Sarah's head spun. The sensation of being transported was the weirdest sensation she had yet to have, even more bizarre than being re-sized by Aarya. It was as if she was moving at a high speed and yet she was standing still, and when it finally stopped her mind was racing to catch up with her. She teetered a bit but was held up by a strong arm and she clung to it for a moment, blinking as her surroundings finally came into focus.

She turned white. She was in a circular room filled with goblins, chickens and even a pig on a leash. In the middle of the room sat a chair with a circular back that looked like it was made from ivory, with a purple blanket attached to the back by rings. The Goblin King's throne. She was standing in the middle of Jareth's throne room in the heart of the Labyrinth, the one place she never thought she would ever see again and the one place she sorley hoped to avoid.

But because Jareth had seen fit to cast that stupid spell on her all those years ago, here she now stood. And said jerk stood beside her, holding her arm. She wrenched her arm away from him and backed away, glowering at him the entire time while he stood looking rather unaffected by the whole thing.

"Look! The lady!" one goblin shouted happily, jumping up and down and pointing one bony finger at her.

"The master's lady has returned!" Another sang.

'The master's lady? Hah! Fat chance in hell!'

She stood tall and faced Jareth. "Alright, I'm ready."

He raised an eyebrow. "Ready? For what?"

"For you to send me to the oubliette"

The goblins gasped and stared Jareth, who looked at Sarah with a perplexed look on his face. "The oubliette?"

"Naturally. I don't intend to spend any amount of time with you here in the castle, so I think the oubliette would be best"

He was going to laugh at her but the dead serious expression on her face made him think twice. He frowned. "No"

Now it was Sarah's turn to look confused. "No?"

"No. You will remain here in the castle, I have already had a room prepared for you"

"So un-prepare it. I have no intentions of staying in here with you"

He gave her a warning look. "Sarah beware. I am king here, and I make the rules. Do not defy me"

"Some king" she spat, ignoring the gasps of the goblins she continued to rant. "The only rules you know are your own, and they're not very good rules, either. Tricking people into staying where they wish not to, casting spells on unknowing victims, bullying your subjects to do your bidding. You are nothing but a liar and a cheat!"

"A cheat you say? How so?" he asked, sitting down in his over-sized throne and heaving one leg over the side.

"You interfered with me during my run in the Labyrinth! You bullied poor Hoggle into giving me that peach, knowing full well the consequences of such an action! You tried to make me forget Toby!"

"Hogsfeet is one of my subjects, just like you, and he did as he was told. And no one forced you to eat the fruit, you did that all on your own"

"His name is Hoggle!!" she said with a stamp of her foot, coming to the defense of her dear friend.

He waved a hand dismissivley. "It matters not. What is the term that humans say? 'No use crying over spilt milk'? And for your information, it is well within my rights to 'interfere', as you say, with any runner of the Labyrinth. I am King, remember?"

"It's not ......right" she caught herself, blushing as Jareth grinned. "This whole thing is not right, and you know it! You twist the rules to your advantage!"

"Are you still thinking like a human, precious?"

Her eyebrow ticked in agitation. "How else do you expect I should think?? I'm human!!!"

"Ah, indeed you were. But you are no longer in the human realm, and you would do well to remember it. The rules are quite different here than in the Aboveground, or did your last trip to my kingdom teach you nothing?" he smirked at her as she started to vibrate with fury.

"As if you don't know! You've been stalking me for years and...wait, what do you mean were?"

"I mean you were human, now you are more of a changling, a side effect of the bonding spell. Fae magic is coursing through your veins at this very moment and changing you, and soon you will be a fae. And watching over my property is not something I would consider stalking, precious."

She was at a loss. It was constantly one thing after another, never did it seem to let up. She didn't know whether she wanted to smash something or break down in tears, her emotions were in turmoil and she wasn't sure what she should be feeling anymore. All because of one tiny bit of an enchanted peach, because of that she was bound to Jareth and turning into a fae. She had never blamed Hoggle for giving her the peach, she understood he did it out of fear of Jareth, she had forgiven him. But she could not forgive Jareth.

"You....you monster!" she cried, anger and hurt suddenly flaring to life. "And then you wonder why I call you a cheater! You have no morals, do you?!"

