Chapter 4: Any Port In a Storm

Jareth moved through the forest with the stealth and agility of a predatory cat, long, wild hair tied back and leather moccasin-style shoes moving soundlessly over the ground. He was silent and focused, sharp eyes picking up the smallest sign that he was on the right track. Broken twigs, a paw print in the mud, a bit of white fur on a bush, all signs that Sarah had come this way recently.

After she fled, he had bandaged his arm, dressed quickly, called the three goblins remaining to him and started out after her; he had just now gotten a hold of her again after all this time and he didn't intend to let her slip away so easily. Luckily for him, Sarah didn't seem to have any skill in evasive techniques whatsoever; she blundered through the forest like a bear that had eaten too many fermented berries, leaving an easy trail for him to follow. Much to his frustration however, no matter how fast he moved, he couldn't seem to get any closer to her.

To make matters worse, he was not the only one hunting her. Jareth could hear the occasional radio communication from the endless surrounding forest, and had even caught a brief glimpse or two of a camouflage jacket, or the metallic glint of a firearm in the distant undergrowth. There was a much larger and more organized team of men in the forest today, all with the intent to capture Sarah and bring her back to the compound, and if not that, then at least to make sure she didn't escape. Surely the foolish girl must sense them, he thought, and yet she had run right towards them and had spent the last hour leading him in wide circles right through their midst, like some demented, childish game of tag.

It occurred to him that perhaps she could sense that he was close, in the same way that he could sense her and how far away she was from him. She might just be trying to get away from him at any cost, his presence behind her driving her forward blindly. Maybe he had been too aggressive, had frightened her into a panic. Or maybe, he thought with a rueful grin, she had led him here deliberately to try to shake him, a move as bold as it was dangerous. It would be more like her to do something like that than to run scared, he thought. He ducked behind a tree as a pair of men came over a hill, making their way stealthily northwest, passing by about a hundred feet from where he stood hidden.

She was going to get herself captured, or worse. If only there was some way to draw her towards him…

He grinned again as an idea struck him. As soon as the men were out of sight and earshot, he called his rag-tag but resourceful goblin trio and set them a task, then he started off again, back in the direction of the cabin.

When Sarah was little, her mother had enrolled her in a gymnastics class at the local gym. It had been a special thing that they did together once a week, the little girls would tumble and chatter, and the mothers would sip coffee and gossip nearby. Afterwards, Sarah and her mother would go out for ice cream and share what they had learned with each other; Linda would tell her daughter all about whatever scandalous thing her friends' mothers or fathers were doing, and Sarah would proudly relay whatever interesting little bits of information she had gleaned from the other little girls, as well as all-important updates about who liked whom, and who was going to whose birthday party, and who had the newest shoes. It had been a delicious female experience for the both of them. After Sarah's mother had left, Sarah had continued with gymnastics, but it became a different sort of thing for her. Without her glamorous mother nearby to encourage her and give her status, Sarah drifted away from the social circles, and became more focused on the physical aspects of the sport. She worked to become the best, the most agile and athletic of the girls. She became a sort of leader of the pack, so to speak, set apart from the others socially, but recognized by them as talented and superior.

Now, she tumbled through the woods with all the grace of a toddler wearing their father's suit. Thanks to the adrenaline still coursing through her veins, she had managed to keep up a decent speed, but the sleeves of her sweatshirt were too long for her front legs now, and the front of it hung down to the ground so that her back feet got caught on it when she tried to leap over something. More than once, she had wanted to rip of the sweatshirt so that she could move more freely, but without thumbs, there was no way to do so without taking the shirt underneath off as well, leaving her exposed when night came. She had no idea what had happened to her shoes and pants and underwear, she probably lost them when she first fled the cabin. The sweatshirt had to stay, otherwise she would freeze tonight. Still, as she once again tripped and crashed headlong into the ground, she wished she had at least had the foresight to roll up her sleeves.

