Toby stopped crying as he sang and stared up at him with big blue eyes that almost caught Jareth off guard. Despite the awe in Toby's eyes Jareth leaned back in his throne and continued, ignoring the goblins around him as they too listened to him.

"There's such a fooled heart, beating so fast

in search of new dreams, a love that will last within your heart.

I'll place the moon within your heart.

As the pain sweeps through, makes no sense for you.

Every thrill it's got wasn't too much fun at all.

But I'll be there for you as the world falls down.

Falling.

Falling in love."

Toby settled into Jareth's grasp thoroughly enjoying the king's song it seemed and Jareth couldn't help but smile back when Toby gave a charming baby-toothed grin. As far as humans went, the ones he was stuck with weren't so bad. Even the babe in his arms was rather enjoyable.

Sarah flipped the simple garment over in her hands. She was looking over a clothing booth and had found some simple servant's clothing there. The dress she held up was made of simple, roughly cheap material dyed a pale blue in color. She liked it. She picked up that and a similar cut in plain white, as well as some more changing cloths for Toby.

She looked across the market and spotted a butcher stand. They still had to get some cuts of meat and some milk. She mostly needed to be getting back.

"Grungle, can you go down there and get some good cuts of beef, lamb, and water stag while I go grab some bottles of milk?"

Grungle followed the line of her finger to the butcher shop and nodded his head before wobbling away.

Sarah hitched up the food sack on her back and draped the clothes over an arm as she walked down the line of booths to the one she had seen selling milk before. She hadn't wanted to carry around the glass bottles till they were almost done shopping. She approached the booth and looked at the different milking creatures behind it. A little brownie walked up to her on the other side of the booth. "You buying?"

She nodded her head and fished into her velvet pouch to pay him.

"We have cow milk, yak milk, gargoyle milk, and goat milk."

"I'll take a week's worth of cow's milk."

He nodded and started laying bottles full of the creamy white liquid out in front of her. As she waited Sarah looked back at the stock animals they had for milking. Something behind the yak caught her eye and she refocused her attention. Behind the yak, all most all the way across the market she saw him.

Bud was walking around in only a pair of grey sweats with his gang, his eyes wide as he looked all around in every direction.

Fear.

That was the first emotion that struck her. It stuck her like lightening and paralyzed her, made it hard to breathe, to think.

"Human!" the brownie shouted.

Sarah lowered her eyes down to the brownie, who held out her milk order in a wooden crate. She took it numbly before looking back to where Bud was. He wasn't there.

Another jolt of fear shot through her and her mind was completely blank of any and all thought as she took the crate in her hands and turned slowly away from the table. She started walking down the rows of stands toward the butcher. Before she could even realize she had sped up all the hairs on her body stood up and sent tingling chills up and down her arms and legs and right to the center of her chest and she snapped back to herself, realizing all of a sudden that she was running full speed through the crowd.

The bottles in the crate shook and clanged together and her sack beat against her back with every sprint. She soon caught sight of Grungle in front of the stand, loading up his buys as well and dashed to him. He looked up at her approach and scowled up at her.

"Why are you running?" he croaked out.

Sarah gasped for air and balanced the crate on her hip so she could grip the front of his shirt, startling him enough to follow her as she dragged him behind her away from the butcher stand. The carriage was out front, they need to go NOW. She tried to tell him as much but she was having trouble forming syllables, let alone words.

Her legs strained to pull his massive weight along but she didn't stop, something else that seemed to surprise him. "Take her hands off me Human!" he growled indignantly. Taking her hand that clung to his clothes and squeezing it.

It was his strength that caught Sarah off guard and had her drop to her knees in pain. she bit back her cry of pain since she had no idea where Bud and his goons were now. The milk dropped from her hip and it was a wonder when none of the bottles broke when it hit the ground next to her. She looked past the tears in her eyes at Grungle, who looked down at her like she was a stain.

"Please," Sarah gasped. "We h-h-have to get-t out of here." She was so scared and hurt her teeth were chattering.

Grungle cocked his head to the side, kind of. It was hard to do when you had no neck to speak of. "What are you talking about?"

His grip mercifully loosened and Sarah tried to calm herself enough to speak coherently. "There are Weres here who wish to hurt me. Please, we have to go now."

He looked around like he was looking for Weres as she spoke and turned back to her, letting go of her hand.

Sarah gasped at the relief of him letting go and moved her fingers slowly, finding them sore and stiff. He didn't look like he had that sort of strength in him.

She briefly wondered what other traits goblins hid from public knowledge.

"Lets go then, quickly." He slugged his bundles of meat over his back and picked up the milk crate for her.

Sarah got to her feet and looked around. She was able to spot Bud down near the milk stand she had been at previously. A though creeped into her brain and sent another nervous shock through her. Was it possible that he was here because he was tracking her?

She turned around and hurried with Grungle towards the front where the carriage was. The market was one large maze of stands for venders, giving them good cover to get away.

Grungle was able to easily keep up despite his size. To Sarah's wonder the glass bottles of the milk didn't even clank when he ran with them. He didn't make any sound for that matter. She more time she spent with him the more she began to see exactly why everyone was so afraid of goblins. They rounded the corner and Sarah skidded to a stop, pulling Grungle back with her, this time he didn't take offense to her grabbing him and followed her lead, ducking back around the corner with her.

"What, what is it?"

Sarah gasped for air she wasn't used to so much running. "Cooper, he's a Were." Cooper had been heading right towards them but hadn't seen them because of pure dumb luck; he had been looking at a stand when they had rounded the corner. It was obvious they were looking for something. Her gut feeling told her that she was what they were looking for. She didn't know why, but she just knew.

They were coming in from both sides. She wondered who would find them first, Bud or Cooper.

"Come on," Grungle ordered, taking her hand in his. He pulled her quickly across the open row where Cooper was. Sarah couldn't bring herself to look over for fear of knowing that Cooper had spotted them.

Grungle continued to pull her straight down the row of stands rather than try for the main entrance. Sarah wasn't even very sure where they were going but she wasn't going to argue.

"Keep on the balls of your feet," the goblin hissed, "I know you're a human but you don't have to make quite so much noise."

She wasn't entire sure why, but Sarah listened and started moving solely on the balls of her feet. She couldn't help but notice that she was moving lighter. They hurried down the market as quickly as they could. Sarah didn't have to be told to know that Grungle was holding back for her. He'd probably be to the carriage by now and no one would have noticed him if it weren't for her. Too bad she was the one in danger and not him.

"We'll go half way down here and cut through the booths and out the side. It will bring us out on the side of the carriage and we can journey back to the labyrinth from there." Grungle explained as they ran.

Sarah clutched the strap of her bag with her free hand and tried hard to keep up with him. The goblin hardly had any legs and yet it was difficult.

Without much of any warning he made a sharp turn and pulled her underneath a vender's table. Sarah had to duck at the last minute to avoid getting hit square in the face with the edge. She followed closely behind him under the table and past the surprised vender to the back curtain of the market. She and Grungle dropped down to the ground and Sarah waited while Grungle set down the milk and lifted up the bottom of the curtain to peer out.

He pulled back from the curtain cursing.

"What is it?" Sarah asked.

He moved so she could look out and Sarah's hope fell into the pit of her stomach at what she saw. There was the carriage, so close to them, only ten or fifteen feet. And there were three Weres standing around it, waiting.

"We'll never make it to the carriage now," she sighed.

Grungle turned to her. "Why are these creatures after you anyway Human?"

Sarah let out a sigh. She really didn't have the time or the emotional stronghold right now to get into it. "Look, my family had trouble with them in the past. I don't really know what they want with me, but I know it won't be anything good, or that I can probably walk away from."

Grungle looked back out of the curtain before letting it drop to the ground. He pulled the milk crate around to the front of him and ordered Sarah to take the food sack off her. She did so without question. He handed her the meat slabs and the milk crate.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"A human isn't really worth risking anything to protect, but if the king loses his cook it'll be me who pays for it. I risk less by protecting you in this case." He took the sack and clothes from her and pulled it onto his own back. "This sack has your smell all over it. That and the fact that you came in the Goblin King's carriage will encourage them to pursue me. While I am giving them the slip you will get in the carriage and take the meat and milk back to the castle.

"When you get in the carriage just make sure the horses hear you say the safe word. They have been are trained to in the case of an emergency go straight to the Labyrinth when they hear it. In case the king is ever in trouble you know."

No, she didn't know. "But what if they catch you?"

He actually gave her an 'are you serious look'. "A Were catching a goblin? Not in this life time."

He shifted his weight and started to get up, stopping a minute to turn back to her. "The safe word is Mavarion."

"Mavarion? I know that name, that's the Fae Queen."

"Our lord's mother, yes. He commented once that he picked that as a safe word because he believed he would use it often enough to escape her."

Sarah might have smiled if it weren't for her fear and uncertainty of this plan. Not that she had a better one. Grungle lifted up the curtain and crawled out from under it. Sarah kept the curtain low but watched from underneath it as he got up and walked over to the carriage. He got about five feet away from it when Braxton spotted him.

"Hey, Goblin." Braxton called, causing the other Weres to look over.

Grungle took a few uncertain… possibly calculated steps back from the group. They stepped forward like puppets on strings. Grungle turned and took off into the main entrance of the market.

"Hey!" they all shouted, chasing after him like he had intended.

Sarah lifted up the curtain, balancing it against her back as she reached for the milk crate. She gripped the wooden handles just as a large hand seized her wrist. She couldn't help but gasp and looked up right into the bright green eyes of Bud.

He grinned, showing her sharp white teeth that looked out of place in his man's face. "So you did survive."

He had followed her scent through the entire market and had spotted her behind the vender's booth just as the goblin she was traveling with slipped under the curtain. She stared up at him with a delicious fear filling her eyes. It was like looking into a deer's eyes during a hunt when they stumbled or were knocked to the ground for the final kill. It excited him greatly to see that look in her eyes.

He was so entranced by it that he didn't notice she had taken hold of one of the milk bottles with her free hand till it was right up against his face. She brought the bottle hard in a side-swipe against his left temple, the glass breaking and causing him to let go of her as the world shifted around him for a few moments. When he was finally able to focus on what was going on he saw that she was already slipping out under the curtain and away from him.

Bud made to grab for her but missed by inches as the curtain fell in between them. With a growl of utter frustration he gripped the curtain and yanked hard on it, realizing that it was a bad move when the very large piece of fabric pulled the frame it had hung from loose and a small section of the market tent came down around him. There were screams and shouts of startled venders and buyers behind him somewhere but he really didn't care about that as the curtain came down over his head like a net.

With another and more fierce growl that caused his injured head to throb even more he gripped the material of the curtain and ripped through it, freeing himself from the mess of the tent. He stumbled out of the tangled and ruined curtain and looked around him at the many carriages.

A glimpse of movement attracted his attention to the Goblin King's. He wondered for a moment as he watched Sarah climb in with her load where the hell his friends were. He wasn't so worried about her getting away now, no horse could outrun a Were. He walked towards the carriage now.

Sarah gave him one last frightened look before slamming the carriage door closed behind her. "Mavarion!" she screamed from the inside.

The Queen of the Fae?

Out of no where the two black horses reared up with un-natural screams and leaped forward into the air as giant black wings sprouting from their fur and helped carry both them and the carriage into the sky at break-neck speed. Bud knew it was no good, but still ran for the carriage anyway, hardly noticing as he dropped to all fours and shifted form, kicking free from his sweats. He chased on the ground to the edge of the market and the edge of town. The carriage soared over the Labyrinth and straight for the Goblin Castle.

So that's where she's been hiding.

Bud lay down on the dirt and looked out at the Labyrinth, his front legs spread out in front of him. That was interesting. The human hadn't died after all, merely escaped into the Labyrinth.

His reputation as a hunter wasn't necessarily smudged anymore. He may still catch his prey yet, as long as she was alive there was a chance. He wasn't about to go running into a fucking Goblin City even for his reputation though.

For now he'd just have to wait and bide his time.

Chapter 8: The Bet

Sarah walked down the hall on shaky legs, letting a hand reach out and trail against the wall the whole way just in case she should fall. Her nightmares had found her today. Bud had been right there next to her, touching her. The skin of her wrist prickled where he had grabbed her and she scratched at her skin miserably. They had been after her. They knew where she was now. They'd be waiting for her to come back.

Her heart skipped a beat at that. Go back? She couldn't go back there, ever. Hat was she going to do when next week rolled around and she had to go restock the pantry?

Sarah moved the egg crate back into place against her hip and stepped through the door of the kitchens. She looked around for the goblin Jareth had asked to watch Toby as she set the eggs and the wrapped up cuts of meat down on the cleaned off counter. She had half expected to come back to a disheveled kitchen again.

The goblin was no where in sight. She hated that because that meant he was probably going to pop out at her at some point. Goblins were just mean like that. "I'm back Toby," she sighed as she went over to the play corner.

She looked down at the empty space where her baby brother should have been. He's gone! She pitched back from the corner and looked around the kitchen wildly. "Toby?" she shouted.

There was no answer. She was alone here. Sarah felt the same fear from earlier creep up through her and she turned and sprinted back out the door. What if Toby was hurt, what if they had decided to get rid of him, what if they had dragged him into some far corner of the castle and left him there to die? Sarah couldn't stop every horrible thought possible from floating through her mind in rapid succession as she ran down the halls. She had to find either Toby or that goblin or Jareth or… somebody!

"Toby?" she shouted again. She wasn't even sure where she was running now, turning down halls at random. She was about to run up a flight of stairs when a sound caught her attention and she stopped, listening. It was faint, but she could hear what sounded like goblins coming from further down the hall.

Sarah stood there panting, trying to catch her breath before her overworked heart went flying out of her chest as she tried to figure out just where it was coming from.

She stepped down from the stairs and continued down the hall, listening as the sound gradually got louder. She could hear them better now. It sounded like a lot of goblins, and Jareth. Surly he would be able to locate her missing brother. Sarah found the large wooden door the noise was coming from and pushed against it, surprised at how easily it opened for her.

Her mouth dropped and it took her mind a second to register what she saw. This was the throne room for sure, so technically she wasn't allowed here. It was swarming with goblins. Sarah stood on her toes to peer over one rather tall one and her mouth dropped when she spotted Jareth sitting on his throne with Toby perched in his lap. Her baby brother looked absolutely ecstatic with a big baby smile plastered on his face and his arms waving on the air as Jareth bounced his leg against him.

"I, I'm underground

Heard about a place today

Where nothing never hurts again."

Sarah could hardly believe that the goblin king was singing. She looked at the goblins around her only to realize that they were… well… kind of dancing. Everyone was having a blast.

"Wanna go underground!" the goblins shouted in response.

"Daddy, daddy, get me out of here."

"Wanna go underground!"

"I, I'm underground Sister, sister, please take me down

I, I'm underground."

"Wanna go underground!"

Sarah moved through the goblins and up towards the throne. She wasn't entirely sure what had happened while she was gone, but she knew she'd feel better to have Toby back.

"Daddy, daddy, get me out of here," Jareth shouted, his eyes closed as his legs rocked back and forth with the beat of his song,

thoroughly lost in it.

It was something she didn't expect to ever see from him, but then she hadn't thought he could sing as well as he was either.

"No one can blame you

For walking aw-

"Your Highness?" Sarah asked unsurely.

Jareth's eyes snapped open almost as quickly as his mouth closed and he spun around in the thrown to face her. Sarah could almost swear there was a slight pinkness in his cheeks. Sarah felt her own cheeks darken and she backed off a little from him, realizing that she had just probably snuck up on him.

"What?" Jareth asked after a long pause, frowning up at her.

Toby was still waving his arms around, but everyone else had stopped to focus on her. She suddenly felt very foolish. "I- err, that is… I was wondering where my brother was," she blushed.

Jareth raised an eyebrow at her. "He's right here."

Duh, "Um, right then." She continued to stand there, not sure what to do.

Jareth turned back to Toby and gripped his sides to steady his as he turned them around in the seat so he was sitting up. He held Toby out for her and she took him from the king, hugging him against her chest. He continued to coo in her arms.

"Have you started on my supper yet?" Jareth questioned.

Sarah looked over at the clock on the wall and bit back a curse. There was no way his meal wasn't going to be late again, unless he liked his meat raw. She looked down at the ground and shook her head.

Jareth stood up and the sudden movement caused her to jump back and excuses spilled from her mouth. "I'm sorry you majesty, Grungle and I ran into trouble at the market and I got back late. Grungle still hasn't gotten back yet. When I saw that my brother wasn't where I had left him I panicked and came to find him. I can go and make something for you now, but it's going to be very simple since I only brought meat and milk back with me. Grungle took the rest of the supplies."

She turned and used her free hand to dig the leftover gold he had given her out of her pouch and held it out in her palm for him. "This is all that was left."

There was a long silence where she didn't have to look at him to feel the weight of his stare. Was he going to punish her for being late again? Maybe he'd tie a clock to her, or make her serve as a clock herself, or some odd and horrible thing like that. Maybe he would just throw her and Toby out of the castle and they'd be sitting ducks for Bud and his pack.

"What do you mean you ran into trouble?" Jareth drawled.

Sarah kept her eyes squarely planted on the floor. "I- Grungle and I were chased by a local gang." She didn't want to get to much into it. There was to much emotional baggage there and she knew she'd die if she burst into tears in the middle of the goblin king's throne room.

"Why, what did they want?" Jareth frowned.

Sarah shrugged. "The gold I guess," she lied.

She glanced up to see a skeptical look on Jareth's face and looked away before he could see that she was fibbing to him.

"Grungle distracted them so I could get away. I don't know where he is now," she continued.

"I'm not worried about Grungle," Jareth shrugged. "There is very little in this world that can catch a goblin forcefully. He'll be back in the next day or so."

Sarah sighed and nodded her head. "Your highness?"

Jareth looked down at her.

She tried to sum up her courage for what she needed to ask of him. As a servant she probably needed to stop asking for favors; she was sure she had probably asked for too much already. "Please don't make me go on the shopping run anymore. I…" she allowed her voice to shake with fear, letting herself sound like she were about to cry in hopes of gaining pity from him, "I don't want to chance something like today happening again. As a simple human I can't get away like a goblin can and I… I…."

Jareth held up a hand to silence her. His face looked terribly uncomfortable, probably because she sounded on the verge of tears. "Okay, okay. I'll have Bumper assist you in the kitchens for now on and he can make your runs for you. Now are you going to start on my supper or not?"

She tried to hide her smile as she nodded franticly and left the room as quickly as she could, the goblins watching her and Toby as she went. She was halfway down the hall when she heard footsteps behind her and turned around to see the little pig-like goblin she had replaced following her.

He shook his head and had a little cock-eyed smirk on his face. "I knew no human could handle cooking for a king."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Listen, I can cook for him just fine. It's just that I can't go into the market anymore."

The goblin- Bumper if she remembered right- shook his head again as he caught up to her. "Humans scare too easy. Someone chases you and it's no more shopping for you."

She wasn't about to respond to that. Let him think she was a coward if he wanted, as long as she didn't have to go anywhere Bud could reach her.

They reached the kitchens and Bumper looked around himself. "I saw earlier that you had ruined my kitchen," he remarked.

Sarah whirled around at that. "Excuse me?"

"Not one thing is where I left it," Bumper complained. "Like the tea cups that used to be under the stove and to the left of the window."

Sarah scowled and opened up a cupboard where the clean cups were stacked up neatly. "Now they're all here," she snapped.

Bumper shook his head. "Ridiculous. And what about my flat pan? I used to have that near the center of the room under a chair."

Sarah glared at the goblin as she opened another cupboard and pulled out the flat pan. "It's easier to find it in here. I don't know how you managed to cook anything with the state you kept this place in."

The goblin frowned then and stomped his foot on the floor. "I had it the way I liked it and you came in and ruined it!" he accused.

Sarah rolled her eyes and set Toby in the high chair. "I didn't ruin it, I just cleaned it."

"Same thing!" the goblin shouted.

"Look," Sarah snapped, "I can't really debate this with you right now. I have to make Jareth's supper before it becomes so late I have to serve it to him with his breakfast."

She turned away from the goblin and took out the bottle she had been using for Toby, filling it up with some milk for him. He took it right away and began to suck it down so fast she thought he might choke.

A crash made her jump and turn away from Toby and she looked at the floor in between her and the goblin. Just in front of the goblin a plate lay shattered on the floor. The goblin glared up at her and she knew it hadn't been an accident. "I want this room back the way it was!" Bumper demanded.

Sarah could feel her eyes narrow and her jaw twitch with anger. She wasn't about to put up with any more shit today, especially this.

The goblin saw something in her face and took a step back, still frowning up at her.

"Get a broom and sweep that up." Sarah's voice was cold and low despite her outrage.

The goblin looked from her to the plate and back to her, weighing his options.

Sarah saw his uncertainty and pounced. "This is no longer your kitchen, it's mine," she informed him in the same cold tone. "You are here to help, not to cause trouble. If you continue to try to make problems for me I will use you as a broom to sweep up that glass. So before I have to do that I suggest you pick it up and help me by frying up some meat."

The goblin stared back at her for a long minute before turning with a huff to retrieve a broom.

Sarah really hoped she wasn't going to have to threaten every goblin here in order to live peaceably.

Jareth lounged in his throne, his feet up on the armrest. That human wasn't being entirely truthful with him, he could tell that much. He wasn't stupid, even though most seemed to think he was. The human's home was burned, her family killed. Then on her first trip to town since coming here she is attacked by a local gang. There were certainly things that girl was hiding from him.

He could make her tell him.

She obviously didn't want to, but he could make her sing like a canary if he wanted to. But he simply wasn't that interested. It was of no concern to him and since he had nothing to lose from not knowing and nothing to gain from finding out it was best to just stay out of it.

She obviously was no longer safe outside the labyrinth though. He trusted Bumper to make the weekly runs for her over the others because although the goblin wasn't much of a cook… at all really… he did know what a person was talking about when they said apple versus orange. Any other goblin will just shove an apple in their mouth to see if it was edible and move on.

"Your Highness!" a voice shouted, making Jareth turn his attention towards the door. He glowered at the goblin standing there for startling him.

"What have I told you about sneaking up on me?" he growled.

"But your highness," the goblin gasped, "A message from the Fae court has arrived."

Jareth rolled his eyes. No doubt another charming and nagging message from his royal pain of a mother. "Well where is it?" he asked.

The goblin stepped out of the way and a male Fae dressed in servants robes stepped into the doorway.

This caught Jareth's full attention. His mother had never sent a messenger before, just a letter. If she went to the trouble of sending a messenger here it had to be very serious this time. The servant bowed low at the waist upon seeing him.

"Why are you here?" Jareth questioned. Standing up from his throne.

The Fae stood back up but kept his head down as protocol demanded. "Your mother insists on speaking to you."

Jareth shrugged. "She always does, but why has she not sent another letter?" Because you brush them off, a little voice in his head nagged.

The servant kept his head down as he spoke. "I can not tell you. All I know is what I was told to pass on my lord. But your mother is very insistent."

In other words he wasn't going anywhere till Jareth agreed to go to the Fae court.

Jareth let out a sigh. The sooner he left the sooner he could return.

"Very well." Jareth let out a loud huff as he stepped down from the throne and over to the Fae. "Lets go then shall we?"

With a flash of light and glistening dust they left the goblin castle together and traveled to the Fae Court. Jareth dusted himself off and looked around himself. They had ended up right in the middle of his mother's study. The stone walls were covered in ivy that had crept in from the windows and a large chandelier cast a soft pinkish hue over the room, making it look more romantic than the cold dull work done in here would have a person believe. Jareth looked up at his mother, sitting behind the large mahogany desk of hers with a looming and stern presence.

Her desk was like her, spotless and free of clutter. Jareth could remember it would be loaded down with papers on a day to day basis. She would only have it completely cleared if she was about to do business that demanded her absolute full attention.

His cousin Saboroth sat in one of the chair across from her. He turned around and gave Jareth a cocky smirk, pushing a tress of silver hair behind his shoulder. "Good of you to actually join us cousin."

Jareth gave him a cocky smirk right back. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he refused to show fear or concern. All he knew was that his mother looked grim and Saboroth looked pretty pleased so it couldn't be anything he'd like.

"Thank you Gal, that will be all," Mavarion sighed.

The servant bowed low again to them all and backed out of the study, closing the door behind him.

Jareth turned back to his mother. "What's this about?" he demanded.

"Sit down Jareth." She nodded towards the empty seat to Saboroth's right.

He truly wasn't going to like this. Jareth crossed his arms over his chest. "I prefer to stand."

Saboroth smiled at him then. "You would refuse an order from your queen?"

Jareth glared at his cousin. Just like in their youth he was trying to get him in trouble. "I would refuse a seat from my mother when I know it is something I'll want to stand for."

"But then you can't make a fuss stand up and storm out dramatically now can you?" Saboroth sneered.

"That is enough from both of you. Saboroth, I'm allowing you to be here but continue to speak and I will make you leave. Jareth I am ordering you as your queen to have a seat!"

Saboroth quit smiling and turned back around in his seat.

Jareth let out a frustrated growl and flopped down in the empty seat next to him; one leg resting carelessly over the arm rest. Queen or not he didn't miss the very motherly look Mavarion gave him for not sitting in his chair properly. Jareth suddenly felt like he was 70 years younger and he had just been brought before his mother once again for misbehaving.

Just like back then he regarded her and the situation with as little interest and respect as possible.

"What is this about mother?" Jareth asked again.

Something hard in her stare softened and she sat back in her seat. If it weren't for her being so ridged it would have appeared that she was relaxing. "Jareth you know that my 300 year reign is coming to an end."

Jareth fought to not let out a sigh. He had heard this before and knew where this dance was going. She'd demand he shape up and step up as ruler to the throne and he would dismiss her and her precious thrown. There was no reason she should step down. It was tradition for Fae to rule in 300 year intervals but she could keep going if she wanted to. He didn't need to say it for them both to know he wasn't nearly up to the task of ruling. Then she would start pleading and demanding and guilting and then he would get fed up and storm out just as his cousin had predicted.

Jareth leaned back in his seat and braced himself for the impact.

"That being said," his mother let out a sigh and looked down at him, "You are in no position to take over the underground for me."

Jareth thought his heart had missed a beat. A sort of relief coursed through him that also surprised him.

That was the last thing he had expected her to say.

She finally understood.

She leaned forward in her seat and rested her hands on her clean desk. "That being said, I've called you here to tell you that you will not be taking the throne for the next 300 years. Saboroth will take your place as King of the Underground."

His heart stopped beating. That was the last thing he had expected her to say.

Jareth sat for a few seconds as his brain processed the information that had just come out of her mouth. "S-Saboroth?" he whispered, finding his mouth had gone dry.

"It pains me to do this to you Jareth but you yourself have expressed many times-

"Saboroth?" He shouted, causing everyone in the room to jump as he sat up in his chair. Anger flooded his veins and he could hardly believe that she had actually said that. "You can't put Saboroth in charge of the underground. You can't leave him in charge of a snail and expect it to live!"

Mavarion glared right back at him. "Saboroth is more than capable of talking charge of the Labyrinth. He is an upstanding member of our courts and more importantly he wants the job. You couldn't care less."

"So he goes and sits in court and because of that you're going to give it to him?" Jareth demanded.

Saboroth smirked like the cat who ate the canary. "What's wrong Jareth? I'm doing you a favor really. Now you can spend your days chasing goblins and telling the world just how much you don't care."

Now was not a good time for his cousin to talk. Jareth stared daggers into his smirking self-righteous cousin. "Say one more word and I'll make sure a goblin slips itching power into your trousers cousin."

"Then I can pretend I'm you and spend all day scratching my arse?"

He was going to kill him.

"That's enough!" Mavarion shouted, catching both of their attentions.

Jareth wasn't nearly done yet. "Mother you can't just take away my birth right like that!"

"What do you care Jareth?" she demanded. "Just tell me why you care. Is it because you think you can be a better ruler than Saboroth, or is it because you just don't want him to rule over you?"

"Both!" Jareth shouted. "I don't want his pompous arse telling me what to do, but I would bet my very name that I could make a better ruler than him. He is cruel and domineering and a dictator. Everyone knows how he treats his own servants. He would be no different with a kingdom of subjects."

He could remember when he was younger he and his mother had visited his cousin's home so she could visit with her now departed sister, Jareth's aunt. Jareth and Saboroth had been just barely more than young adults and he had come upon his cousin forcing a servant girl to perform sexual acts on him. She had been crying and afraid for her life when Saboroth had seen Jareth standing there. He could still vividly remember the evil look of satisfaction in Saboroth's eyes as he had laughed and smacked the girl aside, telling her to get back to work. Although it had just been a servant there had been a cruelness to it that just set uneasily with Jareth. He had heard since then several accounts of how Saboroth would punish and use and humiliate all his servants, even the old and docile. He had even killed a few of them in what he had indifferently referred to as sparring practice.

"I'll take the throne Mother but you said so yourself that I'm not ready for it right now. Give me more time-

"I WON'T!"

Jareth and Saboroth both sat back in their chairs at his mother's unexpected outburst.

She let out a sigh and stood up from her seat, suddenly looking very tired and very old. "I have no more time to give you Jareth. You knew this was coming. You've had your whole life to prepare, close to a hundred years. I could continue to rule if I wanted to, but I don't. I've ruled for 300 hundred years already. I don't want to for another 300. I'm done Jareth, I can't wait for you to step up anymore. You have no current understanding of the Fae's politics, or court life. You don't even have a mate or an heir, something the throne demands probably more than anything else to continue the bloodlines."

Jareth couldn't help but think it a little ironic that she was talking about the importance of blood lines when she was taking away his birthright. He wasn't about to let Saboroth take what was his.

"Do you want Saboroth to rule instead of me?" he asked, sounding as tired as she did.

Mavarion looked at him with helpless eyes. "You've left me no choice Jareth. You know I would love to give the throne to you, but I have to think of what's right for the kingdom."

"At least give me a chance then. You can't just call me out here and spring something like this on me."

Saboroth turned to him then. "Don't worry Jareth, when I'm king you can just bow to me from the neck up, since your family and all."

Mavarion turned back to Jareth then. "What could you possibly have to offer Jareth?"

Jareth tried to think on his feet. "My blood."

Mavarion and Saboroth both looked at him skeptically then.

"Our family, our direct family," he said shooting a glare at Saboroth. "Has the most powerful magic running through our veins, that's why we've ruled on the thrones so far is it not?"

"Still screaming about blood rights Jareth?" Saboroth sighed.

"You better believe it." he turned back to his mother. "I'll give you an heir to continue that magic if you give me my throne. Isn't it best for the Underground to be ruled by the strongest magic available to it in the long run?"

Mavarion raised an eyebrow at that.

"That's ridiculous," Saboroth accused, "It's too late for you Jareth, the queen has already said that I shall inherit the throne, not you."

Jareth ignored his cousin, focusing entirely on the queen. What Saboroth didn't know was besides growing up his mother had always nagged him about grandchildren. He knew the wheels would turn in her head till they clicked into gear and made her think of this as killing two birds with one stone.

Saboroth seemed to see the wheels turning too and suddenly got worried. "Your majesty can't actually be considering this! Hell, if it's an heir that the throne needs more than anything than I can rise to the occasion."

Mavarion looked back and forth from Jareth to Saboroth. "It does only seem fair that Jareth get a chance."

Jareth could hardly believe she was agreeing with him on this. Saboroth didn't look like he could believe it either.

Mavarion sat down in her chair again and nodded her head. "Very well Jareth, you will produce an heir before I step down from the throne."

Jareth almost wanted to do a victory dance right there in front of Saboroth, years of some nobility getting hammered into his head restrained him from doing so though.

"However, I can't have you become ruler of the underground just because you can… plant your seed. You will have to start attending court at least once a week, and you will stay awake for them."

Jareth still was willing to go through with it if it meant Saboroth wasn't getting his throne. It was a harder bet than it seemed though, two years was a long time but not for Fae's and certainly not when it came to producing a child. Fae's were actually very infertile.

Saboroth stood up from his seat indignantly. "But your majesty I've been attending court for most of my adult life. If he goes once a week you'll toss the underground to him?"

Something shown in the queens eye that Jareth had known from growing up with her that she was thinking devious things. "You make a good point Saboroth."

Saboroth smirked next to him.

"We'll leave it to fate then. The first one to produce an heir will be the Underground's king."

Jareth couldn't help but frown then. Now not only did he have just two years, he and his cousin would be racing to produce an heir. His chances were looking slimmer and slimmer. If neither was able to produce one it would go to his cousin by default. And on top of everything he now had to go to court too. Stress was really bad for him right now.

Saboroth smirked next to him. "Sound fair cousin?"

Jareth glared over at him. "Fair enough I guess."

Sarah pushed a grilled slab of pork onto one of the king's plates and handed the other she had cooked to Bumper, who took it happily and scarfed it down. "I was wrong you know, a human isn't such a bad cook."

She couldn't help but smile. Apparently the way to a goblin's heart was through their stomach. His attitude towards her had drastically changed when she had asked him to sample some gravy she had made. Toby sat in his high chair happy and stuffed with almost as much gravy on him as he had gotten inside him.

"Thanks, can you clean Toby up while I deliver this to Jareth?" she asked Bumper.

The goblin nodded and took the wet wash cloth she handed to him. "Be gentle with his skin, humans are softer than goblins you know."

He nodded his piggish head and started to carefully wipe off Toby's face. The babe babbled happily and preceded to smack the side of the goblin's head with his little spoon. Bumper didn't even seem to notice as he continued to clean up her brother.

Sarah loaded Jareth's food onto the silver tray and balanced it against her hip so she'd have a free hand for the doors. For only having milk and meat she thought she had come up with a satisfactory meal. She was surprised when on her way to the dining hall she spotted Jareth passing by further down. She hurried past the doors to the dining hall to where she had seen Jareth heading.

She was about out of breath when she finally caught up with him at the stairs. "Hey!" she shouted.

Jareth stopped and turned back to her, a sour expression on his face. "Hey?"

She realized what the face was about and bowed her head apologetically. "Sorry I shouted at you, but I wanted to catch you before you got away." She held the tray up for him to see. "Your meals ready. Are you going to take it in your room?"

He looked down at her food dispassionately. From the look on his face she almost thought she was holding a plate of mold out for him. "No, I will not be having my supper tonight."

She could almost feel her jaw twitch. "Because it's late?" she asked.

He shook his head, his blond hair fanning out around him slightly. "No, but I've lost my appetite tonight. Eat it yourself if you wish, or just leave it out. Some goblin is bound to find and eat it before morning."

She looked down at the tray in her hands. "But just an hour ago you said to have it ready for you."

His eyes narrowed down at her. "Are you questioning me Human?"

Sarah felt her heart beat kick up and bowed her head low again. "No, I apologize your majesty."

Jareth nodded his head and turned away, trudging up the stairs away from her.

Sarah let out a sigh and carried the tray with her back to the kitchen. That was weird.

Chapter 9: A Day Off?

Sarah woke up once again to the sound of someone knocking on her door. She rubbed her eyes in an attempt to coax them to stay open and rolled clumsily out of bed. Toby started to fuss out of sleep behind her as she reached the door. "Hold on!" she called.

She went back to the bed and grabbed the top sheet off of it to wrap around herself. She hurried back to the door and opened it up a crack, surprised to see Grungle looking up at her.

"Oh, h-hello?" she murmured, staring back down at him.

Grungle held out the two dresses and changing cloths she had purchased in the market the other day for her. "Here," he huffed.

"Thank you," she said, taking them from him. "Are you alright?" she asked before she could stop herself.

He rolled his eyes. "Of course, I led those Weres around the market twice before I slipped away from them." He continued to stand there, staring up at her.

Sarah shifted around uncomfortably. Like it wasn't bad enough she was dressed in only a bed sheet. "Is there something else?"

Grungle nodded his head. "Yes, I want to know why I had to lead some Weres on a wild goose chase in the first place."

Sarah fought the impulse to close the door on him. Every time this came up it seemed like her first and only instinct was to run. She wondered if that made her a coward.

Grungle placed a webbed hand in the door way and pushed it open. "I want to know the truth girl. Get dressed, see to your babe and then you can tell me."

Sarah wasn't sure exactly what to do, but since she couldn't com up with an idea on her own she decided listening to Grungle would work for now. Sarah set the clothes down on the bed and picked Toby up from off the bed she had made for him on the floor. She tucked the blanket in tight around her s it wouldn't slip at all. He started to calm down slightly as she checked him over and wrapped him in a fresh changing cloth. Once that was done she propped him up on the bed with her pillow behind him so he could sit up easier. She then threw her new white cotton dress over her head and made sure it was in place before letting the blanket fall out the bottom. She smoothed out her long hair as best she could and looked down at herself to make sure everything was a sit should be.

Grungle stepped into her room and went around the bed to stand next to Toby, ho had stopped crying and now stared up at Grungle with wide blue eyes.

"His name's Toby," Sarah said uncertainly.

The goblin looked back at her and frowned. "What?"

Sarah nodded towards Toby, who reached one hand out for Grungle. "My brother's name is Toby."

Grungle reached his webbed hand out and Toby gripped it tightly in his little fist. Grungle first looked offended, like Toby was a parasite of some sort. Toby brought the goblin's hand into his mouth and Sarah had to stop herself from screaming at him, lord only knew if something on goblin skin was harmful to a baby. She stood back and watched Grungle's reaction as he amazingly smiled and pulled back his hand.

"He doesn't have a very powerful bite does he?"

Sarah frowned at that. "I guess not, no."

Grungle shrugged. "He'll grow into one I suppose." He turned back to Sarah. "Now, you have some explaining to do."

Sarah nodded her head and sat down on the end of the bed, pulling Toby into her lap so she could tell Grunge the truth about Bud and her situation.

Jareth lay down on his back against the soft sheets of his bed, completely out of breath and covered in a thin layer of sweat. Jasmine laughed next to him and rolled onto her side so she could rest her head on his arm as she faced him. "Your highness has surpassed your reputation."

He tried not to wince at that. He understood it was proper, but did he didn't like being addressed by titles when he was in bed with a woman. So far Jasmine had refused to call him by anything but just that. It just rubbed him wrong for some reason.

"I wasn't really aware I had a reputation," he lied; he assumed he had a bit of a reputation by now hen it came to the ladies of the court.

Jasmine laughed again and placed a kiss against his cheek. "Well, you do. I heard from some courtiers that you can be a real cad when it comes to the fairer sex."

Jareth rolled his eyes. It was true, but where was she going with this? He was totally ready for her to leave. "Is that so? Well I wouldn't want to disappoint," he sat up, not missing the sudden frown that came to her face as he pulled his arm out from under her head. "I have a lot of things I need to do yet today, goblins you know, so I'll have someone see you to the door."

She sat up indignantly. "Wait, you could at least offer me a drink before I go!"

Sarah carried Toby on her hip into the kitchen. Grungle had reacted better to her story than she had thought, but then again she had had no idea as to how he would react. At least now he understood and agreed that she wouldn't be able to go back to town. She couldn't say she would particularly miss it, since she had rarely ever left the bar anyway. Her father had always done the shopping and all she really knew before her life here was her family. They were gone now, and with them so was her old way of life. She was once again lucky though, even though she had lost everything, she had found a new life. It wasn't glitzy or anything, but it was better than laying in a gutter starved to death like she could have more easily predicted happening to her.

Sarah set Toby's comforter down in the play area before depositing him in there as well. It would be easier once he got older and could help her around the kitchen. When he got older…

Sarah got a disturbing mental image of her brother as a teenage young man, acting like a goblin. He'd be running all over the palace, creeping and scaring. Maybe he'd pick up a rusty hook and try to eat it! Sarah shook her head to clear the image and looked back down at her baby brother, who smiled up at her before going to explore a rock in the corner of his play area. Was it just her or had that smile seemed sneaky?

Sarah was convinced she was going to lose her mind here. She took the rock away from Toby before he could choke on it or anything and gave him an oven mitt to play with when he started to fuss.

She would have to find some suitable toys for him eventually rather than let him play with kitchen utensils. She didn't get much time with him though.

After she had explained their situation to Grungle he had simply nodded his head and left, probably to go tell Jareth. She almost hoped that he didn't, at the same time it would save her from ever having to tell him herself.

"What are you doing now? Bumper asked, causing Sarah to startle.

She hadn't even seen him when she had come in. he stood next to the heaping pile of garbage that she had had yet to throw out, picking things out of it and placing them in a small pile next to him.

Sarah tried to calm her heartbeat as she watched him take a cracked cup out of the stack and add it to his pile. "Just thinking about stuff. What are you doing?" she questioned.

Bumper pulled a large miss-shaped pot out of the trash pile and started loading the things he had pulled out into it. "This is stuff you don't want to keep right?"

Sarah nodded, "But what are you doing with it?"

Bumper shrugged. "You don't want it, the little human don't want it, I'm just taking out what I want from it." he cast her a look like he was daring her to try to stop him.

She let out a sigh and shrugged her shoulders. "That's fine. Whatever you don't take I'm just going to throw away."

"The scavies will love this stuff for sure."

Sarah frowned at that. "The scavies?"

Bumper nodded. "They live in our junk piles. Greedy filthy creatures that care only about material things. They're bad goblins."

Sarah decided to drop the subject since his description was giving her the creeps and she turned to start taking pans out of the cupboards. "Well take it all if you want to, I can't have it stay here."

Bumper looked the pile up and down. "I'll need a bigger pan to carry it in."

Sarah rolled her eyes, "The piles not going anywhere soon so you can make several trips if you want."

Bumper turned back to her. "I think that might be a good idea."

Sarah tried not to laugh at how serious he was.

"What are you doing now?" Bumper asked.

"I'm going to make breakfast on time for a change," she responded, taking a skillet out of the cupboard above her.

"The king's order is right here," Bumper said, taking one of the king's crystals from over in the corner where it lay.

Sarah turned and stooped down low enough to take it from the piggish goblin. "Thanks," she murmured. Like before she dropped it on the floor and it popped like it was a bubble and not something solid that she had held in her hands seconds before. Jareth's voice flowed out of it and floated through the air around her.

"I will not be in need of breakfast this morning," was all he said.

He didn't eat last nigh and now he wasn't going to eat anything this morning? She knew her cooking wasn't that bad.

She wasn't sure what had made him lose his appetite, but it was taking a long time it seemed for him to regain it. She had nothing to do till lunch now. Toby cooed from over in the corner, catching Sarah's attention.

She hadn't really spent time with him since arriving here, other than him watching her work.

"Bumper, if you want to try to clear out that trash before lunch it's fine with me," she said, going over to the corner and scooping up her baby brother.

"Where will you be?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, but I'm not confined to the castle. Maybe Toby and I will go outside today and play," she said, smiling down at her brother. He smiled back up at her, happy with the attention he was finally receiving.

Sarah walked down the hallway with Toby slung up on her chest with her dad's shirt again. She liked carrying him this way because it left her hands and arms free if she needed them, it also didn't feel so much like carrying him.

The sound of close by footsteps hurrying towards her made her stop and look over her shoulder, surprised to see another female rushing toward her, a look of desperate worry on her face. Sarah could see why because shortly after spotting her the same pack of goblins Sarah had encountered before came rushing around the corner after the female, laughing manically. They were no doubt up to the3ir tricks again.

The female spotted Sarah and she let out a scream, rushing toward her with a new-found speed and determination. "Help me!" she screamed, panicked.

Sarah let out a sigh and stood her ground as the female ducked behind her. The goblins all skidded to a stop just in front of her. "You again," one of them observed.

"Hey, ask her if she has more cookies!" one of them shouted. They all mumbled in agreement.

Sarah rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Feed a goblin and gain a friend for life apparently. "What do you guys think your doing?" she asked, the female crouching in fear behind her.

The goblins all looked back and forth to each other. "Just scaring," one of them answered.

"Well you succeeded," Sarah sighed, moving just slightly so they could glance the female behind her, who was so upset she had tears in her eyes.

The goblins exchanged grins then, proud of themselves.

Sarah knew it would be pointless to try to explain to them that this was a bad thing to do to someone. "Alright so you can leave her alone now."

"Do you have any more cookies?" one asked hopefully.

Sarah shook her head. "I don't have any cookies for goblins that chase around scared women all day."

A few of their mouths dropped in shock and they almost looked like they were upset now. Sarah shrugged her shoulders. "If you guys don't bother her anymore than tonight when I make the king's supper I'll also make a batch of cookies for you guys. Sound good?"

They all immediately started whooping and hollering and ran off back down the hall, no doubt looking forward to tonight's meal.

"Thank you Human," the girl behind her gasped.

Sarah turned around to face the female. She had long dark hair and fair skin. The large pink dress she wore was indication enough of her status as way above Sarah. She had to be a Fae. Sarah saw that her ears were slightly pointed too. Totally a Fae.

Sarah bowed out of pure stiff reaction. "Your welcome, they're easier to deal with then you would think."

The Fae smiled down at her kindly and her eyes darted down to Toby for a second. "Your baby is cute," she mused.

"Oh, he's not-

"It must be hard being a human, a single mother, and having to mess with goblins all day."

Sarah fought not to frown. This woman sure did like to assume things. She had nothing to make her believe that the baby Sarah was holding was hers or that she was raising him alone, even though that was true. And she didn't really have to deal with goblins all day. What did being a human really have to do with it? She may be human but it was this Fae woman who had been running down the halls for who knew how long.

"Um, sure," Sarah simply said wanting to continue on her way.

"You may call me Jasmine," the female smiled. "My father owns the miner's fief; a fief is a patch of land."

Sarah tried not to laugh out loud at this woman. Either she thought Sarah was too simple to know what fief meant or she was saying it to make sure she could remember.

If Colane had been standing here saying theses things to her Sarah would have said she was being snarky, but she gotten the feeling this woman wasn't like that. She figured more likely this Fae had no filter between her mouth and her brain.

"So what are you doing here Jasmine?" Sarah asked, running her hand through Toby's curls.

The Fae's cheeks reddened then. "Never mind that," she answered, sounding a little flustered.

Sarah had a sneaking suspicion clawing at the back of her brain as to what the female was doing here.

"I was looking for the exit and I suppose I took a wrong turn. Would you show me to the door?"

Well, at least she was nice enough. "I was just on my way there," Sarah nodded.

Jasmines eyes lit up a little at that. "Wonderful, I can't imagine what I would do if those retched things came after me again."

Sarah fought not to roll her eyes at the female's description of the goblins. Sure they were a little… goblinish, but they were more reasonable than most people knew. She was starting to think that they were rather bearable compared to their king.

Apparently he would rather stay in his room with random women all night and day than eat. She didn't like Colane at all, but she liked that he was changing up women so quickly even less. She had seen cads like him in the bar before, and knew that they were no good to themselves or those around them. Who cares? She demanded of herself. It was none of her business who he slept with or how often. There was certainly no reason to care about it. Right?

A jolt of pleasure shot from the base of his testicals to the small of his back, making him spasm and arch back as a groan erupted from his mouth. His cock pulsed like a heartbeat as he spilled his seed into the female laying below him on his bed. He gave her a self-righteous smirk as she panted beneath him.

Her eyes opened and she stared back up at him with blue eyes. Her name was Claira or something. He wasn't quite sure.

She reached a hand up to move a strand of his silver hair back, only to recoil when he smacked her hand away.

Saboroth frowned down at her. "I told you before not to touch me." He didn't like being touched by females like her, the easy ones. They were pathetic and sad and he refused to let any of them think that they were worth enough to even touch him of their own violation. It was best if they knew just how far beneath him they were, literally and figuratively. He preferred to do the touching.

"I was just moving your hair," Claira said meekly.

He rolled off her and the bed in annoyance. Like that was an excuse. They had been together many times before this, so she knew how he was about the touching. There were no more excuses for her. He picked up her dress from the floor and tossed it to her. "Hurry up and get dressed, I'm expecting someone else."

Her jaw went a little slack at that. "Another female already?" her voice was a little hurt.

Actually he wasn't expecting another female, but there was no reason to have her think otherwise. It would hurt her self-esteem more if she let herself assume. Easy or not, he found a female more fun when they were desperate for sex, just so they felt wanted for a few minutes. He didn't have to be told to know he was something of a deviant.

"Did you think that you would actually be enough for me, Claira?"

She glared back at him for that and jumped off the bed, stomping into her tight dress. "My name is Chloe," she muttered angrily as she marched past him.

He couldn't help but smile to himself as he shut the door behind her. She was fuming now, but before long she would let his treatment to her sink in, let it hurt her, and then she'd be back for more. He wasn't quite sure why she always came back, but she did. Maybe it was to prove something to him, or to herself. He didn't really care because it was convenient for him.

