A/N: Thanks to everyone who set this story in their alerts and favorites. A special shout out goes to GeeAnnaB and TriciaRo for their very kind reviews. If you like what you read (and even if you don't) please review and let me know. Suggestions are always welcome.
Disclaimer: Last time I checked I didn't own Labyrinth or its characters. I would check again but I believe the status would be the same.
"Who in Hades does he think he is?" Jareth yelled to the room. He was pacing his throne room in a fury. An unlucky goblin managed to get in front of him and he kicked the poor thing out the window. "Why would he bring that girl here?"
The goblins whispered to themselves.
"Kingy mad"
"The Sarah is back"
"Who?"
"The girl who beat Labyrinth"
"Oh yeah"
"I like girl"
"Kingy still mad"
"We go bring girl here…then Kingy won't be mad"
"Good idea, let's go get her"
Jareth was so lost in his fury that he didn't notice a large group of his goblins had disappeared.
"Who in the hell does he think he is?" Sarah yelled at the room. Sarah paced the room she shared with Allison. "Why would he bring me here? Is this some sadistic joke?" She turned as the door to her room opened. Allison stepped in, took one look at Sarah, and raised her arms in surrender.
"Whoa Sarah," she said. "I've never seen you this mad before."
"Mad?" Sarah asked. "Mad? Hell no I'm not mad. I'm furious."
"I stand corrected," Allison replied. "Could you at least stop pacing, you're making me dizzy."
Sarah stopped to look at her friend. She really did need to calm down and look at this situation logically. She wasn't an emotional teenager anymore. Sitting on the bed, she put her fingers to her temples.
"It's not so bad," Allison remarked. "Only a few months and then you can go home."
"You've decided to stay?" Sarah asked.
"I love him," Allison murmured.
"I'm happy for you," Sarah replied, honestly. She felt happy for her friend, even though her taste in them left something to be desired.
A giggle came from under the bed. Sarah froze.
"What was that?" Allison asked, worried.
"I don't know," Sarah replied. "I guess I'll have to look." She went down on her hands and knees and pulled up the blankets to look under the bed. Her eyes came to rest on several pairs of tiny eyes. She gave a little scream and jumped back.
"Why Lady scream?"
"She make noise like banshee"
"Maybe Kingy scared of girl"
"No, Kingy like girl"
"Stop!" Sarah shouted. "You're giving me a headache. I know you're goblins, but who are you?"
"G-goblins?" Allison stuttered.
"Yes," Sarah replied. "They're from Jareth's Kingdom. They don't call him the Goblin King for nothing. These little guys won't hurt you. Outside of mischief or a summons, they stay away from mortals."
"Oh," Allison responded.
"Please, come out here and tell me your names," Sarah requested.
One by one, the five little goblins came out from under the bed.
"Me Squeek"
"Me FatHead"
"Me BigToe"
"Me BogDip"
"Me Squeel"
"Pleased to meet you," Sarah said, smiling. "I'm Sarah and this is Allison."
"We know you"
"You girl who beat Labyrinth"
"Kingy sad when you leave"
"No more sing"
"No more dance"
"We bring you to Kingy…make happy"
"Whoa," Sarah said. "BogDip, I am not going back with you."
"Make Kingy happy"
"Pleeaassee"
"Does Jareth know you're here?" Sarah asked.
"Surprise Kingy"
"Take Lady Sarah to him"
"Make him sing"
"Make him dance"
"Guys," she said. "I don't think me being at the castle is going to make the Goblin King feel like singing or dancing."
"Kingy like Lady Sarah"
"Make him smile when he look at her"
"He like looking at Lady Sarah"
"What do you mean?" Sarah asked, suspiciously. "When does the King look at me?"
"All the time"
"Use magic"
"Watch Lady Sarah"
"You mean the son of bitch has been spying on me," Sarah cursed.
Allison giggled behind her.
"What is so funny?" Sarah asked.
"Well," Allison replied. "Here I was thinking I was the only mortal communicating with a Fae and you've had one stalking you for years. I wonder just when he spied on you."
Sarah blushed furiously. Just what had he seen. How many times had he looked on her while she was dressing…or in the shower. A shiver went through her and she felt very vulnerable. She decided that she would have to have a chat with him about this.
"Allie," Sarah said sweetly. "How would you like to accompany me to the Castle Beyond the Goblin City?"
"Um," Allison replied. "Are you sure you want to do that?"
"Why not?" Sarah asked. "Could be fun. Maybe I'll get a chance to introduce you to some of my friends."
Allison's ears perked up. She was so curious about everything Underground. "Ok," she replied. "Let's go."
"Alright guys," Sarah said to the goblins. "I agree to go back with you. But only for a visit."
"Yay!"
"Kingy like Lady Sarah"
"Kingy gonna be surprised"
"Maybe give us more chickens"
"Hooray"
In a flash, the two girls and five goblins disappeared. When they reappeared, they were in the Throne Room. Jareth turned to look at the group in disbelief.
"What are you doing here?" he spat.
"I could be asking you the same thing," Sarah replied. "It seems that your goblins wanted to bring me here to surprise you. Surprise!"
