Hello, readers! I finally found some spare time to write. Three more weeks left! But, those weeks will be filled with AP tests and finals. Fun. And, I need to try and get a job. But, I will do my best to write as quickly as possible while still giving you something good.

Please leave a reivew with what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own 'Labyrinth'

City Inspection

Her emerald eyes stared at his retreating form. Biting her lip, she gazed over her shoulder at the castle and a shadow flickered out the corner of her eye. Letting out a yelp in surprise, she shamelessly ran to Jareth, her heart hammering in fear and her legs pumping for speed. As she ran down the downhill sloped street, her speed increased into one she felt herself unable to control. Sarah flailed about in attempted to slow and stop before reaching the impending king, but her efforts were fruitless. The chestnut haired woman collided with his lithe form.

His slender form held surprisingly still at her unexpected collision with him. His shoulders grew taunted, and the green eyed woman hastily stepped back as he turned to face her, his mismatched eyes blazing darkly.

"Oops," she attempted with a shrug of her shoulders and a tight smile.

He took in a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. "I would inquire as to what you are doing but I am afraid of the answer," the king stated tersely.

"I'm coming with you," Sarah pushed forward unbidden.

"Yes," he sighed as he put his hand down and made his way down the street again. "I feared as much."

"I could help!" She called after him.

"And why would I desire such a thing?" he responded with ease.

The brunette huffed and pumped her legs to catch up with his long strides. When she finally arrived at his shoulder, she blew a stray, dark strand of hair from her eye and demanded, "What's that supposed to mean?"

The Goblin King turned on his heel suddenly and spun to face her. His nose gently brushed against her as he stooped to look into her eyes. His warmth breath fluttered over her face as he said in hushed tones, "You just nearly got yourself killed. What could such a gentle and fragile thing do to aid me in caring for my crumbling city?" He punctuated his question with a cocked eyebrow.

Sarah spluttered; her mouth opening and closing rapidly, like a fish out of water, sound refusing to come. Her body seemed to shut down at his close proximity. His thin lips curled over his white teeth at her lack of response, and as quickly as he had appeared, he was making his way down the street again. The brown haired woman was left staring after him, her emerald eyes following each movement and twitch of his body. She was unsure how to feel about what had just happened. He had just insulted her: that she was sure of. But, the way he said it. There was something playful, something challenging. And she was never one to back away from a challenge.

As she firmly set her resolve to best this challenge, even if she was unsure of its existence, Sarah pulled herself taller and began walking after the king, keeping her distance so as not to alert him of her presence. Her sparkling eyes followed each subtle movement of the Goblin King that walked before her. She watched with interested as his brows knitted, darkening and hallowing his eyes giving him a tired and haggard appearance, as he observed each minute piece of destruction of his city or the twitch at the corner of his mouth as some goblin stopped him and he cocked his head to listen to them before giving a curt word and pushing them on their way. Sarah followed him for some time observing these actions, never growing bored.

Suddenly, the lithe king dipped to his knees to speak to an undistinguishable bundle on top of a decaying crate. Lines stretched across his flawless skin as the bundle began to wail pathetically. Sarah shuffled forward, remaining in the shadows out of view, in hopes of hearing what was being said.

"Mitzy no know where Mummy is!" the bundle wailed.

The king raised a gloved hand and pushed back the blanket that covered the head of a young, bucktoothed goblin with large tears glistening in dark eyes. "Hmm," the king remarked callously, "that would be quite a problem, wouldn't it?"

The young goblin hiccupped and nodded its head rapidly.

The blond haired man let out a sigh and brought a black hand to his chin. He tilted his head and squinted his eyes as if struggling to remember something. "Oh dear," he said his eyes wide in realization as he turned back to the tearstained goblin before him. "I'll have to get you back to the castle, won't I?" The king let out a long sigh as he stood up. "But how to get you there is the question. You'd be such a burden to me. Perhaps," he exclaimed with a turn, his eyes catching Sarah's, "this young lady would be more than willing to carry you since she insists on helping."

The brunette narrowed her green eyes at the man before her. He simply smirked in return and gestured for her to join him. She stomped over to his shoulder and hissed up at him under her breath, "You bastard. You knew I was there the whole time, didn't you?"

The Goblin King simply tsked and shook his head in disappointment. "Sarah dear, please, you are in the presence of a child," he reprimanded her with a smirk. "If you would be so generous as to refrain from such language."

His comment elicited a growl from Sarah that she was unaware she could make and a bubble of laughter from the young goblin. Emerald eyes turned to the young goblin who desperately clutched a straw doll to her chest. Now that she was closer, Sarah could see that the young goblin was indeed a young girl. As she gazed on the young child, her eyes softened the slightest bit.

The tall man next to her let out a deep throated laugh. "Come now, Sarah, do you really think that I hadn't noticed you. You underestimate me. This is my Labyrinth and my city after all."

