The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them.


What Jareth had been doing before his little gift appeared, he could not recall. It took both he and the girl a moment to realise what had happened. His surprise melted into glee as he recognized the lithe form resting on him. Adding to his pleasure was the expression of fear that paled her face when she became alert to their proximity. He sat unmoving as she tilted her face up to his. Oh, how he savoured that moment.

The Goblin King spread his arms and couched his head on his hands inviting her to get comfortable as well. "Sarah," he breathed her sweet name; all was as it should have been in the first place... well, not everything. She was still under Nerissa's power. But he would rectify that soon enough.

At the sound of her name, Sarah found the strength to move again. She leapt from her perch atop the Goblin King's lap and fled to the other end of the room.

"Curse those faeries." She muttered, never letting her eyes leave the fearsome Goblin King. Not that the faeries were wholly to blame, she should have known by now that she could leave no variables unmentioned when making a wish.

"The faeries sent you?" Jareth pondered that tidbit. "I suppose that is Nerissa's way of apologizing. Though if she thinks I will forget her insolence, she is sorely mistaken."

Now that the Goblin King knew where she was, Sarah had to abandon her plans regarding stealth. Yet the confrontation with the king gave her surprising boldness. She straightened her back and even dared to take a step forward, "What have you done with the children?" She demanded in a regal tone.

She knew how to play this out; had she not done this before? Her kingdom was as great as his was, or so the book had said; though she could not imagine what her kingdom was exactly.

"You know exactly what I have done." The Goblin King rose from his throne as he spoke.

"I want them back."

Jareth clucked his tongue in disapproval. "They were never yours to begin with."

"Well, you did not give the others a chance to win them back. I demand that right." Sarah remained firm though Jareth began to close the distance between them.

"Who says I have to give anyone the opportunity to win back their children? What's said is said."

Sarah opened her mouth to snap back a reply but she felt faint. He stood too close for her comfort so she stepped back. He took an equivalent step forward, maintaining his proximity. Again, she moved away from him, but she stumbled on a pile of rubbish the goblins had left when they had vacated the throne room. In her attempts to regain balance she took several quick steps backwards and then her back flattened against the wall.

Jareth wondered if this would be the moment. Surely, she knew. How could he have been more obvious? The words were written in the book. In fact, it should have been plain to her from the start.

"I w-w-want the children back." Sarah stuttered. "You must give them to m-m-me." She could hardly believe how warm it was; she felt desperate for air.

Jareth stepped closer to her. "Why Sarah? Why must I?"

She looked into his eyes, refusing to be cowed by their menace. But as she did, the words from the Labyrinth book came to mind: But what no one knew was that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl and he had given her certain powers.

Her eyes shot to the ground and her face rouged. What was he thinking? Why did he come so close? Was he just trying to frighten her or...? The ruddy hue of her face darkened. Surely, he did not think she was pretty; surely, he was not attracted to her. Surely, the words were more of his manipulations.

Oh bother, she thought. How did I manage to look him in the eyes before? I even danced with him! What was he thinking then?

Jareth watched the increasing brightness of Sarah's cheeks. It thrilled him that he was the source of such a reaction.

You can't think about what he's thinking. She scolded herself. Remember the children. Remember sweet little Keira.

Gritting her teeth, Sarah bolstered the courage to face him once more and to demand the release of the children. She closed her eyes and moved her head up ready to out-glare the Goblin King.

Her lashes parted and she found that Jareth had moved right in front of her. Their noses were almost touching. He leaned on a hand that rested on the wall behind her as he had done in the tunnels before sending the cleaners after her. Oh, she wished he would do the same now. Anything to get away from him!

This was the moment; Jareth could sense it. He had Sarah exactly where he wanted her. She was nervous and would likely leap at any opportunity to be free of his near-embrace. He leaned forward until his lips hovered right next to her ear. She cringed but her own pride refused to allow her to squirm away. "There is only one way you can rescue the children." He whispered into her ear.

He moved back slightly so he could catch her eyes. The corners of his lips turned upward as he spoke, "You must come back under my power."

Sarah was ready to scream her denial; he could see it in her eyes. Yet she had learned a measure of patience for she silenced her own fury. Rather she recited her response, "You have no power over me."