"You five," he shouted. "I will see you dipped headfirst into the Bog of Eternal Stench."
"Don't shout at them," Sarah yelled. "They were just trying to be nice."
"Nice?" he shouted. "How is bringing you here nice in any way?"
"I don't know," she replied, her anger rising. "Maybe they thought that since you love to spy on me so much that you'd like it more if I was here in person."
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," he lied.
"Don't lie to me," she said, her voice becoming icy with control.
"Do not come into my Kingdom and accuse me of lying," he replied, his voice matching hers.
"I am going to leave in just a moment," she said. "Before I do, I will leave you with this. If you ever spy on me again, I will turn you from a man to a eunuch in one single move. Now send me back to the Castle Beyond the Fairy City."
Jareth looked at her in surprise before producing a crystal and transporting them back to his brother's castle. He narrowed his eyes at his subjects.
"If I ever catch any of you with her again," he said, "I will make sure you have a permanent stay in the Land of Stench."
The goblins chattered nervously. Things had not gone as planned.
"Ah, Lady Sarah and Lady Allison," Fagan said. "You're back."
"What are you doing in our room?" Sarah asked.
"I came to look for you," he replied. "I knocked but no one answered so I went in to investigate."
"We were visiting the Castle Beyond the Goblin City," Allison said.
At his quizzical look, Sarah said, "A few of his…subjects decided to take us there to surprise Jareth."
Fagan laughed heartily. "I'll bet that went over well," he replied.
"Sarah informed him that she would happily castrate him if he didn't leave her alone," Allison said, joining him in laughter.
"You didn't!" he exclaimed. He began to laugh even harder.
"I hope you are enjoying yourself," she replied, sardonically.
"I can assure you that I haven't had this much fun in ages," Fagan admitted.
"Why were you looking for us?" Allison asked.
"I wanted to invite you to dine with myself and some friends tonight, Lady Allsion," he replied.
"That sounds like fun," Allison said. "Please Sarah, go with me and have some fun."
Sarah looked at the expectant look on her friend's face and knew she couldn't say no. "I guess," she replied.
"I will see you both tonight then," he replied. "I'll have one of the maids come and help you dress. Until then, you can find some more simple dresses in the wardrobe here."
He turned and left the room, smiling broadly.
Sarah and Allison opened the wardrobe and gasped. The gowns were simply breathtaking. Allison picked out a sapphire gown and held it up, while Sarah grabbed one in Jade. The colors made their eyes sparkle. They gave each other a hand changing into them. Sarah pulled her long, dark hair back and secured it with two Jade combs she found. Allison did the same with her shoulder length, blond hair with two sapphire combs. They took a second to admire themselves in the mirror.
"I'm going to go for a walk Allie," Sarah informed her. "You want to come along?"
"No," Allison replied. "I think I'll stay here and rest a bit."
"Ok," Sarah said. "I'll see you in a little bit."
"Have fun," Allison called as her friend left the room.
Sarah wandered the castle for an hour before finding the way outside. Fresh air hit her skin, making her smile in delight. She was always much more of an outdoor type of girl. She walked around the corner and noticed a little stone path leading to a fountain. It was beautiful. A stone water sprite stood in the center and water poured all over her. She walked up to it and sat on the edge. She sat there for an undeterminable time, staring at the crystal clear water. A noise from behind her made her jump and fall backwards. Strong arms were there in an instant, catching her before she fell in.
"I'm sorry, my Lady," a voice said. "I didn't mean to frighten you."
Sarah looked up to see one of the most attractive men she had ever seen, holding her in his arms. He was tall and slender, with beautiful auburn hair that went past his shoulders. She looked over at his hand on her waist. He seemed to follow her gaze and realized that he was still holding the beautiful woman and quickly released her.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I'm Liam," he replied.
"Well, hello Liam. It's nice to meet you. I'm Sarah," she said.
"Likewise, Lady Sarah," he replied. "Are you a friend of Fagan's?"
"I wouldn't say friend, exactly," she said. "He and my friend are sort of involved. I got brought along for the ride. I guess I'll be staying until the Solstice Ball." God, she felt like she was rambling.
"I'm staying for the ball as well," he replied. "It will be nice to have such a lovely creature as yourself to brighten the room."
Sarah blushed furiously. Liam thought it made her look even more striking, if that was possible.
"Are you going to the dinner tonight?" Liam asked. Sarah nodded, rendered speechless for the first time in her life. "May I escort you?"
"I would love to have you escort me to dinner," Sarah replied, finding her voice.
Liam beamed at her. "I will pick you up at six o'clock. Which room are you in?" he asked.
"I'm not sure," she replied. "I don't even know if I can find my way back." She laughed, staring at the castle.
"I'll just accompany Fagan when he picks up your friend," he said. "I'm sure that he'll want to escort her."
"Probably," she replied, standing "I'll see you tonight at six o'clock, Liam. It was nice to meet you."
"Until tonight, my Lady," he said standing and taking her hand. He pressed it to his lips and she blushed again. He watched her walk back towards the castle and then went to find Fagan.
"Where ever did you get such a lovely creature?" Liam asked.
