Disclaimer: I don't own The Labyrinth. It is the property of the Jim Henson Co. I am not making any financial profit from this work of fiction nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

The Apprentice

Chapter Two

Jareth still could not believe his eyes. After her victory over his labyrinth two years ago, the Goblin King had gladly resigned himself to the fact that he would never see Sarah again. Yet there she was.

She was exquisite.

'Her playing,' Jareth quickly amended with a scowl. 'Her playing is exquisite.' He gripped the railing tightly. He would not let himself go down that road again. It was all in his head, the product of an irresponsible enchantment. He hardly knew her; whatever he felt for her was merely an illusion.

'Besides, she's nothing but a child,' he sneered further in self-disgust. He may magically spirit away unwanted children, but as far as Sarah was concerned, that type of cradle robbing was not something he was interested in.

He firmly shook that line of thought from his head. He needed to focus. Sarah may have been an unexpected surprise, but her appearance did not change his plans. He would be taking her Underground. She was too dangerous to leave untrained.

Jareth pushed his restless thoughts aside and listened intently to Sarah's playing. For a master of fae music, such as himself, finding the message hidden within would be simple.

'A piece of cake, if you will,' he grinned pretentiously, finally regaining a bit of his usual bluster after the initial shock of seeing the girl again. Jareth's anticipation of the coming confrontation grew. There was nothing quite like evening the score.

The Goblin King sank back down into his chair and dismissed his crystal. It wouldn't have worked anyway, seeing as he had no power over the girl. He pouted before shrugging off his frustration, there were still plenty of avenues available to him for his scheming.

Yet that one simple limitation severely restricted his options for protecting the crowd. He would have to be extra vigilant to keep everyone safe and that, in itself, would prove to be no small task. With the recklessness of her playing and the sheer magnitude of the untamed magic she was summoning, anything was possible.

An uncontrollable tick began to spasm under his left eye when he thought of all the unnecessary strife this young girl had caused him. 'And yet…," Jareth thought as he looked down at her figure on stage, his heart softening as he watched.

Even in his irritation, there was no denying the music's beauty; it had a simple, pure charm to it that spoke plainly to his soul. It was so sincere and straightforward that Jareth felt slightly bad for the girl, surely she didn't know just how much of her soul was on display for anyone to see.

The magic itself was no less beautiful, for all its hidden danger. It glittered enticingly in shifting shades of deep blues and purples as it danced around in lazy swirls. Sarah's magic, visible only to any magical being in the area, was shimmering brightly around the crowd.

It was beginning to make Jareth nervous. Like many things related to the Underground, it had the potential to be deadly in its beauty.

Soon the magic was clustering ominously in darker shades around the concert's attendees. Only after a few short minutes, the cloud of uncontrolled magic thickly blanketed an entire third of the audience.

"My," Jareth snipped as he rubbed his temple, "you are utterly exhausting."

His hidden minions chortled at the night's turn of events. Even after a quick glare from their king, the goblins were unable to quiet their mirth. It wasn't often that someone else was on the receiving end of the Goblin King's ire and this unfortunate girl had just unwittingly entered into 'Round Two' with their liege. She was way out of her league this time without the strict rules of the Labyrinth to protect her. The goblins would have pitied her if the upcoming conflict wasn't promising to be so entertaining.

Jareth snorted as the magic had yet to progress past expressing the melancholy of a sad, lonely girl. "Still playing the victim, Sarah?" he ridiculed just as the music unmistakably took on a sudden air of wonder and excitement. The change immediately grabbed his attention as the dangerous magic burst through an array of colors all at once. It shifted momentarily before brightening into an intense mixture of golden yellows and orange.

Jareth sat up straight, staring in shock at the swirling magic; he had never seen anything like it. "Intriguing," he muttered, leaning forward in confusion. To be able to so casually move between different emotions, and ranging strengths of those emotions, was nearly unheard of. Especially for a novice.

"Never a dull moment with you, is there precious?"

Jareth was beyond curious now as to what sort of story she was telling through her music. Being the egocentric man that he was, the Goblin King had a fair guess as to the subject of her intense playing.

Eager to test his assumption, he leaned back arrogantly and closed his eyes. With his centuries of experience, Jareth was able to visually see the song's images flashing through his mind's eye. Visions of his realm assaulted the Goblin King as he mentally prodded the magic surrounding him. They were only vague wisps and gone as soon as they had come, but it was more than enough to spread an unmistakable, narcissistic smirk across his face.