The words jolted through Jareth as though he had been struck by lightning. He could not be certain if the pain was real or just a vivid memory of the first time Sarah had wielded them against him. He did not, however, let her see the agony those words caused in him; rather, he responded, "Exactly my point. You have been brought to the Underground under the power of another. To rescue the children you must deny the other and return to me. That is the only way you can affect my domain."

"Not likely," Sarah shook her head. "I will find a way. You can count on it."

The Goblin King's ensuing smile brought a chill to Sarah's spine. "There is no other way." He assured her. To finalize the point he turned on his heel and returned to his lounging position on the throne.

Sarah watched as his hand groped into his own shirt and then pulled forth a small bell. The Goblin King inclined his head toward her and then shook the bell thrice.

The tinkling sound was somehow more ominous than Ludo's cries (before she had known Ludo was a gentle beast).

Attempting to quell the fear and the curiosity as to what the bell did, Sarah asked one more question, a question that set the Goblin King on fire, though he never would have expected such a passionate response to arise from within himself.

"And what would you do with me if I came under your power? Turn me into a goblin?"

Bile rose in Jareth's throat. He thought she had understood! How could she say something so vile? How could she think that he would even consider turning her into one of his puny minions? Not Sarah. How could she not understand? She knew the words by heart.

"Never." He solemnly swore. "I would never do that to you."

"Something worse then?" Her mouth opened and it was evident that she had more to say but her voice was drowned out by the sound of marching feet.

Few generals and other military officials in the Overworld would have considered the goblin army coordinated enough to be a fighting force, but they suited Jareth. The doors in the throne room burst open as the goblins, suited for battle, trammeled in to the room.

"The girl-who-rescued-the-baby!" The goblins squealed as they recognized Sarah.

Attempting to hide his disappointment in Sarah's accusations, Jareth made an effort to appear even more lackadaisical than usual before addressing his army. "Yes the girl fell right in my lap." His own pun made the Goblin King chuckle though none of the goblins understood his reference. "Well, laugh!" He demanded of them and they obliged. Goblins are always ready to release poisonous sounds.

"Submit to me and come under my power Sarah." He requested when the laughter had died.

"No." She bit back.

"It is the only way."

"I will find another way." She insisted.

"Remember that with each passing moment, the children transform. It will not be long before they forget their origins."

"I will find a way." She promised him.

He had seen that look before; it was time to get serious. "Unfortunately I cannot let you do that. Seize her."

Several of the goblins leapt into action, but they were hindered by the inactivity of others. Chicken feathers flew and goblins fell over as they scrambled to get a single set of shackles on Sarah's wrists.

It was not as though Sarah was just going to let them restrain her either. With a firm push, she shoved aside the first goblin that neared her. He bowled over the others who had come alongside him. She reached for a club from one of the goblins and used it to bash the helmets of other goblins. But attempting to escape the goblins was like fleeing from a decimated anthill. No matter how many she shrugged off, still more came.

Escape was her only option but the goblins seemed to be pouring in from all the exits. Sarah ducked from a goblin who had been thrown towards her by her companions. She pivoted as another of the goblin missiles was thrown at her. Then she spotted it: the only door not swarming with goblins. She pushed passed the armoured goblins that had encircled her and bolted for that door. With a mighty heave she pulled it open and then dashed through.

On the other side of the door was a narrow bridge. Sarah halted herself just in time to avoid flying off into the chasm that the bridge passed over. Her arms fluttered in circles as she attempted to regain her balance, having stopped so near the edge. Her gaze went down, down, down and still she could not find the bottom of the pit. Behind her, the goblin army spilled into the platform before the bridge.

"You have nowhere to go." One of the goblins called out.

"That's the bridge to nowhere." Another added.

Sarah glanced from the bridge to the army. The bridge was about four inches wide and she had never been confident in her balance. Then again, the king was moving towards her, parting the waves of goblins to reach her. The thought of having to endure his company any further was too dreadful. If on there was something she could do to escape the situation. If only she could call on someone...

"Faerie Queen, Faerie Queen!" Sarah realised she did have a saviour she could call on. "Oh, any faerie, please come grant me a wish."

Jareth reached the frontlines of his army and chuckled at Sarah's misguided pleas. "She's not coming." Jareth mocked. He would have staked his castle on that wager. Nerissa would be hiding until his wrath subsided.

Sarah realised she had no time to wait and see of Jareth's prediction was correct. She spun on her heel and then scrambled onto the narrow bridge.