In light of the bet between him and his cousin he would be calling on girls like her more often. They were loose enough that if he didn't get them pregnant someone was sure to and then he could swoop in and lay claim to whatever bastard child was produced, securing him the throne. He intended to rule everything in the Underground; that included his future Queen and any resulting offspring. Girls like Clai-Chloe were submissive and someone he could bend to his every will would suit him best as his wife.

He pulled his bed robe on as a knocked sounded from his door. "Come in."

The door creaked open and his informant stepped in.

"What do you have to tell me about Jareth?" Saboroth asked, not bothering to turn around to face his paid spy and instead pouring himself a drink.

"Jareth has had two Faes over since last night," the male said. "I slipped contraceptives into both their drinks like you told me to do."

Saboroth smiled and dug into his coin pouch sitting on his dresser, pulling out three gold coins and handing them to his informant, who took them happily. "Good, just keep it up and report back to me if anything changes."

His cousin was way to predictable, calling over every courtier he knew in packs. The chances were slim as always of conceiving a child, but he wasn't going to risk anything. The contraceptives would make it impossible to produce a child now.

"I have more information for you."

He didn't miss the male's eyes shift back to his coin bag. "Tell me what you know and I'll decide what it's worth," he shrugged.

"He was a human living in the Labyrinth now. A girl who works in the kitchens. She came to the Labyrinth from the bordering town because he owed her something."

Saboroth felt an eyebrow rise up. That was interesting. He understood that humans were very fertile compared to Fae but surely even his cousin wouldn't stoop to that level. "Has he slept with her?"

The male shook his head no.

"Saboroth flipped him a coin. "Good, keep an eyes on her too. If he does sleep with her let me know. Till then just worry about his bedmates."

The spy nodded in understanding and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"What did you find?" Sarah cooed.

After showing Jasmine out she hand Toby had found a spot to sit against the side of the castle by themselves. It was warm out with a cool sweet breeze blowing every now and then although no sun peaked out from the clouds that hovered over the Labyrinth.

Toby was crawling a few feet away and was taking a close look at some tall weeds, which tickled his face and caused him to fall back, laughing his adorable baby laugh. Sarah couldn't help but laugh too. Her little brother had in the time they'd been out here flipped over every rock and pulled up every scarce blade of grass in a three foot radius. Like any babe he was very curious.

Sarah leaned back against the stone wall of the castle and let out a sigh. For the first time since arriving here she felt content with her life. It had been to long since she'd felt this way. She still cried herself to sleep some nights thinking about her dad, and a little about Karen. No one deserved to die like they had.

She startled and looked up when Bumper came around the corner. "Were you planning on cooking the king's lunch at all?"

She let out a sigh and stood up, stretching.

"What time is it?"

"It's a little after eleven. Lunch is at 13 o' clock, remember?"

Sarah nodded and went over to Toby, scooping him up in her arms. Maybe she'd actually get a meal to the king on time.

She followed after Bumper back into the castle and down into the kitchen so she could start on her meal. Like before there was a crystal there waiting for her. She set Toby down in his corner, pleased that he decided he was ready for a nap, and smashed the crystal against the floor.

"I will not be taking lunch today," was all it announced.

Sarah's mouth dropped at that. He wasn't going to eat in over 26 hours? She turned back to Bumper, who shrugged and also looked annoyed. "I guess he's still in bed."

Sarah's lips pursed at that and she stared down at the floor where the crystal had popped. He was going to kill himself if the pace he was going.

She turned away and pulled a skillet down from the cupboard.

"What are we having?" Bumper asked, a smile stretching across his face.

"Whatever's leftover from making his highnesses lunch," she shrugged.

Bumper stopped smiling then. "But his majesty requested not to have lunch."

"I'm aware of that," she shrugged, pulling out more pots and pans.

This is definitely not because I care about him, she thought to herself. This is because I care about me and Toby. As far as she was concerned no man of Fae could live for long having… contact all day and nothing to eat. It sucked all the energy out of you. If he died from malnutrition she and Toby would be out on the streets again. Maybe you couldn't die after just a day or so, but who knew how many more meals he was going to refuse.

Chapter 10: A Day Off Part II

For the last hour Bumper had stayed back against the wall, putting more junk from the dwindling pile into his little pot and telling her how she was wasting her time. Sarah tuned him out though, maybe she was wasting her time, but she didn't really care.

She was happy that Grungle had dropped off the rest of her shopping list this morning since the king would probably be really hungry now. She had made up some pork chops, sliced potato rounds, a pan-full of green beans, and had cut up some apples for lunch.

Once she had separated what would be served to Jareth she placed some of the leftover green beans on a separate plate and cut up a pork chop into tiny bite-sized pieces for Toby.

She then made up a similar plate for Bumper, making sure there was still enough left for her. She threw a few apples on Bumper's plate as well and turned around to hand it to him. He carried it with him over to the window sill and hopped up to sit on the edge, looking out of the castle as he scooped the food up in his clawed hands to eat.

Sarah went over to Toby's corner and peered in over the side of the pin. He was still curled up on the blanket, sleeping peacefully. She hated to wake him up, but if he didn't eat he'd be fussier later. She bent down and scooped him up in her arms. He started to squirm around immediately and his tired blue eyes cracked open. As soon as he focused on Sarah he closed his eyes and started to cry in irritation from being disturbed.

"Yes, I know it's the end of the world," Sarah sighed, hauling him over and setting him down in the highchair. She filled his bottle with more milk and set hid plate out in front of him.

He immediately started to throw his green beans.

Bumper whoop from the window, "What an arm!"

Sarah rolled her eyes and took the plate away. Hopefully he would be calmer when she got back. He brought the bottle to his mouth and began to suck it down, tears and whimpers still escaping him as he banged against the front of his chair. He was in a fun mood already.

Sarah took the tray she had put together for the goblin king and hurried out of the kitchen. She was betting that he was up in his bedroom. She had learned her lesson from last time not to just invite herself in, this time she would knock. If she had to she would even leave it sitting outside the door in case he changed his mind.

She climbed the stone stares that led up to the North Wing where his room was.

As she got closer and closer to his room, she started to feel nervous; technically she was breaking one of his rules. He had warned her to stay out of the North Wing without his permission. She most certainly didn't have his permission now. Plus if he was with company the last thing he wanted was probably to see her. She stared down at the tray of food as she approached his room, stopping in front of the heavy door.

She tried to listen, figuring if she could hear… anything she'd just knock once and leave the tray for him.

She didn't hear anything. Maybe he was asleep. Yeah right.

She summed up her courage and bravado and knocked on the door.

There was no answer for a long time.

She wasn't sure whether to leave or knock again.

She had just reached up to try knocking again when the door swung open suddenly and she jumped back, her hands tightening in a death-grip on the tray.

Jareth stood in the opened doorway, holding a sheet around his waist as he glared down at her.

This was a bad idea.

she caught movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced past him into the room. some blond female was sitting in his bed, flipping her hair behind her shoulder. Jareth moved his body into her line of vision and she snapped her eyes down at the floor, her cheeks flaming with heat. Yet another female. Did he have no shame?

"What are you doing?" Jareth snapped down at her.

She swallowed back her fear and embarrassment and held the tray out in front of her. "I brought you lunch."

She could almost feel his glare on her skin. "I sent word for you to not bother making lunch for me. I certainly never asked you to bring it to me here." He closed the door behind him and she felt her back stiffen. No witnesses now.

She glanced up from the tray to look at the sheet still hanging off him. She quickly looked back down at the food. "I know, but I thought you might be hungry anyway. You haven't eaten in so long." She tacked on 'your highness' in hopes of moving closer to his good graces.

"When I am hungry I will ask for food and then you can bring it to me. Not before then. Do you understand?"

He didn't wait for a response, turning back to the door.

"You're going to burn out then," she said. She immediately wished that she had just kept her mouth shut.

He turned back to her, his eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

She lowered her head like she had lost control of her neck muscles. "Nothing, I should have said nothing," she insisted.

"No matter what you should have said I asked you what you did say."

She let out a sigh, her face on fire now. "You need food in order to keep up your strength. If you don't you'll burn yourself out and…" okay she was so very much crossing a line here.

She took deep breaths and held the tray out again. "Will you just please take it. Even if you don't eat it if you take it I can go back to the kitchen and forget about this."

She looked up in surprise when she heard him chuckle.

He was laughing at her!

Heat flooded her face again, but this time she wasn't embarrassed, not as much anyway. "What's so funny?"

"Watch your tone," he said, still smiling.

She was a little surprised when he reached out and took the tray from her with his free hand. "I wasn't laughing at you," he said. "I was laughing at your innocence. It's got an odd charm to it."

She wasn't sure what else to do so she just stood there, staring at the floor in between them with her face on fire.

"I'll have supper in the dining room, save you a trip up here," he smirked.

She nodded her head, turning to go.

"Hold on."

She slowly turned back to him, seeing that infuriating smirk still on his face.

"Open my door for me."

"Your Majesty?" she asked, unsure of exactly what he wanted.

He looked down at himself. "I have your food in one hand and my bed sheet in the other. I need someone else to open the door. or I could drop your tray but then that defeats the purpose of you being up here in the first place. Or I could drop the sheet." He raised an eyebrow at her.

She pursed her lips. He was definitely teasing her now, trying to make her blush more probably. She hurried over, pausing only to allow him to step aside before she turned the handle and tossed open his door. she made sure not to look inside and turned around to hurry past him and back down the hall. She could still hear him laughing on her way down the stairs.

Tears stung her eyes but she pushed them back. She wasn't going to cry over this.

Why did he have to make fun of me like that? Maybe she was just sensitive but she didn't care for attention and she certainly didn't like being laughed at for any reason. She didn't tell jokes so if she was laughed at it wasn't because she was trying to be funny.

And then he had been so… open about it all. His problem was that he was a slut. A royal slut!

Did he have no respect for himself? Or others for that matter? He went through girls like others went through shoes. What if he got a disease? The chances were good that he already had one, although she wasn't really sure if Faes could even carry of contract diseases. She'd never even heard of one with a cold.

What if he got one pregnant? Would he even care? Probably not. That was what probably upset her more than anything. Why did she even care? Sarah let out a huff.

Maybe she felt it was up to her to care about him since he obviously didn't care about anything or anyone. This is just messed up!

She didn't stop fuming until she got back into the kitchen.

Bumper was back to pulling things from the now only foot-high pile of junk. Toby was eating from the plate set in front of him.

Sarah turned back to Bumper. "Did you put his plate back?" she asked, surprised that he was eating so well.

Bumper shrugged. "He started to look hungry."

"Oh, well thank you." She turned back to the stove and took what was left for herself.

"Did he take the food then?" Bumper asked.

She nodded. Despite how it had happened, a smile came to her face. She hadn't gotten in trouble, even though she had disobeyed him on numerous points.

Bumper snorted. "He actually took it? You must be really persuasive."

Sarah shook her head. "I think he just pitied me or something." She knew that was wrong though; he had referred to her as 'amusing'. she shook her head again. Out of everyone he was probably the last she wanted to find her amusing. Or anything for that matter.

When she had first seen him back at the bar he had been the most striking man she had ever seen in her life, and still was. But he was a cad. A selfish, uncaring, irresponsible cad!

She hoped for someone more than that in her future.

Sarah looked around her and her face fell a little. Who was she kidding. She was probably going to live in the labyrinth till she died. As far as she knew there was no other human here. Unless she planned to settle down with a goblin (shudder) or a worm the best she could probably hope for were good friends.

Might as well start now, she thought to herself as she started gathering ingredients for the cookies she had promised the goblins.

Chapter 11: Who Cares

Sarah thought she just might fall down and stay down. She suppressed a yawn as she added a bit of garnish to the king's tray. Toby sat in his chair, throwing his food rather than eating it and laughing every time a goblin caught and ate it. Sarah rolled her eyes and handed a large plate to Bumper, who dunked it into the water basin and washed it off. Thankfully he had become a big help to her around here. He wasn't the smartest or nicest goblin, but when she showed him how to do something he could mimic it fairly well.

Which was just great because the small gang of goblins had decided a few days ago that they liked her and the kitchen enough to make it a daily hang out. Every day when she came in to make breakfast they were here, and would be until shortly before supper. Once it got dark they left to go cause mischief. She was just thankful they didn't purposefully try to cause her any trouble. They didn't eat a lot either surprisingly, at first she had been afraid she'd have to cook for all of them.

They seemed to only take what was offered though. The trouble was that Toby was willing to offer all of his food to them. Sarah frowned when he threw a slice of carrot and a black furry ball of a goblin jumped up and caught it in his mouth.

She was very tired. Toby had fussed almost all of last night and she had maybe gotten a few hours of sleep. She almost had trouble opening her eyes back up when she blinked. And her balance was off.

"Watch Toby, Bumper," she sighed.

Like it wasn't bad enough already.

"Sure."

She picked up the king's tray and fought to not fall over at the change in balance. She dreaded taking his meal to him any more. Ever since the night she had taken it to his room things had been awkward. With her anyway they were awkward. She had lost all nerve in front of him at supper and three days later had yet to regain it. She couldn't even look in his direction anymore. She was caught between not wanting to be noticed by him and not wanting him to pick on her anymore. There was also a slight fear that she would say or do something to make him mad, but that was a constant fear anyway.

With any luck the fact that she was half asleep would calm her down a little, but then she didn't have any luck. Perhaps if she passed out and crashed onto the kings food she would drown in the broccoli soup. One could only hope.

Jareth leaned back in his chair at the dining table as Sarah placed his food before him. She didn't look anywhere near him as she bowed and turned to leave. She hadn't looked at or spoken to him unless she absolutely had to since she had brought his food to his bedroom almost three days ago. He got the strangest feeling that she was mad at him or something.

At first he had figured she was just mad because he'd embarrassed her, but no female could hold a grudge this long could they? Probably.

Regardless, he didn't like this. It made him feel as though he was below her, not even worth her attention or something. Which was just ridiculous because she was beneath him.

"Did I dismiss you?" he asked, knowing she wouldn't leave until he did now that he'd reminded her.

She turned from the door back to him but didn't step any closer and once again stared solemnly at the floor.

It was really getting annoying that she could seem to listen to him and unacknowledged him at the same time. He didn't even realize he was glaring at her until she started to fidget with her dress and shift from side to side.

"Did I do something wrong?" he demanded.

Her head snapped up then and her eyes grew wide in shock. At least she was looking at him finally. "Pardon?"

He detested having to repeat himself but he did anyway. "Did I do something wrong?" He figured he must have to have her act this way around him all of a sudden.

She simply shook her head and went back to staring at the floor, unnerved now.

He cursed to himself and dug into the salmon she had brought him for lunch. As he chewed he couldn't help but look back up at her. She was still staring at the floor. He was a little relieved to see that she was no longer wearing that stained and faintly smelly dress she had come in. this white dress she now wore looked fresh and crisp on her and accented the slight tan in her skin, making her look almost exotic. He also couldn't help but notice now that there was a slight shadow under her eyes.

She seemed really tired now that he noticed.

"Not sleeping well?" he asked.

She simply shrugged.

He frowned again. For some reason he wanted a response from her, a real response. He knew how to get one now though. "Using your bed for things other than sleeping?" he teased.

She looked up at him then, confused. After a second or two she caught on and scowled at him before she could stop herself. He half wanted to laugh and half wanted to scold her for making a face like that at her betters. "No." she said flatly.

He couldn't help but chuckle. Her face was turning red again.

"Some of us would actually like to sleep through the night," she muttered.

He felt the smirk slip from his face then. He kept his eyes on her now, daring her to say anything else. He knew that that was a jab at him and she was toeing the line. She remained silent and eventually went back to staring at the floor. He took another bite of his salmon.

She was mad at him again for sure.

All he had done was some light teasing. She was so touchy. He glared when she turned to leave again. He had not dismissed her damn it! He had been about to, but now that she was deliberately undermining him…

He half raised from his seat and leaned forward on his fists on the table top. "Get back here at once!" he shouted.

The human stopped walking at once and he thought he'd even seen her cringe. Good, she knows she's in trouble.

Sarah slowly, very slowly, turned around to face him.

"Come here," he said, impatiently gesturing at the floor next to him.

He watched her through narrowed eyes as she made her way slowly over till she was just out of arms reach of him. He wasn't going to hit her, but the fear of being closer might help her remember in the future just who's in charge here. She must have thought she got away with something when she brought my food to my room, he thought to himself.

She wasn't getting away with her behavior any more.

"I wont ask you again," he growled, gesturing once more to the floor right next to him.

She kept her head impossibly low and her hands clasped together as she inched into the spot he had pointed out for her. Only once she was there did Jareth take his seat again.

"Now what was that for? You may not be used to having a master to answer to but you knew damn well that you were not excused. Correct me if I'm wrong."

He glared up at her but she wisely kept her mouth shut and her eyes on the few inches of floor between them.

"So why did you think that you could just leave?"

Her face grew even redder then and the blush crept down her neck to her shoulders. She took a long time to come up with an answer and when she finally did she was so quiet he barely heard her.

"You were making fun of me again."

He had figured that was what it was but it still surprised him a little to hear her say it. "That's not an excuse," he stated, and she nodded her head lightly in agreement. "You are my servant here. That means that if I choose to make fun of you I may. I could make you humiliate yourself a hundred different ways if I wish and you would have to put up with it or leave."

Even with her eyes lowered he could see the wet tears starting to form in them. She was scared now, knowing that she couldn't go.

Jareth let out a sigh and took another bite of salmon. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," he huffed after swallowing, feeling the least bit guilty. "I was only teasing." He couldn't help but be reminded of times when he was younger and his mother had made him apologize for something, the difference here was no one was making him but he still felt the need to do it.

Sarah was still for a minute then nodded her head again, seeming to realize that that was as close to an apology as he was going to give to a servant. "Thank you your majesty."

He nodded and took another bite of his salmon, and washed it down with some water. "Now is that why you've been so cut off these last few days, because I teased you?"

He noticed that her head was already held up a little higher, which was good. She gave him a weak little nod.

Jareth rolled his eyes. He'd been around woman often enough to know that kind of body language and response. It meant, sort of but not really. Like when you ask them if they're alright and they give a little nod. It was the same message.

"Is there something else bothering you?" he asked, knowing there was.

She nodded her head no, uncertainty in her eyes. There was definitely something else.

He was about to press when a goblin entered the kitchen, barley fitting through the doorway because he was so wide. Jareth turned his attention from the human for the moment and nodded toward the goblin in acknowledgement. "What is it Dropping?"

The goblin cleared his throat. "That's Drappen, Sire."

Jareth rolled his eyes. There were way too many names to keep track of here. "Well what is it?"

"There is a woman here to see you."

Sarah's back stiffened when she heard that. Another one? She so didn't want to be here for this. Jareth just sat in his seat next to her, completely unsurprised. Why should he be, he probably called her over here.

"Should I send her in?"

Jareth shook his head. "Lead her to my room, I'll be up there shortly."

Drappen nodded and backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Jareth turned back to Sarah and she snapped her eyes to the ground, afraid of what he might see in them. Anger, disgust, disapproval? Any of them would probably make him angry.

She wasn't fast enough it seemed because his eyes narrowed and his attention on her intensified. He had definitely seen something there. She waited for him to yell at her… say something… even a blink would be nice.

"Sarah," he addressed her.

He was using her name now, not good. She suddenly regretted all the time she had reminded him what it was.

"Do you have a problem with me having females over?"

Mavarion sat in her study, going over a file when she heard a knock on her door. She put the folder aside and re-straightened her already perfect posture. "Enter."

The door slid open and Colane stepped into her study. "You wanted to see me your highness?"

Mavarion nodded her head and gestured for the female to sit. She had asked Colane to meet her in her study instead of the throne room because there was privacy here. In the throne room the walls always had ears. She needed what she was about to discuss with Colane to be absolutely between them.

Colane bowed slightly to her before tucking her dress under herself to sit. "I was surprised to hear you wanted me for an audience with you my lady. I-"

Mavarion held up her hand to silence the female. If she was looking for formalities she'd have gone to court to talk. "I called you here for a reason Colane."

Colane immediately dropped the sweet smile and leaned back in her chair, ready to talk.

Mavarion nodded her head in approval. "My son suddenly has developed an interest in the throne."

Colane's eyes lit up at that. "Really?"

Mavarion nodded.

"So I just put myself next to him as much as possible now and it should all fall into place." Colane looked as satisfied as the cat that had eaten the canary.

Mavarion shook her head. "Not as such."

Colane frowned then.

Mavarion leaned back in her own seat. "Saboroth is also contending for the crown now. They've entered into a little bet."

Colane raised and eyes brow and crossed her legs, looking intrigued now.

"They are betting to see who can produce an hier first."

Colane let out a snort then. "Well then how's that supposed to help me? Jareth's already slept with, excuse me your highness, but who knows how many women since we've been intimate. And to be honest, fertility is even lower in my family than it is in most others. I was a miracle baby as it was for my parents."

"That doesn't matter," Mavarion said, waving her hand dismissively. "As far as I've seen from the courtiers you would be the best choice for a queen for my son. You're someone who understands what she wants and what it takes to get it. You remind me of me actually. I want Jareth to take his place on the throne, so I set up this whole little wager between his cousin and him. Competition is healthy in Fae men, and my son is very competitive. I have no doubt he will come out on top."

"You flatter me with praise, but to tell you the truth, I don't really want kids. I don't like them for that matter."

The queen shrugged. "Again that is no matter. I said I intend for my son to take the throne and he will, if you really do want to be queen."

Colane smiled slightly and leaned forward in her seat. "I think you're aware that I do."

"You will sleep with my son again. Then you shall be pregnant."

Colane rolled her eyes. "Easier said than done I'm afraid."

"Then we'll just say it wont we? Read between the lines girl."

Mavarion held Colane's astonished stare till the females face turned from skeptical to understanding and then to delighted. "Your majesty, I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything for now. In two weeks you can say your pregnant. I'll have my doctor write a note to that affect."

"Eventually he'll know that I'm lying; like when nine months go by and I'm not even fat."

"Mishaps happen all the time with Fae pregnancies. Or who knows, you might actually get pregnant. Jareth may be hurt, a little. But I truly believe that this is what's best for him and for the kingdom." she narrowed her eyes and smiled at Colane. "Do you think that this is what's right for the kingdom girl?"

Colane smiled knowingly back at her. "Indeed I do."

"Do you have a problem with me having females over?"

She wanted to panic. He had kind of hit the nail on the head and they both knew that it was none of her business. Her head swam with fear of what he would do if he thought that she was judging him, which she was, but she wasn't supposed to. She definitely wasn't supposed to do that. Was he going to be mad at her? His tone had been emotionless when he had spoken to her just now so she had no idea if he was angry or teasing or what he was.

She really just wanted to run right now, or even find a hole in the floor and just jump in.

She debated saying no, but he would probably know that she was lying to him if she did that. He always knew when she wasn't telling the full truth, much less a blatant lie. She saw his brow crease further and decided that she better answer soon regardless of what she said. He wasn't known for patients and she was already stalling.

Finally she just settled for bowing at the waist and keeping her head down, her long hair falling over her shoulders. "It's none of my business your majesty." Please just agree with me and send me back to the kitchen.

"But it does bother you," he confirmed.

She opted to keep her mouth shut on this one.

"Why does it bother you?" he asked. She couldn't help but notice when she straightened up that he was smirking. Was he making fun again? She didn't really think that he was.

She let out a long sigh before answering because she knew he was going to persist until she did. "Because it's wrong."

His brows knitted then and the smirk vanished. That didn't seem to be what he'd expected her to say. "Wrong?" he said the word like it was a foreign language.

"I don't know much about Fae's or their customs but it's not good for you to use women like you do."

He scowled at that and she immediately wished she had just run when she had the chance. For some reason she couldn't stop her mouth from moving though and before she knew what she was doing she was spilling her guts for him. "Women who engage in casual sex have high chances for depression, insomnia, and low self-esteem. It can be dangerous for their health even. It's the same for men too it's just that they're not as prone to it. And then there's you.

"You put women before even the basic necessities like food and sleep. I'm not sure if this is a common thing for you or not but if it is I'm surprised you lasted this long. If you don't take care of yourself no one else will. I can't be sure that you even care about yourself based on the way you live. And this doesn't even cover what kind of diseases you might contract, or pregnancy. What if you got a female pregnant? Did you ever stop to think about that? If that happens then there will be an innocent life in the mix. People get hurt every day doing what you're doing. So yes, I think it's wrong."

She stopped to catch her breath and chanced a glance up at the king.

He looked mad. Pissed actually. His miss-matched eyes blazed up at her and his mouth was set in such a firm line that his lips almost disappeared. Besides that he was utterly still as he glared up at her.

Sarah really wished she had kept her mouth shut right about now.

"You're very right Sarah," he murmured through his teeth, "It isn't any of your business."

He threw down his napkin on his plate and got up from his chair so quickly that Sarah lost her balance trying to move away and fell back onto the stone floor. She winced at the pain that shot up her sides but hadn't cried out. Jareth offered her no help as he stared down at her coldly. "For now on I suggest you not meddle in affairs that you don't understand nor have no business in. That is when people get hurt."

He turned on his heel and stormed past her down the length of the long table and out the door.

Sarah flinched as it slammed behind him. She was a little in shock about what had just happened. Had he really just threatened her? He was so confusing! He'd ask her to act one way and then throw her down the second she did. Hadn't he asked for her honest answer? Why did he do that if he didn't really want to hear it.

Sarah hated Faes. They were nothing but selfish mean tricksters who got off on humiliating others.

She almost expected to start crying for how confused and angry and frightened she was, but the tears never came. She shook slightly, but there was nothing else as she picked herself up off the floor and dusted herself off. "He's such a jerk," she whispered to herself.

Sarah picked up the tray he had left half-eaten and stormed out of the dinning room. She figured she must be angry since she was shaking from head to toe. She didn't even really notice where she was going until she was in the kitchen and tossing the tray into the wash basin for Bumper. Toby was down from his highchair and was crawling in a circle from goblin to goblin, who would eat give him a piece of food when he reached them like a treat or something. Sarah wasn't sure if she should let them continue because he was eating or stop them because it was demeaning.

Bumper looked up from his place amongst the circle and turned to her. "Did he like the fish?"

Sarah didn't even know what happened, suddenly the tears were flying out of her and she was choking to hold back the sobs that escaped her. Gods, not this again. I don't want to cry again, she though franticly as she clutched onto the side of the counter to hold herself up.

She hadn't been shaking in anger, but in shock apparently.

All the goblins turned to her at once and she sank to the floor from the force of her sobs as they all ran over to her. She was vaguely aware of them standing all around her, asking her if she was ok and trying to offer some comfort. It would have surprised and possibly touched her if she wasn't so caught up in the emotions she was already feeling.

For some reason it had all just swelled up and hit her at once like a typhoon. She was exhausted, afraid, confused, upset, angry… everything.

Her family had been killed. She'd never see her dad again, and Toby would never know his parents. They were all each other had, and the best she could do for him was growing up in a goblin castle. He'd never have any normal friends, much less a normal life. What kind of future could a man who grew up among goblins have? She had lost her home and had to come with her brother and just the clothes on her back to the Labyrinth.

Bud had attacked her, Jareth was cruel to her, and all she had to lean on was…

She looked around her at the goblins who were trying to comfort her. Till now she hadn't even known she had had them. She felt the tears stream down her cheeks and she could hardly get her cries past the lump in her throat.

She couldn't help it, but she needed the comforting contact. She reached out and pulled Bumper away from the others and into her lap, hugging him to her as she cried. At first he didn't do anything like he was stunned. Slowly his arms wrapped around her neck and he hugged her back.

The Goblins followed his lead and started to crowd in, wrapping their arms around her too. She was even aware of Toby resting his head against one of her knees. She reached down with one hand and stroked his soft curls.

She had been trying her hardest to be strong since she had first arrived here. Doing her very best and it still never felt good enough. She hadn't cried for herself yet, but she was now. She didn't think the tears would ever stop now that they had started flowing.

She continued to sit there and cry, holding onto Bumper and Toby, and being held by the rest of the goblins.

Chapter 12: A Little Chat

Sarah felt an odd calmness in herself since after lunch. It was like the tears had been a weight inside of her and now that she had cried she was much lighter. The goblins still watched her closely like they were afraid she'd lose it again at any moment, and she supposed they were right to. She wasn't going to cry again, but when she had it would have seemed very random to them since Bumper had only asked her a simple question. They probably thought she was a psychotic wreck or something to burst out crying like that. They had comforted her for almost an hour before she had finally calmed down.

Toby was watching her too, but that was because he saw that she had a jar of crème in her hands. He loved crème. Sarah poured half the bottle into a bowl of peaches for the king's desert and placed some on Toby's plate for him. He babbled excitedly and slapped a hand down into it, bringing his hand back up to suck on it.

"Yeah you're just so happy aren't you!" Sarah cooed to him, "Dat crème is yummy isn't it?"

The goblins all looked back and forth to each other.

"What are you doing?" the tall stick-like one asked.

Sarah looked up at that. "What?"

The small fuzz ball rolled slightly and Sarah wasn't sure since there was no indication of where a face would be under all that hair (or a body for that matter) but she thought it had turned to face her. "You talking funny!" it squeaked.

Sarah was surprised at that, "Oh, well its just…" now that they pointed it out she did feel a little silly. "It's called baby talk."

"But the baby doesn't talk does he?" Bumper asked.

"Well, not yet. But he will eventually. He should be able to any day now."

"Will he be making conversation like that?" a short rougher one asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe, I don't know. But he understands some of what is said to him. Feel free to talk to him if you want. I don't care how you do it." she paused for a second. "But no bad words in front of him."

They all exchanged looks again. "What are bad words exactly?" the tall one asked.

Sarah let out a sigh, of course they wouldn't know that swear words were bad. She had been hearing cussing on and off throughout the morning with these guys. There was too many to list. "Just try calling things by their proper names in front of him." Hopefully that covered the bulk of them.

The goblins all nodded and went back to their supper.

Bumper got up and walked over to her. "Did you make your list out?" he asked.

She nodded and went over to the counter, picking up the piece of paper she had made out for him. Tomorrow was the shopping trip and he would be going instead of her. "I went ahead and wrote everything down. Jareth will give you the money for it."

Bumper nodded and took it from her, looking it over. "Sure thing."

She hesitated as she stared down at him. She felt guilty that he was going out. "Bumper, you know last time I went there was trouble right?"

He looked up at her and nodded. "Yeah, but no Were is going to get me Sarah. Us goblins are excellent escapists."

Sarah nodded and kept repeating that to herself as she turned back to the king's food tray. She looked at the clock hanging on the wall and gathered up the tray. She needed to get moving.

She figured after the tongue lashing Jareth had given her earlier at lunch he wouldn't have much to say to her now. She wondered if he had sent the female home already or if she was going to be there with him. Sarah doubted that. Both because she really hoped the female was gone and because he hadn't placed a bit enough order for two people.

She could just drop off the food and go this time.

Sarah opened the door and entered the dining hall, only to stop short when she looked up to the head of the table. The king was at his usual spot at the far end of the table. He didn't notice Sarah because his attention was focused on Colane, who was seated to his right and leaned across the table to flirt with him.

Sarah just stood there, staring and waiting because first of all she wasn't supposed to approach Jareth unless he noticed her and second because she hadn't expected to see Colane back here. It was like Jareth was flaunting his promiscuousness in front of her now. His eyes flicked up to her and he gestured with his hand to come into the room, not really taking his full attention off Colane.

Colane noticed his attention waver though and turned in her seat to see Sarah. She scowled at her as she made her way up the table and Sarah tried not to look back at her.

Jareth's eyes narrowed on Sarah before he turned back to Colane. "Don't be silly, you're not interrupting anything," he smirked.

Colane finally looked back at him. "Well I just didn't want to spoil your dinner."

Sarah stared down at the tray pretending that she was else ware as they talked. She didn't want to have to listen to them as she placed the food before Jareth.

He looked down at the tray and then back over to Colane. "I'm sure if you wanted Sarah would have no problem fixing you a tray as well."

Sarah's back stiffened and she tried not to glare as he looked over his shoulder at her, a smirk still playing against his lips. Was this supposed to be a punishment for what she'd said to him earlier? It felt like one. The last person she wanted to wait on was Colane. Besides, she hadn't made enough. If she had to serve that… Fae she'd have to make something else for herself to eat.

Colane's nose wrinkled and she turned away from Sarah like she was disgusted by the mere thought. "I don't eat food that animals have been touching."

Sarah's brows knitted and she looked away so they wouldn't see. It would be one more thing to get in trouble for.

Jareth gave Colane an odd look and she turned away from Sarah, looking miffed but willing to ignore Sarah now.

Sarah didn't really understand what had happened there, but she didn't much care either.

"You're excused," Jareth shrugged, not even bothering to turn back to her.

Sarah turned on her heel and marched out of the dining hall. That was just fine with her.

He didn't care what she had told him. He didn't care about who he bed. She wouldn't care either now.

He didn't care.

She didn't care.

And the women he was with didn't care about themselves obviously.

So nobody cared.

Great.

Jareth hardly touch his food, Colane was distracting to say the least. All he could keep thinking about was how much he wanted to take her red hair down from that bun on her head and the way her breasts swelled when she leaned over the table, they were practically on display. Her dress looked snug against her skin and he wanted to take it off her as if he were peeling it off her.

"Jareth?"

He refocused his attention on her face. She had caught him not paying attention and a knowing smirk played over her lips. He couldn't help but return it and he felt himself stiffen against his leggings.

They stood up at the same time and she allowed him to take her hand and lead her out of the dining hall and through the castle to his room. He hadn't expected her today, but he was really glad she had come over.

She giggled excitedly as he led her through the door to his room and over to the bed.

Sarah groaned and rolled out of bed the next day. Toby had decided to be fussy again last night. She needed to make breakfast soon and hadn't gotten much sleep. She picked Toby up off the comforter and sat him in her lap as she perched on the edge of the bed. He continued to fuss in her arms, turning this way and that as he cried. She held him tight though so he didn't escape. "That's it you, no nap today. If you don't sleep during the day hopefully you'll sleep during the night. And then I can get some sleep and try to regain some of my sanity before I go on a mass killing spree and serve his royal assness up as a meat pie."

Toby just continued to squirm.

Sarah let out a sigh and set him down on the bed, tucking her blanket around him so he couldn't squirm right over the side. She needed to get dressed, and then she needed to get things set up in the kitchen and feed both herself and Toby. Bumper wouldn't be back till lunch to help since he was out shopping. She rubbed her puffy eyes that felt heavy from lack of sleep and pulled the white dress over her head.

She had a feeling today was going to be long, and sucky.

Bumper pushed the Labyrinth gates open and squeezed through them. Goblins traveled easier on their feet so he wasn't about to take a carriage like Sarah had. He leaned against the door to the gate and it slid shut behind him. The town was just over the hill. He knew there was a market there. He looked back down at Sarah's list. She had written everything out very quickly and so some words were kind of hard to make out. He tried squinting to see what she had written but couldn't really make it out.

The soft sound of a foot hitting the ground snapped him to attention and he looked up to see a large man standing about ten feet from him. Bumper shoved the list in his apron and got ready to run for it if he had to.

The man had wild golden hair and muscles up the ying yang. The predatory look in his green eyes told Bumper that this was no human. The male put his hands up in front of him in a non threatening gesture. "Relax little guy, I'm not going to hurt you."

Bumper frowned. He hadn't really even seen the man as a threat. "What do you want?" he demanded, he had shopping to do yet.

The man smiled and started to step closer.

Jareth glared down at the tray of food laid out in front of him. He didn't see what the food was, or even really notice it was there. He was too caught up with his thoughts. He was so mad that his head throbbed with pain. He kept his focus on the table to keep from glaring at Sarah, who stood nervously next to him.

It was taking all his will power not to turn around and start yelling at her, much less keep from blaming her. Last night he had gone to his room with Colane. She had been beautiful and sexy and oh so do-able. He had been more than ready to relieve himself with her. For the love of the Gods she had been beneath him undressed when it had happened.

Out of no where he heard snippets of Sarah's speech about the cons of sex drift through his mind. First it had just thrown him, which had been embarrassing. Then it had just kept happening.

High chances for depression, insomnia, and low self-esteem, this and diseases that. And then he kept hearing her voice telling him over and over again, I can't be sure that you even care about yourself based on the way you live. There was no freaking way for him to focus with that going through his head!

He continued to glare down at his food. She doesn't know anything!

After that Colane had left in a huff at not being even close to satisfied and he was only feeling worse. He looked down at his lap, giving his own member an almost accusing look. Something like last nights… humiliation… had never happened to him before. Ever!

As ridiculous as it was he couldn't help but suspect that maybe the human had put a curse of some sort on him to cause it. She had been mad at him, and it was the perfect revenge for her. But there was just no way that she could have. Humans couldn't use magic and even if they did it usually wasn't very well. He looked over at her standing beside him.

She stood there with her little white dress and her long brown hair hanging down to her waist with her head respectively lowered. An uncomfortable expression was on her face but that was probably because of how he was acting this morning. Again she had dark circles under her eyes. It was almost like the girl never slept anymore. She doesn't look like a wizard or sorcerer anyway.

He went back to scowling at his food. If she only knew what was going on she wouldn't be so quick to judge him. If she was in his position she'd do he exact same thing.

"Human," he grumbled, noticing when she jumped in surprise.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I have a question for you." He didn't bother to wait for a response. He was determined to know that she'd do the same thing as him. "One of my… horses is a very…" he racked his brain for a way to spin the situation and still keep it similar to his own, "Valuable and important creature. A champion actually."

He looked over his shoulder to make sure she was paying attention before continuing. "Now I wish to keep up his blood lines by having him sire a foal. What would be the best way for me to go about this?"

She was quiet for a few minutes. "Are you asking for my opinion or do you really not know?"

He rolled his eyes. "For your opinion. I thought perhaps I'd try breeding him with several wo-females in hopes that one will take. Do you think this is a good idea?"

Sarah's brows knitted together. "I guess so."

He smirked to himself.

"But I think farmers normally pick out one fertile mare with a good breeding history and breed that way."

He scowled at that. "Well what if none of the females have good fertility?"

She frowned down at the floor and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really now that much about it, your majesty. This is more a question for someone who works with horses. Grungle seems to know about them."

He frowned at that. "But I'm asking you."

She simply shrugged again. "I guess you should look for a mare elsewhere then rather than bothering with the other less fertile horses."

"Oh never mind!" he huffed.

She let out a frustrated sigh too and murmured something under her breath.

Jareth turned to her. "What was that?"

She looked tired again as she answered. "I said I wish you would stop asking me questions if you're just going to yell at me when I answer."

He didn't have anything to say to that. He went back to glaring at his food, suddenly feeling less angry.

She swayed a little next to him and he looked up, seeing the deep circles under her eyes again. "Why are you so tired these days?" he demanded.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye but didn't say anything.

He let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "I won't get mad no matter what the answer is this time."

"Toby has been fussing lately," she sighed. "He's been keeping me up at night."

"Your little brother right?"

She nodded her head.

"You care about him a lot don't you?" he figured she must since she went to so much trouble to take care of him. As far as he could see the babe was a very charming little chap but not really useful for anything. She worked hard to take care of them both and it wasn't even her child.

She simply nodded her head again. "He's my family."

He looked back down at the food he had hardly touched. Why hadn't that even accured to him? Jareth took another bite of his egg before saying anything else. "He's lucky to have you."

He wasn't sure, but he could have sworn the faintest smile played around her lips.

Chapter 13: When You Can't Run

Sarah looked at the clock on the kitchen wall again. It was going on five.

She had expected Bumper back shortly after lunch, about four hours ago. She was really starting to worry about him. Chances were that Bud and his gang were keeping an eye on the labyrinth gate at all times. Sarah shook her head to rid herself of the worry. Just stop it, she told herself, you're probably giving yourself too much credit. There was no reason for her to believe that she was such a huge deal to them. But still…

She kept reminding herself that he was a goblin and no Were could catch a goblin. Too bad she had no idea if that was really true or just boasting. Who knew with these goblins? Grungle had given the whole pack the slip just fine and had returned the following day. Bumper could possibly do the same.

Sarah looked at the clock again to see only five minutes had passed.

She was driving herself crazy. Maybe I should tell the king?

With her luck she'd tell Jareth and that would be the time Bumper came waltzing in to make her look like an idiot. Maybe if she just waited till tomorrow morning he'd either be home safe or in big trouble. The only thing was if he was in trouble she didn't want to take that chance.

The sound of impatient banging caught her attention and she looked up to see Toby abusing one of the goblins with the business end of his spoon and laughing hysterically. The other goblins were laughing too. Sarah hurried over and took the spoon out of his hand, causing them all to stop laughing at once. "Toby don't hit people… or goblins. Spoons are for eating!" she scolded.

Toby stared up at her with big blue eyes that shined in the light. She caught the quiver in his chin and knew what was coming next. Apparently the goblins did too now and all jumped around Toby.

"It's okay Baby!"

"Don't cry now, please!"

"Just take a deep breath and calm down!"

"Baby look!" the tall one shouted before kicking the ball-of-fur-like-one against the nearby wall.

Sarah gasped as the fuzzy goblin shot past her with a cry and crashed into the clock, causing both to fall to the ground. The clock fell off the furry goblin as it rolled out from underneath. "Hey!" it shouted in its shrill voice.

Toby laughed once again and clapped his tiny hands together as the fuzz ball launched himself at the group of goblins and started bouncing off each of their faces.

Sarah was more afraid of where this was going verses the crying. She reached out and was able to grab the fuzz ball in mid-leap and held him away from the other goblins who were trying to get at him to fight back. "Knock it off all of you!" she shouted. "If you're going to fight you can take it outside the kitchen. I already have to clean it enough."

"Twitch started it!" the tall one grumbled.

Sarah looked down at the fuzz ball in her hands, otherwise known as Twitch. "Well I'm ending it." she let Twitch fall to the floor. He rolled off towards the other goblins without a word.

"Now stop hitting each other, please," she sighed. "I have to get this meal finished."

"But Baby will cry again if we don't," Twitch squeaked.

Sarah let out a sigh and turned back to the food she already had cooking. "He's a baby, they sometimes cry. If you don't want him to cry anymore try comforting him or something."

"He's just mad because he hasn't slept yet today," the short rougher one, Chum, speculated.

"And he's not going to either. I'm tired of him waking up in the middle of the night and crying till dawn. I need to get some sleep tonight."

Sarah had found over the past few days that the little group of goblins were different in more ways than physical appearance. Chum was very smart compared to the others. Twitch was probably the toughest of the group because he never seemed to get hurt no matter what the others did with him. The tall thin one was called Flabber, and he was probably the most outspoken. Then there were the twins Kape and Tord who liked to play tricks and pick fights in the name of fun. Sarah had found this out when they had stuffed exploding pixie beads in the ham she had placed in the stove to cook. Then there was Goon, who always hung back from the others and only seemed to copy what he saw the others do.

They were different in other ways too, but those were their most prominent traits.

"He kept you up last night too?"

Sarah whirled around to see Bumper coming in the door to the kitchen. A big sigh of relief escaped her when she saw him. "You're back!"

Bumper was loaded down with a sack almost twice his size perched on his back from what she had sent him out to buy. "Course I am!" he gave her a snaggle toothed grin as he set the sack down. "I would have been back sooner if you'd written your list clearer. It took me the better part of the morning to find any rat papers."

Sarah frowned at that. "Rat papers?"

Bumper pulled the crumpled up piece of paper her list was written on out of his apron pocket and handed it to her.

Sarah took it from him, wincing at her own hand writing before scowling down at him. "It says 'red peppers' not 'rat papers'!"

Bumper shrugged. "Well I got you rat papers instead."

"Where did you- how did-

Sarah shook her head and held her hand up to silence him before he could speak. "You know I don't even want to know what rat papers are. You can keep those if you want."

Bumper's eyes lit up. "Hoo-ha, lucky day!" he hooted, turning back to the sack.

Sarah poured the vegetable stew into a bowl and placed the king's food onto the tray. She was just edging around Bumper and the sack when he turned back to her.

"Oh yeah, give this to the king," Bumper said, handing a folded up note to Sarah. "Someone in town wanted him to have that."

Sarah shrugged and leaned down so he could set it on the tray. She vaguely wondered who would be writing to someone like Jareth, but decided it was definitely not her business. He could just have the note with his meal and that way Bumper didn't have to worry about it.

Saboroth scowled out of his bedroom window. He had expected a report of some sort by now from his informant. He hated this. He didn't know what his cousin was up to right now and he hated that. He wanted to know that he still had the edge on his foolish kin. I'm going to throw my spy out the window when he gets here.

A slight movement behind him caught his attention and he turned back to the female sitting up in his bed.

She gave him a sly smile as the blanket dropped from her naked form. "Do you see something out there more beautiful than me?" she teased.

Saboroth snorted and turned back to the window. "Do you think that if I did I'd be scowling?"

"Yes, because that beauty would be out there and not here with you. I think you'd throw a right fit." The female laughed at that and slid off the large bed, stepping over to him in all her natural glory. Saboroth was relieved when she stopped just before touching him, opting instead to lean against the stone wall beside the window so she could peer out too. He stared at her out of the corner of his eye.

There was no doubt that Colane was beautiful, especially with her long red hair falling against her bare breasts like that. Her green eyes were set in a sexy half-blink as she peered over at him. He had been surprised when she had come to his home seeking a romp; the whole court was buzzing about how she had been with his cousin a couple times now. Jareth didn't usually see the same females more than once a year, let alone in the same month.

He knew that because of this she was sure to have the contraceptive drug still in her, but he had taken her to his bed to sex's sake. He could see now what his cousin saw in her.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

He'd been asked this before by females and had let them know right away that it was none of their concern, but she didn't ask it in that way.

There was something in her tone that hinted at something more than just simple curiosity. There was calculation in her green eyes.

He smirked at that.

"I was thinking about you."

She grinned then. "I can imagine."

He shook his head. "No I was trying to figure out what you're even doing here. I thought you had desire for my cousin. Then you show up at my door. Why?"

She continued to smirk as she walked back over to the bed and sat down on the side. "I just thought you'd like some company."

He scoffed at that. "I'm sure."

Colane shrugged and leaned back on the bed against the pillows. She continued to smirk as she played with a lock of her hair.

She knew something, he was sure of it. He just didn't know exactly how much she knew. Saboroth stepped away from the window and walked back over to the bed, crawling up between her legs and coming to rest over her, propping himself up on his elbows. Her body was soft against his but he didn't allow himself to be distracted. "What are you thinking?" he asked.

She smiled at him and wrapped her legs nonchalantly around his waist. "I was just thinking of last time I was with Jareth."

He grimaced at that and moved to get off her. Her legs tightened around him and he glared daggers down at her.

"I think you'd actually get a kick out of it if you'd wait a second," she purred.

He fought off the impulse to physically make her let go of him and settled down again to listen. He promised himself not to hold back if what she was about to say was something he really didn't want to hear.

Her smile widened when he settled against her again, he hated that because it made him feel like she thought she'd won something.

"This had better be worth hearing Girl," he warned her, not playing around anymore.

She rolled her eyes confidently and relaxed her hold around his waist slightly. "I was with Jareth just last night, but you probably knew that already."

He braced himself and nodded slowly.

"Well I should actually say I tried to be with Jareth last night," she sighed, a smirk forever plastered on her lips.

His brows knitted at that. "He turned you away?"

She chuckled beneath him, her body vibrating against his skin from it. "Not by choice of course. It seems the Goblin King is having troubles with himself these days."

Jareth couldn't function? Saboroth could hardly believe this. "And you're sure it wasn't just the situation or anything?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure. The look on his face said it all. He physically can't perform."

Saboroth couldn't hold back the grin that came to his face at news like that, "Have you told anyone else about this?"

She shook her head. "I'll leave it up to you what to do with it, but I just thought you'd want to know."

She had definitely heard that he and Jareth were both contending for the crown, that much was all over the court. He wasn't too sure that she didn't know more, however, considering the type of information she had just given him.

Regardless, he was more than happy to hear that his cousin was worse off than he had intended. The fool couldn't even get an erection anymore. Maybe the pressure is really getting to him.

Saboroth couldn't help but feel very good about the situation. Everything was falling into his lap, and the throne would only follow. He took Colane's wrists in his hands and held them over her head as he started to pump into her. She smiled and willingly thrusted back against him.

