**You sure got his attention!**

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"She's in the oubliette."

My heart ached as I watched her through my crystal. The oubliette. A place to send someone when you want to forget about them. But I didn't want to forget about Sarah. I didn't want to think of her being left somewhere to rot. She, who was so full of fire and life, should not have to see that fire extinguished in a lonely, damp hole.

But I also knew that would not be her future. This was my labyrinth—it worked according to my will. And I willed for it to be a game for her, not a torture chamber as it had been for countless others. Oh, she would think I was being cruel, but I was doing nothing to injure her permanently. She would come out of the labyrinth unscathed, and hopefully, all the better for the many challenges I sent her way. In the end, she would see that everything I did was done for her and she would love me for it. She had to.

Of course, I hadn't expected her to be so good at my game. She was supposed to have more difficulties, require my assistance. Need me. She was moving much too effortlessly, and I was man enough to admit that it irritated me.

The goblins' laughter at her fate was maddening. "Shut up!" I yelled, quieting them immediately. "She shouldn't have gotten as far as the oubliette; she should have given up by now!"

"She'll never give up." Chimed a particularly annoying little goblin, its voice grating my nerves as it spoke its unwelcome thoughts.

"Won't she?" I murmured almost to myself. A part of me wanted her to give up; to have her go back to her toys, costumes and games. To allow her to continue in her childhood innocence and show her that she was not ready for the world of which she dreamed.

To defeat her and show my power over her.

"The dwarf is about to lead her back to the beginning. She'll soon give up when she realizes she has to start all over!" I chuckled as I imagined her frustration. The goblins made no response to my joke. Morons. "Well? Laugh."

And they did.

The goblins did exactly what I said, when I told them to do it. They were mindless drones. I longed for a companion, someone to challenge me. Not an equal – that was not to be expected – but at least someone who was capable of an individual thought.

Looking down at the boy playing on the floor, an idea formed. Sarah was what I longed for, but what if she didn't beat the labyrinth. What if she wasn't worthy? Did I have to turn the child into a goblin? Just because I would be denied my mate, did not mean I had to be denied an heir. That thought had possibilities…

I put that thought in the back of my mind and eagerly looked into my crystal. My messenger should have gotten there by now. Sure enough, I watched as he lit a candle to illuminate the room.

"Oh, it's you!"

Now why did she sound so happy to see him? An emotion I couldn't quite grasp burned in my chest at the look of excitement on her face. Like he was her hero; a preposterous idea! And yet, she hadn't looked at me that way when I saved her from her boring life and brought her here. I was her hero, not that warty little dwarf.

She would soon despise him when he brought her back to the beginning. That thought gave me a glimmer of anticipation and I leaned closer, examining the scene from every angle; waiting for her to look at him with disgust.

He told her of his plans and she yelled at him, gratifying me a little. But she still wasn't repulsed by him. I didn't understand. She was a beautiful young woman and he was thwarting her plans. She should be angry at the little worm!

And what was that? He touched her! He put his hand on her arm, comforting her. It was all I could do to remain in my throne room. He touched my Sarah.

I took a deep breath. He seemed to recognize how inappropriate he was being and backed away. But Sarah was more observant than I gave her credit for.

"You like jewelry, don't you?"

Aw. She was a tricky one. I could see her capturing the dwarf's attention. She offered him a bracelet in exchange for his assistance. But he was smarter than that—and much too terrified of me. He wouldn't go for such a foolish deal.

He attempted to make his own deal, which she declined. I smiled. She was a fighter. She wouldn't give up her jewelry for an unworthy cause. Even when all seemed hopeless, she would stand her ground. Poor Hogsmith. I would have to find another way to get her out of that oubliette…

But then she got to him. Her eyes really were bewitching when she wanted something, but I wouldn't allow it to be all her doing. He wanted to help her. I watched that dwarf weasel his way into Sarah's life—losing his loyalty to me over a simple plastic bracelet!

And for that smile she gave him, he would receive an extra special punishment.

