Chapter 10

Sarah's P.O.V

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief when she stepped out into the corridor. Although Greta seemed nice enough Sarah had found the Goblin's constant fussing rather annoying.

She glanced right and then left wondering which way she should go. She chose left and began walking briskly down the corridor. She had decided that she would try to find the dungeon in the hope that she would be able to talk to her friends. She walked for what seemed hours looking for some corridor or door that looked like it led to a dungeon but it seemed hopeless. The castle seemed to be as vast as the Labyrinth and eerily quiet Sarah only heard her own footsteps as she wandered through the castle and she saw no one at all.

"This is getting me nowhere." Sarah muttered stopping in a corridor she was sure she had walked through twice already. She crossed over to one of the windows and leaned out. Far below her lay the Goblin City which puzzled Sarah as she was sure she had been heading down not up.

"Nothing is as it seems." She mumbled. A scuttling noise behind her caused her to turn. She saw nothing but that didn't mean there wasn't anyone there.

"I know you're there so you may as well come out." There was a pause and then a small saucepan hat wearing Goblin poked his head out from a vase that lined the corridor.

"Meep!" Sarah cried rushing forward to help the little Goblin out of his hiding place and gentle placinging him on the floor where he promptly burst into tears.

"What's the matter? Why are you crying?" she asked crouching down in front of him.

"Because Meep bad Lady! Meep very bad."

"What have you done that's bad?"

"Meep didn't tell Lady where her friends were!" Sarah blinked

"But you said you didn't know where they were."

"King made Meep! Saud he'd send Meep somewhere worse that the Bog if Meep didn't!" Meep Howled.

"What's worse than the Bog?" Sarah asked she couldn't believe that there was anything worse than the Bog of eternal stench.

"Meep don't know and don't wanna know!"

Sarah looked down at the sobbing creature. He had lied to her but she couldn't really blame him. Jareth had blackmailed him just like he had her.

"Meep what you did was bad, but I don't blame you for it." Meep stooped crying and hiccupped.

"Lady doesn't hate Meep?" He asked turning his watery eyes to look up at her. She smiled down on him.

"No Meep I don't hate you." She watched as Meep reached up and took something from under the saucepan. He opened his hand to reveal the costume jewellery she had given him.

"Meep give lady jewellery back to show he's sorry." Sarah smiled and reached closing Meep's fingers over the jewellery.

"Keep it Meep, it was a gift." The goblin returned the jewellery to its original place before looking back up at Sarah.

"Meep is sorry Lady." Sarah smiled and stood.

"I know Meep. Now would you like to make it up to me?" Meep grinned up at her and nodded.

"Then could you show me where the dungeons are?" The smiled fell from the goblin's face at her request and he gulped.

"Why would Lady go there? That place bad." He asked.

"I have to find my friends Meep. Will you show me the way?" Meep gulped again before slowly nodding his head.

"Thank you." Sarah said as she began to follow the Goblin.

They went up and down many flights of stairs and walked through countless corridors before they came to one passage that ended in a giant door guarded by two stone Gargoyles. In front of the door was a group of Goblins have what seemed to a heated discussion over a black chicken.

"My Chicken not yours!" one hissed.

"No Cluck Cluck mine gets off!" the other growled slapping the other Goblin who was trying to snatch the poor bird from the grasp.

As soon as the two saw Meep and Sarah they stopped their quarrel they eyed Sarah warily for a Moment as if they were worried she was going to reprimand them or something, before they quickly dashed away, leaving the Chicken behind in their rush.

They approached the end of the corridor and Meep stopped.

"Dungeon through there." Meep said. Sarah stepped forward and turned to Meep who had not moved.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked.

"Meep scared Lady." Meep said his voice quivering.

"Alright I go in by myself; you stay here and um… keep watch." She was a little uneasy and about the Goblins who had run off. She prayed that they hadn't run off to tell Jareth where she was, she had a strong feeling that he wouldn't want her here.

Sarah squared her shoulders and began walking towards the door.

"And where do you think you're going?" a drawling voice asked. She stopped and looked around for the owner of the voice.

"Up Here." Another voiced hissed. Sarah looked up to see the two Gargoyles peering down at her.

"Err…" Sarah wasn't quite sure how to proceed, "I'm going to see my friends."

"Do you have permission?" The Gargoyle on the left asked.

"Um no." Sarah said.

"You must have royal permission to enter." The Gargoyle on the right hissed.

"But I must see my friends." Sarah growled.

"Then you must answer a riddle." The right one said.

"A riddle?" Sarah asked doubtfully.

"Answer correctly and we will let you through." Hissed the one on the right.

"Answer incorrectly and we will inform his Majesty." The other growled.