He was very glad he hadn't decided to throw her out after all.

Sarah woke up with a start that night.

Toby was crying again.

She let out a long groan and looked out the window. It was late at night, but it couldn't have been past midnight yet. She looked down at her screaming brother on the floor next to her. He screamed his lungs out without sign of slowing down at all. The night was just starting for him (once again).

"Toby why? Why won't you just let me sleep for once?" she whined, close to tears herself. Toby never used to do this. It had only started during the past week or so.

Sarah got up out of bed and picked Toby up from his bedding, rocking him in her arms as she walked around the room. He calmed down a little till he was barely fussing, but she knew the second she stopped his was going to start crying again. She pressed her hand against his forehead but it didn't feel like he was sick or anything. She yawned as she walked over to the window to look out. Below her was the stable where the horses were kept and beyond that was the low wall that separated the castle from Goblin City. A few dim lights showed in the city, but other than that everyone else was asleep too. Or possibly out causing mischief, she thought to herself.

She went back to her dresser and pulled her dress out. She figured maybe a walk would help put them both back to sleep. She was tired of walking around her room aimlessly at night with Toby since she had been doing it for a week now.

She wondered if maybe he kept waking up because of nightmares. She hoped not. There would be nothing she could do about it if he was.

She took about twenty minutes trying to pull her dress on since she didn't want to set Toby down and once she was finally decent she wrapped him in her father's old shirt and headed out. She slipped quietly through the castle, feeling her way along the dark halls and out the main door to the outside. She walked across the yard around to the right side of the castle where the stables were.

As she walked she looked up at the castle, finding all the lights were out there as well. It was almost completely quiet out here. The only noise was that of the wind blowing softly through the plants surrounding the castle and the faint sound of diricawl bird somewhere in the distance.

She approached the stables and went around to the side where she knew from her trip into town the door was located. She was happy to find it unlocked and stepped inside. Toby gabbed in front of her excitedly as she walked over to the stalls where the horses were located. Both of the black horses were awake and facing the front of the stalls as she walked up to them. Again she looked as closely as possible but saw no sign of the large wings they harbored amongst their fur. She supposed that was magic at its finest.

Toby reached out impatiently to try to touch the nose of one of the horses, who snorted and moved his head away from the little human.

Sarah couldn't help but chuckle at the hurt look on Toby's face. "Not interested in saying hi to you Toby?" she asked.

"There's just not used to him," a scratchy voice determined.

Sarah held back her scream as she turned to face Grungle, who was lugging a bail of hay twice his size behind him. Goblins seemed to have amazing strength she would have never guessed at. She hadn't known he was here. She thought that she and Toby had been completely alone.

"Calm down Human, I didn't mean to scare you."

She was already calm since she had seen it was him. "I know, I was just startled."

"What are you doing down here anyway?" Grungle asked, letting the huge bail drop and leaning on it.

Sarah shrugged and nodded to Toby hanging in front of her in the old shirt. "Couldn't sleep. I was hoping a walk would help."

Grungle nodded in understanding and pulled some pieces of hay out of the bail, handing them out to her. "Have the babe feed them, but make sure to watch his fingers."

Sarah took the bit of hay and handed it to Toby, who wrapped his little fist around the straw. She then wrapped her hand around his to protect his figures and moved back over to the horses. The one that had moved away before now saw that there was food being offered and brought his head closer to sniff at it.

Toby caught on to what was happening and gurgled excitedly as the horse seized it in his large teeth and pulled it out of his grip. Toby immediately started bouncing against her stomach, wanting to do it again. Grungle handed her more hay so he could.

"Perhaps when he's older the king will have him work out here with them."

"You think so?" Sarah smiled. She figured when Toby got older he'd help her in the kitchen or something, but she had a feeling he'd enjoy the horses more. So little and his love of animals was already apparent, just look at how he took to the goblins!

Grungle handed her more straw to replace what the horse had already pulled out of Toby's grip again. "Why not? That would mean I wouldn't have to anymore."

"You don't like your job?" she asked, pulling Toby back when the horse got to close to his hand. She didn't need him accidentally getting nibbled on.

Grungle shrugged. "I do, but I'm hoping for a better one."

"Like what?"

He scowled and turned away. "I'd rather not say."

"Come on, I wont say anything," she assured him.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, weighing her words.

"I won't laugh either," she promised.

His face softened a little then. He fiddled with his webbed fingers before finally saying anything. "I'm hoping that his majesty will make me the new Regulator."

"The new what?"

"The new Regulator. After coming to the Labyrinth he assigned one of the goblins to look over all that goes on in the castle and such. Sort of his second in command. When he's gone the Regulator is in charge. You've met him, the big one that was in charge of showing you what to do those first few days you were here."

Sarah thought for a second before remembering the goblin that had been wider than her door. What had been his name? Drappen?

"He's getting old and I'm hoping that when he does die I'll get his job, not many goblins would be able to handle such a responsibility."

Sarah shrugged, "That's a good goal."

Grungle nodded in agreement.

Sarah smiled when the horse held still this time when Toby reached out and let him pet his nose.

"Do you think the king will even notice though?" she asked.

Grungle shrugged. "His majesty is more observant than he seems. And he's usually very fair to us goblins."

Sarah looked back down at Toby, thinking about that. "Well, I hope it works out for you, I think I better get Toby back to bed."

Grungle shrugged and picked the bail back up so he could move it across the room.

"Say goodbye to the horsy Toby." She let him continue to pet the horse some more before turning and leaving the stable.

Sarah hoped with everything she had that Toby would just go to sleep for the rest of the night. She couldn't figure out why he was so upset at night. She walked along the dirt-covered ground to the front of the dark castle, tired again.

For no real reason she looked up at the castle, at her new home. It looked spooky next to the night sky, but she knew that it wasn't. Back in town you could see the castle in the distance from the hill and it had always sent chills down her back. It was the perfect setting for the scary stories she would always tell Toby to make him happy. Now it was home.

She stopped where she was and stared up at one of the windows in the castle tower. She had thought she'd seen someone standing there just a second ago, but when she had looked back it was empty. Sarah continued to stare. There probably wasn't anyone there, she convinced herself. She wrapped her arms around Toby and hurried back into the castle.

Sarah let out a huge yawn as she made lunch the next day. Jareth had hardly said two words to her at breakfast but he hadn't been unpleasant or anything, he just seemed very tired.

Toby was sleeping in his play pen behind her. Last she had looked in there she'd seen Twitch and Tord curled up with him, also asleep. She didn't know where the other goblins had gotten to.

She put more food into the stove so she could get started on lunch just as a crystal rolled into the room. "Bumper can you get that for me?" she asked since her arms were full of chopped wood.

Bumper hurried past her and picked up the little crystal. She tried her best to listen as she shoved more wood into the fire pit.

"Sarah, come to the throne room at once," Jareth's voice commanded.

Sarah looked up at that, her eyes wide with concern. Bumper gave her the same look as he stared back at her.

"Why would he want to see me in the throne room?" Sarah asked, feeling very nervous all of a sudden.

Bumper just shrugged.

Is he going to fire me? Did I do something wrong? Sarah racked her brain for some indication or even that would cause him to call her into the throne room all of a sudden. She couldn't think of anything, but she was still nervous.

"What's going on?" Tord grumbled from the play pen.

"The King has asked for Sarah to come to the throne room. He sounded upset."

Tord's bird-like head popped up over the side of the pen. "What did you do!"

That wasn't very reassuring at all and Sarah started to feel even more nervous. "I don't know. I didn't think I'd done anything."

"Well you better go and see what he wants anyway," Bumper insisted.

Sarah nodded, knowing that she couldn't say no and handed the rest of the wood to Bumper, who took it without complaint. She walked out of the kitchen with a stunned silence. She was too worried about having to go to the throne room that she hardly noticed the looks Bumper and Tord were giving her.

She walked down the halls toward the throne room in a constant state of worry. There had been something in the king's voice during that one brief sentence that made her sure that it couldn't be anything good.

Sarah reached the doorway to the throne room and the first thing she noticed was the total and complete lack of goblins. She didn't know that it could be so quiet in this room. Jareth was seated on his throne, a guarded expression on his face. He certainly didn't look happy.

Sarah bowed from the waist as soon as she was in the room, keeping her eyes glued to the floor below her. "You asked to see me Your Majesty?"

The king cleared his throat before answering her. "There's someone here who insists they know you."

Sarah looked up and her attention was drawn to the far side of the room where Dappen stood.

Next to him Bud grinned down at her.

Chapter 14: The Truth Matters

Jareth fought to keep his face as expressionless as possible but it was harder than normal. When Sarah had served him his supper the other day there had been a note that she'd said was from the goblin's trip to the market. It wasn't entirely unusual because normally if the neighboring village had a problem with his goblins or something like that they preferred to send along annoying little notes rather than brave the goblins and the Labyrinth to see him about it themselves. Since he had no interest in these notes he would usually ignore what they had to say and hardly glance over them.

This one hadn't been from the village, but from the Were standing in his throne room now. It had said that the goblins had taken something of his and he intended to retrieve it, asking for safe passage through the Labyrinth to meet with him.

He had sent Drappen to the edge to escort the Were to his castle. Once the Were, Buck or something like that, had arrived he started claiming that he was here to take Sarah back to the village with him.

According to him he had been a regular at the bar her father owned and a friend of the family. Jareth wasn't sure just how much of that alone he believed, but he wouldn't be surprised if the wild looking male was a regular at a bar.

Bud was polite and sincere in his domineer since he had arrived, answering each of Jareth's questions without hesitation or any real sign that he was lying, but there was still something about him that Jareth didn't trust. He kind of reminded him of his cousin Saboroth.

When Jareth had asked about the bar burning down the Were had told him about how he had been there the night of the accident, how Sarah must have left a candle burning downstairs and the fire must have caught with all the liquor around. While he and some local Weres tried to put the fire out she had just barely escaped. He said that she must have felt so responsible and ashamed of the fact that she had killed her family that she had run away to the Labyrinth to try to escape it.

He also told Jareth that they had managed to pull her father out of the fire just before he died and he had asked Bud to take care of Sarah as his dying wish. Sarah had run off before anyone could tell her this. He was here to honor that dying wish.

Jareth didn't know this Were, but there was something about him and his story that he definitely didn't trust. He decided to summon Sarah to the room and get her side of the situation. She had never told him about what had happened that night, and at the time he saw it as no real importance so he didn't push. If what the Were said was true he'd have to send her back. She'd have a home outside the Labyrinth then and he had never intended to keep her in the first place. For some reason he was really angry about the whole situation.

He wanted to make the Were leave empty handed.

He wanted to make Sarah tell him what really happened that night.

He didn't want to go back to the goblin's cooking.

He didn't want her to go with this Were. Or at all for that matter.

He may not have intended to keep her but he had already decided to do so. She was his servant damn it so he shouldn't have to give her up to some commoner with a father's death wish or whatever.

The second Sarah entered the throne room his anger flared anew. She looked scared and confused and that little dress made her seem like a little girl who just got caught breaking a house rule. She didn't need to be subjected to this did she? He should have just turned the Were away and never said a thing to her about it. At the same time if she did want to go with the male he wouldn't stop her… probably.

It wasn't fair.

Sarah looked at him with wide brown eyes, completely confused and for the briefest second it pulled at his heart to get a look like that from her. She bowed to him at the waist and her long hair spilled over her shoulder like a river.

"You asked to see me your majesty?" she asked him in a small voice.

Jareth was so angry he had to clear his throat before speaking. "There's someone here who insists they know you."

She hadn't noticed Drappen or Bud standing by the opposite wall yet and she looked over as she straightened up.

She saw Drappen first, but the millisecond her eyes focused on Bud her whole body went noticeably rigid and her eyes just about popped out of her skull. It wasn't just a look of surprise or shock. She was afraid.

Jareth knew right then and there that the Were wasn't telling the truth. It was written all over Sarah's face.

Sarah wanted to run, to scream, to cry or…

Hell, she didn't know what to do. She was so scared she wasn't even really thinking straight, her body was all screaming instinct telling her to get away. She felt trapped as she continued to stare at the creature that plagued her dreams.

Bud stared back at her with glowing green eyes and a smirk on his face. Sarah turned back to Jareth for some indicator of what was going on. He continued to sit on his throne, his eyes narrowed just the slightest bit as he looked slowly back and forth between her and the Were. To anyone else he might have looked bored, but Sarah had been around him enough to notice the thinness in his lips and the tick in his jaw that indicated that he was upset.

She wanted to ask what was going on, but didn't trust her voice right now. Jareth didn't look her in the eyes, continuing in stead to keep his focus on Bud for now.

"This is who you are looking for?" Jareth asked.

Bud never took his eyes off Sarah as he answered in the affirmative. Sarah felt like less of a person and more like a piece of meat, literally, when he looked at her like that.

"No one else survived the fire?"

Bud shook his head no and his face became downcast. Sarah had to admit he was a good actor but there was no way in the seven sides of hell that he felt any remorse. Had he confessed how the fires had happened to Jareth or just how her parents had died? She couldn't bring herself to believe he had since Jareth had asked her to come here. Why had he even asked her here? Why was Bud even here?

Jareth allowed himself to frown slightly. "When she came to me she had her baby brother with her. I assume he was in the bar during the incident with her."

Bud looked away from Sarah then. "She did?"

"You didn't notice him at all?"

"In all the confusion, Your Majesty, I hardly noticed Sarah had run off till afterward."

That's the truth, Sarah thought bitterly, he would have chased after me if he'd known I'd escaped.

Jareth turned his attention to her then. "Sarah, I need you to tell me what happened the night of the fire."

Bud stepped forward, causing her to jump in surprise, but Drappen staid on him and didn't let him get any further than that. "Your Majesty, I think it would be too hard on her to have to talk about such a painful night." He shot Sarah a look that sent a chill down her spine and told her that she better not say a word when Jareth glanced back to her.

"Then I'll help her out," Jareth snapped. "Human, this Were has told me about the accident that took place that night at the Spirit. He said you came to my Labyrinth because you blamed yourself for your family's death and had no place else to go. He also says that your father's dieing wish was for him to take care of you. Do you have anything to add to this?"

Sarah was stunned. Her father's dieing what? maybe the rest of it was partially true, but he was certainly lying about that part. Her father would never ask that. And what accident? What Bud had done that night had been intentional.

"Sarah?" Jareth prompted.

While the kings attention was focused on Sarah, Bud cast her the best glare he could muster, letting her know that he'd make her pay if she spoke against him once he got her alone.

She looked back at him and he could see the fear in those deep brown eyes. He could hardly control his excitement at the prospect of this hunt coming to a close. No one had ever escaped him once he decided to hunt them. She would be no exception.

"It is not true," she stated very clearly.

Jareth's gaze darted to Bud then, fixing him with a level glare.

Bud could hardly believe she had said that. At first he thought maybe he'd heard wrong. But despite the fear in her eyes and face, she had made it clear that she disputed what he'd told Jareth. The girl was an idiot.

"How so?" Jareth asked Sarah.

She met Bud's glare with a defiance that made him want to have her even more. "My father would never ever ask him to take care of me. He died because he was trying to protect me from him!"

Jareth continued to glare at Bud, who was openly glaring at Sarah now.

"Bud and his goons set fire to the bar and then murdered both my father and my step mother. I don't even want to think about what they probably would have done to Toby! I only escaped because they thought I'd died in the fire too!" she was practically shouting now.

Bud scoffed and turned back to Jareth. "Like I would ever hurt a baby. Everything she's saying is a lie your majesty. It was the fire that took the lives of her parents, not me. She's only saying these things because she's never liked me. She hated that fact that her parents wanted us to end up together someday. She has no respect for a dieing wish of her father even, something that I know Fae hold above the law even."

"My father would never say that!" she shouted again, making both him, the big goblin and the king flinch the slightest bit.

"Enough Sarah," Jareth hissed. "I have no reason to suspect my servant would lie to me Were. I assume you have proof."

Bud couldn't help but frown at that. His word was being questioned over a human's? He'd never heard of such a thing. Everyone knew that when a human spoke they were most likely lying. "Just my word and the fact that I was there where when she ran away and couldn't possibly know what her father had asked of me. If you want I could have my pack come see you. They would tell you the same thing. They were right there to hear him say it too."

"You mean they'll lie for you," Sarah snapped.

The king cast her another look to be still before looking back to Bud.

Bud could see now that he didn't believe him, but he was helpless in this case too. Bud had witnesses, and Sarah wasn't even there. Plus it was his word vs. a human's, even if the king did want to side with her that wasn't enough. Even if he did fess up and admitted that he had done all those things that Sarah was accusing him off it wouldn't really matter.

There were no laws protecting humans. There was nothing against destroying their property, or against killing one of them. A human was constantly at the mercy of those around them. These humans had had no owner so there was no one to answer to for killing their property, and the bar belonged to them so he didn't have to worry about paying for that either.

Despite the fact that no laws protected humans, a dieing wish was still considered sacred among the Fae and needed to be upheld. Since he had been the only one around and was claming that her father had given her to him, the king would have no choice but to hand her over.

The look in his miss-matched eyes said that he knew this as well.

Sarah was as good as his.

Jareth hated the Were, he really did. He was a slippery liar if Jareth had ever seen one. He definitely reminded him of Saboroth. "Did he ask you to take care of Toby too?"

Saboroth frowned then. "No."

"Why would he want only one of his children taken care of?"

The Were's eyes darted to the side like he was searching for an answer. "I guess he thought only Sarah had survived."

"How would he know that?"

"Because she had run off."

"How did he see her run off when he was on the brink of death and you had saved him after she'd run away," the king pressed.

Bud's eyes narrowed as he caught on to the fact that he was being interrogated. "I had told him I'd seen her run."

"And you didn't come searching for her till now because..."

"I didn't know where she was."

Jareth let himself smile the slightest bit. "I thought you were a Werelion."

Bud frowned harder than.

"You couldn't track her scent? I mean you seemed so worried about her when you showed up here, but you weren't upset enough about a month ago to go searching for her?"

The Were's green eyes darted back and forth then. Good, he was starting to catch on.

"I can't think of why you wouldn't go searching for her then," Jareth drawled, "Unless of course you thought she was dead like Sarah just said a few minutes ago. And if you thought she was dead than of course you wouldn't have seen her run off at all." He turned to Sarah, who was looking at him with her eyes full of hope. "Is he perhaps the one who gave you trouble in the market a week ago?"

She nodded her head, a small smile coming to her face as she too realized what he was about to do.

"There, now it makes since. You thought that she was dead until a week ago when you found her in the market and tracked her back to my castle. That's why you decided to come after her all of a sudden. You didn't know before then that she was even still alive." Jareth glared down at Bud, who glared right back up at him. Jareth had just blown a huge hole in Bud's story and there was no way for the Were to fill it in. He was caught in his lie.

"So tell me Were, how did you see her run off and then tell this to her father so he could make his dying wish for you to take care of her if you thought she had died in the fire?"

"I didn't think she had died-

"Then why did it take you this long to come looking for her? Not a high priority? I have a hard time believing that you are the one telling me the truth."

The Were looked pissed and a growl started to leak out of him and fill the room. Jareth summoned a crystal behind his back in case the Were got any ideas and Drappen focused his attention on the Were as well, prepared to defend both the human and the king. "So what?" the Were roared.

Jareth noticed Sarah back away out of the corner of his eye.

"So what if what she says is true? There are no laws against what I did, so you can't punish me for them. And since I and my gang are the only ones who will ever know what her father said before he died you have no choice but to uphold it."

"Maybe I can't punish you for what you did to this girl," Jareth said, pumping as much cold hostility as possible into his voice, "But you did lie to a Fae of royal blood. That is a case for banishment. You will leave the Labyrinth empty handed and if I ever see you or your cronies anywhere near my land I will have you put down like a dog." He had the right to do it too, and judging by the outrage on Bud's face he knew it too.

"I'm not leaving here empty handed, you still have to uphold her father's dieing wish by law. That means that she is rightfully mine no matter what you do to me."

Jareth sat back calmly in his throne then. "Our laws do not protect humans, nor do they enforce any wishes a human would make so I'm throwing both you and your case out and Sarah and her brother will continue to stay here and serve me." He turned to Sarah and motioned for her to come stand by him, which she did without hesitation, relief lighting up her face. He wanted her out of the way for this next part.

Jareth nodded his head toward Drappen. "You may escort him out now."

The large goblin took hold of both of the Were's arms, which only caused him to become more infuriated as he struggled against the goblin's hold. It was to no avail though, Drappen being much stronger than him. Both Jareth and Sarah watched silently as Bud was forced from the room, cussing and shouting the whole way.

Jareth let out a long sigh once the foul creature was gone from his sight, the cursing still ringing through the hall ways. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger and closed his eyes tight. He waved the hand behind his back and the crystal he had conjured up just in case of trouble vanished.

"Your Majesty?" Sarah asked meekly from beside him.

He looked up at her then. For some reason there was comfort in just knowing that she was still his. "What is it?" he sighed. He was already tired and he had to go to court yet today as par his agreement with his mother. It was going to be hard to stay awake now.

Sarah looked out at him from under her dark lashes when she answered him. "Thank you."

Jareth let out another sigh and reached over to take her hand, she stiffeed when he did this but didn't fight him when he moved her around to stand in front of him. "What really happened the night of the fire Sarah?"

She looked from him down to the ground like she was ashamed or something.

"I think I deserve to know now," Jareth said lightly.

She was quiet for so long that for a moment he thought she was going to refuse to answer him. "Bud was harassing me. It happened the same day you came to the bar, later that night. My dad made him stop and he got really angry. That night I woke up and… fire was everywhere." she spoke with almost no emotion in her voice, like she was reciting a play or something.

Jareth wished he could see her eyes, but she kept them locked on the ground; her long hung down to help shade them. He was willing to bet that that was where all her emotion was hiding.

"Bud and his gang had practically surrounded the bar. My dad made me take Toby and run. I got away by getting up on the roof and climbing down a tree near the back. I hid behind a neighboring property to wait for my dad, but he wasn't coming."

He thought he heard her voice slip slightly there but she pressed on.

"Bud and his gang hauled my parents from the bar and murdered both of them right in front of me."

Jareth felt his heart go out for the poor girl. No creature in the world should have to go through something like that, especially not a girl as sweet as his servant. No wonder she had such strength in her.

"I ran with Toby and then you know the rest."

Jareth reached out and lifted Sarah's chin so she'd have to look him in the eyes. Even though her voice had been flat, her eyes were moist and full of sadness. She looked so vulnerable standing there in front of him like that.

"Sarah, I'm sorry for your loss." Jareth wanted to wince when he realized he was surprised that he truly cared. Was he really that cold?

She nodded slightly to show she understood and let her eyes drop back down to the floor.

He felt like he needed to say more, to reassure her somehow. Jareth stood up from his throne and she backed away so he could without bringing them closer together. "I just want you to know that I truly am sorry for your family. Surely you know you have a home and a job here as long as you want them?"

The faintest trace of a weak smile played around the corners of her lips and she nodded. "Thank you Your Highness."

Jareth nodded his head once and stepped past her. "I'll be at court for the rest of the day. You may have the rest of the day off since I'll be having supper there."

Sarah nodded again.

Jareth could tell that she was still uneasy and turned back to her when he reached the door to his throne room. "You're perfectly safe here Sarah. Not even a Were has enough magic to sneak past goblins and into the Labyrinth."

Sarah smiled the slightest bit then and looked up at him, a lot of the sadness he had seen before seemed to have lifted. "Thank you."

He couldn't help but return her slight smile. There were no two ways about it, she was his and there was no way he was ever letting that filthy creature get to her.

Chapter 15: A Lesson in Politics

Also, I have been very into the show Boston Legal lately so I took some stuff and incorporated it into this chapter. Some people might be able to recognize a tweaked version of one of Alan Shore's closings.]

Saboroth headed toward the great hall on his way to court, pausing to make sure once again that the wrinkles were completely pressed out of the long white robe he had to wear. He knew they were, but he just wanted to make sure.

He started walking again only to stop when he heard a soft noise.

He looked back when he heard the pssst sound again.

He couldn't help but be surprised to see his informant standing behind a stone pillar waiting for him. He moved from the middle of the hallway to stand closer to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I came with his majesty."

"Jareth is here?" Saboroth asked, again surprised.

He nodded. "You told me to keep an eye on the human girl."

"Yes, what do you have to tell me?" he asked. "Has my cousin added a human to his conquests?" he said distastefully.

"I don't believe so. He's stopped calling on any women for that matter."

Saboroth couldn't help but grin at that. After what had happened between him and Colane he probably was too embarrassed to even try. This was great for him really. Everything was just working out for him without him even having to really do anything.

"He does seem to care about the human though."

"Why would you think that?" he asked.

The spy shrugged. There was an incident just earlier today in which a Were came to the castle claiming her. His majesty turned him out, the Were was very unhappy about that. But it was odd since he didn't plan on keeping the human in the first place that he would decide to now."

"Does the human have any feelings for his majesty?"

The spy nodded his head. "Looks like it."

Saboroth thought about it a minute. "I'll have to give this some thought. Can you meet with me again before Jareth leaves?"

The spy nodded and turned to go, taking off down the hall without making even the slightest sound.

Boring.

Death would be more fun.

A slow death that involves getting trampled by griffons.

Those were the feelings Jareth had about court.

He leaned back in his chair, propping a foot up on the long table in front of him. He had to sit at the front of the room since he was the prince, between his mother and some stuffy fat old Fae that help oversee the trials and advices his mother. On the other side of the queen Saboroth and two more stuffy old males sat straight in their seats and paying close attention to everything that was said in court.

The rest of the room was split into two halves where even more Fae males and females sat on slightly raised seats so they could all see what was going on. Jareth thought the set up of the room was stupid. A creature on trial would enter the room and have to walk down the center of the two groups as his crime was announced and their judging eyes peered down on it. Then it would stand before the stuffy council made up of his cousin, mother and some older males who frowned at everything.

He couldn't stand it growing up and he still hated it now. His mother saw how he was sitting and cast him a disapproving glance. He ignored her.

He was sitting here awake as was their agreement. And he was even trying to pay attention. He just didn't want to. If he was able to be king the first thing to go would be the on-lookers. There was no reason for them to be here other than to make the guilty squirm a little more.

They had listened to a few crimes so far and so far there was nothing even close to interesting. This guy stole that- put him in an oubliette for a week. That person's Cerberus bit someone- make the owner pay the damages.

Boring.

"What's next Traint?" The queen asked the old male beside Jareth, who also gave him a disapproving glare.

The doors at the back of the room opened up and a human male who looked to be quite old stumbled into the courtroom and down the isle between the two groups of Fae. His clothes were shabby and dirty and his face was unwashed. He sort of reminded Jareth of Sarah when she had first come to his castle.

"This human has been caught participating in the process of cannibalism."

Jareth perked up a little at that. Cannibalism was rare in these parts of the Underground and very frowned upon. It was a rather rare and extreme case. The human's head hung pitifully low as he made his way up to stand before their table.

"Human, how do you plead to the charge?" Mavarion asked.

The human let out a pitiful sound. "Guilty, your majesty."

Mavarion's eyes brows rose, but that was the only emotion she showed. "You do know that that is erroneous in the Underground do you not?"

Again the human nodded his head. "I do, and I'm very ashamed of myself. I just hadn't eaten in so long."

"So you thought you would feed on another human?" Saboroth sneered.

Jareth frowned at Saboroth, although he wasn't entirely sure why. He chopped it up him just hating his cousin.

"He was my friend," the human whispered, the verge of tears in his voice. "He died and I wanted to cremate him like it should properly be done. He'd just lay there to rot or be scooped up with the trash if I didn't. And I hadn't eaten in so long. I didn't intend to eat him at all," the human spoke in the same soft and sorry voice.

"By doing so though you demonstrate absolutely no respect for the sanctity of life or death," Saboroth snorted. "You stole the dignity of your dead- what you call your 'friend', when you ate a part of his body. I wouldn't suggest looking for mercy as you stand before us now so save your tears. You said so yourself that you are guilty."

The human man looked up at the Faes before him with pitiful tears in his eyes. "I didn't mean to do it. I was starving." He let his eyes fall over them all again. "I was starving!" he pleaded.

Jareth couldn't help but feel sorry for the man that stood before him. Even though he was a human and had turned to cannibalism he deserved to be treated better than this, surely.

Saboroth turned to the queen. "I would advise a sentence of no less than fifty years in the oubliette for this crime, your majesty. Such a thing must be made an example of."

Jareth felt angry at that. He couldn't contain his outrage as he stood up from his seat. "Wait a second, you are going to place this man in the oubliette for fifty years because he was so badly starved that he turned to cannibalism?"

"You wish to make an objection?" Mavarion asked.

Jareth glared over at Saboroth, who returned the look. "I do as a matter of fact."

"You will defend what this human did?" Saboroth asked in disbelief.

"He didn't seem to have an option and he is very sorry for it."

"That doesn't make up for the fact that he disrespected the sanctity of a life."

"It floors me that you of all people would speak on behalf of any sanctity but fine let's talk about sanctity," Jareth growled.

"First off cannibalism isn't illegal. It's certainly not against any of our laws."

"It shouldn't have to be," Saboroth snarled back.

"Apparently it should if you want to send a man away for fifty years because of it. Then you sit there and smugly lecture about sanctity and dignity. There is no dignity in starving to death!" Jareth stated, "When a human is left to rot in the streets the so called 'sanctity of life' somehow gets trivialized.

The male before them stood there silently, looking as amazed as the others that Jareth was speaking up for him.

Jareth turned to address the court next. "My cousin wants you to be offended. You know what I find offensive?"

The Faes all exchanged glances but didn't even try to speak up as Jareth continued. "We have over a thousand humans in the Underground with no home and no way to provide for themselves because of the laws this court has seen fit to place. Instead of outlawing cannibalism how about we pass a law that demands they be paid for services so they can afford food, or a place to stay."

"You have a human servant yourself Jareth," Saboroth snapped.

Jareth narrowed his eyes. How could he have known that?

"Would you pay your human for its services to you?"

Jareth smirked at that. "I do in fact." He gave Sarah free room and board for herself and her brother and he gave her anything else she needed. That was more than most did. He'd probably give her more if she needed it honestly.

Saboroth's face fell, his point ruined.

"We refuse to feed them, or house them, but this court will spend hundreds of gold coins to put one on trial for trying to stave off death? Then spend more to imprison him for fifty years!"

Jareth collected himself when he realized that he was starting to shout and forced himself to calm down. He closed his eyes for a minute before continuing. "There is no dignity in that. It's cruel!" he gestured toward the human. "This human was cremating his friend to prevent the indignity of unceremonious and degrading decomposition of his body."

"Then ate him," Saboroth drawled.

Jareth rounded on him. "He already told you, he was starving! When was the last time you starved? How about you," he asked the stuffy fat Fae sitting next to him.

He turned back to Saboroth. "I know you're not starving cousin, except for attention. Going to court gives you a platform for your shameless self-promotion, and at the expense of this human! It just makes me wonder, who here is the really the cannibal?"

There was a long silence in the courtroom as he retook his seat. Saboroth and the males' faces were the picture of shock. Saboroth's expression soon turned to utter outrage though.

Mavarion nodded her head in satisfaction. "Alright then, let the human go."

If they were shocked before…

Saboroth turned to the queen. "Surely her majesty jests!"

Jareth couldn't help but be shocked as well.

Mavarion gave a little shrug. "My son is very convincing."

Jareth couldn't help but grin, making sure Saboroth saw him doing so.

Saboroth let out a disgusted huff and stood up from his seat, leaving the courtroom.

The human before them had started to break down into tears and the second Jareth turned to him he paused long enough to make eye contact with the Fae. "Thank you your highness," the human gasped. "Thank you so much."

Jareth couldn't help but feel proud and… good about himself. He couldn't help but feel that Sarah would be happy with him if she had seen that either.

His attention was recaptured by his mother as she too stood up from her seat, done with court for the day. She gave her son an encouraging smile. "You know Jareth; you might have a knack for politics after all."

He hadn't expected her to say that. He didn't know weather to be happy or not anymore. You made Saboroth look like a fool, he pointed out to himself. He smiled at that thought. Maybe he should just be happy about it.

Saboroth stormed out of the courtroom and down the hall. He'd never felt so humiliated in his life! His detestable cousin had somehow managed to make him look like a bigger monster than a cannibalistic human! He was absolutely fuming from it.

"Sir?"

He stopped in his tracks and whirled around to see his spy standing where he had been before.

"You wanted to see me before I left?"

Saboroth nodded his head and stalked over to the goblin. "I want you to find the Were that Jareth upset. I'd like to meet him."

The goblin nodded his head. "Yes sir."

Chapter 16: The Cause of Woe

Sarah wanted to just bawl.

When Toby had started crying again a few seconds ago she had almost been sure that she would join him. It was still night out for pity sakes!

She let out a shaky moan into her thin pillow and flipped the blanket over her head, greatly saddened when it did nothing to block out the noise. If he continued to keep this up she was going to have to start sleeping in the kitchens!

"Toby, stop it!" she whined, sitting up in bed to glare down at him on the floor next to her. "Why are you doing this? You never used to cry all night."

She got up from the bed when he only continued and picked him up. He never used to cry like this, not even when they first came to the Labyrinth. He had to be sick. Sarah checked his forehead again but couldn't find anything wrong. There had to be something wrong though. Toby wasn't really a baby to just cry for attention.

Sarah hugged Toby to her and laid back down on the bed, wedging Toby between her and her little pillow. She was just so tired. She needed sleep. Toby was still crying but not as loud now. Sarah's eye lids drooped heavily.

Jareth sat at the breakfast table and heaved a great yawn. He was rather tired after yesterday's events, first with the Were and then with court. He hadn't gotten back to the Labyrinth until late last night. He had even considered skipping breakfast in favor of sleep, but had gotten up anyway for some reason.

He let out another yawn and rested his head against his hand, letting his eyes close for just a minute while he waited for breakfast. He kept thinking about the look on his cousin's face when he'd called him a cannibal and couldn't help but smile at that every time he thought about it. The human had been so grateful about it too. But then again, fifty years was almost a lifetime for those creatures.

That got him thinking about Sarah. She was young for a human, probably not even in her 20th years yet. She probably would live another fifty or even seventy years. He had heard of some humans lasting even longer. It seemed like such a short lifetime. He couldn't help but feel that he didn't want to loss Sarah so quickly. He'd seen humans grow old and die before, but it was different when he thought of it happening to his servant, or her brother for that matter. He knew these humans, where as he hadn't known the others. You'd miss the cooking at the very least, he told himself.

No, it was something else. Couldn't be the nagging.

Even as he thought about it he wasn't so sure. Maybe that was it. Maybe he would miss the nagging. She only nagged him when she was worried about him though, he was smart enough to now that. Maybe you'll miss being cared about.

Jareth frowned and shook his head so he wouldn't think about it anymore.

He opened his eyes and saw the little kitchen goblin standing in the door way instead of Sarah, holding a tray in his hands. As soon as the goblin saw that Jareth had noticed him he hurried forward, depositing the tray in front of Jareth, who looked down at the questionable goop in front of him with reproach. "Where is Sa- the human?" Jareth asked.

The goblin shrugged. "She never came in to make breakfast, so I made it for you, your majesty."

He had blissfully forgotten his dislike for the goblin's cooking… till now. She had never gone to the kitchen? Jareth thought back to the other day with the Were and worry immediately crept into the back of his mind.

He got up from his seat at once. "Do you know where her room is?" he asked the goblin.

The goblin nodded his head.

"Then take me there fool!" Jareth demanded when the goblin didn't move.

Quick as could be the goblin turned and hurried out the door, holding back so that the king could keep up. They hurried down the hall past the kitchen doors and just around the corner. The goblin stopped in front of the second door on the right side of the hall and pointed up at the handle. "This is her room," the goblin puffed.

Jareth didn't bother to knock on the servant's door, taking hold of the knob and letting himself in. It was slightly darker in here because there was only one little window to let in the sun but his eyes adjusted quickly. The only real furniture in the room was the little bed set up in the middle of the floor. A thick blanket was pooled on the floor next to it and in the bed he could distinctly make out the figures of the two humans.

A thin plain sheet was lying over Sarah and giving him a pretty good impression of the general shape of her body and where it lay, as she surely was nude underneath it. Laying on top of the sheets and curled up against a pillow was her brother Toby, swaddled in a smaller piece of material.

Both of the humans were sound asleep.

Jareth kept silent as he moved into the room, leaving the goblin to watch in the doorway, and up to the side of the tiny bed. His first instinct was to wake her so she could make his breakfast, but stopped at the look on her face. Even in sleep she looked sad and worried. Her brows were scrunched up and she was breathing deeply.

Beside her Toby looked at total peace as he drooled slightly.

They were quite the sight.

Jareth started to wipe the spit from the sleeping baby's face with the corner of the blanket before he even realized what he was doing, only to startle slightly when the babe made a face and twisted around to open his eyes.

The king was frozen with uncertainty as he stared back into the baby's bright blue eyes, scared that if he moved it would start crying.

After a few seconds of staring at him though, Toby smiled and let out a little giggle, reaching a hand out towards him. Still stunned, Jareth dumbly reached out his own hand to lightly grasp the child's.

When that only encouraged Toby to reach for him with his free hand, Jareth let out a sigh and scooped the child up in his arms, holding him against his hip as Toby smiled endearingly.

This is what I need to make in order to become king. Looking at the baby before him it suddenly seemed like such an impossible task. He couldn't help but frown at the thought.

Sarah let out a sigh that caught his attention and her brown eyes opened halfway, focusing on him briefly before fluttering closed again. Without warning they shot wide open a half-second later and focused solely on him. "Your majesty?" she squeaked.

She gripped the thin blanket to her chest and sat up in bed, her eyes shifting to Toby held in his arms.

"You're late," Jareth informed her; suddenly feeling as though he had to explain his being in her room. This was absurd, because he absolutely didn't need to.

Sarah kept her eyes on Toby as she nodded her head, "I'm so sorry your majesty."

Her eyebrows furrowed again and a scowl came to her face. Was she scowling because he was holding her brother or because he was here in general? Jareth decided he wanted to know. "Why are you frowning like that?"

She didn't even hesitate in her answer of his question, something he appreciated. "Because he's not being fussy anymore," she griped, nodding towards her smiling brother. "I didn't get any sleep last night or most of this last week because he won't stop crying during the nights and mornings."

Her face was red in frustration and her eyes were starting to look a little shiny. She was very stressed out it seemed.

"When I came to find you he was asleep too," Jareth informed her. "Maybe he just needed to rest."

Sarah shook her head. "If that was all he wanted he would have fallen asleep instead of crying like he was." She ran a hand through her tangled hair and back down over her tired face. "I'm sorry," she sighed. "I'll go to the kitchen now and make something for you quickly if you want."

Jareth thought about it for a minute.

"Never mind, Bumper made me some… food," he murmured, "Just make sure you have lunch on time today."

Sarah nodded her head.

Jareth turned toward the door to leave her in peace for the morning. It was obvious she needed the sleep, and the goblin's cooking had yet to actually kill him. Of course, he was just eating it because anything the girl made in her state probably wouldn't be any better. Right, tell me another one.

"Your highness?" the girl called after him.

He turned back to her at the door way.

Her face was of utter confusion as she sat in the center of her little bed. Jareth couldn't help but notice that her tussled hair looked soft against the skin of her shoulders and the blanket hung in a V from the tops of her breast to the start of her legs. She looked rather young… naïve… corruptible even, when she looked at him like that.

Jareth's eyes widened in a mixture of shock and horror when he felt familiar warmth in his pelvis and his mouth went dry. "W-what?" he snapped.

She flinched slightly but regrouped right away. "My brother?"

Jareth looked down at the baby lying against his arm. "I'll keep him with me for the morning so you may focus on your tasks, and possibly get more sleep." His voice almost cracked because his mouth was so dry but he made do and wet his lips afterwards.

The worry on her face increased. "In the throne room?"

He could guess that she was worried about the numbers of goblins that usually flocked to that room. "I'll keep him safe," he assured her.

He almost expected her to protest more, but instead she simply nodded and settled back down against her pillow, keeping weary eyes on them as he closed the door behind him.

"Should I make lunch if she doesn't wake up?" the goblin beside him asked.

Jareth looked down at the ugly little beast. "If she doesn't wake up in time to fix my lunch wake her up," he snapped.

He turned and headed down the hall towards the throne room, deciding to skip breakfast instead of put up with the goblin's slop. Toby squirmed happily in his arm. "You probably just missed me didn't you? Is that why you've been crying at night?" Jareth smirked.

His only answer was a babble followed by a laugh.

Mavarion peered out the stone window of the throne room. The sky was a swirl of red and orange and the view stretched on for forever below. She turned around when she heard footsteps approaching.

Her son stepped into the open doorway of his throne room, only to stop short when he caught sight of her. His eyes narrowed on her suspiciously before looking around the nearly empty room and coming to focus on two Fae males that stood off to the side of the room. They were both wearing black dragon-skin armor and the top halves of their faces were painted black to show that they were of the royal guard, here to protect her from any trouble the goblins might try to make.

Although she didn't believe her son would ever turn his goblins on her she didn't fully trust or understand his control of them. While he was focused on her guards, however, she focused on the baby in his arms.

She couldn't help but frown in confusion.

"What are you doing here?" Jareth asked before she could inquire, his gaze shifting from the guards to her.

"I wanted to see my son, and since you never come to see me…" she snipped back. "Who is that?" she asked, nodding her head towards the child he held.

Jareth glanced down like he just remembered he was holding the babe. "It's not mine if that's what you're wondering," he shrugged.

The queen couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Well of course it isn't. She's obviously too old, at least a year, and there hasn't been enough time for a pregnancy. Besides, you probably would have come running to the court if it was yours."

"It's a he, first of all. And second, I wouldn't run there. I prefer to fly." Jareth answered smugly.

Mavarion let out a sigh at her son's attitude and stepped forward with her arms outstretched.

Jareth just looked at her questionably.

"Do you think I would drop him?" she asked skeptically. "I held you in my arms till you were big enough to ride hippogriphs and never once dropped you."

Jareth continued to frown at her, but finally passed the babe over into her arms.

She took the child with practice only an experienced mother would have and smiled down at the charming boy that stared up at her in wonder. Just from touching the child she could tell that he was completely void of magic and was therefore a human. Even human babies were absolutely adorable, resembling Fae children to a fault. "What's his name?"

"Where are my goblins?" Jareth snapped.

She ignored her son's sharp tone, continuing to coo at the baby in her arms. "Answer your mother, Jareth."

He let out an irritated sigh and walked over to plop down on his throne, ignoring her guards as he walked by them. "Toby, now you answer mine."

"Hello Toby," she cooed, earning her a smile from the babe, "I asked them to wait in another part of the castle while I visited with you."

Jareth let out a huff. "You mean you had your guards magic them to another part of the castle."

She shrugged. "They'll be fine in the garden and I'll make sure to open the castle doors for them again before I leave."

"If they really want to get in you couldn't stop them," Jareth scoffed.

She shrugged, "Maybe but it buys some time."

"What do you want Mother?"

"I just wanted to congratulate you once again for your performance in court, and see how you're getting along."

"Checking up on me then?" he sighed.

She didn't try to hide her smile. "You always were a smart boy."

Toby reached up and took a lock of her long fire-orange hair in his fist. She laughed out loud. "You used to do the same thing," she said to Jareth without taking her eyes from the babe. "How is your end of the bet going then?"

Jareth shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "To be honest I'd rather not discuss that with your Mother."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be so childish Jareth, do you think your mother doesn't know what sex is or something?"

She couldn't help but grin at the bright red shade her son's face turned. "Yes actually, and I'd thank you very much to let me keep thinking that."

She simply shook her head and smiled down at the babe. "He's just a cold fish isn't he Little One?"

Toby laughed in her arms.

"If that was all you came here for you can go now," Jareth informed her coldly.

Mavarion sobered up her manner and turned to face her son. "Actually I came here because I also wanted to know if you actually did have a human servant." She looked down at Toby. "This isn't it is it?"

Jareth rolled his own eyes now, "Of course not, he's just the younger sibling to my cook."

Mavarion nodded then, her expression one of thoughtfulness. "And when did you talk to Saboroth about them? I was surprised the other day that he knew about them and I didn't."

Jareth let out a very immature noise. "Like I would talk to that oaf about anything with regards to my personal business."

Mavarion nodded her head. "That's what I thought. Strange that he would know then, don't you think?"

Her son paused then, she could see the thoughts practically chase each other through his eyes. "I found that odd myself yesterday," even his voice held deep thought as he said it.

Mavarion walked over to the throne where he sat and held Toby out for him, which he took carefully back into his arms.

"Make sure you keep your guard up at all times My Son. In all of the Underground, the Labyrinth's walls have the most ears."

Sarah walked down the empty hall of the castle towards the throne room. Bumper had told her when she woke up that the king wanted to see her right away. Her first and foremost concern was that it had to do with Toby, that thought alone kicked her heart rate up a few notches. Her second thought was that maybe despite what he had said about her having a home here he was just too fed up with her tardiness and was about to either fire her or punish her by making her stare at a clock for a few hours or some weird thing like that.

She didn't feel tired anymore in any case, so that was a plus.

She refused to let her mind focus too hard on what he could want to see her for because then she would end up focusing on Toby and scaring herself. If something had happened she would have been told immediately.

Wouldn't she?

At that thought panic broke loose from behind the barriers she had placed before it and spread throughout her till she was practically running down the hall.

As she ran she could hear the wicked-sounding laughter of goblins and didn't dare stop or look around to see what was happening. Something deep down inside her told her that she was being chased through the halls now and she ran faster till her lungs burned in hopes of escaping the laughing pursuer.

She rounded the corner and almost cried out in relief when she saw the familiar doors to the throne room. As she got closer though, the crazed laughter died down and was replaced by crying.

Her heart ached in her chest as she listened to Toby's cries and rushed to the doors, pushing against them to get in. They were far to heavy for her though and she let out a frantic scream when her instincts told her that what had been chasing her was about to catch up with her.

"Open up!" she screamed out loud.

The doors didn't budge though and she saw something big pounce at her from behind. Sarah did the only thing she could think to do and dropped down against the door with her arms covering her protectively from the force about to attack her.

After a minute or two when nothing happened she peeked out from behind the protection of her arms to find only an empty hallway around her.

Fear held her in it's clutches as she scanned the hall frantically. She had been sure there was someone there with her just seconds before. Was it one of the goblins playing another trick on her?

"H-hel-lo?" she asked through shaking teeth.

The hall stood empty behind her.

Sarah let out a terrified and relieved sigh and leaned back against the doors, only to have to catch her balance when they opened easily behind her.

"Human, is that you?" Jareth's voice called out from inside the throne room.

Sarah caught her breath before answering in a voice that still shook slightly. "Y-yes your majesty."

"Come in here please."

Sarah waited for her heart beat to slow slightly before pulling herself up to her feet and pushing the door open.

Jareth sat on his throne before her like usual, but something was wrong.

It took her brain a minute to fully register that the red shirt he wore was actually soaked in blood that ran from his neck down his shirt and off the cuffs of his sleeves to slide down the armrests of his throne.

Curled up at the base of his feet was a large golden lion that smirked at her, showing sharp fangs and wild green eyes.

"Sarah, move!"

Sarah jolted awake from her nightmare and stared back into the large eyes of the piggish goblin before her. "W-what?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"I said 'move'!" Bumper snapped. "You missed the king's breakfast, and now you want to be late for lunch? You'd have to be crazy. Now move!"

Chapter 17: They're Schemers

"None of that runny brown goop on mine!" Flabber shouted.

"More peas, more peas!" Twitch squeaked.

"My plate broke!" Tord stated after cracking it over his twin's head.

Sarah let out a sigh of relief that she didn't have to worry about the goblins at meal time as much anymore. They were like this at every meal so when they ate she had made it so that Bumper got his share in long enough before everyone else so he could deal with them for her without worrying about his own stomach. Between the cooking for herself, Toby, the king, and the goblins that hung around the kitchen she had just been swamped. Before when she had asked Bumper to deal with them before eating he would grudgingly give them the bare minimum of what they wanted and fights would ensue. And she couldn't have them serve themselves because they were clumsy and messy as sin and Twitch didn't even have limbs.

Thank the Gods that the amount that she had to cook hadn't gone up all that much since goblins were amazingly efficient scavengers and could live off little bits of things they picked up throughout the day. Normally a small helping of this or that would do them just fine.

"Tord, I told you before to not break my plates!" Sarah snapped.

