Author's note: I possess no ownership over the Labyrinth or any of its associated characters and places. Again, I apologize for the characters that I do own, specifically for their names. Please review! Also, this is the last chapter I had that I had pre-written. The next chapters may be a few days (or longer, sorry!) away. Happy Holidays!
Jareth sat slumped at his desk in the study. Running his hands through his tangled mane, he reflected on the past week's events. While fifteen dwarf families and numerous other creatures had made their homes inside his Castle's walls, Jareth had led his two dwarf volunteers back to their community and beyond, into the darkness, searching for any sign of the missing Winfull family. Jareth's keen eyes had spotted a small doll, identified as belonging to the dwarf-child Adonna. After several days hunting through the darkness, with only his magic to defend the two dwarves and himself from whatever lurked in the darkness, they had found only that doll. After a week in the darkness, the trio had emerged tired, drained, and defeated.
All that time in the darkness had given Jareth the feeling that the darkness itself was a living being, watching, thinking, and planning. He regretted his decision to allow the two dwarves, Daggle and Duggle, brothers to Diggle, to accompany him. He sensed their need to find their brother and his family, but at the same time he had no idea what to expect from the darkness. He couldn't gauge the danger, and he didn't want to risk any more of his subjects' lives. Grateful to have emerged with no further loss of life, Jareth transformed into an owl as soon as his companions were looked after, and flew to his castle. He'd been in his study ever since.
Jareth clearly saw he had one option left: Sarah. It had been nearly eight months since her triumph over the Labyrinth. Eight months since she had rejected him and broken his heart. He'd not seen her since that night, so, bracing himself, Jareth conjured a crystal with which to see her.
He saw her in a crowded building, people all around, separated by cords of rope or ribbon, people in uniforms. Sarah – from what he could see of her as she wasn't facing him – was tugging a suitcase behind her, and then someone called her name. Jareth watched as Sarah ran into her father's open arms and hugged him fiercely and then did the same to her stepmother. So, Jareth thought, they finally became one happy family. He saw Sarah ask something, to which the stepmother, Karen, responded. He could make out Toby's name, and realized that Sarah must have asked where Toby was. He was glad to see that she cared for her brother, that she had learned something from her thirteen hours in the Labyrinth.
Both desiring and dreading it, Jareth was finally given a view of Sarah's face as she turned and walked forward. Jareth let out an inarticulate sound, somewhere between a sigh and a sob. There she was. The same face that had haunted him every time he closed his eyes. Her same smile and her same cruel eyes. "Sarah…" he breathed. Closing his eyes in momentary remembrance, Jareth opened them and forced himself to reacquaint himself with her. As he looked, several differences glared at him.
She looked older than a mere fifteen or sixteen years. He could see that in her face – the child's softness was gone, replaced by more defined features. She was taller, and thinner, almost too thin. Her face held a hollowness that concerned him – she looked as if she was recovering from a serious malady. Her eyes were hooded and ringed with tiredness, almost the mirror of his own. What, he wondered, had she been doing with herself? What had happened? Where had she been?
Not expecting any answers, Jareth watched as Sarah accompanied her parents outside, and to a yellow vehicle. He would have watched more, save that he realized he was becoming entranced by her again. Jareth could feel himself slipping, forgetting about his kingdom and the problems with the Labyrinth. He pulled himself back before he could really lose himself, waving his hand reluctantly to send the crystal out of existence. The crystal disappeared instantly, but Sarah's image remained with Jareth. Feeling incredibly weak and tired, Jareth retired to his chambers and spent the night in deep slumber, continually dreaming of Sarah.
By the morning light, Jareth rose, breakfasted, and returned to his study. He knew he needed Sarah if the Labyrinth was ever to be restored to normal. But that presented a problem: he still loved her, and was more vulnerable to her than he could recall ever being in his entire life. It was hard enough for him to see her in his dreams, how would he cope with having her in his waking sight too? Despite himself, Jareth chuckled softly. It's not fair, he thought. Oh, Sarah, how right you were.
