Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will

My subjects have never had good memories, and so after a meager five minutes of peace, the throne room again grew chaotic. Frustrated, I handed the child to the nearest goblin, my thoughts on the beautiful girl running my labyrinth. With her every step, she brought herself closer to me.

"How queer," I mused, "That Hoghead really knows me better than I thought." It was as he said: if Sarah reached the center of the Labyrinth, she would be the only person to ever conquer it, and as the Labyrinth and I are one, she would be the only one to conquer me. I loved her more with every step she took, and if she succeeded in retrieving Toby, she would permanently hold a place in my heart. The Labyrinth and I would sooner kill ourselves than let her leave if we could, for as she needed us, we needed her.

I was unable to think for long as the Goblins racket increased. Toby did not like being ignored either, and he stood in the center of the room, screaming through his tears. I sighed, defeated, knowing that the only way to calm them and keep my mind off of Sarah was to sing again. I was loathe to do it, and tapped my riding crop on my boot. However, I was disgusted when the Goblins shot a spit dart at the chicken in the window, and finally took action. I whirled around, my usual smirk in place.

The goblins looked up in surprise and anticipation as I approached Whisker, a definite gleam lighting my mismatched eyes. Everyone knows the song; everyone knows the dance, but what of my thoughts? Yes, you know those too. They are evident on my face. Looking at Toby, I found myself eager for Sarah to fail, for her half-brother would make an excellent addition to my court. I could not hide my excitement, for I knew that not even the love of my life could defeat my ingenious Labyrinth. This thought strengthened me, and I stalked around my throne room as a King ought, powerful and proud of it. I chose my steps carefully, not stepping on the Goblins, and keeping in time with my song. (I swear to you, this is not easy to do! Try it sometime; you will fall on your face!)

"In nine hours and twenty three minutes, you'll be mine!" I gloated to the toddler on my lap. He seemed to smile, and I began to sing again. The goblins, ironically enough, were calm when I sang, for reasons I will never know. Perhaps they knew that I only sang to get them to behave, and if they didn't, I wouldn't sing any longer. Whatever the reason, I did not hesitate to take advantage of it. The relative order in my throne room gave me a little time to think, to plan my next move.

As I waited for her to give up, I watched her, fascinated by her hair, her eyes, her figure… Everything I saw of her endeared her to me further, but I could not show my passion lest it be considered weakness. I watched her fall into my oubliette, the only one on the direct path to my castle.

"She's in the oubliette!" I muttered, unaware of the goblins who swarmed around me. They laughed, breaking my concentration. I could no longer bear it, "Shut up!" I yelled. To myself, I grumbled, "She should not have gotten as far as the oubliette. She should have given up by now!" Although I knew she was stubborn, I truly believed that she would give up her brothers for her dreams, as many others before her had.

A particularly stupid goblin laughed and told me haughtily, "She'll never give up!"

Normally, I would have thrown him into the bog without a second thought, but I couldn't disagree with him. My vain hope was that she would give up, or surrender herself to me. I could only hope that Hogwart was as afraid of me as he seemed, and that his fear would keep him from betraying me. "Won't she? The dwarf's about to lead her back to the beginning! She'll soon give up when she realizes she had to start all over again." I contemplated this for a moment before allowing this conviction to take root. I laughed and threw my crystal into the air, sleeping raining down on my throne room.

As it fell to the floor, I held my breath, watching as, one by one, all of my goblins and Toby succumbed to an enchanted sleep. Every two seconds, I conjured another crystal with which to watch my dear Sarah. Each of these evaporated into thin air as I grew frustrated with my overwhelming need to see her.

After about twelve crystals disappeared in the same way, I saw Sarah and the dwarf exit my oubliette through the magical double door. With an intense surge of anger, I saw that the insufferable little jewel-collector had indeed betrayed me, and as I watched, was leading Sarah down a hidden path that circled around many of the Labyrinth's more dangerous inhabitants. This path led to the catacombs beneath much of my Labyrinth, the only path between the garden maze and the Firey Forest. I announced my presence in a minor way, a solitary crystal rolling itself between the girl and her traitorous companion. It hopped into my beggar cup and I peered at Sarah from under the brim of my hat, barely restraining my need to kiss her, my need to hold her in my arms. I inquired innocently the nature of their journey, and was denied any information. Had I been a third party observer and not someone who knew the details already, I would have felt much slighted! Hogweed tried to back away, knowing how many tricks I had up my sleeves, but to no avail.

