But What No One Knew
**Standard disclaimer applies: I own nothing but my idea for this story, so please don't steal it.
The morning after Sarah's visit found Jareth in his library. He was carefully combing through the stacks of ancient tombs looking for anything that could be of use for Sarah's problem. His usually immaculate garments were covered in dust and his flamboyantly stylized hair was now full of cobwebs. It wasn't until he had searched half of the immense library that he stopped.
"Ugh, what a fool I have been. I soil myself looking through these texts by hand when I could have just infused a finding spell into one of my crystals." Jareth said aloud.
He placed the priceless tomb, that was currently in his hand, on the nearest stack and summoned a crystal. He closed his eyes and thought about what he needed to find.
"I just need to locate a passage that would tell me what would happen to a mortal that was sent back above from the underground." He whispered.
The crystal in his hand glowed softly then gently raised in the air. Without a second to spare it zoomed off leaving a trail of glowing glitter floating in the air for Jareth to follow. Jareth wasted no time. He ran after the crystal further into the depths of the massive library. Suddenly the crystal stopped and in front of it was a very thin, very old book. Jareth dismissed the crystal and carefully extracted the book from the confines of the other, much larger tombs. He knew that if he were searching by hand he would have overlooked this book. It didn't look like anything of importance. He chuckled to himself.
"It appears I have forgotten one of the main philosophies of this Labyrinth. Nothing is what is seems here, so you my little treasure must be extremely valuable."
He transported himself back to his chambers to find what information this book contained. When he passed by a mirror.
"Good Heavens!" He gasped "I look an awful fright. I don't think the goblins have ever found themselves in such a state."
He quickly waved his arm and was returned to his customary kingly appearance.
"There, now that that has been taken care of lets see what's in this book."
He sat down at his desk and carefully opened the cover of the text.
If a mortal shall appear,
After dismissing someone dear.
Run the Labyrinth they must do,
To prove their remorse is true.
If they fail in the time allotted,
They go home to loved ones forgotten.
If they make it to the center,
They both return from this great adventure.
It is rare that one would win,
And return with their prized kin.
If that champions heart is true,
And if their soul is purest too.
A gift the Labyrinth will bestow,
What changes take place no one yet knows.
Jareth re read the last line one more time out loud.
"What changes take place no one yet knows."
"Is that what is afflicting Sarah?" He asked himself.
"I've had other runners take their child home, but none of them have had anything happen to them."
He quickly re read the passage.
"Ah, I see now. Their hearts and souls must be pure for these changes to occur."
He rubbed his eyes with his gloved hand and said without thinking "I wish I knew what was happening to her."
Suddenly he heard a soft scratching noise. He looked around to find its source. Slowly he looked down and realized it was coming from the book. He turned the page slowly and saw something that wasn't there before. A handwritten list.
He quickly scanned the list. When he noticed things on that list corresponded with some changes he saw in Sarah, he read it more carefully. Once he was done he tucked the book in his vest and decided to go have a little chat with one of his subjects.
Hoggle was getting ready to go visit Sarah when all around him he heard:
"And just where do you think you are going?"
Hoggle froze. In just minutes Jareth appeared.
"Why your majesty, what a pleasant surprise." Hoggle managed to say.
"Can it Hogwart." Jareth told him.
"Hoggle" Hoggle corrected.
"Your going to visit Sarah now aren't you." Jareth stated.
"Well I…" Hoggle started.
"I want you to tell me if you see anything… different about her." Jareth calmly told him.
"Wha' did yer do to her!" Hoggle accused.
"I did nothing, how could I, I can't go anywhere near her unless she call upon me." Jareth answered.
"So she has ta ask ya ta come ta her before ya can?" Hoggle asked slightly raising one of his eyebrows. He knew Sarah would never do that.
"No, actually all she has to do is say my name." Jareth paused here and watched Hoggle fidget "Unfortunately for me she never learned my name while she was here." he finished adding just a little bit of remorse into his tone. He knew for a fact that the dwarf told Sarah his name, but Heggle didn't know that now did he. Jareth almost let a small smirk slide onto his lips when he saw the color drain from the dwarfs face.
"Uh, no…no she don't know that . Nope… no way no how." Hoggle stammered out. He could vividly remember the exact place and time during her journey through the Labyrinth that he let Jareth's name slip. Sarah knew his name and would only be safe if she never uttered it. He had to warn her somehow; but with Jareth watching him he couldn't. he would just have to visit her now and update Jareth how she was doing. He would be satisfied everything was the same and leave him in peace (for a while at least). Then he would go visit Sarah again and somehow warn her not to say his Kings name.
With his quickly made plan firmly in his mind he let Jareth know he would report any changes in Sarah and left through his mirror to go see her.
What Hoggle didn't expect to see when he got there was the creature standing before him instead of his friend Sarah.
He knocked on the mirror to get its attention. It turned around and gracefully glided towards the mirror. Its long legs moving like a dancer across the carpet, its lean and tones arms reaching out to him in welcome, its dark hair shimmering and moving like silk down its back, and its eyes so bright and vivid in a shade of unnatural green placed in his friend Sarah's face. Hoggle could feel the color quickly leave his face. He shook his head in disbelief. Jareth knew, he said he couldn't see her but somehow he knew something had happened to Sarah. Before he could think about what he was doing he started demanding answers from Sarah. Answers he knew she didn't have.
"Wha' happened ta ya?" He asked concerned.
"What do you mean Hoggle?" Sarah said.
He couldn't believe she was trying to hide this from him. There was only one other being he ever met that looked like she now did… and that wasn't human. Hoggle lost his temper.
"Wha' do I mean? I mean why does ya look like ya turned fae! Tha's wha' I means." He pointed his finger at her. He couldn't believe she was turning into something like Jareth.
"Yous even walk like 'em too" he continued, "Wha did ya do? Did ya make a deal wit him? Tell me ya didn', tell me ya didn' make no deal wit tha' rat jus to get yours brother back." Hoggle began to panic.
How could she. After all he went through to help her beat him. She went ahead and played his game and made a deal with him. The proof was right in front of his own nose. He took a breath to yell some more when she said.
"No Hoggle. No, I beat him and got Toby back. I didn't make any deals or promises with Jareth."
"Ya did it now!" Hoggle screamed.
She said his name! He couldn't believe she said his name! Oh why couldn't he have warned her before this. He should have thought to warn her about the power in his mere name. how could he have failed her so badly.
"What? What did I do?" Sarah yelled starting to panic.
"Yous said 'is name. Tha's wha' ya done! Now he can look in on ya wherever ya ares and if he wan's he can comes ta ya too." Hoggle began to pace in the mirror.
He knew it wouldn't be long before Jareth showed up. But maybe he didn't hear her. Maybe, just maybe he could get back and distract him until he could think of a way to hide Sarah. Yes he had to get to Jareth right away.
"I gotta go, I…I… Goodbye." He quickly said and was gone from her mirror.
Hoggle got back to the underground just in time to see Jareth give him a satisfied smirk and disappear in a swirl of glitter.
He had failed her. He failed his first friend, and now she was at the mercy of the Goblin King. Hoggle fell to his knees and with a howl of despair crumpled onto the hard ground.