His ego preened with self-satisfaction as he was able to see firsthand how truly intimidating and awe-inspiring he was to runners. There was no doubt he'd be strutting for weeks.

Yet, underneath his self-assurance Jareth's mind was churning. 'Where did all this talent come from?' He was genuinely puzzled, that kind of power couldn't be given unintentionally. 'And I certainly didn't give it to her…'

It was a disconcerting mystery, yet he wasn't overly concerned with the truth. He had all the time in the world to sort it out, once they returned together to the Underground.

Sarah grit her teeth as the song gained in pace and meaning as she recalled her journey's early worries and struggles. These sections she referred to as the 'action sequences' and were quite physically demanding. As tiring as they could be, these parts were straightforward adventure and didn't require so much emotion to perform, unlike the latter parts of the song. She cringed at the thought of what was to come.

'Why do I let myself get roped into playing this stupid song so much? Sometimes…' she inhaled sharply as she pounded the keys in frustration, 'I wish I had never written it...'

'Thirteen Hours' was the first song she had ever composed and, at the time, Sarah hadn't even been aware of her new gift. It had been created completely unintentionally.

While her family was out, Sarah had resolved to try one last time to reach her friends in the Labyrinth. The disappointment that followed had quickly turned into anger. Things had been thrown, curses screamed, and cries of unfairness had echoed loudly as she stormed all over the empty house.

If Sarah was completely honest with herself, she had enjoyed causing the destruction up until the hollow thump of her grandmother's piano echoed throughout the room.

After hearing it, Sarah had cringed and sullenly went over to inspect the damage. There was a chip the size of a quarter gouged from the side of the instrument. Gently, almost apologetically, she had run her fingers over the gash and down the side toward the keys. Slumping onto the bench, Sarah allowed herself to feel the grief she'd been denying for months.

It had started quietly enough, but soon she was shaking as she hysterically mourned the loss of her friends. They had meant so much to her, everything about the Labyrinth had. To admit that she'd never see them again, see him again, felt as if a part of herself had been ripped out.

She had never cried so hard in her life.

As she sat hunched over, desperately gasping for air, Sarah listlessly stared at the keys before her. Musical notes were beginning to dance around in beat with the pounding in her head. Mentally detached from what she was doing, Sarah's hands reached out and began to play.

As she pressed the keys for the first time that night, Sarah closed her eyes and allowed herself to express her mourning through the music. She soon lost herself in it, overcome by an intense compulsion to play the song resonating in her mind.

This was how her father and his second wife found her later that evening; hunched over the family piano, surrounded by broken trinkets, and playing the most heartrending musical piece either had ever heard.

Sarah blinked away the unhappy memory and stole a glance at the audience. 'Irene was right, not a dry eye… '

It was times like these that Sarah wished she had a better control over her temper. Nothing good ever came from her fits of anger. She wasn't sure which childish tantrum had changed her life the most: wishing away Tobey or damaging the piano.

She frowned slightly and pinched her eyes shut as her eyebrows scrunched downward. 'I definitely need to find a healthier outlet…' she joked half-heartedly as the song progressed.

The longer she played the more drained she felt. Physically she was beginning to tire, but even more alarming was the throbbing in her head and chest that seemed to drive the song relentlessly onward. It had never been this intense before.

Even though it literally ached to perform this song, tonight Sarah was more concerned with her growing embarrassment. 'Irene knew. She had known all along.' Sarah could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. She was sure, when the music forced her to express the intensity of her hidden infatuation for the Goblin King, her new-found mortification might just kill her.

Thank God it was just Irene that knew. If anyone else had an inkling of her ridiculous feelings she might have to resume her search for a way back into the Labyrinth, if only to find an oubliette to throw herself into.

'I really hate this song…'

Jareth hadn't had this much fun in years.

Her music was saturated with girlish fantasies and romantic clichés, all of which were fixated on himself!

He grinned wolfishly. 'This almost makes up for all she put me through…' Oh, the teasing Sarah was in for may very well be worth the price of his initial defeat at her hands!

The goblins that had accompanied him cringed as their king's eyes began to twinkle dangerously with an uncontrollable mirth. They had discovered long ago, that an insanely happy fae was never a good omen. Either their leader was plotting some catastrophic mischief, in which they would gladly partake, or he had finally succumbed to madness.

