Chapter 14

Sarah lied there in her childhood bed, her head resting on the bare chest of her Goblin King, finger tracing circles lightly across his skin. The sun outside had barely risen, the clock beside the bed read six o'clock. Having not been able to sleep all night, Sarah was wide awake.

Jareth felt the little motions Sarah was making on his chest and awoke bleary eyed and sleepy. He wondered why she was awake so early. The two hadn't fallen asleep until three o'clock in the morning due to their "activities". He raised a hand and patted her head. "Sarah?"

"Hmm?" She replied, still absentmindedly tracing circles and staring at the wall.

"How long have you been awake?" He asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

Sarah sat up next to him, running a hand through her messy bed head. "I haven't really fallen asleep…" she confessed, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them.

"Is anything the matter, love?"

With a sigh, she replied, "Let's go home."

Jareth sat up the rest of the way, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Now?"

Sarah nodded. "Right now."

The two of them got out of bed, dressed themselves, and took to gathering their belongings. Jareth left Sarah's room to sneak back to the guest bedroom to retrieve his suitcase while Sarah stayed to spruce up her room. The two met in the hallway, Jareth in his usual glamour and Sarah with her bed-head hair pulled back into a ponytail.

Before Sarah could take the first step downstairs, she remembered something. "Toby," she whispered in the dimly lit corridor. Turning back, she tiptoed to her brother's room and opened it.

The sun was just barely peeking through the blinds of the window, but the little Batman night light plugged into the wall lit the room well. Sarah sat at the edge of the bed and stroked the soft cheek of the little boy. "Toby, wake up," Sarah whispered, shaking the boy lightly.

Toby woke up with a small groan, rubbing his eyes and blinking away the harshness of the light in his room. "Sarah? What time…?"

"It's barely six-thirty in the morning. You don't have to get up, Tobes, I just wanted to say goodbye."

Toby sprang up as soon as the words left Sarah's mouth. "You're leaving already?"

"I…we have to go," Sarah said, glancing back at Jareth, who was leaning against the door frame.

"You're leaving forever," Toby whined, pouting his bottom lip out.

Sarah shook her head. "I'll come back to visit soon, I promise."

"But you're going back to the castle, right?"

Sarah furrowed her brows at Toby's inquisitiveness. "Yes…?"

"You have to stay there, Sarah," Toby said, giving her a very serious look.

"I can come back any time, Tobes, Jareth and I have a deal," she said, trying to calm him down.

Toby shook his head adamantly. He placed his little hands on Sarah's shoulders and looked her dead in the eye. "The labyrinth hurts," he said in the most serious tone Sarah had ever heard from him.

Sarah opened her mouth to say something, but her confusion stopped her. She glanced back at Jareth, and she noticed the grave look on his face. His brows were furrowed, mouth set in a hard, straight line. When she turned back to Toby, he was giving Jareth a worried look. He wrapped his hands around the pendant he wore around his neck that protected him, squeezing it so hard his little knuckles turned white.

Placing a hand over his to calm him, Sarah hushed him and tried to get him to lie back down. "The labyrinth is fine, Toby. It's just a thing, it can't feel like you and me. Just lie back down and go back to sleep. I promise I'll be back in time for Easter," she tucked Toby's blanket over him and under his chin as he lied back down.

Toby was still eying Jareth anxiously when Sarah kissed his forehead and stood. She was surprised to see Jareth standing beside her.

Jareth kneeled down to Toby's level. "The labyrinth will not be harmed, Toby. I will not allow it."

Toby just nodded, but he still wasn't convinced. He knew when adults lied to him about bad things just to spare his feelings. It happened a lot when Sarah stopped coming home as frequently. His parents said that she was too busy with school, but he knew it was because Sarah was sad. "You promise?"

"On my life," Jareth said with a light-hearted smirk.

The two snuck out the front door, Sarah closing it ever so gently as to not wake her parents. After putting her luggage in the trunk and Jareth magically whisking his away, Sarah sat in the passenger seat, pulling her knees to her chest and hugging them. She watched as Jareth pulled out of the driveway, and as they drove away she didn't look back.

