Jareth appeared back in his dining room to see Isabella laughing so hard, she was bent double in her chair, clutching at her sides. The sight of her merriment brought a smile to his own lips. He realized now that he had been looking to the wrong girl as a prospective bride. And while he was not yet in love with Isabella, such a feeling taking time to develop, he was extremely fond of the girl. She was beautiful, as only a Fae could be. She was intelligent, knowing exactly how to watch what she said so it couldn't be turned and used against her. And, judging by the way she was laughing after having watched the challenge he had thrown at her cousin, she had a wicked sense of humor. In both senses of the word.

"I trust that the challenge I gave was to your liking then," he asked her.

"It was brilliant! Honestly, that girl just handed you a challenge. 'It's a piece of cake'? Seriously? The Labyrinth was supposed to be her favorite story. If she didn't learn from it, and use it to her advantage during her own run, then she deserves everything you throw at her," Isabella stated definitively as she fought back her laughing to mere chuckles.

"Indeed," he said simply.

"Were you able to find out Hoggle's motive for helping Sarah?" she asked.

"I did," Jareth told her. "One of the abilities of my kind is telepathy, and I was able to glean that Hoggle wasn't helping dear Sarah as much as she wished. We had missed an earlier conversation between the two, otherwise I'd have been able to see it in Hoggle's reactions sooner, but it's nothing to fret over now."

"I'm glad. I liked Hoggle, and didn't think that he'd be taken in by Sarah and her measly plastic costume jewelry so easily, so I was quite surprised to see what we did."

"Yes. What we missed was that he agreed to take her as far as he was able and then she'd have to make her way to the castle from there. What she failed to specify was in what direction he would take her. She also failed to specify how far he'd take her, other than 'as far as he can'. For all she knows, he could show her a way out of the tunnels and then just leave. Rather foolish, I must say."

"Foolish. Childish. Naivety only serves as an excuse for so long before it becomes dangerous not only to the person but to those associated with them as well," Isabella told Jareth.

"Well said, Isabella. Hoggle is rather fond of you as well. You've been elevated to Lady even. Not an easy feat, gaining the loyalty of a goblin. In truth, he was doing everything in his power just to get Sarah out of my labyrinth. He doesn't like that she is taxing the structure so magically."

"How is that possible? Sarah and I are nothing more than mortal. How can we have such an effect on the labyrinth?" Isabella asked.

"Hmm. Sarah is mortal, yes, but you see, the labyrinth's magic is primarily fed by the emotions of the runners. Whenever there is a runner, the primary emotions are usually determination, slight panic at the thought of losing whatever relation the runner wished away, and not a little curiosity at the challenge that I present them. However, all of the runners seem to have one thing in common when they run my labyrinth. They all have an open enough mind to learn something new about themselves and eventually come to an understanding on a subconscious level with the structure. Your cousin, to put it nicely, is a stubborn spoiled child. She refuses to accept anything about the labyrinth or the ideas of the occupants within. That more than anything, is what is taxing the magic. The only reason it's not in complete chaos...is you," Jareth explained.

"Me? Again, I repeat. I'm mortal, as far as I know. How am I maintaining your labyrinth"

"You see, Isabella. I don't believe you are. Mortal, that is. You were able to tap into the magic of the labyrinth. It's the magic that led you to my castle in just under four hours. It's why I wasn't able to sense you until you were physically in my throne room. And from my experience, there is only one explanation for your ability to even feel the magic," he said.

"How?" Isabella asked, a bit more than a little apprehensive at the answer.

"You are a changeling. A Fae child hidden in the mortal realm for your protection," he told her, carefully watching for her reaction.

Isabella froze as she attempted to process this information. Changelings. There were a lot of lore, particularly of Celtic origin, about the children. Which explained his earlier question about her ancestry as he was showing her to her room. It would explain her lack of ability to connect to either parents. If she had Fae blood, it would also explain the Vampiric fascination. Why every single vampire seemed to have to force themselves not to feed off her. It's because her blood had magic in it. Taking a deep breath, she focused herself back in the present and spoke again.

"Do you know who my parents in the Fae world could be?"