Neither option boded well for the girl.

The encore was nearly finished and Sarah was feeling the drain more so than usual. It was if the song was pushing her to pour as much of her heart into it as possible.

She fervently hoped she could convince Irene to let them skip the formal charity gathering after the performance, but she seriously doubted it. 'She's more strict as my manager than she ever was as a parent…'

Just the thought of having to socialize for the next few hours seemed torturous to the physically drained young woman. 'Thank goodness Irene does most of the talking for me…'

Sarah was beginning to lightly perspire from the intensity of her ballad. 'Almost done,' she smiled. This part of the song may be the hardest to face emotionally, but ironically, it was the easiest to play. Strengthening her resolve, Sarah straightened her back and focused on the final movement of her song.

It would be heart-rending for her and her audience, it always was. Retelling through song her last moments with the Goblin King would never get any easier, no matter how many times she played it.

At this point, the song was ebbing and flowing in its intensity and volume, making it possible for Sarah to hear her music's effect on her listeners. The sniffles and poorly concealed sobs from the audience was once again a solid confirmation that she was successful in sharing her emotions.

How everyone could call this their favorite song, Sarah would never understand. She had never been able to flip the switch between her emotions as quickly as her audience. To be able to cheer so ardently in the end, even with the tears still in their eyes, made no sense to her.

It wasn't as if she wanted everyone to feel depressed after hearing her song, but sometimes Sarah wondered if she alone felt like it had just kicked her in the gut. Personally, if given the opportunity, the young woman would much rather have preferred to crawl into bed and not come out for a week.

'Just once it would be nice for someone else to understand what I feel…'

The Goblin King's joyful mood had completely evaporated.

The closer Sarah got to concluding her encore, the grumpier the fae got. He had taken to pacing the length of his concealed balcony, not unlike a caged predator.

This was not a part of their story he was interested in reliving, especially now that he could literally see and feel her emotions. Knowing of her ridiculous infatuation was one thing, listening to her growing genuine affection for him was another.

It was the cruelest kind of torture he had endured from her yet.

The worst part was that Jareth was certain the girl wasn't even aware of just how strong her … feelings were. He vehemently denied Sarah even knew what love was, she was much too young. Regardless of his thoughts on the matter, Jareth's chest fluttered uncomfortably.

Snarling, he banged a fist on the railing in front of him. The violent action had any remaining goblins dashing for the safety of the shadows. Jareth stood staring at her for a long moment, unhappy with this turn of events.

"Damn her."

He did not want to encourage affection of any kind for Sarah. He was over this! He was over her!

Crossing his arms the Goblin King flopped down heavily into his seat, narrowing his eyes as he began to scheme. He would make her pay for reigniting any of these lingering, imaginary feelings in him.

In the cruelest way he could, Jareth would make her see there was nothing between them, but first he had to lure her underground…

Sarah was sure she had never been so relieved to be at the end of this song.

The music in her head was pounding so intensely it was beginning to affect her eyes. 'Maybe it's the lighting,' she winced, struggling to keep her gaze lowered on the piano. She could barely see it, but even now, if she squinted hard enough, there was a faint haze that was changing colors as it swirled and sparkled above the crowd.

Despite the pain in her head, the haze was hypnotically beautiful to look at. Yet, for some unknown reason, it made her incredibly sad. Watching it softly change from pale pinks to muted reds and back again seemed to put an emotional lump in her throat, yet she couldn't bear to look away as it rose higher and higher within the auditorium. Following it with her eyes, Sarah was startled when she saw a tense figure hidden among the shadows of the upper balconies.

Sarah's heart began to race as the soft light slowly began to illuminate the man's silhouette. It was too dark to see any features clearly, but she got the impression of sharp angles and familiar piercing eyes.

Subtly tilting her head, she squinted harder. 'It couldn't be…'

Sarah nearly missed a beat as a tremor laced through her chest, the floating light flaring to life in that same moment.

Beyond grateful that she knew this song by heart, Sarah mentally swore as she blinked away the spots left by the flash. Knowing she would be unable to see anything, Sarah still vainly searched the darkened balconies above.

'Jareth?'

Author's Note:

Not really thrilled with this, but it's been sitting around for so long I decided it was time to just go ahead and post it. Maybe getting out some of my work will help with motivation to write more… we'll see.

Hope you all enjoyed it and thanks for reading.

Casually Late