Chapter 9

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Sarah & Errol's trip down the mountain was much easier than the accent. As soon as they reached an low enough altitude, Errol teleported them to the castle.

"Sarah!" Hoggle said as he, Ludo & Sir Didymus met them at the entrance to the throne room.

"My stars!" Pong said as Sarah set the huge diamond on the banquet table, Hoggle was speechless, his eyes gleamed as he took in the sight of the huge jewel.

"Here, M'lady." Didymus said as he handed her a small strip of parchment. "It is the spell you need."

Sarah rushed forward & hugged the little fox knight. "Thank you … for everything." She whispered tearfully.

"Oh no, M'Lady it is us should be thanking thee ... for saving our dear home!" Sir Didymus said.

"Sarah hero!" Ludo bellowed as he enveloped her in a crushing hug.

"Alright, ya big oaf, Sarah can't do the spell if you suffocate her." Hoggle said.

"Sorry, Sarah." Ludo said bashfully as he released her.

"Let's hold off on the celebrations, first I have to make this work." Sarah said as she turned back to the enormous diamond.

Pong gently placed Jareth next to the diamond; Sarah stepped forward & took a deep breath.

"This is the spell that we intone,
Flesh to flesh and bone to bone.
Sinew to sinew and vein to vein,
And each one shall be whole again."

As soon as she said the last line, Sarah began to feel very warm, ripples of white-hot energy poured from her into the diamond, causing it to glow so brightly that everyone in the throne room had to shield their eyes. Sarah repeated the spell over & over again until she was screaming it at the top of her lungs, suddenly, there was a bright flash of light followed by a deafening boom that shook the whole castle.

As the light slowly ebbed away Didymus, Ludo, Hoggle & the Goblins struggled to peer through the dust stirred up by the explosion. The once magnificent diamond had been blown to smithereens by the blast.

"Oh … no!" Hoggle said as he fell to his knees, Pong chuckled as she bent down & handed him a few shards.

"There is still some left." She said.

"Come now, Hoghead, I would have thought you had learned to refrain from placing such importance on useless junk." A deep, smooth voice said from somewhere within the thick cloud of dust.

"Sire!" Sir Didymus said as he dropped to one knee & bowed his head.

The Goblin king didn't answer him; he was kneeling next to Sarah, who lay where the explosion had thrown her, his regal face was lined with worry. "Dearest Sarah, you have sacrificed so much." He said as he scooped her up & cradled her with surprising tenderness.

"Jareth!" a commanding voice echoed around the throne room as the last of the dust settled, Errol walked forward, his sword drawn & his purple eyes blazing with hatred.

Jareth's eyes became equally ablaze as he gently laid Sarah across his large horned throne & conjured a thick blanket to cover her.

"She has used too much of her magical energy, stay with her until she recovers." He said to Pong, who eagerly obeyed & scurried to Sarah's side.

"What do you want, Errol? A duel? Do you wish for me to pay for my supposed travesties against our family? Though, I thought we had that settled long ago when I defeated you." He quipped, his thin mouth upturning into a smug smirk.

Errol's violet eyes were glowing with hatred. "Oh, no brother. This is for an entirely different, vastly more important reason." He said as his eyes fell on Sarah's unconscious form, where they remained as he talked.

"When my father learned of your ... predicament & how Sarah was the only one who could save you, since she was the one who caused you to lose your power in the first place ..." He said, trailing off as he gave Sarah a soft look, Jareth's eyes darkened even further as he stepped into Errol's line of sight, forcing his brother's gaze to refocus on him instead.

"My father is bound by honor & blood to assist you, so he sent me to aid Sarah in returning to the underworld. I have spent many years in Sarah's company, far more time then you, brother & I am well aware how special she is. The Labyrinth has recognized her as Queen but she has not yet accepted, thus the spell has not yet been sealed. She may leave if she wishes." Errol said, returning his brother's smug smirk with one of his own.