What is with this place and riddles? She thought.

"Ok what's the riddle?" Sarah asked.

"No matter how hard you hit me," The right said.

"no matter how much I hurt," The other hissed.

"I'm always good for a laugh." The right continued

"What am I?" The two Gargoyles said in unison.

Sarah puzzled it over for a moment, thinking carefully she repeated the riddle over and over again.

"Something that when in pain is still good for a laugh." She thought for a bit longer, and then smiled.

"A funny bone!" she answered. The Two Gargoyles growled at her but the door swung open and she hurried through.

It was very dark and cold in the dungeon. Sarah walked cautiously forward, her eyes growing accustomed to the dark. She saw a flicker of light ahead coming from a doorway. Sarah crept closer and peered into the room. It appeared to be a guard room. There were armour glad Goblins either sitting a large wooded table eating and talking or asleep in cots by the walls. Making sure that none of the Goblins were looking at the door she quickly darted past and further into the gloom. She had been walking for a few minutes and finding her way through the dark by keeping one hand on the wall.

"Sarah?" Her raspy voice asked.

Sarah turned towards the voice. Through the gloom she could just make out some bars and the outline of someone.

"Hoggle?" she asked slowly stepping closer.

"Sarah it is you!"

"My Lady!"

"Sawahh!"

Sarah stepped closer and could rest make the shapes of her other friends.

"Oh Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus! I've missed you." She whispered trying to hug her friends through the bars.

"We've missed you too Sarah, but what are you doing back ere?"

"Yes My Lady how come you to be back in the Underground and here of all places?" Sir Didymus asked.

"I made a deal with Jareth. If I returned here he said he'd let you go."

"You did what? Of all the stupid things you could have done why 'd you do that?"

"I couldn't just leave you here." Sarah cried.

"It was a very noble thing to do my Lady but you should not have done, we all would rather rot away in this place then see you at the mercy of his Majesty."

"I would rather be here for the rest of my life than let you suffer on my account."

"But Sarah that rat ain't gunner play fair, he'll find some other way ta punish us!" Hoggle moaned, "You should leave missy and get as far away from here as you can!"

" I won't leave you. You're all my friends and I won't abandon you. I already signed the contract. Jareth said he'd won't harm you otherwise he'd break the contract.

"What exactly did yer agree to Sarah?" Hoggle asked. Sarah swallowed.

"I agreed to marry him." The was silent in the cell for a moment.

"My lady can't mean?" Didymus asked.

"arhh say it ain't so." Hoggle groaned

"Sawahh Queen?" Ludo asked.

Sarah nodded.

"This just keeps getting better." Hoggle huffed.

"But it's not forever, someone is going to keep you safe and return me home!" Sarah whispered.

"Someone? Who?" Hoggle asked suspiciously.

"I don't know but before I came here I had a dream and a woman told to accept Jareth's deal because she would help us escape. She gave me this." Sarah said showing them her necklace.

"you're putting all ya faith in a women from a dream! Did it not occur to you that that rat could be behind it!" Hoggle snapped.

"It does seem like something he might do my Lady!" Sir Didymus added.

Sarah shook her head.

"I know it's not him."

"How do you know." Hoggle asked

"I just do" Sarah replied

"Oh well that's great we're pinning all our hopes on you 'just knowing' that it wasn't some wicked plot from Jareth." Hoggle muttered.

"I'm sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing." Sarah whispered

"I know you were Sarah but I would be much happier if you were safe aboveground."

"Sawah not safe" Ludo moaned

"But I couldn't be happy knowing that you were in danger!" Sarah persisted

"Don't worry bout us save yourself Missy. Break this deal and get as far away from here as you can!" Hoggle pleaded.

"But I can't leave you here to rot!" Sarah insisted.

"But My Lady, we would all gladly die if it meant you would be safe!" Sir Didymus piped up.

"Sarah we'll be fine, break your deal then you can go home."

"I'm afraid that's where you're wrong." a voice spoke from the shadows, a voice that Sarah knew all too well. A shiver ran down Sarah's spine as she turned to see the Goblin King emerge from the gloom.

Jareth's P.O.V

Jareth's mood had worsened as the day drew on; first the Goblin he had given the crystal to had dropped it despite the warning resulting in Jareth having to go and put out the fire himself as it had rapidly spread to other buildings in the city due to the disastrous efforts of the citizens to put it out. He'd then been called over to the Chicken's head tavern, were the Chicken toss games where now held after he's banished it from the castle, where a fight had broken out over who's chicken had been thrown further. Despite him kicking several goblins, threatening others with the bog and probably setting a new chicken toss record it was still over an hour later that he finally put an end to the situation.