He was taken aback by her sudden anger, but felt some of his own at the jab she made at his upbringing.

"Of course I have morals" he said defensivley.

"Oh really? I beg to differ!" she spat at him. "Had you any morals you would have never cast that spell on me! You would have never tried to deceive me. You would have never lied to me!!! If you had any morals you would have asked me!"

He shot up out of his seat and stomped over to her. "I DID ask you! I offered you your dreams, or have you forgotten? I offered you the chance to stay here with me in the Goblin Kingdom. It was YOU who refused!"

"Yeah sure, you asked me, after the fact! And I refused because I couldn't trust you! I still can't trust you! You had no intentions of ever letting me truly leave this place, did you?"

"No. I did not" he answered honestly

"Then why did you allow me to think I had won? Why did you let me return to the Aboveground in the first place instead of declaring your victory back then?"

"Because you were too young then" he barked. "No more than a girl on the cusp of womanhood, too young to change, too immature. I was waiting for you to grow and mature before bringing you back to the Labyrinth, but as you can see, things did not work out the way I had intended them to."

"So, what? You intended to bring me back here to be your toy? A walking, talking toy for your amusement?"

"What are you blathering about?"

"You intended to bring me back because I amused you, isn't that right? I'm just a plaything to you, aren't I? Why else would you bring me back?"

'Oh Sarah, how close you are to the truth, and yet how wrong you are' his heart lamented.

"Do you really think so little of me, Sarah?"

Her heart ached slightly at the pained tone in his voice, and even more when he spoke her name, for the first time since her return her mind noted. She pushed her feelings to the deepest and lowest part of her heart, she had no reason to trust this man after all he had done to her.

"And why do you think I should feel any different towards you? I don't think you've done anything that could possiby warrant a change in my thoughts concerning you, do you? You have given me no reason to trust you at all."

He remaind silent, staring down at Sarah with his hauntingly beautiful eyes that were so full of emotion.

'Fool' he berated himself mentally. 'You knew that she did not trust you from the beginning, not that you have given her a reason to believe a word you say. Your haste and rash actions, even out of affection, have caused this chasm between you and her. And who's to say if it can be mended or not. Trust is not something simply built overnight, and it seems that she just may never fully trust you. Though she shall spend eternity here it may be too late to fix past mistakes'

He felt ashamed of his treatment of this girl. He should have listened to his mother when she warned him to treat her better, giving her the respect she deserved and being honest with her. His deep affection had dominated his common sense and, in fear of loosing her, had done things that no man should ever do to the woman he loved. While he had not outright lied to her he had hidden the truth from her, which she had made abundantly clear was the same thing in her eyes.

When he came out of his thoughts he found her staring quite strangley at him, as if trying to read him. He couldn't stop the slight upturn at the corners of his mouth. There still just might be hope left. The last thing he wanted was to butt heads with her anymore today, she was angry, confused and apparently hurt by his seemigly cruel and insensitive treatment of her. Instead of using his authority to restrict her he decided to do the exact opposite, using his authority over her would only crush her spirit and that was something he would never do. He would rather set her free than to ever see her spirit diminish in the slightest. But before he would ever relinquish his hold on her he was going to at least attempt to set straight the wrong he had done, even if she never returned his feelings they might at least come to some sort of equal footing as friends.

"Perhaps you are right"

Sarah blinked owlishly at him, wondering if her anger had caused her brain to fry like an egg in a skillet and she had imagined him admitting that he was wrong. Jareth, of all people, admitting he was in the wrong? She half expected him to laugh at any moment and yell 'just kidding!'.

"Huh?"

"I have given you no reason to trust me. I will give no reasons to my actions but only to say that they were not done out of hatred or ill intent, and I hope to intend to prove it, if you will let me?"

This was too strange. "Are you.....apologizing..to me?"

He nodded his head. "I am"

Well, he hadn't outright apologized to her, but she supposed that was as close as she was ever going to get. She felt some of the animosity clearing in the atmosphere between them, and she sighed a bit in relief. She didn't want to fight with him, especially if she were bound to him for the rest of her now unnatural life, she wanted to at least try to get along with him. She wanted to go back to the times when she didn't think of him as the evil goblin king, but as misunderstood. She never really thought he was evil, even if he did seem to enjoy pissing her off at every opporunity.