"Which lovely creature?" Fagan asked, guarded.
"Lady Sarah, of course," Liam replied, as if it should be obvious.
"She really is quite fetching, isn't she," Fagan said. He may be in love with Allison, but it didn't make him oblivious to the opposite sex.
"Quite," Liam agreed. "Now are you going to tell me where you found her or are you going to keep it a secret."
"She's a friend to Lady Allison, whom I am courting at present," Fagan replied, giving a warning glance. Liam caught it and understood its meaning without a word. "I brought her with me when I went Above to retrieve my love."
"I thought she was a mortal," Liam replied. "She's one of the prettiest mortals I've ever seen. Why did you bring her back with you?"
"Lady Sarah defeated my brother's labyrinth," Fagan explained. "I thought it might be fun to annoy Jareth for a little while."
"The Lady Sarah," Liam said, impressed. "Wow! I didn't realize I was talking to The Champion."
"So, I take it you met her," Fagan replied.
"Yes, near the fountain," Liam explained. "She seems too nice to beat the labyrinth. I thought you had to be a strong fighter to even start it."
"You've never had her mad at you," Fagan said with a smirk. "I do believe that she threatened to castrate my dear brother."
Liam laughed. "I like a girl with a little fire in her soul," he replied.
"Then you'll love Lady Sarah," Fagan said, laughing.
"I asked to escort her to dinner tonight," Liam replied. "I hope I didn't overstep my bounds."
"Not at all," Fagan said with a mischievous grin. This would be perfect. Jareth would be so jealous at watching Sarah with another man. Dinner was going to be fun.
Jareth paced the guest room in his brother's castles. What ever had possessed him to accept Fagan's invitation to dinner? He refused to believe it was to see her again. After the way she spoke to him, he'd be happy never to set eyes on her for the rest of eternity. At least that's what he told himself. His thoughts kept coming to her lovely eyes, piercing into him like daggers. Her lips were plump and looked as if they were just begging to be kissed. How he wanted to bury his hands into her long tresses. Not wanting to continue where these thoughts were leading, he yanked the door open and walked to the dining room.
It was nearly six o'clock before the girls were finished getting ready. Winifred, one of the King's maids, had helped them put on the elaborate gowns. Each girl was wearing a dress made of satin. Sarah's was emerald, while Allison's was royal blue. They had layers of pettiskirts underneath. The dresses fit like a glove at the bodice and Sarah blushed at her reflection in the mirror. She felt that if she weren't careful, she might fall out of the dress. The emerald necklace hid nothing and only accentuated her assets. Their hair was piled on top of their heads in beautiful, sweeping updos.
A knock came at the door, making them both smile and turn towards it. Winifred answered the door and curtsied to her King. The two men entered the room and froze at the lovely visions before them.
"You look ravishing, my pet," Fagan said to Allison, taking her hand to kiss her knuckles. She blushed and turned her eyes to the floor. He offered her his arms and she took it shyly.
"Lady Sarah, you look like a goddess," Liam said, breathing slightly harder than normal.
"Thank you Liam," she replied, blushing. "You are looking quite nice tonight yourself." She couldn't help but notice the striking figure that he cut in those black breeches tucked into black boots, cream colored ruffled shirt, and velvet emerald colored waistcoat. He'd made sure to find out what color she would be wearing so he could match. She took his proffered arm and the two couples were off to dinner.
Jareth stood in the large dining room, talking to the other men and their ladies. He wasn't the lone bachelor in the room and he gravitated towards the other unattached men. It was in the male Fae's nature to continually size up potential rivals. He was so busy talking politics that he didn't notice the doors opening as the last two couples arrived. It wasn't until he noticed the wide eyed grin of the man he was speaking to before he turned to see what he was gaping at.
The first thing he saw was Sarah. She took his breath away. There was no one else in the room lovelier than she. The emerald gown that she wore brought out the color in her eyes. The natural blush on her cheeks spread to her breasts. His eyes traced the tops of her breasts. He had to remember to breath. He finally looked from her to her escort. Liam! His own cousin was escorting his Sarah. Wait! When did she be come his Sarah. He was still mad at her from earlier, wasn't he? Jareth frowned and appeared to be glaring at Liam.
Jareth's reaction didn't go unnoticed by Fagan. After introducing Allison to some of the other ladies, he left her to go find his brother.
"Jareth, my brother, must you be so grumpy at my party?" Fagan asked, pouting.
"What does he think he's doing?" Jareth growled, pointing at Liam.
"I believe he's enjoying the company of the beautiful Lady Sarah," Fagan replied, innocently.
"I can see that," Jareth grumbled.
"Why brother, whatever is the matter?" Fagan replied. "I thought you wanted nothing to do with the girl. Liam doesn't seem to mind her."
"I don't want anything to do with her," Jareth lied. "I just wanted to know why he seemed to be so interested in her."
"To each his own, my dear brother," Fagan said. "Come, let us eat. Maybe you'll feel better when you get a little wine in you."
Jareth rolled his eyes and went to take his seat. Fagan grinned and watched his older brother turning nearly green with his jealousy. This was going to be a most entertaining night.