Tord's large tan bat-like ears flattened against the fuzzy white hair of his head and his small snout quivered in a way that almost made Sarah think he was pouting. "I'm not Tord, I'm Kape!"

He immediately got smacked by his twin's plate, which clattered to the floor but some how didn't break. "He is not, I am!"

"Lies!" Kape gasped, or maybe it was Tord.

They did this to her all the time, switching names. She couldn't even be sure that those were their real names given how much they joked and played pranks.

"I don't care what your name is; clean it up now or neither of you will get food from me tomorrow."

They both quieted down after that, sulking off to the corner of the room where the broom was set.

Sarah looked over at Toby's empty high chair as she placed the last of the king's meal on his tray. She couldn't help but wonder what the king had done with him all day in the throne room. When she thought about that she couldn't help but think back to the last time she'd seen Toby in the throne room with him.

At the time she hadn't known what to think, but now she thought it was adorable the way Toby had smiled and clapped on Jareth's lap as he'd sung to him. It was different to see him like that, not Toby, but Jareth. She could almost picture Jareth doing something similar when he was an adolescent, probably rebellious and wild in his youth, even more so then he was now.

Although she had never seen nor met her Sarah knew from talk at the bar that his mother was the Queen who ruled the Underground. She wondered if maybe she was just like her son. She'd greatly prefer that to someone like Colane.

Jareth sat down at the head of the table, Toby held carefully under his arm. He moved the babe to his lap so he could sit down. After his mother had left he had been deep in his own thoughts about what she had said about Saboroth. How was he able to know such minor details of his household?

If it hadn't been for Toby he probably would have sat in the middle of his goblins and brooded all day. Toby, however, was demanding of attention and was constantly pulling him out of his head and into a better mood with a smile or an interesting noise. At one point Jareth had set Toby on the ground before him and had all the goblins in the room play follow the leader with him for about an hour. It had been a good laugh to see them all crawl on hands and knees and make gurgling noises.

He had had to call it off then when the confused (and probably at that point paranoid) babe started to cry.

After that Jareth had simply bounced him on his knees and watched the goblins go about their business with him.

Once again Toby leaned back in his lap to look up at him and gave a gurgle as if to say 'what are we doing here?'

Jareth smirked down at him.

"Your charming sister is about to serve us lunch," Jareth said to answer him.

As if on cue the door at the far end of the table opened and Sarah entered, carrying a tray of food.

Jareth immediately noticed that she was wearing a blue dress today, cut much like her white one, but it seemed better suited on her. The light color was flattering to her hair and skin.

She smiled wide as she carried the tray with her, but he was pretty certain that she was smiling at Toby rather than himself. "I hope he wasn't any trouble," she said as she set the tray down in front of him.

She was definitely smiling at Toby. Jareth felt a weird emotion brought out by the knowledge that she wasn't smiling at him but he didn't know what to call it. "Not at all," he shrugged before handing Toby over into her outstretched arms.

Jareth looked down at the tray before him. It looked good, and he liked what she had prepared, but for some reason he didn't really want to eat it. This really confused him because he had had an appetite just a second ago. Hell, he still felt hungry!

But the food just didn't appeal to him right now.

What the hell am I hungry for then?

His miss-matched eyes flicked over to Sarah once more.

Sarah tried to make it look as though she was just giving Toby hugs and kisses, but really she was trying to look for any scratches or abrasions… just making sure he was okay. She didn't think that she'd really find anything; it was just her overprotective nature.

She glanced over to the king to see if she was excused and was confused to find him frowning down at his plate like he didn't know what he was looking at.

His eyes found hers mere seconds before she could inquire of him. "Is everything alright?"

His eyes knitted in confusion. "What?"

She felt a little confused in return. "The food, is everything alright?"

He shook his head as if to clear it and leaned back in his chair, picking up his fork to eat. "Oh, yes of course. Everything is fine. Thank you."

She figured that was probably her dismissal. But she hesitated when he proceeded to do nothing but hold the fork in his hand, the utensil forgotten. "Are you sure? You're not eating. Do you not like the food?"

She could see under his hooded lashes that he was staring at her from the corners of his eyes. "It's fine, just not very… hungry."

She wanted to push further, to ask him if something was bothering him. But she figured that that might be too bold and so decided to keep her mouth shut.

She took his earlier dismissal instead and carried Toby with her down the table and through the door. As she turned to close it she noticed once more that the king's eyes were on her. For just a second their eyes caught before the door clicked closed behind her.

Sarah was sure that now she looked as confused as he had when he was looking at the tray. She let out a breath she hadn't even known she'd been holding and looked down at Toby, who stared back up at her blankly. "That was odd," she whispered.

If she hadn't known any better she'd have said that he had been looking her over. The shiver that ran down her arms was probably more alarming than the thought itself. He had never looked at her in such a way before. Not that she had seen.

Except maybe this morning in my bedroom. She had been only half awake and more than stunned that he was even in her room, but it had struck her that his eyes seemed more intense. She had just figured he was angry. Maybe he's angry with me now too.

Sarah looked back down at Toby, wondering if maybe something either she or he had done had upset the king in such a way.

Sure she was late on meals, but he never really got too angry with her for that.

She thought about how he hadn't touched the food in front of him like she had served him a goblin cooked rare or something. He had to be starving by now. Unless the food he had said Bumper had made for him had been really filling.

She wanted to frown at that too, but stopped herself. If this kept up she would end up with wrinkles so deep that they'd hang over her eyes.

Sarah wanted to laugh humorlessly at that. What would it matter if she had wrinkles here? She'd probably just fit in better, and it wasn't like there was anyone here to care about what she looked like for.

She glanced back at the dining room door before going down the hall and back to the kitchen.

Jareth stared at the closed doors at the end of the table without really seeing them. The second Sarah's eyes had met his something had gone through him like a bolt of lightening, partially firming his cock in his leggings. Jareth looked down at himself like it was a foreign being between his legs. The damn thing wouldn't work for Colane, and had left him too embarrassed to try with another female right afterward, but it reacted like this when Sarah was around?

Maybe he had been right before and she really was a witch! No, she's just a human.

Somehow that thought didn't comfort him at all. She is just a human, so why do I react like this when I think of her in even the least bit of a sexual way?

Jareth set the fork down to think it over better. The girl was no exceptional beauty; he had been with Fae woman that would make the Gods beam with pride in their creation. But she did have a simple and sweet beauty about her. he did have to admire the way she cared for her younger brother, and treated his goblins. He'd never really admired any woman for anything, except maybe his mother. Maybe he was attracted to the fact that he had power over her. True, he had some power over any Fae woman and male alike, but he had more over the human. Sarah was his servant, if he wanted to bed her she couldn't say no.

Maybe that is it; maybe I am just a sick bastard that gets off on the power trips. He thought about what he'd seen his cousin doing to a servant in the halls so many many years ago. Probably not actually.

It was true though, what was to stop him? And if she consented, what then? He thought about the possibilities. It both excited and scared him to even consider it. It felt like something that was taboo or forbidden. She was a human after all.

But she's my human.

Saboroth was covered in a thin sheen of sweat that made his body glisten as he pumped into the female below him. This one was nothing special, her hair a short mousey brown and freckles still tickling across her nose. She wasn't ugly… he didn't touch ugly… but she wasn't really considered pretty. Suitable is more the word for her, he mused.

She wasn't a courtier, but she was Fae so he could do worse. What made him decide to take her to his bed was mainly that she already had a child, and so he was hoping she might take seed again. Sure he had had to blackmail and threaten her husband a little, but they were low ranking enough for him to get away with it.

She laid in front of him on her front with her ass hoisted into the air like a bitch in heat and her head down against the floor of his room. she kept her eyes closed tight and had yet to look at him since she had gotten here, but he didn't really care if she looked at him or not.

If she just wanted to grit her teeth and bare it before leaving that was fine with him. If the seed took he'd have his throne and then he could just take the babe and toss her back to her own husband and child. If it didn't than that'd just be one more wasted fucking.

He seized her hips in his hands, letting his fingernails bite into the female's skin as he gave her a particularly hard thrust that made her cry out. She had tried to stay silent so he had worked extra hard to draw any noise from her. He did it again, liking the slight cry of pain that carried with her moans.

There was a single knock on his door that caught his attention for a second. The knock wouldn't come again; it was a signal from his head servant that he had company and to wrap it up.

Saboroth pushed his little games aside with the woman and gripped a handful of her hair in the back of her head so her head was forced up as he angled himself upwards and started pumping into her more quickly, ready to finish this.

Despite her rebelliousness to the situation the female started moaning softly as he thrusted his hips against her as fast as they would allow him to. Her twat stroked him over and over again and caused a heavy and hot pressure to build in both his shaft and his balls, tightening and straining them.

The first wave of orgasm smacked into him and he doubled over from the force, bringing his chest against her back as he continued to spasm over her. On instinct he bit down into the flesh on the back of her shoulder, biting hard till he tasted blood. The female cried out the loudest then and shouted something in protest, but he ignored her.

He let go and drew back as the after shocks rolled over him like waves on the sand. There were a few drops of blood on her back and a prominent outline of his teeth right there on her shoulder. He hadn't planned to mark her in such a way, but now as he looked at it he was glad he did.

Now she would run back to her husband and, for a while at least, whenever she was naked with him the male would look at her shoulder and see the reminder of what she'd had to do with another male. It would be a scar for both of them.

Saboroth pulled out from the female and grabbed his white house robe from beside him on the floor, pulling it around himself and fastening it at the waist.

The female sat up slowly, like she wasn't sure of her body, but she didn't look back at him. Instead she kept her hands in her lap and her eyes on the floor in front of her. It of reminded him of a shock patient. Already her brain was blocking out what he had just done to her. "Is that all?" she asked in a very faint voice.

What she was really asking was if she could get the hell out of here now.

Saboroth smirked down at her even though she couldn't see it. "No, stay here till I come back."

He had to go see to his guest, but the prospect of putting her through a second round of this kind of inner turmoil just appealed to him too much. Maybe he'd bite her more during the second time, that way she'd have more evidence to take back to her husband that she had been with him. Too bad he couldn't take a paintbrush and write "She liked it!" on her back as a final punch in the gut.

The female's head drooped down even more but she didn't protest. She couldn't with the dirt he had dug up on her husband.

Saboroth tied the robe securely and ambled down the hall from his room and into the front waiting room. He had been born into wealth and privilege, like his cousin. His home was no castle, but at the very least, it was a formidable manor. The waiting room alone was large enough to hold at least twenty Fae comfortably and was decorated with gold and red floral patterns hand-painted onto the walls and crème colored furniture that was lined with real gold trimmings. Three ceiling to floor windows lined one wall and drew in the sunlight to brighten the room and reflect off the gold, making it shine more. Right now the windows were covered by large curtains made of red velvet though. Little angelic figurines cast in gold hung on the walls and were carved into the very molding of the house.

His late mother's decorating.

He loathed it, but redecorating just wasn't a big concern to him. He had his sights set on moving into the Fae Court anyway so why bother?

Looking very out of place in the refined room, a large male sat nervously on one of the red loveseats, waiting for him. Saboroth stopped in the door way to take in the male before him and allowed him to do the same. The male had to be the Were his spy told him about; with a body of muscle and wild golden hair to go with even wilder green eyes… he was absolutely animalistic.

He was also very dirty and had a black eye, which meant that the goblin Saboroth had employed had probably had to bring him here by force. If that was the case he'd have to be careful about this. If he approached the situation like the man before him was a prisoner or in danger… well, he knew what animals did when cornered.

Saboroth spread his hands out before him, palms up, in a peaceful gesture but staid in the doorway. "Welcome to my home."

The Were glared over at him and a low rumbling sound reached him from where the Were was seated across the room. "Who are you?" the Were demanded.

Saboroth lowered his hands and leaned against the door way. If he acted calm then hopefully the Were would calm down as well. "My name is not important. I heard from a reliable source that you paid a visit to the Goblin King recently."

The growling got a little louder. "What's it to you, Fae?"

"The king is my cousin," he shrugged.

The Were grew tenser and his eyes darted around the room, either trying to find escape or a weapon Saboroth was unsure, but he was betting that the Were suspected he wanted to take revenge on him or something like that for bothering Jareth. "You can relax Were. My cousin and I aren't exactly what you would call close."

The green eyes narrowed on him suspiciously. "Then why the fuck am I here? Why was I brought by a fucking goblin if you and him ain't all buddy-buddy?"

Saboroth wanted to sneer at the beast's crude language. It was a sign of his intelligence. It also spoke volumes that he'd done the right thing to seek out the Were. "I heard you were there for a human girl, and that Jareth refused to let you have her. Is she of importance to you?"

The Were sneered then. "Not really, what she represents is more what I'm after. I don't have a personal fondness in the girl if that's what you're asking."

"It wasn't really, but that still answers my question. From what I heard Jareth made quite the fool out of you."

The Were's eyes narrowed again. "You seem to hear a lot."

Saboroth smiled and moved slowly into the room, taking it as a good sign when the Were showed no objection. "I do. We happen to have a lot in common actually, Jareth recently made a mockery of myself as well."

The Were smirked then. "Oh yeah, what'd he do to ya?"

Saboroth settled into a large chair about five feet away from the Were. "That's not really important."

The Were smiled to show cat-like fangs. "That bad huh?"

Saboroth made sure to keep his face expressionless. "What did you say your name was?"

"Bud," the Were shrugged, easing back into his seat.

"You seem to me like the kind of male that revenge appeals to, Bud."

A slow grin slid over the male's face that almost made Saboroth want to shiver. This was a creature after his own heart. "Just what exactly are we talking about here?" Bud asked.

"A partnership of sorts, you help me get what I want and I'll help you get what you want. What does a creature like you want?"

Bud's eyes flicked to the upper left corner, thinking it over. "I have a reputation that I would do anything to keep, Fae. I've been hunting that female the King's got holed up in his castle. As long as she is alive my reputation is shattered, and it's just about all I got. A male has to have something that is just his, ya know?"

Saboroth smiled at that. In fact he did know.

"My reputation is mine," the Were stated.

"You say you'll do anything to keep that reputation of yours?" Saboroth asked.

Bud gave a definite nod.

"Then I can help you get it back. And I can help you get your revenge on Jareth as well. At the same time you can help me get what I want."

Bud's eyes lit up with anticipation and excitement. "And what is it you want, Fae?"

Saboroth let a smile come to his own lips now. "For my cousin to meet an early grave."

Chapter 18: Love or Lust Part 1

Sarah couldn't stop staring. It was just amazing. The word 'incredible' didn't do it justice.

Sarah stared at the mini-bed on the floor next to hers where Toby slept- correction: was sleeping!

She had put him down and he'd gone out like a light. No stirring, no crying, no fussing.

Just…

Quite!

She wanted to cry out with relief but wasn't about to in case he woke up. Maybe Jareth had just tired him out today? Now that she thought about it, Toby had started keeping her up since he had last been with the king.

No, it couldn't be. Even as she thought it her instincts told her different. Could he have been crying for the king?

She didn't want to believe that that's what it was, but…

Sarah sat down on the side of her bed and took her long hair out of the not she had tied it into so it would stay out of her eyes, letting it hang loose and wavy around her. She was beat, and her mind was full. She couldn't stop herself from thinking. Thinking about Toby, about the day, the goblins. Mostly she kept thinking about the way Jareth had looked at her at lunch and again at super, like he was debating something.

She wasn't sure if she liked being looked at like that. It was like when Bud had looked at her, except not so harsh. Jareth looked at her like he wanted to rip into her, but not kill her like Bud did. Maybe he really was angry with her.

He didn't look mad.

Sarah nearly jumped out of her skin when a solid thudding sounded from her door. She gave a startled look to Toby, who hadn't started to stir yet, and jumped up from her bed. She pulled the door open just before Drappen could bring his massive fist down on it again and held a finger up to her mouth to tell him to be quiet as she moved into the hall and out of her room with him, closing the door behind her.

The very wide and burly goblin frowned at her, only inches shorter. "What's wrong with you?"

"I don't want Toby to wake up," Sarah sighed. "You have no idea what he's put me through this week!"

Drappen looked as if he were about to ask, but simply shrugged, his shoulders scrapping against the walls of the hall. Looking at him now Sarah thought that he was rather like a wall himself. "What do you want?" she asked, since he only ever saw her for business.

"You're needed in the kitchen."

Sarah frowned at that. "What, why? I already made the meals for the day."

"His majesty wants a snack. You're the cook so that means you make it for him."

Sarah blinked a few times at that. A snack?

Although she should have suspected it, she didn't know that she'd be on call night and day if the king decided he was hungry.

"Nothing too fancy, he's hungry now."

Sarah let out an agitated groan. "Are you serious?"

The goblin fixed her with a very level stare. "Yes."

Sarah let out another sigh but nodded and followed him down the hall, turning away so she could go into the empty kitchen and fix something up. Maybe she could make Jareth a fruit cup or something light like that.

Sarah took down a few bananas, a peach, and some berries from the colder corner of the pantry and set to work slicing them up. She couldn't believe it, the one night this week it looked like she'd get a good night's rest and instead she was stuck making a mid-night snack for the Goblin King. Of course he never wanted something on the nights I couldn't sleep.

She dumped the bite-size pieces of fruit into a cup and poured some milk over them, thinking that that should be fitting enough. She grabbed a fork for him to eat it with and a glass of water to drink. She set it all on a flat plate since a tray would be too much and made her way back into the hall and down to the dining area. She pushed the doors open and paused in the doorway, not really surprised that the king wasn't there. Fool; he's probably in his room for the night.

With a little sigh at the prospect of all those stairs along the way, Sarah backed out of the dining room and started on her way.

She was surprised that the castle was as quiet as it was at night. Night time seemed more appropriate for goblins to be running wild everywhere. Instead there wasn't a body in sight, something Sarah was actually happy about. The castle was creepy enough at night.

She reached the tower that held Jareth's room before she even noticed and paused in front of the door. She shifted the plate into her left hand so she could knock, only to startle slightly when the heavy wooden door swung open in front of her and the king filled the doorway.

Jareth had heard the light steps coming up the stairs and gone to the door, knowing that it could only be the human. Jareth took a deep breath and let it out to calm himself before turning the handle and pulling open the door. Just like he had expected, Sarah stood outside his door with a little plate gripped in her hands in front of her. He took in her rich dark hair that spilled down her shoulders like waves of chocolate and complemented the blue color of her dress wonderfully. Her eyes were wide as she stared up at him.

He had thought about what had happened in the morning all day; how he had become aroused while looking at her in her bed. That was the first time he had felt the urge to bed a female since the Colane fiasco. He hadn't dared to try with another female since then in case the same thing happened. That would be just the kind of news that would go around court at the speed of sound.

But with Sarah he wouldn't have to worry about something like that, and it felt like it would be easier to try with her. It wasn't like she would dare to judge him if anything… went wrong. It was strategically the best thing he could do. During supper he had come to the conclusion that Sarah was his servant, so why shouldn't he have her warm his bed tonight? He wanted her; that much he had become sure of.

If she was to consent then he would have nothing to stop him and it would be a great way to 'test the waters' so to speak.

A mix of surprise and curiosity was on her face, but that was all he could read of her emotions.

He watched her take him in as her eyes traveled from his face to glance down at his bare chest and down further to the silken black baggy pants that he allowed to ride low on his hips. He tried to hide a smirk when her eyes lingered for a second on the light-colored hair that led from his navel to disappear down below the line of the black silk.

He cleared his throat to bring her attention back up to his face, at which a pinkish tint sprang to her cheeks. She's so innocent. The mere fact that she was blushing made him want to see how much redder he could make those cheeks. Jareth had to practically force himself focus enough to step back and allow her room to pass him. "You may bring that in here," he said, acknowledging the plate holding what looked like cut up fruit in her hands.

Sarah nodded her head obediently and slowly stepped past him and into his room, careful not to touch him at all as she did. She passed by close enough for him to take in her scent, and he did his best to breathe it in without seeming obvious. Jareth almost had to close his eyes at the honey and flowers smell that trailed from her.

Large parts of him wanted to just go about this as he usually did with the courtiers, invite her in and then take her to his bed, but he didn't. He wasn't fool enough or vain enough to think that Sarah would find that acceptable behavior like the courtiers did. Besides she was more naïve and innocent than any of those females and he didn't want to upset or offend her. For reasons he didn't even understand he cared about her more than that.

He kept his eyes upon her as she bent slightly over to set the plate down on the little stand next to his bed. This was her first time in his room wasn't it? Well, technically her second but the first time she had just been in the door way and had witnessed him and Colane having sex. He couldn't help but wonder what exactly she had seen at that time, or what she had thought.

He was jolted back to the present when she straightened up and turned back to him, ready to leave. "I'll have Bumper get the plate in the morning if you'd like. Good night, your highness."

"Wait," he said, his voice barely above a whisper and very rough. He cleared his throat once before trying again. "I would like you to stay for a moment."

Sarah's eyes widened and her mouth gapes a little, like that was the absolute last thing she thought he would say. "Have I done something to upset you?" she asked, her voice slightly panicked.

Jareth felt his own jaw slacken at that. "Why would you think that?"

She fixed her eyes on the floor and clutched her hands in front of her apologetically. "You seemed rather mad during your meals and I know I was late again with breakfast this morning. Plus you went to the trouble of watching my brother for me and I don't remember if I really thanked you for it or not, but I did appreciate it." she glanced up at him for a moment, only to look back down when her eyes caught his. "Anyways, I'm sorry if I made you mad."

Jareth closed the door behind him and stepped towards the poor girl, only to stop a foot or so away when she tensened up like she would run. "You didn't make me angry, I was just asking for your company while I eat."

She looked up at him boldly with confusion wrought upon her face. "Company? You wanted to talk?"

Well, not just…

Jareth simply nodded his head and couldn't help but smile at how different she was from anything he'd ever been around before. Like a child in a woman's body, she was so innocent. It was appealing to him. He couldn't help but feel charmed by the unusualness of it.

He moved further into the room, closer to her till he stood just next to her. This time she didn't go tense, but she didn't relax either. "Please sit down if you want," he suggested, motioning with a tilt of his head to the bed.

She looked back at it like she'd never seen a bed before and shook her head slowly. "I think I'd be okay on the floor or something."

He worked quickly to hide his frown at that. Was she repulsed by what she knew he had done on that bed or something? "Why not the bed?" he asked before he could stop himself.

She looked back down at the floor as her cheeks turned a strawberry red. "Isn't something like that kind of… intimate?"

He could see he'd have to go about this slowly if she was to consent to him. "Perhaps, but I'd feel upset if you were forced to sit on the floor. There is no where else for you to sit in here either."

She frowned, uncertain of what she should do.

Jareth seized the momentary weakness. "Besides, it's more practical for us both to be comfortable while we… talk, don't you think?"

Sarah glanced over at the bed again. "Well…"

Jareth smirked at his meager victory.

She waited patiently while he slid onto the bed, the silk of his black pants sliding over the deep purple silk of his sheets as he moved. Once he was comfortable with his back against the wooden headboard and his legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankle, Sarah allowed herself to sit down on the side of the bed, careful not to get too close to his long legs. Odd as it was, she couldn't help but glance at his bare feet and think it strange to see them uncovered by his boots. She didn't think she'd ever seen a man's bare feet before, it was odd to her. They're bigger than mine.

Jareth reached over next to him and took the plate in his hands, using the fork to fish a slice of peach out of the cup. Sarah watched as he placed it in his mouth and slid the fork completely free of his lips before even biting down.

Come to think of it, she pondered as she glanced at his bare, flat chest. I've never seen so much of any male in my life before, except Toby but that certainly doesn't count because he's just my baby brother.

She tried to look around the room rather than at the Goblin King lying next to her. The walls were bare stone like hers, but the cold grayness fitted in nicely with the deep purple of the bedspread. A large wooden cabinet was pushed up against the opposite wall. She could only guess that that held his wardrobe. He was always dressed so lavishly, yet still managed to make it look as though he put little to no effort into looking so good. Sarah felt a familiar heat on her cheeks at that thought and forced her eyes to move on to the purple curtain that hung in an archway that most likely led to a private bathroom. She could only imagine what that room looked like. She had heard stories of rich folk owning tubs the size of a bed. She looked down at the very large bed she was currently seated on. Perhaps the size of my bed.

"See anything of interest to you?"

She turned back to Jareth, who had speared a blueberry with his fork and placed it in his mouth without taking his eyes off her. His look is always so intense.

Sarah was about to simply shake her head but figured that that might offend him, so instead shrugged and mentioned that the bedding was nice.

"Have you ever felt silk before?" he asked, placing another berry in his mouth.

She shook her head no. She could tell from the way the fabric moved under her dress that it was probably very smooth, but she had yet to actually touch it.

Jareth nodded towards the bed. "If you wish to then feel free."

Sarah wasn't sure if she should for some reason, like it was forbidden or something. You're a servant girl, she reminded herself.

Exactly, so when would I get another chance like this.

Attentively, as if she expected it to bite her or something, Sarah reached out and placed her hand on the silk sheet of the bed. 'Amazing' was the only word that came to mind. The fabric flowed under her hand like liquid and was cool to the touch. She figured to lay on it would probably be like sleeping on a cloud. It was so soft compared to the plain cotton of her own bed. She glanced up at the black silk of Jareth's pants and wondered if it would feel the same.

"Why do you blush like that?" Jareth asked, sipping some of the milk out of the cup.

Sarah snatched her hand away from the fabric and turned back to her staring contest with the floor. She hadn't realized she had been blushing again. She needed to stop now before she passed out from all the blood rushes. "I'm sorry."

He frowned then. "Why are you apologizing now?"

"You sounded bothered."

He let out an impatient sigh. "I wasn't bothered, I was curious. Why were you blushing? You've been blushing since you got here."

Sarah simply shrugged. Because you're practically naked. Because you are really really handsome. Because I want to roll around on this bed and feel the fabric on as much of my skin as possible. Because I was thinking about what the silk of your pants would feel like in contrast to the skin underneath.

She closed her eyes and shook her head to try to stave off the thoughts that were trying to bring roaring heat back into her face. When she still felt the heat rising to her cheeks and forehead she placed her palms against it in an attempt to at least hide it from him.

She felt the bed shift slightly but kept her hands over her face, just waiting for the king to ask her to take the plate and leave. She wasn't being very good company, that much she was sure of. She was really just embarrassing herself.

Why couldn't I be witty, or charming, or anything like the women he's used to? She was willing to bet that they knew how to act around him so he didn't think they were complete idiots who hid behind their hands.

"Sarah, look at me." Jareth whispered.

Sarah had to practically force herself to drop her hands and open her eyes; surprised to see that Jareth had set the fruit cup aside and had moved to sit closer to her. His legs were now bent behind her and his forearms rested on his knees as he stared at her from under heavy lids.

Sarah didn't move back or gasp, for that she was proud of herself, but she had yet to stop blushing completely. He was close enough to her now that she could smell the sweet fruit on his breath when he spoke and the slight musk that always held to his skin. "You don't need to be so nervous around me," he assured her. "I wouldn't ask you to do anything you're not comfortable with."

"What do you mean?" she asked, finding her throat had gone dry.

He reached out and casually took a strand of her hair between his fingers, curling it around absent-mindedly. She thought the movement was almost affectionate in its softness. If he were any other man she would have been sure he was looking for sex from her. But this was the king of the goblins, why would he want to be with her at all? All the same, it was becoming increasingly apparent to her.

Sarah tried to swallow past the heart that was jack-hammering in her chest. She suddenly felt like she was blushing all over her body, like the room was too hot.

"Sarah, would you," it didn't go unnoticed to her that Jareth's voice was also stiff, like he was nervous too, "I wanted to ask if…

Sarah waited patiently while he tried to figure out what to say. She had a feeling that whatever he was about to ask her had him just as confused as she felt.

"Would you consent to laying with me tonight?" he asked, his own cheeks tinting just a bit.

Chapter 19: Love or Lust Part 2

Recap:

Sarah tried to swallow past the heart that was jack-hammering in her chest. She suddenly felt like she was blushing all over her body, like the room was too hot.

"Sarah, would you," it didn't go unnoticed to her that Jareth's voice was also stiff, like he was nervous too, "I wanted to ask if…

Sarah waited patiently while he tried to figure out what to say. She had a feeling that whatever he was about to ask her had him just as confused as she felt.

"Would you consent to laying with me tonight?" he asked, his own cheeks tinting just a bit.

Jareth had to work hard to keep eye contact with her and not lower his own head to the floor as he asked her that. He'd never had a problem with something like this before, but he had never been worried about rejection before. Funny that he was worried about being rejected by the one woman who probably couldn't.

Sarah sat before him just as she had a second ago, not even the expression in her eyes had changed. She stared as if her mind had gone completely blank. He was almost willing to believe she had turned into a doll as she continued to just stare at him. Finally her jaw gave a twitch and her mouth moved like she wasn't sure how to use it to talk. "W-what?"

Oh great. Jareth released her hair and leaned back from her slightly. He had tried to be practical about it and had offended if not repulsed her from the tone of her voice. It was of complete shock and surprise.

"If- if you would rather not you may go and I'll speak no more about it," he murmured, allowing his eyes to finally shift down towards the floor beside him. He wasn't sure if he was angry or upset or… what he felt. He was willing to bet that he was in a state of shock right now as well. He'd never been turned down before.

"No it's," her voice cut off when he looked back up at her, "It's not that," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I just didn't really think you'd… want that of me."

He didn't have to ask why, because they both knew the answer. It was because of who she was, and who he was in contrast to that. She was a human servant. While it was known that some Faes participated in having sex with humans, most did not. Jareth certainly never had before.

His mind started working again at the prospect that she wasn't rejecting him yet, but had simply misunderstood, or thought she had.

Jareth reached out on impulse to run the tips of his fingers over her jaw line to the base of her chin, guiding her head to look up at him. She was the picture of sweetness and innocence, nervous and unsure of herself as she fidgeted with the hem of her dress and her eyes kept trying to look away from him, not wanting to hold the contact for too long.

Self-consciously, she sucked her lower lip into her mouth to chew on it. When it came back out it was pinker, plumper, and slightly wet. Jareth couldn't help but stare at her lips as he leaned in closer. Normally he didn't kiss females unless it was in the middle of sex, and it was just another act of passion then.

To his surprise and delight it was Sarah that closed the slight distance to meet his lips. They were soft under his and he kept his eyes open as it happened, where as hers were closed. She pulled back slightly from it before placing another small and chaste kiss against his lips. It reminded him of kisses that would take place between children but it was more personal than that.

She was timid and bold at the same time, stealing sweet little kisses from him several times before he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him so their bodies could touch and she had to grab his shoulders for support.

Jareth tightened his grip on her slightly so he could pull her with him as he laid back down, dragging her body to lay partially over his without breaking the kisses. Only once he was laying down and she was able to balance her upper body against his chest did he try to deepen the kiss, moving his arm to wrap around her back and slipping his free hand into the soft waves of her hair to guide her head.

She kept her eyes closed throughout and allowed herself to relax against him as he tilted his head at an angle and slid the tip of his tongue over her top lip. She parted her lips for him willingly and he deepened the kiss, changing it from sweet and innocent to something more passionate and hot. He shivered beneath her when she moved one of her hands from his chest to the wrist that held her head, her fingers skimming up his arm.

He could feel himself hot and solid beneath the fabric of his pants and moved his hand down to her hip, softly pushing for her to move further onto the bed with him. She took the hint and let her legs come up to rest on the bed, turning her body so she could better lie against his side. Gods, he wanted her naked. He looked down at where the neckline of her dress showed just the barest hint of cleavage and where the lower half of her legs were exposed from the short dress. He wanted to see more, and to feel her against his skin.

Jareth reached behind her back and found the tiny zipper placed at the top between her shoulder blades, pulling it down slowly because he knew from experience that it would catch if he went too fast. It stopped at the beginning of the waist so he left it lay there, not stopping the kiss as he slipped his hand inside the dress to feel the bare and warm arch of her lower back.

Sarah shivered against him in response to the skin on skin contact he was making. She had hardly even noticed that he'd unzipped her. It felt more like she was having a dream than experiencing reality. Everything was soft and warm and nice from this new perspective. It was like being drugged, but she was sure that it was just the euphoria of the situation making her feel that way.

Jareth's tongue was soft and hot as it grazed along the top of her own, sending a pang of something she'd never felt before down from her heart to the spot between her legs like lightening had struck her. She wanted- needed to feel it again so she let out a noise from way back in her throat that Jareth seemed to take as encouragement, pressing his hand more firmly against her back to usher her body up against his.

He tilted his hips towards her more and Sarah felt what was unmistakably an erection brush against her thigh, sending another jolt through her like before.

"You're shivering," Jareth observed, pulling back from the kiss but not relaxing his hold on her in the least.

Sarah found her voice so she could answer, wanting to kiss him more than talk to him at the moment. "I'm just… nervous." She didn't know much about sex, and certainly knew nothing first-hand. What she knew Karen had gone out of her way to explain to her. Why she had done it Sarah wasn't sure, maybe to warn her or something. Karen had explained that males and females were very physically different, but were built so they could fit together like a puzzle or something. She had also told Sarah that men could sometimes be mean or selfish about making those pieces fit together and that the first time was always painful for the female because men just couldn't help themselves.

She hadn't told Sarah anything about this new euphoria, or the thrill that came with being nervous. She hadn't spoken of pleasure or wanting to have the pieces fit just as much as the male did. It was possible she didn't feel comfortable talking to Sarah about those things, but Sarah was more willing to believe that Karen was more or less a cold woman all around.

Jareth paused and shifted onto his side, keeping her tucked in close against him. Sarah wanted to shiver again at this new position that brought his pelvis right up against hers, but held back. It felt hard, what he was keeping pressed against her. Like a bone or something. Sarah tried to think about what he would look like there. Karen had talked to her mainly about human males. Maybe Fae males were more different from humans than she thought. She felt curious and apprehensive about finding out at the same time.

"Have you ever bedded a male before?" he asked, pulling her attention away from what lay hard against her in his pants.

She tried to speak but found that she either didn't want to or couldn't, she wasn't sure which, so instead she just shook her head.

"Then I'll be more careful."

That was all he said before giving her another chaste kiss and rolling her onto her back. He moved up onto his hands and knees beside her and took the shoulder straps of her dress gently in his hands, waiting till she lifted her arms to pull them free from behind her back and slipping them off her arms and pulling the dress down to expose her upper body.

Sarah hadn't felt self-conscious or worried about what he would think until the right after she was exposed to him. The air was suddenly colder against her bare skin and she wanted to reach up and hide her breasts from him. She felt vulnerable this way. He was silent, his eyes focused and intense, as he looked over her from her neck to the material at her waist. For what seemed like forever he said and did nothing but only continued to stare.

Finally Sarah couldn't take it and covered herself from him, wanting to turn away in shame.

Jareth frowned then and placed his hands over her wrists, but did nothing to move them. "Why are you hiding yourself from me?"

Sarah wasn't really sure what to tell him.

He seemed to understand though and let out a sigh. "Sarah, I think you're beautiful. I'd have no reason to lie to you when I tell you that you have nothing to be ashamed of."

She wasn't really listening anymore. She was still stuck on the fact that he had called her beautiful.

Jareth's eyes were full of complete adoration as he ran his thumbs lightly over the backs of her wrists. "Will you let me see you?"

Sarah allowed him to move her hands from across her chest, letting them lay against the silk of the bed on either side of her as he moved to lean down and kiss her again. He was so different now than whenever she had seen him before. He was softer and sweeter in his manor, more courteous.

Just as she had started to kiss him back he moved from her mouth to place a kiss against her jaw. She continued to shiver, no longer cold, as she felt his hands skim up her ribcage on either side till they cupped her petite breasts. She felt a tingling sensation in her chest and glanced down as he placed his lips against her neck to see his thumbs circling her erect nipples. His lips opened against her neck and she felt him move as if he were still at her mouth, pulling and sucking at the flesh there. It sent her on a head trip she never would have guessed at and she arched her back against it, wanting more.

His hands slipped back down her ribcage and came to rest at her waist, gripping the material of her dress. "Lift your hips," he whispered against the skin of her neck.

She did as she was told and he pulled back so he could get a better angle to pull the rest of the dress down her hips and past her legs, letting the material fall to the ground uselessly. She was now completely bare before him, feeling the cool fabric against the back of her entire body and the warm gaze of his eyes against her front sent tremors throughout her.

Jareth let out another sigh as his eyes roamed over her; almost branding her they were so full of heat. "You are beautiful," he stated.

She watched with wide eyes as he repositioned himself to kneel in the space between her parted legs. He then slowly stretched out over her like he was going to do a pushup before laying himself gently on top of her. She had expected him to be heavier than he felt as he propped himself up on his elbows, allowing his forearms to snake their way between her back and the bed to she was pulled up more closely against him. He refocused his attention on her neck as he rested his hips against her, his erection pressing against the flesh between her legs. It felt different there, better. As he started to rotate his hips in a motion to press against her, draw back from her and repeating she felt pleasure and a wanting flow over her like a warm blanket, making her cling onto his wide shoulders as she did.

The second his lips sucked at her skin it was like the muscles in her neck went slack and her head dropped back, causing her to have to arch her body against him as she moaned.

Jareth let out a low, rumbling groan as he continued to move against her. The thin silk was all that separated their lower bodies from each other and Sarah gasped at the feeling of the silk separating the lips of her vagina and sliding with him back and forth over her, building a wonderful friction that spilled more heat inside of her. Was this what Karen had meant by pieces fitting together? If it was then the woman was obviously out of her mind. It didn't hurt at all; in fact, it was pure pleasure as Sarah started to rock her own hips back and forth against Jareth.

He let out a sharp hiss of breath at her response and moved his hips a bit more forcefully against her, pushing against her like he desperately wanted something. He arched his own back so he could move further down her body without completely breaking off the contact of their rubbing till he was able to reach her breasts with his lips, surprising her again when he took one of her nipples into his mouth like a child would to its mother. She let out a startled and pleased yelp when his eyes looked up to meet her stare and his tongue flicked out over her nipple. She didn't have any more time to react than that when he took it back into his mouth and sucked at it, pulling it out further than it had ever naturally gone.

She wanted him to keep doing it and never stop, a delicious pressure was already building low inside of her and she wanted to see just how good it could feel. Every time the pleasure made her head spin it seemed like Jareth introduced her to a new level she wasn't even aware of. He knew a lot more about this than she ever dreamed, and she knew that there was something he was driving towards. She wanted to know what it was more than she wanted her next breath. "Jareth," she moaned, her voice sounding husky and strange to her, "I want… more. Please, make it feel even better." She didn't know how she knew he could, but she did.

Jareth let out another groan against the skin of her breast before moving back up to her lips, placing deep but gentle kisses there till she relaxed back against the bed. He then pulled away to kneel between her legs once more, gripping the waistband of his pants in his hands before shoving them down like they were a nuisance.

Sarah had never imagined… no wonder it had felt like a pipe against her.

The shaft was long, reaching up to just below his navel. The thick base was surrounded by curls of blonde hair slightly darker than that upon his head and a pair of weights hung between his thighs. She could only stare in curiosity as he slipped the silken pants off of himself and turned back to her.

She smiled nervously as he got back into that amazing pushup position that brought the bare skin of his member right up against hers. She welcomed the familiar rubbing sensation that he initiated and relaxed back against the bed, this time moving her hips against his in response.

Jareth was completely enthralled with her. She was so… exotic to him. A human and a virgin at that; he'd never experienced either. I guess this will be a first time for both of us, he mused with a smirk. Sarah moaned beneath him, her skin warm and soft against his own. He couldn't help but shudder when her hips rocked against him, stroking his shaft against the folds of her warmth. It sent little shocks of pleasure from his shaft to the small of his back that caused his arms to shake with it.

He had never had a virgin, but he knew that it would hurt their first times. He needed to make sure that Sarah was relaxed so it would be easier for her. He was surprised to find that she was completely relaxed and open to him already. He would have guessed that she'd be just a little nervous at what would happen next. Instead she had gone as far as to ask more of him.

Jareth broke the steady rocking motion he had set against her to cup her delicate breast in his hand, squeezing gently as he brought his mouth to it. Sarah's response was immediate, one of her hands coming up to the back of his head to hold him there as she shivered beneath him. Jareth glanced up to see that her head was thrown back against the mattress, her eyes closed tight and mouth parted slightly as little desirable noises escaped her.

She was probably as ready as she was going to get for him.

Jareth took his hand back from her breast, not letting go with his mouth to help distract her from the pain he was about to cause. He reached down between him and the girl and let a finger slide over her once, unable to hold back the moan that bubbled up from deep in his throat at the amazing wet heat that he found there. If he thought about it too much he probably wasn't going to last.

He grasped himself firmly around the shaft and pulled his hips back a little so he could position himself at her entrance before pushing in. he let out an immediate groan at the tightness around his tip. He soon came up against something hard inside her. He pulled out slightly before driving through it. He startled when Sarah let out a scream beneath him and her eyes popped wide open.

"It hurts!" she shouted, her voice desperate as she started to move against him, her hands coming up to push against his chest in hopes of getting him off her. "Please stop!" she shouted.

He ignored the hands pushing at him, dropping down onto her so she couldn't push him away. He kept his lower body as still as possible, neither moving to continue or retreat. "It's alright, Sarah." He whispered trying to sooth her.

Tears began to brim her eyes as she whimpered beneath him. "What are you doing?" she asked, her voice a horse whisper. She looked up at him like he had betrayed her or something. Hadn't she known what sex involved?

Jareth pushed that thought from his mind. At this point it was too late and the concept that she had been completely naïve about what he had done was too startling for him to deal with right now.

He continued to whisper softly into her ear as he placed kisses against her cheek and neck, using his free hands to stroke along her arms and sides till she finally started to relax beneath him again. Only once he figured she'd had time to adjust to him did he pull his hips back a little. Sarah was impossibly tight but wet beneath him so he was able to feel every inch of himself being squeezed as he pulled out.

Sarah was no longer screaming, but she still had tears in her eyes as she staid unmoving beneath him.

"Sarah," he whispered.

She looked up at him.

"Kiss me." He figured anything he could do to both relax and distract her was probably for the better right now.

A single tear rolled from her eye back to her ear as she lifted her head up, bringing her lips against his.

Very slowly and carefully, Jareth started to move his hips against her again. This time she didn't cry out, but he she did let out a gasp that didn't sound too objecting to him. He took the opportunity of her open mouth to deepen the kiss with her. He couldn't help but feel both surprised and somewhat proud as she moved her hips against him. It had been a faint movement, but there none the less. Only when she did it again did he allow his hips to swing more freely against her.

She started to moan against his mouth and he ate the sounds up greedily, wrapping his arms back around her body to hold her close as their hips bucked together in an increasing rhythm.

Sarah broke off the kiss first, turning her head to the side like she needed air and letting moans louder than any she had made before ring out loud. Jareth closed his eyes tight and focused on the sound, moving his hips faster when he wanted it hear it come out in short little pants and driving in harder to make them louder. He was so close to release now and he was afraid that he was going to end up finishing before her.

Which struck him as strange since he had never really cared before.

He gritted his teeth against the increasing pleasure he could feel building up inside of him and let his hips set a swift, steady rhythm against Sarah. It seemed to come from out of no where when she suddenly clung onto his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin in desperation as her eyes closed tight and her body started to vibrate uncontrollably beneath him. There were no long and over the top screams of pleasure as she orgasmed, just the feel of her inner core grow even hotter as it squeezed him like a fist and her body quivered. Only when she fell back against the bed did a single satisfied groan escape from her. It was probably the best sound Jareth had ever heard in his whole life.

He swung his hips freely against the tightness that continued to hold onto him, milking him literally and physically for all he was worth. He let out a startled gasp as an intense shock of pleasure traveled from the base of his tacticals to the tip of his penis and spread like a tidal wave throughout his entire body. His shaft pulsed several times as he released into her until his was drained in every way possible.

He pulled out, ignoring the final pulses that rushed through him from his now sensitive member as he turned to lie on his side next to her. He was completely exhausted.

Sarah laid still next to Jareth as she tried to catch her breath and make sense of what had just happened. He still had one arm thrown possessively across her chest as he breathed deeply next to her. she looked over to see that his eyes were closed and his mouth open slightly, his lips puffier than they had been before and a slight pinkness still clinging to his sharp cheek bones.

What they had just done, she couldn't stop playing it over and over in her mind. Except for the part that had hurt, it had been wonderful. She'd never thought that anything could feel so… good! That wasn't even the right word for it. The only one she could come up with that was even close was 'right'. What she and Jareth had just done felt right to her. She could still feel her heart pounding in her chest from the rush.

It had been like experiencing every emotion at once at the end; joy, fear, love, sorrow, and pride all at once and only for a few brief shining seconds that seemed over far to quickly and just left you used up and blissed-out.

She looked down Jareth's body and her eyebrows knit in confusion.

"What are you glaring at?"

She looked back up to see Jareth had opened his eyes and was now staring at her. His face and tone were completely neutral as he waited for her answer. "I wasn't glaring," she snapped. "I just thought it was bigger."

He didn't move an inch except to raise an eyebrow.

Sarah nodded down toward where his penis lay against his leg. "Before it had been huge; which is probably why it hurt so much when you put it in me?" She looked back up at him. "Why is it different now?"

To her surprise Jareth started laughing. He began to laugh so hard that he turned over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling above them. Sarah looked up and noticed for the first time that a large section of the tower had been taken out and a sheet of glass had been placed there to allow them to look straight up at the sky without worrying about the weather. The stars shined above them as Jareth sought to collect himself.

She had no idea just what about her comment he found so funny.

Finally he calmed down, still chuckling and turned his head back to her, grinning wide when he saw that she was not amused. "Forgive me, Sarah. It's just that you say such nice things without meaning to."

She had no idea what he was talking about, so continued to frown.

"It's just that when a male is aroused the penis becomes harder and longer so that he can have sex. Any other time it looks like it does now. The same is true for about any race."

She allowed confusion to show through on her face then. "And what did I say that was so nice?"

He grinned again at that. "You simply complemented my size, I suppose it's a male thing." His face turned serious then. "Sarah, I know that this was your first time, but didn't someone ever explain to you what sex was before? Surely your mother or a friend?"

She looked down at the space between their bodies then. "My mother left when I was still far too young to have to talk about that. Since I worked at the bar with my family I never had much time for friends. I'd heard bits and pieces from the way the men would sometimes talk when they were drunk, but nothing that made sense to me. My step-mother Karen just told me that it would hurt. She didn't go into any detail."

Jareth frowned at that. "I wish I had warned you then. Will you lay with me for a while longer?"

Sarah couldn't keep the surprise off her face.

Jareth laughed at that. "I mean actually lay down with me."

Sarah thought about Toby down in her room. Who knew if he was still sleeping or not? As much as she would love to stay, it couldn't be fore the whole night. She explained this to Jareth and he nodded his head in understanding. "Then I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow."

Sarah nodded and got up from the bed, grabbing her dress from the floor and throwing it on. After being naked between the silk and Jareth's smooth flawless body the cotton garment might as well have been burlap, but she yanked it into place around her.

Jareth sat up watching her get dressed, a crooked smile on his face as he did so.

Sarah tried not to feel awkward as she made her way over to the door. She stopped with the door cracked open in front of her and turned back to where Jareth continued to watch her from his bed. She went back and picked up the plate to take with her.

"You can leave the water," Jareth said as she reached for that too. His eyes sparkled in amusement and she couldn't help but smile slightly too.

"Have a pleasant night your highness," she whispered as she headed to the door.

"Sleep well, Sarah," he laughed.

It wasn't until she was walking down the stone steps from his room that she felt an odd shifting between her legs, causing her to pause in surprise. Sarah looked around to make sure no one was looking before reaching up her dress to inspect what had happened. She was a little startled to find a mix of white fluid mixed with blood on her fingers. She wasn't completely sure what was going on, just that there was more of it and if she didn't hurry to get cleaned up it would end up running down her thighs.

Sarah hurried the rest of the way down to the kitchen, throwing the dishes in the washing bucket and taking a clean washcloth from the cabinet. She cleaned the liquid goo off from between her legs and waited till she was sure there was no more before tossing the rag into the laundry sack with the other dish cloths.

She wondered what would happen now between her and Jareth. She had heard of masters having similar relationships with their servants where their relationship was the same by day but the masters would often call on them at night for sex. She had also heard stories about the masters sometimes taking their servants as wives but she was willing to bet that those were just stories. That would never happen with her and Jareth anyway because he was a Fae of the royal court. If he ever even tried to marry her he'd probably be shunned.

