Little China Girl: Ditto. We will see what Jareth is gonna do!

FireShifter: Don't worry about it at all! Thanks for keeping on reviewing, it means a lot! And I've thought quite a bit about love and what it means to me. Love is very special, and while it is a feeling, it can't just be that alone. What I hear from the happiest couples is that maybe feeling brought them together but choice is what keeps them staying to fall in love all over again. And ahhh we will see what Sarah will do! Maleficent isn't lying though, words are bonds down in the Underground. What will Sarah do? We will see in this chapter!


If I die young

Bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

-The Band Perry, If I Die Young


Sarah felt numb.

She knew that without a doubt she would be eating the apple. There was no way around it. She had to do it, for her kingdom. For Jareth. For her aunties.

She told her people that she had to get some preparations done and she was touched by all the overwhelming love that they gave her. They all made sure to keep her safe, to tell her of how Stefan and Leah had been good to her. She had good food and they even gave her presents.

"This is an object to deliver any message needed." A knight told her. She gave the box to Sarah. "It will take a bit for it to send but it will do the job magically. I recovered it when I assisted a sage who needed some help."

"This is wonderful, oh you don't have to do this. I would love to just borrow it." She told the knight.

"I don't have to, no, but I hardly use it. It would be of better use in your hands." She bowed down.

A stable boy gave her a concealment cloak. "Wear this, and no one will be able to see you." He told her. He whispered in her ear. "Any letter, any words will always be safe with you. It will appear to any magical onlookers that you are sleeping."

Sarah was elated at this. She surely would need such an object to hide from Maleficent. It really was handy to know people who used magical objects. She counted her blessings for there was no way she would have gotten these if she were not a princess. For her last few days, she made sure to do all she could for her people. She did not get a chance to rule but she will make sure that she will die doing her best.

She got out the stacks of paper that she had packed and started to write different letters to monarchs all over the Underground while wearing her concealment cloak. She used some wax and put her seal on the envelopes. She placed them in the box to be sent to different monarchs to tell them of Diane's treachery. To tell them that she indeed was the princess and to find her next of kin to rule after she was gone.

She wrote letters to her aunties. She gave them a brief summary of how she was a servant, how she had met Jareth, and how she had fallen in love with him. She didn't know if they would know him personally but she told them that if they were able to, to tell him of her love. She told them all that she was grateful for the beautiful childhood they had given her and for loving her with all of their might.

The last letter she had was to Jareth. As a monarch himself, she made sure to give him information about how Diane was really Maleficent. And not only that, but of what she said about her romance with her father, Stefan. She told him she was sorry for keeping from him her true identity but that she loved him. She told him to not be too sad but to think of her fondly and she hoped that he would find someone to love again one day.

She had considered just not eating the apple, to just defy Maleficent. But she already sworn an oath with her. An oath that if she did as asked, Maleficent will not harm her people. If she broke that then Sarah was powerless to save them all. She didn't know how strong or powerful she was.

And also, she had a dream. But it felt like a memory. She had a dream she thought, of Flora and Fauna giving her gifts as a baby but she couldn't decipher what. The same was for Merryweather, but she could not remember exactly what she said. Only that whatever gift given would be potentially life saving.

She held onto that hope, that maybe she could come back. Maybe she could be happy.

The third day came. Sarah looked at the apple. Funny how when she ate Jareth's peach, she was hungry. Hungry for food but also hungry for a life that did not hold these responsibilities where she could just dance with the king of her dreams. He gave her dreams in the form of the peach even if it was meant to distract her.

This apple was seductive, red, enticing. It was shiny and ripe. She knew it would be alluring to anyone who saw it. Funny how something that would kill her could look so beautiful.

She thought of her life. Her childhood. Her strange dreams and memories of things she should have forgotten but did not. She thought of her father and how in the end, he had come to love her. She thought of how she had found love in Jareth. She thought of how her mother had cradled her closely when she thought Sarah would die, even before Sarah herself could hold her head up. She thought of the labyrinth and how she was able to prove that she was strong enough to defeat it. She thought of how she met her three friends in the labyrinth and then the other six dwarves who took her in. She thought of the friends she had made in the castle who were loyal to her because of who she was. She thought of the resistance here and how many people did truly love her. And not even a day later, Maleficent had come to tear all of that down.

Yes. She had a good life. She had no regrets.