I readied myself, changing into more relaxed attire. I wanted her to see me as her champion; powerful, yet approachable. Then I transported myself to the end of the tunnel and waited, disguising myself as a beggar. What would they think of this twist?

They were close enough now that I could hear their footsteps. The warning stones began their scripts. Drawing a crystal from one of the stones, I drew it, and Sarah, to me.

"Aw, what have we here?" I said in my best old, blind, beggar goblin voice.

The dwarf wasn't fooled. "Uh, nuthin'"

"Nothing, nothing, tra, la, la!" I threw my disguise down on the ground. How dare he claim that nothing was going on! He touched her!

He had the nerve to pretend to be happy to see me. I got a small bit of gratification from his jumpiness – he was still scared of me.

"Hello, Hedgewart." Although I attempted to sound soothing, the words came out gritted between my teeth.

"Hogwart." Sarah corrected, as if I cared.

"Hog-gle!" The dwarf insisted. I was slightly mollified that Sarah hadn't cared enough to learn his name either. It made my tone a little more civil as I continued.

"Hoggle…Can it be that you're helping this girl?"

"Helping? In what sense?"

"In the sense that you're leading her towards the castle!" I was growing tired of his evasion.

"No! I was taking her back to the beginning, Your Majesty!"

I looked over at Sarah and got the response I'd been waiting for—she looked at him with disgust.

"What!" she demanded, her voice thick with betrayal.

But Hoggle wasn't a complete idiot. He knew better than to openly defy me. "I told her that I was going to help her solve the labyrinth, a little trickery on my part, but actually…"

I didn't let him continue perjuring himself. "Hoggle, what is that thing around your wrist?" I allowed him to blabber on for a moment before I interrupted, standing up straight, radiating my supremacy over this short, nothing of a dwarf, "If I thought for one second you were betraying me, I'd be forced to suspend you headfirst in the Bog of Eternal Stench." I said it calmly, with assurance. He was lucky I hadn't already sent him there. He touched her!

"Oh, no, Your Majesty! Not the Eternal Stench!" he begged, grabbing on to my thigh.

"Oh, yes!" I said as I kneed him and sent him flying against the wall. That felt good.

Turning to Sarah, I studied her slowly from head to toe, spending extra time on the expression on her face. There was a mixture of fear and something else…admiration, perhaps? She was maturing before my eyes, and I liked what I saw.

Sauntering over to her, I leaned against the wall, hovering just inches from her face, entrancing her with my eyes. Her pupils dilated in attraction and I felt my own preeminence – she was not immune to my seduction. She stood her ground, not afraid of my close proximity, and I once again allowed myself to breathe in her natural spicy rose aroma. My fist balled up at my side to keep from caressing her face. She was mine, but I would not force myself upon her. She would come to me.

My voice lowered in response to her femininity; instinctually seeking to display my masculinity, "And you, Sarah. How are you enjoying my labyrinth?" 'How are you enjoying me?' The unspoken question hung heavy in the air.

She lowered her eyes shyly, a natural response to my commanding presence. She was unsure of herself, unsure how to relate to someone of my abilities. A small smile played on my lips as I reveled in her innocence.

But then she surprised me. She lifted her chin and looked me directly in the eye, "It's a piece of cake." Her voice dripped with defiance and it hit me like a slap in the face.

Such insolence! How dare she insult my labyrinth? I would not permit myself to think that she was rejecting me – that was not an option.

Obviously, she needed another example of my power. "Really? Then how about upping the stakes?" Pulling a clock out of the air, I moved the hands ahead two hours. It wasn't personal; she thought the labyrinth was easy. I was just giving her more of a challenge.

"It's not fair!" she shouted in that petulant tone of which she was so fond. To think I once thought that endearing.

"You say that so often," I sneered. "I wonder what your basis for comparison is." The last part nearly came out as a growl as I stepped past her and moved down the tunnel, already formulating another lesson for her.

She had no idea with whom she was dealing. She had yet to witness my strength. My love for her was what kept her safe, but it was time for her to see how truly generous I had been until that point.