"I do not, however, I do have a lead. As you were getting ready for our meal, I made a trip to your home in Washington. I found wards around your home, and the taste of the magic was familiar to me. The one who warded your home is old, powerful, ...and the reigning queen of all Fae kind," he tells her. He wonders if she will be able to figure it out. The earthly realm did have stories of her, after all, and he smiled as truth and understanding lit her face.

"Titania. You're telling me, the THE Titania had a hand in my placement in the mortal realm?"

"So it would seem."

"Huh," she said. Of course she was curious, but in her mind, she couldn't miss what she never really had. Not saying that she wouldn't adore getting to know her Underground parents, but...there you have it. Jareth couldn't hold back the smile at how she just rolled with the circumstances.

"Come, let's get you back to your room so you can rest. I have some business of state to attend to as well as keeping your cousin entertained. Should you wish not to remain holed up in your room, you may peruse the library, five doors down the hall to the right of your room and to the left, or the gardens, down the staircase to the left of your room, three left turns at the end of each hallway, and out to the right of the main courtyard," Jareth informed her.

"I wouldn't mind a bit of time outside. I miss the sun," Isabella said.

"Then instead of your room, please allow me to escort you to the gardens. I'm sure we can find a friend or two to keep you company, whilst I am occupied with politics."

"It would be my pleasure, Your Majesty."

"Jareth. Please, my name is Jareth. I hear 'Your Majesty' day in and day out. I would like someone to call me by my name as though we were equals," he insists.

"Then Jareth you shall be," she replies as they step out into garden. It almost too large, but it had a wild beauty to it in it's slightly unkempt nature. There were the obvious colors of flowers and you could see them all clumped together in some sort of formation, but it was almost lost in all of the extra flora growing around the planned layout.

"It's beautiful, Jareth," she said, making her way towards a grouping of tulips...or rather, they looked closest to tulips. The texture of the stem wasn't quite right, and the colors were of the sort you never saw naturally in the mortal realm. Deep blues, bright emerald greens, and flat black. She gave a small smile.

"Tulips were always my favorite flower. I've never told anyone that. I don't know why. It's a silly little thing, and in the Above, everyone just assumes that if you want floweres, that you want roses. It's gotten to the point where I like roses, but if anyone gave them to me, I'd more than likely chuck them into the garbage than keep them."

Tulips. Unique, just like Isabella. Soon they heard heavy lumbering footfalls, and she looked up to see a great big, red, fluffy...thing coming towards them. Isabella didn't panic. She simply stayed where she was standing by the tulips, and watched with her head slightly tilted to one side as the beast got closer. Isabella couldn't help but think of Gossamer from the Looney Tunes.

"King, friend!" it said.

"Hello, Ludo. I would like you to meet someone," Jareth said to the beast.

"Meet new friend?" the beast named Ludo said.

"That's right," Jareth said kindly. "This is Isabella. She is my very special friend. She is going to be staying with us for a while."

"Hello, Ludo," Isabella said. "You can call me Bella."

"Belwa," Ludo attempted to say. Isabella smiled, and Jareth did his best and mostly succeeded in hiding a chuckle, quickly turning it into a clearing of the throat. Not quick enough apparently, because Isabella sent him an amused glance.

"Close enough. Ludo, would you like to spend some time with me? King Jareth has to go away for a while, and I would like some company."

"Ludo, work," he says in stilted speech. "Ludo fix castle floor."

"Oh, that's right! I have him replacing the foundation stones of the castle. Ludo has a unique ability to call and locate stone. He is finding the strongest for me so I don't have to repeat this process in the next decade," Jareth explains, as Ludo nods his big head and wonders away. Isabella continues to smile and watches Ludo leave before giving Jareth her full attention.

"This is where I leave you then. It shouldn't take too long, however, I wonder if you would do me a favor," he says, conjuring a crystal. "While I am away, I need someone to keep an eye on Sarah. Make sure she actually learns something." Jareth gave a wry smile at the thought of Sarah learning anything at this point, but humans seem to have a knack for surprising him.

"I can do that, if you tell me how," Isabella tells him.

