Oh dear gods... I've written a song fic. I blame the Harem, where Scott Alan's song was posted just as I was thinking through this chapter. The song is his (off the album Keys, though the music is a bit shrill for my tastes). As always, Labyrinth's setting and characters don't belong to me. I'm just taking them out for a walk, helping them get some exercise, you know... the usual.

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Chapter 9: A Princess and Her King

The months passed. A close perusal of the records allowed Sand to reassure Sarah that the things she'd experienced in her dream did not appear to be standard court revel activities, a fact both relieving and embarrassing, since it fed Sarah's suspicion that her own desires had shaped even the darker elements of the dream. What Sand did discover was that court events took a great deal of coordination and crisis management, particularly given the often arbitrary and arcane distinctions of hierarchy between and within the various kingdoms. Raiding the library and relying on the experience of the Labyrinth's more travelled denizens, Sand and Sarah set about learning the intricate social and political machinations of the Underground. Sarah had been surprised to discover that the junkyard goblins were the best source of information. "If it's been forgotten, it's here somewhere," Agnes had cackled, gesturing vaguely at her head and the pile of junk on her back. "Rumours'r just another kinda junk," another goblin had added. Sand and Sarah had shared a look, both recognizing the offhand remarks for the warnings they were – the information was outdated and unsubstantiated – but it was nonetheless a starting place for the kinds of interpersonal details that the library's dry histories and books on social policy left out.

When they weren't researching, Sarah practiced. Knowing that she had lost a great deal of strength and control during her hiatus from dancing, she set herself a strict regimen to regain it. She ate heartily, much to Narga's approval, and improved rapidly. Her spirit continued to heal as swiftly as her body, and soon her quick wit and quicker smiles made Sarah beloved among the castle staff. She often led the charge in mock battles with the goblin army, and was just as bold in visiting the Labyrinth's less pleasant denizens and locations, her old sense of curiosity leading her on adventures whenever her work allowed. Even while working in the kitchen, her mischievous spirit shone through. She would make outrageous jokes, mimicking the king with a well placed carrot and a lascivious leer that had all the staff in stitches.

But of the Goblin King himself, she saw little, only glimpses as he left a room or passed by an open door. She told herself she was glad of this, or if she wasn't it was only because she wanted to fulfil her role as mistress of revels, something Jareth seemed to have no interest in requiring of her. She felt keenly that she owed something to Sand and to the other castle inhabitants, who had accepted her without question, and the others' excitement about her new position built steadily. What had begun as shy hints had grown over the months to open queries. People were curious about the ballroom (still largely off-limits, a fact policed by the ballroom itself which refused to allow any of the goblins entry and permitted Narga only on the threat of having its doors forcibly removed), and they longed for a return of the old entertainments. Several asked innocently if the Goblin King would be singing for them again soon, a question Sarah was in no position to answer, and one which left her inexplicably irritable and heart-sore each time it was asked. It was after one such wheedling confrontation with the Wise Man and his annoying hat that Sarah had stomped around the ballroom complaining loudly about Goblin Kings and their tendency to leave people in the dark, when Sand had looked at her blandly and simply said, "Why don't you ask him?"

And so it was that nearly six months after her return to the Labyrinth, Sarah found herself hesitating nervously outside the Goblin King's study, working up the courage to knock. Predictably, he opened the door just as she raised her hand.

"Fisticuffs? Really, Sarah, if you are determined to do me violence, there are better ways."

Sarah could feel the blush crawl up to her hairline, annoyed anger in its wake. How did he always manage to unsettle her so easily? It had been so much easier when she didn't care how he felt, but she needed something from him and couldn't afford to voice the retort that danced on her tongue. Keeping her eyes glued to the pendant on his chest, which was safer than looking down, all things considered, she responded, "I have a request, your majesty."

A slender, gloved hand grasped her chin lightly, and she nearly stopped breathing. "I'm up here, Sarah. You'll have to look me in the eye if you want to ask something of me."

Meeting his gaze was a little like sticking her finger in a light socket; Sarah knew that the tremor that passed through her had nothing to do with fear, though she could not quite put a name to it. She licked her lips nervously, stealing courage from the flicker of his glance to her mouth, the widening of his pupils. At least she wasn't the only one unsettled by this encounter. She drew a shaky breath.

"Your majesty, several of the staff have expressed curiosity in my work and a desire to do something in the long evenings. With your permission, might I hold a small entertainment for them? Perhaps to celebrate the re-opening of the ballroom?"

He frowned.

"You wish to perform for the staff?" Something in her request clearly displeased him, but Sarah couldn't be certain what, exactly. She had to tread carefully.

"Your majesty, for anyone in the castle who might wish to be so entertained." This seemed to help a little. "I had hoped that it would contribute to the general peace and well-being, if people had something to look forward to other than the next brawl."

"Are you suggesting that my castle is disorderly?"

"No, your majesty, only that I would do my part in helping to maintain order."