Sarah suddenly thought about how he was with women in general and couldn't help but think that she probably wouldn't like any of those options. She'd have to stand by and watch him have sex with women like Colane by day and then have to submit to him at night. It was sickening to even think about.

Sarah lifted herself onto the edge of the counter to sit down. Idiot, why didn't you think about this sooner?

After the preaching she had done to him about the dangers of casual sex? She was nothing but a walking hypocrite now. And those dangers were real for her. What if she became depressed after watching him go through so many strange women and then use her? That was the least of her worries, what if she caught something? I could get pregnant, she thought, her heart kicking into high gear.

How could she have been so stupid?

Sarah forced herself to calm down, focusing on her breathing. Do you regret it? she asked herself out of no where.

Sarah thought about that for a while. She thought about how gentle and sweet Jareth had been with her, how he had looked at her and called her beautiful. No. she let out a sigh. "I don't regret it," she whispered to herself.

"Regret what?"

Sarah let out a startled scream and turned to see Bumper standing in the doorway, looking at her with his head cocked to the right. She hopped down from the counter, angry and embarrassed that he had snuck up on her. "What are you doing in here?" she demanded.

"I was looking for something to eat."

"You're stealing?" Sarah hissed.

Bumper let out a couple snorts. "No, I'm not stealing. There's just not much in the way of rats out tonight and I'm still hungry."

That didn't mean he wasn't looking to steal some food. Sarah was about to start yelling at him when he interrupted her. "What are you doing in here? Don't humans usually sleep at night?"

Sarah felt her cheeks flame up and let out a sigh, the blushing was really getting old tonight. "It's none of your business."

Bumper grinned and pointed at her triumphantly. "You are stealing too!"

She turned back to him with a glare. "I am not!"

Bumper moved further into the room and looked in the wash bucket at the plate and cup. "Are so, I caught you!"

"For your information," she snapped, "That's not mine it's Jareth's."

Bumper stopped smiling. "What did you call Master?"

Sarah placed a hand over her mouth, knowing that it probably would have just been better to claim the dishes and give him something to eat. "I meant to say 'Master'," she sputtered.

Bumpers eyes narrowed drastically. "But you didn't, you called him by his name. He's not usually up this late either. And why did you bring the plates down? Master is a slow eater and normally he has someone else fetch them in the morning."

Sarah's heart started pounding again. He was two beats away from figuring it all out and she could only stand there and watch it happen.

Bumper looked down at the dishes again before looking back up at her. She didn't like the knowledge she saw there in his eyes. "You were with the master tonight?"

Sarah didn't know what to say. It wasn't a big deal if he did know she was, but she still didn't want to admit it to him out loud.

Bumper's eyes widened and he rushed over to a cupboard in the lower corner of the room, throwing the door open and diving head-first into it.

Sarah didn't know what to make of his reaction, watching silently as his little hoofed legs kicked out from inside the cupboard. He crawled out with a little paper envelope clutched in his hand and held it up for her to take.

Sarah reached out and took it dumbly. "What is this?"

Bumper pointed up to the shelf where she kept the glasses. "Mix some of that with a glass of water and drink it quick."

"But what is it?" she asked, pulling a glass down from the shelf, but waiting for his answer before doing anything else.

"It will keep you from getting pregnant!" he shouted at her.

Sarah's eyes widened at that and she turned toward the water pump, filling the glass 3/4ths of the way full before opening the envelope. She didn't want to get pregnant, that was for sure right now, so she spilled some of the dusty pink powder into the glass.

"More than that," Bumper urged, "Humans are very fertile so you'll have to take more."

Sarah did as told and mixed the contents together till the powder dissolved and the water was clear again. She then brought it to her lips and didn't stop drinking until the glass was empty.

"Hopefully that will work," Bumper sighed next to her.

Sarah set the glass down and handed him back the envelope, which he quickly took back from her. "Thank you, Bumper," she sighed.

Bumper let out a grunt in response.

Sarah watched as he shoved the paper envelope back into the far corner of the cabinet he had gotten it from. "You, you won't tell anyone will you?"

Bumper crawled out of the cabinet and shut the door. Maybe he hadn't heard her.

"Bumper, please don't say anything to anyone," she said, slightly louder.

There was no way he couldn't have heard her, but he still didn't answer. "It doesn't matter now," he said instead, "That will prevent you from getting pregnant this time."

Sarah went over to him and knelt on the ground beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder so he had to face her. "Will you please promise me anyway?" she asked.

The little goblin avoided her eyes by looking down at the floor. "I can't," he squealed, throwing her hand off his shoulder.

Sarah felt more surprised than she had all night by this action. "W-why not!"

"I won't tell any goblins okay?" Bumper huffed. He still stared at the floor to keep from looking at her.

Something was going on here. "Bumper look at me," she said.

The goblin just shook his head and turned further away from her.

"Bumper you're hiding something and I want to know what it is right now!" she demanded.

Bumper dropped his voice as he answered her. "It's his majesty that is hiding something from you."

Sarah frowned at that, utterly confused. "What do you mean?"

Bumper cast her a glare over his shoulder.

Sarah licked her lips, debating. "Bumper, if you tell me what Jar- the master is hiding then I'll go ahead and let you eat something from the kitchen tonight."

Bumper's face softened slightly and he turned around to face her. "You swear?"

Sarah nodded her head.

"The master is in line to become the Underground King, you probably know that."

Sarah nodded again, sitting back on her haunches to listen.

"Well, his family has decided that he can't be king after all unless he has a baby. That's why he's been sleeping with more females than ever lately."

Sarah felt her heart skip a beat. "W-what?"

"It's some bet he's got going on with them," Bumper shrugged. "Guess he figured his chances were better if he tried with a human."

He was lying. He had to be. But it all makes sense, doesn't it?

It would explain all the females hanging around, several a day in fact. Why he had scoffed at her when she had warned him about possibly getting one pregnant. And why he had taken the sudden interest in her.

Sarah glanced down at a sudden pain in her chest. There was nothing there that should be hurting her that she could see, but she had almost expected to see a sword hilt sticking out of her chest. It certainly felt like there should be.

He used me.

"H-how d-did you find out about this?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Bumper simply shrugged. "I um, stowed away in the carriage when he went to the Fae Court a while back. I overheard it all."

Sarah looked down at the floor, unsure what to do. Her chest hurt and her throat hurt and her head hurt. It felt like back when she had watched her parents being murdered. She had cried then, she had cried and run and never looked back. Now… she didn't know what to do.

Jareth had used her. He had taken her virginity just because he had wanted a child from her. She felt so violated.

And what if she had gotten pregnant? He probably would have taken the child and then gotten rid of her, happy to have gotten his throne. He wouldn't have needed her around once he had that and her child.

"He's… evil," Sarah moaned, her voice sounding dangerously on the verge of tears.

She looked up when Bumper reached out and patted her shoulder, trying to comfort her. He looked… almost regretful.

Chapter 20: Under Cover

The morning air was sweet, smelling slightly of rain. The clouds were already gathered and waiting menacingly overhead to spill their waters. They hung thick and grey, completely blocking the sun and darkening the entire Labyrinth.

It would make great cover, Bud thought as he prowled along the outside wall of the Labyrinth. They would need as much of that as possible if they were going to get into the castle at the center. Cooper trotted up along side of him in his fox-form, all their clothes strapped onto his back with a leather cord.

After his talk with the Fae, Bud had arranged for the entire pack to hear the male's plan on how this all would go down. The Fae would offer them some of his power to help conceal them from the goblins and the other eyes of the labyrinth, but they would be on their own once they were inside the castle. Once there it was important that Jareth not live. If he did then there would be no trip back for them to worry about. Once they were inside the castle they would have to move as quickly as possible to find Jareth, kill him, and get back outside the castle where they couldn't be seen by the goblins and could escape.

Bud would have the girl and they all would receive a hefty reward from the Fae who had promised them both his current estate and the lands to go with it. Bud liked the thought that he would have his reputation, his own land, a huge mansion for them all to live in, and connections to the King of the Underground for doing something that he would have done for the sheer joy of it.

The pack liked that idea too.

Bud turned his back on Cooper to sniff along the ground of the wall, finding the entrance he had used last time. Once he had it found he scratched one large paw against the wall to show that that was where it was and moved back as Braxton and Tristan came up in their man-forms to push against the stone wall. It split open easily for them to reveal an entrance.

Bud prowled past them to lead the way as they both shifted into their animal forms to join in behind him. As soon as he crossed the threshold Bud felt a prickling over every inch of his skin that was the calling card of magic. If what the Fae said was true, and it better have been, they were now nothing more than walking shadows.

Normally it would be futile for anyone to enter the Labyrinth. Last time he had been here he had been escorted to the castle through the secrete shortcut around the maze. Bud still remembered the short cut and since the whole pack was moving in animal form they would reach the castle by noon. If he'd been able to Bud would have smiled at the fact that he'd have everything he wanted and more by supper time.

Something was very wrong.

It wasn't just the food either; there was something seriously wrong with Sarah.

Jareth jumped a little when she practically threw his tray down in front of him with a loud Bang, his drink spilling all over the table, but he didn't comment on it. She had done the same thing earlier at breakfast too.

He had woken up looking forward to seeing Sarah this morning. After last night he couldn't help but feel better than he had in weeks, although he wasn't sure exactly why. When Sarah had finally come into the room with his breakfast, a little late, he had worked hard not to simply start beaming at her.

It became very easy to not smile, however, when she had dropped the tray down in front of him like it was trash and sent him a glare that could have frozen a dragon when he went to comment on the action. Deciding to rather ignore the odd behavior he had simply started to eat, only to pause when he found that she was still glaring down at him.

It was then that he had asked her what was wrong and she had given that all too womanish response of 'nothing'. He hadn't really felt brave enough to question further given her tone, her stare, and the pure confusion he was feeling of the situation. He had planned to watch Toby for her again from breakfast to noon, but figured it would probably be better not to even ask.

It had to be about the sex, he just knew it. He just wasn't sure why she was suddenly so mad about it. She had been cheerful when she had left last night hadn't she? Had she just been hiding what she really felt from him? He didn't figure that that was the case sense she had never tried to hide her feelings from him in the past. She certainly wasn't hiding them today.

He knew that sometimes women could take something and twist it around several times in their minds until they were pissed off or upset about nothing. Maybe she had done that with some aspect of last night? Like how she hadn't been aware of what would happen during sex, maybe she blamed that on him now?

Jareth looked down at his plate to see that it was the leftovers from his breakfast this morning.

He looked up at Sarah who glared down at him like he was some vile bleeding rodent that had crawled in and died. I'm being intimidated by her?

Enough was enough. He didn't know what she was mad about, but he wasn't about to go through another meal with her staring at him like he should be ashamed of himself and spew out apologies all day. He hadn't known that she didn't know what sex was. She could have said something. And if that wasn't what she was mad about than he was willing to bet that it was something else she had twisted around in her mind.

He couldn't eat with her glaring at him like that and even when she left him alone this morning to eat he still couldn't. It wasn't that the food was bad or poisoned or anything, but his stomach had just felt tight.

He was mad too, he was mad that she was mad at him. He was mad that he didn't know why she was mad at him and he was pissed that for some reason he couldn't find it in himself to start bossing her around as her master to stop glaring and tell him what the hell was wrong and to get over it.

Why couldn't he just do that? He could, but at the same time he couldn't. But he certainly didn't want her to be mad at him either. What was really confusing was that he had nobody to be mad at himself. He couldn't bring himself to be mad at her for acting like this, but he wasn't mad at himself either per say. It was more like he was irritated with himself for not knowing the answer and that just made him mad. That was the closest he could come to being mad at someone.

"Anything else?" Sarah snapped when he continued to just stare down at his tray.

He looked up and met her heated brown eyes. This is quite enough.

"What's wrong with you this morning?" he asked in a low tone.

Sarah narrowed her eyes at him like he wasn't supposed to have answered her in any way. "Nothing," she snapped.

Jareth picked up his tray and lifted it above the table a few inches, letting it drop down onto the surface with another loud bang, the food going everywhere. "That doesn't really sound like nothing is wrong," he growled.

Sarah turned her back on him and started walking down the long table towards the door, completely stunning Jareth. "H- Hold on, get back here!" he shouted after her.

She didn't stop or even slow down.

"Sarah, please…"

Jareth rose up from his seat in his outrage at being ignored. "I said stop, Human!" he bellowed.

Sarah came to a stop just short of the door, turning around slightly to face him but coming no closer.

Jareth pushed back his seat and moved around the table so he could get to her. She stood her ground the whole time until he reached her. She was shorter than him by several inches, and smaller in every other aspect. By the way she was staring at him she could have been a giant.

"What has gotten into you?" he demanded. "You are disrespectful, unmindful of your work, and you've been glaring at me like you wish you could hit me all day. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Noth-

"If you say nothing again I swear to the Gods…" Jareth closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing for a second to cool down. He was getting way too frustrated right now. "I demand a straight answer from you."

Sarah didn't say any thing; just changed her focus from him to glare down at the floor.

Jareth let out a frustrated groan. "Did I do something wrong? Is this about last night?"

She looked like she was about to answer him then but the door swung open, causing them both to jump slightly as Drappen moved into the crack to address him. "Your majesty?"

Jareth had to force his attention away from Sarah and over to the goblin behind her. "What?" he snapped.

"The goblins are waiting for you to take a look at their labyrinth findings."

Jareth rolled his eyes, tempted to just tell Drappen that they could go ahead and eat anything they found. He wouldn't do that though, it would be just his luck that one of them found another hook or a dragon's egg somewhere. "Go and take a look at what they have for a while. Only give permission to eat to those who have something that you are positive is edible. If you even have doubts have them wait for me."

Drappen nodded his head and slid out of the room.

Sarah wasn't glaring now, but she still looked really ticked as she stared at the closed door, obviously wishing that she too could go.

Jareth let out a sigh and pulled out a chair close by, taking a seat in it. "Sarah, please sit down," he asked, nodding to the chair next to him.

She looked at the chair as if unsure what to do before gripping the chair next to it, further away from him, and taking a seat in that one.

She didn't look at him, but she didn't focus on furniture or the floor either. Her eyes were locked on his shirt like she didn't want to meet his eyes. If it weren't for the fact that she was obviously mad at him he would have said that she was looking guilty of something. Maybe it was just disappointment. Given what happened last night he certainly didn't want to see disappointment.

"Sarah, last night… you were- um," he started tripping over his words in the search to ask this just right. "You didn't seem so upset when you left. What changed?"

"My ignorance level," she sneered bitterly.

At least now they were getting somewhere, he just had no idea what she was talking about. Last night she was ignorant of what sex was; was she talking about that? He couldn't think for the life of him what else she would be talking about. "Sarah, I swear to you that I didn't mean to hurt you."

Sarah looked up at that. So he was finally fessing up about the bet? She had expected him to play dumb, or at least need more explanation as to what she was mad about. It just showed that he had been fully aware of how he was using her the whole time if he knew exactly what she was upset about without further clarification. She felt even more hurt by that, which surprised her because she didn't think she could feel any worse at the moment.

She had been hoping somewhere in the back of her mind that… oh she didn't know, that maybe Bumper had been mistaken and there was no bet or that maybe last night had had nothing to do with it. He didn't think that what he had done would hurt her? She made a very indignant sound to show just how much she was willing to believe that, at which Jareth looked utterly taken back.

He acted as though he couldn't believe she thought he was lying about not wanting to hurt her. "I'm serious," he insisted.

She couldn't take it anymore. King or no king, she didn't deserve to have to put up with this lying. She scowled over at him. "You didn't think what you did would hurt me at all?"

Jareth blanched at that. "Well, some pain…"

Sarah's mouth gaped at his answer. "Just some pain? You think it would only hurt me a little to be used like that?"

Jareth frowned then. "I wouldn't say I was 'using you', I wouldn't have even done it if you had denied me in any way."

"I certainly would have never agreed to it if you had told me about what you planned to do!" she hissed, thinking about the bet and the babe he had tried to plant in her.

"I thought you knew!" Jareth growled, totally frustrated now.

"How could I have possibly known?" she gasped, her voice just shy of shrieking since she was also really frustrated.

He threw his hands in the air at that, "I don't know maybe a relative told you or something."

That completely confused her; enough to make her take pause for a few minutes. "What?"

Jareth simply shrugged, "Like I said, I don't know."

"Wait, what do you mean have a relative tell me? What are you talking about?"

Jareth looked up at that, also slightly confused. "Last night, you didn't completely know what sex was."

"That's not what I'm taking about," she snapped.

Jareth's eye brow lifted at that. "It isn't?" his lip curled up like he was please to hear that, "What are you talking about then?"

Sarah felt her anger return to her. "About the bet that says if you don't conceive a child you don't become king."

His smile vanished at that and his eyes grew wide. He obviously didn't think she knew about that. "Where did you hear that from?" he asked slowly.

"Is it true?" Sarah asked, wincing at the pleading she heard in her own voice. "Is there really such a thing going on?"

Jareth was the one to stare at the floor now, unsure what to say.

Sarah figured that that was as good an answer as any. Her chest and throat were starting to feel tight again. She needed to leave before she lost it in front of him. She pushed the chair out from under her and stood up to leave.

Jareth didn't try to stop her this time. "I truly didn't intend to hurt you," he said in hardly more than a whisper.

"You probably never intended for me to find out either," Sarah hissed, not allowing herself to look back at him as she walked out the door.

She was halfway down the hall when she heard the shattering sound of plates hitting the wall of the dining room.

The tears were sneaking up on her slowly but surely, weaving their way into her eyesight and distorting her vision till she had to place a hand against the wall just to make sure she staid on track. Sarah held in as much of her grief as she could, intent to not let it out until she reached her room.

Jareth had used her, and she had made it so easy for him to do too. I'm the worst kind of idiot, she though bitterly to herself as she leaned against the door to her room, shoving it open.

Jareth stared at the far side of the room where the stains of food decorated the wall, broken glass covering the floor below it like a rug. Once again he was angry. He was angry with both the situation and himself.

How could he have been so stupid? I'm such an idiot, he thought to himself as he looked around for something else to throw, finding nothing.

He shoved the chair sitting next to where he stood, no more appeased when it fell back with a clatter.

How had she found out about the bet? Who else knew about it? She had been right that he had never intended for her to find out, but he had never intended to bed her in the first place really. It wasn't until just recently that he had even thought of her in that way.

But she had been wrong about his intentions. She had nothing to do with his bet, and everything to do with what he wanted.

It had never once crossed his mind that she may get pregnant from being with him, although it probably should have. He hadn't wanted her because she was a human, or his servant for that matter, it had nothing to do with that. I just wanted her.

Jareth stilled all movement, that one thought rocking him to his very core.

It felt like hours passing as he stood there, though it could have only been seconds.

Jareth let out a sigh and slumped down into a nearby chair, continuing to stare at the food marks on the wall. He had wanted her, that was certain, but why?

He had told himself at first it was because she was a servant and the implications excited him, but she had been his servant since the day she had come here. The same was true about her being human. Something had to have changed in order for him to suddenly want to be with her. Try as he might to block it out his treacherous brain shouted out the answer to him, I've come to know her.

Jareth thought about the other females in his life. They were all alike in everyway. Like a field of poppies, they were beautiful, but faded into one another till you could only see the garden and not the flowers. They played dress up in expensive and lavish clothes and pretended to be funny, or witty, or charming with everyone. But it was all pretend. The Fae world was practically built on illusions. They were no more real to him than they were to themselves. He could not recall ever seeing one do something as real as crying or shouting, or even truly frowning. He'd never even seen one laugh beyond a proper chuckle or snicker.

Sarah was probably the first female he'd ever seen in his life that was completely open to him. He knew when she was angry and when she was happy. And even more than that he knew what her opinions were, regardless if she agreed with him or not. She wasn't afraid around him either, she spoke her mind and let her feelings show without care as to what she looked like in doing so. She did so more freely than even he was able to.

A lowly servant girl is more free in her life than I am. Jareth almost had to smirk at that, he might have too if it wasn't so depressing.

She was beautiful though, when she was showing herself to him like that. A real person.

Jareth loved that about her. He envied it, but was happy that she could be that way… even if she did hate him.

His chest hurt at that thought. "My Gods," Jareth breathed, letting his hand slide up to his chest. He stared across the table at the destroyed meal.

Jareth stood up from his seat, his legs feeling shaky as he made his way to the door. The goblins were waiting for him, and he wanted to ponder this over a little longer.

He could actually feel how much he cared for her in this minute. It literally ached to think that she no longer cared for him at all. He cared about something, after all this time. He cared so much that it felt like it might crush him while it carried him. He truly cared about Sarah.

Jareth let out a sigh as he walked down the hall to the throne room. I care.

Chapter 21: The Worth of a Human

Sarah froze in her tracks the second she opened the door to her room.

She had left Toby here to take his nap just before she had gone to serve Jareth lunch, figuring she'd be back soon enough to watch after him. The first thing she saw upon opening her door was her baby brother, held securely on the Were Tristan's forearm against his unclothed torso.

Her first instinct was to scream, but she couldn't seem to remember how. Tristan looked up from Toby in his arm to her, along with every other Were in the little room.

Sarah was grabbed around the waist by a strong arm at the same time that a large male's hand covered her mouth so she couldn't scream even if she did remember how. The second that Braxton lifted her off the floor and started hauling her further into the room full of Weres she regained her senses and started thrashing about as hard as she could in his grip. It was pointless since the Were had almost five times her strength and held her easily. The door slammed shut behind her and she went into full panic mode at the thought that she was trapped with these animals.

She got lucky when Braxton's grip around her waist slipped and she kicked back on his shin, falling from his grasp onto the floor. She scrambled forward on all fours quickly to get away from the large male, only to stop when she came face to face with a very large golden lion. Her jaw went slack as she stared into the bright green eyes of the animal before her; completely aware of whom the lion was underneath the fur.

She watched in stunned fear as the lion-ish features shifted right in front of her. The muzzle of the great beast shrunk back into his head and the golden fur turned a tan color and reseeded into the skin, the face becoming longer and the wild main shrunk back to cover just the head area, turning a golden-blond color. As Bud turned back into a man it was only his eyes that did not change with him.

He smirked at her triumphantly as she let out a yelp and was once again seized by Braxton. Cooper, Tristan, and Sid all chuckled manically amongst themselves as they stood by and watched as Sarah stared with wide eyes at Bud, who continued to smirk as he stood up. Sarah couldn't help it when a bit of embarrassment cut through her fear, oddly calming her somewhat, and causing her to blush at Bud's nakedness.

All the men in the room besides Cooper and Braxton were nude for that matter, and Braxton only had a cloth tied around his hips. Cooper was fully clothed.

Sarah became tenser than she had ever before been in her life as Bud moved slowly closer to her, completely comfortable in the buff. "You can let go of her mouth, Brax." He smirked down at her (actually they were almost eye-level since Braxton was holding her off the floor again), "She wont be calling out for help." he glanced over his shoulder at where Tristan held onto Toby to implicate just why she wouldn't dare.

Sarah felt her heart dropping at a free-fall pace as she began to fully realize what was going on. Bud and his gang had come into the Labyrinth and broken into her room, probably from the window. It was certain that no one knew they were here yet and if she fought against them they would kill Toby. Sarah had no doubt about this in her mind since a human babe would be only a hassle for them to have to keep alive for too long.

She was on her own here.

Braxton slowly lifted his large palm from her mouth and she licked her lips, which had gone dry at the fear that clung to her heart like a parasite, weakening her. She could taste the sweat from the man's hand on her tongue and fought not to spit on the floor. She didn't scream for help for Toby's sake.

"Why are you here?" she asked, her voice sounding more desperate than she had ever intended.

"Revenge, human," Tristan grinned, hitching Toby up higher. Sarah was worried that the Were might drop him. She recognized that Were from the bar, like the rest of them, but he had been the one that killed Karen, the wolf. Now he held onto the woman's son.

Bud shot the Were a glance that told him to keep his mouth shut before turning back to Sarah. "Where is the Goblin King?"

Sarah's heart rate kicked up at that. She had assumed that they had just come here so Bud could settle his score with her, but they were out for revenge on Jareth too! She wasn't sure just what would happen to her, more than most likely they would kill her, probably rape her, and possibly torture her. Jareth they would just kill. She wasn't about to tell these animals where Jareth was.

"You better leave right now," she hissed sounding a lot braver than she felt, "If Jareth finds you here you all will be turned into goblin food and he'll use your furs for decoration."

The Weres all laughed at that.

"It will take more than a few goblins to scare us," Tristan snickered.

"Human, look at me," Bud commanded.

Sarah couldn't help but do so.

He pointed over to Toby. "I've killed whelps younger than him before, so you had better tell me where the king is."

Sarah fought off the tears that threatened her at that thought. "You're just going to kill us both anyway," she whimpered.

Bud looked her over from head to toe before allowing a smile to creep to his lips. "Smart girl," he remarked. "Tell you what Kitten, I'll allow you and your babe to live through my revenge if you tell me where the king is. If you think by not telling us that you are protecting your master's life believe me when I say that you really aren't. We'll find him anyway and kill him; it's just a matter of the time it will take. He is here somewhere, and we'll be able to sniff him out."

She knew what he said was true, sooner or later they would find Jareth. She wasn't about to trust that he'd let her and Toby go though, any more than she was about to give Jareth up to them. Jareth was a selfish and insensitive male, but he wasn't worthy of death for that, not even after what he had done to her.

Bud could see the conviction in her eyes and turned to the other Weres. "You know, I'm willing to bet that the old tyrant is in his throne room."

That made Sarah fight to hold back a gasp. He was right, by now Jareth was sure to have gone to the throne room. Drappen had let him know that he was needed there. There was a possibility that he was still in the dining room though. "He's not," she shouted, trying to make sure she didn't sound too frantic when she spoke.

Bud turned his attention back to her.

"Look," Sarah pleaded, "If you give me your word that you'll let me and Toby go I'll…" Sarah let out a long sigh and allowed her head to drop uselessly on her neck in shame. "I'll tell you where the Goblin King is."

Bud smiled at that. "That's better," he mused, happy that she was going to comply with them. He reached out to toy with a strand of her hair, a gesture she did not welcome. If she could have pulled away she would have, but Braxton still had a tight hold on her. "I give you my word of Were honor that if you tell me where the king is that I shall let you and your Brother live through this." His eyes glittered with triumph.

Toby cooed from in Tristan's hold.

Sarah let out a sigh before mumbling. "He's in the library; it's in the east tower."

The Were's all exchanged looks that she couldn't decipher. Bud didn't take his eyes off her for a second though, seeming like he was bored again. His voice was level when he spoke. "I should kill the babe right now for that lie you just fed me."

Sarah felt her eyes widen in surprise and terror as he stepped closer to her and took her hair in his fist, twisted her head back and to the side till she was afraid that her neck might snap. He leaned down till his lips were right beside her fully exposed neck and pressed up against her, so she was sandwiched between him and Braxton. She could feel his bare pelvis press against her leg and wanted to kick against it, knowing that if she did he'd probably snap her neck. "I probably should have mentioned that I can smell when you're lying, we all can," he said, nipping the skin of her neck in reprimand. "I just didn't think you'd be stupid enough to lie."

"Please stop!" Sarah gasped, only to shut up when it became obvious her pleading and fear was exciting to him.

Bud pressed his erection against the space between her legs through her skirt, and Sarah hoped with everything she had that he wouldn't try to raise her skirt. A cold shiver went down her spine at the thought of being raped like this, all the Weres standing around her, awaiting their turns with Toby in the same room. "Let's try again," Bud whispered, letting his clawed hands come to rest on her hips while the other males snickered cruelly.

"He's… he's" Sarah tried to think of what she should say. If she lied they'd know. If she didn't say anything then she and Toby were done for. "He's in the dining room," she stated, thinking that that wasn't really a lie because although she assumed he was in the throne room, there was a chance he was still in the dining room. She prayed that she was wrong.

The Were's eyes all lit up in excitement and triumph, letting her know that they did not smell that she was lying since she wasn't even sure.

"Bud smiled and gave her neck another, bit more forceful, nip. "Good girl, that wasn't so hard now was it?"

Sarah didn't bother answering as Bud turned back to the other Weres. "Cooper, you stay here to keep an eye on the humans, the rest of you will come with me."

Sarah was dropped from Braxton's grasp and climbed to her feet, praying once more that Jareth had left the dining hall. She anxiously took Toby from Tristan's arms before the male turned into his wolf form and stalked around her, following the other Weres out of the room and down the hall in their hunt for revenge. Cooper slammed the door closed behind them.

Sarah felt tears sting her eyes now. One of two things were about to happen, they would either find Jareth in the dinning room and kill him, or they would follow his scent to the throne room and get the jump on him and the goblins. At least he had a better chance of surviving then, but Sarah knew that the losses would be dire. She had no way to warn the king of what was coming, she could only sit here with Toby and await her fait.

Bumper looked back at the large clock that hung in the kitchen. Sarah should have been back by now. She had gone to give the king his meal, but that had been nearly 45 minutes ago. He looked over at the cupboard where he hid the infertility powder that Saboroth had given him. Maybe Sarah had gone and told the king about it.

He couldn't help but cringe at that. If his Majesty found out than I would be tossed into the Bog of Stench for sure.

Bumper got up and walked past the little crowd of goblins that often snooped around the kitchen and went out into the hall.

Putting little effort into it, he silently crept down the hall to see if he couldn't catch what was going on in the dining hall that was keeping Sarah so late. He had just made it to the doors when they swung wide open and he had to jump back against the wall to avoid being smashed by one, inadvertently hiding behind the heavy wood. Bumper heard the sound of boots heading down the hall in the opposite direction of the kitchens and poked his head around the open door to see the King making his way down the hall, probably heading towards the throne room.

When Sarah did not come out of the dining room Bumper came out from behind the door and looked into the room, ready to duck back in case she spotted him. But there was no one in the dining room. Bumper stepped in and noted the tipped over chair and the mess on the wall and ground where a tray of food had smashed into it.

Had there been a fight? Maybe Sarah had been banished to the bog or something?

Bumper shuffled out of the room and made his way back down the hall. He stopped when he got to Sarah's room.

He was about to turn the knob and go in to see if she was gone or just with her brother when he heard voices.

The voices didn't belong to Sarah, or Toby. These were deep male voices, and there was more than one of them. Bumper knelt down on the floor and placed his little piggish ear at the crack under the entry so he could make out what they were saying better.

"You're just going to kill us both anyway," he heard Sarah whimper through the crack.

There was a rumble of males laughing. Then one spoke, "Smart girl," he remarked. "Tell you what Kitten, I'll allow you and your babe to live through my revenge if you tell me where the king is. If you think by not telling us that you are protecting your master's life believe me when I say that you really aren't. We'll find him anyway and kill him; it's just a matter of the time it will take. He is here somewhere, and we'll be able to sniff him out."

Bumper's eyes grew wide. He wasn't sure what all was going on, but it was obvious there were intruders in the castle, and that they meant to harm the king.

"You know, I'm willing to bet that the old tyrant is in his throne room," the male commented.

Bumper jumped back from the doorway, having heard all he needed to. He would go to the kitchen and gather up the goblins there, the king would need all the goblins available to help protect him. then he would go on with them to see the king. He had to reach the throne room to warn the king of the impending attack. He would only have to hope that the intruders didn't kill the humans or it would probably be blamed on him somehow.

Bud Stalked down the hallway in his more powerful and agile animal form, Braxton, Sid and Tristan flanking him on either side in their cougar, grizzly and wolf forms. They followed the smell of the human girl back down the hall from where she had come. He had been able to smell faint traces of the Goblin King on her, meaning that she had been with him before coming to her room.

He paused at a large iron door that smells of food were coming out of, noting that they must be the kitchens. He looked back at Sid and moved out of the way, signaling for the Were to open the door for them. Sid ambled up, his massive furry brown body overshadowing even Bud as he rose up onto his hind legs and pushed his weight against the door, causing it to fly open.

The Were's all looked inside the kitchen to see that it was empty, except for the smell of food and goblins. Bud snorted and moved on down the hall to the next doors, pausing to sniff at the frame. There were fresher goblin smells here.

He hated goblins; he had learned within just the past week that they were sneaky, stinky, annoying creatures with strength that was superior to his own. They had the element of surprise this time though.

The Were's came up to join him just as he was entering the dining room. The Goblin King wasn't in here, that much was for certain, but he had been here, and judging by the smell of things they had missed him by minutes. The other growled in frustration as Bud backed out of the room and led them at a brisk pace down the hall, following the king's scent as he went.

If they hurried than perhaps they would come upon him in a hall and take him down where he stood before he could so much as turn around. He made sure to not let his excitement of the hunt get the better of him and paced himself rather than full out running after the king. It would be reckless to do that. At a milder pace he could be better aware of where the scent was leading him and if there were any goblins around to spot them. Bud turned the corner of a hall and came to a stop when he saw two doors that were covered in the scent of goblins; it also had the fresh scent of the king.

Bud stopped short down the hall from the doors, causing the rest of the Were's to pull up short as well. Tristan wasn't able to stop fast enough in his wolf form and went sliding head first into the wall, causing all their muscles to tensen and their fur to stand on end at the loud thumping sound his body made when he hit the wall. Thankfully he didn't yelp in pain, but it was still enough to possibly get them caught.

All the Weres froze, barely even breathing so they could stretch their senses out through their surrounding to see if they were indeed caught. After several second of hearing and seeing nothing Bud allowed himself to growl softy at Tristan for his stupidity. The wolf let out a soft whimper and pulled himself to his feet, shaking his body out like it would make the pain fly off him.

Bud and Braxton turned down the hall and padded on their silent cat feet toward the double doors, ready to defend themselves if ambushed. Bud's eyes were wide with excitement and he had to fight not to purr at the rush he was riding right now. There was no noise coming from the room behind the doors whatsoever as they neared it, their ears straining to pick up the slightest noise. If some one so much as sighed in the room they would have heard it.

The fact that they heard nothing made Bud stop in his tracks.

Braxton looked back at him in confusion.

Bud offered no explanation, just started to back up slowly. Something isn't right about this.

It was no sooner that he allowed himself to think that that the double doors burst wide open and they were left staring at more goblins than Bud had ever seen nor hoped to in his entire life. Jareth towered head and shoulders over the goblins, towards the center of their group.

His eyes locked on Bud, sending a chill down the Were's back that made all his fur stand up on end.

"Get them!" Jareth bellowed.

Like a wave of destruction the goblins all surged forward, Braxton letting out a startled roar as they swarmed over the Were, weapons of all shapes and sizes coming down on the cougar.

Bud and the other Were's could only watch in horror as their comrade was butchered right in front of them. How could he have known we were coming? Bud thought with alarm.

One of the goblins turned away from Braxton's body to face him, advancing with a smile on his grotesque face that was the stuff of nightmares. Bud let out a warning growl and swung out with his paw at the goblin. The goblin mad a jump for him, only to fall back when Tristan tackled him from the side, sending both goblin and wolf crashing to the ground.

There was no turning back now. If they hoped to survive an escape, the king would have to die or their fates would be sealed. The Fae had warned them in advance that Jareth's powers were great, even more powerful than his own. He had complete control over the Labyrinth and those within it. They would not be safe till he was dead and they were out of the gates.

Sid came roaring past him, throwing himself at the flood of goblins, swiping them aside with powerful swings of his massive arms. Bud took the opportunity to jump onto Sid's massive back, giving the bear more force in his push and giving himself the leverage he needed to make a leap straight for the Goblin King. Shock spread to Jareth's face just as bud was hit from the side and knocked off course.

He let out a hiss of pain and looked back to see that one of the goblins had thrown a club up and hit him in the side, some of his skin had peeled back from the hit and blood seeped down his side to drip on the floor. Somewhere behind him Tristan let out a yelp of pain.

Bud looked around him to see that although goblins practically surrounded him, none had yet noticed that he had landed among them. Jareth stood only feet from him. The Fae spotted him and pulled a crystal out from what seemed to be thin air. Bud had seen the other Fae use one of those and knew they contained magic that Fae's could morph to serve whatever purpose they needed. Jareth threw the crystal at Bud, who was just barely able to miss the full hit by rising onto his back legs.

A mighty blast erupted from the crystal and scorched his front paws and chest just as he leaped forward toward the king. Jareth had no way to avoid the attack and Bud's lion weight was enough to knock the surprised king to the floor. Jareth put his arms up to protect his neck and face, which Bud instinctively went for. He seized Jareth's forearm in his jaws, a buzz going straight to his head at the taste of blood and the sound of Jareth shouting in pain.

He bit down hard on the king's arm, digging his claws deep into the Fae's chest.

He released the king's arm and tried to bite at his neck instead, but Jareth moved fast enough to block Bud's attack with his arm again, bringing his over elbow down hard on Bud's face.

Bud let out a roar at the surprise and let go of Jareth's bloody and most likely broken arm, preparing to start digging into the Fae's vulnerable stomach with his claws. He swiped his large paw down the man's stomach, the skin there tearing like paper and causing the king to let out a pain filled scream.

Bud caught movement out of the corner of his eye and looked up just in time to see the giant goblin that had escorted him out the first time just before the goblin swung a broad shield down on his wounded side, sending shocks of pain all through his body and knocking him off the badly injured Goblin King.

Bud took a few seconds to look back at the king, who was lying on the floor in a bloody heap, hardly even moving. He would most likely bleed out from his wounds.

Bud let out a roar to signal retreat and jumped as high as he could over a group of goblins that had rushed towards him. He made it through the rest of the goblins without more than a few scratches and caught sight of Tristan and Sid, both trailing blood as they broke from battle to chase after him down the hall.

He didn't have to look back to know that the goblins were pursuing them as well, he could hear them shouting and clanging against the walls some ways back.

He didn't stop running till he reached just outside the human's room shifting back into man form without pause to smash open the door. Cooper was in the room, keeping an eye on Sarah who sat on her bed with Toby in her arms. Bud grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her off the bed and dragged her to the door.

"What are you doing! Let me go!" she screamed, allowing the babe to roll from her arms onto the bed so he wouldn't be taken with her. the babe immediately started screaming but Bud didn't pay attention, heading toward the window so they could make a run for it.

Tristan raced ahead of him in his wolf form and leaped out of the window, landing safely on the ground outside. Cooper shifted into his fox form, his clothes falling behind from his now much smaller fox body as he also jumped out. Sid had to shift into his man form to fit back through the window, landing on the ground and turning back to the window.

The human girl let out a blood curtailing scream as he pushed her through the window and into the waiting arms of his comrade, who turned and started running with her. Bud looked back to see the goblins just turning into the opposite end of the hall, their grotesque faces glowing with outrage as they noticed him. He turned back and jumped through the window head first, rolling onto the ground and taking off after his pack.

Not long now and they would be safely out of the Labyrinth. His only concern was whether or not the goblin king would survive.

Jareth lay still on the ground. It was a strain just to breathe without hurting. A goblin was fussing over him, trying to perform first aid on him. Jareth ignored the pain long enough to shove the bothersome creature aside and seized a piece of curtain that had fallen to the floor during the battle. It wasn't the best idea to use a messy piece of fabric as gauze but it would have to do till he got proper care. Her let out a hiss of pain as he placed the fabric against his stomach to stop the bleeding. Thankfully the cuts weren't deep, merely flesh wounds, but they hurt like sin, and he was sure that the weight of the Were had no doubt crushed one of his ribs.

He looked up as the group of goblins that had chased after the Were's came back into the throne room. The Were's had gotten away… for now.

It was his left arm that was the real mess, torn up and soaked with blood. "Go get the human girl," Jareth gasped, he would need her to help him with some basic first aid till he could get to a real healer.

He heard the sound of Toby crying and looked up as Grungle stepped further into the room. Toby was held in his arms, crying his eyes out. "Your Majesty, the Were's have taken Sarah and run for it."

Jareth felt his heart leap into his throat, adding to his pain as he forced himself to sit up; holding back a scream as the pain nearly caused him to pass out. He caught his breath and motioned for Drappen to step closer and help him. "Help me to the window," he ordered.

Drappen picked the Fae up from under his arms, the pain making Jareth want to curl up and never move again. he almost ordered the goblin to put him back down, but bit his tongue, baring the pain as the Goblin moved him over to the window. "Your highness should go to a healer," Grungle insisted.

Jareth ignored the goblin. By the time he was at the window he was covered in sweat and shaking all over from the effort it took for him not to pass out. "Someone go and fetch the cleric from the forest," Jareth growled.

There was a cleric that had moved into the Labyrinth just earlier this year, hopefully they would help him till he could send word to his mother for a real healer to come and heal him. He wasn't going to let them get away with Sarah though.

From the window Jareth could overlook the entire Labyrinth. No doubt they would bypass the maze and head for the secrete shortcut out of the Labyrinth. Jareth spotted the weres retreating from the Labyrinth; they'd be outside the gates in a half hour at most.

Jareth summoned his power to him, reaching out far over the Labyrinth and pulling all the magic he could from it. He could feel the power he summoned wash over him and flow through his body like it was blood, covering his skin, his muscles, and his very bones, mending his wounds the tiniest bit.

It was enough that a lesser Fae could have drowned under all the power if he didn't know how to wield it. Jareth could feel the whole Labyrinth as if he were the very earth beneath it. he could sense every breathing creature and every shifting wall in the maze. He was able to tell exactly where the Were's were without even having to see them.

Jareth wouldn't let them get away with Sarah; not because she was his servant, but because she was his. He adored and loved the girl in all her moods and all her flaws. He'd never felt that way about someone before, and he didn't want to lose that feeling. It would take more than a mangy pack of Weres to steal that away from him. Jareth pulled at the magical ties of the Labyrinth like strings on a puppet, pulling and moving it into a different position.

The Labyrinth beyond the Goblin City shook and the ground cracked underneath it, making the entire castle tremble with the force. Below Jareth the walls of the Labyrinth shifted under his command, first he blocked off the Were's retreat, and then shifted the very ground beneath them to move them through the mazes.

He could feel the other beings in the walls of the Labyrinth panic and seek cover as their king turned their world upside down and reordered space.

Jareth took careful precautions to make sure that none of his subjects were hurt, always keeping a careful watch on the pack that held his Sarah prisoner. If she weren't amongst them he would have loved to crush them all between two walls or drop them into an oubliette. The best he could do was redirecting them closer to the Goblin City and shift the walls around them, trying to trap the intruders.

Jareth caught them in a dense maze of stone not far from the city, shifting the only two exits to seal them in. they would wonder around for hours before figuring out they were trapped. He let go of the power he held over the Labyrinth for the time being and slumped back into Drappen's hold, exhausted and on the brink of death's door.

His focus on the Labyrinth had caused him to loose focus on his own wounds, the blood flowing freely from him. He pressed the fabric of the curtain against his stomach, wrapping some of it around his arm as well.

He looked down next to him to see a little goblin had moved up to the window next to him to watch the reforming of the Labyrinth. The little one looked up at him with mischief in his beady eyes. "We go get them?" he cackled.

Jareth nodded. "Go get them, bring Sarah back to me alive," he ordered. His head spun and he leaned against the wall next to the window before his vision was overtaken by blackness.

Chapter 22: Strength of Heart

Saboroth drummed his fingers against the gold-trimmed arm of his chair as he waited impatiently.

They were taking too long.

He hadn't heard from either his spying little goblin or the Were for what seemed like an eternity. What the hell was going on? "Cristo," Saboroth bellowed, sitting forward in his seat as his servant came rushing into the sitting room.

"Yes Sir?" the little elf asked.

"Has there been any news from either the goblin or the Were yet?"

The elf shook his head. "Not yet Sir."

Saboroth felt very nervous. What if Jareth had survived? As much as that upset him what really had him edgy was the thought of one of those stupid animals telling his cousin just who sent them. If they failed he hoped that they were all slaughtered on the spot. If Jareth found out that he had been the one to send assassins after him than it would be his head for sure. The bet wouldn't even matter because attempting to murder a Fae of royal blood was punishable by death. Beheading to be exact.

Saboroth ran a hand over his neck fearfully. Gods, let them succeed or die trying.

The clouds over the Labyrinth had grown darker, mixing with the night and making the air smell sweet to signal that it would rain at any moment now.

Sarah had never felt so nervous in her life, including the night she had shared with Jareth. The Labyrinth had just completely reordered itself all around them. One moment Bud had had her slung over his shoulders on the path out of the entire Labyrinth and then they were suddenly all thrown to the ground as the very earth beneath them shifted and dragged them towards the center. Stone walls started closing in on them and Sarah had felt sure that she would be crushed with the Weres. The stone walls had only formed a new maze around them though, and night was starting to fall. She had no idea where exactly she was, or if Toby was alright. She couldn't see over the high walls to even know in which direction the castle was. She had no idea if Jareth was even alive, something that really pulled at her insides.

What had her most worried at the moment though, was the rising tempers of the Were's at not being able to find their way through this new maze they had been trapped in. They had all walked back and forth for a good two hours, dragging her along with them and passing their tracks at least three times before admitting they were trapped.

It was wreaking hell on their nerves, making them all short tempered and fearful of everything around them. Sarah could only keep quiet and hope that they didn't turn their anger on her for the time being. Hopefully help was on the way.

Bud dragged her behind him by her wrist, finally letting go when he was sure that not only could they not escape, but she couldn't either. Sarah staid silent and sat down on a nearby stone to wait while they figured out what they were going to do next.

Tristan began sniffing along a wall of the maze, whining pitifully with his ears drawn back as he paced back and forth against the wall.

Bud stomped over to Tristan and kicked the wolf's side, causing the creature to let out a yelp and slink off with his tail tucked under his legs. "That's enough out of you!" Bud roared.

All the Were's had had their share of damage during the fight, except Cooper. Tristan had bad injuries to his hips and scars around his head and ears. The tip of one of his ears was completely missing. Sid had had several stab wounds to his back and rear, nothing critical amazingly. He was blind in one eye now though. Sarah had figured out on her own that Braxton must have fallen behind.

Bud had burns on his hands and arms, and a bad wound in his side, not to mention a bent nose. Sadly, since they were Weres, their wounds were healing better and more quickly than she had liked to see.

What had her worried though was the blood that still coated his hands and mouth. It wasn't coming from any visible wounds that she could see, which meant it wasn't his blood. By this time it was crusty, turning orange and smearing off. When he had first come back to get her though, it had been red and wet, fresh.

Now they were all trapped here, awaiting their fates. Sarah could tell that at least Tristan and Cooper thought they would rot here, if not be eventually torn apart by goblins, she just worried that they may kill her before that could happen.

"This is all your fault Bud!" Sid roared. "If we hadn't followed you in Braxton would still be alive and we wouldn't be waiting for our own deaths."

"Shut up!" Bud growled. "You knew the risks and the possible rewards before you stepped into this forsaken Labyrinth so don't you dare act as though you never thought this could happen."

"You've led us to our graves!" Sid yelled.

"And you followed me!"

"Stop it," Cooper warned. "We can't turn on each other like this. Besides, who knows what creature you may attract with your bickering?"

Bud and Sid exchanged glares but broke off from each other to go back to their separate corners.

Overhead the first sound of thunder rumbled and scarce drops of rain began to sprinkle the ground.

Sarah curled up into herself as she watched the two Were's exchange warning glares. It had given her an idea though, if she could get them to get angry and turn on one another, she had a greater chance of surviving till rescue came. "So what are you all doing here?" she asked.

All the Weres glared over at her.

She summed up her courage to continue. "I mean, Bud gets his revenge. What would the rest of you risk your lives for?"

To her delight, Sid turned back to Bud and let out a growl. "Absolutely nothing but empty promises. You got what you wanted Lion, you have the girl and you killed the king, but we have nothing."

Sarah hadn't expected that, and could feel her heart sink every inch of the way down to her stomach. The king is dead? Was that where all the blood on Bud had come from? She felt sick to her stomach at the thought.

Tristan stepped closer to Bud, still in wolf form, and let out a growl at his own displeasure.

"You want to say that again?" Bud hissed, rising to his feet to beat on the wolf again.

Sid shifted into his bear form and moved up beside the wolf, ready to help him attack their leader.

Bud could see that he was out numbered and moved back. "You guys want something for your troubles too is that all?"

Both animals growled fiercely at him. Cooper had sense enough to back off on this one, moving to the far wall so he wouldn't get caught up in a fight. The rain started to pour down more freely then, soaking all of them with its icy drops and turning the ground to mud.

To Sarah's alarm, Bud marched over to her and grabbed her bicep in a death grip, dragging her from her rock and over to in front of the other two Weres. "Then share in my revenge," he offered.

