Disclaimer: The only thing I claim to own is the insane idea that formed this story. Everything else is borrowed from respective owners.

Forgotten Forest

Chapter One

"You have no power over me."

Jareth will never forget the determined look in her eyes when she had spoken those words. The contempt, the victory that was hers, and there wasn't anything he could do to stop her.

He hadn't proclaimed an alternate deal with her at all. He thought that she would have chosen to have all her dreams, one of which now included him.

But she hadn't chosen her dreams, or him, and hadn't even tried to speak to him or stop him before he had swooped out of her life forever.

He'd waited, painfully hoping that she would include him when she had started to call upon her friends. But she never so much as spoke his name, not even referred to his title; never- it seemed- gave him any thought whatsoever.

Her rejection hurt like nothing he had ever experienced in his life. All his hopes of having her with him died a slow death until there was nothing left but numbness.

He became melancholy and lethargic, taking walks through his kingdom with nowhere in particular in mind.

Often he would be gone from the castle for days before someone would inform the castle guards of his whereabouts, getting tired of him sulking around and making everyone else depressed along with him.

Then one day someone watched as the goblin king wandered into the Forgotten Forest. Of course he would be immune to the magical effects of forgetfulness the area emitted, unless he didn't keep his guard up, then he would be as susceptible as anyone else to the enchantments of the forest.

After a full week of Jareth's absence a significant change occurred in the kingdom. It was a sign that Jareth had indeed fallen victim to the forest's enchantments and needed to be found.

Of course there weren't many goblins left for this search since most of them had ran after their king without any forethought and had quickly 'forgotten' what they were in there for in the first place.

Every once in a while one of them would wander back to the stone path and find his way to the castle, but on the whole, the goblin city was nearly a ghost town.

The labyrinth herself took a deep sigh and went to sleep to await the return of her ruler and king.

No more changes happened within the labyrinth, no dead ends popping up out of nowhere, no more expanding or decreasing, no more wishes were granted, and no more children were taken.

Until one night, nearly three decades later, a child's plea was answered.

XxXxX

"Zachary Williams, come out from behind there!"

Sarah Williams taunted her four years old nephew as she crawled on her hands and knees to the back of the couch, reaching her arm out to grab the boy from the small space between the wall and furniture.

"No," the boy laughed, giggling excitedly as his aunt's hand almost grabbed his foot.

With a little squeal, he scooted from behind the furniture and ran into the dining room for a nice dose of 'round – round' as the child called it.

Sarah sunk back on her butt and leaned her head against the wall, seeing where the boy went rushing off to and knowing what was next in an attempt to catch him. A good chase around the table.

"I'm too old for this shit," she grumbled as she tiredly got to her feet.

Reaching the dining room, however, the little boy had no idea how tired his Aunt Sarah really was. She played his games and let him wear himself out by running amuck all over the house while she merely spurred him on from certain vantage points.

Finally getting him at least upstairs, she tricked him into his room and grabbed him up in her arms, tickling his belly with raspberries as she spun him around in a circle, holding him tightly against her.

He was laughing so hard his face was redder than red, his breathing came out in short gasps, and he cried for more!

"No more, Zach," Sarah told him winded, putting him down to the floor. "Aunt Sarah's tired," she laughed. "Let's get your jammies on so mommy and daddy won't be upset when they come home, okay?"

"No! I wanna play round – round!"

"No more round- round, Zach. Time for jammies, and I'll read you a story."

"I don't wanna!" he yelled, and scurried under his bed when Sarah held up his jammies. "I hate you! You meanie Auntie!"

"Yea, I'm meanie Auntie," she sighed. "I'll take you to the park tomorrow to see the ducks if you put on your jammies," she cajoled the child.

He wasn't falling for it.

"No ducks at park, they fly away."

"Alright, Tob… Zachary," she grinned at her own slip up.

He really was so much like his father, only Zach was much more hyper and creative than Toby ever was.

"I'll just have to crawl under there with you."

He squealed and ran out the other side.

Laughing, Sarah got to her feet and started to crawl over the bed towards him, knowing that if she had went around the bed he would've ducked underneath again.

"I don't wanna wear jammies," he cried, backing up to the wall near his dresser. "I wanna play round- round."

His tears flowed freely now, and if Sarah hadn't been so tired, they would've worked and she would've played round - round once more.

But she was tired. She'd worked a full day at her job, then filled-in at the daycare center when Fran had called out sick.

Her brother had called the center saying their babysitter canceled on them and they had reservations for dinner and a show to celebrate his and Judy's sixth year anniversary.

"Come on, Zach. I'll read you a story after you get your…"

"I don't wanna! I wish gobin king take you way right now!"