Toby's words niggled at her mind. The labyrinth hurts, he had said. But what did that mean? Her forehead creased with worry.

Jareth threw a glance at Sarah next to him. The telltale worry lines on her forehead gave away that she was deep in thought. Always over-thinking things, he thought. He cleared his throat, breaking Sarah out of her hypnotic state of pondering. "Penny for your thoughts?" He asked her.

"I'm just wondering what Toby was talking about," Sarah said, running a hand through her hair. "He's actually worried about the labyrinth. Like it's some sentient being."

Jareth couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, Sarah, you have much to learn."

She turned to him, an eyebrow raised. "What?"

Jareth sighed, giving her another glance. "Well I was hoping for a more formal lesson on the labyrinth and Underground history and what not, but a brief explanation will have to do, I suppose." He paused as he came to a stop light. "You know how the labyrinth is always changing?"

Sarah scoffed. "Yeah, I have first hand experience with that. Not a very fair way of running things on your part."

Jareth laughed again. "The labyrinth changing has nothing to do with me. She moves and breathes around us. She knows when something is going on around her. Most importantly," he said. "She knows what she wants."

"So now the labyrinth is a 'she'?" Sarah asked with a smirk.

"That's just how the labyrinth chooses to present herself to me."

Sarah nodded, taking all the new information in. "Well I still don't appreciate her trying to sabotage me during my run of the labyrinth." She crossed her arms in front of her.

"Well if it's any consolation she does feel sorry about that," Jareth said.

"I guess I'll forgive her," Sarah said with a smirk.

"She does have her reasons though."

"What, trying to please you?"

"No, no," said Jareth, shaking his head. "The labyrinth has her own agenda."

Sarah raised a questioning brow. "An agenda for what? Keeping me in?"

"Sort of. Like I said, she knows what she wants."

Sarah let out a chortle. "Okay, so you're telling me the labyrinth wants me to stay?"

Jareth was silent, eyes glued to the rode, but a certain glint in his eyes gave away the truth.

"The labyrinth does want me to stay!" She exclaimed, pushing her hair back. She sat up straight in her seat, eyes wide with shock. "I—but…what if I…?" She stammered trying to protest in the nicest way possible.

Jareth turned into Sarah's apartment parking lot. "Sarah, if you have objections to staying, there is nothing I or the labyrinth can do about it. As you've said before, I have no power over you. You may leave the Underground whenever you wish. However, if you do wish to leave, I cannot promise that I can protect you from the magic turning on you once again."

The car came to a stop in a parking spot in front of Sarah's building. She bit her lip as Jareth turned the car off. The two sat there silently, Sarah mulling over her possibilities. On one hand, why would she want to come back to this reality? Living alone, failing classes, feeling worthless. On the other hand, this world was all she knew. Toby was here, Ashley was here, some of her favorite places were here. She turned to look at Jareth, who was out of glamour and leaning on the steering wheel looking out the windshield. She frowned. Jareth wouldn't be here, she thought, a sadness coming over her.

She opened her car door and let herself out into the crisp, cold air. Jareth had popped the trunk open by the time Sarah rounded the car and retrieved her suitcase.

Upon entering the warmth of the apartment, Sarah tossed her luggage aside and stripped herself of her coat. After that, she began pacing her living room floor. "So, what?" She spoke up finally. "The labyrinth is hurting because she wants me to stay? Forever?"

Jareth stood near the door still, watching Sarah pace anxiously. "Correct."

"So, if I do stay forever what will that mean?"

Jareth took a couple steps closer to her. "It means you'll become a citizen of the Underground."

Sarah narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh, I don't believe for a minute that that's all there is to it, Goblin King." She plopped down on the sofa and patted the spot next to her. "I want you to tell me everything."

Jareth sighed. He saw that steely resolution on her face. She wasn't going to settle for a vague explanation of things, and she wasn't going to give up. Now that's the champion I know, he thought, taking a seat next to her.