"You should conserve your energy for court functions." 'What court functions' she was tempted to retort. She suddenly suspected that he was reaching for excuses.

"I beg your pardon, your majesty, but it would help me to practice in front of an audience before I am called to represent our kingdom in a more formal context."

His gaze flickered at her use of 'our' and Sarah knew she had scored a point. He eyed her suspiciously, but she kept her expression blankly earnest. With a sigh, he waved her off.

"I will consider it." Sarah couldn't resist pushing the issue a bit further.

"When might I know your answer, your majesty?" The mercurial king rounded on her in an instant.

"When I decide to tell you, woman. Don't try me!" The thrill of fear urged her to do just that, but she reigned it back, keeping her thoughts fixed on the larger goal. Her blood singing with adrenalin, she quickly apologized and excused herself before she could make more trouble.

~*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*~

He agreed, of course. One of the grooms had confided to Sarah that more than one outrider on diplomatic business had fished for information about the new mistress of revels, and the little goblin that kept track of the King's correspondence reported that several recent letters included veiled queries as to the possibility of a ball in the near future. Sarah suspected that Jareth might have been tempted to let her flounder and make a fool of herself in her first attempt to organize an inter-kingdom fete, save that any failure on her part would reflect poorly on him. For his part, the Goblin King was curious as to how she might perform differently when she knew someone was watching, though he did not admit as much to her. He did, however, stipulate that the event would not be held in the ballroom. "I will not have riff raff warping the floors." Sarah had ground her teeth, remembering Hoggle's prediction, but had restricted herself to asking how she would be able to invoke the necessary music in a different space. Jareth had merely smirked at her. "Really, Sarah, you're the Mistress of Revels. You can't expect me to solve these problems for you. Of course, if you feel you're not up to the task..." She had glared at him, informing him brusquely that she would handle it.

As it turned out, Sarah needn't have worried. She had stormed around in a foul mood for two days before it had occurred to her to simply try calling music in another room. Either the Labyrinth was feeling generous or Sand had been right in predicting that Sarah's magic would continue to grow, though a slight light-headedness when she let the music fade suggested the latter. Sand had reacted to Sarah's discovery with wide-eyed bemusement, and both women agreed to set the event a month later to give Sarah time to practice dancing while maintaining the necessary magic. Much as she had in retraining her body, Sarah made progress quickly and by the month's end she had begun to grow comfortable with using this strange new sense of strength, though it still left her a little weary after maintaining the music for a single dance. The magic seemed to arise from somewhere inside her chest and behind her eyes, and yet from neither of these places. More than once she wondered what it felt like to be the Goblin King, so imbued with magic that he could produce crystals at will and could transform and transport himself with a thought. She had always known he was powerful; now she understood just how powerful. In retrospect, she marvelled at her own past boldness and felt a shudder of terror when she thought of how easily he might have destroyed her every time she had pushed him. And yet he hadn't. The realization made him both more terrifying and more enticing; she feared him, but she could not keep herself from pondering his motives and perspective. She reminded herself firmly that fire, too, was beautiful, equally seductive, equally dangerous. She was not going to make a fool of herself by falling for someone who would never love her back, particularly someone so... infuriating.

They held the event in the dining hall, the only space big enough to accommodate everyone who wanted to attend, and even so Sarah had to ask Narga to enforce a strict castle staff only policy, with specific exceptions for Ludo, Hoggle, and Didymus. Jareth, who had pretended disinterest, nonetheless took up slouching residence in the temporary throne Sarah had arranged to have placed on the dais, just in case. Goblins swarmed around his feet, clearly ecstatic that their king was once again getting into the spirit of things. Sarah couldn't help the indulgent smile that graced her lips at the picture. Even through his pretence of apathy, she could tell Jareth was enjoying his subjects' enthusiasm. Taking a deep breath, she summoned her magic and began the show with a flash and sparkle of light that drew everyone's eyes, including those of a certain Goblin King. She smirked, suspecting that he had not known how strong her magic had grown either.

They began with a juggling act by the fierys. It had been Sand's suggestion that they start with something light-hearted, but Sarah had been the one to suspect the fierys particular skills, and the furry, red creatures had been eager to participate. Thankfully Sarah did not have to use the buckets of ice water that she'd arranged to have on hand, though she suspected they served their purpose just by being there. The fierys had looked particularly nervous when she'd explained what would happen if they set anything alight, and she was amused to learn the limits of their 'chilly down' attitude. The act set several of the goblins bouncing and giggling, and the audience was all smiles and laughter by the end of it. After the fierys had collected themselves and cleared the floor, Sarah pulled the lights down, focusing a soft glow for Sand to step into. The audience hushed in anticipation.

Sand began the second act with an a cappella performance of a traditional Gaelic song. She had told Sarah that the lyrics spoke of a return home after a long journey, and certainly the tune was triumphant and joyful, laced with wonder and nostalgia. Sand's honey-sweet voice gathered the audience in its warm tones, held them in rapt attention as it bound them to the swell of music. The energy poured off them in waves, and Sarah knew that, if only for this moment, the evening was a success. While Sand sang, every being in the room existed in glorious harmony.

