A.N. I would just like to say that this chapter is kind of crucial and I will be handing out imaginary nintendos to anyone who solves the puzzle, why nintendos you ask? Well, for one the rock and two there was a car boot sale down the road and they've got sodding loads... Of course I am joking... Or am I? Thanking you oh-so-kindly for your reviews, I really do love every one of them and get so excited when I see the update in my email account. Also I try to answer them as best I can, though if you do just get a 'thanks very much' as a reply, it's safe to assume that one of your questions were going to give the story away. lol. Enough from me, thanks again!.

K.

Chosen.

The wind howled around her ears, fluttering her hair around her throat and eyes as squinted against the weather. She was here again; this dark, dank and frightening landscape with it's black cloud and maniacal laughter.

A maniacal laugh that was currently screaming in her ear, just behind her…

Yet she wouldn't turn.

The dead trees stood motionless as Sarah tried to recognise the area; she felt as if this time around, the dream was more under her own control yet it still terrified her. She could deal with the dead landscape and the ominous surroundings, though what she couldn't deal with was the laughter behind her and the uneasy feeling that….

That this was all her fault.

There seemed to be no other explanation, it sounded right in her head as the laughter grew louder.

Looking over the protruding rock she stood on, she once again caught sight of the black waters below; still yet menacing as she felt the urge to jump, to plummet to a certain death against the sharp rocks within.

She had to go; this was her fault, she had caused it and now she had to put it right.

The laughter stopped for a moment, mid-flow as she took one step forward.

This was her fault, it had to be rectified.

She caught sight of red; the only colour in this black and grey world, red on her nearly everywhere she looked. The voice behind giggled frantically, watching her from behind as she stopped and clutched at her top.

It was making her hands sticky, drying in the wind and leaving her skin feeling tight as she dug her nails into the material of her clothes. She wanted to cry; not out of disgust, but out of despair.

It was blood... Fresh blood yet she was not cut anywhere visible.

...It was all wrong…

The giggling turned into a guffaw.

...It was all her fault…

The guffaw into a hackle that nearly made her wince.

...She had to put this right…

A force pushed her roughly off the ledge, sending her into the black lake below.


She woke screaming and clutching Jareth's shoulders as he loomed above her, saying nothing and staying unmoving to her even as she kicked feebly below him at his knees. She screamed even though she wasn't sure why she was still screaming; she had a suspicion it was just release the fear within, from something as simple as a dream.

"Calm down," his voice was nonchalant, yet she just caught the faintest trace of concern hidden below. "It was a dream." he stated unnecessarily as she stilled a little, hands fidgeting on his shoulders against his shirt as she gasped for air between hysterical sobs.

Her hands were clean, no sign of blood on her.

She couldn't understand any of it.

She felt so guilty; as if the whole expedition was a waste of time, she was bound to fail, bound to kill the Labyrinth and they were only deluding themselves otherwise. It would be worse this way, stringing out her failure with false hope until the end.

She fought the urge to cry out an apology to the man above her, instead staying silent as her breathing settled and Jareth released her. She allowed her hands to slide from his arms to her face, cooling her skin as she fought to control her own breathing.

She sudden felt hopeless, ridiculously foolish for even trying such a mighty task. She was Sarah Williams; 19, bookworm, a bit of a loner and professional day dreamer. She was no superhero, she couldn't fight or fly or shoot frigging lasers out of her eyes… She was a girl, a hysterical girl who couldn't bring herself to look at her companion… Even as he carried on watching her intently.

"Tell me about the dream, Sarah," he spoke softly and Sarah stilled as he shifted to lie beside her, his voice sounding overly tired as she tried to breathe evenly. She didn't answer, instead shaking her head no and wiping her eyes fiercely of the tears that had fallen during her dream. "My dear, you must. If not to subdue my inquisitive mind, then to show me how far the Labyrinth has entered your mind."