She scrutinized him for a moment before sticking out her hand to him, pulling it back abruptly before he could take it in his own.

"Don't take it if you don't mean it. And I cannot say what kind of relationship we will ever have or that I will ever fully trust you, but I give you my word that I will try my best if you try your best. Do we understand each other, Goblin King?" she warned, searching his eyes as she awaited an answer from him.

Her eyes were so deep and so full of emotion, but the one emotion he found within her sparkling jade eyes that surprised him most was hope. What was it that she hoped for, he wondered. He didn't know. But it was enough for his own tiny spark of hope to flare slightly.

'Titania squeezed her son's hand. "Do not despair, Jareth. For there is hope."

"There is?"

She nodded. "Yes. But dear, try not to screw up again. I get the feeling that this young woman does not trust so easily, especially to someone who has already proven themselves a liar" She grinned.'

Jareth heard his mother's advice ring clearly in his mind and he smiled.

'Do not worry, mother. I have no intentions of bungling things again'

He reached out one gloved hand and grabbed her previously outstretched hand and shook it gently, relishing in the warmth of her hand in his.

"We have an accord, precious. And please, call me Jareth" he said with a wink.

"Jareth" she said, blushing slightly as he smiled.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, hand in hand and smiling at each other. The bitterness, hatred and resentment were pushed from the room and contentment and happiness rushed to take its place. The air was light and the darkness vanished and even though Sarah was still not sure about the new situation she found herself in, or this man infront of her, things seemed to be taking a turn in the right direction.

'Maybe things really will work out down here. If things continue on like this I daresay I just might actually start enjoying myself'

A familiar, if not painful, lightning spark zapped up Sarah's arm. She flinched but did not release his hand.

"Now we are truly bonded together" Jareth told her.

"What do you mean? I thought that spell bound us together?"

"Indeed it did, but you had no knowledge of the binding so you could not accept it in your heart. And when you did have the knowledge, you rejected it. But it seems that now you have accepted the binding, which sealed the deal. From now on Sarah, we share bond that can never be severed. Both our hearts, minds and bodies are bonded. Together as one. Forever."

His tone was so full of emotion that Sarah's heart sped up just a bit. He spoke as if he were speaking to a lover, not someone who he had just had a screaming match with. Feelings that she had tried time and time again to destroy burst from their 'cages' in her heart and swam free to the surface, swallowing her whole.

She still didn't know whether or not she could trust him but the feelings of attraction for him would not be ignored, but somehow this felt like no mere ordinary attraction to her. This felt more....intense. Another side effect of the binding spell, perhaps? Whatever it was it was consuming her entire body, causing her heart to race and her breath's to come out in short pants, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't tear her eyes away from his.

Her breath all but stopped as his head started to slowly dip towards her's, and though somewhere in her head a voice was telling her to back away, that she couldn't trust this man, yet her heart was doing funny things in her chest that she had never felt before. It wouldn't have mattered which of them were in charge for Sarah's feet wouldn't have obeyed her commands anyway, her legs and feet felt like they had suddenly transformed into lead, and she watched in slow motion as Jareth's head descended closer and closer.

He was but a few scant centimeter's from claiming her lips when the door to his throne room suddenly flew open, a very energetic goblin with a long white moustache and what she had always associated with a viking's helmet ontop his thin white hair. She heard a low growl in the back of his throat before he returned to his full height and stalked towards the little goblin who dropped to his knee's before his king, begging forgivness.

Sarah felt a warm heat invade her cheeks and she was sure she was as red as a beet, watching him as he dealt with the source of his irritation, which kind of make her snicker because usually she was the source of his irritation. It was sort of nice to be on the other side of the looking glass, she had to admit.

"Grimlock!" he ground out slowly, "there had better be a very good reason for this interruption."

"Yes, your majesty! A thousand pardon's, your majesty! Please forgive this humble servant, your majesty!" the little goblin wailed, bowing as he groveled

Another low growl rumbled from the Goblin King's throat and an impatient 'tap' from his boot, a promise that if he did not hurry up and surrender the information that said boot would connect with his ass and send him flying. The interruption had not been a welcome one, things had been going so well with Sarah and he did not appreciate the moment being ruined.