Sarah froze and stared at her nephew in shock.

She had never read that story to him, never read it to Toby either after what had happened.

Suddenly she noticed the wind outside shaking the branches in the trees. Had it been doing that the whole while?

Just as suddenly as her fears reared up she calmed them once more. Children can't wish away adults! That's just absurd.

Then a bolt of lightening streaked the sky and all the lights went out in the house.

Without a thought Sarah lurched across the room and grabbed Zachary in her arms, turning back towards the window just in time to see the shadowed silhouette appear in the dark room.

"You have to be kidding me!" she stated, holding Zach to her tightly. "You honestly would use any excuse to torment me, wouldn't you?"

"I'm not here to torment you. I heard a wish and answered the summons."

"Who are you?" Sarah asked, knowing that it wasn't 'him' standing before her, and backed further against the wall.

"I'm the goblin king, I've come to …"

"No, you're not," She cut him off defiantly. "I've met the Goblin King personally and you are most definitely not him." She shifted a curious, yet oddly calm, Zachary in her arms. "And a child can't wish away an adult, he can't even pronounce goblin right!"

"If you had let me finish, Sarah, I was going to say that his wish was used as an excuse for me to see you. But only to say hello, not to torment."

Just then the lights came back on and Sarah was met with blue eyes that were most definitely not 'his'.

The tall lean form, though similar to Jareth, was slightly shorter. The light brown hair that flopped carelessly over his face and ears wasn't even close to the Fae she had expected to see.

"Who are you?" she asked in a deep sinister tone, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

He smiled a smile that wasn't at all unpleasant, and took a half step closer, but no more than that.

"I'm not sure how to explain this," he stated sheepishly, looking away from her to search the floor for answers. "But you were… uhm… you were the first friend I ever had in the labyrinth."

He raised uncertain eyes and met her wary gaze, hoping for some recognition to filter in her eyes.

She scrutinized him intently. She knew who he was claiming to be, but…

"Hoggle?"

After she said his name, his eyes widened with unexpected surprise, he raised his head proudly and smiled that she recognized him despite his different appearance.

"Oh, Hoggle," she continued empathically, seeing that it really was her friend behind those blue eyes. "What has he done to you?"

"I can't explain it here. I don't actually have the power to be here at all. The labyrinth sent me, Sarah. She used the boy's wayward wish as an excuse to transport me."

He ran his hand through his floppy hair with long elegant fingers on a graceful hand.

"If you want to know what happened, you have to go back with me… now."

"I can't do that, Hoggle," she told him, her voice laced with uncertainty and fear. "If I go back, I'm afraid…"

"Jareth can't hurt you, I can promise you that much. He's… he's missing. That's how I got my true self back again."

"What do you mean he's…"

"Sarah. I have to go back. Either come with me now and I can explain, or… or it was just really nice to see you again, and I mean that whole heartedly."

"Bye-bye!" Zach waved at Hoggle.

"I can't leave him alone. You know that. And I'm not taking him… there."

Suddenly a goblin appeared behind Hoggle. Sarah jumped at the unexpectedness but then looked at it, her, curiously.

She wore a pretty dress of blue with a delicate flowery design and was taller than most of the goblins she had seen before.

"I can watch him, my Lady," the goblin told her, curtsying before her properly. "My name is Dianna and I am well experienced with human children."

"You're kidding me?" Sarah asked flatly.

"Sarah," Hoggle stressed her name. "I think the labyrinth wants you to help find Jareth. You're the only one strong enough, the only one he'd listen to, the only one who has a chance."

"I am experienced, my Lady," Dianna repeated. "I can make it seem as though you have fallen asleep in the dark so they won't know you are missing."

Sarah looked uncertainly from the female goblin to Hoggle, who looked like a fae, then at Zachary.

"Auntie Sarah, go bye-bye."

He hugged her around the neck as though that was all the answer she needed, then kicked his legs to be put down.

Sarah had the overwhelming feeling that this wasn't the first time her nephew had seen a goblin, especially the female standing with them in the room. He actually looked excited to see her.

Glancing at Dianna, Sarah noticed the warm fond expression in her big hazel eyes.

"Uhm…" Sarah felt cornered, but something told her she could trust this goblin. "He's already had his snack," she started to direct, shifting a wiggly Zachary in her arms.

"He gets no more sugar. He still needs to brush his teeth and get his jammies on, and… he's being insistent on another game of 'round-round', which is…"

"I am aware of 'round-round', my Lady," Dianna explained in a sweet voice. "Zachary has called upon the goblins many times to play with him."

