A/N: So, this is the first chapter of the sequel to The Mask. It'll start sort of tame, but give it a little bit. Things are going to get intense. Possibly dark. No, definitely dark. Literally dark? Yeah, probably, since the villain- well, if you've read the preview- which you totally should- you already have an idea. Also, even with how much writing for you guys can stress me, it is so rewarding. I love reading your reviews so much.

Disclaimer: Nah man I don't own no Laby-whatever.

Chapter One: Breath of Life

The castle was spotless, for once. Royals milled about the halls, whispering. Rumors and gossip seeped from reddened lips like blood.

"You know she was a human, right?"

"I heard she nearly destroyed the kingdom once."

"I heard she did destroy the kingdom once. At fifteen, no less."

"I am pretty sure she defeated Arcadia."

"Now that is rubbish, Jareth did that."

"No, I think it was her."

"Did you hear about the Elf king? Stirring after so long."

"Yes, a great change is coming. I can feel it on the air."

"With that much skin showing, I am sure you can."

A small boy darted by, shouting for them to move and startling the women out of their talk. He was followed closely by a slightly older girl dressed in silks, her braided hair flying behind her.

"Toby come back! You have to get ready!"

Toby skid to a stop at the end of the hall, in front of a great mirror.

"Ha! Got you!"

He turned to face the older girl, glaring. She took a step forwards, he took one back and fell right through the mirror with a startled shout.

Toby sat up, peering around the enormous library he'd fallen into. He could stay there until Bliss gave up on him, he was sure of it. No way was he going to let her smear glitter all over his face. He'd only just tolerated the annoying suit she'd put him in. She may be flower girl, but his job was way more important. No one really cared about the pretty petals, but everyone cared about the rings.

Besides, who was Bliss to boss him around? Toby was six years old, dang it, he could make his own decisions.

Nodding at his sound logic, Toby curled up in an armchair to wait Bliss out. Sarah would come to save him in time, he just knew it.

Sarah was not in her dress yet. Clara and Queen Titiania had been helping ready the queen-to-be all morning, and they still had yet to put her in her dress.

"Why do you have to put fake fey marks on me?" Sarah whined for the thirteenth time.

Titiania growled under her breath, her patience wearing thin.

"It is tradition for those without them to receive false markings until after the coronation, when they will become true." She recited, gripping Sarah's chin to hold her still.

"Okay, but why is it taking so long?"

The queen groaned, rubbing her temples.

"Because, Sarah, you won't shut up."

Sarah sulked then, and she thought she might've heard the queen mention to Clara that she preferred Sarah with the mask.

It was all in play, of course. Titiania liked Sarah quite a bit. Especially after that whole deal with Arcadia.

Bliss ran into the room before Titiania could continue her torturous method of applying makeup.

"Sarah, Toby's in the library and the door moved again!" She whined, stomping her foot. She had golden glitter throughout her hair and painted onto her lips and eyelids. Even her cheeks glittered slightly.

"Were you... trying to put makeup on my little brother?" Sarah asked, frowning at her.

"Well, yeah. Everyone wears makeup at weddings."

Sarah laughed, shaking her head slightly and earning a disapproving look from Titiania, who had spent three hours on that hair.

"You might not remember, Bliss,but in the Aboveground, boys don't really wear makeup. They can, but most think it's a girl's only sort of thing. Toby doesn't really care, but he tried on his mom's makeup once, when he was little. He hated the way it felt on his face. I'll go find him."

"Oh no you won't!" Titiania cut in. "Clara, go get Jareth to find the boy. And at the very least, put something in his hair."

Clara ran from the room, and Sarah sighed, resigned to her fate as an ex-human doll. She had a feeling she wouldn't get to spend nearly enough time with Toby before she had to send him back home.

"Oh, hush, I am done with your make up. We have to get you into the dress now. Bliss, can you help me?"

Bliss, for her part, was way too excited to help force Sarah into her wedding dress.

Jareth grumbled, sending Clara back to continue her assistance with Sarah's preparations before heading to find the library. Jareth was good at finding things, it seemed. Libraries, lost children, trouble.

Well, he liked to think the last thing found him.

Either way, Jareth came across the library in minutes. He stepped trough the mirror and sighed, glancing around the enormous room. Toby, hopefully, hadn't wandered in too deep. There was nothing Jareth could do if the boy had been torn apart by the powerful magic contained in those tomes kept in the deepest recesses of the library.