"Your majesty" Grimlock bellowed, "he is coming!!!"

Jareth narrowed his eyes, frowning at the lack of details given. "Who?"

"The man!"

His eyebrow ticked and he tried to hold his temper. "What man, Grimlock? And you had best specific"

"Lord Duane! We have just received word that he is on his way! He will be here in three days!"

Jareth's eyes narrowed into slits. Lord Duane, fomer Lord of the South, until Jareth revealed his plot to overthrow High King Oberon and assume power over Avalon and the Aboveground shortly after. The two had always been at each other's throats ever since he could remember, and always because Duane had tried to gain power over him and his kingdom, thinking the goblins, and him by association, were nothing but simple minded halfwit's who would bend under his authority.

He had been sorley mistaken. Goblin's were not known for their intelligence, though some were more quick witted than others, nor were they known for their great power. However Lord Duane had not anticipated the goblin's fierce loyalty, and while not powerful on their own, in great numbers they were a force to be reckoned with indeed.

Now an underling to the Troll King and taking refuge in the lands to the south, stripped of his magical powers by Oberon, he was very rarely heard from. Jareth had always had suspicions that he was laying in wait, slowly regaining his power and creating new scheme's in which to overthrow him and his father. He doubted that he had taken defeat very well and most likley held Jareth responsible for his downfall, and he had always kept the fact that someday he would probably attempt to claim his revenge in the back of his mind.

So, the question now was why now? What had stirred that bastard out of hibernation and given him the idea to visit the Goblin Kingdom?

Sarah peeked at Jareth from over his shoulder, slightly concerned by the worried look he wore.

"Aaaah! The girl!" Grimlock cried in fear, grabbing both sides of his face with his hands.

Jareth, surprised, came back out of his thoughts and realized Sarah was standing directly behind him, and that she was the subject of his minion's outburst.

Sarah blinked at the goblin. "Pardon me?"

"The girl that ate the peach and forgot everything! She's in the castle! Run for your lives!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" he cried, turning on his heel and tearing out of the room.

Sarah blinked again. "What was all that about?"

Jareth chuckled. "Well, you can't blame him, can you? After all, the last time you were in the Goblin City you nearly destroyed it"

"I did no such thing" she huffed. "They attacked me first. I was quite happy just to sneak my way into the castle, but noooo! They started shooting their canon's at me. THEY nearly destroyed the Goblin City. Not me"

He grinned. "Touche, precious."

She smiled brightly at her small victory over the Goblin King. After a moment she sobered. She wanted to know who this Lord Duane person was, and why he caused Jareth to wear such a troubled face.

"Who is that person?" she asked gently.

"Lord Duane," he spat, "the former Lord of the southern lands until about four thousand years ago when I uncovered his plot to take over Avalon, and from there, the Aboveground."

Sarah's eyes widened. Take over the Aboveground? Was that even possible?

"Why? Why did he want to take over the Aboveground?" she asked, suddenly quite fearful for her family that remained there.

Jareth shook his head. "Nobody ever found out quite why, he keeps the secret hidden deep within himself. The only sure thing was that he desired power above all else and would do whatever it took to gain it, even if it brought chaos and doom to everyone who stood in his way. He killed the Ogre King who had took him in as an advisor, took his position and declared war on my kingdom, but in the midst of the war I came across some rather interesting documents that he had stolen away, documents which contained forbidden and very powerful, dark magic spells.

I presented the evidence to High Lord Oberon and Duane was found guilty of assassination of High Lord Geruxs, former High Lord of the south, and attempted assassination of High King Oberon. He was stripped of his powers, rank and nearly banished from Avalon. However, Lord Malakili, the Troll Lord, intervened on Duane's behalf, claiming that he could use his services. High King Oberon spared Duane and left him in Lord Malakili's hands only because he was in debt to the him. Since then, Duane has made little appearances outside the southern lands"

Sarah shivered. This man was coming here? She didn't like it, not one bit. Something in her gut was telling her that a storm was brewing, a very vicious storm that was threatening to destroy everything and everyone in the Underground. A gentle yet firm squeeze on her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts and she looked up into the comforting eyes of Jareth, who smiled down at her.