As she picked herself up and paused to listen, trying to hear if any of the men moving around in the nearby forest had heard her crash, she noticed something unexpected. Since this morning, the looming presence of the Goblin King had followed her, pursuing her wherever she went, but now it was diminishing, as if he was moving away from her. She didn't know what to make of that, but she supposed it was a good thing. Maybe he had decided that she wasn't worth the effort after all.

At that very moment, what was unmistakably a small goblin with a large, bald, football shaped head popped out of a bush directly in front of her, a pointy yellow smile on its wide, warty, gray face. It smiled up at her.

"Hi, Wolf!" it said happily and with perfect familiarity, voice high-pitched and scratchy.

"No, hi Lady," corrected a second goblin in a similar sounding voice. This one had suddenly appeared behind her, making her spin and back up so that she could keep them both in sight. This one was dirt brown and had a shock of straight white hair on its head that stuck out in all directions, though its black beady eyes and big yellow smile were the same as the first goblin's.

"We's been waiting for you." chimed in a third, which also appeared behind her. The others made happy sounds of agreement. This third goblin, like the others, was also shaped like a large decomposing lemon with a tiny body underneath, but its nose was longer and pointier, and its white hair was shorter and curly. Sarah turned constantly, trying to keep an eye on all of them at once, but they had formed a small triangle around her, so she had to keep turning and could only see two at a time. They were small, and seemed non-threatening, but after the craziness that had just happened with the Goblin King, her nerves were frayed and she wasn't taking any chances.

"Come with us, Lady," said the second, the brown one, in a voice like a merchandiser offering free samples of a bad product that he has to convince others is a good buy in order to save his job.

"Yes, yes!" the third interrupted excitedly.

"-we help you get away!" the brown one continued.

Not a chance. Sarah thought. She had gotten this far on her own, she was doing okay. She wasn't desperate enough to accept the help of strange goblins who were probably up to no good.

"But you have too!" said the first one, the gray one, from right next to her left shoulder, his voice reminding her of an electric pencil sharpener full of gravel. She started and jumped back. He was holding the bottom half of her left sleeve, which he had somehow detached from the rest of the sweatshirt without her noticing.

"Otherwise they catch you," said the brown one in a voice like a bag of rocks being dragged over cement. He (or she? Sarah couldn't tell) was working on the other sleeve with his long sharp claws, much to her surprise.

What are you doing! Sarah thought, backing away at the same time that he finished, leaving the sleeve cut off a few inches above her paws. It now matched the other side.

"Helping you. You said you wished the sleeves were out of the way," the first one said. He was now wearing the muddy bottom half of her sleeve around his scrawny neck like a scarf.

I didn't say anything, I- wait, can you hear my thoughts!?

"Only the loud ones." pointy-nosed goblin replied matter-of-factly in a nasally, rattling voice.

Suddenly there was a whooshing sound, and the second goblin dove in front of Sarah. He fell to the ground and bounced a few times. There was a tranquilizer dart sticking out of his forehead.

"Aiiieeeee!" shrieked the other two, as they moved forward with freakish speed and pounced on the man that had snuck up on them and was hiding behind a nearby tree.

"What the hell-" the man hollered, as he fell to the ground. His radio went flying and shattered on a nearby rock.

The brown goblin staggered a bit, then pulled the dart out of his head and joined the others, crawling all over the unfortunate agent, biting and scratching as the poor man yelled for help and tried to beat the little creatures off with his gun.

"Run, Lady!" one of them yelled, and Sarah didn't need to be told twice. She turned and took off in the opposite direction. She could run much faster now, and within minutes the goblins and the men were far behind her.

