Hullo everyone. I'm Audrey, and I'm the writer of Wretched Fool's Affair--which I'm sure you already know. This is my first Labyrinth fanfiction, heck, it's the first fanfiction I've written in a long time. So, any comments, constructive critisism--anything--is welcomed with open arms! I'm terribly sorry if this chapter seems a little disjointed, I was working on it from Jareth's point of view without going to the first person POV because that usually doesn't turn out too well.

Well, I guess that's going to be all from me. The lyric tidbit (second line) and title is from Six by All That Remains, which is also where I got the story's title from. I hope you like it! Any support would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, and I apologize for its short length, it looked quite a bit longer on my Word document!

Italics is a memory, bold is a flashback.

Six

"Oh how this sickens me, this wretched fool's affair"

For once Jareth found himself without an explanation, or reason behind his madness. His dreams had been troubled and worrisome, something he wasn't used to. It'd been a long time since he'd dreamed--much longer since he'd been afraid of what his subconscious was trying to tell him. The last time this had happened. . . .

'No, I mustn't think of that,' he chided himself, scowling and rapping his knuckles on the arm of his chair. His brow furrowed, and he let out a half-groan of boredom. God, he needed something to distract him--anything. Perhaps if he got lucky, some plucky school-girl would wish her brother away again. When the thought flitted through his head, he had to fight to keep the sarcastic smirk from spreading across his lips.

There was a dark tunnel, a girl laughed quietly, and glass glinted at the other end. Someone called his name, whispered it in his ear but when he turned he was alone again. The walls closed in on him, surrounding him from every side, pressing him until he had to suck his breath and hold it. A pair of eyes--dark in color--watched him, taunting and waiting to see his next move.

'Stop,' he commanded, pulling himself from this subconscious torture. He must've growled, for several goblins turned their eyes towards him, bodies tensing in case their king flew into his traditional rage. A handful or so left, preserving their life and limbs. Jareth stood up. He was going stir crazy sitting around. God how he wished someone would wish their sibling, son, daughter--whoever!--away, just to give him something else to think about.

"You still love her." It wasn't a question. That was most likely for the best, for Jareth didn't have an answer. He didn't turn to face his mother but he could hear the disappointment ringing in her voice. "You know we set you up with various Fae girls on purpose."

"Mother, do you really think I would choose a human girl over a Fae?" he demanded harshly, voice taking on a tone he reserved for his enemies and situations where his emotions were best hidden. "I would prefer someone obtainable rather than someone just outside of my reach."

"Then cut your ties with this girl," the older woman crooned in his ears, walking up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. He felt the warmth of her hand and pulled away from it.

"You speak as if I could pull the stars from the sky," he muttered dryly.

"Can you not try?" she asked, all compassion lost from her voice.

"I've done all that I can," he muttered hopelessly. Why did he feel like he was signing his death warrant with each word?

She had been the only one to best him in his games; she was the only human to have ever survived the Labyrinth. That was his only excuse he could offer for his infatuation, for that was the only conclusion he had been able to draw. Sarah, she had been headstrong, honest, and yet painfully human. Her whining had become almost taxing, as had making sure she didn't get hurt--too badly, at least.

And yet he wondered if she could have survived on her own. Would he have obsessed over her if she'd lost?

No, of course not. He strode from the hall, the goblins pressing themselves as far away from him as the space would allow. The fact that she'd beat him was her only saving grace, the only thing that'd kept him from keeping her delightful baby brother. Damned rules and regulations.

The Goblin King paused in front of a nearby window. It over looked the Labyrinth, the sun rising slowly over the horizon and pouring its light onto the hedges and brush as if gilding it to make it seem less horrific. He felt a wry smile worm its way on his lips. What a funny thought--his Labyrinth being covered in gold and innocent, as if it hadn't claimed thousands of lives before. If anything it'd grown more wild and obscene with the years since Sarah had bested it, as if it too was determined to never let the impossible happen again. Almost as if it was spurred by his thoughts, a large eagle flew overhead, a rodent half its size clutched tightly in its talons. It landed near the castle gates and ripped into its meal, clicking its beak in pleasure. Jareth had a strange longing to join it. Life as a bird seemed so much easier.

He made his way towards the double doors that sealed his kingdom and pushed them open, waking the guards at front and making them stumble in their haste to look imposing and proper. Jareth bit his tongue--a nasty habit that seemed to reoccur more often than not--and walked past them. He disappeared from sight, and in a fluid motion he'd grown accustomed too shape shifted into a bright, snowy owl. He joined the eagle moments later, and the animal, as if sensing the King within the innocent looking bird, offered him the rest of the food, flying away. Jareth accepted, staring off at his kingdom in between bites. Yes, things had changed since the last time she'd walked the paths set down to trick her.

There had to be some loop-hole he had yet to discover, had to be some flaw in his master plan--one that was never supposed to fail in the first place--that would come to him.