Emerald eyes hardened as they turned to meet mismatched ones. Her silent anger only caused more mirth to bubble from the Goblin King's thin lips. After a moment, he regained his composure. He straightened his vest and jutted his chin towards the young goblin. "You wanted to help. Carry her. Take her to the castle now or follow me until I make my way back, whichever you prefer. The former would be easiest on you."

The brunette turned from the mocking man before her and picked up the young goblin and nestled her on a hip, supported in the crook of her arm. Turning back to the king, she said, "The latter will suit me just fine."

"As you wish," he said curtly as he clamped his riding crop once again in his hands behind his back and continued his patrol of the city.

By the time the small party had reached the wall of the city, Sarah was regretting her choice of following the Goblin King, but she would be damned to show it. She would prove that she could do this. Tossing her hair over her shoulder and readjusting the goblin higher on her hip, she continued keeping pace behind the lithe man.

The king in question had hardly broken stride since the incident which had profited in the young goblin. He had kept his pace steady as his eyes roved over his city, taking in each sight, each crack, each missing subject, muttering under his breath as he went. On a rare occasion he would stop to speak with a goblin; however, he didn't stoop to listen to them as he did with the young one.

As the Goblin King stepped in front of the gate, the brunette let out a breath of air. Finally. "Shall we start heading back now?" she questioned, walking up to him.

His distant eyes took a moment to refocus before glancing down at her. "On the contrary, my dear Sarah, I have a couple homes I wish to visit first. I also believe it to be in the city's best interest to inspect the wall," he replied in all seriousness. "However," he continued with a smirk, "if you are growing weary, you are more than free to make your way back."

Sarah huffed. "I'll stick with you," she shot back without thought.

The king gave a light chuckle before turning down a side street. Just as the young woman began to follow after him, a large voice boomed in high-pitched hysterics, "Mitzy!"

The brunette struggle to ensure the young goblin didn't fall backwards out of her arms onto the cobblestone. Instead, she fell forwards. The young goblin was quick to jump up and shuffle towards another goblin with a pooling eyes and a runny nose. The elder goblin enwrapped the younger in large arms and pressed her to her chest.

"Kingy found Mitzy! Thank you, Kingy!" The elder goblin cried in relief. As she began to hobble away, her eyes briefly fell on Sarah. "Thank you ,lady, for carrying Mitzy!"

As the two goblins disappeared down the street, the brunette stared after them, eyes-wide. For a moment, she couldn't understand that there wasn't supposed to be a weight balancing on her hip anymore.

A gloved hand rested on her shoulder and brought her from her pondering. "Shall I just leave you here, or do you wish to accompany me still?" a warmth breath purred in her ear.

The young woman jumped. "Y-yes," she stumbled out. "Sorry."

The king sighed. "Honestly, Sarah. What good will you do me like this?"

Sarah bit her lip, committed to not taking the bait he dangled tantalizingly in front of her. After a moment his warmth disappeared, and her green eyes hesitantly looked over her shoulder to see his slender form retreating down the street.

"Hey!" she yelled at his back as she ran after him.

He, however, showed no sign of recognition and continued to walk through a small doorway and off the street. The brunette reached the door just as the king stepped out once again. He tsked as he looked down at her. "You are much too slow. If you were to go to the castle now, I daresay that I'd still be there before you," he said with a quirked eyebrow before walking back down the street.

Before she followed him, her green eyes slipped a look into the house he had come out of. An elderly group of goblins sat inside being tended to by one younger. A basket in the center of the table was filled with several crystal balls. The younger grabbed one of the balls and squeezed it until the glass shattered and a plume of glitter dusted its hands. The young goblin proceeded to rub the glittering powder on the scraped and bruised exposed skin of an elder. The elder let out a content sigh. Tearing her eyes away from the curious scene that sent flutters to her stomach she could not identify, Sarah ran up to the Goblin King's side.

As she jogged to a stop, she inquired, "What was that about?"

"Ensuring the wellbeing of my eldest citizens," came his quick reply.

"Where to now?"

"Ensuring the wellbeing of my youngest citizens," he replied just as briskly.

"Why?" Sarah prodded.

The king let out a tired sigh, his eyes still never leaving the space in front of him. "They are my subjects, are they not?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"But nothing," he reprimanded her harshly. "I am their king for a reason, my dear Sarah. This is my job."

The brunette opened her mouth to speak, but a raised gloved hand stopped her. "No more. If I had known you would be this pesky, I would have never agreed to this."

"Agreed to what?"

"You helping," he explained tiredly.

"But, you never—" Sarah attempted before a steely looked briefly directed at her clamped her mouth shut. The brunette gave him this battle. But, she would win this war. Crossing her arms, she followed the king to the orphanage and the inspection of the outer wall. All the while, she was fighting with herself and in the end had to begrudgingly acknowledge the fact that she might have misjudged Jareth. Might have, she emphasized as the pair returned to castle. But, there was one thing she couldn't deny, however much she wanted. Jareth, the Goblin King, is good with children, she concluded.