Oh gosh, the reviews I got from last chapter were all: LOLZ WHAT?! FRIEND?! SDFK:SLKFJKSDF

K, listen guys. Hoggle refers to GK by his name, even though not to his face. UNLESS you were on a first name basis you would never refer to someone that way. So, we can all assume that once upon a time they may have been friends or acquaintances. Hoggle has been working for GK for a looong time as we can all assume, and there is an entire history and world outside of what happened during those 10 (Jareth took away time, remember?) hours during the Movie.

Now dear readers, let us turn our attention back to GK and Sarah.


Jareth soared above the Labyrinth, following Toby's path from the sky for a bit. To his amazement, the Labyrinth would twist and change in ways he'd never seen before, perplexing the poor boy beyond belief. The path he was instructed to take was supposed to be a path that never changed where the major roads of the maze fed in to as a sort of center hold. However, it too was changing, twisting and turning. It was as if the Labyrinth it's self didn't want the boy to win. Never had he seen anything like this. He wanted to laugh and shout with joy, but an overwhelming feeling of dread overtook him, causing his stomach to turn as the Labyrinth did. If the boy lost, and Sarah had to stay with him, she would destroy both him and his kingdom. She would not be a willing participant in any sort of union, friendship or otherwise, if it was thrust upon her with no choice of her own. He shook the feeling of dread as much as he could for the time being and flew straight for the castle.

Sarah had climbed up on the windowsill, dangling her legs over the side. It was surprisingly peaceful there. The rays of warm sun beat down at her form making her feel like a cat curled up with the sun shining on them through the window. A pleasant smile played upon her lip and she hummed softly to herself. The goblins had long since left the room, leaving her by herself. They told her that she wasn't as fun as their king, and went off to do something else, whatever it was. Apparently it involved some chickens and quite a few barrels of ale, because they were sure to bring their supplies with them. She took a look around after they left. The room was quite dirty, but in places she could clearly see what was it's former glory. The walls and floors of the room were grey granite that sparkled with silver light when clean. In the edges of the ceiling and walls, there were embossed designs in gold, now dull and dirty from the years lacking proper care. The throne was made of large horns, which were smoothed and polished at one point. The velvet covering was a deep burgundy red, now caked with dust and dirt. The candelabras were probably once a brilliant bronze, but now they were covered in years of dripped candle wax and cobwebs.

There was so much amusement one can get from staring about a room, even if the room has a strange sort of old elegance to it, despite the dust and cobwebs, and Sarah was getting bored quickly now. She moved from her warm spot on the window, feeling restless. She hummed quietly, pacing around the room in a sort of lazy dance.

"… as the world falls down…" She sang a part aloud softly, not realizing what she had done until she had done it; she hadn't even realized she was singing that song. She froze, and glanced about the room, making sure that there was truly no one there to witness her weakness. In the past, she had played the song over and over again in her head, writing down the lyrics, trying to decipher meaning to them. The more she had read them, and sung them, and played the memory in her head, the more she wanted to believe it was a declaration of love, love at first sight and fate. She wanted to believe it, and she did in her dreams, but in reality she knew it could never be. She was a middle class human girl, and he was… well, he was the goblin king; a magnificent powerful faerie king, at least that's how she saw him. She shook her head, her auburn hair falling in her face.

"Just stop thinking about it Sarah!" She hissed at her self, holding her temples. She sighed roughly. She decided some sort of distraction would be best. Maybe she could find the gardens, or go into the city. Jareth had said she couldn't go in the Labyrinth, but the city was outside of the Labyrinth. She smiled to herself. She had always wandered what the city was like when it was full of life. She had seen only a very small part of the city, but it was huge, you could tell from the hill at the beginning of the labyrinth that it encircled the entire huge castle and beyond. She smiled wider, making up her mind.

"Let's go feet, the city awaits," and with that said, she strode out of the throne room and left the castle. The moment she stood on the top of the stairs overlooking the city, she froze in awe. There were creatures everywhere: Goblins or all sizes, Fae, Dwarfs, gnomes, and many other creatures, some of which Sarah couldn't identify. She walked down the steps and into the bustling crown, being pushed around by the constant moving people. She drifted over to a side, looking at the shops and vendor stands as she walked. The wafting aroma of underground cuisine and incense blended in the air, tickling her senses, making her stomach growl. She looked around for a nearby stand, seeing one just a few carts up, avoiding the fruit stand as she went. The stand that beckoned Sarah with it's teasing aroma was one 'Mrs. Hubbins' sweet and savory fritters'. Sarah had to smile, the name was like something you'd see in a mall, but she didn't mind.

