A/N: Thank you all for the kind words for this story! I'm working on getting a few more chapters to you this week.


Chapter Four: You Have Thirteen Hours


"I'll rephrase my question, then. What shall we do with you?"

He watched the girl closely, noting her boldness didn't quite make it to her eyes. One last attempt at strength, fading quickly.

"Don't you give me a choice? Can't you send me home?"

"Send you back now, when we haven't been properly introduced? Wouldn't that be rude?" He swept into a courtly, if mocking, bow. "I am Jareth, King of the Goblins." Straightening he captured her hand and smiled. "A pleasure to meet you, miss….."

He held back a laugh as she just stared at him for a moment, her eyes blinking while a blush crept across her freckled face. Her response, when it finally came, fell somewhere between a whisper and a squeak.

"Cassandra."

"Ah. Such a lovely name. Do you know the story of Cassandra of Troy?" She yanked her hand free, but Jareth stepped forward to invade her space. He wouldn't deny it, watching the breath hitch in her throat sent a little thrill through him. It felt good to be feared again, to be desired again. Stronger than he'd felt in years.

"A beautiful princess of Troy, she caught the eye of Apollo. Falling in love with her, he granted her the gift of sight. But Cassandra didn't return his affection, and her denial spurned Apollo to curse her. She always prophesized the truth, though no one ever believed her. Troy fell, and she had to sit by and watch at the destruction. All because she thought herself strong enough to deny a god." He reached up and slid one leather gloved finger lightly across her jaw.

"So, Cassandra not-of Troy, what compelled you to wish yourself to my labyrinth?"

She froze at his touch, a little wide-eyed rabbit. "I thought it was all made up. Just a story."

His hand slipped down along her arm, gripped her elbow and pulled her close enough to whisper the next words. "I assure you this story is quite real."

This close to her, Jareth examined her face. He had met many women over the centuries who were far more beautiful, yet Cassandra's eyes were like nothing else he'd seen. Stunning pools of tempestuous blue, almost grey, and currently undecided if they wanted to focus on his eyes or his lips. He found himself wondering which he'd prefer, himself.

"But Sarah's book said…"

He stepped back abruptly, the spell broken.

"What book?"

Impossible. It had been destroyed. He'd watched Sarah throw the red volume into the fire with his own eyes, remembered the tears streaming down her face as she did so. The magic dissolving around them as Sarah disappeared from his kingdom for the last time.

"There's no book." He watched as Cassandra frantically searched the area. Though she stood completely still, her eyes gave her away.

The Goblin King followed her gaze to the spot where she had first arrived. There, partially buried in the dirt was a slim journal. Her eyes flew back to his.

He waited patiently as she took off running, then flicked a hand through the air, watching with no little amusement as the book disappeared right as she reached for it, only to reappear in his hand.

"What's this, then?" He turned it over and brushed the dirt off the cover. The initials S.W. left him no doubt as to its owner. However, the faintest of magic radiated off of it, which was certainly unexpected as Sarah had no magical abilities that he knew of…

Cassandra shot forward and tried to snatch the book from his hands. He held it up out of her reach.

"That's not fair! Give it back!"

"Tsk, tsk. Aren't you a bit old for tantrums?"


Stephan still wasn't quite sure what he was watching unfold in the crystal, but he had been correct earlier; it certainly wasn't boring.

His brother was in rare form, embracing the persona of the dangerous and seductive king he'd cultivated over the years. Jareth was toying with the girl; that much was certain, rather like one of the cats who wandered this castle would a rat it planned on having for dinner.

Turning once again to the book on the table, Stephan opened it up and flipped through the pages. The magic of the Goblin Kingdom followed a rigid set of guidelines, much stricter than those of his own fey lands.

"Children, parents, lovers, enemies, hmm… here we are, 'solitary wishes'." He read on in the passage which detailed what befell those who wished themselves to the labyrinth. He understood why Jareth had said it was impossible for the girl to be here now:

Visitors who come with a solitary purpose, through the magic of the Book, shall be tested by the land to face the demons of their own creating. Those strong of magic themselves who travel the Mirror Paths, to prove their worthiness to inherit its gifts. The test of the Labyrinth itself shall be performed alone, no magical being may interfere in the journey. Failure of the test shall render the soul forfeit to the land.

"Strong of magic themselves," he wondered aloud as closed the book and turned back to the crystal. "She didn't travel the Paths, but the Book is gone. How mysterious…"

Stephan was suddenly quite glad he had decided to pay his brother a visit. This was almost exciting.


Cassandra took a deep breath and crossed her arms in frustration. "Fine. Whatever. Take it. It's what got me into this godforsaken place to begin with. Just send me home."

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"It's in the rules."

"The rules? Aren't you supposed to be the King here? Don't you make the rules?"

"I rule my kingdom, not the magic of it. Magic always demands a price, Cassandra. No one is immune." His voice shifted, carrying and filling the space surrounding them. "You have thirteen hours to solve the labyrinth..."

"No. Wait. Please, I just want to go home."

"…if you fail, you become one of us, forever."

A Cheshire grin lit his face as he dissolved, his next words hanging on the air:

"Such a pity…"

As he disappeared, the gate in the wall came into focus for her. With a loud creak, the doors slowly opened and the labyrinth beckoned.

Cassandra felt her spirits drop. She had never been any good at solving mazes. Once, when she had been a young girl, she'd became impossibly lost in a fun-house maze. Her parents found her an hour later, leaning against a grotesque mirror, crying and holding her knees tight against her chest.

One of us, forever. The words of the Goblin King echoed through her head. What did that mean? Did she become a goblin? Would she never see Ruby again?

Stop.

She mentally shook herself. Cassandra wasn't a child anymore, she had been through too much so far in life for a maze to frighten her.

"Thirteen hours. I have time."

With a deep breath she walked through the gates into the labyrinth. They creaked shut behind her, locking her in.

"Well, here goes nothing."


"Nice exit."

Jareth walked across the room, removing his leather gloves as he spoke. "I suppose you watched the whole thing?"

Stephan shrugged. "Could you blame me? Such riveting entertainment. Besides, it's usually so bloody boring here."

"Then go home."

"Are you kidding? Not until we get to the bottom of this little flame haired mystery. I read the rules. Does she have magic?"

Jareth frowned. "I don't know. She had this," he tossed Sarah's journal to his brother. "There's a hint of magic on it, but I've no idea how it got there."

He flipped through the journal. "Your Sarah was quite the little artist, wasn't she? Oh, I rather like this passage:

"As he held out the crystal and spoke in soft tones, I found myself drawn towards him. Would he indeed give me my dreams…?" Stephan laughed as the book disappeared from his hands. "What? Scared of what I might read in there?"

Jareth changed the subject. "If you read the rules, you know we cannot interfere on her behalf."

"Come now, your labyrinth isn't unsolvable."

"Stephan, no one has ever made it through the labyrinth without help."

"We did."

Jareth turned and frowned at the vision of the young woman walking through the stone labyrinth in the crystal.

"We had each other."