She was only sad that her life ended before it could truly begin. She was sad that she would not get to kiss Jareth's lips in the flesh. She was sad that she could not tell her aunties that she loved them in person one last time. She didn't want to die, she was so young. She had so much to live for.

Looking at the apple that was so shiny to show her own reflection in it, she barred her teeth and sunk them into the apple. It tasted bitter-sweet, and she immediately felt tired.

And she fell, the apple rolling out of her hand, her mind picturing Jareth's lips on hers.


When Sarah left, the dwarves were all running around with worry.

They tried looking for her everywhere, not understanding where she could have gone. Even Sir Didymus's nose couldn't find her. Not that it surprised anyone.

On the third day of her disappearance, Dopey found a note under her bed that must have fallen down behind her pillow. Sleepy tore it open and read it aloud to everyone.

Dear Sir Didymus, Ludo, Hoggle, Happy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful, Grumpy, and Dopey,

I am sorry for not talking to you before. I have to run away. After the lace and comb episodes, I have to leave. I know who is trying to come after me but I can't tell you. You have to stay safe. I never really told you what why I was in the labyrinth in the first place but that wasn't because I didn't care about you or that I didn't trust you. I need to keep you safe. Please, please take care of yourselves. Do not worry for me.

With all my love, Sarah

They saw her note and it angered Hoggle the most. "I know who did this!" He yelled.

"Doc, what are you doing? Where do you think you're going?" Grumpy yelled after him.

"It's Jareth!" Hoggle got his coat on. "He hurt her! He wants revenge for her beating him in the labyrinth, I know it!"

"You'll get yourself killed." Happy stood between Hoggle and the door. "It can't be the king, how do you know it's him? What if Sarah had other enemies?"

"Then I should go to him anyway!" Hoggle shoved his brother aside. "Then he would go and save her. It's our only hope. I'm going whether you all are coming with me or not!"

He shoved Happy out of the way and grumbled all the way until he heard pairs of footsteps after him. Turning around, he glared at his brothers again and was even more irritated at seeing Ludo and Sir Didymus. "We don't have time! She left sometime three nights ago and we have no idea where she's gone!"

"Then we will go with you, my brother!" Sir Didymus said. "We will all go and save our lady together!

"Sarah friend. Hoggle friend." Ludo said.

"We stand with Sarah and we stand with you." Sneezy said put a hand on Hoggle's shoulder. "We will go together, as one."

Hoggle felt overwhelmed. Out of all of them, he was the closest to Sarah. He felt responsible for her and that she was truly his friend. She made them all closer, she bound them together and took care of them just as they took care of her. She really was a part of their family.

"Then we will go." Hoggle said. He looked at all of them gratefully. "Let's go get some answers from that king!"


Maleficent saw her fall.

The beloved princess, the spawn of her past love and the woman who took her crown was now gone.

She felt a wave of triumph. Soon, the resistance would come to her, telling her that they would not bow to her. She could not harm them but she would make them miserable. She would isolate them all! Let them dress the princess, let Sarah wear her fine clothes, her jewels that she would be dressed into as she disintegrated into bones. She would keep her body as a gruesome reminder to all that she was the rightful queen, not this child.

There was just one more question to ask.

"Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?"

"My queen, you are the fairest one of all."


"Your Majesty."

A goblin came holding an envelope. "This letter was in the throne room."

"From who?" Jareth took it, the fairies moving back to not pry.

"From Hester."

Jareth raised an eyebrow and sent the goblin out. He looked at the seal curiously. "I wonder who this could belong to? Wait…"

He realized that this was not the typical seal from Hester. In fact, he had never seen it used before today.

It must be the princess!

He was about to tear it open right then and there when there was a commotion at his door.

"LET ME IN YOU STUPID GOBLIN!" He heard a gruff voice say. More shuffling and then the door burst open to reveal the strangest party he had ever seen.

Jareth stood up, his black cape flowing around him. His eyes bore down on Hoggle's, still remembering him as the creature who betrayed his direct orders and helped Sarah win. If it weren't for him, maybe Sarah would be in his arms. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Don't pretend ya don't know, you rat!" Hoggle stalked towards him. Jareth was amazed that the once cowardly dwarf was now stalking to him.

Jareth didn't do anything, just stood there, raising his eyebrow. "I assure you, I do not."

Hoggle had a rock in his hand and threw it at Jareth, to which the king swerved side ways and summoned his staff, smashing it on the ground so hard that even Ludo fell over.

