Hey all—I've been dabbling in Labyrinth fanfiction for more than a decade now. I finally got around to joining Laby-fandom again. There are elements of Beauty and the Beast in this story. Rated M for a reason—please make sure you are of the appropriate age to read this kind of stuff.

Disclaimer: I do not know the Labyrinth or any of the characters associated with the Labyrinth. Nor do I own the Beauty and the Beast.

Summary: When Sarah is forced into surrendering herself to The Goblin King, she must find her place in the Royal Court of the Underground. Between her dealings with the treacherous couturiers and the icy king, she must play her cards right or get swallowed up by the darkness.

Chapter One: The Invitation

Until this moment, I had never really believed I went through the Labyrinth. I had convinced myself that the whole ordeal was a figment of my imagination—a bored fourteen-year-old girl dreaming up a romantic villainous king, all the while saving her brother…seems somewhat unrealistic, doesn't it?

I'd always had a vivid imagination, so I simply told myself that it was a dream. Days turned into months, and months into years, and I never encountered anything that led me to believe the experience was real.

Even now, as I held the peach in my hand, I was stunned. Part of me wanted to run out my father's house, get into my car and drive until I hit California (pretty far considering that his house is in Connecticut). However, a more rational part of me would never allow that because I know what is at stake.

My poor father sat on the kitchen bar stool, shaken. His wife, completely bewildered, was whipping up a quick scrambled egg mash for him. My brother, the little pest, was soundly sleeping in his room unaware of the tension in the kitchen.

I clenched my fists as I made my way into the kitchen, a calm expression had settled on my face and a smile on my lips. I'd spent years taking acting lessons, I knew that I could be quite convincing.

"Daddy, I'm sure that was some sort of hallucination, you don't need to look so upset," I said, my voice chirpy. "Smells good Karen," I added, smiling at her.

My father turned to look at me, his eyes still wide. "He asked me for my firstborn daughter," his voice shook. "Forget about the girl…"

"Oh daddy, how sinister," I kept my tone sarcastic, but my voice wavered as I felt cold chills run down my spine. He asked me for my first born child.

"Robert, you've been on the road for hours. I'm sure you didn't even stop for lunch. All that and the stress of the business and securing the contract must have taken a toll," Karen nagging screech to it, but I knew she was genuinely concerned for him.

My father turned to Karen, his eyes wider still. "He said he would make sure my business dealings were successful." His voice was deep but soft. "He said he knew I wouldn't refuse him…he laughed."

It took every bit of strength I had not to sink down to the floor and bury my head in my hands. For years now, my father's consulting business had been slowly dying. He had kept a positive outlook—but bit by bit, his soul had worn out as business never picked up. Especially now that he refinanced the house last year, he knew that this was his last chance. If he failed to secure this contract, his family would lose their home and Toby probably wouldn't be able to go to college.

I kept my voice light as didn't want him to think I believed him even remotely. "Just for some clarification daddy, tell me exactly what you think happened."

My father looked away from my face and sighed, as if he was embarrassed. "I was driving back from Chicago, after presenting my deck to Shellman & Co when it began raining torrentially." He stopped and shrugged as if trying to understand what had happened.

"It was very sudden and my car started spinning out of control and ended up in the ditch. I got out of the car to look for help but there were no other cars on the highway. I walked a bit and saw a small cottage with dim lighting and went in…" He stopped and raised his eyes to meet mine, desperately searching them for some signs of belief.

"Go on daddy," I said, sweetly encouraging.

"There was no one inside but the table had a dinner spread so I helped myself, thinking I would repay the host later. I waited for the host for two hours until I fell asleep on the couch and woke up this morning-"

"Robert that was ridiculously irresponsible of you, the food was obviously drugged!" Karen cut in, her voice firm and also relieved. From her point of view, that was indeed the most probable reason for my dad's 'hallucination.' "I was so worried when you didn't come home last night, I had to ask Sarah to come over immediately. We were going to call hospitals and police stations looking for you!"

"That was no problem at all Karen," I said in a placating voice.

My father stopped and considered the idea—suddenly reason flooding back in his eyes. I could see it clearly, the aha! of course! moment. "Yes…yes," he repeated, suddenly standing up, looking a lot less shaken up.

"Daddy, I'd still like to hear what you think happened after that," I said, pretending to whine. I desperately had to know.

"I freshened up, left fifty dollars to compensate for the food and lodging, and was leaving the cottage as I passed by a wild rose bush." He turned to look at me, "I couldn't help but think that you would love wild roses…in fact, something or someone whispered it into my ear 'lovely roses for a lovely girl'… so I plucked a few." He paused, his eyebrows drew in fear as he recalled the exact event.

"That was when he came…and you'll laugh when I tell you this, but I don't think he was human. He was something else entirely…tall, probably six and a half feet and his hair was silver like a halo around his head. He was a creature dressed in something that looked like a medieval war armor. When he spoke to me I noticed that his teeth were sharp."

"What about his eyes daddy?" I asked, unable to contain myself.

"His eyes were the most frightening part of him. One was clear blue and sharp, as if it could look into your very soul. The other was the shade of evergreen pine with a ring of amber around the iris."

"What did he say?" I asked softly. I could feel my heart thudding in my ears.

"He said I had disrespected his hospitality and I would have to pay with my firstborn daughter."

"What were his exact words daddy?"

