'Be it ever so crumbly, there's no place like Rome.

Nero, he was the emperor, and the palace was his home.

But he liked to play with matches and for the fire yearned;

So he burned Rome to ashes and fiddled while it burned.'

Sarah Williams was severely depressed. Life had gotten hard for the 23 year old with College and life catching up. Her father, Robert didn't help things, often having no time for his family and spending every waking moment at his job with the Law Firm. What little time was actually spent with Karen, Toby, and Sarah, he ignored Sarah. She was his forever reminder of Linda, the woman that had hurt him more than he ever wanted to admit. Sarah looked just like her mother, beautiful, charming, and absolutely personified the wild innocence of a child.

Irene was still every bit the Wicked Step mother to Sarah. Where Irene had once encouraged Sarah to spend her time with boys, make up, and socializing when the girl had been younger, now she spent her days plotting out Sarah's entire future, including what her major would be ("I think I want to write." "Absolutely not, Sarah! Don't you want to do something Practical with your life?" "No."), whether Sarah would go to school at Harvard or Boston, or even where Sarah would stay, because it was apparent to both stubborn women that Sarah would NOT be staying in the Williams house a moment longer than she needed to.

Toby and Sarah were extremely close and mostly because Sarah was the one that had taken care of Toby his entire life up till the point that she left for college. He was the only person that could read her like a book, and he went out of his way to make her laugh or smile. He believed that Knights should slay huge dragons and rescue fair maidens, and often drew whatever he had concocted in his dreams, and then presented them to her in his excited childlike wonder. Of course, Sarah had accepted his gifts with a smile, proudly tacking them to her cork board back in her apartment. He was a shoulder to cry on in the nights that her depression became unbearable, and in return she taught him everything she knew, gave him new cool toys and books, and supplied his ever increasing need for blank paper and crayons. Theirs was a relationship that every parent dreamed of their children having.

However, even with Toby filling her life with moments of happiness, nothing could fill the voids in her life. The absence of her father and a real mother figure were not lost on her, and she often found herself cursing whatever powers had made her home life so unbearable. The biggest void, however, was the fact that she had no men in her life. Oh sure, Sarah was attracted to men, particularly tall, blonde haired, blue eyed beautiful men. They always proved to be too good to be true or weren't interested in her at all. It was overall depressing.

However, Sarah never contemplated the thought that the situation she was in might change.

"Oooh! I hate this!" Sarah Williams cried aloud, anger flaring in her striking features. Long chocolate brown hair was tangled and knotted from the strong wind slashing at the exposed skin of her face and neck. Her shocking green eyes were narrowed to slits as she looked at the Algebra assignment she had gotten low marks on. "Algebra is so stupid!"

Trying to put on a fake serious expression and adopting a mock serious English accent, her roommate, Kate drawled, "Sa-rah, don't you want to pay your bills later in life? Don't you want to know how many lumps of sugar to put in your tea?" she was sniggering by the end of her statement, watching with barely concealed amusement as Sarah attempted to stare daggers into her uncooperative homework.

"As if you care! All you do is sleep around and party!" Sarah cried out indignantly, voice echoing in the pitch black of campus. The entire campus was silent, with eerie lights flickering over head. The trees and benches were nothing but shadows to an unfocused eye, and the moon was no where to be seen.

Kate burst into laughter at that, not because it was funny, but because she was on the tail end of a high from her recent party. Since she had left, she'd been smoking nonstop. Kate really was a compulsive partier and drinker, and any screwing or smoking she did added as a bonus to the red head.

"Sarah, you totally know that I study. Just in a different way than you do." In a way Kate was telling the truth, Sarah mused thoughtfully. Kate was taking Anatomy and Psychology, so what better way was there to study your subjects than to be a part of what they did? As it stood, Sarah was unsure if Kate was even thinking properly by now. The 24 year old was completely smashed.

The girls fell silent as they made their way to their apartment building a block from the campus. They made their way up 3 flight of stairs, Kate laughing all the way, often pointing out strange things such s the color of the walls or the shade of Sarah's blue hoodie ("It's totally midnight blue. Like if you lived in the middle of no where, ya know?"). Sarah quickly pulled her key ring out of her pocket and opened the door, quickly going in before the two of them made so much racket that they got yelled at by their landlord of the crazy cat lady living across from them. Sarah quickly sat her computer bag onto the table, looking around at the disaster zone that was their apartment.

The counters of the kitchen were dingy, and covered in dishes and beer bottles. The stove was covered with pots and pans half full of pasta or soup. The stove top itself was covered in red tomato sauce, no doubt from an explosion of spaghetti sauce of epic proportions. The tiles where grimy, covered in lint, bits of food, and utensils.