"YOU DARE COME INTO MY PRIVATE OFFICE, ACCUSE ME OF THINGS, AND THEN TRY TO HARM ME?" He roared.

"Jareth." Flora grabbed him. She had a feeling that they didn't mean harm to him and was worried he'd finally lose his temper and obliterate them.

"TOUCHING ME IS TREASON!" He grabbed Hoggle's ear and crouched down to him with great disdain. First, he lost Sarah. Then he still had this princess thing to deal with and now this crap?

"Your Majesty, please forgive him." Bashful, who was even more cowardly than Hoggle, stood next to his brother, blushing red in worry. "He is worried for a friend of ours and isn't thinking right."

"This BETTER be good because I have a crisis on my hands." He let go of Hoggle and poked his chest with his staff. "What friend is this?"

To the brothers' surprise, Grumpy was the one who stepped forward. He who was the most reluctant to have Sarah live with them turned out to be the one who would speak on her behalf. "Our friend, she ran yer labyrinth. And she won."

Jareth's head whipped to Grumpy. "What?!"

"You mean your Rose lived with them?" The fairies asked him, all shocked.

"She lived with us ever since then, and we took care of her. She ran from us and left this behind." He showed him the letter.

Jareth read it, recognizing Sarah's handwriting. "She really had lived under my nose the whole damn time."

He paced around, his face in his hands. "Now I am no closer to finding her! DAMN IT!"

He didn't even care who was in the room, anymore. He was in so much pain.

Hoggle calmed down at seeing his reaction. "You mean, Ya don't know where she is?"

"IF I HAD KNOWN I WOULD HAVE GONE TO YOUR HOUSE AND TAKEN HER!" He screamed. "No, nononononono."

He was about to make a crystal to throw at the wall but he felt his chest constrict.

And he collapsed.

"Jareth!" Merryweather held him with one of her hands. "Oh no, your Rose!"

"No, no this can't be." He saw that he did not slip into unconsciousness. That meant that Sarah was no longer able to dream. She was either in a dreamless sleep or she was dead.

Jareth felt the foreboding darkness in his stomach. The darkness turned into nausea and he grabbed a bucket, vomitting in it.

The dwarves, Ludo, and Sir Didymus stepped backwards as he retched in it, Flora holding his hair, Merryweather rubbing his back, and Fauna holding the bin to his face.

Jareth clutched his side and then his heart, feeling worse than weak. He felt like he was dying. Dying so much from the fact that Sarah was hurt and that he didn't know where she was.

"Rose?" Sneezy asked in confusion, Dopey nodding with him. "Who's Rose?"

"We are here for Sarah." Grumpy stomped his foot angrily.

Jareth lifted his head from the bucket and wiped off his spit. To everyone's horror, they saw that he had thrown up blood, making him look even more terrifying than he had ever been.

"Sarah, the girl who ate the peach and forgot everything." He snorted.

"Wait, Sarah?" Merryweather asked him. "Are you telling me that Rose is some nickname for her?"

"Do you have a problem with that?" Jareth snapped at her. "Why does it matter what I call her?"

All three fairies looked at each other, shocked and pale. Fauna slowly turned to Sleepy. "Describe what she looked like."

Sleepy looked taken aback. "Well, she was real pretty. The prettiest girl ya ever seen. She has eyes as green as grass, dark raven hair, and lips red as roses."

"Why are you asking? I know what she looks like." Jareth got up and sat in back in his chair, still feeling weak. "Is that going to help us find her?"

"You don't understand, the girl you fell in love with." Flora sputtered out. "Your 'Rose' isn't a servant, Jareth."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He snapped again, not quite paying attention.

"She's the princess. She's Princess Sarah, heir to the throne of Hester."

Jareth was about to scoff but then he thought about it.

The fact that she had an uncanny memory for everything, like when she remembered to wake from the crystal dream or when she was poisoned by the comb.

"Your Majesties. I wish to bestow your princess the gift of remembrance. This is so she may recall information she will need for pertinent times."

The way that she carried herself with grace and beat his labyrinth.

The way she talked about understanding both the working class and royalty.

Her extreme beauty and her gift for music and singing.

When she asked him if he would think her differently if she were a princess.

When she told him that she was protecting him from the queen.

When she told him that she had learned the Rainbow Connection from her aunt who had lived in the Goblin Kingdom.

When she told him that her parents were now dead.

"Oh my..." He bit his knuckles.