The sun-dappled trees blurred together as she flew through the woods, darting this way and that as she made her way west, paws padding lightly against the cushiony forest floor, white fur gleaming in the afternoon sun where her sweatshirt didn't cover her. Her earlier fatigue was gone now, this form was stronger and built for endurance. She inhaled the smells around her deeply as she ran, trying to get used to this new, powerful sense of smell that she had never really had a chance to explore while locked up in the compound. She could smell the trees and the soil, the mossy creeks that striped the woods, a hint of a coming storm. She could smell the various animals that inhabited the forest, and the dozens of sweaty men still hunting her, the sharp, acrid smell of gunpowder, and strange smells that she couldn't quite identify. She was getting further and further away from the hunters, soon she would be safe…

She yelped as she crashed into something unseen and was sent flying backwards with a shock. Getting to her feet quickly, she looked around in surprise, but... there was nothing there. The forest was suddenly too quiet, as if it was waiting for something. Sarah strained her senses, but could detect nothing threatening. The woods around her were disturbingly empty.

She went forward again, cautiously, but was once again pushed back by what felt like an invisible wall, though not so violently this time. She tried again, even more slowly, raising a front paw and feeling the air in front of her. It felt as if the air had condensed to form a barrier, one with an unpleasant electric feeling to it that repelled her. She huffed in dismay, and started off in a different direction, following the invisible wall blindly, trying to find a way through or around it. She was unable, even worse she was now sure that the mysterious wall was moving forward, forcing her back the way she had come. Back to her pursuers.

Focused on the wall as she was, it took her a while to notice the shadow. It moved along behind her on the other side of the barrier, independent of any object that might have cast it, sliding along across the pine needles and over rocks and twigs, leaving a path of dead foliage in its wake. She sped up, but the shadow sped up as well. She turned away from the wall, but the shadow just went through it as if it wasn't there and continued to follow her. She was running full out now, but the menacing shadow was still behind her, trailing her. Finally she stopped and turned around to face it, but in its place there was now a large, sleek, black swan.

She wondered briefly if it was the Goblin King in a different form, but dismissed the idea; she could still feel his presence somewhat, but it was distant. Not twenty feet in front of her. She watched the swan, waiting for it to do something, but it just stood and stared at her with sad, intelligent eyes.

Who are you? she thought.

"There she is, there she is!"

The voice shattered the unnatural silence and made her start and spin around. Jumping and rolling and darting through the brush towards her were the same three goblins from earlier, all wearing the same disturbing yellow smiles on their faces. Sarah looked back, but the swan was gone. In fact, there was nothing to show that anything had been there at all, except a spot of dead grass.

"Now you come with us Lady?" the brown goblin asked.

Sarah turned her attention back to the goblins.

Not if you are planning on taking me to your King, she tried thinking at them, hoping they would hear.

"We not!" said the first one, the bald grey one, with a look of carefully manufactured innocence.

"We just take you to his house." pointy-nosed goblin said happily. The other two smacked him on the back of the head.

"-But he not at home! Not for a long while." the brown goblin added hastily. Grey goblin nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, he said to tell you so- owww!" pointy-nosed goblin started cheerfully again, only to be smacked even harder by the other two.

I am not going anywhere with you three.

"But we keep you safe!"

"Bad men want to catch you, lock you up again!"

"Them can't find you in the house. No one crosses the line, not unless them's name's on the rocks."

"Wolf can't run forever." the grey goblin said pointedly.

Sarah mulled this over. She believed that the goblins were sincere about helping her, they had saved her from being captured earlier, after all. She also knew they were right, the woods were crawling with men, and a helicopter had begun passing overhead. It would seem that she had to choose her poison, and of the two evils, the Goblin King was the only one she had beaten before.

You're sure he won't be there?

She knew it was probably some kind of trick, but if they were right in saying that no one could find it, then it would be safer than wandering the woods. Something was keeping her from getting away, and until she figured that out, she needed a place to hide. She'd rather deal with one Goblin King than a small army of government agents.

"Oh, yes! He said he stay away for long time." pointy-nosed goblin said joyfully, then flinched, but the others didn't hit him this time.