"Wow, that smells delicious," Sarah said, taking a deep whiff of what the stout Goblin woman was making.

"Thank you dear," The woman said and smiled at her, stepping up onto a stool in the back of the stand so that she and Sarah were on face level with one another. "Freshly made, they just came out of the oil." The woman placed a few in a woven basket and dusted some herbs on the top of their crispy exteriors.

"What's in them?" Sarah asked, her mouth watering slightly. She had been so busy trying to get Toby to eat his broccoli, that she hadn't eaten dinner herself.

"Well, there's pumpkin, that's the sweet, and the savory is chicken, all mashed up in a patty and then batter fried in my families secret batter recipe."

"That sounds incredible," Sarah said, her stomach growling. "Excuse me." She blushed lightly. "I always thought underground food would be more exotic, I suppose."

Mrs. Hubbins stared at her for a moment, taking in what she had said. "Underground… you mean—oh bless my heart! I thought you were one of them collectors!" She spoke emphatically, waving a handkerchief in the air. "Here, I'll strike you a deal, I'll give you 2 for 5 coins." Sarah bit her lip for a moment, digging her hand into her pocket, her face contorting when she saw the contents.

"All I have is a paperclip, a button to my blouse, and a nickel." Sarah grimaced, glancing at Mrs. Hubbins apologetically. Mrs. Hubbins however, seemed delighted.

"That's perfect! I've always wanted a paperclip!" She exclaimed, quickly wrapping the fritters in a piece of brown paper. "There, I even threw in a 3rd one!" Sarah laughed lightly, and handed her the contents of he pocket. The goblin woman giddily picked up the paperclip, examining it thoroughly, like a child on Christmas.

"Thank you very much!" Sarah took one out and took a bite, savoring the taste of the fried fritter. It was incredible. She wondered if she could possibly recreate it at home. She continued down the curved road of the city, looking around her in awe and the endless supply of vendors. Some claimed to be imported from regions far away, while others sold home made wears and baked goods.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" Shouted a voice, a spindly hand tapping Sarah on the shoulder from behind. She turned, seeing a fairly tall goblin with a long nose like a rat and pointed ears. She took a step back, surprised by the lanky goblin approaching her. "Don't be startled. I only wish to know where you got your clothes. They look like they're from the Aboveground, as do you." He was rather sly, someone akin to a car salesman, one that could charm you with smooth and easy words. Sarah was wary of him though.

"Well, I did get them Aboveground," She didn't confirm whether she was human or not, she had yet to discover if they were generally accepted. "Why do you want to know?" She watched his face carefully.

"Well, I own a clothing shop a few stores back, and I am also the Curator of the Aboveground Museum. I was hoping we could maybe do a trade of some sort," He smiled at her, clasping his hands together. "Your Aboveground apparel makes you stick out like a sore thumb, I noticed you walking from my window." Sarah narrowed her eyes at him.

"I happen to like my clothing," She crossed her arms, an eyebrow raised in offense.

"Oh! I do to! Don't get me wrong. I just think it would be even better on display," He paused, giving a small nervous laugh. "Which is why I'll offer you a trade." He grabbed her wrist and practically dragged her back to his storefront. "Come come, we don't have all day! I have appointments to keep" He pushed Sarah up the steps and into the store. At first, she had been skeptical, but upon stepping in the store, she completely changed her mind. All around her were rows and rows of rolls of silks, taffeta, velvet, even fairy cloth. Hanging up on racks around the store were premade dresses and men's items in various styles and colors, ranging from flowery pastels to deep jewel tones. The goblin man stepped up behind her, his spindly fingers on her shoulders once more. "Well, do we have a deal?" Sarah could only nod. The man smiled. "Take your time then… what did you say your name was?"

"Sarah," She answered dreamily, fingering the velvet on one dress. The man sputtered, but she didn't notice.

"Oh" he cleared his throat, "Well, I'll trade you by number of articles of clothing. Even trade. Please do take your time."

Sarah wandered the store, collecting pieces to try on, but stopped, almost dropping everything to the ground. There hanging on one of the racks was a very familiar looking dress of champagne velvet cascading in folds to the floor. The arms of the dress were tight, until they draped into long wizard sleeves at the elbow. The scoop neck dress was decorated with gold vine designs at the top edges and a gold silk sash at the waist accented the curves of its wearer. The edges of the gown were trimmed with gold silk, and a hidden bodice was laced in the back with gold silk ribbon. It looked like the dress she used to wear on her adventure in the park; only it was made of the finest materials, not polyester and rayon.