Luckily, Toby had not been destroyed. Sarah would probably hold that against Jareth, and he found the boy rather charming, so he would actually prefer he live.

Jareth found the child curled up in an armchair, asleep. He shook the child gently and Toby stirred.

"Hello, Tobias. We've got to finish getting you ready."

Toby recoiled, disgust flashing across his face.

"I am not letting you or anyone else smear glitter all over my face. Where's Sarah?"

Jareth laughed, a deep sound that made Toby nervous.

"You sister is still getting ready for the wedding. She would've come if she were able, I promise. As for the glitter smearing, don't worry, I don't plan on forcing you to wear any makeup. But would you allow me to fix your hair, at least?"

Toby frowned a little, but nodded, following Jareth out of the library and back into the guest room Toby was staying in. Toby sat in front of the vanity and watched Jareth scoop some sort of velvety, gold temporary dye into his hands. He combed streaks into the boy's hair, styling it as he went. Toby, being six year old, was not a very patient boy, and soon began to fidget. Luckily, Jareth was very quick about fixing the boy's hair, and soon set the comb down, satisfied.

"Alright, Tobias, you're ready. Let's get going, Sarah should be ready by now."

The wedding was held in the Garden of the Goblin Queen. Everything was perfectly choreographed, down to the fairies hovering among the roses, but the place was so crowded that some things couldn't help to go unnoticed. For instance, the hooded man seated towards the edge of the garden, his face hidden in shadow. No one sat beside him, and he said nothing. He wasn't even watching the wedding, really, he was looking towards the castle.

Toby walked to the beat of the music, like Sarah had told him on her last Aboveground visit, and stood where he was instructed. For once, he was behaving rather well.

Jareth's entrance was the room's cue to be silent. All whispering that had began at the sight of a human boy carrying the rings fell off. Jareth walked with a purpose, his regalia dark and intimidating. He reached the front of the room quickly and stood, waiting for Sarah.

Bliss came next, along with Clara and Titiania, who were Sarah's bride's maids. Jareth had wanted no groom's men, but Sarah had insisted on an Aboveground-style wedding, and so Hoggle stood in as Jareth's best man. The dwarf looked very unusual in a suit.

When the music, played on harp instead of piano, suddenly changed to a tune Jareth knew well, he glanced back. Sarah was making her entrance, clothed in the full Goblin Queen's regalia. It was as though she wore midnight on her skin. Each shimmer of the gown looked like stars. Her head was held high, hair done in elegant braids. Hoggle walked alongside her in place of her father.

When they reached the front, Hoggle placed Sarah's hand gently into Jareth's before taking his seat. The couple turned towards Jareth's father, who was presiding, and waited.

First, Auberon recited the Aboveground script that Sarah had taught him. Once their vows had been recited, and their rings placed on their individual fingers, he finished the Aboveground ceremony by having them kiss.

Sarah nearly lost herself in the kiss, but Titiania cleared her throat, and the queen-to-be was brought back to reality. She smiled sheepishly, and Auberon rolled his eyes.

"And now we shall hold the coronation and Underground ceremony. My queen, please bring forth the crowns."

Titiania seemed to glide towards them, holding a ornate chest. The High King opened it up, first placing Jareth's crown upon his head.

"Jareth, King of the Goblins, today you choose to crown Sarah Williams, Champion of the Labyrinth, as your Queen. Do you find this statement to be the truth?"

"I do, High King." Jareth murmured, bowing his head to accept the ceremonial crown.

He stepped back, and it was Sarah's turn. She bowed her head as Auberon placed the Queen's crown upon it.

"Sarah Williams, Champion of the Labirynth. Today you are to become Queen of the Goblins, ruler of the Labyrinth at your king's side. You shall be equals forevermore. Do you accept your role as queen, and all the duties that accompany it?"

"I do, High King." Sarah whispered, breathless. Auberon continued.

"You shall henceforth become faerie, never to be mortal again. Do you accept this?"

"I do, High King." Sarah repeated. She felt faint.

"Then I, King Auberon, Ruler of the Fey, crown you Queen of the Goblin Kingdom, Co-ruler of the Labyrinth, to reign at your king's side until times not yet known."

She stepped back, and Jareth gently turned her to face him.

"Kneel down, Precious." He whispered, and she did, shakily.

Jareth pulled something from his pocket, holding it up for the crowd to see. He then turned and placed it around Sarah's neck.

She was stunned to see an amulet, nearly identical to his own.

