A soft, light breeze flowed gently through Sarah's hair as she meandered through the gardens of the castle grounds. There was nothing she loved more than spending her time amongst the sweet scents and beautiful colors of the many flowers and plants that dwelled there. It was in those quiet, peaceful moments where she felt the most clarity in her life. And it was in those moments where she could finally breathe.

She continued strolling among the flowers, her right hand gently caressing the petals as she walked past, her left hand grasping a small book. She reached her favorite bench in the middle of the gardens and sat down. It was the perfect place to spend some time by herself. It was placed right in the middle of the gardens, a few tall oak trees providing shade from the hot summer sun. There was a fountain to her right, where Sarah sometimes liked to dip her feet into its cool water. This was her own personal paradise, the only place she truly felt at home.

Sarah opened her book and began reading. It was one of her favorites. In fact, she had read it so often, she was sure she could quote it verbatim. It was a humble tale of true love: a handsome knight in shining armor, saving the damsel in distress, conquering evil, and living happily ever after with the love of his life. Sarah knew it was somewhat juvenile and unrealistic to believe such a life was possible for her, but every day she still dreamed of it.

She spent the next hour or so reading and relaxing in the fresh, summer air, until suddenly, a stout little goblin came running up to Sarah through the garden trees. He stopped just short of where she was sitting and bowed.

"My queen," he greeted slightly breathlessly.

"Yes, what is it?" Sarah asked.

"There has been an…incident. We request your assistance at once in the Great Hall." Sarah's eyebrows furrowed.

"What sort of incident?"

"Someone has been badly injured." Sarah stood immediately.

"Where is Jareth?"

"The King left on an errand about 30 minutes ago."

"Dammit," Sarah cursed under her breath. "Come on," she said to the goblin and headed back into the castle.

It didn't take them long to reach the main hall. Sarah stopped short in the doorway when they arrived. A huddle of goblins were gathered in the middle of the room. They all turned to look at her when she walked in. A path was made for her leading directly to a young injured goblin girl lying on the floor. Sarah took a few deep breaths and tried to keep her composure as she made her way to the young girl. Kneeling down next to her, she saw the damage. There was blood everywhere. There was a deep stab wound in the center of her chest. Sarah's heart beat faster as panic began to set in. Everyone was looking to her now as their queen to help the goblin, and she had no idea what to do. The young girl stared at Sarah, pain her eyes. Sarah smiled at her gently.

"Hey there. What's your name?" she asked, attempting to distract her from her injuries.

"M-Melidia, my queen."

"What a beautiful name! Where do you live, Melidia?" Sarah continued to examine her injuries as she carried the conversation.

"In the g-goblin v-village…" Melidia broke off with a forceful groan. Sarah ran her fingers through the girl's hair.

"Just relax, Melidia. I'm going to do everything in my power to help you now, ok?" The young girl nodded gently and closed her eyes.

Sarah could feel herself getting frustrated as she stared helplessly at the girl's broken body. What was she supposed to do? Her magic wasn't nearly as strong enough as she needed it to be to heal the girl's body. And where the hell was Jareth? The one time she actually needed his help and he was nowhere to be found.

She glanced down at the young girls face. Something there gave her courage. She couldn't give up on her. She had to try something.

Sarah lifted her shaking hands and placed them gently on the girl's chest. She closed her eyes and focused her energy. She could sense the warm magic flowing through her blood. She targeted that warm feeling and commanded it to travel through her hands and into the girl's torso. Sarah could feel a headache coming on as she strained to heal the injuries. Her hands began shaking uncontrollably, until suddenly in a spark of energy her magic died out and ceased their surge.

"Dammit!" Sarah said loudly. It hadn't worked. She wasn't strong enough to heal the girl that was laying there in front of her. She glanced around at her subjects, who were now staring at her with disappointment in their eyes. Sarah placed her hand on the girl's chest and felt her heartbeat. It was slowing. Sarah shook her head in determination. She couldn't give up. Again, she moved her hands over Melidia's injuries and focused her energy. She closed her eyes tight and clenched her teeth together. But this time, nothing came. There was no surge of energy. There was no flow of warmth. Sarah strained even harder, her headache becoming more prominent, a warm liquid suddenly flowing from her nostrils, a liquid she could only assume was blood.