This had backfired big time. Sarah let out a yelp as he tossed her down in front of the two killer animals into the muddy earth. From the blood lust in their eyes she could see that they were thinking that what Bud offered them now was better than nothing. They would take him up on his offer if she didn't do something quick.

"W-wait," she pleaded, feeling fear creeping up though her spine and making her feel colder than the rain ever could. "If you kill me you have no chance of making out of here alive."

Bud scoffed at that.

Sarah glared up at him. "It's true, the goblins will be seeking revenge, use me as a bargaining tool and they may let you go." In truth she had no idea if the goblins would come for her. They may very well just leave her to the Weres, as much as she hated to think that. Plus if Jareth was dead they may have been too distracted to worry about some human cook.

"Goblins are very vengeful creatures," she continued, lying through her teeth.

Bud laughed out loud then, smacking her upside the back of her head hard enough for her to fly forward on the ground. "She'll say anything wont she?"

Sarah let out a moan at the throbbing in her skull and reached back slowly to rub where he had hit her. Her hair was already soaked from the rain and sticking to her neck and shoulders. She had forgotten in her panic that they could tell when she was lying.

"Just because I don't know what they'll do doesn't mean I'm lying," she hissed.

Bud knelt down behind her and she couldn't help but lean away, even though it brought her closer to the wolf and bear. Bud still hadn't bothered to put any clothes on and even though he was nude the male was still very intimidating. His green eyes glowed with malice and hints of desperation as he glared down at her. "You shouldn't talk about things you know nothing about then. Didn't your daddy ever give you that advice before he died?"

By all rights she should have been cold, shivering even. The rain was cold, the ground and mud was cold, and even the stare he was giving her was cold. But the anger that she found at his last statement made her feel like her blood was boiling inside of her body. Sarah had never been a reckless girl in her life, but being pissed off and more than certain she wouldn't live to see morning just made her not really care about being risky any more.

It surprised her almost as much as it did Bud when she kicked out hard with her foot right into his exposed testicals.

Everything went silent for a minute, even the noise of the storm as Bud suddenly froze up and dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, gripping himself pitifully.

Sarah was the first to regain sense enough to move, moving away from the two animals enough to scramble over the still stunned Bud. The mud was slick beneath her feet as she started to kick into a run.

Somewhere behind her she heard Bud command the others to get her. She wasn't about to look back though. If she did they would be on her in seconds. Sarah was cold and soaking wet, her hair plastered to her face and body as she ran through the sliding mud through the little maze of stone.

She didn't know where she was going, not that it would matter since they already had discovered there was no way out. They were all trapped in here from the changing of the Labyrinth, and she was just delaying her death in it.

Sarah took a sharp turn right around a corner, hoping to throw off her pursuers. Sarah allowed herself to glance back, only for her heart to leap from her chest in fear as she watched the large bear run right past the turn. Tristan tried to stop but slid in the mud right into the opposite wall. Sarah didn't dare watch any longer as she ran down the path and took another right turn.

Her chest and legs ached from running and she was covered in mud as she crouched down behind a large stone wall. She was completely out of breath and she had no idea what she was going to do.

Sarah froze when she looked around the wall and saw Cooper had changed into his fox body. He seemed to be having a hard time tracking her in the mud, not that that mattered when he looked up and caught sight of her.

She was forced to get up and start running again even though her legs and lungs screamed in protest as he held his head up and started yelping for the others. Cooper didn't try to attack her, but instead staid right on her heels, yelping the whole way so she'd have no chance of losing the pack.

Sarah lost her footing in the mud and fell to the ground with a scream. She felt a sharp pain in her head as she realized that Cooper had taking some of her hair in his mouth and pulled against her so she couldn't get back up easily. Sarah swung out at him, trying to knock him off of her.

He backed off freely.

She almost forgot to breathe when it became apparent why he didn't have to try to hold her any more. She turned to look behind her at the sound of fierce growling. Both Sid and Tristan were behind her, ready to attack if she tried to run again.

She could see the blood lust in their eyes. If she moved they would tear her to pieces. The sound of an angry roar brought her focus away from the pack and over to the corner that they had all turned down behind them. Bud rounded the corner and came into view, his fur and mane soaked in the rain.

He moved up to join his pack, the same look of blood lust in his eyes. She was done for.

Bud let out a loud hiss and lowered himself to the ground, ready to spring. Sarah had no chance of escape. She let out a scream as Tristan charged towards her and dropped back against the ground onto her stomach, using her arms to try to cover her neck and head.

She could feel the heavy weight of the wolf on her legs and the sharpness of his claws on her skin for a moment before there was just suddenly nothing.

She didn't feel pain, or hear the sound of her bones being broken under powerful jaws. She couldn't even feel the force of her attackers any more.

Sarah glanced up to see Tristan laying next to her, seeming confused and disheveled as he staggered to his feet and shook his head. A large rock lay on the ground next to him.

The sound of yelling made Sarah look up at the top of the wall before her. Standing at the edge was every goblin she had ever seen and then some. Bumper, Grungle, the gang from the kitchens, all of them!

She had never thought that goblins would look so beautiful to her before this moment.

Bud could hardly process what was happening. This was it, the hunt almost over. Sarah had run from them for a while. Now she lay prone before them, ready for the end. Tristan had jumped her first, his fangs inches from the back of her neck when a large rock had come flying out of now where to make a direct hit with the wolf's skull.

The goblins had just suddenly been there, swarming over the walls with weapons ranging from battle spears to forks as they all shouted and ran towards the pack. Cooper was closest to them, being on the opposite side of the human. He leaped over the girl and ran past Bud and the others almost too fast to see. He had never been a fighter.

Sid let out a startled roar next to him before also breaking his ground and turning to run. He didn't make it far before a spear landed deep into the back of the beast's neck.

Bud didn't stay to watch as the goblins swarmed upon Tristan beside Sarah like they had with Braxton back at the castle.

Bud turned on his heels and leaped into a speedy retreat, knowing that he wouldn't survive against a hoard of goblins meaning to kill him.

It wasn't supposed to go like this at all! They would get the girl, kill the king, and get their rewards. None of them were supposed to die.

Sid finally succumbed to the pain of the spear as he ran ahead, stopping his run and falling to the ground in pain. Bud bypassed him, hoping that the goblins would have to stop long enough to kill the bear that he could maybe escape them.

Cooper ran a few meters ahead of him now. Bud let out a startled roar when the fox dropped through the ground like the earth had decided to swallow him up. Bud leaped just in time to avoid falling into the same oubliette that had claimed his lackey. Cooper would either die in that hole slowly or the goblins would have him pinned down and decide to kill him there.

Bud ran to avoid the same fate. He could hear them behind him. They were shouting obscenities and running after him at full force. He wouldn't be able to escape them. He took a sharp turn to his left and had to skid to a stop to avoid running straight into the wall of a dead end.

He turned around, arching his back in warning. There were at least six goblins before him. A very large one that looked like a toad moved forwards slightly, a piece of chain in his hand. Bud prepared himself, he would attack. If he didn't he would surely die. His life was all he had to lose so he was prepared to fight for it like any cornered animal would.

The goblin swung the chain at him and he took a deep breath, springing at the goblin with his claws out and his brain set on killing as many as he could before he was taken down.

Sarah pushed some of the mud and hair out of her face, looking up at the hand on her shoulder. Chum, one of the kitchen goblins looked down at her. "Are you alright Human?"

Sarah didn't know, but she nodded her head anyway. "Did you find Toby?" she asked.

The goblin nodded "He's back with the king."

Sarah felt surprise enter her face at that. "Jareth… is not dead?"

The goblin shook his head no. "He's hurt real bad though. He said to bring you home so that's what we came to do."

"Really?" Sarah asked, pushing herself slowly up from the wet ground.

Chum nodded again. "Course, we probably would have come for you anyway, seeing as how you feed us and such."

Sarah almost laughed, she wanted to, but she felt like she would sooner cry so decided to do neither. Next to her she could see Tristan out of the corner of her eye. He was dead, already shifted back into his human form and blood was running over him like rain from the many stab wounds he had received. The other Weres would get no better.

Sarah forced herself to not look directly at the body, to just look completely away from it. Chum handed her his spear and she used the stick part of it to help herself up to her feet. She was soaked, and the rain was still pouring down. She wanted to go back to the castle. Nothing sounded better than seeing Toby and Jareth long enough to know they were ok and going to bed for at least three days.

"Did you get 'em?" Kape asked, looking past Sarah.

She turned around to see Grungle and Bumper and a few other goblins heading back towards them. They had gone after Bud and the others.

"The Weres are dead," Grungle confirmed. "Is Sarah okay?"

Chum shrugged. "Got some bruises and cuts on her leg, other than that nothing."

Sarah looked down in bewilderment to see that he was right about her leg. On the back she could see some scratches through all the mud from Tristan that was just deep enough to draw blood. She closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. "I just want a bath right now."

Tord let out a snort. "And here you were just starting to look halfway decent."

Twitch rolled past the goblins towards the wall they had come over just minutes before. the little ball of fur let out an ear-splitting squeal that made Sarah cover her ears and cringe.

"What on earth was that?" she gasped when the goblin was done.

"Just the signal," Grungle huffed.

Sarah turned back to the wall as it started to shake and rumble and the stones split to open like a door for them. Beyond the stone maze she could see the rest of the labyrinth shift before them and the castle came into view till there was just a straight path from where they stood to the castle itself. She could finally go home.

Chapter 23: The Obsticals We Face

"Damn it!" Jareth hissed, pulling his injured arm away from the cleric.

The little old man shook his head disapprovingly. "I told you it would hurt."

"Ack, will you listen to him whine?" the bird-hat the man was wearing tsked.

Jareth sent a glare towards the bird as the old man told it to shut up. The bird's comments were a worse pain to him than his arm at the moment. The old man had been successfully brought to the castle by Drappen while Jareth had been passed out. The cleric had performed some first aid on Jareth, enough to stop the bleeding at least.

After that Jareth had pushed the man away long enough to hear the signal his goblins would sound when they were done and he used what little strength he had left to shift the Labyrinth around again. He felt woozy and weak. His head and heart pounded painfully in his own ears and he didn't need the old one's reminders to know that he had lost a lot of blood.

He needed to go to the Fae court to get some real medical help, but he refused to go yet. Jareth slumped in his throne, too tired to even try to sit up. His arm ached constantly and every time he tried to move his head it was like the world shifted around him. It was a constant fight to not pass out again.

He slowly looked over at the makeshift bed that one of the goblins had set up for Toby. The babe had turned over onto his stomach, set in a position to crawl although he didn't move. "Sa-wah," he cooed.

Jareth let out a sigh, and then gasped at the sudden jab the healer gave him to the arm. "Idiot!" he shouted, only to fall back against the throne when his head swam dangerously and his vision blurred.

"I fear your arm is broken, your majesty," the old man said.

"Better my arm than my neck," Jareth huffed, thinking about how he had gotten hurt in the first place. The cleric continued to wrap it up securely. There was a constant ache in it, but it was nothing compared to when he tried to move it.

"Your highness!" a goblin shouted, running into the room. "The others are back; they have the human with them."

Jareth felt a hundred pounds lighter as the worry left him. But he still needed to see her before he would go to the court. "Have her brought to me," Jareth commanded, barely whispering.

The goblin nodded his head and ran out of the room.

Jareth laid his head back against the throne, still utterly exhausted. He would probably have to stay at the Fae Court tonight after he was healed. He was so tired he would have liked to just go to sleep or pass out if it wasn't necessary for him to get help for his wounds as soon as possible.

He looked out the window to see that it was still raining. The white-noise was relaxing and tried to lull him to sleep.

"Your Majesty?" a small feminine voice whispered.

Jareth looked up immediately towards to door, only to wince at the sight of Sarah. She was soaking wet and covered almost head to toe in mud. Her hair was a tangled mess and the mud on her face made her look like some sort of wild creature. His poor Sarah was completely disheveled.

Her eyes shifted from him to the makeshift bed. "Oh Toby!" she cooed, rushing towards her baby brother. Jareth waved the cleric off of him as she scooped her bother up into her arms, holding him close to her and getting him dirty as well. Jareth waited patiently while she fawned over her brother.

Sarah balanced Toby on her hip and tried to wipe a piece of mud off of his forehead. She stopped when she only managed to smear it and turned toward Jareth, a funny little smile playing around her mouth.

Jareth motioned with his good arm for her to come closer.

Sarah held onto Toby as she approached him, leaving a trail of water in her wake. Once she was standing right next to him she dropped down onto her knees before him so that he didn't have to try to look up at her anymore. They took each other in silence, her eyes zeroing in on his arm as he looked over her muddy skin and bruised arms.

"Are you hurt badly?" Sarah whispered so quietly he almost didn't hear her.

"Yes," he said simply.

He was surprised when tears welled up in her eyes and slid down her cheeks. "I'm s-so sorry," she gasped, clutching her brother against her.

"For what?" he asked, unsure what to do about her tears.

"This is all my fault! If I would have never come here then they wouldn't have tried to hurt you. This whole thing could have been avoided if I hadn't come here. They hurt you because of me."

Jareth let out a soft sigh. "I'm not too sure about that; they already had you. They could have left with you and we wouldn't have known till they were gone. But that Were came after me too."

"Only because you wouldn't let him take me in the first place," Sarah murmured.

Jareth reached out a hand to touch a strand of her hair, mud and water pooling on his finger tips. "If this is my punishment for keeping you to myself than I accept it."

She looked up at him then, looking utterly confused. "I'm not worth it Jar- Your Highness," she insisted.

Jareth shrugged, wincing from the ache in his arm. "I am king here so I'll decide what you are worth. And I've decided that you are worth it to me." He released her hair and slumped back into his throne. He needed to get going soon and he didn't want her around when he asked Drappen to carry him out to his coach. "I have to go tend to my wounds now. We'll talk more when I get back. I want you to use the bath in my room to get cleaned up. If you wish to, after that you may sleep on my bed. I won't be back tonight."

She looked for a moment like she would protest, or ask him something else, but she finally closed her mouth and nodded her head in understanding.

She stood up to leave, but Jareth reached out with his good arm to grab the wet hem of her skirt. She stopped and turned back to face him. "I never did take you to my bed for any reason other than that I wanted you. You were never a part of any wager or bet, and never will be, I swear that to you."

She turned a dull shade of pink under the mud of her face and glanced at the old man standing next to them. "I understand that now," she whispered, a shadow of a smile on her lips, "Thank you your highness."

Jareth released her dress and waited, watching her as she left the room and made her way down the hall. Only once he felt she was a safe distance away did he turn to Drappen and ask to be lifted up. He braced himself as the goblin moved in close and slid his thick arms behind Jareth's back and under his legs.

Drappen lifted him up from the throne, bumping Jareth's arm. The pain shot through the king and he threw his head back with a curse, passing out immediately.

Sarah watched from the window of Jareth's room as his carriage shot out of the castle grounds, the horses spanning their great wings and soaring over the Labyrinth faster than any horse could ever run. Toby raised his hand up from her arms and waved at the carriage.

Sarah carried him with her over to the purple curtain in the archway and pulled it back, stepping into the private bathroom. At first she thought that she had gone blind, but after a second or two she was able to see that the entire bath area was white. The walls, floors, and even the ceiling were nothing but pure white stone that was cold and smooth to the touch. Taking up at least half the floor space was a massive white bathtub that could have fit at least three people.

It was completely empty of water though. Would she have to fill the whole thing up herself?

Sarah jumped at the sound of banging on Jareth's door. Toby was startled by it too and immediately started to fuss in her arms. She bounced him lightly against her as she moved out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom, going to the door and balancing Toby on her hip so that she could open it.

She was surprised to see Grungle outside her door. "Grungle? What are you doing here?"

She moved out of the way as the toad-ish goblin wobbled his way into the room. "The master wanted me to come and help you." He looked over Sarah's muddy clothes and body with disgust. "I can see you haven't figured out how to operate the bath yet, follow me."

Sarah made no opposition as she followed the stocky goblin into the bathroom, curious as to what he was about to do, as well as a few other things. The goblin wobbled over to the corner of the room, reaching up and pulling on a white peace of woven rope that hung from the ceiling. There was a loud gurgling sound that echoed throughout the room and Sarah jumped when a piece of the wall over the tub swung open like a little door and water spilled out from a pipe there, pouring straight into the tub like some sort of waterfall. Grungle kept a hold of the cord as the tub began to fill.

Toby wasn't startled by it like she had been, and was in fact leaning out in her arms with his hands outstretched towards the falling water. Sarah moved forward just enough so that Toby could put his hand into the cold water.

"How does it work?" she asked marveling at the water flow.

Grungle let go of the cord once the tub was almost full and shortly after the water flow stopped and the door swung back closed, blending once more into the wall. "There is a stream that flows underneath the castle, so Jareth had some of the goblins tap into it. When this cord is pulled it creates a vacuum that sucks the water up through the pipes from the stream. Now he has running water in here whenever he wishes. This whole thing was his idea.

Sarah reached down into the tub, only to pull her hand away at the freezing touch. "But the water needs to be heated on the stove yet."

Grungle shook his head, moving to the front of the tub and stooping down to open another surprise door there. Sarah hugged Toby to her and leaned down to peer inside. Underneath the stone of the tub was a bed of coals that were glowing red along the sides. Grungle took out a fireplace blower and started to pump air onto the coals, making the red spread till it covered the black of the stones. "These are kept lit constantly so that he needn't wait too long for the water to heat up. Reach in and touch the bottom," he suggested before closing the doors again.

Sarah kept Toby hugged against her, not an easy task since he still wanted to touch the water in the tub, and leaned over the tub. She put her hand into the cold water till she touched the bottom of the tub, feeling that the stone was warm there.

Toby slapped down on the water, splashing some into both their faces. Sarah pulled back with an irritated sigh, Toby laughing hysterically. "Toby no! What keeps a person from getting burned on the stone bottom though?"

The coals will be cooling off once the water is warmed, that stone the tub is made from doesn't hold heat easily. If the master wants a longer bath, the coals must be blown on again before the bottom can get too cold. The trick was getting it at a happy medium."

Sarah felt thoroughly impressed by this. There was nothing like this in the entire Underground. Imagine being able to fill and heat a tub like this in only minutes? It would take hours doing it the regular way, boiling water on the stove. Jareth was brilliant!

Sarah suddenly remembered just where Jareth was at the moment and turned back to Grungle. "Will he be okay, Jareth that is?"

Grungle shrugged. "I guess so; a broken arm never killed anyone, although Faes are a lot softer than goblins, almost as soft as humans."

Sarah rested her cheek against Toby's head in thought. She felt terrible that he was hurt at all, let alone that it was her fault. But Jareth had said that she was worth the pain. It was a big complement as far as she was concerned; not that she didn't still feel responsible for it. He had also made it clear to her that he had never intended to use her in his little bet. She was very happy about that. He had made it clear today that he cared about her very much in protecting her. He had changed the very layout of the Labyrinth with disregard to his own health to save her.

It was very confusing because Sarah wanted to both jump up and down with happiness and fall to the ground in despair at this. She was happy that Jareth cared about her, possibly even had love for her. She wanted to cry though, because despite all this he could never be hers and hers alone. He would eventually take a queen and have children with some other Fae woman who would probably have no liking for humans whatsoever. Sarah would only be someone to serve Jareth and occasionally fill his bed if he was to be king of the Underground. Although she didn't think that Jareth would ever view her in such a way, she would be nothing but his personal whore, a kept woman.

Sarah shook her head to clear it. She wouldn't think about that now. Even if there was anything she could do about it she wouldn't have to worry about anything like that for a while. She'd think about it then, but not now.

"It's ready for you," Grungle murmured, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"I swear I didn't mean to do it!"

Jareth rolled his eyes, "You can back off now Drappen, she truly didn't mean to cause me pain."

Drappen had the young medical Fae backed up against the opposite wall. The poor female was cowering before the huge goblin. After a couple of seconds of the goblin glaring down at her to get his warning across, Drappen did as ordered and moved back from the Fae. She had just been tending to the wounds in Jareth's torso when she had pinched one of the gashes too hard between her fingers and Jareth had screamed in pain. Drappen had physically moved her away from his king after that.

"Really dear, couldn't your… subject wait outside while we do this?" his mother questioned from next to him.

When they had made it to the castle and she had learned of his injuries she had been all a fluster, going with him straight to the medical ward and seating herself by his side as if he were a child again. Perhaps she was right about Drappen though.

Jareth turned to the goblin. "Go ahead and wait outside Drappen, if I'm killed on this medical bed then you can avenge me," he joked.

The medical nurse turned several shades of pale and his mother struck his uninjured forearm. "That is not funny!" she snapped at him.

Drappen nodded and exited the room, casting one last glare at the medical Fae before closing the door.

Jareth tried not to laugh when the woman swayed like she was about to faint. He didn't feel too bad about his little joke, she had pinched him rather hard and she had cold hands besides.

"Jareth, have you looked into who sent those Weres on you?" his mother asked.

He had told her about the attack, and although he hadn't mentioned it to Sarah he had his suspicions that the Weres hadn't acted on their own. Stormy or not, the Labyrinth was full of subjects (especially in the secret shortcut) that were loyal to him and would have let him know the moment they saw an unwanted visitor. Or the goblins themselves would have surely happened upon the Weres like they had with Sarah and her brother, or the countless other creatures that had passed through his labyrinth over the years.

As stealthy as Weres were, they couldn't have gotten to the castle unnoticed without some sort of magic protecting them. Jareth was willing to point the finger at his cousin in a second, but he had no proof. Besides, he would have no idea if and how Saboroth even thought to get in touch with the Weres. What were the chances of it being just pure luck?"

Jareth didn't like it; Saboroth seemed to know too much about the goings on in his own castle. There had to be a spy involved. "I've been a little too busy bleeding for that yet mother, but I will." Some of the goblins had let him know while Drappen was lifting him into the carriage that the Weres were all dead. He had sent them back out to collect the Were lion's body. He wasn't sure what he would do with it, but he knew he wanted to see for himself when he got back that the animal was dead.

Sarah awoke the next morning feeling better than she had in weeks. Toby was tucked in beside her on the massive bed of silk, sleeping soundly. She had cleaned both of them up in the massive tub, enjoying being able to soak for once. She was used to more or less sponge baths from basins. Once she had gotten a shower, but it had been from a woman tossing old bathwater out the window and right onto her head.

After having a bath like that and then sleeping on silk all night, she was positively blissed out. Sarah let out a yawn and stretched out on the bedding. She could smell Jareth all over it, burying her head against one of his pillows and breathing in deep. She knew what she was doing was probably a little weird, but she was far too relaxed and happy to care. She wondered when he would be getting back. Hopefully sooner rather than later, she wanted to know that he was okay.

With a sigh she kicked the covers off of her nude body, finding her dress drying off from when she had washed it last night. Sadly, the dress was ripped up and stained past the point of being saved. She slipped the damp fabric on over her head so she could wear it long enough to run down and get her other dress on. She had liked this blue one too!

Sarah scooped Toby up in her arms, not surprised when he started to cry in protest to being woken up and moved. She tried comforting him as she left the room and made her way back down to her own. Toby soon started to calm down and by the time she had reached their room he was sleeping against her shoulder.

She let out a little sigh and moved him from her to the bed, something he fussed about as well till he settled against the bed and went back to sleep. Sarah went to the dresser and pulled out her other dress and a clean changing wrap for Toby. She would be very happy when he was old enough to not need changing.

Once she had the both of them changed and the old dress and changing wrap thrown out she proceeded to pick Toby up once again and grab the comforter from her bed to take along. This time he didn't fuss, merely residing to the fact that he would have to start waking up soon as she carried him with her back over to the kitchens down the hall.

She would need to get some breakfast made for both of them, and probably a little something special for the goblins since they did come to her rescue.

She wasn't surprised to find Bumper was already in the kitchens, he had a large pot dragged out and was stirring something up inside of it. "What are you making?" she asked out of curiosity.

Bumper looked over his shoulder, only to roll his eyes when he saw her and dipped a long spoon into the pot, pulling out a piece of old fabric. "My laundry."

Sarah had to fight to not yell at him for doing his laundry in her cooking pots. She felt after what he had done she could let that slide. She would just have to remember to boil water in that pot before using it again.

Sarah placed the comforter into the play pen and gently set Toby down in side of it so that he could take his time waking up while she cooked. "Bumper?"

He grunted to let her know he was listening.

"Thank you," she said, turning back to him, "You helped save me yesterday and I never really got to say thank you."

Bumper never turned around to look at her from his pot, hunching down low over it like his back suddenly hurt. "You – erm, ain't hurt or nothing, are you?" he asked timidly.

Sarah smiled in response to his concern and dug a couple pans out of the cupboards. "Nope, nothing too bad anyway, thanks to you and the others."

Bumper didn't say anything for a while.

Sarah stepped up beside him so that she could share the stove and so she could get a better look at his expressions. He turned his head slightly away from her but she thought she had seen a lot of worry on his face in the few seconds that she had seen it. "Jareth's going to be fine too, if you were worried about him," she said. She hoped that he would be anyway. She wanted to know just how extensive his injuries were if she was being honest.

"I didn't want the master to get hurt," Bumper said in such a small voice that Sarah wasn't even sure she heard right.

"What?"

Bumper pulled the steaming fabric out of the boiling pot and dropped it into a bucket next to him with a few other pieces of clothing. "Nothing."

"Your highness is looking better this morning."

"Good to see you on your feet your majesty."

Jareth nodded his head in forced appreciation to the couple of Faes he passed by in the halls. So far every Fae he had run into had given him the same polite words before moving on. It was all just formality. He had no idea if any of them really meant anything they said. His arm was strapped against his body in a sling that he would have to wear for the next couple or three weeks, and underneath his dark red shirt more gauze were wrapped around his torso. He was just thankful that Faes had wonderful healing powers of their own. He'd be completely healed before the month was out.

"Jareth darling, are you sure your alright?" his mother asked from next to him.

Jareth wished that she hadn't insisted on staying with him all morning, both because she was attempting to drag him to court as par their agreement and because she was holding onto his good arm with her own. He would have liked to have had at least one free hand to use in case he fell or something. "I'm fine enough to walk there unescorted if that's what you are asking, Mother."

She smiled up at him sweetly without releasing his arm. "You know very well that wasn't my question."

"I'll be alright. You don't need to worry about me going back to the Labyrinth." That's what she had been on about all morning, saying that he should stay at court for the time being because it would be safer for him.

As far as he was concerned, the further away from his enemy he was the safer he would be. Besides, he wanted to get back to Sarah. He fully intended to receive a proper welcome from her since he had rescued her and she wasn't angry with him anymore. He had missed her greatly last night while he dreamed about all the things he intended to do with her the next time he got the chance.

"I will worry though; I am your mother after all."

"I don't think you will ever allow me to forget about that little detail," he laughed.

"Are you truly so ashamed of your mother?" she asked, putting on a pouty face that he could remember her giving his late father in order to get her way all the time.

Jareth rolled his eyes at the thought that she still used it to do the same with him now. "Of course not," he sighed.

"Your highness?" a female voice called from somewhere behind them.

Jareth and Mavarion stopped walking and turned around. Jareth held back a wince when he saw it was Colane who had called out to him. She waved to them from down the hall and hurried forward. Since the last time he had seen her he had been experiencing… difficulties, and she had been storming out in a huff, he didn't really want to see her. Ever.

The two royals stood their ground as she approached. "I heard the dreadful news!" Colane gushed. "To think that a pack of Weres would have the nerve to attack you in your own castle!"

Jareth nodded his head politely. "Yes truly." He turned back to his mother, "We should probably get going don't you think?"

She gave him a confused look.

Colane moved forward to reclaim his attention. "I was hoping that I could speak with you," she insisted, sending a look to his mother that Jareth couldn't decipher.

He was about to object when Mavarion let go of his arm and stepped away from them. "Go ahead and talk to her Jareth, don't worry about being late for court, there isn't much going on today anyway."

He wanted to call her back, but Colane stepped into his line of sight. She had her hair pulled up into a tight bun and had actually opted to wear something that wasn't form-fitting today. Actually, the gold gown she wore was rather big and baggy on her.

"I'm glad I could speak to you Jareth," she whispered, her voice husky as she leaned in closer to him. "I haven't heard from you since that one night."

He was willing to stop the conversation right there! He could practically feel the fire lighting up his cheeks. It definitely wasn't his fondest memory. "I guess I was just busy," he murmured.

Colane's eyes lit up and a smile spread across her lips. "Oh me too! I actually have something for you."

She was acting weird. Jareth's gut was telling him he probably didn't want anything the female had for him. He kind of wanted to just get away. "I'll have to get it from you later," he muttered, moving back away from the female. "I should get to court."

"But it's very important; it's more of a surprise actually. I'm sure you would really like it."

Jareth frowned at her behavior. "W-what is it?"

Colane continued to smile wide as she gripped the skirt of her dress and pulled the material tight against the front of her torso.

At first Jareth thought she was showing him that she had gained weight, and then it dawned on him that she was showing him the kind of weight a woman gained when she was with child. His heart sped up and his thoughts slowed down all at once and time froze around him. He just kept staring at the bump protruding through the fabric of her dress for what seemed like an eternity. She was pregnant!

Chapter 24: Betrayals For All

Mavarion looked back to the doors of the courtroom. The entire meeting was almost finished and her son still wasn't present. Perhaps he had gone off to be with Colane? Although she wouldn't have minded it, he really ought to have showed up to court. The week was almost over and he needed to make an appearance at least once in keeping with the rules of the bet.

She decided to look for her son after the meeting if he didn't show up to see what had happened to him and find out when he did plan to attend.

Down the table from her she couldn't help but notice Saboroth seemed equally distracted, paying little attention and saying nothing. He also kept tapping his fingers against the wood of the table before them with impatience and anxiousness.

"If there is nothing else this meeting may be adjourned my lady," one of the elders next to her huffed.

She nodded her head in agreement and everyone stood up to leave. It didn't escape her attention that Saboroth headed straight for the door as quickly as he could without talking to anybody. He seemed very nervous about something.

She paused long enough to say a few polite thank yous and good byes to a few of the Fae before also exiting the room. She had expected to see either that both her son and Colane were gone from where she had left them or that they would both still be talking. She was surprised to see Colane standing there alone. Jareth was no where in sight.

The female was obviously waiting for her.

Mavarion nodded her head for Colane to follow and the two women moved down the hall to her personal office. Colane flopped down on one of the chairs and Mavarion moved behind her desk to have a seat. Here they had privacy.

"What happened?" Mavarion asked at the frustrated look in Colane's eyes.

"I did as you told me to, telling your son that I was pregnant and what not. I even wadded up a towel under my dress to make it look as if I was gaining weight!"

Mavarion nodded her head. "That was a little silly since it would have been less than a month, but go on. What did my son say to that?"

Colane rolled her eyes. "When you said your son was resisting the crown I had no idea how much you meant it. I had expected him to be happy, since this would mean he won the bet and all."

Mavarion's brows lowered in confusion at that. "He wasn't happy?"

"He practically ran away from me! He had the nerve to ask if he was the father first of all. When I told him 'yes' he just started backing away from me; he was saying something about going back to the Labyrinth."

Mavarion couldn't hide her confusion at that. "I see…"

"To be honest, it makes me thankful I'm not actually pregnant," Colane pouted.

Mavarion leaned back in her chair to think about that. She hadn't expected that kind of reaction from her son any more than Colane had. Last she knew, he wanted very much to impregnate a female with his seed and win back his throne. At the very least he didn't want Saboroth to win the bet. Why had he reacted so poorly? She wanted to find out.

"I will send word for my son to meet with me right away on the matter," she sighed, standing up from her desk and moving around to the door.

Colane nodded and stood up, going past the queen to the door. She turned back to Mavarion on her way out. "I hope you can talk some sense into him, he looked very upset when I told him."

"Toby, don't go too far now." Sarah called, watching from close by as Toby crawled through the dirt towards some bushes. After having lunch Sarah had taken Toby with her out into the yard in front of the castle. She wished that there was more grass around, but the soft dirt would do well enough. Toby seemed to like the little outings well enough at least.

She was just thankful because it gave her a chance to get her mind off of Jareth and wondering how he was doing.

Toby went up to a little tree, gripping the bark in his front hands and dragging himself into a standing position that he had learned to get into recently. He turned back to look at her over his shoulder and gave a triumphant smile. "Ook!" he shouted, trying to say 'look'.

Sarah gave an encouraging smile. "I see you Toby; you're doing a great job. Before I know it you'll be running around like you own the place!"

He could say a few words, and he was already standing up. Sarah could hardly believe how much he was growing. His wispy blonde hair was getting a lot longer too. He was starting to look more like a little girl than a little boy. She would have to cut it soon.

"Just don't let yourself get hurt, Toby," she called out as he dropped back to the ground and began crawling further out. Sarah stayed standing as she watched since all she had left was her white dress and she didn't want to have to walk around all day with dirt on her butt. She looked up from her brother towards the gates to the Goblin City, enjoying seeing the village goblins go about in their everyday life. It was kind of like watching little kids play house… with chickens and cats… and weapons.

Sarah caught a glimpse of something in the sky and looked up. She had to squint her eyes to see clearly enough, but it was Jareth's carriage, she was sure of it. She couldn't keep the smile from her face as she rushed over to where Toby was and scooped him off the ground, much to his protest, as he started to fuss and squirm. Clearly he wasn't done being outside yet. "Come on Toby, Jareth is back!"

"Jaw-Jaw!" Toby babbled, something that Sarah had come to realized meant 'Jareth' to the little tike.

She carried him with her back to the front steps of the castle so that they would both be clear of the way when the carriage landed. She looked up to see that they were just about to land, the horses already zooming in over the city and flattening their wings out to glide in for a smoother landing. She watched as they both gave their wings a final flap against the ground to help slow their momentum before touching down, running along the ground as the carriage made a soft landing behind them. Grungle was seated at the front and pulled back on their reins to help bring them to a gradual stop.

He was too busy to notice Sarah wave with her free arm as he guided the horses through the yard and up to the front steps where he would be letting Jareth out at.

Sarah waited anxiously while Grungle jumped down from his seat and waddled to the passenger door, opening it up wide and stepping back for his king. She couldn't help but smile brightly when Jareth stepped out from inside the carriage.

He was a sight for soar eyes. She could see that his arm was bandaged up and he looked tired, but at least he was on his feet and getting around by himself okay. It wasn't until his was out of the carriage that he looked up to see Sarah. She wanted to run up to him, but fought the urge. The look he gave her when he saw her made the smile slip completely from her face.

He looked at her with a face full of guilt and regret, it was like she was the last person he wanted to see right now. She clutched Toby against her and didn't say anything as Jareth slowly made his way the few feet between them to the steps. Her feeling of happiness ad relief at seeing him was quickly disappearing and she started to feel apprehensive. He stopped in front of them, looking down at the ground rather than up at Sarah. She looked down at the top of his light head of hair and was reminded by his demeanor of a child who just did something they knew was very bad.

She didn't want to know why he was acting this way. She only wanted to hear good news; like that he was okay and was going to be back to normal soon. Regardless, she found herself asking, "What's wrong?"

Jareth looked up at her then and his eyes looked lost, like he didn't even know where he was. It scared her to see a look like that on his face. This wasn't Jareth, not the Jareth she knew anyway. The Jareth she knew was always so arrogant and cocky and full of smirks and wit. He looked broken now.

Her eyes widened with realization and she fought to hold back a gasp. There was only one reason she could think of as to why he would come back from the Fae Court looking like that. "Did you loose the bet?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Jareth didn't say anything, but his head lowered in shame and he stumbled up the stairs to her. Sarah was surprised and a little frightened when he wrapped an arm around her and Toby and held them both close to him. He pressed his lips against hers in a light kiss and, although she was prepared for more or less, Sarah was surprised when he pulled away far enough to look at her. His eyes seemed so much older now, and full of pain. "No," he breathed through a shaky voice. "I won the bet."

At first she didn't understand what he could have meant. He won the bet? She thought he would have to get a female pregnant in order for that to happen.

That's when it dawned on her that that must have been what had happened. One of the females he had been with must have gotten pregnant. She could have almost sworn she heard the snapping sound of her heart breaking into two separate pieces. She didn't know what to say, or what to do. She could only stand there and stare back into his eyes, hardly aware that she was holding Toby anymore. She had known this would be coming, but she hadn't thought so soon. On some level she had hoped all along that he wouldn't win.

"W-what? What do you mean you won?" she asked, needing to hear it before she could really believe it.

Jareth lowered his eyes to the ground then. "Colane approached me at court-

"It's Colane?" Sarah screeched before she could stop herself. Toby started to bawl in her arms from being startled, but she ignored it for now. The one he had gotten pregnant was Colane! Out of all the females he had….Colane?

Sarah didn't know if she was sad or pissed or… or what she felt. It was like feeling extreme everything. It made her feel lightheaded and short of breath, like the air was thinning out around her. She felt almost suffocated; she couldn't get air with him being so close to her like this. She pressed against Jareth's chest with her free hand, pushing him away from her and against the door. She also stumbled back against the opposite side of the door frame from the force she had not braced herself for.

She went to stand back up and lost her balance, swaying before re-catching it. Jareth reached out to help her and she slapped his hand away, not caring at all about his station or hers at the moment. "Don't touch me right now!"

He made no protest, and instead seemed to take her advice, leaning back against the archway.

Toby continued to scream in her arms, upset at being startled so. Sarah held him against her hip and started to bounce him absent-mindedly, not taking her eyes off Jareth. "I guess you got what you wanted then," she sniffed, her voice so close to emotionless that she surprised herself. "I'm very happy for you, your majesty."

Jareth frowned at that. "I didn't want this," he snapped. "At first maybe, but not after I was with you. I didn't want- don't want to have a child with Colane."

"But you are going to have one with her aren't you? Even if you decided not to become king you still have to take responsibility for that babe."

She waited for him to say something to that, any kind of response would have worked. Instead he said nothing, just continued to glare at the ground.

Sarah fought off the tears that were pressing at her eyes. Her chest hurt so badly right now. It was the same feeling she experienced when she first found out about the bet. How many times would she have to cry before it could stop hurting? "You're such an ass," she hissed.

Again Jareth said and did nothing. What defense did he have?

"I suppose you'll marry her now," Sarah stated, her voice cracking as she said it.

Again Jareth said nothing. He couldn't even look her in the eyes.

They both looked up at an odd popping sound to see a Fae messenger standing in the yard in front of them. As the male bowed to Jareth Sarah turned away to wipe at the tears on her face. She felt vulnerable enough without strangers seeing her this way.

"Our queen requests your immediate attention. She waits for you in her office at the court, my lord," the male informed them.

"Not now," Jareth hissed.

The messenger straightened up and his voice became sharp. "The Queen wishes for you to know that it is not up for debate."

Sarah let out an irritated sigh, "Just go Jareth, she probably wants to congratulate you on your victory."

The king gave her a pointed look at that, which she was all too willing to return. She turned her back on him then and headed into the castle, hearing him curse out loud before both he and the messenger vanished with a popping sound.

Sarah slammed the large door shut behind her, only wishing she knew how to lock it. As soon as she turned around to face the entry hall of the castle did her anger and bravado suddenly melt away, leaving her only with sadness as she leaned back against the door. It had been her own fault, she told herself, to think and hope that there would be a happy ending in her life when she was lucky to get just a happy day.

Sarah wiped at the tears that slipped down to her cheeks.

Saboroth hurried down the hall away from the courtroom. He very much wanted to be away from the queen right now. She had been looking over at him all through the trial and he had been nervous the whole time that he would see his cousin. He didn't want to see Jareth alive so soon after he had tried to have him killed.

He hated not knowing what was going on. He wanted to know just what those two knew. He needed to know what had happened to those damn Weres. Hopefully they were dead since Jareth obviously wasn't.

Maybe the royals had gotten a survivor of the attack to confess before he died and they knew it was him who sent the Weres to Jareth and they were just waiting for the right moment to arrest and punish him. Maybe they only suspected he was behind it. Or maybe they had absolutely no idea and he was off the hook. Regardless though, he needed to know for sure so he knew what to do next.

His little goblin spy had stopped coming to see him ever since the meeting with the Weres. He could kill that little troll for leaving him out to dry like this. He had never expected the little mutant to suddenly grow a conscious. Plus he was worried that the goblin may give him away. While it would mean trouble for the creature too, there was still a chance it would rat on him.

There was no such thing as good help these days.

Jareth appeared outside the doors of his mother's study with the messenger/delivery Fae, ignoring him and going inside without even bothering to knock. His mother was waiting for him from behind her desk, a frown plastered on her face as he slammed the door behind him.

"What?" he snapped, ready to take his anger with the situation out on her even though she didn't deserve it.

Her eyes narrowed at him and she gave him a look that somehow managed to remind him of who he was talking to on two different levels. Jareth forced himself to calm down enough to be quiet and slumped down into a seat across from her. "What is it mother?"

Her face softened. "I spoke with Colane and she informs me that she is carrying your child, my son."

She paused like she was waiting for him to respond. Instead he said nothing. He wasn't even sure of an intelligible way to express the way he was feeling right now.

"Yes, she also informed me that you didn't seem very happy about it."

Jareth leaned back in his chair then. He wasn't happy about it, that much was certain. The fact that he wasn't had him feeling very confused since if he had gotten this news only a week ago he would have been thrilled. But he wasn't thrilled now.

He realized now that even if it had been a week ago, he wouldn't have been thrilled about having a baby with Colane. He just would have been happy to have won the bet. Then he would have taken care of his responsibilities, marrying Colane and raising his child.

But now there was a new factor that had come into play. A week ago love wouldn't have been involved in the matter. Although he wasn't completely sure that he was in love with Sarah, he certainly had love for her. He hadn't been aware of his love for Sarah a week ago. Now he was and it seemed wrong to have her involved with this. The whole situation seemed so very wrong to him.

Sarah suddenly seemed very smart to Jareth.

She had told him from the start that what he was doing was wrong; he just hadn't seen it then. He did now. What he had been doing was wrong, and now they were both paying the consequences for it.

She would end up paying more than him though, even though she had done nothing wrong. He would have to marry Colane and move to the Fae Court. If he took her with him she could at best simply become his mistress. She would grow to hate him for that. If he left her and her brother behind in the goblin kingdom though, who knew what would become of her. The goblins liked her sure, but that was no way for two humans to live. She would hate him for abandoning her if he did that.

Either way he was doomed to be hated and despised by a woman he loved. She already hated him as it was. That knowledge was tearing him up inside.

Mavarion leaned forward, resting her hands on her desk. "Why are you so unhappy Jareth? Is this not what you wanted?"

Jareth couldn't even look at his own mother right now, he just felt so embarrassed. "Not anymore."

"But I thought you wanted to become king."

Jareth shook his head. "That was never what I wanted and you know it. You wanted me to become king. I just didn't want Saboroth to become king."

Mavarion was quiet for a moment. "Do you still not want Saboroth to be king?"

Jareth nodded his head.

"Enough to become king yourself?"

He didn't know how to respond to that one. Truly he wouldn't mind it so much. He'd be good at it, he was certain of that. He just didn't want to leave Sarah behind. She was sweet enough that it would kill her to have to watch him be a husband to Colane and a father to a child of hers. It would hurt him greatly too to have her watch that.

Mavarion stood up and came around the desk, stopping right in front of him. Jareth allowed her to take his face in her hands and tilt his head up to look at her. The look she gave him was a very motherly one that he could remember seeing whenever he was younger and she was trying to sooth him. "What's wrong, my son? What has happened to change your mind so?"

He let out a long sigh and let his head drop back down. He needed to tell someone, and if he couldn't tell his mother than who? Queen or not she was still his mother. "I love another woman, mother," he confessed.

The queen went very still before him. He looked up to see her face was bordering between stunned and confused. "You what?"

"I love someone other than Colane."

Understanding slowly seeped into his mother's face. "And you wish to be with this other woman, is that right?"

Jareth nodded his head.

A smile crept to Mavarion's face, only to seep away as she remembered that he would have to marry Colane anyway. She had been counting on her and Colane's little fake-pregnancy plan as the best way to force him into his rightful role in life while still allowing him his happiness. She had been under the impression that he had liked Colane enough to not mind marrying her.

The look on her son's face now told her that that wouldn't be the case here.

"Who is it that you love?" she asked, curious as to who could have brought this out in him.

Jareth turned his head back down to the ground like he was embarrassed.

Mavarion took the chair next to her son and cup his face in her hands, making him look at her. He could barely meet her eyes. "My love, tell me what woman has captured your heart," she demanded.

Jareth allowed his eyes to close and took a deep breath before answering. "Her name is Sarah, mother. She is the human that works in my castle."

Mavarion froze on the spot. Without so much as blinking, she could only stare at her son as she tried to process what he had just confessed to her. A human? A completely powerless being?

Jareth's eyes opened and he stared back at her, searching her eyes for her thoughts as she tried to find them herself.

He was in love with a human girl? She couldn't have been more shocked if he had told her he was in love with a goblin. Maybe she would have preferred that… no, but it wasn't much better!

She tried to choose her words carefully before she spoke. "Y-you are… with a human?"

Jareth did not answer, only continued to wait for more of a reaction.

"Y-you don't even like humans though. When you were younger you had one as a pet and we had to get rid of it because you never would take care of it!"

Jareth winced at that. "It's not at all the same thing, mother. Sarah is no pet."

She could tell from the look in Jareth's miss-matched eyes that he was very serious in this matter. While she thought it far more likely that he was just infatuated with this girl, or possibly going through a phase, she thought it best to not voice this opinion. If she did than Jareth would surely storm out of her office so fast he'd leave a cloud of smoke in his wake.

Instead she simply nodded her head to show understanding, even though she was very lost on this matter. How could he think that he loved a human?

Jareth let out another sigh and let his head drop on his shoulders. "I was stupid and immature to ever make a bet on something so consequential. I'd give anything to take back what I've done now," he whispered more to himself than to her. There was a deep regret carried in his voice as he said it.

Mavarion couldn't help but feel her heart be pulled by the look of loss on her son's face and in his voice. As his mother she wanted to make it all better, to let him go back to his goblin kingdom and live happily. The queen in her, however, wanted to demand that he marry Colane and take his place on the Fae throne like any respectable royal Fae would do.

Mavarion reached out to Jareth, placing her hand on his shoulder and bending down to kiss the top of his head in comfort. He reached up and let his hand rest overtop of hers on his shoulder, keeping his head down. "I will let your cousin know that you have won the bet."

Chapter 25: Options

Sarah walked down the hall with Toby still in her arms. He was still fussing from earlier, wanting to be consoled for his cries.

She could understand how he felt. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks although she did not cry out loud like Toby did. She also wanted to be consoled, and yet she also wanted to be left alone to lick her wounds in private.

For some reason, although she felt upset, she didn't feel the same pain that normally came from a broken heart. She had experienced that pain more than enough just since meeting the king in the first place so she knew very well what it felt like. She didn't feel it now. Not on the same level as before at least.

Maybe I'm just becoming numb to it.

She reached the door to their bedroom and entered the room, looking around. She hadn't really paid attention this morning when she had come to get clothes for her and Toby, but she took it all in now.

It looked no different from any other day. She had thought that maybe she'd see some evidence of the Weres or what had happened. There was nothing though. It was like it never even happened. She wished that it hadn't, not only to save her from the ordeal, but so she could have still been mad with Jareth when he returned to tell her this afternoon about his soon to be child. Instead she had been worried about him and happy to see him, so very vulnerable for the deathblow he had dealt her. Maybe she'd hurt even less if she hadn't thought- known –that he loved her.

It felt equally pitiful because she had allowed herself to love him too.

My mistake, she thought bitterly.

She stepped further into the room, not caring enough to close the door and laid down on the bed with her sniveling brother. She was tired, and emotionally drained… or numb, she wasn't sure. She just wanted to rest.

If she was asleep she wouldn't feel the pain at all or even remember why she was upset. She settled back against the warm cotton of her bedding. It wasn't nearly as comfortable as Jareth's bed, but since it wasn't like Jareth's bed in any way that was fine with her. "Please don't let me dream," she whispered out loud.

This was a nightmare!

Saboroth had been almost out of the castle when a Fae had stopped him and told him that the queen wished to see him before he left. She knows, his panicked brain screamed at him.

He had followed behind the other male on wooden legs back through the halls and down to the throne room. His instincts were yelling at him the whole time to make a run for it. He ignored them as best he could as he entered the throne room and saw both the queen and his cousin there. He couldn't help his confusion to see the courtier Colane there as well.