"You can watch her progress through this crystal. I am also giving you access to the magic of the labyrinth. We already know it will respond to you, given whatever Fae blood and magic you have yourself, you just need to harness it. From there, should you wish to give her a challenge, all you have to do is concentrate on the challenge, conjure your own crystal in whatever form you prefer, for instance, I prefer crystal balls, and use it as a focus to make your idea of a challenge become real. Understand?" he asks, worried that his instruction isn't specific enough.

"I think so," she said, focusing on the currents of magic she can feel running all around her. Curious, she focused more on herself to see if she did indeed have her own magic. She did. It took a bit of concentration to find, but once she located it, she knew she wouldn't have any trouble finding it again. She thought on what she wanted to conjure and how.

Isabella figured on keeping it simple, and went with what she knew. She had seen Jareth use crystal balls, so shall she. It again took some concentration, but she eventually managed to conjure a crystal, she then threw it to the ground hard enough to shatter, at which point, it became a live version of the funny little dragon shoulder puppets she had seen people with at a Renaissance Festival Renee took her to as a child. It was light blue, with wings that looked like they were made of water. But his eyes were like fire. Bright orange with an oval pupil, like a cat. She smiled at the success of her first use of magic.

"Interesting," Jareth said, looking at the new creature.

"They are called drabbits. Above, they are nothing but puppets people buy, but here I figured it could actually live," she told him, bending down to pick up her new friend. "I think I'll call you River. It's what your wings remind me of." Isabella began stroking the creature's head, and he cuddled into her hand before making his way to her shoulder.

"Will you look after my labyrinth for me, Isabella?"

"As best as I can, Jareth," she said seriously, with a bow. Jareth stopped her bow by lifting her chin with his knuckles, before moving his hand gently to cup her face.

"I find myself reluctant to go. I enjoy your company."

"Just think, the sooner you go, the sooner you return," she said softly. Jareth nodded but remained as he was. Isabella knew he needed a push. Lifting her hand to the one he had on her cheek, she gently pulled it away, and bowed deeply, kissing the knuckles on the hand she now held.

"Go. I promise, I will still be here," she tells him. Jareth takes a moment more, before nodding and blinking away in a shower of glitter.

)O( )O( )O( )O( )O(

With Jareth

Jareth took long purposeful strides through the Imperial Palace in search of his quarry. While he knew that this discussion was of the utmost importance, he truly didn't want to be far from Isabella for too long. He may not love her yet, oh, but he was well on his way to being so. And he wasn't going to do a single thing to hinder such an outcome. Isabella was everything he thought he could cultivate in Sarah, just by being herself.

He was met at the door to the throne room by a guard. "Forgive me, My Lord. But Lady Titania and Lord Oberon commanded no visitors today unless it were of the most dire situations."

"Please tell them Jareth, King of the Goblin realm wishes an audience. Tell them-" he hesitates, not knowing what the reception of such news will bring him.

"Tell them it is about Isabella Swan. It is a matter of not only life and death, I assure you, but of family," he tells the guard. Hesitating for a mere moment, the guard nods and steps into the throne room.

Jareth only has to wait moments before the guard returns, with a puzzled look on his face. "They wish to see you immediately. I must say, I haven't seen either My Lady or Lord look so animated for the better part of two decades."

Jareth nods. "My thanks," he says before making his way into the throne room. Making his way across the well lit room he stops before two thrones, and fully kneels before the two rulers of the whole of the Fae realm.

"Lord Jareth," said Oberon in his rich tenor. "You wished to speak to us regarding a young woman."

"I did, My Lord. Approximately six hours ago, a girl by the name of Sarah wished her brother away. As my goblins were taking him, they also managed to grab the girls cousin by mistake. Both were deposited in my throne room as Sarah decided to run my labyrinth. When I had a moment after setting Sarah on her course, I spoke to the young woman, finding her name to be Isabella Swan. Young Isabella understood that she couldn't be in my realm without a purpose, and that she had to win the ability to return to the mortal realm should she wish. She ran my labyrinth, completing it in under four hours. I didn't even detect her approach to my throne room until she was in it, and understood that the only way she would have been able to do this was by tapping into the magic of the labyrinth, and also understood that there was only one way of doing that. It would have only worked if she was Fae," Jareth explained as plainly as possible.

