A/N: From now on, there shouldn't be any major jumps in the timeline. I'll let you know at the beginning of the chapter if the story jumps by more than a few weeks. That probably won't happen, but the story might decide to take itself in a new direction, so I can't promise anything.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated exclusively to Mistress Eden because of her wonderful art work and all the help she gave me with making my story come to life.

I encourage you all to visit her new site. You will find it at

Chapter Ten: Strangers 'Till Now

Sarah was quite happy with the living-quarters Jareth had provided, and she was very relieved that her friends would be close to her. However, she might have been less enthusiastic about the arrangement if she had known one fact: Jareth's own bedroom was located on the same side of the castle, only four floors higher, and twenty feet to the left. This gave him a perfect view of her balcony, which Sarah used frequently. He knew she would enjoy the romantic atmosphere of the balcony, which is exactly why he chose to give her that particular room. He felt sure that the balcony would inspire several bouts of poetic musings, which he thought would be entertaining.

Late at night, Sarah would often come out, clad in nothing but a lacy, white nightgown, and look up at the stars, or down at Jareth's domain. She was often very wistful, her expression dreamy. At other times, she seemed depressed, pensive, or even bored. Occasionally, she would pace, as if she felt trapped. She always looked beautiful, no matter what her mood was at the time.

Sarah had been residing in his castle for a week before Jareth saw anything very interesting. Sarah was particularly restless that night. She paced agitatedly and bit her lip until it was a lovely, vibrant shade of red. She stared out at the Labyrinth with something akin to longing. Jareth watched as she looked about, apparently checking that no one would notice her. She climbed up on the ledge surrounding the balcony, and jumped, falling lightly on her feet and hands like a cat. Jareth got up from his perch where the ledge met the castle's wall. He peered out at the ground below Sarah's window.

He saw her stand up, and smooth out the dark green velvet gown she had conjured to protect herself from the chilly night air. A heavy, black cloak appeared around her shoulders, and she silently raised the hood to cover her head, obscuring her pale face. Sarah began a purposeful stride in the direction of the Labyrinth. She would soon disappear in the darkness of the night. In the second he had to react, Jareth decided to follow her. He changed into an owl and took to the air above her. It was much easier to keep track of her with his owl eyes.

It was impossible for Jareth to understand what she was thinking. Wandering around in the Labyrinth was dangerous during the day, so he couldn't begin to guess why she was attempting to do so at night. Still, the air around him was pulsating with magic. Sarah was undoubtedly in control, for now.

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Sarah found her way into the sprawling maze in good time. It was much easier to find a way in from the castle than at the front gate. Getting out, it seemed, was much less difficult than getting in. Sarah formed a crystal in her hands, hoping it could direct her to the places she wished to visit. A light glowed from the depths of the ball. She held it away from her body and turned around slowly. The light brightened when she faced the right. She took the turn the crystal indicated and began making her way through the Labyrinth. It would have taken less time and effort to simply transport herself to her destinations, but she wanted to walk there, and see what the Labyrinth really looked like. During her first trip, she had been too concerned with the task and the time limit to enjoy the scenery.

The first familiar section she found was the forest. She passed a few sleeping fireys, but she was so quiet that none of them awoke. However, she couldn't suppress a shiver as she remembered how close she had come to losing her head. Once she was a safe distance away from them, she stopped to rub her neck. Whenever she thought of her first encounter with fireys, pains would shoot through her neck, as if her head and neck were parting company.

The crystal led her further through the Labyrinth. She crept through stone passages and hedges, careful not to fall into some sort of trap. She smiled faintly as she found what she had been looking for. The crystal glowed so intensely that she woke up the sleeping guards.

The guards in question were two sets of twins. Or was that a set of quadruplets? She couldn't really tell, and she didn't really care. They grunted indignantly, and attempted to go back to sleep, paying no heed to the young woman standing in front of them.

"Your guards aren't very vigilant tonight, Jareth," she called out to the owl that had been following her for some time. It alighted on the stone wall beside her and immediately transformed into the Goblin King. He was sitting casually with one leg crossed over the other. He blended in well with their surroundings due to his dark clothing. In fact, he blended so well Sarah wouldn't have been able to distinguish him from the sky if it hadn't been for his blonde hair, which glinted in the light of her crystal. Sarah noticed vaguely that he wasn't wearing his usual cloak. He was wearing his riding boots and gloves, though.

"They rarely guard against anything, so I'm afraid they've grown lax," Jareth explained. "You see, no one has attempted to solve the Labyrinth in over a hundred years." His tone was casual, but Sarah knew his remark was a well-aimed, sharply-pointed, dart. He wanted to imply that few were so heartless as to wish away a child.