What about the amulet? What do you know about that?

"What you talkin' about?" the grey goblin asked.

He put an amulet on me, it burned…

From their blank looks she could see that they weren't going to be any help on that matter.

Fine. Let's just go.

That brought their grins back, and they turned and took off through the forest with Sarah running hesitantly along behind. Less than ten minutes later, they came to the clearing. Sarah stopped, suddenly having second thoughts. The goblins stopped as well and turned to give her questioning looks.

Her eyes swept the meadow carefully, but it looked just as empty as it had before. The sun was low and slanting through the treeline now, and the tips of the meadow grass burned with golden fire, flickering as it moved in lazy waves in the late summer breeze. She could just barely make out the furrow that ran in a rough circle marking where the cabin was, like a long shadowy smudge dividing the gilded grasses.

The sound of a helicopter behind her got her moving again. She walked down the hill towards where the cabin was, the goblins falling behind her. As she came to the furrow that apparently bordered the cabin, she noticed that it was indeed full of smooth stones, each carved with strange markings. Was her name really on one of them? And if so, why? She had so many questions, and it seemed that there was only one person who could answer them all, the one person she didn't want to see again. She focused on that feeling inside of her that told her how close he was. Nearer than he had been, but still at a good distance. She would have time to leave if he started to approach.

With that in mind, she jumped over the furrow and the cabin appeared before her, instantly materializing into undeniable reality.

"Bye now!" one of the goblins called out behind her, and she turned around in surprise to find them all running off in different directions.

Hey, wait! Where are you going? Come back! she thought frantically, but all she got in response were cackles and manic giggles from the retreating goblins before they disappeared into the trees.

She thought about going after them, but decided that there really was no point in it. Turning back to the cabin, she approached carefully, pushing the door open with her shoulder. The huge candle was still lit, casting a dim, shifting orange glow around the tiny room. A careful inspection revealed that this time she was definitely alone. The many charms and medallions that hung from the walls and ceiling seemed to disagree, twinkling and swinging rhythmically even though there was no breeze. The air was tangy and electric, and she was aware that all around her there were whispers just on the edge of her hearing. The amulet under her skin tingled in response, making her shrug uncomfortably.

There was a plate on the table with some bread and meat, and she helped herself, trying to be as neat as possible, even though she was famished. The rest of the table was cluttered with maps and books, most of which seemed to be in some language that looked similar to English, but wasn't. The maps, however, showed that she had been right about where she had guessed her location to be. There was a penciled X near the northern coast of Maine, and another X near the middle part of Canada, close to the border. Several smudged pencil lines had been drawn between the two, and various notes were scribbled all over the map, but Sarah couldn't make out what they said. There were also several year-long calendars with most of the days checked off, the most recent one had all the days until mid-august checked off, and was otherwise blank except for some dense scribbling near the end of October. Sarah noted with mild interest that a solar eclipse was coming up soon.

She studied all of it for a bit longer, so focused that she barely noticed how dark the cabin had gotten until the pain hit her, the beginning of sunset twisting her back into human shape before she registered what was happening. She frantically looked around again, using the edge of the table to support herself while she caught her breath, but the room was still empty, thankfully. Crickets had begun to chirp outside, and the night air drifting through the window now carried the sweet, dewy smells of the coming night that mixed wonderfully with the spicy, magical smell of the cabin, helping her to relax. He was still far away. She was safe, and would soon be free, she told herself, fighting for calm. Once her heart rate had slowed again, all that Sarah had been through in the last night and day finally caught up with her, and she was overcome with an exhaustion that cried out from her very bones, dragging her eyelids down and making her legs weak. She yawned and shivered, wishing she had something to cover her bare legs. Her gaze drifted towards the bed, and its cozy looking blanket. Surely it wouldn't hurt to take a short nap, she reasoned. A bit of rest would clear her mind and make it easier to figure out what to do next. Her feet carried her to the little bed and she crawled in, falling asleep almost immediately.