He chanced a look to the two rulers above him and noticed Oberon had a stony mask in place, not allowing anyone to see his emotions. Titania was another matter entirely. Her face betrayed pain and no small amount of hope. He continued, not liking the look on his old friend's faces, and wanting to alleviate as much grief as possible.

"After coming to this conclusion, I made her comfortable before going to her home in a place called Washington, and noticed Titania's magic around the dwelling to keep the occupants safe." He heard Titania's muffled cry behind the hands she had brought to her mouth to try to stifle them. Oberon's face finally betrayed an emotion. Complete and utter joy and hope.

"You have found her? You have found our little one?" he asked of Jareth.

"I have found a Fae. I was unaware, however that you and Lady Titania had a child," Jareth said to them, choosing his words carefully. He wanted Isabella to be their daughter, yes, but didn't want to give the two false hope.

"Eighteen years and eight months ago, we had a daughter. Isabella. As beautiful as she was strong. But it was during the Elvin Rebellion, and we did not want her to become a target. To protect her, we found a place for her in a family that had lost their child not long after her birth. It was a simple matter of taking the child that had died and placing Isabella in their care. But when the rebellion was quelled, and we went to retrieve her, we found her nursery empty. It hadn't been occupied in what appeared to be months. We also found the woman gone, and the man was crying. He had been unconscious at the time of our visit. Under the influence of alcohol. We had thought that they had died in an accident," Oberon told Jareth.

"They did not die," he told them. "It is common practice in this age, where if a couple find themselves incompatible in a match, they will dissolve a union. Isabella's adoptive parents did such a thing. Renee, her mother, took her to live elsewhere. Charlie, her father, was never able to find love again."

"We must meet her. Please, would you be willing to host us, so we may get to know our daughter?" Titania asked.

"It would be my honor and pleasure, as always, My Lady."

"What is she like?" Oberon asked.

Jareth took a moment to phrase his answer. "She is just as strong and beautiful as you said and so much more. She has a hard earned intelligence and she wields that wit like the finest of swordsmen. She is slow to trust, but will defend those she cares about to the end."

"You care for her..." Titania stated, her piercing gaze seeing right to his soul. "Possibly even stirrings of romantic love."

"I do, Your Majesty," he said simply. "After running my labyrinth, she agreed to stay for an indefinite amount of time, and in the very little we've had together, I've felt a connection to her I've had with no other." Both Titania and Oberon smiled at each other, happy for their friend and excited for their daughter.

"Come. Let us make our way back to the Goblin Realm."

)O( )O( )O( )O( )O(

With Isabella

"Ooooh, I am in so much trouble, River," she said to her new companion. River gave a small squawk before butting his head against her cheek. "I think I may be falling for the Goblin King."

Shaking her head, she turned her focus to the crystal ball in her hand, and watched Sarah as she taunted Hoggle by holding his jewels out of reach.

"-them's my jewels!" he exclaimed, as he jumped for them. Sarah put her hand on her head and held him at arms length, far enough to keep Hoggle out of reach of his jewels, before she ran around him again. Isabella shook her head slightly at Sarah's outright nastiness.

"Now, you give 'em back! Give them back. Give those back to me."

"Uh-uh!" Sarah taunted before she stopped and looked around. "Now, there's the castle. Which way should we try?"

"Them's my rightful property. It's not fair!" exclaimed Hoggle, pointing hard at Sarah.

"No, it isn't. But that's the way it is," said Sarah, as if she had just hit on an epiphany. Isabella raised an eyebrow. Maybe her younger cousin did have the ability to learn after all. Before Isabella could think anymore on her cousin's ability or lack there of to learn, there was a blinding flash of light, and when it subsided, Jareth was standing there, along with two others.

Taking a good and proper look at them, she saw that they were beautiful. Like, even more so than Edwierd and his family. Feeling suddenly more than a little inadequate, Isabella looked down at the crystal in her hand, and remembered Sarah's small realization. Looking back up to Jareth and putting the two insanely beautiful people to the side for a moment, she said the first thing that came to mind.

"You missed it. Apparently, Sarah can learn."

A/N: A new chapter, as promised. This is the only thing that is making me happy in the last 24 hours or so. Sad considering it's my birthday. Meh, the day is still early. Maybe I'll splurge on a milkshake later. Anywho, enjoy y'all.