"This one," She said barely above a whisper, then stronger. "This one, I would like this dress."

"You're welcome to it." Said the salesman. "One dress for one article of clothing. Pick out as much as you want, we have plenty of shoes and accessories to choose from as well, go wild! I've heard the stories of Aboveground girls and their love of shopping."

"I never said I was from Aboveground," She said absentmindedly, and handed off the clothes she was holding to one of the workers, and held the dress up to herself in the mirror.

"Well, you look like a human, talk like a human, walk like a human, dress like a human," He stressed. "Then, you must be human."

"You don't say…" She continued to look about the store, holding the gown in her hands gingerly. She picked up a pair of brass flower combs with crystal for her hair, and a pair of brocade silk slippers that matched the color of the dress. "Is there a place to change?" The woman who had previously helped Sarah pulled out a folding panel for her to change behind. Once Sarah had the dress on the woman laced the back of the dress tight so it hugged to her figure. She slipped on the slippers and placed the combs in her hair, pinning the front of her long auburn hair up in braids to the side of her head to cascade down the back of her hair. When she looked in the mirror, she felt like a renaissance princess, or perhaps, a queen.

"Hello Jarkin," A silky voice resonated through the room, and it could only belong to one person. Sarah peaked through the hinges of the folding board to confirm her suspicions. The goblin king was there in the store.

"Ah! Hello your Majesty!" Sarah watched the display from the crack in the hinge, watching Jarkin the salesman bow deeply. "Here for your order? I was going to deliver them later when the time is up."

"Not to worry, I was already out, so I thought I'd stop by myself. I rarely go out in the city other than special occasions, so I thought I would make an event of it." Jareth brushed it off quickly. In reality, he was a bit afraid of going back to the castle and dealing further with Sarah. She had the innate ability to make him breathless and murderous at the same time, for example, their little exchange earlier. He had to make it up to her if he wanted any chance at all. Jarkin brought out a few velvet shirts in dark jewel tones, lightly embroidered at the shoulder and wrists.

"Will that be all your majesty?" Jarkin placed the shirts on the counter, scribbling on a piece of parchment.

"Actually, no, I'd like this as well." Sarah suppressed a gasp as he picked up a long gold chain with a large faceted crystal dangling from it, it's many faces creating a rainbow of light on the wall as it caught the light from the outside. It was a stunning and simple necklace.

"A fine choice Majesty, and if that will be all, then the total will be 2500 coins," The goblin man told the king, who promptly placed a bag of coins on the counter. Sarah thought this would be a good time to come out form behind the screen.

"I always thought kings had personal tailors," She said, stepping out. Jareth turned to respond, not knowing it was she, and froze in his spot. He gazed at her, looking radiant in a gown similar to the one he used to see her in at the park, practicing her lines. The dress hugged to her curves, and flared at the hip, cascading to the floor.

"I, uh" He cleared his throat and swallowed hard. Sarah smiled lightly, taking notice of how shocked he was. "Jarkin is my personal tailor. He comes to the castle, does the fittings and commissions there, and usually delivers them to me personally." They continued to stare at each other for a brief moment as Jareth attempted to put together coherent sentences in his mind. "What are you doing outside of the castle Sarah?" It was all he could think of to say, and it came out rather stern. Sarah clutched her 'human' clothes in one arm, the other holding her other 2 fritters she had yet to eat. Her grip on each tightened slightly, trying to control herself.

"I was bored, and hungry, so I wandered into town." Her smile fell, and her eyes searched his face for a glimmer of hope to hold on to. "Jarkin saw me, and offered a trade of clothes. He wanted my 'human' clothes for the Aboveground museum. Jareth merely nodded and beckoned to her. She glanced away briefly, and handed the clothes to be traded to Jenkin, who took them happily.

"Come Sarah, let's be going," Jareth spoke softly, his eyes gazing over her form as she moved. He held out a gloved hand to her, and when she took it, they faded from view once more, materializing in the throne room as they had earlier. Sarah moved to walk towards the window once more, but Jareth held her hand tight, yanking her back to him.

"Sarah…" He began, then paused, letting a slow breath escape.

"Yes?" She inquired, her body slightly tense.

"Sarah you look stunning," he breathed out, reaching to brush a hair from her face. Emotions now battled inside her like a dueling dragon. On one hand she wanted to shy away, on the other, she wanted to lean into his touch and into him, with his arm wrapped around her waist. Instead she just bit her lip.


Props to those who got the museum reference from the Return to the Labyrinth manga!
Sloooowww chapter. Slooowww buuurrrn, ticking like a time bomb, about to explode!!
It does in the next chapter.