Raising an eyebrow, I turned to face her. "So the labyrinth is a piece of cake is it?" With a wave of my hands, I drew her attention downwards, fanning my fingers out between my hips and pulling a crystal up from within. I knew that I had dressed to accentuate my…manliness, and I got a perverse pleasure from the blush created as she inadvertently stole a peek. But the object of this lesson was not to teach her the attributes of a man – she needed to learn respect.

"Let's see how you deal with this slice." My voice rang out in the stillness as I threw the crystal down the tunnel as far as it would go. I had told her they held her dreams, but they could hold her nightmares as well. Perhaps I was a little bitter…

I remembered seeing a picture on her shelf, possibly a video game, although I had never seen her play such mundane toys. The picture showed a ball of blades used to clean out tunnels and chase after the character in the game. That obstacle should work perfectly here.

I could have left her alone then, I thought about it. I should have forced her to find her own way out of that mess. But once again, I allowed myself to be generous to her. Hating her was beyond me.

With a flick of my finger, I weakened the wall just before the tunnel closed off at a large iron gate, creating a hidden door. If she pushed into it, the wall would fall and she would be allowed an escape to the hedges. If not, well, I would not permit her to be seriously injured. The cleaners would return to a miniscule size at the first touch of her skin, but the game would be over for her. I hoped she'd find my way out.

With her thus occupied, I made my exit, ready to head back to the castle to cool off. But first I needed to see the Wiseman. She would undoubtedly stop his way when she escaped, and I needed to get her thinking about me.

Standing in front of the old man with the bird hat, I couldn't help but smile. Although he put on a show for most creatures, he was one of the few goblins that could actually carry on an intelligent conversation. If I could keep him from falling asleep on me, I would have actually enjoyed having him around.

I cleared my throat and he immediately awoke. "Ahem. Your Majesty. What can I do for you?"

"Old man, a young woman will be coming through here shortly. She will be seeking your advice on how to make it to my castle. I want you to help her."

"Ooo! A young girl!" the annoying bird on his hat had the gall to speak in my presence. I shot it a glare, but the Wiseman berated it before I could take action.

"Be quiet!" he shouted, and then looked up at me. "Mmm. Yes. Mmm. What would you like me to say?"

That was the tricky part. It needed to be cryptic – something that she would think had multiple meanings involving the labyrinth itself– but it also had to ring of wisdom so that she would trust it. Placing my hand on my chin, I tapped my nose with my gloved index finger. Finally, it was decided. "Tell her, 'the way forward is sometimes the way back.' Then add, 'Often it seems like we aren't getting anywhere, when, in fact, we are.'"

That should do it. Would she understand the deeper meaning? That to move forward into my kingdom, she would have to embrace the dreams of her past. To find happiness, she would need to go back to the time when she trusted others, and let people in; well, let me in. She must go back to her childish things and realize that they are nothing in comparison to what she could have. I could give her everything she ever wanted.

The second was much more straightforward. It might not seem like we were connecting, but with every step into the labyrinth, she was getting to know my true character, and I became more aware of hers. Sure, she was infuriatingly naïve, but she was also intelligent and capable. She was giving me a challenge, a thrill that I had never felt before. And she had not escaped my wiles. Despite her defiance, I felt her attraction. She was bewitched by me, drawn to my power and strength. She was going to pretend that she was unaware of her feelings, but I could see deep in her soul.

She was mine, and she knew it.

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A/N – I hope I satisfied everyone with this chapter. It was as struggle to make him dark, yet alluring…David Bowie does it better :-D.

Anyway, thank you so much for all of your reviews. They really mean a lot to me! I hope you liked this chapter. If you did (or even if you didn't), I'd love to hear from you! Reviews make my day and really give me encouragement!

The next chapter includes the scene with Hoggle…I love the jealousy vibes that I get from Jareth between the two of them. That scene will be fun for me to write. Then the following chapter will be the long-awaited ballroom scene :-D So stick with me!

Have a wonderful day!