Everybody looked grim.

The messenger Fae stepped out of the way and allowed Saboroth to pass, pulling the massive double doors of the throne room closed behind him. Now his retreat was cut off. Running on pure hardwired response, Saboroth walked slowly up to the queen at the head of the room till he was almost next to Colane. He bowed low from the waist, debating on possibly dropping to one knee in case his legs gave out from his nerves. His silver hair flowed over his shoulder to conceal his face from them.

"Your Majesty," he acknowledged.

"Do you know why I have summoned you here my nephew?" Mavarion asked, her voice cool and crisp.

He gulped loudly in his throat, not straightening up from his bow. "I have an idea," he murmured.

"I have called you here so that you may be aware that the bet that has been placed between you and my son is no longer in affect."

I'm a dead man! "And for what reason is that, your majesty?" he asked.

"My son has won the bet and will be presented with an heir to the throne by Colane in thirteen months."

Relief poured through Saboroth at finding out that they knew nothing at his attempted murder on Jareth. It disappeared as quickly as it had come when he registered what the queen had just told him. He snapped into an upright position from his bow and looked over at Colane.

The female smirked back at him triumphantly.

He then looked to his cousin. Jareth wasn't triumphant looking at all. He stared grimly at the floor as if he had just lost something important.

The queen was like-wise staring at the floor as if she was upset about something.

He didn't know what it was, but there was some kind of game going on here, he was sure of it. If nothing else, Faes were crafty manipulating liars who only sought to accomplish their own ambitions. He would know.

He could play too then. He looked back over at Colane. She wore a loose-fitting golden gown that covered a fare portion of her skin with its floor-length skirt and long arms. It's like she was making an attempt at modesty. "So you're pregnant are you?"

She smiled widely at him. "That's right. I carry the next ruler of the Underground in my womb." She said it like she was congratulating herself.

"And a doctor would say just as much I assume?"

Mavarion cut into the conversation. "My personal physician confirmed it."

Saboroth nodded his head. "Congratulations then," he smirked, "How far along are you?"

Her smile faultered just the tiniest bit. "Two or three weeks, we caught it early."

Jareth looked up from the floor at that, his attention now on Colane and Saboroth. He wasn't sure what was going on in front of him, but he was interested.

Saboroth smiled then. "You sure did." He turned back to Jareth and the Queen. "I hate to say this but the victor here is not Jareth.

Both of the Faes frowned at that.

"What do you mean?" Mavarion asked, her voice slow and sharp.

Saboroth gave Colane another smirk. Her own had completely vanished from her face now. "I mean it is not Jareth who is the father to that baby but myself. I got her pregnant and I won the bet."

Shock and outrage appeared on all the faces in the room. "Excuse me?" Mavarion hissed, her eyes narrowed in her confused anger.

"I was sleeping with this courtier at the same time that she was visiting my cousin," Saboroth admitted. If he had no noble defenses he would admit his sins in a second to win this. He wasn't about to just walk away with his hollow halo.

"So you or my son could both be-

"I'm afraid not," Saboroth interrupted, "It's very hard to get a female pregnant. I'd say it's impossible to do so with a dysfunctional member… wouldn't you think so dear cousin?" he grinned, turning to Jareth.

Jareth's face had flushed and he shook with anger. If looks could kill Saboroth would have dropped dead where he stood. "W-what?"

Saboroth jerked his head back toward Colane. "I learned from Colane herself that the last time you were with her, before she was with me, you couldn't even begin to perform the necessary functions to lay with a female, much less result in a successful conception." He turned back to the queen. "At the very least I implore you to put a real male on the throne."

The air was suddenly knocked out of Saboroth and he found himself on his back a second later. Jareth was on him and the male's fist connected dead on with his jaw. He hadn't even seen his cousin's attack coming; he had been too busy gloating.

Somewhere in the background female voices were screaming at them.

Saboroth brought a hand up to defend his face from another blow and slammed his other hand down on Jareth's bandaged arm. It must have hurt him badly, but he didn't cry out.

Mavarion couldn't believe what was happening. Right now her son and nephew where on the floor, scuffling like they were boys again! Jareth had been foolish to attack like that when his arm was still broken, but judging by the sounds of things Saboroth's nose was probably broken now too.

Colane was already at the doors, screaming for help.

Mavarion stayed seated on her chair and watched the two men fight. It was completely disgraceful and disrespectful for two Fae males of their status to be exchanging blows on the floor like this. She didn't really care about that right now though.

She needed to meet with that blasted Colane again. By sleeping with Saboroth too she had mucked up everything. It would be impossible for them to hold up the charade of her being pregnant. Too many questions would start popping up. She had known that the girl wasn't particularly as smart as she was ambitious, but the girl had been down right stupid to do this.

Three guards ran into the throne room and tried to intervene with the fight, two of them dragging Jareth off of his cousin forcefully while one held onto Saboroth so he wouldn't try to continue the fight. Blood was flowing down Saboroth's nose and two black eyes were already starting to form. Jareth's broken arm was tucked in close to his chest but Mavarion could see some blood starting to pool through the bandages.

She stood up from her throne. "I think that that is quite enough!" she snapped, grabbing the attention of everybody in the room. "Take Jareth and Saboroth to the healers at once, and make sure they don't so much as speak to each other the whole time there," she commanded of the guards.

There were no objections as the guards all helped the Faes to their feet and started to lead them out of the throne room. Jareth was led out first with the two guards and then Saboroth was behind them.

Mavarion let out an aggravated sigh when the two got too close together at the doors and Saboroth got a kick in past the guards legs to hit the back of Jareth's and cause her son to stumble in retribution for the attack. Jareth immediately regained his footing and tried to go after his cousin again, only to be stopped and pushed back through the doors by the guards.

Over a hundred years old they both were, and both acted like they were but infants again.

The queen turned her attention to Colane, waiting till the doors had closed behind the two males before addressing the female. "What were you thinking?" she hissed out.

Colane looked equally pissed as she turned back to the queen. "What do you mean 'what were you thinking'? I just did as you told me to."

Mavarion stomped down the stairs and walked over to the younger woman then. "Never once did I tell you to sleep with Saboroth as well! What were you thinking?"

Colane gave a flippant shrug of her shoulders. "A girl has to have her options. If I would have preferred Saboroth I would have claimed to be pregnant with his child! But I thought that in the end Jareth was nicer to me and it would be easier to control him into doing as we wanted."

Mavarion could almost feel her blood boiling at the shear stupidity of the girl. "Options? You wanted options? Your only options were to either become Jareth's queen or nothing at all! My nephew was never an option in this for you and now that you've mistakenly took him for one you've messed everything up. We're going to have to scrap the while plan now."

Colane narrowed her eyes a little. "What do you mean?"

Mavarion glared at the woman before her. "I mean that now you have a new option. And trust me when I say it is your only one. You disappear from court without a trace, never to be seen again. I will of course tell the men that I had a different doctor look over you again and found there was no baby. You will be disgraced in the eyes of the court, as punishment for your foolishness. In return I will see that you are retired to one of my private escapes to live out the rest of your life in comfort. There you may sleep with whomever you want."

Colane's face turned red with her anger. "What kind of an option is that? You forget that I could also go to Jareth and tell him that this whole thing was his mother's idea. I don't think he'd be very thrilled with you if he knew."

Mavarion felt a cold, calm rage take over her. She gripped a lock of the other female's red hair and used it to throw her to the ground next to her. The other female looked up at the woman with shock and fear. "Don't get up." Mavarion commanded when she moved to get to her knees.

Colane froze where she was in fear of what the queen would do next.

Mavarion stood tall over Colane. "I'm afraid once again you see options that are not present to you. The day you open your mouth about our little plan will be the last your eyes will ever see." Her voice held nothing but promise when she said it. "Will you try for that option girl, or will you take the one that I have provided for you?"

There was a long silence as Colane glared up at her. Finally she lowered her eyes from her queen's. "I will go," she bit out hatefully, "Your majesty."

Chapter 26: The Costs of Winning

"Are you alright Human?"

Sarah looked up from Toby in her lap towards the open doorway of her room. She wasn't surprised to see Bumper standing there watching her. Granted, that she would have been too tired to register surprise even if he was suddenly seven feet tall instead of his usual two and a half. Sarah didn't bother to answer him as she let her head drop back down.

Toby was sleeping in her lap. She had wanted to fall asleep too, she was so tired, but in the end she was just left sitting up in a depressed trance-like state.

Bumper invited himself into her room and made his way over to the side of her bed to look up at her. He cocked his head to the side and took a long moment to examine her. Finally he let out a disgusted noise that managed to make Sarah jump slightly and turned back toward the door. "You humans get too emotional. Just earlier you were happy enough. Every time I turn around you are either laughing or crying hysterically! Have you ever thought of just living a dull life?"

Even as depressed as she was Sarah couldn't hold back a bitter laugh at that.

Bumper turned back to give her a glare. "See, just like that!" He turned back to her and climbed up onto the bed's edge to sit. He made sure to keep his voice down to not disturb her brother. "What is wrong with you now?"

Sarah only frowned at him for his tone. "If you are just going to be huffy with me than don't bother asking."

Bumper gave a shrug.

Sarah turned her attention back to Toby, only to surprise herself when she started speaking without even thinking about it. "The king has gotten a woman pregnant. He'll be leaving eventually to live in the Fae court and raise her child and be her husband."

Bumper stared at her blankly. He obviously didn't understand why that was upsetting.

Sarah let out a sigh. "What would you do if the wo- err, goblin you loved had to be with a different male?"

Bumper didn't even hesitate. "If he was smaller than me I would crush him. If he was bigger than I would go see her when he wasn't looking."

Sarah couldn't help but laugh at that. "Well I'm not sure that will work in my case."

"Goblins don't really fall in love though, not the way you other creatures seem to. We more or less just grow fond of each other. If we can be fond enough of each other to last a couple days or so together than normally a gobbling is produced and we move on to another fondness."

Sarah raised an eyebrow at that. "I see, must be nice."

Bumper shrugged. They sat in silence for a minute. "Who is going to be the next queen?"

Sarah let out her own disgusted noise. "Colane, some stupid and mean little… slut!"

Bumper frowned then. "Don't be stupid human, Colane can't be pregnant."

Sarah looked up at that. "What?"

Bumper rolled his eyes. "I said, don't be st-

"I heard you; I'm asking what you mean by that."

"I slipped the same contraceptive drug that I gave to you to all the women that the king had over before they left. If they got pregnant from him it was a one in a million chance, possibly billion for that matter."

Sarah was sure confusion was painted across her face. Her head was spinning from that information. "And Colane took it too?"

Bumper nodded his head. "They would almost always be thirsty after they were with the king."

Sarah leaned back against the wall behind her bed. Colane couldn't have been pregnant with Jareth's child then, could she? There was no way. Her smile diminished as more questions started popping into her head though. "Why were you giving all the females drugs?" Sarah asked.

Bumper lowered his head like he was ashamed suddenly. "I had to as part of an agreement I had with someone. You don't get to ask me no more than that."

"Who would want you to hurt Jareth's chances of becoming king?"

"I already said that that was all you would get to ask me on the subject," Bumper snapped.

Sarah frowned at that. "Why would you tell me about what you did in the first place?"

Bumper stared hard at the empty doorway, unable to meet her eyes. "Because I owed you is why. I didn't mean to, but I helped cause both you and his majesty a lot of pain. I won't do it again, but I wanted to make up for what I had done. Hopefully what I just told you will give you happiness again."

Sarah just felt even more confused as he walked out of her room without another word. She also felt hopeful though. Colane wasn't pregnant. She wanted to let Jareth know right away, but had no way of reaching him. She would have to wait for him to return to the labyrinth.

Sarah let out a yawn and sank down in her bed, ready for sleep and anxious for Jareth to return to the castle. Bumper was right, humans were too emotional.

"That barbarian hit me! I can't believe he actually tried to attack me in the middle of the throne room," Saboroth muttered out loud to no one in particular.

The medical Fae leaned over Saboroth to examine his nose, which had been gushing blood up until a few minutes ago. "It looks like he succeeded rather than 'tried'," he joked.

The med fell silent under the glare the Fae cast him. Saboroth tried to remember his face so that when he took over as king he could find him again and banish him.

Saboroth glared across the room at Jareth, who was getting his arm mended. Saboroth wanted to start throwing things against the wall, or possibly Jareth, when he couldn't help but notice that the only real damage done to his cousin was his arm was broken in a different spot. He wished he would have at least been able to nail him in the face, which had gone unscathed on Jareth.

His own face was swollen, achy, and he had two black eyes and a broken nose. The doctor had also informed him of a bruised tailbone that would heal by the next day, but made it painful to sit down. He probably got that when Jareth sucker punched him and knocked him to the ground.

If only the Weres had killed him when they had the chance.

The med asked him if he wanted a bite plate while they tried to set his nose straight again.

Jareth glared over at Saboroth from across the room. One of the medics was trying to set the bone in his nose straight. Even the sounds of his cousin's screaming and cursing didn't help his mood any.

Jareth looked down at the nurse currently trying to wrap his arm in a new cast. The fight had reopened a wound and broken his arm further. He had already had it re-set again and was now being wrapped. Twice in two days! It really only hurt worse the second time they did it. He had screamed just as much as Saboroth was now.

What really made Jareth want to scream though, had nothing to do with the pain of his arm. Colane, that deceitful bitch, had told Saboroth about the most embarrassing moment in his life! Out of all the creatures she could have told she told his hateful cousin. Jareth wanted to strangle something!

No doubt Saboroth would now tell the entire Fae population. He would be the laughing stock at court! If the baby did turn out to be his cousin's which it most likely would be if what was said was true, no courtier would ever touch him again if they thought he was inept.

He was sure later that the feelings of wanting to crawl into a hole and die would find him. Right now, however, he was too mad about it being said out in the open like that to want to do anything but kill his cousin. Besides, his member happened to work perfectly fine, it just hadn't with Colane!

He looked up again to see that they had finished trying to do anything with his cousin's nose, taping a pad of gauze over top of it. Even under the cover of the gauze Jareth could tell that Saboroth's nose would heal back permanently crooked in the next couple of weeks. His two black eyes would be gone in a day or two given the abilities Faes had to heal themselves. Saboroth glared right back at him from across the room.

Jareth made to make a remark, but stopped when one of the guards stepped in front of him to block his view of his cousin. They had followed the queen's orders to make sure that he and Saboroth not say another word to each other for now.

The medic finished casting his arm and Jareth allowed her to place a sling over his head and tuck his arm into it against his chest. He was thankful that the medic had more sense in her head than to try to scold him for fighting so soon after his injury. She didn't say one word as she picked up her things and walked away.

They all looked up when Mavarion entered the room. Colane was no where in site. The queen looked rather peeved as she cast glares to both Saboroth and Jareth. "I hope you both are in pain for that stunt you pulled back in the throne room," she informed them coldly.

Neither said a word, just went back to glaring at each other once more.

"While you were being seen to I had my private doctor take a look at Colane to make sure the excitement didn't hurt the baby." She paused before continuing. "He informed me that he had made a mistake the first time and that Colane is not pregnant after all. So the bet will continue."

Jareth felt his own jaw drop at that. "Not pregnant, but she had a bump!"

Saboroth rolled his eyes. "After hardly a month? How stupid could you be o cousin mine?"

Mavarion pursed her lips. "She had known all along that she wasn't pregnant, Jareth. I believe she made it look like she was pregnant just to further convince you of otherwise."

If his jaw hadn't already have been open it would have dropped again. "She knew?"

Saboroth seemed interested about that too.

Mavarion nodded her head. "Yes. When I found out I had her banished from this castle right away for such deceitful trickery. She won't be seen around here again if she hopes to stay alive."

"The bet continues then?" Saboroth asked, his voice full of boredom.

Mavarion simply nodded her head.

Jareth glanced over as Saboroth slid down from the medical cot nonchalantly. "Well then, this was all a fun waste of time. I will be returning to my home now if there is nothing further."

Again his mother just shook her head; she was too deep in thought to give the Fae a proper dismissal.

Saboroth pushed one of the medics out of his way as he grabbed his cloak and moved past Jareth towards the door. "Hope you make a recovery, cousin," he sneered at Jareth.

He didn't need to be told to know that Saboroth wasn't talking about his injured arm. Gods, if he could just strangle the Fae for a few minutes…

"Jareth," his mother said, recalling his attention.

He wanted to wince at the look on her face. It was one of those we-need-to-talk faces that she had. He could guess what she would try to talk about and it wasn't something he wanted to discuss with her. "I'm fine," he muttered, praying for a dismissal.

He didn't get one, but the medics did as Mavarion asked them to go see to other patients and leave them alone for a while. Once the last nurse was cleared out of the room she went over and seated herself on a neighboring cot so she was facing Jareth. Then she let out a large sigh and allowed herself to actually slouch back. All the command and nobility just seemed to instantly drain from her face and all that was left was the worry and pity she felt for him as his mother.

The look on her face was enough to both plant him to his seat and make him want to hurry from the room at once. He didn't know who that look made more vulnerable, her or him.

"Jareth, is it true what Saboroth said about your… problem?" she asked finally.

"No, I mean… it was," he muttered.

She stared at him blankly.

"I mean, I did have… a problem with Colane, but I've since been able to overcome it."

"Who all were you with after Colane?"

Jareth hadn't blushed in who knew how long, but he felt his cheeks catch on fire at that. "Does that really matter?"

"Who?" Mavarion pressed.

Jareth fixed his stare on the floor. "Just the human in my castle."

"You haven't tried with any other of the courtiers since then?"

Jareth just shook his head. She wasn't saying anything, but he could practically hear what she was thinking about this. Doesn't he care if he wins the bet anymore? He's debased himself with a mortal, the shame! If he doesn't at least try with a courtier or, at the very least, impregnate the human he'll have no chance of becoming king.

"Do you plan to try for a child in the future with a Fae women?" she asked, a pinch of hope in her voice.

He simply shrugged, unsure about it himself. He didn't want to put Sarah through something like this again, but he couldn't very well turn his back on his kingdom, not even for her. Jareth rubbed his chest as if it hurt.

Mavarion was silent for what felt like a long time. She rose up from her cot and reseated herself next to Jareth on his, wrapping both her arms around him. It had been a long time since she had embraced him like this and Jareth found himself leaning against her smaller form. "My poor child," she cooed sympathetically, "We can't choose where we will love. That is the kind of power that only the Gods can possess."

Jareth left to return to the Labyrinth shortly after their talk. Mavarion had returned to her office to reflect on the occurrences of the day. In just a few short hours the scales had tipped from Jareth being the next king to sliding in Saboroth's favor. With Jareth's heart caught up in the human he showed no signs of trying for offspring with another female anytime soon.

It wouldn't help him at all that by tomorrow rumors of his condition would be flying throughout the walls of the court. The political thing for her son to do would be to start bedding as many females as possible before the night was out so that the rumors would undoubtedly hold no more worth than the spit wasted in saying them. That wasn't going to happen any time soon though.

She couldn't help but feel curious about this female Jareth had love for. Not only had this girl managed to win his heart, but his loyalty. Monogamy was not something widely practiced among the Fae, and certainly not the nobility. She'd had as many as eight lovers during her prime, not counting all the spur of the moment lovers! It was a normal thing for their race. What her son was doing now was certainly not normal.

When she had asked him if he was at least trying for an offspring with the human he informed her that he was not! A child conceived between a Fae and a human almost always possessed all their Fae parent's powers and would grow up to be accepted members of the Fae community. It would have actually been clever of him to do it that way since it would mean he wouldn't have to marry the female and the child would win him the bet. Everyone knew that humans could breed like rabbits!

But he had said he wouldn't do that. Somehow the human had even secured a promise from him to not use her for the sake of politics!

Perhaps a meeting with the human girl was in order.

Jareth stared into Sarah's room. He didn't look at it as intruding since her door had been ajar when he had walked down to tell her the news. He found himself caught in the doorway, however, suddenly feeling like an intruder in his own castle as he watched her sleeping peacefully in her meager bed with her little brother wrapped up in her arms. Intruding or not, he didn't want to leave.

Jareth crept into the little room, moving silently so she wouldn't wake up. He knew when she woke up she would be angry with him again. Even though the pregnancy had been a ruse it only made things better for the moment. How long before they had to go through this again? And if they did escape the pain it would only be because he had lost the bet with Saboroth. If that happened than no one would be happy again for the next three hundred years.

Jareth reached out to Sarah and placed his hand on her stomach over the covers. He had promised her he wouldn't include her in the bet. He suddenly wished he hadn't made that promise.

Sarah let out a little moan and rolled over to spoon with Toby.

Almost without even thinking, Jareth climbed onto the bed behind her, wanting to hold her so badly he didn't care about anything else at the moment. Sarah jolted awake at the sudden movement of the bed, turning her head to look up at him with sleep filled eyes. "Jareth?" she questioned, still half asleep.

He said nothing, just stretched against the length of her body, providing a solid weight to her back. His arm stretched out over her own till his hand came to rest on Toby's back so that he was holding them both. Sarah let out another sigh and, rather than asking him to leave, she turned back and settled against his body. They would talk when she was awake, till then Jareth was content just to hold her.

X

Saboroth wanted to strangle something!

He hadn't been found out about the attack on Jareth, but that could possibly be just a matter of time. He wasn't surprised that Colane had lied; he was only surprised that she had thought she'd get away with it.

Maybe that wasn't too surprising either.

He'd probably have to wait for his nose to heal though before a woman would willingly touch him though. As it was he looked atrocious. Meanwhile Jareth had a human woman at his disposal who last he had known, he had certainly bedded once already. As far as he was concerned, his cousin was ahead in the game at this point.

On top of it all it was obvious the queen was favoring her son in this. If she didn't she would have made Saboroth king by now. It wouldn't have surprised him if she had had something to do with Colane's little scheme.

Something about that thought stuck with him.

It as very possible she had something to do with it. She had mentioned that her doctor had said Colane was pregnant in the first place. How does a doctor make a mistake like that?

He couldn't help but chuckle out loud. If she had been in on the ruse than the win should go to him by default. He just had to prove that she had been in on it. That would be no easy task. He'd have to do so before they were able to place him in connection with the attempt on Jareth's life. He also had to do so before Jareth managed to impregnate the human girl.

First thing tomorrow he would go have a talk with the royal doctor.

Chapter 27: What's Your Proof?

Sarah woke up the next morning feeling both lighter and more peaceful than she had in a long time. How weird that it felt like all in the world was right when there was no doubt that it in fact wasn't. Sarah looked down at Toby sleeping in her arms, then back at Jareth who was curled up behind her. He wasn't asleep though, his eyelids drooping as though he had only woken up minutes before she had.

His look was both sleep-ridden and apprehensive, like he expected her to turn around and push him out of the bed or something.

This was probably why she had felt like everything was right, because despite all that was happening she had, at this moment, everything that mattered in her life devoted to her. Toby and Jareth, they had become what she lived for.

Jareth let out a long yawn, his body tensioning behind her and then coming back to relax against her. "I need to tell you something," he whispered against her ear so as to not disturb Toby.

Sarah ran a hand through Toby's thick hair as she waited, still too tired to talk much.

"Colane is not pregnant, she lied about it."

Sarah let out a sigh of her own, happy to hear the news she had already expected. "I'm glad."

As soon as she whispered the words out loud it was like all the relief and grief and raw emotions just boiled over on her, making her who body hum with the effort of suppressing even more tears. She wasn't sad, just very relieved, and happy.

Jareth wrapped his uninjured arm more tightly around her and Toby stirred in her arms, preparing to make a fuss. Sarah allowed Jareth to hold on to her but she couldn't ignore Toby's cries. "You're hungry aren't you, little one?"

"I don't suppose he got to eat last night either?" Jareth asked from behind her.

Sarah simply shook her head.

"Then I'm sure you didn't either."

Sarah nodded and, as much as she didn't want to, she pulled out of the king's grasp and prepared to get up. "I'll make some breakfast."

"Don't bother, we'll get something to eat at court," Jareth sighed, getting up off the bed himself.

Sarah turned around to face him as he pulled his boots back onto his feet. "Court?"

Jareth nodded. I don't wish to leave you, but it's the last day of the week and I have to appear in court. Since that is unavoidable, I will take you with me.

Sarah didn't know what she thought about that. Her in the middle of the Fae court? Humans only went there to either serve in the stables of be accused of crimes. "What would I do there?"

Jareth's smirk vanished and was replaced by tinges of regret, like he didn't want to say what he was about to. "You will behave as my servant."

Of course. In all reality that answer should have been obvious, what else could she be to him there? Sarah brushed some dirt off of the skirt of her plain little dress self-consciously as Jareth walked over towards her.

The look on his face made her think that for a moment he was going to apologize for her having to behave in such a way out in public, but at the last minute he simply turned to the door and beckoned her to follow him.

The Fae Court was… indescribable! Full of wonderful perfumed smells and there were colors everywhere that Sarah had never before seen. She tried not to fall too far behind Jareth's steps as she gazed at everything. It wouldn't do for a servant to become distracted and lose her master.

Jareth was obviously walking a lot slower than normal in order for her to not seem so obvious and still allow her to take in as much as possible with her head tilted down. As long as no other Fae were around as they walked through the halls, she could look around without seeming disgraceful to her 'master'. She had even glanced up at the ceiling a few times!

Everything here was so lovely compared to the drab, dark castle in the Labyrinth. The lights almost hurt her eyes.

Toby was held against her stomach in a little sheet that she had tied babushka-style around her shoulder, his eyes just staring up at the painted murals on the ceiling above them in wonder.

"This way, human," Jareth called when she had fallen far enough behind to almost miss him taking a left turn.

Sarah snapped her head down to the ground as a Fae guard walked past her and hurried after Jareth.

The turn he had taken led into a short walkway and beyond that the room opened up into a monstrous dining hall that made Jareth's own look no bigger than a bathroom. Crystal chandeliers hung down from the ceiling and lit up the vast room full of long tables and padded chairs. There was a band in the corner of the room playing soft music to aid good digestion and well dressed servants would be seen spotted throughout the room to take away empty plates and pour wine into a dining Fae's goblet.

The room was no where close to full with about twenty or so Faes sitting at different tables throughout.

As soon as a few of them spotted Jareth the Fae's all rose up from their seats as was protocol and all the servants bowed low at the waste. Sarah hung back by the door, not entirely sure what she was suppose to do. One of the servants ran up to Jareth and, giving another low bow, offered to escort him to a seat.

"My servant will need to be fed too," Jareth simply said, gesturing behind him towards Sarah.

The servant peered over Jareth's shoulder at Sarah and Toby. She wasn't entirely sure, but it seemed like the male was a human like her. He offered her a small smile which she returned before showing Jareth to a table up near the other end of the great room. Sarah went to follow, but stopped when Jareth glanced back at her and held his hand up a bit to let her know not to trail them.

Sarah waited patiently, focusing on Toby as she did. He was very heavy now. Soon he would be walking and she wouldn't have to carry him around like this anymore. Which was great because she already wanted to set him down to give her back a rest. He smiled up at her and she smiled back before sticking her tongue out at him to make him laugh.

"This way, please."

Sarah looked up from Toby in embarrassment as the human servant held his arm out to show her in which direction to walk. Sarah looked over at the opposite side of the room from where he had placed Jareth to see the double doors that no doubt led to the kitchens. She had expected this much since she was used to it back at the Labyrinth. Sarah gave the male a nod of thanks and walked ahead of him into the kitchen where she and Toby would be allowed to eat.

Jareth watched the male take Sarah away into the kitchens wearily. He felt a little guilty having her restricted in behavior like this… like a normal servant. He had never realized just how liberal he had been with her back at the goblin castle till now. There she didn't act so boring and doll-like. It had been interesting watching her reactions to the castle and he only wished he could have allowed her to look more freely without trying to keep up whatever little charade they were doing now.

He felt more restricted in his behavior too. He had wanted to let her know that one of the vases she had admired to fondly in the hall was a one of a kind hand-made by dwarfs. A simple comment, but one he hadn't made because Faes here don't chit-chat with their servants. Or do anything but command them.

He couldn't wait to get out of court and go back to the Labyrinth where he was entirely free to do as he pleased. This castle was oppressive to all within it. He was beginning to realize that even his own mother, the Queen of the Underground, was restricted here by her royal obligations and traditions. When he became king he would be too.

"Jareth."

The sound of his name snapped him out of his own thoughts and he looked up to see his cousin Saboroth standing in front of him. He couldn't help but smirk when he saw how gross Saboroth's face looked and knew that he had caused it. "Saboroth," Jareth nodded in acknowledgment

His cousin waited for no invitation as he took a seat across the table from him. One of the servants rushed over to try to take a breakfast order from him, but Saboroth waved him off. "I'm surprised to see you here today," Saboroth sneered at Jareth.

"A busted arm isn't enough to make me forget that I have to keep coming to court once a week for the bet."

"Pity. It's sweet that you still come to court though when it's palpable you can't win the second part of the bet; it shows real character and determination."

Jareth bit back the urge to attack his cousin once more for his comments. It was obvious Saboroth was trying to get him worked up. "What do you want cousin?" Jareth snapped.

Saboroth gave a smug grin, as much as he could anyway with a busted lip and swollen face. "I just had to come and give you the news myself."

"What news?"

"That after today I will be the next ruler of the Underground. I thought I'd be a sport and come and tell you now before you wasted a trip to court today."

"What are you talking about?" Jareth demanded, his patience already stretched thin.

"I mean that I suspect foul play on your side of the bet. If there was any such thing than of course I would have to win by default."

Jareth let out a feh at that and rolled his eyes. "What foul play am I accused of? I've done nothing but play honestly."

"You know for once I believe you, but just because you are innocent of it, wouldn't excuse any rigging done in your favor by anyone else. While you are in court today, dear cousin, I will be acquiring the proof I need to end this silly little wager, if you wanted to though you could always try to detain me, but you'd have to miss court yourself and then I'd still win."

Jareth could only fume as Saboroth got up from the table and walked out of the dining hall. His cousin had something up his sleeves.

Jareth didn't even notice the servant until he was right up next to him.

"Excuse me, your highness, but I have a message from the queen."

Sarah was in a daze. She and Toby had been sitting in the royal kitchens enjoying some toast and eggs that the human male, Henry, had ordered for them. He had been rather nice, commenting on how sweet Toby looked… although he had thought he was a girl because of the longer hair.

The kitchens had been so large and spectacular and clean compared to her own and there were at least four cooking servants alone. She was in total awe.

Then out of no where one of the servants dashed in demanding that she leave Toby with Henry and go with his majesty (Jareth) straight away. She wasn't even given time to ask questions as the servant practically ripped Toby from her arms and handed him over to the male servant before taking a grip on her wrist and leading her back out into the main dinning hall.

Even though she was burning to ask what was going on, she bit her tongue and tried to keep her head down like an obedient servant would. She stole a glance or two at Jareth; he looked just as confused as she felt as they were both led out of the dining hall by the servant and down the vast hallways.

This time she didn't try to look around her at all the interesting things that decorated the castle, feeling too anxious to do much else but just keep her eyes on Jareth's back and try to keep up with their longer strides.

Now she was sitting in a daze in the Queen of the Underground's private office along with Jareth. She'd never felt so nervous in her life as they sat waiting for the queen to meet them there. The servant had disappeared after dropping them off so she was able to ask Jareth what was going on. All he knew was that the queen had asked to have them summoned. Then he had grumbled a little about how she wasn't even here yet.

Sarah was thankful for that actually, she was in enough shock just being in someplace like the Queen's office. Having the queen in here too might have been too much right off the bat. Why she had to even be here was a mystery to her, couldn't she have been left with Toby? What was she even supposed to do here? Just sit and quietly pretend she was a plant or would she have to serve tea or something? Couldn't one of the queen's own servants have done that?

She wasn't able to ponder it further when the door handle turned behind them and Sarah froze in her seat.

Jareth glanced back like he was bored or annoyed before letting out a huff and turning back around in his chair. "I hope I wasn't called away from my breakfast just for another one of your little chats mother."

Sarah wanted to gape at him for speaking to her in such a manner. Sure the Queen was his mother and all, but such insolence shown by anyone else would probably result in harsh reprimand. She had never seen the Queen and couldn't help but feel worry for Jareth over how she would respond.

Sarah chanced a glance up, only to snap her head back down when she saw that the queen was looking right at her. Even from the brief glance she had gotten, Sarah could tell that the Queen was a beautiful Fae with a commanding presence that was much like the one Jareth had, except her eyes had been more open and calculating. It had been like she was taking in everything about the situation and analyzing it in ways beyond Sarah's comprehension.

"I thought it would be a good idea to meet with you before court today," the Queen said in a pleasing melodic voice.

Sarah saw the Queen come around the desk out of the corner of her eye and waited on pins and needles as the woman took her seat across from them.

"I had heard that you'd brought your servant with you today."

The whole court was buzzing with both the news that Jareth had a human with him and with Colane and Saboroth's rumors. What Mavarion was interested in was the prior. If there was a human with her son she was willing to bet she knew who it was.

The girl sitting in her office next to her son was without a doubt the one he had told her about. Mavarion looked her over carefully, ignoring that the girl was obviously uncomfortable. Everything about her, from her flat brown strands of hair to her thin meager build offered up nothing particularly stunning to look at. She was pretty enough, but not when compared to the beauty of the Fae. What's more was that this female was hardly even a woman yet, no doubt naïve to the world and the games played in it. How she could have bewitched Jareth so Mavarion couldn't begin to guess at.

The female sneaked a glance up at her as she closed the door. Her face was like the rest of her, pretty but not stunning.

She couldn't see her son basing his infatuation with her on looks alone, and she wasn't about to believe that this girl had coaxed him into believing he was in love through any of the head games that Faes were known for. The girl looked quickly back down when she saw that she'd been caught staring.

Mavarion moved to sit behind her desk and greeted her son briefly as he continued to scowl in annoyance.

"Just what is it you wanted Mother?" Jareth huffed again.

"Is this the girl who… works for you?" she asked, knowing the answer but wanting a conformation. She had meant to ask if this was the girl he had mentioned loving, but didn't want to say it out loud in front of her for some reason. Even as it was the female wrung her fingers uncomfortably in her lap like she wanted to pull them off.

Jareth sent her a warning glare and tightly nodded his head. "She is."

"I'd like to speak to her alone if I may."

The look her son gave her told her that he wasn't about to allow any such thing. "Surely you wouldn't debase yourself so," he said, stumbling over the word 'debase' like he said it only for her own benefit.

"I think I will recover from it. Leave us Jareth," she commanded.

Jareth didn't move to get up, actually ignoring a direct command from her. And for what, a human? He sent several glances toward the girl like he was nervous and worried for her.

Mavarion spoke more sharply. "Either go outside and wait or I'll have a guard escort you out."

Jareth looked up at her in disbelief and even the human girl glanced up in surprise.

Jareth had no choice then. He shot her another warning look before glancing once more at Sarah. Slowly, he lifted himself from his chair like he wanted to offer the human some sort of support. Mavarion was pleased to see that he still had enough control over himself to know better than that and simply left without a further word to either of them.

Now that her son was gone the human girl started to tremble slightly in front of her. She was pleased to see that the girl had given herself no delusions that sleeping with Jareth would protect her in anyway from any wrath Mavarion wished to befall upon her.

"What is your name human?"

The girl murmured something she couldn't hear. "Speak up," she commanded, "Don't mumble when you are addressed by royalty."

"S-Sarah, your majesty," the girl said with a shaky voice.

She was afraid. Good, it would make this easier. Mavarion bore no ill will against this girl, but she loved her son too much to allow him to risk throwing everything away for an infatuation with a human. "My son seems to have taken quite the liking towards you, Sarah. Do you have any idea why this is?"

The girl just shook her head, completely clueless.

It was obvious that she wasn't dealing with a girl who was playing games, or who even probably knew what was going on right in front of her. "Do you know that my son is in line to be the next king of the Underground?"

Sarah nodded her head, still staring down at the floor. "Yes ma'am."

"Let's just stick with 'Your Majesty'. Then I'm sure you are aware that, as is custom, he will have to someday take on a queen of Fae bloodlines and sire children. That is his destiny and his role in life. Would you not agree?"

"Yes your majesty," the girl said, sounding a little less afraid and a little more thoughtful.

"Tell me Human, what is your destiny?"

The girl looked down at the desk top blankly.

"Will you continue to dwell with goblins in the Labyrinth? Will you be discarded by my son and forced to fend for yourself and your little one? If my son should even decide to keep you with him, do you realize that all you can ever hope to be is his mistress? A dishonorable one at that? You'll end up being one of his dirty little secrets. The future is not so bright for a human in this world."

The human looked upset now, but not surprised, like she had already gone over all of this in her head.

"Don't look so upset, Human. It doesn't have to be that way for you."

Sarah glanced up at her then, confused.

"I've always had a weak spot for those less fortunate," Mavarion shrugged, "I'd be willing to help both you and your babe out of your current predicament."

"What do you mean… your majesty?" the girl tacked on.

"Growing up as the relative of the king's whore is no kind of life for a human babe, nor is it a life that you yourself should have to tolerate. I don't see my son falling out of love with you anytime soon and allowing you to stay behind. He'll almost assuredly either stay in the Labyrinth, which can not happen, or bring you with him as his mistress.

"If you allow me to help, I can have both you and your brother sent somewhere where you can be free. There are other worlds besides this one Sarah, ones where humans are not slaves and there is no magic. A fine world where you both could be happy. I'll take care of Jareth for you, all you need to do is say the word and it can all be arranged!"

She paused there, giving the human a second to process her words. Sarah looked positively awe-struck as she stared down at the top of the wooden desk. Finally she looked up and met the queen's gaze, somewhat surprising her.

"Did you say he was in love with me?"

The look on the human's face and the sheer wonder in her voice was enough to make Mavarion scowl. "What?"

"You said you couldn't see him falling out of love with me anytime soon. He's in love with me?"

Had she not listened to anything else she had said?

"I meant he's infatuated with you. It's nothing more than that I assure you. He'll grow bored and then where will you be? Think of your babe!"

The corners of her lips lifted slightly with a little smile. "He does love me," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

"I meant to say infatuated you silly girl," Mavarion snapped.

Sarah looked up at her boldly then. "If that's what you meant to say than why did you say 'love'. There is a big difference between the two."

Mavarion felt stunned for the first time in… well since yesterday when Saboroth announced that Jareth was unmanly in all honesty. "D-don't you dare address me in such a manner Human, you have no place to question me or what I say. I say that he is infatuated with you and nothing more."

Sarah sent her a heated glare before dropping her head down to look at the floor again. This time it was more and act of protocol than respect though. "I think you are wrong, your majesty."

Mavarion was lost for words. She didn't know if she was angry, or amazed or what at the girl's statement. There were high-ranking male Fae here in court who would never dare utter a statement like that in front of her.

"She's something isn't she?"

Both females jumped and looked over to the door where Jareth stood listening. Neither had noticed that he had cracked the door open a little to listen in on their conversation. Mavarion tried to regain her composure as her son stared over at Sarah adoringly. How much had he heard?

"Jareth, I told you to wait outside."

He pushed the door open further and stepped into the room, ignoring Mavarion as he held his hand out to Sarah. The human took it eagerly and allowed him to pull her out of her seat and towards the door. "Wait outside for just a second, Sarah," he told her. "I'll be out shortly."

The human nodded her head slightly, looking nervous once more at the prospect of being left alone, but did as told and stepped out of the room. The door closing shut behind her.

Jareth didn't look angry as he sat down across from her in a chair. He looked amused actually, and perhaps a little smug. "You couldn't figure it out could you?"

Mavarion scowled at him, her patience gone at this point. "What?" she snapped.

"Why I love her, I saw the way you were looking at her, trying to figure out how she could have tricked me in such a way. You wouldn't allow yourself to believe for one minute that I actually loved her. 'An infatuation' I believe is what you called it."

Mavarion sat down in her seat, never once letting her glare slip from Jareth as he mocked her.

"She's annoying isn't she?" he laughed, "I bet you never thought you'd be spoken to like that by a human did you?"

"It's not as amusing as you think," she hissed, her anger building up.

"Don't look so upset Mother, she does the same thing to me and worse. But you won't find a braver or more honest creature in the whole of the Underground I assure you. That's why I love her Mother, because she is something that is real. She isn't another phony yes-man or cow-towing courtier. She doesn't play games with people, as you found out, and she approaches every situation openly and honestly no matter what. I wish at times I had the courage she had."

"Courage can sometimes be confused with recklessness and stupidity, Son."

Jareth shook his head, still smiling smugly, "Not in this case, Mother. Just like love can not be confused with infatuation when it comes to Sarah."

Sarah sat on the floor against the wall next to the office door, nervously biting her lower lip. She hadn't realized it at the time, but it probably hadn't been a good idea to tell the Queen of the Underground who could have her killed for no reason at all that she was wrong. All the same she had been though.

Even though she was nervous, Sarah also felt extremely proud as she sat and waited. Jareth had obviously talked about her to his mother, and she suspected that if the queen slipped up enough to use the word 'love' it was because it had been used before. She could help but get a big stupid grin on her face at the unshakable knowledge she now had that Jareth loved her. It was like conformation that he was never just using her and that he felt the same way about her that she felt about him.

The queen had been right about what the future undoubtedly held for her, but right now she didn't care at all because Jareth loved her. She could worry about it later, right now she just wanted to keep riding this cloud of bliss that she was currently stationed on.

The door opened up next to her and she scrambled to her feet as both Jareth and the queen stepped out into the hall. Jareth smiled down at her and offered her a hand to help her stand up. Apparently he was on the same cloud as she was at the moment.

Mavarion wasn't smiling, but she didn't look really pissed off anymore either. She looked really conflicted like she wanted to both be happy and start fuming. In the end she did neither.

She looked Sarah over a few more times from her head to her feet before simply looking back to her son. "I guess I will see you in court today then?"

Jareth stared to nod before suddenly his head snapped up in alarm and he turned back to his mother, all but forgetting about Sarah. "Saboroth is up to something, I forgot to mention it before."

Mavarion looked stressed at that too, "What? What are you talking about?"

"This morning at breakfast he started saying something about how he suspected foul play on my behalf and that he would be getting proof while I was in court today."

Mavarion turned a very pale shade at that. "Foul play? If there is any foul play it would be on his part. I'm sure he had a hand in those Weres coming after you."

"As do I, but we have no proof," Jareth grumbled.

Sarah had very little to no idea what they were talking about, except for the part about the Weres. "When I was with them they said something about being rewarded for killing you," she spoke up, wondering if that had anything to do with what they were talking about.

Judging by the sudden looks of interest they gave her, it did.

Jareth turned to face her. "They did? Did they say who it was that would reward them?"

"Think hard Girl," Mavarion commanded.

Sarah could only shake her head. "They didn't mention names."

Both Jareth and the Queen looked utterly disappointed, their faces almost identical when she said that.

"Why don't you ask Cooper? He may know if he is still alive," she offered up.

"Cooper?" Mavarion asked.

"What do you mean?" Jareth said, his look of disappointment gone like it had never been there.

"When the goblins found us the Weres all took off running. The rest were killed, but Cooper fell down into an oubliette. I don't know if he was left there or if the goblins killed him, but he'd probably know how sent them if you asked him."

"There's our proof!" the queen smiled.

Jareth turned back to Sarah. "Do you remember where it happened?"

"The Labyrinth was never put back together because of your injuries, so yes I think I could find it," Sarah said after a minute.

Jareth turned back to Mavarion. "Even if he is a live and knows that Saboroth had a hand in it, I have to go to court or I forfeit the bet! And Saboroth is going to be trying to turn up his own proof at that time."

Mavarion shrugged. "We have to hurry then. You will have to go to court, there is no getting out of it. Give them my apologies and let them know you will be filling in my place today dear. Your human and I will go to the Labyrinth so she can find this 'Cooper' and I can stay away from Saboroth. If I'm not here for him to show any proof to, then we needn't worry about him having you lose by default before we are able to do the same to him."

Sarah couldn't help but worry. So many things could go wrong but right now it was all they could do to just do as the queen had suggested and hope for the best.

Jareth didn't seem happy about the plan either. "I don't want to have to sit around and do nothing while you two take care of things for me."

"Consider it practice," Mavarion sighed.

Chapter 28: The Trail Runs Cold

Sarah sat quietly in the carriage across from Mavarion. She had left Toby behind at the Fae Court at the queen's insistence about time. She didn't know what Jareth had said to his mother, but she was happy that the queen was no longer trying to bribe her to disappear from Jareth's life. The queen was still treating her like a servant though, perhaps a little nicer… but just a little.

"Human, are you sure you remember where to find the Were?" the Queen asked for the twentieth time.

"I said I think so, but I have no idea if he's even still alive or not," Sarah answered once more.

The Queen gave her a skeptical glance before looking back out the window. "Oh, finally!" she gasped.

Sarah leaned over to peer out the window herself. The carriage was soaring high in the air over the many twists and turns of the jumbled up Labyrinth. It looked even more of a mess than usual since Jareth had yet to put it back to rights. They had to fly over it since the shortcut had been destroyed. Sarah leaned out the window a little further so that she could yell out to the goblins, Grungle in front in the coachmen's seat and Drappen holding onto the back. "Just set us down in the front and then it's just a straight shot into the maze from there!"

"I know that, I was one of the ones who found you remember!" Grungle shouted back, cracking his whip in the air as the horses swooped down towards the ground.

Sarah sat back in her seat and pressed her hands firmly against the ceiling above her. "Brace yourself, your majesty," she advised.

Mavarion gave her a confused look but placed her hands lightly against the ceiling like she wasn't sure why she was doing such a thing.

The horses landed and the carriage bounced against the force of the ground, threatening to throw the occupants against the ceiling. Since Sarah had been ready for it she was able to stay securely in her seat till the carriage was rolling smoothly across the ground. The Queen hadn't been expecting it though, and nearly fell onto the floor between them. Sarah suppressed her smile of amusement and leaned back in her seat, forcing herself to act aloof about the whole thing.

"Why does my son insist on traveling like this?" Mavarion moaned, righting herself back in her seat.

Sarah simply shrugged.

If it weren't for the fact that he was surrounded by Fae whom would try to stop him, Jareth would have started beating his head against the wooden table in front of him. Sitting here and listening to a few old farts drag on and on about nothing at a time like this was worse than torture. He would almost rather swim laps in the Bog of Stench. At least then he'd be doing something other than just sitting and waiting while everyone else was out trying to shape his future for him.

He couldn't even pay attention to what was being said so he wasn't any good here. He couldn't go though. Even if Saboroth turned up nothing against him he'd end up losing if he left court today. Maybe that was it… maybe Saboroth had just said those things to him to get him to skip out on court in hopes of finding out what he was up to.

A very small part of him wished that neither his Mother and Sarah, nor Saboroth turned up anything because at least then he wouldn't be stuck in this oppressive court for nothing. On the other hand if Sarah and his mother did get proof that Saboroth had been behind the assassination attempt he wouldn't cry about it.

Saboroth peered up and down the hall before turning the knob and slipping into the room unseen. Jareth and the queen would be at court for a while, so he was safe to look around as he pleased. Saboroth went over to the queen's desk and sat down in the chair behind it, making himself comfortable. Her desk was cleaned off but he had spent enough time both in court and in here to know how she liked to organize things. She would never keep anything incriminating around for long, so he had to hope that he wasn't too late.

Saboroth pulled open the secrete drawer located on the inside of the desk next to his left leg and pulled out a couple files from in there. The first was nothing too interesting, some deeds to land and homes. He wasn't worried about that because when he became king he would own all of it anyway. The second one was a track sheet of bills and payments. It didn't seem like something a person would normally hide.

Saboroth looked at that one more closely. It seemed that an awful lot of money was going towards a distant country estate that the queen owned, especially by way of food and a few servants. The dates were very recent, just a day or so ago in fact.

He was willing to bet everything that that was where Colane was being kept then, out of sight and where she wouldn't cause more trouble. Saboroth still had use for the girl, something Mavarion must have anticipated. He would go pay her a visit the moment he went to see the royal doctor. After all… the female was probably getting lonely in exile and would no doubt be willing to cut one last deal with him.

Saboroth took the tracking sheet with him so he could find the address later, leaving the deeds folder out on the desk that would be his before the day was over.

He made his way briskly to the west wing of the castle where the medics were stationed. The private doctor wouldn't be there with the rest of them, but they would know where he was kept so Saboroth would start his searching there.

"Whoa," Grungle croaked, slowing the carriage to a stop.