"I was hoping that you wouldn't find out like this," he began. "But I suppose it is now or never. Do you remember the pendant I gave Toby?"

Sarah nodded. "Of course. It'll protect him from bad magic and help with his nightmares."

Jareth nodded as well. "Well, it is only a temporary fix." He paused, watching Sarah's eyes widen with concern. "Toby will have to return to the labyrinth once again."

Sarah's forehead creased with suspicion. "You said that as long as you kept coming around him he would be fine."

"That's what I thought at the time," Jareth said, rubbing his chin. "But that was before I knew Toby could feel the labyrinth's pain. You see Sarah, Toby must return to the labyrinth by his eighteenth birthday to claim the throne that is rightfully his."

"Claim the throne?!" Sarah exclaimed. "You mean he's…"

"Toby is the heir to the Goblin throne, yes," said Jareth matter-of-factly. "And if he doesn't claim it, magical pendant or not, the magic will turn on him, and it will be far worse than your case."

Sarah sat staring hopelessly at the ground, mouth hung open in shock. "Tha…that can't be. How is he the heir to the Goblin kingdom?"

"Because I made him so during your run."

"Why the hell would you do that!"

"Because I thought you were going to lose!"

Sarah threw a look of detest at Jareth. "You thought I was going to lose so you made my baby brother your heir?! Nice going, Goblin King! You really didn't think that one through!" Her voice grew louder, her anger rising.

"Well you weren't supposed to win nor leave the labyrinth!" Jareth exclaimed back at her.

"Well excuse me for wanting to save my brother from becoming a goblin! How was I supposed to know that you were bluffing?!"

"Because I love you and I wouldn't do that to you!"

Sarah went silent, standing and turning her back to Jareth. "Well I didn't know you loved me," she said, her voice barely over a whisper. She crossed her arms in front of her, but when she felt the warmth of Jareth's arms wrapping around her waist she seemed to melt into him. Even when she wanted to be mad at him, she couldn't, because just the slightest touch made her languid.

"I don't think the labyrinth could wait for Toby's eighteenth birthday, anyway," Jareth said, resting his chin on Sarah's shoulder. For the past two days Jareth felt his magic dwindling the slightest bit. It wasn't a drastic change, but he feared that if the labyrinth would not get what she wanted, in a mere few years, he and the rest of the kingdom's inhabitants would be doomed.

Sarah turned in Jareth's arms to face him. "What do you mean?" She said, placing her hands on his shoulders. When she looked up at him, something was different. He looked tired, the slightest hint of dark circles under his eyes. And, while he was always a bit on the pale side, it looked as if all the color was drained from him.

"If the labyrinth does not get what it wants, then it could be the end of her, her inhabitants, and the Goblin City," he said gravely.

"And what about you?" Sarah asked, cupping his cheek with her hand.

He didn't say anything, but the grim look on his face told her everything.

"What can we do? Toby can't leave this soon, he's only eight!" Sarah said helplessly.

"Toby is not what the labyrinth wants right now," Jareth said. "The labyrinth wants a queen, Sarah. The labyrinth wants you."

Sarah just looked up at him, mouth hung slightly open. Queen?! She screamed internally. "B-But…I…" she stammered, but the right words were lost on her. She shook her head, stepping away from Jareth.

"This is why I didn't want you to know," Jareth said, watching the panic on her face turn to horror.

"Didn't want me to know?!" She repeated. "That's kind of an important thing for me to know!" She started pacing the floor again, pushing her hair back. "Me? Queen? I can barely order my own pizza over the phone, and I'm supposed to be co-owner of a whole kingdom? And how were you just not going to tell me something like this?"

Jareth hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "I was going to—how do you say…wing it?"

Sarah was dumbfounded. The Goblin King was going to wing it. She couldn't even believe it. "Okay, 'winging it' is when you don't study the night before you know you're gonna have a pop quiz. 'Winging it' is when you improvise when you forget a line in a play. 'Winging it' is when you submit your resume to a job you know you're not qualified for but you do it anyway because you might be surprised. This is not a 'winging it' situation!" She grabbed fistfuls of her own hair and tugged on it with frustration. "This is an actual life or death situation! And I have to be queen! Oh we are all doomed." She plopped back down on the couch, slouching down halfway.