"Your true crown. You must wear it always." He whispered, and then he helped her stand. She felt a rush of something ancient and powerful rush through her, and she had to lean against Jareth for support.

They turned to face Auberon once more, and he grinned jovially at them.

"And now, to seal this ceremony, we dance and feast until dawn!"

Everyone cheered, and no one noticed the hooded figure that slipped away from the party as they headed towards the ballroom.

The dancing was much more fun when Sarah wasn't dying. The music was fast paced and wild. The ceremonial crowns had been put back into their chest after the ceremony, and Sarah's braids came down after about an hour of wild dancing. She'd finally gotten to try the sultry dance Jareth had taught her a while back, and were it not for the High King's order that none were to leave the ball until dawn, she suspected Jareth would have magicked them away right then.

Sarah danced with Toby as well, swinging him up in the air and laughing when he squealed from excitement. By midnight he'd fallen asleep, curled up in one of the chairs that lined the walls.

Sarah didn't feel tired. She felt powerful and raw, like she'd been struck by some kind of magical lightening bolt. She grabbed any who would come and danced. She drank anything put in her hand. It was wild, passionate, and fun.

She hoped it never had to end.

Of course, all good things do come to an end. Dawn eventually came, and with it ended the revel. Jareth took Toby home while Sarah, suddenly exhausted, headed to bed.

Unfortunately, she was also drunk, and had forgotten where bed was.

She found herself utterly lost after thirty minutes or so, stumbling through hall after hall. Abruptly, she found herself in front of a door. It was the door to that room she'd found with Bliss a while back, the room with the lost things. It was open just a crack.

Sarah suddenly felt shockingly sober.

She slowly pushed the door open further, peeking into the room. It was colder than she remembered, and darker.

She walked in, leaving the door wide behind her, and began to walk. The room was deep, seeming to go on forever, and it made Sarah nervous.

A sharp crack made her jump, her hand clamping over her mouth so stifled a squeak. Sarah looked down to find she had stepped on a discarded cloak. When she moved it aside with her foot, she saw several shards of porcelain. She'd stepped on it.

Suddenly, those shards flew into the shadows. Sarah thoughtlessly reached out and caught one piece before it could disappear. She examined it curiously, furrowing her brow. It felt familiar.

A noise like silk shifting drew Sarah's attention from the shard, which she slipped into her pocket. She walked forwards, closer to the darkest point in the room, and then she froze.

There was a being there, standing directly ahead of her. It wore armor that looked eerily like human bone, and it's head appeared to be made of shadows. It was holding something in it's hands.

Sarah shifted back a little, but froze once again when she stepped on something, possibly a lost doll, and broke it under her foot.

The being turned to look at Sarah. Or at least that's what it seemed to be doing. It had no face.

Sarah watched, terrified, as it lifted the thing in it's hands and placed it over it's non-face.

The thing had found her mask. And it was wearing it. Shadows seeped through the fractures of the mask, sealing them, until all that remained was a small hole near the top. Sarah remembered the shard she'd grabbed and took a step back.

That, apparently, was a mistake.

The creature moved fast. Too fast. Suddenly it was right in front of Sarah, bone covered hands wrapping around her throat as though they planned on throttling her. The second that thing touched her neck, her amulet lit up like the sun, and it screeched, stumbling back. It's voice sounded like a thousand nails ripping through a chalkboard, and it made Sarah want to scream.

Before the thing could attack again, Sarah heard Jareth shouting from further back in the room. She turned a little and the thing hissed angrily, knocking her aside and vanishing past her, heading for the door.

She lay there, stunned, until Jareth reached her. He gripped her arms tightly, fear marring his perfect features.

"What happened, Sarah? Why are you here?"

Shaking, Sarah told him of the creature. Jareth grew tense as she spoke, the color draining from his skin.

"Did it complete the mask, Sarah?" He whispered, and Sarah trembled more at the fear in his voice. He wasn't supposed to sound like that.

In answer, she pulled the shard from her pocket. Jareth sighed with relief, taking it from her. But Sarah needed answers.

"What was that thing, Jareth? Why can't it have the mask?"

Jareth sighed, glancing around warily.

"We need to talk, Sarah, but not here. Come, we will need to seek audience with the elves immediately."

"Why?" Sarah asked, though she went willingly towards the exit.

"Because their king is the only one alive who has met this creature face to face and lived."

Yeah that was intense, huh? Well, tell me if it was any good. I'm not great at sappy stuff, so sorry if it sucked. Hope you all stick around for the next chapter!