"Sarah, I don't have time," Hoggle reaffirmed, and held his hand out to her.

Feeling really bewildered, she hugged her nephew tightly, the boy made exaggerated grunting noises at being squeezed so tightly. She then handed him to the goblin female and took Hoggle's outstretch hand.

Her fingers no sooner touched his when everything around her shifted and blurred for a moment.

When she opened her eyes, not realizing that she had closed them in the first place, she found herself in the throne room of the castle beyond the goblin city.

Her eyes filled with nostalgia as she looked around the empty room. Long suppressed memories of a brave little knight, of courageous friends, and a man that she had never been able to forget filled her mind anew.

"Welcome back," Hoggle greeted, not knowing what else to say. "Would you like the good news or the bad news first?" he asked when she turned her gaze to him.

"How about you just start from the beginning and we'll go from there." She crossed her arms expectantly. "How were you turned into a fae, for starters?"

XxXxX

"The beginning," Hoggle repeated with a frown. "Of course you'd want to hear it from the beginning."

He moved a few steps across the room, not realizing how he gained Sarah's attention with his graceful movements.

He was dressed in what appeared to be one of Jareth's outfits consisting of a poets shirt and grey breeches, though the outfit didn't do him the justice it did for Jareth, and brown boots adorned his long lean legs.

He moved with enough grace to give Jareth competition, but lacked the elegance the fae king displayed naturally.

His features weren't as defined as the blonde king's, but attractive still the same. His blue eyes were soft and kind, his brows arched elegantly with the fae characteristic. His face was slightly rounded with a broad forehead that his brown hair flopped over in a boyish manner. His squared jaw and cheekbones complimented full lips and a straight nose.

He was strikingly handsome, Sarah noted, but not as striking as the fae male she remembered from long ago.

"About two centuries ago," Hoggle started. "Jareth and I were competing over…" he paused and looked back at Sarah with a slight blush. "Uhm, a female, actually, one that I was very interested in and Jareth simply wanted to prove he could gain her attentions for the fun of it. Something he did a lot back then," he added with a grimace.

Sarah moved to sit on the step in front of the royal throne as he continued, noting that he had a smooth voice that was pleasant to listen to.

"Well, to make a long story short." He raked his mid-length hair with his fingers, sitting down next to her. "We made a bet as to which one of us she would favor most."

He found something to pick from his trousers, avoiding Sarah's gaze.

"I lost."

He rose to his feet once more, pacing just enough to not be still.

"We bet that the loser would be turned into a troll, made to do the other's bidding, for five centuries."

"Five centuries? Wow, that's a long time." She shifted to keep him in view as he wandered to the side of the throne. "You must have thought you had a good chance to bet something like that."

"Not really," he remarked, peering at her from around the arm of the chair. "I was just that stupid, and five centuries really isn't that long to us."

He stepped closer, feeling the worse of the story was done with.

"Jareth was actually nice about it and turned me into a dwarf instead of a troll, which," he shrugged with a slight chuckle. "Well, Jareth can't stand trolls…" he smirked with humor and Sarah smiled along with him.

Then Hoggle's expression became serious once more.

"That's why he was so adamant about my staying away from you. 'We' knew that I am Fae, but he fell for you, Sarah. He fell for you like he'd never done for another before, and I was a threat."

He moved to sit beside her once more, Sarah tucked her feet on the step under her knees and folded her hands in her lap, watching him as he continued.

"I thought for sure he was going to kill me when you kissed my cheek." He looked at her with a heartfelt expression. "You have no idea how livid he was."

"What happened to him, Hoggle?" Sarah asked softly, seeing a sadness cross his eyes.

"He… he never got over your rejection." He stated quietly, lowering his gaze to the stone floor. "He waited years for you to call him, just to hear you say his name, or any variant of his titles, anything."

He turned away from her to stare out at nothing.

"He wandered into the Forgotten Forest twenty-two of your years ago. Everyone who has tried to find him had been enchanted and either hasn't come back yet, or they don't remember going in there in the first place."

He turned his head to look at her pointedly. "That's the enchantment of the forest, Sarah."

"What's in the forgotten forest?"

"Your dreams," he whispered very softly. "Your fears. Depending on what you take in with you."

"Is he… do you think he's…?" Sarah couldn't bring herself to finish that dreadful question.

Her memories of him had been safely wrapped in her heart all these years. She knew that she couldn't change her mind after she'd grown up and realized how much he had offered her, how much he had wanted her.

She'd spent a lonely life regretting how she had left him. The fallen expression on his face that day still haunted her every time she closed her eyes.