She couldn't find the energy to argue against the pet name, instead hating herself for taking some kind of comfort from it until his words registered in her mind. She opened her eyes wide and turned to him, mouth opening slightly as he carried on watching the early morning sky above. She guessed the time to be about four-ish, maybe a little earlier as the sky went from a deep navy to a lighter blue.

"The Labyrinth," A pause. "It, it sent me that dream?"

"I'm willing to believe so, yes," A brief pause. "It wants us to turn back, so the easiest way about this would be through fear," he turned to watch her seriously, eyes dangerously probing as she tried not to flinch away. "Tell me." The 'Goblin King' tone had come into his voice; the voice that left no room for argument, yet Sarah had to fight the urge to defy him.

She was scared and tired… And incredibly guilty for something she couldn't even begin to explain.

So, she decided finally, she was going to tell him. Yet she wasn't going to tell him all of the dream; she wasn't in the mood for analysing her own mind, fishing around for clues in a dream that felt so real she couldn't close her eyes for more than a minute without the sound of laughter ringing in her ears.

"Everything was dead and deserted, I couldn't see you," she stared at the sky, ignoring the eyes that rested on her face from beside as she picked the right words. "I," A pause. "I was so scared, and it was all gone! The Labyrinth was dead and I was all that was left," she turned to watch him suddenly, realising the frown that creased Jareth's brow beneath blonde hair.

"Was there anything else?" he waved a hand through the air. "I mean to say, was there something coming?" Sarah shook her head no, watching as his frown grew deeper. He said nothing for quite a while, staring over her head as Sarah carried on watching him in a daze.

The nagging voice in her head told her to tell the whole story, the other half that he obviously expected… And how this was not the first dream she had experienced.

Yet she ignored it, pushing the idea away as she forcibly closed her eyes and willed the laughter to stop replaying in her head. After what seemed like forever she heard Jareth shift his position, obviously assuming she was asleep once more. Soon she fell into a fretful sleep.


She woke to the sound of shuffling beside her; crunching wood as she cracked one eye open. She was curled up upon the floor with a hand positioned uncomfortably below her head, the dim light of morning shining down upon her as one boot came into her line of vision.

She opened both eyes as she shifted her position, sitting up as she looked towards Jareth's face. He looked extremely tired as he carried on watching her, allowing her time to crack her neck from her uncomfortable sleep before he offered her a gloved hand to stand.

She took it quickly and trying not to think about it too much as she grabbed her backpack, dusting off her trousers as to look away from the questioning gaze she was receiving. With a final stretch, she turned her gaze back to Jareth's as he watched their surroundings.

"We should reach the boundary by nightfall today," he sad evenly as Sarah felt her stomach plummet. "It would be best to start now." he turned back to her as she nodded mutely, allowing him to walk on as she followed. He walked at a much more sedated pace, both of them walking together instead of Sarah following behind.

The trees were few and far between as the started upon a dirt track, catching sight of dense trees to their left and a slow flowing river to their right. She looked in front to catch sight of a blank horizon with no characteristics at all, just a dead field with yellowing grass and no movement of animals whatsoever.

Her mind wandered to the creatures of last night, the ones that had stayed within the shadows but had been such a pearly white when she caught sight of them. The white eyes and sharp features had scared her, though the fact that she had fallen to sleep so easily after the attack scared her more.

Sure, she thought sardonically, send as many nasty creatures at her as you can, but you really want to scare her give her a bloody cryptic nightmare.

She tried not to feel warmed by the worry in the Goblin King's eyes last night, the flicker of consideration for her safety before he had hidden the emotion once more. She shouldn't and didn't care how nervous he had looked, and it sure as hell didn't make her feel any safer knowing he was listening to her as she told him about the dream.

It was worry, she agreed. Worry not for her, but for the details that could uncover more about the Mutation… About the Labyrinth.

Jareth hid a yawn behind a gloved hand, though she pretended not to notice, just like she missed how he stumbled over his own boot.

