Crystal Clear - Chapter One "But now that I'm way up here, it's crystal clear, that now I'm in a whole new world with you..."

I do not own Labyrinth. Although I would love to be able to take credit for something so wonderful and creative, I must be content with the story you see before you. The plot of my fanfic (and not the subject!) is the product of myself and my friends in the Magic Hall. This one's for y'all! ^_^
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Love was not something old to the Goblin King. He had never experienced it, never gave it or received it. Never knew it. Until it was too late.

Jareth sat moodily in his little stone castle. The goblins were...where were they? The King looked around and saw one goblin idly sipping from a chalice. "Excuse me...Skrann, is it?" The goblin jumped guiltily and looked up. Jareth smiled disarmingly. "So, do you enjoy the ale, Skrann?" He asked politely.
"Uhmm..er...aye, yer Majesty, I does." Skrann shuffled in some discomfort.
"Why, whatever is wrong, my dear Skrann? Why do you avert your eyes so?" Jareth added some injured concern to his tone.
"I..uhhh...well..."
"Perhaps you are lonely. I see that none of your friends are around today. Come, come sit by my throne and we'll talk." The goblin nervously stood and replaced himself next to his king.
"Ah, isn't that better?" Jareth asked, grinning in a friendly way. "So, where exactly are these friends of yours?"
"They..uhh...they's outside. Yungle found a little sumpthin', so 'e did. And uh...they's out there lookin' at it." Skrann was shaking, his ale sloshing onto the floor.
"And what exacly was it that Yungle found?" Jareth's tone was softer.. and therefore much more dangerous. Skrann knew it.
"Twas a..uhmm..a..." But Jareth was gone. Earlier that day, while exploring his crystal collection, he had found something missing.

A group of goblins clustered in a tight circle out in the courtyard. Jareth strode towards them, his features a dark contrast to the bright sunlight. Skrann followed close behind, feeling wretched because his friends would, like as not, lynch him for getting them in trouble with Jareth. The goblins spun around as their king's shadow fell over them. The goblin called Yungle stuffed something behind his back. Jareth smiled again. So much like little schoolchildren, caught with their mother's favorite jewelry. "And what have we here?", he asked them.
"Uhh... nothin'...," one muttered.
"Nothing? Nothing?" He extended a gray-gloved hand and the crystal flew from behind Yungle and into Jareth's possession. "No, nothing at all." He smiled in malicious pleasure. Reaching out another hand, he picked Yungle up by the scruff of his neck. He stared the blubbering goblin in the eye and said, "If you touch my propery again I will tip you straight into the Bog of Eternal Stench, do you understand me?" Yungle snuffled and nodded quickly. Jareth dropped him hard and turned on his heel.
There was a crack! Jareth cursed. His sight crystal was broken! It was a special crystal that allowed the Goblin King to see what was happening in his Labyrinth, which was in construction. A way for him to make sure no one was slacking. A way for him to play God in his little universe. As he patched it, something began to glimmer, deep inside the crystal. As Jareth looked closer, he could see a shape...
Sarah sobbed into her pillow, soaking it with salty tears. Her red eyes stared bleaky out into the darkened room. She shivered, pulling her gray fuzzy blanket closer around her ears. More sobs. Over in the corner, a black dress moved in the little wind from the air conditioner. Sarah saw it and wept harder. Dead!Dead-dead-dead-dead! The only word that could pass her mind and into her concious. Deaddeaddeaddead, and over and over like a chant until it was all that existed, everything, and what a terrible eternity!
The Goblin King watched her with a little smile, a smile unlike any he had used before. This was so much more interesting than watching the green-but-slowly-working-his-way-up Hoggle trip over paving stones! The girl was what, ten years old? What could have possibly caused so much pain to one so young?
"Sarah! Go to sleep!" A loud male voice interrupted the girl's mourning. She covered her head with a pillow, snuggling her teddy bear, Lancelot, closer. "Sarah! You won't bring her back by crying, honey." the voice said more gently. "Now get some rest. Big day tomorrow."
Sarah. Jareth covered the crystal and sighed. Poor thing. Before he took the power from the crystal he looked around the girl's room. An odd red thing with button eyes and red yarn hair sat grinning next to a bookshelf. He started, annoyed because he was startled. It looked just like a weird animal that had taken up residence in the Labyrinth. The Firey was wild. Was he ever! He peered closer. Where had she gotten it? Then he knew.
Aileen.
The King didn't used to be surrounded by only mindless goblins. There had once been someone else, someone of his same species. Her name was Aileen. They weren't human or goblin, Jareth and Aileen. Childhood friends. But never lovers. She had left too soon. Jareth was heartbroken that day. She had turned her head away from his questioning eyes. The beautiful dark-haired woman had fallen in love with a creature from the Aboveground, and she went to him. Jareth indulged in his own cruel belief that Aileen was unhappy with him. It was the only reason he could think of. What could an Abovegrounder give her that he could not? So he was miserable. And his broken heart festered.
Wow. Jareth sat down abrupty in disbelief. No. No! This Sarah....Aileen's...daughter???? Couldn't be! Though it would explain the stuffed Firey and the Hoggle bookend (Aileen had always had a soft spot for the dwarf when he was growing up-was this why Jareth was so hard on him?). But look at the girl! She was so unhappy. With Aileen as a mother (Jareth's heart leapt, and he pushed it back down sternly) who could be sad? Who could be... He saw the black clothing. Even in the dark bedroom, the dress jumped out at him. Now, Jareth had seen enough of the Aboveground to know what a black dress and a weeping child meant together. "She should have known. Should have known she could never survive up there for long. All her fault...dead...Aileen!" The king gasped in wonder as a black tear welled in his eye. He caught the liquid onyx on his finger. He stared at it. It glittered like the crystal in his other hand. And inside that crystal, Sarah, daughter of Aileen, cried as well.