"No, he's not dead. It would take more than an enchantment to kill that bastard." He smiled fondly then became sincere once more. "But he let himself succumb to the forest's illusions. The breaking of his spell over me is proof of that."

He turned sharply to look at her. "I think the labyrinth expects you to go after him, bring him back. You're the only champion, Sarah, your will power and the couple gifts Jareth had given you would give you a good chance."

"What makes you think I'd want to?" she asked, wondering if her heart was in her eyes as much as she thought it was.

Hoggle leaned closer to Sarah, resting his elbows on his knees, and met her gaze intently.

"The labyrinth has chosen you to bring back her ruler and our king, Sarah. She hasn't moved since he went into the Forest. She doesn't breath, there are no children, no wishes, nothing."

He reached out a hand to touch her arm.

"The labyrinth has used your nephew to keep her bond with you, the bond that was created when you defeated Jareth. She thrived on Zachary's dreams, his imagination, and taught him how to use certain words, as you found out tonight."

Sarah absorbed everything he was telling her, knowing that it made sense for Zachary's creative imagination at such a young age.

"But if the labyrinth is that strong, why can't she make him come out herself?"

Hoggle smiled wistfully at her question and sat back, removing his hand from her arm. He had noticed that she hadn't even realized that he had touched her.

"Magic doesn't work that way. The Forgotten Forest is it's own entity separate from the labyrinth, yet they co-exist. He doesn't want to be found, Sarah, or the Forest would have let him go by now."

"So… you're really not the king, then?"

"Hell no," he exclaimed. "I've just been trying to hold what's left together until the rat pulls himself together and resumes his position."

He glanced over at her slyly with a mischievous grin.

"I am a prince though," he winked at her.

She laughed despite herself. "Yea, I remember. Prince of the land of stench."

He snorted. "Yea, that too."

He rose to his feet once more.

"But, no, I really am a prince in my own kingdom." He informed her. "It's not half as grand as the labyrinth," he expressed with arms spread out wide. "But we have ogres and trolls and griffins." He crossed his arms regally. "It's a nice place if I do say so myself."

"Why didn't you just go home since… well, since he disappeared?" she asked, looking up at him.

She shifted her weight on the stone step and placed her hands at each side of her butt.

"Because for all the things Jareth is, Sarah, he's my friend," he answered with heartfelt sincerity. "And I can't abandon his kingdom without trying everything to find him."

He paced slightly, idly picking under his even nails as a distraction.

"Second to that, I'm still obligated to him for three more centuries with that bet. It would be dishonorable to break that oath."

"Wow," she breathed, glancing to the floor thoughtfully. "This is a lot to sink in."

She looked back up at him.

"I'm almost jealous that I'm not your first friend, Hoggle, is that warped or what?"

"You were my first friend while I was a repulsive little scab," he smirked. "I knew you'd fall for him though."

"What makes you think I fell for him? I haven't done anything to encourage his feelings for me in any way." She raised her head and tossed her hair indignantly. "I don't wish, I don't retell the story, I don't even say his name."

"You also don't look happy," he replied softly. "Excuse me for saying it, but you asked." He quirked his brows matter of factly.

"You never married, you never even tried to fall in love. If you ask me, you both were waiting for the other to make the first move and ended up in a stale mate."

"I just never met anyone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, that's all."

"Yes you did," he said to her solemnly. "You just gave up too soon. You let the dream die."

"What makes you think you know me so well?" she whispered, afraid that he really might know that he was right.

"Because I've seen where your heart lies. I've… wished it were different."

He looked away from her, a sad regret in his eyes.

Realization filled her mind. "Hoggle, I…"

"Don't," he breathed, looking at her pointedly. "We're friends, and that's important to me."

He took a deep breath and stepped away from her.

"Besides," he continued in a lighter tone. "Jareth would have my hide if I so much as dared to think of trying to win you over."

He reached his hand out to her. "Let me show you to your chambers, my Lady." He smiled at her warmly. "You may freshen up and rest while I find someone around here to make us some food."

She took his offered hand and stood up, falling into step next to him as they headed for another chamber. Sarah noticed how quickly he released her hand once she was on her feet.

"Tomorrow I'll show you the way towards the Forgotten Forest." He looked over at her as they walked. "I'm sorry I can't go with you, but I'm not strong enough magically to withstand the enchantment."

"And you think I'm strong enough?" she asked, fear and uncertainty filled her.

"I know you are," he grinned at her with confidence. "You have someone to save, and nothing will stop you from finding him."

XxXxX

Sarah awoke the next morning feeling refreshed, calm – despite the circumstances, and oddly comfortable as though she were home after being away for so long. She had met with Hoggle for breakfast. He was truly a prince in his own right.