"He said he would be generous and give me a deal that he would not to others. He gave me a peach and said that if I went home and gave my firstborn daughter the peach then he would not only forgive me, but he would make sure my business dealings were successful and my family prosperous." My father looked uncomfortable "he said forget about the girl, you have a new family, focus on them—he said that as he gave me the peach. And I took it…God help me Sarah, but I took it. " His face turned white.

My heart broke. The Goblin King had taken my father's misfortunes and played with his mind by giving him a prize he couldn't afford to lose.

"Oh daddy, you don't have to freak out about something that didn't even happen," I said, smiling, reassuring him that none of that had actually happened. "What happened next?"

"I got into the car and drove home…gave you the peach, and drank a glass of whiskey." His voice had now turned sheepish, as if he couldn't believe he would have been so stupid as to believe that he had signed away his firstborn daughter to some mythical creature.

"Guzzled is the word Robert, not drank," Karen added, as she served up a steaming plate of scrambled eggs with mushroom. "Off to bed immediately after you finish this meal," she said, using her 'do not mess with me' voice that she often used with Toby.

"I'll see you guys in the evening, I have to work on one of my patient's report," I said as I walked out of the kitchen and climbed up the stairs to Toby's room.

The kid was still asleep when I got in, though I suppose I couldn't really call a fifteen-year-old a kid anymore. I swear, he could sleep through a nuclear Armageddon, even if it was happening next door. I sat by his bed and ruffled his hair. "I'll miss you kiddo," I said softly before getting into the guest room.

I shut the door and sat on the bed, knowing what I must do next. I could feel the blood roaring in my ears as I held the peach.

I would fulfil my father's unwitting part of the deal…that would ensure he would fulfil his part of the deal and make sure my family was always comfortable. My poor father wouldn't have to worry about his business anymore and Toby would most definitely get to go to a good college without having to take a soul crushing loan.

Closing my eyes, I took a bite. My head hit the pillow almost instantly and my vision turned black.

Character backgrounds:

Sarah: 29 years old in this story—a fully grown adult. A half WASP half something else from Connecticut, living in a shoebox studio in Brooklyn, above a dingy coffee shop. Grew up upper middle class, family suffered financially during the economic crisis and they've never been able to get back on their feet since.

Major commitment and trust issues—broke up with the last long term boyfriend because he wanted to her to move in with him in his much nicer walk up in the Village. Hated the thought of relying on him. Is cynical, uses sarcasm to deal with stressful situations. Is never going to be sweet and complacent in this story. Is attracted to the Goblin King.

I will say this again, as I keep getting asked about it-she's tall, thin, and beautiful so, she's not an insecure mess about her looks.

Looks like—google 'J Connelly A Beautiful Mind premiere.'

Jareth: scores fairly high on the sociopath spectrum—his conscience cannot be compared with a human's. Shows affection towards family and only friend, but is willing to manipulate pretty much everyone else for his advantage.

Realizes Sarah can be a very powerful tool for him and he will do anything to ensure that happens, including: bend the truth, take advantage of the fact that she's clearly attracted to him, keep her alive, etc. Don't take everything he says for granted.

Feels some level of affection for Sarah, but that mostly has to do with the fact that he feels sorry she has to suffer for the role he's laid out for her. He's drawn to her, attracted to her, and finds her sense of humor quite entertaining, but he's certainly not in love with her at the beginning.

The concept of love: not a character, but something that needs to be explained nonetheless. This story is listed as a JS romance, but I do want readers to keep in mind that romance in this story is more along the lines of 'fucked up and twisted' and not 'head over heels,' 'rainbows and unicorns,' or 'diamond rings and babies.'

Silver Lady: also scores fairly high on the sociopath spectrum—part of their nature. Used to be the High General in her brother's army during the war. Ruled the Goblin Kingdom as a regent until Jareth came of age at 25. Is about eight centuries old.

Daemora: in spite of her enthusiasm, she too scores fairly high on the sociopath spectrum. Is seventeen and longs for companionship. Was a mistake—doesn't know her father.

Silver Bearers: in a realm full of beings that don't feel the range of human emotion, Silver Bearers are the coldest of the lot. Don't care too much for conventional practices like marriage. Men and women can be legal heirs (it's only men for all other kingdoms).

Amer: a low born warrior from the Ifrit clan, informally called fire bearers, from Buqahar who worked as the crown prince's sparring partner. He grew far more talented than the prince and was forced to flee when he came of age at 25. Traveled around the realm until he met Jareth and was asked to join the Goblin Kingdom army as the High General. Is extremely loyal to the King. Still finds the northwestern kingdoms too foreign at times. Is bisexual.

Beina Nae: head Bone Priestess for all the northwestern kingdoms—all have similar cultural rituals (including Nastrondis, the Goblin Kingdom, and Galeia).

Arges: General of the Demi Soldiers of Agea—soldiers who are of a race that's part mortal (I e, Agean Human) and Agean. The Ageans have a long history of taking in mortal blood for the army because they breed faster. He is extremely loyal to Ceres and has some level of affection for Sarah.

Astre: First Princess of Nastrondis—she's King Oren's daughter and will eventually be the Queen of Nastrondis. Her husband Dagir will be King. She has a sadistic streak, though not as pronounced as Reyerjis. Has a significant history with the Goblin King—though, by the time this story takes place, their relationship has cooled off.

Zepara: is one of the seven Watchers of Pyranos. Has mostly female lovers—sometimes male, but shows a stronger preference for women. Born and raised to be a ruthless warrior, she prefers all-out war to Court games.

Sexuality: is fluid.