"Come on!" she yelled out loud in frustration. And suddenly she felt someone's hands covering her own. Sarah looked over to the source. It was Jareth. In her shock Sarah pulled away quickly. Jareth did not look at her, instead focusing his own attention on Melidia. Effortlessly, a soft glow of blue light emanated from his hands and flowed into the goblin girl's body. Melidia breathed in deeply, taking in the healing powers of Jareth's magic. Before Sarah's eyes, the deep wound healed instantly. After a few minutes, Jareth pulled away, his magic dissipating. Melidia did not wake, but seemed to relax slightly.

Jareth smiled down at her, his hand resting softly on her head. He turned to his right and gestured to a goblin nurse standing there.

"Please take Melidia up to the hospital wing. She will need lots of rest to fully recuperate." The goblin nurse nodded and gestured to a few goblins at her sides. They retrieved the stretcher laying on the floor beside them and lifted Melidia onto it. Jareth stood and stopped one of them.

"When she wakes, alert me at once. I need to know who attacked her."

"Yes, sir," the goblin replied and led the small group of goblins toward the doorway and out of the main hall, with Melidia in tow. The rest of the goblins dispersed, triumphantly grateful smiles on all of their faces. Jareth turned toward Sarah, who was still kneeling on the ground, and offered his hand. She took it and he helped her to her feet. Sarah's gaze fell on him. A grin crossed his face.

"You're staring at me, Sarah," Jareth said with humor in his voice.

"Thank you," she said to him. Jareth's smile faded to seriousness.

"For what?"

"For saving her life." Jareth grasped his hands behind his back.

"As king, I am to watch over and protect all of my subjects. It is my duty." Sarah scoffed.

"It's my duty too, but I couldn't do a damn thing." She turned away from him, crossing her arms over her body. Just then she could feel Jareth's hand on her shoulder. But Sarah didn't shy away from him this time. In fact, she felt comforted by his touch. Some small part of her even craved it…

"Sarah, look at me." Jareth ordered softly. Sarah turned towards him and looked up at him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. Reaching forward slowly, he dabbed the handkerchief under Sarah's nose wiping away the blood that sat there.

"You shouldn't push yourself like that," Jareth warned her, pulling away and stashing the used handkerchief back in his pocket.

"I know," Sarah replied. "I was just…I had to at least try to…" Jareth shushed her.

"You magic will become stronger in time. Meanwhile, I want you to be careful. I just couldn't live with myself if something happened to you." Jareth raised his hand and placed it softly on Sarah's cheek. Sarah fought her own instincts to pull away from his touch. Instead she only stared into Jareth's eyes, waiting for his next move. Unexpectedly, he was the one who pulled away. Taking a step back, he exhaled with shaky breath.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I know you don't like it when I…" his voice trailed off, and he glanced down at the floor. It was in that moment when Sarah realized just how deep Jareth's feelings went for her, and if she truly wanted to, she could bring him to his knees with a single word.

But as she watched him standing there, slight shame on his face, she couldn't help but feel a small glimmer of something deep inside her. She wasn't quite sure what it was that stirred inside her, but it felt like…home.

"Jareth?" Sarah spoke up. The king raised her head and looked back at her. "Would you…would you like to have dinner with me tonight?" Jareth's eyes lit up and a smile spread on his lips.

"I would love to." Sarah smiled back. As she turned to leave, a thought came to her head. She turned back towards him.

"Where were you earlier?" she asked. Jareth looked back at her cryptically.

"I was running a small errand. I'm sorry I was not here when you needed me." Sarah's eyebrows furrowed.

"What errand?" But Jareth did not answer. He only bowed slightly

"Until tonight, my queen." Curiosity still brewing inside of her, Sarah nodded and turned away from him. With the slight feeling of butterflies in her stomach, Sarah left the king alone in the main hall and headed up to her room to prepare for their first date together in years.