It seemed she was not the only one to miss sleep last night.

She tried to think of something to say as they walked silently on, the only sound being their muffled footsteps against the dead grass that gave so easily under foot. "We've reached the boundary awfully quickly," she said lightly, almost stopping dead in her tracks as Jareth's expression grew stony and he sped up a little.

"Well, there's not a lot of the Labyrinth to walk through now that most of it has been killed off."

She tried not to groan at her stupidity, succeeding but only just.


Sarah never thought that the Labyrinth's walls would look so comforting, yet when they seemed to rejoin the maze suddenly she couldn't help but grin. Even as the stones visibly crumbled as they passed and the Mutation ripped the very magic from the area, she could feel the calm settle over her with familiar territory.

Very familiar, actually.

She realised with a jolt the high hedges, no longer green but wilting to a earthy brown as they had lost their height Allowing Sarah to catch sight of the centre piece; stone sculptures oddly dotted around with a high backed stone chair as the centre piece.

As they reached the middle, Sarah stopped walking and stared to the stone throne. A faint smile graced her lips, remembering a talking hat with a peculiar accent. "The Wise Man!" she said excitedly, hearing rather than seeing Jareth turn on the spot and watch her.

"Pardon, my dear?"

She glared over at him, realising the smirk as she gave him the desired response. "Stop calling me that," If anything his smirk grew even more, earning her a quirked brow. "I mean it! And the Wise Man, I met him here,"

"Who?" he furrowed his brow, moving a few steps forward and stared at the stone seat as if it held the answer.

"He had a talking hat and he gave me advice, well, if you could call it that," she grumbled the last bit under her breath. "He helped me, sort of,"

Jareth stared at her for a long time, gaze shooting from the chair to herself before her straightened a little. "I've never heard of a Wise Man before,"

"He was really old, kept falling asleep, a bird hat?" The last part was nearly a question, her mind reeling back to the image of the aged man. Jareth carried on frowning. "It doesn't matter," she sighed with a wave of the hand, taking a step away before Jareth seized her upper arm in a firm but gentle grip.

"Sarah, I've been ruler of this land for more years than I care to remember," A pause. "I know every creature within the land, especially those who inhabit the Labyrinth and I have never heard of a Wise Man offering advice,"

She shrugged easily, looking to the seat once more. "Well obviously you forgot,"

"I do not forget," he muttered sharply, the words holding a double meaning somewhere as Sarah tried to analyse it. "Just because I pretend to forget the dwarf's name, does not mean I have forgotten Hoggle," he grinned down at her surprise.

"Well, it doesn't matter," she grumbled, freeing her arm as she started walking the way Jareth had gone. She heard his boots against the stone flooring, catching up with her easily.

"With an imagination as big as yours, my dear," she glared back at him once, something that he ignored easily and smirked even more for it. "I would not be surprised if you had made him up,"

"I did not!" she replied hotly, turning on the spot and glaring up at Jareth. She tried to act mature but failed as she pouted and balled her hands into fists by her sides, ignoring the fond look she received in return. Jareth bent down to her level a little as he rested his hands against his knees, glancing down to her pouted lips for a second too long as Sarah relaxed them a little; realising how it must of looked.

"Sure of that, are we?" he teased heavily, eyes flickering back and forth between her own as Sarah turned her attention back to the seat. She had seen the Wise Man, so had Hoggle, she hadn't imagined it had she? She worried her bottom lip with her teeth, turning back to Jareth once more as she realised the attention she was causing. His eyes returned to hers, a look of triumph on his face. "What, a flicker of doubt?" he asked innocently, eyes wide and mocking.

A pause that dragged on for a moment too long."Just shut up Goblin King!"

She turned on the spot and stormed off, doubting her own memory and feeling fifteen again as Jareth chuckled behind her.