He then returned to his office to work on the paperwork for both of the affairs. He reassured himself by reminding himself that once it was all done he could get to work on the preparation for his upcoming wedding, he smiled to himself as he remembered his victory of that morning before returning to the mountain of paperwork.

It was some time later when he noticed the voices coming from outside his office door.

"You tell king!"

"Me don't want to tell king, you do it!"

Jareth sighed, what could his idiotic subjects have done now? He rose and walked over to the door. On throwing it open he looked down to see two small goblins staring worriedly up at him.

"Well?" he asked barley hiding the boredom in his voice.

"Bumble has something to tell King." One said pushing the unfortunate Bumble in front.

"No Bumble doesn't!" Bumble muttered running to hide behind the other Goblin.

"Yes yous do" The other hissed trying to push Bumble towards their king.

"No you do it!" Bumble growled.

The two began to fight, pulling each other's ears and biting. Jareth, growing bored with his subject and wanting to get back to his work, knelt down till he was at eye level with the two goblins before speaking in a quite but deadly voice.

"If you two don't stop this in the next second then you'll both be spending the next week in the Bog." The effect was instant. The Goblins sprang apart.

"Good now tell me what's wrong."

"The Girl." Bumble muttered

"What of her?" Jareth asked suspiciously.

"She's in the dungeons!" The other Goblin piped up.

"I was tellin him Twitty!" Bumble moaned angrily.

"No yous wasn't!" Twitty argued back.

The Two Goblin began to argue again and didn't notice the Goblin sweep pass them into the throne room. He produced a crystal and peered into it with any luck he would be able to stop her before she found her friends, she might not be able to leave the underground but he most certainly didn't want her plotting with her friends. He waited impatiently for the magic of his crystal to penetrate the natural gloom of the dungeons. He let out a curse as he saw that Sarah had already found her friends. He threw the Crystal against the wall and vanished in a shower of glitter.

He reappeared in the dungeon seconds later

"Sarah we'll be fine, break your deal then you can go home." He heard the rough voice of that cowardly dwarf. Anger filled at the thought of them trying to make Sarah back out of the deal despite him knowing full well that there was no way she could return above.

"I'm afraid that's where you're wrong." Jareth spoke as he stepped out of the shadows. He watched Sarah's face as she turned to face him. He could see the fear in the eyes. She knew that he would have not been pleased that she had come down here and had been hoping that her visit would go un notice. No such luck my dear, he thought.

"Why Sarah you don't look pleased to see me? I would've thought my bride to be would have been pleased at my impromptu visit."

He advanced slowly towards her despite the fear in her eyes she did not step away from. He smiled, defiant as ever he thought.

"Not when the bride was blackmailed!" Sarah hissed.

"Tut tut Sarah love, we'll have to work on your manners I think, saying that kind of thing my dear could get you into a lot of trouble." Jareth smirked and leaned against the bars of the cell eyeing Sarah.

"If you harm one hair on her head I'll -" Hoggle began

"You'll what Hedgewart?" Jareth asked turning to glare at the interfering Dwarf.

"We shall not allow you to harm our Lady!" Sir Didymus growled

"Sawahh friend!" Ludo added.

Jareth rolled his eyes.

"In case you three have failed to notice but you're in a locked cell."

"You said you'd let them go or are you go to break the contract" Sarah cried. Jareth turned back to her.

"And so I shall precious, tomorrow when all the details for their new punishment are straightened out. As it states in the contract, had you read it properly Sarah, I am allowed to punish your friends so long as I don't imprison or harm them."

Jareth watched as Sarah fumed, she was particularly beautiful when she was angry.

"And this new punishment? It won't harm them?" she asked a voice strained with the effort to control her temper.

"Of course not my dear, I have no wish to break our contract, you on the other precious seem intent on doing just that, do you really want your friends to stay in here for the rest of their miserable lives?" He asked. Sarah raised puzzled eyes to look at him.

"What are you talking about? Of course I don't." She shot back at him.

"I'm talking about you being here of course, I said you could venture around the castle only and although you may enter the dungeons via the castle they are not actually part of it. And if you remember disobeying me is in violation of the contract my dear."

"Well if she's broken the contract good. We'll gladly stay here if it means she gets to return aboveground." Hoggle muttered through the bars.

"As I have already told you Higgle that is where you are you."

What do you mean?" Hoggle and Sarah asked in unison.

Jareth couldn't help but smirk.

"I mean that even if Sarah does break the contract she doesn't get to return home."

Chapter 10 finally done. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter as always they help motivate me to write. The Riddle in this chapter isn't mine it's from a film called 'Bartok the magnificent' that I watched as a child and for some strange reason that riddle always stuck with me. As always Labyrinth isn't mine but I wish it was.