"There is no need to be distressed, Sarah. Duane was stripped of his magic and holds no power any longer, he is nothing but a nuisance that must be put up with."

She gave him a feeble smile and nodded her head, taking comfort in his powerful presence. There was nothing to fear as long as he was near, and she got the distinct feeling that the two of them would be sharing alot of time together from this moment on.

"Now then, it is surley past lunch. What say I have the cooks prepare us a light lunch? We could eat in the gardens, if you prefer, and talk more then."

Feeling more at ease at his offer to switch topics she nodded. "Yes, thank you. Lunch sounds great."

He ordered a random goblin to deliver the message to his private chef's and then offered her his arm, which after a momen's hesitation she took it and they started their walk to his private gardens.

"So" he started nonchalantly, "have you changed your mind yet?"

She looked up at him curiously. "About what?"

"Staying in the oubliette?" he grinned down at her.

She giggled and nodded. "If it's not too much trouble, yes, I would like to retract that request"

"Consider it done"

"Thank you" she whispered shyly.

The rest of the walk to the gardens was filled with light chatter and laughter, and lunch carried on much the same way. Sarah found she rather liked this new and improved Jareth, he was witty and clever and a very interesting conversational companion all in all. In no time at all she had forgotten the fact that a power hungry murderer was on his way to the Goblin King's front door and the sense of dread and anxiety that had filled her a short while ago, kicking it out in favour of the happiness and contentment that being with Jareth was bringing her.

"S-Sarah...? Is that.......r-r-really you.......?"

Sarah craned her head back to find an astonished Hoggle staring at her, his spraycan dropped and forgotten.

"Hoggle??" Sarah whispered, slowly rising from her seat.

They stared at each other for a couple moments before Sarah burst out into tears and ran to the little dwarf that had become her best friend so many years ago.

"HOGGLE!!!!!!!!!" she cried, dropping to her knee's infront of him and clutching him to her while she sobbed, while he hugged her back as best he could with his stubby little arms.

"Oh, Hoggle! I've missed you so!"

"I missed you too, Sarah! Been bloody boring as hell here without you!"

Jareth watched the interaction with a ghost of a smile. Even after six years the little dwarf was still under Sarah's spell, as was he, a spell she needed no magic to cast. It was the spell of her friendship, loyalty, determination and imagination. Sarah might have been mortal born but she never had been, and would never be, just an ordinary mortal human.

He rose from his seat, waving his hand and making the dishes from lunch disappear, and approached them.

"Forgive me Sarah, but there are matters which I must tend to. Do you think we could continue our conversation over dinner?"

Sarah wiped at her tears before releasing Hoggle from her breast, turning her head and smiling at him. "Yes, I'd like that."

Hoggle narrowed his eyes when Jareth and him made eye contact. Obviously Sarah wasn't the only one with trust issues where he was concerned.

"Higgle," he started.

"Hoggle!!" he snapped.

Jareth smirked and continued, "when you and Sarah are done here, escort her back to the castle so that she may bathe and freshen up for dinner."

Hoggle grumbled something under his breath which Jareth intentionally ignored in favour of further infuriating the little dwarf, turning his attention instead back to Sarah.

"Until then, precious" he winked, and then disappeared in a flurry of glitter.

Sarah smiled at the spot where Jareth had been standing until Hoggle's voice forced her to look at him.

"What's he done to you, Sarah? Did he hurt you at all?! I swear if he so much as laid one finger on you, I'll..."

"No, Hoggle. You don't understand. He hasn't done anything to me at all. I'm fine, for the most part"

He raised a furry eyebrow at her. "You sure he hasn't done nothin' to you?"

Sarah smiled and nodded. "You know, things aren't always as they appear to be, Hoggle" she giggled.

Hoggle's mouth dropped open.


Yay! I'm back! With another chapter in tow! And looky! Sarah is setting aside old greivances and trying to get to know and better understand Jareth. Awwh! n_n. And now enter Hogsfeet!

Hoggle: It's Hoggle, damnit all!

^^; Ah, yes, Hoggle. *ahem* Anywho, a new, and very real, enemy has appeared before our two lovely characters! What could this Lord Duane truly be up to? Sounds like a sneaky s.o.b. to me ¬_¬

Hope you all enjoyed the latest installment of this story.