She woke a few hours later due to something poking her in the chest. The candle had gone out, and the air had become chilled and still. She sat up groggily and fumbled in the dark, and feeling the hard shape of the pendant under her sweatshirt, she pulled it out and off, holding it in front of her and examining it in the dim starlight that came through the window. She couldn't be sure without adequate light, but she thought that it looked very much like the one that the Goblin King had worn in the Labyrinth, and also like the one he had been wearing the previous morning. It was a peculiar curved triangle shape with a goblin face carved in the middle, flat, metallic, and about the size of an orange, fixed on the end of a golden chain. It was unnaturally warm in her palm and seemed to buzz in a way that she could feel more in her mind than in her hand, she got the feeling that it was unhappy about being removed and wanted her to know it. She puzzled for a moment on why the Goblin King had been so determined to get it on her, as far as she could tell, it didn't do anything.

A movement out of the corner of her eye made her stiffen and hold her breath, a slight shifting of the shadows in the window, a ruffling sound. She slowly turned her head to the window, staring with wide eyes into the dark, her heart pounding in her ears.

"Hello?" she whispered, flinching at how tiny and frightened her voice sounded.

"Hello?" she said again, voice strong and demanding this time.

There was no answer. The shadows shifted slightly, and Sarah suddenly had the unmistakable impression of being watched. Her eyes finished adjusting to the dark, and she could now just make out the pale shape in the darkness, unseen eyes boring into hers from where he sat on the window ledge.

"What are you doing here? What do you want with me?" she demanded.

No answer. She suddenly felt foolish for expecting one. Maybe the mind-speaking only worked with goblins?

"I don't know what you're up to, Goblin King, but I don't want any part of it. Please leave me alone." she said, figuring he could still understand her, even if he couldn't say anything back. Why was he just sitting there? Impulsively, frustratedly, she hurled the amulet across the room so that it struck the wall just under the window where he was perched. She had thought to throw it directly at him, but decided last minute that that might not be a good idea.

Put it back on.

The voice flowed through her mind like warm, spiced honey wine; bewitching and soothing.

"No! I don't even know what it does."

It keeps you in your right mind. Really, a clever girl like you should have figured it out on her own.

The cloying voice now had a discernible mocking quality to it.

Sarah realized that she had in fact been in her own mind all day; normally the wolf took over while she was in that form, but not once had that happened. Did that mean he had been trying to help her?

"Only if you promise to leave me alone."

No.

"Then I won't wear it." she was bluffing. It was too valuable to give up, but she wanted to try and find out why he was here, and what he was up to, and why her wearing it was so important to him.

You won't last long without it. An animal's mind is easier to deceive than a person's. Something your friends out there are well aware of. The woods are full of traps.

"I'm sure I'll figure something out." she said primly.

Don't defy me!

"I will! My entire life has gone completely mad, and if you're not willing or able to tell me why, then you can just go! You have no pow-"

Calm down, calm down. You'll have your answers.

Sarah blinked in surprise, her built up emotions suddenly deflating. "I will?"

There was a long, exasperation-drenched pause in her mind. Finally he spoke again, and now his voice felt quiet and reflective, as if he was speaking to himself.

I am here for the same reason you are.

Sarah leaned forward.

"And what reason is that?"

To be free.

She paused at this, putting the pieces together in her head.

"You're stuck as an owl right now, aren't you?" her voice was softer now, filled with compassion. She flinched as her mind was filled with his voice again, changed now from soft and gentle to scornful and cold.

Do not think me weak, Sarah. You would do well to fear me, even now.

"That's not what I meant, I…" she sighed. "-nevermind. How did this happen anyway?"

While you ran the Labyrinth, or shortly after, someone took advantage of my distraction and placed this curse upon us. We are bound together, and I am unable to access my magic.

She processed this quickly. "Oh. Is that what that barrier was? and how I could tell where you were?"