"That won't work on me," Sarah told him lightly. "Toby forgave me a long time ago for that."

"But have you forgiven yourself?" Again, he sounded careless, but he obviously meant much more by his airy comment.

"If Toby forgave me, then I see no reason to hold a grudge against myself," Sarah answered evasively, examining the snoring guards and the two doors behind them. Jareth shifted on the wall, bringing his leg down so they both hung a few feet above the floor. He kicked the wall a few times with his heels before breaking the silence.

"Sarah, what are you doing here at this time of the night," he asked disdainfully. She had her back to him, but she could practically feel the sudden raise of his left eyebrow.

Sarah turned around to face him, and pulled her hood back. She had been right about the eyebrow. The elf-princess replied with a pleasant sarcasm, "I just wanted to visit all the old haunts." Jareth snorted in a very unbecoming fashion. "You know, Jareth," she said, sauntering over to his section of wall, "there's something I've been wondering about for the last century." She rested her elbows on the rock wall, and then her head in her hands. Finally she looked up at him, and his heart leaped at how open her face had become. "Did I choose the right door?"

Jareth was stunned for a moment. This is happening all too often, he thought, as he tried to grasp the meaning of her question. "I beg your pardon?"

"Did I choose the right door," she reiterated, straightening her posture. "When I tried to go through one of those doors, the guards gave me a riddle. One door led to the castle, and the other led to certain doom. The top guards were the only two who knew which led where. One always lies, and one always tells the truth. I could only ask one of them. I chose the door on the left. Was it the correct door?"

Jareth took a moment to respond. He formed a few glowing crystals and suspended them in the air around them, giving them more light. "Did you get to the castle," Jareth asked slowly. She nodded. "Did you die?" She shook her head. "Then obviously you chose the correct door."

"But that door led to an oubliette," she reasoned. Her puzzled expression was quite amusing.

"The oubliette had a door that led directly to the castle, though in a round-about way," he told her.

"How did you expect anyone to find the door," Sarah cried, indignantly.

"I always had a guide that would show them the way out, and take them back to the beginning," he defended. "Besides, the helping hands would have put you on the right track if you had asked to go up."

Sarah stood there for a moment, thinking about this. Her expression of confusion turned to one of accusation. "What about all those bones I saw in the oubliette?"

"They were put there for show," Jareth stated tersely, exasperated by the low amount of credit she gave him. "No one has died in my Labyrinth, Sarah, at least not since I've been king." He slid down the wall without a sound, which surprised Sarah because of the heavy boots he was wearing. "Why are you so inquisitive about little things like that?"

"I suppose it's because the Labyrinth is nothing but one huge puzzle," Sarah explained. "I solved the big puzzle, but there are several smaller ones left."

"What else is there," Jareth queried, cocking his head to one side.

"Don't do that," Sarah cried, "it's creepy."

"What's creepy?" Jareth was beginning to lose his patience with her.

"That cocking your head thing," she answered, suddenly sounding more human than she had since he first saw her at the ball. "You remind me of an owl when you do that."

"How is that creepy," he asked, chuckling.

"Because you spy on people when you're an owl," Sarah declared. She suddenly froze as a new thought entered her mind. "There was an owl in the park that day."

Jareth knew where this was going, but he decided to act casual. "What day," he asked blankly.

"The day I wished Toby away," Sarah muttered, awe-stricken. "There was an owl, a white owl…that looked like you. It was there most of the time. I've thought about it before, but I never guessed…Jareth, it was you, wasn't it? You were one of the people Nabila said had been watching me!"

"And you built this astounding theory on the fact that a perfectly normal owl came to the park at the same time as you did?" Jareth's tone was idle and sarcastic. "And you thought I was egotistical."

"It was broad daylight when I went to the park," Sarah argued. "Owls don't come out during the day, at least not the ones that are really owls. Come to think of it, you knew a lot of personal information about me when you arrived. You knew about my costumes, my toys, my dreams…" Her voice cracked, so she paused to collect herself. "How long were you watching me?"

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Jareth stared at her, weighing the consequences of his next words. He could continue to deny everything, but she would never believe him. He decided to tell the truth. "I started watching you when you were nine years old."

"Why," Sarah breathed.

"You had just come into your power then," he told her seriously. "You were a fanciful little thing," he added wistfully, a slight smile creeping over his face. "Your power drew you to fantasy and stories of magic. My mother was the first to notice you. She pointed you out to me soon after. Later, several other prominent members of the Underground took note of you. No child from the Aboveground had ever shown such promise. Like you said, I wasn't the only one watching."