"Nothing? Nothing? Nothing? Nothing tra-la-la?" I shook my disguise at them, throwing it aside carelessly, having only eyes for Sarah. I addressed the traitor first, and was pleased to find that Sarah mistook his name too. I did it merely to show my power, for I knew Hoggle would never openly contest his king. For Sarah to so blatantly mistake his name as well was simple delicious.

All at once, my fury at Hoggle took shape, and I turned my glare to him, voicing that I was aware of his betrayal. Though he tried to deny it, I saw the fear in his eyes, heard the panic that shook his voice. Upon reaching his eye-level, however, I noticed an obnoxious plastic bracelet around his pudgy little wrist and knew that he had been bribed. My anger evaporated at once, and in its place stood pride. I was proud that my Sarah could be so cruel. I had seen her cruelty time and time again, but only towards me. Now, I saw her cruelty in all its beauty, and I loved her all the more for it.

Unable to stand it any longer, I strolled over to Sarah, placing my arm on the wall just above her shoulder. When I was this close to her, I could smell the fragrance of her hair; I could see the flecks of gold in her eyes. Her very presence was intoxicating, and my eyes roamed her figure despite my restraint. I sighed, hearing her musical voice ringing in my ears. Before I could totally lose myself in her, I challenged her statement. "How about upping the stakes?" An ornate clock rose behind me and I moved the hands forward three hours.

She used her favorite line, screaming in my ear, "It's not fair!" My eyes flashed. She had no idea what was fair and not fair. She wished for a challenge, I merely rose to the occasion! If she wanted to truly experience something that wasn't fair, let her step into my shoes. The one I loved would forever despise me! I was forced to do anything she asked, despite my own wishes! She had no idea about fair, and I told her so, stepping past her, "You say that so often, I wonder what your basis for comparison is." I saw the shock in her eyes, and I admit, my temper controlled my actions. I sent the cleaners after her, hoping to shred her like she continually shredded my heart. At the last moment, I realized my error, knowing she would feel more pain in the hours to come. The wall she struggled against had been reinforced by my magic years ago. Grudgingly, I pulled away the supports, allowing her to pass through into the grungy ladder shaft. I could not resist the temptation to watch her as she climbed the ladder, her mouth moving in delicious ways as she debated with the impressionable dwarf. As she entered into daylight, I released yet another crystal, refusing to give into my addiction. To distract myself, I paced the Escher room, my mind racing even faster than my feet. I hummed a simple melody, my eyes shrewd.

"How can she have power over me? I am a Fae, she is a simple mortal girl!" I grew frustrated, my hands constantly balling into fists and relaxing. "What is her appeal?" I bit my lip, knowing perfectly well why I needed her, why she was so fascinating to me. "She is beautiful, smart, funny, but most of all, she is the most exquisite dreamer I've ever seen!" As I spoke the words, I realized my feet had led me back to the entrance of the twisting room.

Upon entering my throne room, the first few goblins were waking up and little Toby was rubbing his eyes. He turned his tear-stained cheeks to me, his eyes watery. In his hand was a small chunk of apple, no doubt left by a messy goblin. He brought it to his mouth and tried to swallow it whole. I picked him up patiently, opening his mouth and removing the revolting piece of fruit. Honestly, I didn't understand why everyone liked apples… I enjoyed a ripe peach much more than any kind of apple. With a wave of my hand, a bowl of cut up peaches appeared in my hand, and Toby squealed happily. He reached his hands into the bowl eagerly, grabbing at the soft fruit. Quickly, he emptied this bowl, and soon emptied another.

Soft sounds that sounded like burps came from Toby's chest and I burped him. The surrounding goblins polished my boots, an impossible task, and slowly, Toby burped contentedly.

"You're welcome," I told him quietly, feeling quite at home with this child. I had always dreamed of being a father, of taking care of a child, who I would groom to become my heir. As of yet, I had found no wife to bear such a child, but I saw the beginnings of a suitable woman in Sarah. True enough, she was still too young to be the Goblin Queen, but I had waited for hundreds of years. Surely a few more couldn't kill me. After all, I did have forever!

I looked back at the small child in my lap, "He's a lively little chap. I think I'll call him Jareth." I did not doubt that he would be mine when Sarah's thirteen hours were up. I fully intended on naming him my heir. "He's got my eyes." This observation made the goblins laugh heartily. I could not help but laugh with them, feeling suddenly bright as I did.

What do you think? Is the length better now? I worked hard on this chapter, so please give me some good reviews! Tell me what you want and I'll try to put it in... Right now, I have several plots going in my head for other stories, so I may take some time to write them down!!

As always, R&R

DC3739