She felt regret that he cared for her beyond their friendship, but he reassured her that his affections would only make their friendship stronger and that he accepted that.

After their shared meal of some cheese and fruit, he excused himself from her company, saying he needed to tend to a few things before escorting her to the Forest.

Having free roam of the castle unhindered, she leisurely walked along the hallways and corridors, admiring the sporadic pieces of art that adorned the walls here and there.

She came upon some private chambers and knew as soon as she had opened the doors that they belong to Jareth.

Even after all these years of his absence, all the years that she hadn't seen him, she still recognized his distinct scent that lingered in the room.

Feeling like a snoop, she quietly closed the door with reverence to the king's privacy.

Stepping away from the doors to continue on her way, she heard an odd sound behind her and turned with a start.

There was a wall where there hadn't been one before, blocking the passage that she had come through in the first place. Turning fully she retraced her steps, gasping in surprise as a mirror magically appeared on the wall before her.

"You're trying to tell me something," she whispered, thinking this had to be the work of the labyrinth herself. After all, who else could move stone walls?

She noticed that her reflection didn't appear in the mirror, and yet she wasn't uneasy about that.

"What would you have me know, Labyrinth?" she asked with reverence. "Show me how to find him, and return your ruling king."

The glass before her clouded with swirling mists, the sound of music hauntingly filled her ears.

Sarah closed her eyes at the tune. She breathed deeply in remembrance, bringing her memory of dancing in his arms to the front of her mind.

She could feel the magic settle over her, the dizziness of an enchantment, and opened her eyes.

Placing her hand on the wall for balance, her eyes met with his mismatched ones via the mirror as he swirled her in the dance of her lifetime.

"I remember you," she whispered in response to some unspoken voice, touching the image of his face in the glass.

"You are the dream I could never have," she whispered in a trance-like voice, staring hypnotically at the dancers before her.

"I will find you, and I will have my dream at last."

"Sarah?" Hoggle called from a few feet behind her.

He watched with unease as she raised her hand into the air as though touching something that wasn't there. Or at least not anything he could see.

Her hand fell to her side and she half turned to face him at hearing his voice. Her eyes were glassy and enchanted looking.

His breath caught in his throat with fear for a second, then she blinked and smiled warmly at him.

"Are you finished your errands?" she asked casually, fully turning towards him to meet up with him down the hallway.

"Are you alright?" he asked with concern, her eyes now clear and fully focused on him.

"Yes, I'm fine. I was just wandering around while you took care of your business."

"And… you didn't encounter anything strange, did you?" he asked cautiously, glancing past her down the hallway.

"No, should I have?" she asked, following his gaze behind her.

She frowned slightly at not seeing anything amiss in the hallway she'd just come from and wondered at his odd behavior.

"Nah," he replied, waving his hand carelessly. "I was just making sure, that's all. Things aren't always as they seem in this place, remember?"

"I remember that all too well, Hoggle," she smiled and looped her arm through his at his side.

He bent his elbow formally to be polite but glanced back over his shoulder with a worried frown as he led Sarah back the throne room to prepare for her journey.

Something had happened to her in that hallway, he knew it by the pit in his stomach. He only hoped it was something for Sarah's benefit and nothing that would hurt her while she risked everything to save Jareth.

XxXxX

"I can't give you any fair warning or advice," Hoggle was telling Sarah once they had the entrance to the Forgotten Forest in sight.

"I know not how far it stretches, or how deep it is, or how to encourage you to even find him."

He pulled something from his waist jacket and offered it to her.

"The best I can offer you is this," he stated, handing her a crystal. "I've tried to put as much magic in it as I possible could. Hopefully it can protect you from the illusions and enchantments long enough for you to find him."

He took her by the elbow, his expression very grave. "Sarah, if you feel yourself slipping into a dream, get out, come back here so you can rest and try again at a later time."

"I'll find him, Hoggle, of that much I'm sure," she replied, taking the crystal he offered her with a grateful smile.

They followed the cobble stone path closer to the entrance, already feeling the pull of enchantment.

With the crystal in her hand, Sarah turned to Hoggle and gave him an unexpected hug, along with a peck on the cheek.

"If I can't bring him back with me, Hoggle," she told him as she backed closer to the tree line of the Forest. "Then I won't be coming back at all!"

With that she turned and ran headfast into the Forgotten Forest.

"No!" Hoggle yelled after her, sprinting forward in an attempt to catch her. "Sarah, No! You must come back! Sarah!"

He stopped short of the trees, standing closer than he dared into the enchantment. "Please help her," he whispered to no one in particular as he regrettably had to move away from the Forest.