The Living room seemed to just be an extension of the mess. Their brown tattered couch had dirty laundry slung all over it, her favorite pair of silky red underwear on the arm. There was a small TV across from the couch, a tee shirt slung over it, and next to the TV was a bookshelf with both girls' school books jammed into it. On top of the bookshelf were pictures of the girls with their respective families; Sarah with Toby and Kate with her mom.

Sarah collapsed onto the couch, watching as Kate began to fuss over laundry, piling it all into a basket. Sarah would get up to help, but the command did not reach her legs, and with a frustrated grunt, she finally got up, picking up several tee shirts and pairs of underwear and throwing them into the white basket. As she did this, thoughts of the past flashed to the forefront of her mind. Why did it feel like today was special? Was there something she needed to remember? Something hugely important, something that could change her life…? What was going on? With a frustrated sigh, she stumbled down the short hallway to their little room. It was classically divided down the middle with Sarah's side to the left and Kate's to the right. She noticed with candid amusement that her side was decided neater with less clothes strewn everywhere.

Twisting her dark hair back, she pulled off her converse high tops, her tee shirt, and then slipped out of her pants, putting on a pair of cotton shorts. She pulled her bra off and threw on a large tee shirt with an image of Emily Dickinson on the front, then climbed into the bed. A nearly unnatural tiredness swept over Sarah's body, and she knew that the feelings of the day were crashing into her. For the first time in years, Sarah had peaceful dreams…

Sarah found herself in a beautiful field; the red poppies dance, the trees swayed, and the sun shone warmly. She couldn't help the almost immediate contented sigh that passed her lips, and with a wide smile she began to dance among the poppies, her white dress setting off against the red and green of her setting. By the time that her senses had finely gone into overload, Sarah had dizzied her self into a stumbling halt, and a gloved hand shot out of a body near hers, and clasped her upper arm, steadying her. The man before her looked to be in his early thirties with wild blonde hair and mismatched eyes. He wore sinfully tight grey breeches, knee high boots, and a white billowy shirt. Something within told her that this was right for him. That he shouldn't be seen in anything else, because this is what he belonged in. She also knew instinctively that he wasn't as guarded as usual, his angular face held almost none of its cold indifference.

"Hello Sarah." His voice had the slight accent of a London-born native, and warmth flowed into his baritone voice, making her name sound like a sin. However, bellying his tone, his face was smiling and almost innocent looking. He looked around the field, a sad look coming to his eyes, and almost immediately, she wanted to take that away. "Do you want to know how this field came to be, my dear?"

Sarah couldn't help it. She wanted to hear him talk, wanted to hear this story. "Yes." After a brief pause, she added a soft, "Please." She didn't know why, but she was compelled to cooperate with this beautiful man, as if a part of her would scream if she did anything that might embarrass her or him.

"Alright… well, one upon a time, in this very same field, a village one stood. It housed a peaceful people. There was no town Militia and the only occupations where of farmers. Those jobs were given to the men, and the women were expected to take after the children and the house." Here, he paused, looking at the ground sadly. "Then, one day, a Raiding Party from a neighboring village came to this place. Instead of being peaceful, they immediately began to slaughter the men. There was barely any resistance. The women were raped, killed or taken prisoner by these battle hungry men, and often they would invoke the wrath of their masters, causing the men to kill the women. The Barbarians killed most of the children, but a small handful survived. The oldest was a 17 year old boy, not quite a man. He was appointed leader." The man paused again, his eyes glassy with tears and his voice undoubtedly thick from emotion. Clearing his throat, he continued his narrative. "The teenager took his ragtag group to several different towns and cities, begging entrance. At every gate they were refused. Angry beyond reason and without aid, the group went back to their homes to find the Barbarians had burnt the entire village to the ground and left, leaving every single body of the enslaved women behind in a blazing, crumbling heap." The man looked her way, noticing rather happily that she was enthralled with the story he wove, however disturbing it may be.

"The leader of the survivors began to plan with his closes friends the building of a new kingdom, a home for unwanted peoples and beasts alike. The idea of his kingdom went over well with the group, and he was swiftly appointed as their king. The first order of business began when they built the small homes that would make up the Goblin City. In the center of that city the plans for a large castle were being drawn up. The king, by now coming into his magic, quickly raised his castle to the exact measurements. The feat severally weakened him, and he spent several weeks recuperating. In that time, several species of people came to stay, the predominant being Goblins. Goblins had never had a place to call their own, and now that there was an open kingdom with a small population, they moved in and bred like rats. They called their new king the Goblin King, and he immediately took the title with open arms. He would do anything to make his kingdom seem great and terrible." The man smiled proudly, and with a wave of his hand a blanket was set out. He set himself upon it, lying on his side, looking at her expectantly.