He said nothing, but she felt his affirmation.

"Who did this? Why?"

I am not certain.

"Can it be reversed?"

There are ways.

She waited for him to explain, but the silence stretched on, and seemed to grow harder and less accessible. "Such as?"

You have been through much. Put on the amulet and get some rest. We will speak more in the morning.

Sarah was ready to argue, but decided that the possibility of getting some more answers was worth a little humility. She got up and fumbled in the dark for the amulet, pointedly not looking at him. Her hand finally closed around it, and then she shuffled back to the bed with as much dignity as she could muster, resisting the urge to run and jump into the bed and pull the cover over her head. She slipped the amulet on and lay on her side under the blanket, watching the pale shape in the window with wary eyes. He just sat there, silent, motionless. She was determined to stay awake and keep an eye on her unpredictable, enigmatic companion, but after a while she began to feel comfortable and warm again, and before she knew it she had drifted off despite herself.

She dreamed of shadows and windowless cells, and an unseen voice that whispered lullabies and laments.

Under the damp grey eaves of dilapidated slate roofs, the shadows seemed to deepen and lengthen, as if trying to conspiratorially hide the band of misfits sneaking along through the morning quiet. The guilty trio were well aware of their danger; there was a strict curfew in place in the Goblin City, one that they were most certainly breaking. Those who earned the displeasure of the king and fell into his grasp were often never heard from again. If they were, they were changed, much in the way that a delicate snowflake is forever destroyed when clenched tightly in an unforgiving fist.

Luckily, Hoggle the dwarf was no snowflake.

A coward he may he, but a sturdy one, and a conniving one as well. Not long after the Usurper had come, he had joined forces with the other champion-friends, and attempted to stage a resistance. That had been a disaster, and after what had happened to Ludo, they had all but given up hope. That was, until they had heard about the trio of goblins that had been on the wrong side when the portals had been closed. One of the older goblins had a special looking-glass that was used for communicating with them, and by this way he and others had learned of the Goblin King's survival, and of Sarah's imprisonment. The Old Goblin's house was where they were heading now, as the signal had been given for a meeting.

Hoggle stepped back and let Sir Didymus and Ambrosius approach the small wooden door first, knocking the secret knock that would gain them admittance. They were quickly ushered into a dark, cobwebby hallway by a goblin that resembled a moldy forty pound raisin, one of the Old One's offspring. He muttered and grumbled and nearly shut the door on Ambrosius's tail, before pushing them roughly into the back room. About a dozen others were gathered together there around a musty old armchair, several of the smarter goblins, a few bag ladies, the worm and his wife (who sat on the high back of the chair) and the Wise Man's hat, who had taken to riding around on a tiny mute goblin named Todd since the disappearance of his former companion. They were the members of a secret faction, and they called themselves the Brothers United against Terrible Tyranny, or 'B.U.T.T.' for short.

The Old Goblin, whose true name had been forgotten centuries ago, was the head of B.U.T.T.

He was the only one left that was in possession of a device for communicating with the Above, as the Usurper had confiscated almost all the other magical items in the kingdom. Hoggle and the others gathered round him, all of them uncharacteristically quiet and still as they waited for him to speak. He sat motionless in his moth-eaten chair, eyes closed in deep thought, slow breaths sending little swirls of dust in and out of the flickering candlelight.

After a few minutes, Hoggle and the others realized that he was asleep.

"Oh dear, what shall we do, brother?" Sir Didymus whispered to the dwarf.

Hoggle shrugged. "We're gonna have to wake him up. This needs to be quick, I don't wanna be out when rounds begin."

A few others shuddered in sympathy, then dropped their jaws in surprise when Hoggle began slapping the head of B.U.T.T.'s cheek with a grubby palm.

"Wake up, you old fart!" he demanded.

The Old One woke with a snort and a gurgle and sat up straight, glaring at the all the persons surrounding him.