Sarah sat forward in her seat and looked out the window. This was close to where she had been rescued all right; the stone walls to the mini labyrinth Jareth had created were split open in front of them, looking all but welcoming with the wall plants already growing up the sides.

"Why are we stopping here?" Mavarion asked.

Sarah glanced over to take in the queen's full skirts and the heels she wore on her feet. This wouldn't be a trip for her to make.

"This is where it all ended," Sarah told her, leaning back as Drappen opened up the carriage door. "You may want to stay here your majesty; you aren't quiet dressed for hiking through a mini Labyrinth."

The queen stuck her chin up in the air and stepped out of the carriage, going her best not to touch Drappen's outstretched hand to help her. "I will be just fine," she sniffed, summoning a crystal and throwing it in the air above her. Sarah and the two goblins watched as the crystal burst into a mass of glitter and showered down over the queen, her clothes changing as the glitter fell around her. By the time all the glitter had settled around her feet she was no longer dressed in a billowy gown, but wore instead a simple black dress that fell to her feet and were slit up to the thigh on both sides for movement. She wore simple flat shoes on her feet and her long hair was up in a tight bun rather than trailing behind her.

Sarah looked down at the dirty white dress she wore and really envied the queen. Some shoes would have at least been nice. Sarah tried not to stare at the queen too much as she took Drappen's hand and stepped out of the carriage.

Grungle hopped down from the driver's seat and tied tethered the horses to a nearby bush. "We found you just on the other side of this wall. They didn't run far from it before we caught each of them."

"It shouldn't be that hard to spot a big hole in the ground," Sarah insisted.

"Please, no one would ever fall in if it was just a big hole in front of you," Drappen bellowed, "The floor will just suddenly open up beneath them and then close right back up to trap them. Too bad the king isn't with us; he'd be able to sense it right away."

"I'm sure he wants to be here, he just can't be," Sarah shrugged.

Without another word they all made their way into the little stone labyrinth before them. Sarah thought it a little interesting that there was no evidence that anything had ever happened here, like all the blood should still be on the ground and the dirt should have imprints of paw prints and where she had fallen. There was nothing though.

All that was were was dirt, stone and the occasional ogle bush that had grown out of the cracks in the walls and watched their every move. The queen almost ran into one and jumped back like it had tried to bite her, "How revolting," she muttered, shaking her head.

Sarah walked further ahead, trying to figure out where she would have seen Cooper fall. It hadn't been too far away. It should have been in this area.

"Well?" Mavarion called out.

Sarah turned back to look at Grungle, who was making his way up beside her. "How do we find the oubliette?" she asked.

"You can find an oubliette by doing one of two things," he croaked.

"What are they?" Sarah demanded impatiently.

"You either step on one and fall in, or you watch someone else step on it and fall in."

Sarah rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "If that's all the help you're going to be-

She didn't get to finish her sentence as Grungle took another step towards her and let out a shriek as the ground beneath him fell open like a trapdoor and he fell down out of sight.

"Grungle!" Sarah shouted as both she and Drappen hurried over to the sides of the hole he had disappeared into. Sarah got down on all fours next to it and peered down at the circular impression of light at the bottom. She couldn't see Grungle or Cooper, only a circle of dirt. "Are you okay?" she called down.

There was a long silence in which Sarah couldn't help but grow nervous. What if he had broken his neck and was down there dead? Or what if Cooper was down there and was holding him prisoner?

"Grungle!" she shouted again.

"Quit shouting I'm trying to take a look around!" Grungle hollered back.

Sarah mentally apologized and let out a sigh of relief that he was okay. The queen staid back as she and Drappen gazed down into the hole and waited.

Sarah tensioned at the sound of a crash and grunts of a struggle and a lot of movement rose up all of a sudden from the hole. Then everything was silent again.

Grungle stepped out into the light raining down into the oubliette and held up a little fox by the tail as the creature struggled against him in determination and fear. "I found him trying to hide. How he thought he could run from me down there when he's obviously half starved is anyone's guess."

"Good job Grungle!" Sarah called down cheerfully. She looked up at Drappen. "How do we get hem out of there?"

Drappen ignored her and leaned in closer to the hole. "Throw it up here."

Sarah let out a surprised yelp as Grungle tossed the little fox straight up into the air past their heads. Drappen caught it in his massive fist as it started to fall back down. Sarah looked back down into the hole in time to see Grungle dig his long nails into the side if the oubliette wall and crawl up like something out of a nightmare.

"Is that it?" the queen called as the cover over the oubliette closed behind Grungle.

"We found him," Sarah shouted back. "We need him to change back into his man-form."

Grungle commanded the fox to do so, but nothing happened. The fox just stared at them with intelligent eyes like he was telling them 'not in this lifetime'.

"We can't make him change back," Sarah murmured, afraid of this very thing happening if they found him, that he'd be unwilling to cooperate in any way.

"Oh, he'll change," Drappen rumbled, "I'm going to start closing my fist on him, and he can either change so he's too big for it, or he can be crushed."

It only took a second before Cooper was back into his man-form, stock naked and almost thin enough to see through. His arm was still caught roughly in the large goblin's grasp. He reached down to hide himself with his free hand and started to shiver from both the chill in the air and the fear he had to be feeling. "What do you want from me?" he questioned them pitifully.

"Is this one that tried to kill my son?" Mavarion asked, her voice sharp and full of menace.

"Not really," Sarah answered, "He was in on the plot, but he was more a luggage boy than anything for the others." She turned back to Cooper and shot him a distasteful look. "Weren't you?"

The male scowled back at her. "What do you want?"

"Information," Mavarion said, coming closer at last. "You will give us the name of the one who sent you after my son."

Cooper shrugged. "Who said we were sent by anyone? And even if we were I wouldn't tell you. You'd just kill me right after I did."

"Would you say if I gave you my word I would not kill you nor have you killed?" Mavarion asked. Clearly she had done this bargaining thing before.

Cooper shook his head. "I'd just end up rotting in one of your damn prisons, or back in the oubliette. No thank you."

Mavarion narrowed her eyes like he had seen right through what she had had planned all along. "You were in a plot to have my son killed; I won't grant you a full pardon for it if that is what you are seeking."

Cooper shifted his eyes around like he was going through his options in his head. "Then I only do a year in a prison."

Mavarion glared at him. "You'll do at least twenty providing I like the information you give us."

Cooper glared back. "Ten years and a decent cell or I say nothing. I'd be happier dying of starvation in that hole again rather than being locked up and kept alive for the test of my life."

"That can work," Drappen said, holding his arm out straight so that Cooper was left dangling over the spot where the oubliette was. Cooper showed no signs of fear though and Sarah knew that this was going to go no where unless the queen agreed.

"Your majesty, I think you should give into him," Sarah suggested.

The queen scowled at her, "Excuse me?"

"Look at him; he honestly doesn't care if you put him back in that hole unless he gets what he wants. When faced with what it could mean for your son he's not asking for too much more than the information is worth."

Mavarion looked back at Cooper, who smiled back at her grimly. "Very well," she huffed.

Drappen brought his arm back in so Cooper could stand once more.

"My word then, ten years in a decent cell at the Fae court and in exchange you tell us who sent you after my son."

Cooper nodded his head in agreement.

"Now then, who sent you after my son?"

Cooper shrugged, "I didn't know his name, but it was a goblin."

Jareth leaned back in his chair and put his heels up on the desk before him, despite the shocked gasp of the old Fae next to him. He wished that he had thought to have some eyes painted on the backs of his eyelids so that he could have at least dozed off like he did as a child. He had become skilled at doing such makeup tricks to get out of paying attention by the age of 20.

He was so bored!

Saboroth knocked on the door in front of him, waiting patiently for it to be answered. After a few minutes he heard shuffling noises coming from the other side and the handle turned. The door opened to reveal an older looking male with a balding head and short stocky form. "Y-yes," he stammered out.

"I'm here for a Doctor Clayborn."

The male stood back and allowed Saboroth to venture into the room beyond. "I will fetch him for you."

Saboroth had assumed that the old man was the doctor, but upon closer inspection it was clear that the servant was of the human persuasion. He wondered why such an old and feeble looking human hadn't been put down yet.

The door the human had gone through opened once more and this time a young Fae stepped out from the other room. This one couldn't have been much older than Saboroth himself was, with a stern face and short brown hair styled flat against his head. He wore a red house robe around his form like he had just taken a bath or something. "May I help you?" the Fae asked curtly.

"You are the personal physician to her majesty are you not?" Saboroth questioned.

The male looked him over suspiciously. "If you are here about your face I will let you know that the regular medics are quite capable of treating that. I serve only her majesty."

Saboroth fought back his temper, keeping a cool demeanor about him. "Only her majesty you say?"

The Fae nodded his head matter of factly and crossed his arms over his chest. "That is what I'm paid for."

"So you never took a look at a young courtier named Colane who was claiming to be pregnant did you?"

The Doctor stiffened all over and drew in a sharp breath. He had known her for sure.

"I see you have, tell me doctor… was she pregnant?"

"G-get out of here," the medic answered. "You have no right to be here. My servant will show you out."

The feeble old man came back into the room but Saboroth waved him off easily. "You could at least threaten me with something sturdier looking… like a book. I'll not ask again doctor, and don't feel too stressed about answering because it is already known throughout court that she was not pregnant at all."

The young male looked a little rattled at that information. "It is?"

"Your answer, Doctor," Saboroth demanded, glaring down at the slightly shorter male. He knew he could be intimidating when he wanted to be, especially with these well-raised, crusty court-types.

The male moved back a step or two and nodded his head reluctantly. "She wasn't pregnant."

"I know, strangely enough though, the queen said that you told her that the girl was pregnant." Saboroth rubbed his chin like he was thinking about it. "Now that is strange, don't you think? I mean, you obviously knew that she wasn't pregnant. Why would you say she was Doctor?"

The other male said nothing but continued to glare at him uncomfortably. He obviously wasn't used to being bullied. It made it that much more fun for Saboroth.

"I got it!" Saboroth exclaimed mockingly, "Perhaps you decided to lie to the queen, a crime punishable by death mind you. But there doesn't seem to be much motif there. So maybe instead you said she was because the Queen wanted you to. It would make sense after all since that would help out her son in the little wager that I am sure you probably know is taking place between him and I," Saboroth said, pacing back and forth in front of the scowling Fae.

He placed his hand to his cheek and spun around to face the male, "But if that was what happened than that would mean that she was cheating for Jareth and I would be the next ruler of the underground. Isn't that right Doctor?"

The male just glared at him. "How dare you speak about such treason!" the Fae snapped, beside himself with anger and embarrassment.

"Let's not confuse treason with speaking the truth Doctor, something that I'm sure a man of your profession would never hesitate to do." Saboroth slithered up to the humiliated man. "Don't hesitate now on my account. Tell me the truth Doctor, did you do the unthinkable and lie to our queen –something I could have you put to death for—about Colane being pregnant? Or did our dearest queen know all along that the girl was never to give birth to the next heir to the throne? Think it over carefully before you answer."

"A goblin?" Mavarion snapped? "What do you mean a goblin was the one who sent you after Jareth?"

Sarah hadn't expected that answer either; she wasn't sure what to say.

Drappen and Grungle both looked offended and Drappen threw the Were to the ground like it was garbage. "A goblin would never hire an outsider to kill something for it!"

"It's the truth," Cooper insisted.

"No, it's not!" Mavarion snapped, "My nephew Saboroth sent your group after my son. Admit it!"

Cooper looked up at the queen in sheer confusion. "Who? Look, I don't know about any nephews, but the only one we ever talked to besides Bud was a goblin. Maybe it was this relative of yours that hired us, but the only one to meet him was Bud and he's dead now." Cooper shot a glare over his shoulder at Grungle and Drappen. "You goblins saw to that."

"So you never even saw him, my nephew?"

Cooper shook his head. "Everything we were told was either by Bud or the Goblin."

"You try to make deals with me when you have no information to give? You are useless!" Mavarion cried.

"No he's not!" Sarah spoke up. "He may not have seen anything, but he just told us who would know." She pointed out.

"Bud is dead," Cooper reminded them.

"The goblin!" Mavarion gasped as realization dawned on her. She turned towards the Were, "What was the goblin's name?" she demanded.

Cooper allowed himself to shrug, "I don't know," he admitted.

Jareth looked at the clock on the wall. Only an hour had passed so far; they weren't even halfway done with the meeting! Jareth let out an irritated huff and kicked the leg of the table in front of him. The piece of furniture lurched forward and all the other counsel members seated with him turned to look at him curiously.

Jareth cleared his throat. "It was an involuntary twitch," he lied.

Chapter 29: A Wager Won

"The goblin!" Mavarion gasped as realization dawned on her. She turned towards the Were, "What was the goblin's name?" she demanded.

Cooper allowed himself to shrug, "I don't know," he admitted.

They were all silent for what seemed like forever.

It was Mavarion that broke the silence. She turned to Sarah. "That's it then, we have no proof and no other leads."

Sarah was hardly paying attention; she was too busy in her own thoughts. She finally looked back up at Mavarion. "No your highness, it's not over. I know who the goblin is."

Saboroth wanted to kill Dr. Clayborn himself. The fool had decided to be faithful to the queen and say that she had nothing to do with the whole sham. He had told Saboroth that it had been entirely his own mistake and that both Colane and Mavarion had nothing to do with it.

A blatant lie.

Saboroth would gladly have the good doctor permanently put out of practice once he became king. It was a shame though, loyalty like that was hard to find these days. The only problem was that he was loyal to the wrong party. Saboroth leaned out the window to his carriage and shouted at his driver to pick up the pace.

"But the horses are already ill rested!" the driver hollered back.

"Either you pick up the pace or I'll have you pulling my carriage yourself next time!" Saboroth threatened. The sayings about good help were all true.

The carriage sped up as he went back to looking over the property paper that he had taken. With the expenses listed it was obvious that someone had moved in there in the last day or two. He was willing to bet everything that it was Colane. He had hoped to not have to even see the cursed female, but thanks to the good doctor he now had no choice, he would scarcely make it back to the court before the meeting was over as it was.

After a while longer the carriage began to slow. Saboroth looked out at the little summer cottage set back from the road surrounded by a low stone wall. He had been to this one as a child once while visiting his aunt and cousin. They had been but little children then. His favorite memory from that summer was probably when Jareth had caught a pixie in the garden. He had been so proud of himself and had decided to keep it as a pet. Saboroth had just wanted to see it but when Jareth selfishly refused he had wrestled it away from his cousin and had crushed it in his grip the second he had it. Jareth had run to his mother in a fit of outraged sobs.

Driving up to the house now, Saboroth could see that the gardens were still infested with the little blighters.

He stepped down from the carriage without waiting for his footman and marched his way up to the front door. He didn't even get a chance to knock before the door was swung open for him. A younger human male stood in the doorway looking up at him. "S-sir?" the male questioned, obviously confused to see the Fae.

"I am here to see an old friend of mine, Colane."

The male looked like he wasn't sure if he should let the Fae in, but it wasn't like he could stop him. The boy stepped aside finally and let the male pass. Saboroth curled his lip in disgust at the humble little fixtures of the little house. He passed a few more males, both humans, before finding Colane in the sitting room.

She wasn't dressed like she normally was, in expensive and suggestive dresses of silk, but wore what was little more than a cotton nightgown. She sat lounging on a cushion on the floor, brush in hand as she combed her hair. Saboroth noticed a male standing in the corner of the room watching over her and could sense the magic coming off of him that meant he was Fae.

Colane's gaze flicked up to him as he entered the room and she sneered at him. "What the bloody hell happened to your face?"

Saboroth ignored her snide remark, looking around the room. "I was just paying a visit to an old friend. I wanted to know how you were getting on."

She scowled at that. "You were never anybody's friend. And how do you think I'm getting on?" she snapped, "I am practically living in squalor here. Do you know that that witch gave me only humans to keep me company!" she pointed to the Fae over his shoulder, "That one is the only other Fae around for miles and he's here just to make sure I stay out of trouble. He's a damn unic for crying out loud!"

Saboroth couldn't help but smile in admiration of the queen's wickedness in allowing the only males around Colane that were able to have sex to be humans. In a perverse way, he couldn't help but wonder if she had allowed herself to sink to such a low level yet. He looked over his shoulder at the male Fae who was watching him like a hawk.

"The queen has not taken good care of you, Colane. I don't think Jareth will do any better for you either."

"Why? Has he become the new king yet?" she asked with scornful indifference.

Saboroth looked over at the Fae. "Could you give us a moment?"

The unic shook his head. "I am to keep watch of her, my lord."

"The female is in need of a little tenderness from an able Fae. If you wish to stay and watch then far be it from me to stop your perverted ways."

The male turned a darker shade of red to match Colane's, but the female made no protest as he shuffled out of the room to give them a few minutes alone.

Colane continued to scowl at him now. "What makes you think I would want any 'tenderness' from you? Jareth has left your face more distorted than a dwarf's."

"I'm here to make a deal with you Colane. You are going to want to listen carefully because this will be too good for you to pass up." He reached up and took his shirt off over his shoulders.

Colane's eyes widened. "What are you doing? I thought you had just said that so that we could talk in private."

Saboroth grinned down at her. "Why not do both? Or are the human's preferable to me?"

Colane turned away from him indignantly.

"I want your help Colane."

"I'm sure you do."

Saboroth dropped down onto the floor before her, taking hold of her chin so he could force her to look at him. "Do you still wish to be queen?"

Sarah didn't even bother waiting for the others. The second they had made it back to the castle she had bolted out of the carriage and had run like a woman possessed through the halls. How could she have been so naïve? She felt positively stupid about it now as she dashed through the halls towards the kitchens. It made perfect sense after all, the pregnancy potion, the talk about wronging both her and Jareth.

Sarah burst into the kitchens and looked around; sure that Bumper would be there. She felt her stomach drop when he wasn't anywhere in sight. She didn't know where else to look for him if he wasn't here, and none of the other kitchen goblins were around either so she couldn't ask them. She was just turning to go check the throne room when the pantry door opened and Bumper came out with a pot full of odd ingredients on hand. He looked up at Sarah in surprise.

"What are you doing back so soon?" he asked.

"What are you doing?" Sarah asked, curiosity getting the better of her for a minute.

Bumper looked down at the food in his hands. "Cooking, what do you think?"

Sarah shook her head to clear it from the present topic of conversation. She rushed over to Bumper, who dropped the tray in surprise, and knelt down in front of him so that they were closer in height. She reached out and gripped the goblin's shoulders, "Bumper I need to ask you some things and you have to be honest with me."

"What are you talking about?" The goblin looked around like he was expecting this to be a gag or something.

"Bumper I know you were involved in the Were's coming to the castle."

The little goblin's eyes bugged till Sarah thought they would pop out of his skull and his little pig-like mouth gaped open. "Y-you what?"

"Bumper listen to me, I need you to tell me why you would help them. Was there someone telling you what to do?"

Bumper looked around again like he was considering making a dash for it. Sarah tightened her hold on his shoulders. "Bumper, if you tell me what happened than I can help keep you out of trouble. What happened?"

"I told ya already, I won't do it anymore!" he protested, starting to shake all over. "I stopped helping him after he tried to hurt you and the king. No body was supposed to get hurt."

"Bumper, what happened?" Sarah repeated again. "Calm down and tell me about it."

"I wanted to be a cook since I was little, the king made me one, but he never appreciated my cooking like the goblins did. After you came along he didn't like my cooking at all! I wanted to open up a place of my own in the goblin city where goblins could actually enjoy what I made. I needed gold, more than the king would give me.

"There were rumors that a Fae was looking for someone close to the palace to act as a spy. I decided to do it and went to find him. I found out then that he wanted spying done on the king. He wasn't asking for much, just some information here, a task done there. I've been doing it for months now."

"Bumper, who asked you to-

The doors burst open behind them and the two goblins and the queen stepped into the kitchens. The queen's eyes narrowed on the goblin Sarah was talking to and Bumper started to shake once again. "Is that the one?" she snapped.

Sarah stood up and pushed Bumper behind her legs protectively. "Your majesty, it's not that simple. He didn't do it out of hatred or spite, and he didn't think he was doing any harm."

"Of course he didn't, he's a goblin. Their kind has no understanding of right or wrong."

"That's not so, it's just that they have a different way of looking at things than a Fae or a human would. I've spent enough time around them to know that what Bumper did isn't really considered wrong or even unnatural to a goblin. He did spy on Jareth, but most of the goblins here do, whether they have someone to report to or not. I get spied on by them myself. And pranks are pulled on me and sometimes my stuff comes up missing or more often broken. It's just the norm of things here. But goblins have their limits. When Bumper was pushed to the limit he stopped spying on Jareth. He's willing to help us put things right."

She looked over her shoulder at Bumper, "Aren't you?" she asked in a pointed voice.

The goblin looked up from behind her legs and nodded his head.

"Is he?" Mavarion asked skeptically. "They say that goblins only lie when they open their mouths to talk. Are you a liar goblin?" she asked, addressing Bumper while Grungle and Drappen both gave her glares.

Sarah looked back at Bumper.

He nodded his head slowly. "A lot of the time, your highness."

The queen smirked at that. "I'm glad to see you're capable of speaking the truth from time to time then. Well let me tell you something goblin, you will speak only truths to me or I will have you bathed in flowery bath salts and given a manicure and pedicure while soft music is played around you."

All the goblins winced at that. Bumper looked a shade lighter. "Y-you wouldn't!"

The queen smirked triumphantly. "Try me."

Bumper looked up at Sarah pitifully. As much as she wanted to laugh, it obviously wasn't a laughing matter to the goblins in the room with her. "I'd do as she says," Sarah shrugged.

Saboroth couldn't help but feel triumphant as he strolled down the halls of the Fae court. Colane walked behind him, her head held high as they made their way through. She was more than willing to tell him all about how Mavarion had known, and even about how it had been her idea to go fourth with the fake pregnancy while he had sated himself with her body. The girl's ambition knew no shame once he had offered her a role as his queen if she agreed to help him.

They were on their way to the courtroom now so that she could sing her little song to all those stuffy Fae and the old males that made up the counsel. The queen would be disgraced and he would become the next king once he told them of the wager that they had made.

They reached the doors to the court room and he shoved through them, causing the oak to bang forcefully against the walls and startle all the Fae in the room. He didn't even bother to glance at them, keeping his eyes on his cousin and the counsel members as he made his way through the room. They all at first looked surprised to see him, and then their expressions changed to scowls at the interruption. Jareth was the only one who remained expressionless.

"Gentlemen," Saboroth grinned mockingly, "Sorry for the rude interruption, but I wasn't about to stay away from this meeting."

Jareth's eyes flicked behind his cousin to Colane, mild surprise registering there before he turned back to Saboroth. "Did you find your proof then Cousin?"

Saboroth smirked down at the Fae, "I did indeed."

"How dare you barge in her like that!" one of the older males admonished him.

"Oh shut up," Saboroth snapped, ignoring the shocked and outraged gasps that spilled out of the Fae around him. "I may do and act as I wish for now on, since before I leave here I will be king."

The counsel members looked down right stunned as he said this. Jareth was the only one that kept his expression blank.

It was the eldest counsel member that broke the silence. "I don't see how you can be king from inside a jail cell."

Saboroth was the one taken back by that. "Excuse me?"

"We told them everything, Saboroth."

Both Saboroth and Colane whirled around to face the speaker. Saboroth felt his heart leap into his throat when he saw not only Mavarion and Jareth's human, but the goblin he had hired to spy for him.

Mavarion smiled sweetly at Colane. "Still looking for options where there are none, my dear?"

Colane blanched and swayed like she may faint.

"What is the meaning of this?" Saboroth demanded.

The counsel member answered for him. "We were just told a very interesting story by this little goblin here, who says that you were in fact the one behind the attacks on his majesty. Are you aware that such a crime is punishable by death?"

Saboroth could almost feel the color drain from his face as his blood froze in his veins. "What?"

"Don't worry cousin," Jareth smirked, "I asked them to spare your life. You'll be kept in an oubliette for the rest of your days instead. I hear starvation is very painful, but don't worry, I'm sure it's just a rumor."

Colane was suddenly gone from his side, having thrown herself to the floor in front of the queen. "Your majesty please, I wanted nothing to do with this. He forced me to come here against my will. He said he would kill me if I didn't!" she sobbed, giving the performance of her life.

The queen drew back like the female was a roach. "Someone remove this from my sight. She is no doubt a conspirator."

Colane let out an ear-splitting sob as one of the guard's took hold of her and started to drag her away.

Saboroth was stunned to his spot, unable to move or speak. He didn't even notice the guard approaching him till he was cuffed at the wrists. He looked down at the iron shackles like they were a completely foreign object. "B-but…"

"I think we are done here for today." Jareth smirked, getting up from his seat.

Sarah watched in silence as both Saboroth and Colane were dragged out of the room, staying close to Mavarion as the counsel and the rest of the Fae took their time filing out of the room. She looked down at Bumper to offer him an encouraging smile. He was still gripping her leg, hiding behind her.

Finally, when the last Fae had left the room Jareth made his way over to them. Mavarion moved forward to embrace him, wrapping her arms around him affectionately. He returned the embrace. "I'm so happy for you Jareth," she cooed.

"I am too," he smirked. "Thank you both."

He pulled out of his mother's grasp and surprised them both by then wrapping his good arm around Sarah. She was so stunned by it that she didn't even think to hug him back until he had already let her go. Mavarion's eyes narrowed slightly but she said nothing.

Jareth kept one arm around Sarah's shoulders as he turned to look down at Bumper. "I should have you punished for what you did," he said, his voice stern.

Bumper shifted his gaze over to Mavarion, then back to Jareth. "As long as you're the one that picks the punishment your majesty.

"I suppose in a twisted sort of way you are the whole reason I was able to finally be rid of my conniving cousin," Jareth smirked. "After all, if it hadn't been for you spying on me to Saboroth than he would have never tried to have me killed."

Bumper seemed to think about that for a second, coming out from behind Sarah's legs. "Y-yeah, I sup-pos so." He cracked a grin. "I guess you should maybe thank me then," he said haughtily.

Jareth grinned back at him. "I'll do better than that; I'll see that you receive your own restaurant for this."

Bumper clasped his hands together in excitement. "You will!"

"Of course, but since your little stunt did result in the kidnapping and emotional trauma of Sarah and with myself being badly injured, I think you'll understand that it will be located in the Bog of Eternal Stench."

Bumper's face fell like someone had attached a thousand pound weight to it.

Chapter 30: When You Love Someone

Jareth made his way through the Labyrinth walls with as much ease as if he had grown up in them. He used his magic over the Labyrinth to control paths and shift the passages to his benefit so that it was impossible for him to get lost or to be diverted from his course. He enjoyed the power he held here. It seemed hard to believe at times that once he became king of the Underground the whole world would open up for him like the Labyrinth had already done.

He looked over the stone walls and the ogle bushes as he went, nostalgia getting the best of him for a moment and making him sad that in a year or so he would be leaving this kingdom behind for another one.

Jareth rounded the corner and came up against the wall he had been looking for. This one was lying down flat on the ground like it had been pushed over, but it was in its proper place. Jareth reached out with his magic and caused the brick wall to slide along the ground out of his way, leaving a bare patch on the ground. "Open up," Jareth commanded.

The ground where the wall had just been split apart across the center and the two halves of fake earth dropped open like trap doors, revealing a hidden oubliette.

Jareth perched on the edge of the oubliette, sitting back on his haunches as he looked down into the dark hole. No sound or movement emitted from the dark hallows and if he hadn't known better Jareth would have thought there was no life down there whatsoever.

He let out an impatient sigh. "Come now, is that any way to greet your king?"

Still nothing.

Jareth pulled a crystal out and transformed it into a peach in his hand. "I bet you're hungry by now."

"Go away," rasped a rough voice.

Jareth threw the peach down into the hole. The second it hit the bottom it exploded, letting off a large flash of light that filled the oubliette for hardly more than a second, but it was long enough for him to see his cousin cowering from the flash against the wall. No doubt he was sensitive to the light now.

"How the ruthless have fallen," Jareth murmured. "I've come to be generous to you cousin."

He could hear Saboroth scoff at him from down in the oubliette. "Generous?"

"I'll offer you a different peach this time," Jareth explained, pulling another crystal out and transforming it. "One bite will help you sleep for a few hours, two bites for a day, and three will help you to sleep for forever. I've come to offer you a peaceful and painless death."

The silence stretched on for so long that Jareth almost wanted to throw the peach in for another flash of light just to see if Saboroth hadn't died while he had spoken to him.

"What do you ask for in return?" Saboroth finally asked, his voice barely audible.

"I ask for your proof." After the trial he and Sarah had returned to the Labyrinth for some much needed R&R… among other things. But he had been unable so far to shake from his mind how Saboroth had come to court claming to have some sort of proof to show that Jareth shouldn't continue with the wager. He wanted to know what it had been. "What did you have against me when you came to court that day? You had Colane with you; did she have something to do with it?"

"Why don't you ask Colane?" Saboroth snapped.

Because he didn't know what his mother had had done to the girl. "Because I am asking you."

There was more silence from the oubliette.

Jareth was starting to get frustrated. "If you'd rather continue to rot-

"Your mother cheated for you, you dunce."

Jareth sat down on the ground on his hip, getting more comfortable. "My mother?"

"It never struck you as odd? That Colane could not only lie about being pregnant with something as important as the next heir to the throne, but get the queen's personal doctor to agree with her? I doubt Colane would have even had the brains to come up with such a simple yet effective scheme. That sounds more like the handy work of your mother. They wanted a doctor's report to make it convincing. I met the queens physician, and trust me he is loyal to the woman to a fault. Helps that she told him if he didn't protect her ass she would have him banished. Do you know she did the same to Colane after she mucked up her plans the first time?

"I found Colane and she confirmed all of this. Why else would the queen have rushed her away from you both times so quickly? Or why she hadn't wanted you to have me imprisoned but rather executed after the trial was over? She didn't want either of us to talk. She didn't want her precious son to find out that his mother was the reason he was almost shackled to a lying, deceitful whore."

Jareth listened to it all without comment. When Saboroth said no more, he tossed the peach down into the hole for his cousin and willed the wall to slide back over the entry.

Strange, if he would have been told this information days earlier he would have been irate with his mother. Now he wasn't. He felt like he understood his mother more than ever over these past few days spent around politics and the Fae and the duties he would have to perform as king of the Underground. He had a feeling that in the future if he were having the same problem getting his own son to step up he would do the same. Maybe not the exact same, like going through with it if his son actually found love, but he couldn't find it in himself to blame his mother.

Jareth turned and headed back to the castle, wanting to be away from this place and to see what he had almost lost as a result of his mother's scheme. Sarah would no doubt be anxiously awaiting his return.

Sarah glanced up from the apple she was slicing when Flabber started coaxing Toby to throw twitch (who was firmly caught in his little fist) across the kitchen. Sarah saw the flash of intelligence in Toby's eyes that told her that he understood what Flabber was saying and intended to do it. "Not in the kitchen!" Sarah commanded.

Flabber flinched at being caught and quickly took Twitch away from the surprised babe while the twins stood back and laughed about the whole thing. "You know better," Sarah admonished Flabber.

"Didn't really mean it," Flabber shrugged.

"Toby can't tell the difference and you know it. Play peek-a-boo with him if you're that bored."

"He's getting too smart for that, although Kape still seems to like it." Tord laughed about his twin.

This had been how life was ever since she had returned to the labyrinth with Jareth a day or so ago. Even though she didn't really see Bumper much anymore, it was nice to have things back to normal for a change.

"Your highness!" Chum gasped, turning everyone's attention to the kitchen door where Jareth stood imposingly.

Well, maybe not completely normal, Sarah thought with a small smile playing around her mouth.

"Go play elsewhere," Jareth ordered the goblins.

Sarah watched as they bowed and scraped their way past the goblin king and out the door. They probably wouldn't be back for the rest of the day… if they could resist the urge to spy just outside the door.

Once they were out of the room Jareth offered Sarah a smirk and a wink that caused her cheeks to heat up. She turned back to the apple she was working on and tried not to smile stupidly like she always wanted to do whenever he was around anymore.

She could feel it when he moved closer to her as if someone was shouting it out to her like a director at a play. Her heart sped up the tiniest bit as he came up to stand right behind her till she could feel his breath against the back of her neck. Since they had gotten back to the labyrinth Jareth had made frequent visits to see her, either in the kitchens, or gardens… once in her bedroom. She was starting to find each visit even more enjoyable than the last.

"What are you making me for supper?" he whispered in her ear, the air from his mouth tickling across the ridge and making her shiver in response.

"I'm making some cider right now. For supper I was thinking some roasted chicken."

"I was actually craving something else for tonight."

Sarah knew what he was hinting at, but she decided to play a little hard to get. "Too bad, I've already started the chicken."

She let out a gasp when Jareth reached around in front of her and stole an apple slice out from under the knife she was using to slice it. "I almost cut your finger off!" she snapped, turning around to scowl at him as he offered her a playful grin and popped the apple slice into his mouth. "Besides, these apples are for cider, not for you to eat."

"Forbidden fruit tastes that much sweeter," he purred, his eyes dark and intense.

He placed his arms on either side of Sarah's hips, trapping her against the counter as he leaned in for a kiss. As much as she wanted to, Sarah turned her head away from him. "Toby is right behind you."

Jareth glanced back at her brother, who was currently more interested in a cork he had found to be bothered with paying attention to them. Jareth turned back to Sarah with a devil's grin. "Like he would even know what we were doing."

Sarah shot him a look that said, 'nice try but no way'. "He's getting bigger, Jareth. I don't need his first memory to be us doing that. Kids get traumatized over less."

Jareth rolled his eyes. "Why must you constantly petition to me about the cons of sex when the pros far out way them?"

Sarah placed a chaste kiss against his lips and gently pushed her way out from between his arms. "I don't remember doing any petitioning last night," she smirked.

Jareth shrugged and grabbed another apple slice, moving his hand back just in time before Sarah could smack it and bit into the chunk. "Probably why I look back on it pleasantly," he said snidely. "How long before the chicken is done?"

Sarah shrugged. "I just put it in, so in that old stove I'd say forty minutes or s- whoa!"

She couldn't help but let out a startled yelp when Jareth suddenly scooped her up into his arms from behind and hurried her out into the hall. The goblins scurried to move out of the way as he carried her past their little listening post. "Watch her brother," Jareth called back at them.

Sarah didn't know whether to laugh at his impulsive behavior or demand he return her to the kitchen. "The chicken has to be marinated!" she protested half-heartedly.

"I'll take dry chicken over not being with you any day," Jareth shrugged as he carried her up towards his bedroom. Sarah wasn't sure why he had done that, since her room was so much closer, until they reached it and he pulled her, not over to the bed, but in to the bathroom.

As the tub filled up with water and heated up, Sarah couldn't help but smile in delight.

After they were both clean and exhausted, they lounged in the heated water for a while longer. Jareth rested against the side of the tub with Sarah seated between his legs so she could lean back against his chest. Sarah felt beyond relaxed in his arms as the water heated her body and his nimble fingers combed through her hair idly. The only sounds were of his heartbeat against the side of her head and the occasional water trickle caused by movement.

Jareth placed a kiss against the top of her head and she could feel his lips form a smirk. "Don't fall asleep now; it won't be long before your chicken will be cooked."

Sarah let out a low chuckle. "Who cares, it will be dry anyway remember?"

A rumbling chuckle went through his chest in response. "I love you, you must know that."

She could feel the fluttering in her chest that seemed to happen each time she heard him say that. "I do, and I feel the same for you," she confirmed.

"I've decided not to take a queen," he said suddenly.

Sarah looked up from her daze when he said that. "What?"

Jareth was completely serious as he looked down at her. "If I can't have you for my wife than I shall have you as my only lover. I don't require a queen to rule, and any children you bare me will possess my magic anyway so they may carry on the line."

Sarah was happy to hear that, but still she could only offer up a weak smile.

"What's wrong?" Jareth asked, concern in his voice.

"Nothing," Sarah sighed, shaking her head like it would convince herself. "I should be beyond happy with what you've just said."

Jareth waited when she did not continue. "But…"

Sarah felt bad for saying it, but she couldn't stop herself. "I just wish that I could be more to you than the mistress who has the next heirs to the throne. If I had been born anything but human things would be easier."

"Not entirely, what if you had been born a goblin or troll? You'd be quite repulsive, love."

"I'm serious," she huffed.

Jareth wrapped his arms around her and leaned back against the marble of the tub. "I know," he sighed. There was a long moment of silence. "Do you remember what my mother told you, Sarah? When she spoke to you in her office?"

She could only shrug. "Somewhat," she admitted.

"Do you remember her telling you about another world where you and Toby would not be slaves?"

She thought back and remembered, her body growing tense with suspicion as she turned to Jareth. "I don't want to be without you."

"I know that Sarah, but I've learned from my mother recently that sometimes sending people away is the best way to solve your problems. My family owns a home in the world she spoke of Sarah, you and Toby would be happy there."

Sarah shook her head back and forth like she had forgotten how to say no and tried to pull away from him, but he held tight. "I don't want to though! I take it all back, I don't care if I'm some palace whore, I can handle it if it means being with you. I swear!"

Jareth shook his head. "I've been thinking about this all day, and I think it is the best decision."

"Than think harder damn it!"

"Sarah, please calm down. I want what is best for you, what would make you happy. It will be a big adjustment for you at first, but I've been there before once. It's not so bad."

Sarah was crying too hard to speak anymore protests out loud. Jareth gripped her arm and pulled her back into his hold, circling his arms around her. "You'll see in time that this is the best way."

Chapter 31: Epiloge

Ten years later…

Jareth looked over the stack of papers one last time before shoving them into his mother's old desk along with the others. He hated crunching numbers on his estates. He could have hired someone to do it for him, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it, to let someone take on such a large responsibility.

He looked up at the clock on the wall, hanging next to the lion-skin he had had framed, and cussed when he saw that it was nearly the 13th hour. Court had dragged by today, with not much more being accomplished than him developing a monstrous headache. Once in a while he was able to make it work for him when he needed to instate a new law or fix a problem with a country. Those days court was livable.

Today he had spent the better part of three hours trying to get a set of laws on human rights pushed through. It had mostly fallen on deaf ears. Not that he would give up though. Jareth never just gave up on anything.

He grabbed his traveling cloak and headed out the door of his office. A servant hurried up to him like it had just been on its way to his see him. Jareth looked down at the human boy impatiently as he bowed and greeted him. "What is it?" Jareth snapped. "I'll be late enough as it is."

"Your mother says she's unable to come to court till tomorrow morning," the male explained, handing him an envelope with his name written in Mavarion's script across the front.

Jareth scowled at the male. "I can't stay till tomorrow morning. I shouldn't even be here now. Surely the court will survive a night."

The human said nothing, knowing that Jareth wasn't really asking him for an answer. Jareth pocketed the envelope and made his way past the human. His mother was probably just rebelling against him by deciding not to show up till the morning. They both knew that nothing would happen if neither of them were around for just one night so he wasn't sure why she bothered. There was no way he was going to postpone seeing his wife.

Jareth turned down a hall and headed for the closest open window. Even before he could step on the ledge he could feel his body changing its shape into the owl form that only his bloodline could turn into. The power of flight, combined with his strong magic, allowed him to bend the very fabrics of space and before he could even think about it the kingdom and fields disappeared from beneath him and he was soaring over paved roads and noisy cars. He swooped down into the trees that lined the busy road. Finding the dirt drive that led deeper into the little forest and following it.

Before long he could make out the faint glow of lights ahead just before a house came into view. It was large enough to be called an estate, having been paid handsomely for. The long drive and surrounding forest allowed for privacy while the extra space allowed for luxury.

He swooped down towards the front yard.

He never even saw the attack coming till it was almost too late. Changing out of his bird form just as a large sheepdog jumped at him, knocking him to the ground right in front of the door. "Get off!" Jareth shouted indignantly, pushing the dog aside as it tried to lick at his face.

The door opened up and light spilled out onto him from inside. Jareth looked up as Sarah stepped out of the house, concern on her face as she gripped the dog's collar and pulled him away. "No Merlin, that's bad! I'm so sorry Jareth, I thought I had him locked up in the back. He didn't break your leg again this time did he?"

Jareth scowled over at the dog that continued to pull against Sarah to try to get at him. She had gotten the thing about a year ago and he had never cared for it, although the pooch seemed to love him. It always tried to jump him when he came to see Sarah. He was more fragile in his bird form though and a couple months ago the dog had managed to break his leg when it took a running leap at him.

"Toby must have let him out," she shrugged.

"Remind me again why you got him?" Jareth growled, keeping his distance.

Sarah shrugged. "Apparently in this world every English boy needs a dog, that's what Toby keeps telling me anyway."

Jareth caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see Toby running up to him from further back in the front yard. The little babe he had known was growing more and more every time he saw him, turning into a young male with wavy blond hair and a melt-your-heart smile. He had to be what… going on twelve?

"What are you doing up?" Jareth questioned as Toby reached them.

"Waiting to see you of course. I was taking Merlin for a walk though and he got away from me. Sorry about that."

"Toby can you take him back to the kennel now?" Sarah pleaded, Merlin pulling on her arm like he intended to break it off.

Jareth took a step further back from the mutt.

Toby nodded and took hold of the dog's collar, pulling him back around the house. "Come on Merlin, back into your cell."

"It's just a kennel!" Sarah called after him.

Jareth took the opportunity to study her in the porch light. She was showing signs of aging, something he often tried to ignore. It was there though, her body was more filled out and her hair was no longer worn long around her waist, but stopped at her shoulders. Her mouth had subtle laugh lines around it and she held herself with more certainty, but other than that she was still his same old Sarah. She was breath-taking.

She looked over at him and smiled. "You're late; it's a little past midnight."

Jareth made his way up the couple steps to her and couldn't help but return her welcoming smile. "Better late than never," he smirked, opening his arms for her.

She nodded her head in agreement and went into his embrace, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her lips against his.

This is how it had been for the past ten years. After he had become king of the Underground he had moved her and Toby over to this world. The first week of every month he took a break from his work, during which either his mother or one of the elders agreed to keep an eye on things for him, and vacationed in this world with his family. He liked it in this world, and so did Sarah. Here she had built a life for herself, keeping things in order for him here and working with the local community as a member of Toby's school board. Jareth took her hand in his and ran his finger over the ring she wore. Here she was his legal wife, the only one he had or ever wanted.

"I missed you," she whispered sweetly against his lips.

He was about to tell her the same when he heard somebody making a gagging noise.

Both he and Sarah turned to the open doorway where both Waverly and Jareth stood watching them. Waverly was going to be ten soon, already pretty going on beautiful with her long blond hair and deep brown eyes. She had been born with his high cheekbones that made her look a little older than she actually was. She was the spitting image of her father. She continued to make gagging noises like the sight of her parents kissing was making her sick. As much as he tried to over look it, there was no doubt she was growing into a rambunctious tom-boy like her mother.

The little boy let out a tired yawn and fiddled with a lock of his messy blonde hair, sticking his thumb in his mouth out of habit to suck on it. Jareth, his son, was hanging back behind his sister. He had always been on the shy side compared to her. He was going to be starting kindergarten soon.

"Get a room Dad!" Waverly yelled.

"That wont be necessary yet," he smirked, pulling out of Sarah's grasp. "Not when I intend to kiss you instead!" he grinned, pouncing on his daughter and placing kisses over her cheeks as she screamed and kicked in his grasp till he had no choice but to lower her to the floor. "And there's my big man," Jareth smiled, scooping his grinning son up into his arms as he ushered his wife, daughter and finally Toby back into the house.

"Did you bring me anything?" Waverly inquired excitedly, like she often did. Since they were unable to pass back and forth between the realms they only got to hear stories about the Underground from their parents and once in a while Jareth would bring something over with him so they could experience it a little.

"That's not polite, Waverly," Sarah scolded her daughter. It went in one ear and out the other though as she stared up at Jareth expectantly.

"Did you bring another Fairy?"

Sarah let out a sigh, "You didn't did you? The last one almost got loose outside and I don't want to have to replace all the vases and picture frames again."

Jareth smirked at the memory as he set Jareth Jr down. He reached into his pocket past the letter from his mother and pulled out a little box, handing it over Jareth and Waverly's heads to Toby. "Perhaps you'll remember what this is."

Toby looked confused as he ran his fingers over the little carved wooden box. He opened it up and listened as soft and sweet music filled the air. "This sounds familiar," he murmured.

"It's a Fae lullaby. I used to sing it to you when you were younger. It's called 'Falling'."

"Will you sing it for us tonight?" Waverly asked.

Jareth nodded his head. "Then on nights when I'm not here, you can still play the tune to help you sleep."

"It's just as well too, since you all need to go to bed now anyway," Sarah sighed.

Waverly and Toby groaned and Jareth Jr. started fussing.

"Come on now, you got to stay up and see your father and now it's off to bed," she insisted, ushering them to the grand staircase that led upstairs to their rooms.

Jareth placed his hand on Sarah's shoulder and kissed her cheek. "Go ahead and go to bed, love. I'll put them down tonight."

Sarah shrugged her shoulders and kissed him back. "If you insist." She turned to give him a sly smile before passing the little ones on the stairs. "Don't be too long."

Jareth tried not to outright grin as he waited patiently for the younger ones to make it up the big stairs, Toby helping Waverly while he kept watch to make sure his son didn't fall or anything. They were growing up so fast, all of them. It wouldn't be long only be a few more years before Waverly went through puberty and discovered her magic. Then she would come to live in the Underground with him during the three weeks out of the month so she could be properly nurtured for the role she would one day take as queen. When Jareth Jr. came of age the same would happen with him.

The separation would be hard on Sarah, but it was something they both knew had to happen.

Jareth Jr. finally made it to the top of the stairs on his own, officially tuckered out as he dredged to the first room on the left.

By the time Jareth had finished saying goodnight to the three he was pretty tuckered out himself. At least Toby was easy, considering himself too old for songs or stories outside of the general news of the Underground or Labyrinth. His two children though could never seem to get enough.

Jareth made his way to the grand bedroom that he shared with Sarah, pleased to find her already in bed… and then displeased to find her half asleep. He got undressed, taking the envelope out of his pocket and climbed onto the red silk sheets beside her. "Did I really take that long?" he smirked.

"Sorry," she drawled out sleepily.

Jareth shrugged. "It's only been three weeks, what's one more night?"

She rolled over and spooned against his side. She didn't even seem to have the stamina to open her eyes. "If you really want to…"

"We're both tired, and I can wait till morning," he smirked, leaning over to kiss her temple. "It's usually better when you're awake anyway."

She gave him a light smack on the chest, causing him to laugh as he opened up the letter from his mother, discarding the envelope onto the floor.

"What is that?" Sarah asked, her voice full of sleep.

"A letter from my mother," Jareth shrugged, holding it up against the lamp light.

Dear Jareth,

I just wanted you to know that I will not be in to look over the courts for you till tomorrow morning but I doubt that will stop you from leaving tonight. I wish you will bring back a picture of my grandchildren. I can't wait to meet them after all you've told me about them and the last picture you gave me has to be outdated by now. My grandson is surely walking by now but in the picture he's not even old enough to crawl. Please see to this matter before you return.

I also just want you to know that I'm proud of you for your recent ruling in the Gregory vs. Kelp trial… among other things of course. You've grown into the Fae I had always known you would, and I hope you are making sure that those children of yours are just the same. Give my regards to Sarah and Toby.

Love,

Mother~

Jareth couldn't help but chuckle as he set the letter aside.

"What is it?" Sarah asked.

"Nothing much, just marveling at how my mother seems to always get what she wants from me."

~Fin~

[ I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I did in writing it. I'm not sure what my next project will be. If you have suggestions please private message them to me rather than leave them as comments.

On that note though, I hope that you do leave comments on this story seeing as it will probably be the last from me for some time while I pursue work on an actual novel.

I don't know how you liked the ending or not, but I thought that this was probably as happy as it could get and still be probable rather than changing Sarah into a Fae somehow or giving her a 'longer life potion', two options that I tend to find silly and overdone.

Props to anyone who caught the lion-skin remark… it's Bud's skin… framed!

This story is (as far as I am currently aware) very different from any other Labyrinth story on this site. I hope you enjoyed the twists and the originality and that the OOC's didn't make you cringe too much. I think it would be really cool to run across future stories from other writers that involve Sarah living in the Underground her whole life and know that I was the first and it's something people like the idea of enough to run with it.

In conclusion (so if you wasted time reading the above and didn't want to I apologize):

Thank you all for reading :)