Gingerly, Sarah sat down on the blanket, never breaking eye contact. Why did she know him? Why was he so familiar? What happened that could possibly let her know such a fantastical man? "Who are you? What was the kings' name? How did you do that?" The questions left her mouth long before she could moderate them, and she couldn't help the flare of indignation when he smiled wickedly.

"All in good time, Sarah. You must be patient. Now," Here, the blonde beauty handed her a fresh picked poppy. "Please, put this in your hair. Alright, where was I...? Ah, yes. The Goblin King frequently had to keep enemies at bay, and in a fit of rage, he created his finest achievement: The Labyrinth. It was near impossible to even get in the outermost wall, and eventually the news of its creation spread throughout the realm. When the High King found out, he appointed the Goblin King with the job of taking unwanted children and replacing them with Changelings, but only if the parent or sibling didn't win the wish-away in the allotted time."

Sarah was staring at him, eyes wide with shock as she finally started to remember her own journey through the Labyrinth. Jareth smiled grimly, expecting her to react at any minute. Instead, she simply stared at him, no doubt expecting him to continue.

"At first, he welcomed the job, but as time passed on, he hated it more and more. He loathed humans, because of their weakness that he continually exploited. But one day, as you well know, he was defeated by nothing more than the slip of a girl; you, Sarah. You defeated him and a game that is several thousand years old." Jareth smiled at her sadly. She had tears in her eyes.

"The name of the King that created the Labyrinth is Jareth. As you probably know by now, I am Jareth."

Sarah awoke with a jerk some hours after falling asleep. Kate, she noticed dimly, was already asleep, and Sarah was thankful for that, because the red head was a heavy sleeper, and wouldn't wake up if there was a freight train headed toward their bed room window. Sarah was suddenly overcome with emotion, and she let the pent up tears finally fall.

"J-…I am so sorry!" Sarah choked on his name, but repetitively sobbed the phrase "I'm so sorry" until she passed out from fatigue.

At about 7 in the morning both girls were shocked awake from the sound of "Beep! Beep! Beep!" from their 'community' alarm clock. It was on the bed side table between the beds. "Ughh! Sarah! Why did you set that stupid thing?" Kate rolled over, sending a bleary half hearted glare at the other girl. She was NOT a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. However, she noticed quickly with her sleep misted mind that Sarah was not in her bed, and her covers were strewn all the way to the floor, where Sarah WAS sleeping. She was on her side, head covered in pillows. A sheet and part of her comforter was wrapped around her midsection. Overall, she was a nearly comical sight to Kate, who couldn't stop the giggles. "S-Sarah. Oh my gosh. What are you doing on the floor? Ha-ha!" Kate actually snorted. Sarah made her snort. That was not good.

"Huh? Uh… I didn't set it…. Did I? I must have… ugh… let's just get the day over with…" Sarah groaned, rolled onto her stomach, and slowly got onto all fours as Kate rolled back over on the bed, facing the wall. She wasn't going to get out of bed for anything in the entire world. Sarah, on the other hand, got off the floor, stumbled toward the dresser and pulled out the clothes that she would wear for the day.

She went into the bathroom, and set the water to a scalding hot, then stripped down, stepped in, and nearly groaned from the satisfaction of the water hitting her sore muscles. 'Really, Sarah, you shouldn't sleep on the floor,' she chided to herself. It was at that moment that Sarah felt eyes on her. Not normal eyes, as if you know the person staring at you was in the same room, oh no. This feeling was intensified a hundred fold, and she KNEW that this person was not in the room with her. She couldn't help the shudder, and quickly washed her hair and body, then practically ripped her clothes on and couldn't get out of the bathroom fast enough.

Kate prided herself on what she knew about her roommate, Sarah. She knew that the other girl liked comfort over fashion, and that Sarah preferred nights in reading to partying all night long. She also knew of Sarah's obsession with blonde haired, blue eyed men. But the biggest fact that she had learned from personal experience was that Sarah never scared. She was never surprised or frightened in any way. She knew what to expect at all times.

So when Sarah came walking out of the bathroom with an expression of seeing Lucifer or a Ghost in person, Kate was a little upset. One, because she could NEVER get that expression out of Sarah for Halloween or her birthday, and Two, because that had to mean that whatever had spooked her had been pretty bad.

"Sarah, are you ok? You don't look so good… Maybe you shouldn't go into work?" Kate was pulling on her jean Capri's as Sarah picked up her messenger-bag-purse-thing. Kate wasn't really sure what it was. Sarah put everything in it. Including strange assortments of books, food, clothes, make up, feminine hygiene products, and many other effects.