Through his pride, he refused to talk to the fairies about her. And in turn, they didn't tell him about her either.

"This whole time, the girl we raised. She has fallen in love with you." Flora covered her mouth.

"And you with her." Fauna spoke in reverence. "Oh my, we should have told her that we were friends with you."

"I never told her of my relationship with you three either, thinking her a servant." Jareth mumbled. "I feel so stupid."

"Don't feel stupid, Jareth." Flora put a comforting hand on him. "We didn't want to make her be biased in deciding if she liked certain world leaders or not by telling her of our friendship with you. This is not any one person's fault."

"I should have been less prideful." He groaned.

"Clever girl. This is so like her to keep others safe and to not reveal herself." Merryweather sat on the floor, stunned. She looked at the note Sarah left for the dwarves. "This is her handwriting on the front."

Jareth saw the dwarves standing in surprise, talking to each other about how their beloved friend was actually a princess. Hoggle bit out an apology and mumbled about how something about Sarah seemed different from all the runners and apologized to Jareth, who rolled his eyes but accepted the apology at Merryweather's nudge.

He snapped to his senses, seeing the letter on his desk. He reached for it with shaking hands and broke the seal to open it.

Dear Jareth,

I am writing to tell you now of the whole truth. I know you may not forgive me for pushing you away but I had to. And I don't regret it.

But I didn't do it because I didn't love you. Far from it. I meant it when I said that I love you with all that I have. I did that because I did love you. You see, I am no mere servant. I am Princess Sarah of the House of Williams, heir to the Hester Kingdom. I had to run your labyrinth because I knew my stepmother wanted me dead. I didn't want to get you involved in it for I was afraid you would get hurt. I could not become your subject for that would mean relinquishing my title. It seems that it was all for nothing.

She told him of Stefan's romance with Maleficent or at least the alleged romance. She told him of how she had stayed with the dwarves, how she had grown up with her aunties. She told him of the threat Maleficent gave her and how she was secretly Diane the whole time. She told him of her deal with her stepmother. Then she talked of her aunts.

I don't know if you would be able to be in contact with them at all, but please let them know that I love them with all my heart. I have sent letters to them which should arrive to them in a few days seeing as I do not know where they reside and the magic will take longer. I have also sent letters to other monarchs but as I have never been to their kingdoms, it will also take some time for the letters to get to them. By the time you get this letter, I am probably dead already. Oh Jareth, please think of me fondly but do not mourn. You gave me love and I am humbled that I was able to share it with you. Please do not close your heart. Please love again.

I know you ask for so little and I so much. But I need to keep my people safe. I need you to talk to the other monarchs. I love you, Jareth. You are my sunshine, my moon in the night sky. Thank you for being there for me when my world fell down.

With all my love, Rose

In the letter was a drawing of his favorite flower, forget-me-nots.

Jareth handed the letter to Flora, who was directly to his right.

"NOOOOO!" He made a crystal and threw it at the wall. So that was what he was feeling. She was dead, and she took his heart along with her. "SARAH!"

He wiped his hand down his desk violently, sending everything to the floor. He grabbed his chair and was about to throw it out the window when he felt his body go limp.

All three fairies were holding their wands out at him, holding him so that he wouldn't hurt himself. All of them had tears flowing freely down their cheeks. "Jareth please, we know you're hurt." Fauna said sobbing. "We raised her too, she was our daughter."

"It isn't over yet." Merryweather said to them all. "Do you not remember my gift to her when she was a babe?"

Should she be in mortal danger by an evil spell, true love's kiss will wake her up.

"But if she's dead…" Jareth started.

"Or in a deathlike sleep. Don't lose hope yet." Merryweather pleaded with him. "You are the one who can save her."

All 13 eyes were on him now. Jareth blinked a few times. "Wait, me?"

"Who else you fool?" Flora snorted. "You love her, do you not? We have to find her and have you kiss her awake."


Well what do you think? Sarah did it because she is a strong princess (actually queen but ya know). I feel like her getting the cloak and messenger box seemed too easy for her, I don't know, but it was the easiest way to get rid of plot holes. Plus, she IS the rightful ruler so people would actually give her stuff to aid her.

Finally, Jareth and the fairies realize who Sarah is! AH! Took them long enough! How were the dwarves? I thought that Hoggle being mad at Jareth would make sense but that he would be willing to help out any way he can.

This is where the True Love's Kiss from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty comes in!