"Oo are yeh, and what're yeh doin' in me house!" he cried.

"You invited us, sir, so that we may share in whatsoever news you may have acquired," Sir Didymus replied helpfully, while Hoggle rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently.

The Old One turned to the bowing fox-knight, ready to rebuke him, but then paused for a long moment, his deeply-wrinkled face strained with the effort of thought.

"Hrmmm, I did, didn't I?" he cackled with a toothless grin, eyes lighting up as he finally remembered what was going on, much to everyone's relief. He then bent forward with surprising agility, retrieving from under his armchair a highly-polished silver bedpan, which he set upon his lap. It was no ordinary bedpan, but an enchanted one, bewitched many eons ago by some upstart magician with an inappropriate sense of humor and a clever enough mind to recognize the inconspicuous nature of the item. All sixteen of them huddled close, peering into its reflective surface, where two lemon-shaped goblin heads peered back at them with toothy grins.

"Abba-groob, Babba-wock, what have yeh got ta report, me boys?" the Old One demanded briskly, tucking his spindly legs up under the bedpan and leaning forward, watery eyes squinting and long nose nearly touching the metal surface.

"Lady got out!" the brown one blurted happily, the grey one nodding eagerly beside him.

Everyone cheered briefly, then broke out in whispers after the Old One shushed them.

"-They did it!-"

"-Thank goodness, they was nearly out of time,-"

"-maybe King come back now?-"

"-Woo woo!-"

"-verily, my Lady is not one to be falsely detained-"

"Well, is she okay? Is Sarah alright?" Hoggle demanded of the bedpan goblins, and everyone fell silent to hear their response.

"Well-" started the grey one, known as Abba-groob, "-first 'is Majesty brought her to the cabin, but when he jumped on her and she bit 'im and ran away."

The little room was perfectly silent.

"What?" Hoggle asked worriedly.

"Brother Hoggle," Sir Didymus whispered discreetly in his ear, "perhaps it is best if the exact circumstances are not divulged publicly-"

"-'Cause she's a wolf," Babba-wock added.

"Like how 'is Majesty's an owl." Abba-groob said.

Everyone said, "Ohhhh."

"But we got 'er to come back, and now she's in the house, and 'er and 'is Majesty talked nice and everything. Well, sorta." Babba-wock said, picking something that looked suspiciously like denim out of his teeth.

"Lood's guarding 'er now, while 'is Majesty flies." Abba-groob said.

"Are they going to try to come back to the Labyrinth soon?" one of the small goblins in the room asked.

"That's 'is Majesty's plan." Babba-wock said.

"How can we be of aide? Does his Majesty have any orders?" Sir Didymus asked urgently.

"Yes. You're all to be 'good little subjects to the dark king, and to be nice and friendly to 'is gargoyles,' that's what the King said." Babba-wock replied.

Everyone gaped in shock and consternation.

"But, that can't be right, what about the resistance-" Hoggle started.

Babba-wock spoke over him. "He wants peoples on the inside, should he need 'em,"

The Old One gave a slow, creaky nod, looking about the room at all the fretful faces. "We shall do all we can to aide 'is Majesty, and 'is Lady."

Everyone nodded gravely, and began preparing themselves to go up to the castle beyond the goblin city.

Author's notes:

I didn't initially intend to have goblins in the story, they just sort of happened. I guess with all the drama and angst, some comic relief was needed, and after all I can't very well depend on a naked Jareth to do the job every time things get too tense. That would detract from the seriousness of the plotline. Ahem.

Speaking of Jareth, I'd love some feedback on his character. In all my other stories, he is pretty much just written as a roguishly handsome royal trickster, but here I'm trying to make him a little sharper around the edges, more prickly and morally grey but not crossing the line to where he would be considered evil or unlikeable. Success?

Please review! I crave reviews like a puppy craves bacon. Don't deprive me of my bacon! Let the bacon rain down!