"No, its ok, Kate. I just remembered my nightmare is all. I'll be ok by the end of the day for class." She slung the thing over her shoulder and made a beeline for the bed room door, hurrying to get out before Kate noticed the frightened expression that she had worn since leaving the bathroom.

Sarah knew that she couldn't tell Kate about her misadventures through the Labyrinth (which she was now convinced really happened). If that information was divulged to the realistic girl, Kate would immediately call the men in white coats. And Sarah really didn't need that. She had enough cruel humor in her life, and she knew that it could only get worse if other people knew. It was bad enough that Toby was always drawing goblins and talking about the creatures that she now realized had always existed. The prospect was frightening.

And so, Sarah went on with the rest of her day, not noticing the half demented eyes watching her.

Both girls had an hour and a half before classes started, so Sarah returned to the apartment, avoided their crazy landlord, and collapsed on the couch to study. It was when Kate walked in that she finally tore her gaze away from said book. Kate had mail. And the look on the red heads face could only mean one thing: Something interesting was in that bundle of parcels from who knows where.

"Sarah, letter for you," Kate mumbled distractedly as she tossed said letter to Sarah, who caught it with nimble hands. Sarah immediately went about analyzing it. She noted that the material used was not white paper, instead it was yellowed parchment. There was no return address or even her address, just her name written in scrawled ink. There was a wax seal on the back, and she noted with alarm that it was the Labyrinth. Weighing the parcel, she noticed that it was heavy, which also meant that this letter was long. This person had a lot to say.

Sarah immediately felt that this letter was not to be read in the living room, no, such letters were read in privacy. So, the 23 year old got up off the couch and went into her room. Kate was already on the phone in the kitchen, she noted dully.

Once the door was locked and Sarah was sure that Kate would not be deterred from her conversation with Ryan (Kate's on and off boyfriend of 3 years), Sarah finally allowed her self to open the letter. For some reason, she was shaking, and she had a feeling that something bad was going to happen soon. Regardless of her trepidation, however, her eyes roved over the parchment, fascinated by what she read:

'Sarah Williams,

As the Goblin Kings' advisor and a citizen of His Majesty's court, I, Jezebel ask you – The champion of His Majesty's Labyrinth – to find our beloved King.

He was last seen in the Hedge Maze, several moons ago. No one knows where he has gone or why. I will come to collect you in a weeks' time. During that time, please come to a decision about whether or not you will help us.'

Here, Sarah nearly snorted. Why not make me do it? Why ask me? Their 'beloved King' had no qualms with making her run the Labyrinth for Toby, why not twist my arm to find him? Regardless, she kept reading.

'Enclosed is a Real Time map of the Labyrinth that will change whenever the real-life counterpart changes. It also records the movements of every citizen of His Majesty's realm.'

Sarah turned the page to look at it, and nearly laughed aloud. It was just like the Marauders' Map from Harry Potter. The silliness was not lost, no matter how upset she really was. Jareth was missing? Her mind was screaming over and over, frantically pushing to find him and now.

'There is also a letter addressed to you from our King. It is dated some days after your victory, but I have no idea of the contents. I will not read His Lordships letters.'

Sarah took a deep breath, fighting the internal battle as to whether or not to read Jareth's letter. Her insides screamed that she had damn well read it, but her mind picked up a mantra that Jareth could not be trusted and that she had better just set it down before she got in too far over her head. Sarah didn't listen to that part of her, and instead began to read:

'Dearest Sarah,

I will tell you this once; I am not angry with you for defeating me, and I will never hold it against you. I know you worry about it. However, now that THAT is out of the way, let's get down to business.

'You are the rightful Queen of the Goblins. I gave you that title the second the clock struck time. With this inherent title is the fact that you possess great magic that unfortunately I will not be able to teach you to control until you return to my realm.

'Along with the magic, there is another gift entailed with your new found title; an absolute authority over my subjects. They will always answer to you as well as they answer to me. No one else knows this information, and I would rather it be kept that way until you return, in the very least.

These privileges can be taken away as well as bestowed. Use them wisely, Sarah mine.

Yours truly,

Jareth,

The Goblin King'

Trembling even more than before, Sarah looked up. And screamed.

A/: Yep. I know I have another story that I should be updating, but this has been in development for some time, so I'm pretty excited.

I do not own Labyrinth or any characters associated with it. The 'poem' in the beginning of this chapter is property of Warner Bros. and is taken from an episode of Bugs Bunny.

I'm a review whore, so please, leave me a little love.