She took a long drink from the silver cup in her hand, sighing with relief to it's coolness that quenched her thirst. Without a moments thought she dipped the cup back into the water within the lake and walked over to a nearby rock, seating herself heavily beside the Goblin King before offering him the cup.

She wiped her top lip with the back of her hand as Jareth drank slowly, both keeping their eyes to the horizon as they did so. Neither had spoken very much after the maze had ended - just as abruptly as it appeared, a few words exchanged here and there but no real conversation.

Sarah had wanted more than anything to ask how much longer, yet she didn't want to come across as some sort of whiney child to the man beside her.

Not that it mattered.

When he placed the cup between them and reached for her backpack, Sarah didn't even blink to the bread that was offered suddenly in her peripheral vision. She took it unseeingly and ate a bite, turning to Jareth as he did the same. With a start Sarah realised a different taste, looking down to the humble chunk of wheat that now had a shine of gold to it.

"Butter?"

"Yes," For some strange reason, he looked almost embarrassed, looking from her to the item in her hand. "I don't know about you, but I am quite fed up of the same thing everyday," he nearly huffed as he turned away from her, once again falling silent.

Sarah grinned around her slice, turning to the horizon shortly before turning back to Jareth.

"Do you always carry butter around with you?" she asked with liberal humour, grinning openly as he turned to look at her. For a few moments he tried to keep a straight face, giving up a little as the corners of his mouth twitched. "What, in case of emergencies?" she laughed openly as he finally grinned, both settling into a more comfortable atmosphere.

"Magic," he said softly, earning a understanding nod from the other and trying to ignore the mocking grin.

The silence grew a little as Sarah leaned heavily against the hard rock, shifting her head a little so that it wasn't digging into her skull. With the relaxed air, she now felt it would be easier to bring up the question that had been waiting to be explored for too long.

"Why me?" she murmured as he turned to her with a questioning look, carrying on as the silence grew. "There have to have been children wished away before, runners of the Labyrinth before me," A pause. "I just want to know why me? Why am I here again?"

"Because the Labyrinth chose you," he said without pause. "Because it told me to give you power, to differentiate you from the others,"

She stayed silent for a moment, a confused and slightly anxious expression playing across her features. "But why?" he merely shrugged, carrying on as she kept watching and waiting for an answer.

"Because it has been written, the Labyrinth has chosen this fate and I am powerless to stop it," he sighed as she looked to the horizon, worrying her bottom lip. "If it is of any console to you, there is always a reason for her actions, we just have to follow the path set before us,"She stayed silent once more, offering nothing more than a faint nod as an answer before suddenly another question rose from her lips without a prior thought.

"Did you just find me then? Answering the call, as it were," she turned to him and felt a shiver run up her spine, watching the predatory eyes that Jareth watched her with.

"I knew of you before," she widened her eyes, "I had visited you before, watching from time to time as the years went on,""Why?" she hated the way her voice was becoming more and more desperate for answers, some form of a conclusion amid the panic.

He shrugged yet again, dusting off his hands upon his legs as he stood. "Once again, Sarah, I do not know. I was merely interested, you were someone the Labyrinth alerted me to and as instructed, I watched," he grinned down at her appreciatively, making her face flush with the implications of such a smile accompanied by his last words.

She took his wide yawn as a reason to change topic rather quickly. "Did you sleep last night at all?" she asked and hated the motherly tone to her voice, frowning as he shook his head no. "Why not?"

She was shocked as he grinned over at her, if a little sleepily. "I had to watch out for any more of those shadow creatures didn't I?" A slight pause as his grin spread a little into flirting. "Couldn't have you telling me off so thoroughly like before, could I?" he tried not to chuckle as she went very slightly red.

"Right,"

"Do you know, you're adorable when you're flustered," No reply. "It comes second of course to your fiery temperament, when you-"

"Right!" she said a little higher than before, ignoring the soft chuckle to her side.

She stood a little shakily, repacking the cup carelessly and keeping her head bowed as they walked on.

If anything, she felt even more confused.