There wasn't any remedy for it: one way or another, she had to return to the Labyrinth, and he would have to deal with it.
Now, he had to devise away to get her here. The way Jareth saw it, he had two choices: he could make her come, or he could ask. The first would prove troublesome, as he had no power over her, and finding a way to force her to do anything would be long and difficult. He didn't have the time, and he didn't have the heart. That left the second option: he had to ask for her help. But how? If he simply appeared before her, asking for her help, blaming her for the problems in the Labyrinth, she'd reject him as thoroughly as she had before. Wouldn't she?
Then the answer appeared before him, remarkable in its simplicity. He had no control over her, but he could control his subjects, among them her friends. He would send Hoggle to fetch Sarah, and ask for her help. Surely she wouldn't refuse her friend, not when Hoggle's home depended on her help. Jareth had purposefully allowed the connection between Sarah and her friends to continue, wanting her to remain linked to the Labyrinth in any manner possible. Now, that might just be his saving grace.
Summoning another crystal, Jareth caused Hoggle's image to appear. The dwarf was rooting through some sort of closet filled with random items. Jareth recognized it immediately, and transported himself to the oubliette in the blink of an eye. He silently appeared behind Hoggle, watching as the dwarf rooted through the pile of junk, long forgotten by the inmates of this oubliette. Hoggle muttered as he dug, and then gave a joyful hoot as he found what he was looking for. Whatever it was, Jareth couldn't see. He simply waited for Hoggle to turn around, striking a deceptively casual pose by leaning into the stone wall, crossing his arms across his chest. Despite himself, Jareth liked the little dwarf. He had been utterly predictable, and for the most part still was, but ever since Sarah had met him, Hoggle had become much more interesting. And besides, here was another creature that loved Sarah as much as Jareth did, just not in the same way.
Hoggle stepped back and kicked the fallen pots and pans and paraphernalia into the closet. Stumbling on something that rolled underfoot, Hoggle landed hard on his backside. Hoggle rolled slowly onto his hands and knees, still grumbling, and then noticed Jareth. Jareth's boots, to be precise, but Hoggle realized that Jareth was attached to the boots a second later.
"Hello, Hogbrain," greeted Jareth in a bright voice, finding that he didn't have to force his cheer in this gloom. "Hoggle," Hoggle corrected indignantly. "What do you want?" Jareth tut-tutted at Hoggle's dismal tone, but kept up his bright charade. "I have a task for you Hogwart, a very important task." Hoggle looked up in trepidation, repeating his words of before, "I won't do nothin' to harm her." Jareth was slightly taken aback – was he that transparent? He hadn't even mentioned Sarah, but Hoggle knew right away. Best press on with it.
"I assure you, you won't be doing 'nothin' to harm her,' I just need you to pay her a visit." Hoggle was disbelieving, and he crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked up at Jareth. "I just…go and visit her? That's it?" Jareth couldn't suppress a smile at the defensive stance Hoggle had taken. "No, that's not it. You will ask Sarah to accompany you back to the Labyrinth. You will not leave without her. Is that clear?" Hoggle swallowed quickly; Jareth hadn't lost his ability to intimidate him, but he stood by what he said. "Why?" Jareth sighed, shedding his false demeanor.
"You've seen the changes in the Labyrinth. You know of the darkness that spreads, of the losses we've already experienced. This all started when she left. I can't fix it. She can." Jareth stooped to Hoggle's level, looking into Hoggle's eyes. "Now, did any of that penetrate your thick skull, Higgle? The Labyrinth needs Sarah. Your task is to bring her here, or suffer my…displeasure." Jareth stood, and tossed a crystal to Hoggle, who caught it reluctantly.
"You have until sundown today to return with Sarah. If I were you, I'd get going." Jareth laughed as he disappeared. Hoggle looked at the crystal, and brought it up to eye level. He was looking through the mirror in the room Sarah was in; he could see her packing.
Jareth reappeared in his chambers. He walked to the widow that overlooked the entire Labyrinth and waited.