Jareth's mismatched eyes widened in furious understanding. "You should have killed me when you had the chance, Errol. Because I will never let you have my Sarah, especially not now after she has returned to me at long last." He said, his sentence ending in a growl as he conjured his riding crop into his sword.

The brothers flew at one another with dizzying speed, sparks flew as their swords clashed. The goblins, Hoggle, Didymus & Ludo retreated under the staircase as Errol was blasted back onto his haunches, profusely bleeding from a wound to his shoulder curtesy of Jareth's sword.

"I don't know what you wish to prove, brother, you know you are not stronger than I." Jareth taunted, he was barely winded. Errol bellowed with rage & charged him again.

Jareth held out his hand & it was as if Errol had hit an invisible wall, he made a fist & Errol was yanked right off his feet, clawing at his throat as he gasped for air.

"Jareth STOP!" Sarah's voice rang out like a bell, bouncing off the throne room's vaulted ceiling. She began to stride towards him, she was half way there when she bumped into what felt like an invisible glass wall.

"I' am sorry, Sarah. But I must ask you not to intervene." Jareth said, his expression was serious, but there was softness in his eyes & Sarah was strangely compelled to comply with his request.

"Sarah!" Hoggle shouted & she sprinted to join them under the stairs.

"What in the hell is going on here?" She demanded.

"They fight, your Highness … for your heart." Pong said, her eyes never leaving the battle scene.

"But I am already the Queen … or whatever … right? So … forgive me but I don't understand the point of this." She said in annoyance as she thrust her hand at the fierce battle going on.

"Ya don't understand, cause you're not a man. Women never understand this stuff." Hoggle huffed.

"Well I understand it perfectly! They both love Her Highness, they are battling to see who loves her more." Pong said.

"Hoggle shrugged. "Yeah, I guess that's about it."

Just as Hoggle uttered those words, Jareth blasted Errol back on his rear with a mighty thrust of his sword. "I think this has been settled, Brother. Go, return to my father's land & be warned, if I ever see your face in my kingdom again, I will kill you." he said as he pressed the tip of his sword into his brother's throat for emphasis. His mismatched eyes were glowing like embers, the magical aura around him was palpable & even Sarah found herself feeling afraid of him.

"I hope that you cherish & understand the gift that has been given to you, Jareth. Even though you don't deserve it." Errol said & with a crack, he was gone.

Jareth conjured his sword back into the form of a riding crop & made it vanish into thin air. He then turned to Sarah as she slowly emerged with Hoggle, Didymus & Ludo from behind the staircase. Her three friends saw intense, passionate expression Jareth was giving Sarah & took that as their cue to make a hasty exit.

He crossed the distance between them with a few of his long strides & enveloped her in a strong hug before she could say or do anything.

"Thank you, Sarah. For all that you have done, I can't begin to tell you what it means to us ... what it means to me." He whispered, his breath hot against her ear. Sarah tried to ignore the goose bumps that were erupting all over her skin.

Jareth deepened the hug & buried his face in the valley of her neck, trying to lose himself in her unique scent. He didn't know how she managed to do it, but she always smelled like a lavender field on a warm spring day … & it drove him mad with desire.

He was suddenly aware of her pulling against him & he released her. "I'm sorry, it's just that it's been a long day & …" she trailed off, her cheeks glowing as she averted her eyes.

"But Of course, Precious. Please, right this way." He said as he motioned for her to follow him. After a dizzying trip through the maze like castle, the Goblin King took a sharp right as a pair of heavy wooden doors swung open for him.

Sarah's breath caught in her throat at the beauty of the room. Scarlet drapes made of crimson velvet hung over the windows. Against the far wall was a magnificent mahogany four-poster bed, the pillows & duvet matched the drapes on the windows.

"The washroom is through that door, should you need it." Jareth said, Sarah turned to thank him only to find that he had vanished & she was now alone. Exhaustion finally claimed her & she flopped face down on the bed without even bothering to get undressed & immediately fell into a deep, restful sleep.

Notes: Whew! Sorry they got kind of long! Thanks for all the advice, faves, follows & best of all ... reviews ^_^