The crowd held its breath as the final note faded to silence, and then a thunder of applause roared out. Sand shared a face-splitting grin with Sarah before the latter, wide-eyed gestured with a jerk of her chin to where Jareth was standing in front of his throne. When Sand met his eye, he gave her a formal bow and a pleased nod before resuming his seat. Sand looked momentarily in danger of fainting, but she recovered herself, curtseying low, her face glowing in response to the King's approval. Sarah was overcome with joy at seeing her friend finally achieve her dream. She grinned and nodded when Sand caught her eye, encouraging the other woman to continue.

"Thank ye, Majesty, everyone; ye are too kind. I would play ye a second piece if ye will?" At his nod and the audience's cheers, she continued. "Majesty, in honour of yer kindness, and ta celebrate our new mistress of revels, I have sought out a tune for th'occasion, one what speaks ta the dreams that are born in dancing." With that introduction, she seated herself at a large harp and began a sweet trill of music, weaving her honeyed voice in moments later.

So it was 3:15 in the morning
And we were dancing
Yes, we were dancing.
And the world around us was frozen
And we kept on dancing
It felt good to be dancing.

And we danced until morning
I, his princess, and he was my king
And the music was our serenade
And we danced to the silence of the night
How I loved to be by his side
So we kept dancing.

Sarah's eyes went wide as she stared at Sand. What had she been thinking, choosing a song with those lyrics? What would he think it meant? Only the effort of controlling the lighting kept Sarah from reacting on instinct, though she had no clue what she could do to stop the catastrophe she was certain was about to unfold. Surely he would be furious? She debated taking the lights down entirely as she glanced at Jareth only to discover that he was watching her where she stood in the shadows. He didn't look angry, just... puzzled. Sarah swallowed hard and looked back at Sand.

He wasn't one to hold me
He didn't care for kisses
Or telling me he loved me.
Yet here he was dancing
And I was dancing, for a moment he held me
And we danced until morning
And it felt like we'd been there before
And the lights built round the sun
And the music was sweet as the night
As the moon traded with the sun
We stayed dancing

Sarah's breath shuddered and her eyes stung. She was sure Sand had only meant to honour her, had only chosen the song because it spoke of dancing, but every note pierced her heart. It was too close to what she had hoped, had dreamed might have happened, instead of what had. She clamped her elbow hard against ribs that still remembered the weight of his hand.

Stronger and deeper the music grew
Until we knew, in a moment the dance
Would end with the sun
But the music was our serenade
And I held on to what could have been
We could have danced til the last morning came

She closed her eyes, trying to hide from the memory of a haunted gaze flooded with disappointed pain. She had not held on. She hadn't been able to. But that didn't make it hurt any less.

But, the song was over.
The dance had ended.
And the night was morning.
And he said he loved me.
Well, he didn't say it, but he didn't have to
The dance, between a princess and her king

Sarah willed herself not to weep, willed herself to smile, willed herself to bring up the lights and thank her friend amidst the crowd's enthusiastic response. The smile felt brittle on her face, but she forced herself to breathe deeply and take her position for the final act, her own dance. She had chosen a modern dance piece set to a movement from Beethoven's fourth symphony, a dance one of her instructors had designed for her that spoke of playful confidence. It was a good thing that it had been one of the first that she had learned, because she was barely aware of dancing it, so lost was she in the pain that Sand's song had awoken. And when the dance was over, all she could focus on amidst the roaring applause was the distinct absence of Goblin King on the empty throne.

"Are ye alright?" Sand asked quietly while they waited for the crowd to disperse after they had taken their bows.

"He didn't stay." She was not going to cry, she told herself firmly.

"He didna leave till the end." Sarah's head shot up.

"He didn't? How did he look? Was he happy?" Sand hesitated, unwilling to tell Sarah of the tortured expression that the Goblin King had struggled to contain until the moment he had faded from view. Sarah assumed the worst, her features equally distraught, and Sand hastened to reassure her.

"He wasna angry, Sarah."

"Well, that's something, isn't it?"

"Aye." The arrival of Sarah's other friends interrupted them, and Sand smiled fondly, watching Sarah greet them. "It's something."

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I may (just may, mind), take a break from this story next week, but if I do so, I'll give you a little one shot that I dashed off for the Harem. What's is this Harem corrupting our gentle authoress, you ask? Check out the link on FairiesMidwife's page (and check out her stories while you're at it – she rocks!).

If you're wondering why songfic is a bad thing, see page 10 of Dr. Merlin's Guide to Fanfiction, or just be honest with yourself about how quickly you skimmed over those lyrics to get back to the 'real' story.

Oh, and "riff raff warping the floors" ... I just had to. Does anyone else get that?

And now, please let me know what you think. Tell me you forgive me for the songfic. Tell me you love me for giving you Jareth. Tell me what you ate for supper. Just talk to me!