"When I was nine years old," she said dully. "That was when my mother left. The day she packed up her things was the day she gave me the book."

"The book must have sparked your magic," Jareth reasoned thoughtfully. "It is highly unusual for a human possessing power to discover it so early. Magic usually comes to humans around puberty."

Sarah didn't say anything more. She stared off into space for a few minutes, and then turned on her heal. She briskly walked in the direction of the castle. Jareth followed a few paces behind her, wishing she would stop acting like such a spoiled child. She made it to the forest before Jareth lost his temper.

"Do you think I like having you here," he shouted at her. Sarah stopped dead in her tracks. "I keep asking myself why you didn't just die like you were supposed to!"

"It isn't the most pleasant situation for me, either," she murmured, more to herself than to him.

"My greatest adversary, the girl that turned me down, is staying in my castle for protection," he spat sarcastically. "Isn't that ironic? I might be the one she has most reason to fear."

"This isn't enjoyable for me, either, Jareth," she snapped.

"And why is that, Sarah," he taunted. "You only get virtual immortality and power in the bargain."

"That isn't everything," she said wearily, taking a seat on a log nearby. "I feel like such a fool," she muttered, tears welling in her eyes. "I chose this without thinking properly. I thought about the pros, and not the cons. I knew I wouldn't see my family much, but knew I would get to see them once in a while. I thought I was doing the right thing by taking Nabila's offer. I thought I would finally have a purpose for living, a place where I belonged, but I didn't consider my family enough.

"They're dead, Jareth," she shouted abruptly, causing him to flinch. "My family, my friends…everyone I ever knew Aboveground is dead. Even Hoggle, the first friend I made here, is gone. Your mother, Ardith, Didymus and Ludo are all I have left. I watched everyone I loved decay, but I stayed the same. I've only aged a year, and they're all dead. I didn't get to go to any of my family members' funerals because I was supposed to be dead, too."

She calmed down more, and went on sullenly. "After Dad died, I visited my stepmother, Toby and his wife once every few months," she said quietly, her hands folded neatly in her lap. "My stepmother died a few years after that. Toby died ten years ago. I visited his wife once after that, but never again. I was afraid I would find that she had died, and I would have to deal with their children. Toby never told them about me, only his wife. She's probably dead, too," Sarah added emotionlessly. "Their children have children. Their children have children.

"I feel so old," Sarah whispered, looking at the ground. "My head is so full, I can't stand it sometimes." She brought one hand up to her forehead. "I wasn't born to live this long. My brain wasn't made to hold this many memories. I'm beginning to forget things. I can't remember my college roommate's name, or the way my mother looked the last time I saw her. I can't remember my address. I'm losing everything. I've lost everything." She covered her face with both hands.

Jareth had this sudden, crazy urge to comfort her. He wanted to smooth the hair away from her face, and let her head fall on his shoulder. He wished to hug her tightly, and feel her arms wrap around his neck. He longed to have her cry into the fabric of his shirt. He was transfixed by the movements of her shoulders as she tried to hold back the sobs that threatened to overtake her.

He didn't think he could handle it any longer. He needed to make her stop crying. It felt like his heart was bleeding when he saw her like that. He didn't stop to analyze his emotions. He merely sought relief in the only way he could find it. He sat down on the log beside her and took her in his arms. She leaned into him, and he made soft, shushing noises in her ear.

"It's alright, Sarah," he told her, and he prayed it was true. "I'm here. You're not alone." Sarah raised her head and gazed into his eyes.

"Is that something you can promise me," she asked, her eyes suddenly hard.

She disappeared, and his arms were suddenly empty. He suddenly realized that she had never answered one of his questions. She didn't tell him what other mysteries she wanted to solve.

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Sarah found herself far away from the forest where she had left Jareth. She summoned another glowing crystal. She looked around, and discovered that she had unwittingly transported herself to one of the places she had been so desperate to see: the little passage where she and Hoggle had nearly been killed by the cleaners. Rather, she had assumed at the time that they would have been killed if they hadn't found a way out. If Jareth had been telling the truth when he said no one had died in the Labyrinth since his ascension, she doubted he would have broken his perfect record to spite an irritating teenager.

Sarah waved her hand, and a large bouquet of red and white roses appeared. She laid them in front of the stretch of wall she and Hoggle had broken through in their frantic attempts to escape. She stared at them for a moment, not really seeing them. Instead, she saw a bulbous nose, and rheumy eyes. Although the passage was as silent as the grave, she could have sworn that she heard a charmingly colloquial voice calling her name.