Jareth patted Sarah's head, even placing a soothing kiss there too. "Sarah, there's nothing to worry about. No one is making you be queen."

Sarah huffed. "Yeah, no one is making me," she said, looking up at him. "But I'm not just going to let you and everyone die just because I'm afraid I can't live up to everyone's expectations."

Jareth placed a hand on Sarah's cheek, stroking it gently, Sarah leaning into it. "Precious, everyone already loves you. The goblins adore you, the castle workers would rather care for you than me, and, well, you already know my feelings for you," he smiled at her and gave her a wink.

Sarah blushed and looked down. "Care to remind me?" She asked, needing a little pick-me-up.

Jareth leaned down to kiss Sarah's lips, slowly and carefully. "Sarah Williams, I move the stars for no one except you. I love you more than a goblin loves chaos."

Sarah gasped, a small smile teasing her lips. "I didn't know you loved me that much."

"That much and more, precious!" Jareth said, picking her up from her slouched position to sit on his lap, rewarding him with a giggle from Sarah. "But let's not forget that you've also made royal friends, too. Luella and Narrisa absolutely adore you."

"I miss those two," Sarah said fondly, remembering the ball where she first met them and remembering how silly she felt for thinking Jareth and Luella were an item.

"They would be thrilled at the prospect of you being queen," Jareth said, laying a kiss on her forehead. "Everyone would." Despite his calming words and encouragement, there was still blatant fear in Sarah's eyes.

Sarah took a deep breathe in and let it out shakily. "I…I think maybe I just need to sleep on it."

Jareth pushed a strand of hair behind Sarah's ear. "Of course, love. Take all the time you need."

After their chat, Sarah checked her apartment to make sure everything was fine, and after that, Jareth whisked her away back to the castle.

They landed safely in Sarah's bed chambers. Everything was exactly how she'd left it when they left. She missed it. She huffed out a sigh and took a seat on the made-up bed. "I think I'm going to spend the day alone to think," she said, looking up at Jareth.

He nodded, knowing that the new information would rack her mind for a good few days before she made a decision. "Of course. I'll have Griselda bring up some lunch for you in a bit. And if you change your mind, I'll be in the throne room."

Sarah smiled half-heartedly and nodded, watching him turn and leave the room, leaving her alone with only her thoughts. She threw herself back onto the fluffed pillows.

She tried to not think about it, but all she could do was play through scenarios of humiliation if she became queen. She fluffed the pillows under her head and closed her eyes, trying not to think about it anymore, but three unsuccessful minutes later, she opened her eyes again and let out an annoyed huff.

"I don't know why I'm over-thinking this so much," she said aloud, trying to comfort herself. "It's not like I even have a choice here. I'm going to be queen; there's nothing to mull over here. I'm going to be queen, nothing bad is going to happen, and everything is going to be fine." She worried on her lower lip, unable to convince herself. "Or at least I hope so."

Sarah almost jumped out of bed when she heard three sharp rasps on the door. Startled, she hopped out of bed and went to the door. Opening it, she found Griselda there, towing a tray of tea and scones.

"Mornin', luv!" Griselda chirped, pushing herself and the tray past Sarah and into the room. "Gotcha a nice cuppa tea and some freshly baked peach scones." She wheeled the tray next to the bed and got to work straightening out the bedsheets Sarah had messed up when she threw herself onto it earlier. "His majesty told me you were feeling a wee bit down today, so I brought ya a piece of tart as well."

Sarah looked at the beautiful array of tea and scones as well as a sliver of tart with vibrant fruit arrayed on top. The fact that Griselda thought to bring her something special to cheer her up almost brought tears to Sarah's eyes. "Thank you," Sarah said, wrapping her arms around the short goblin woman in a warm hug.

Griselda was taken by surprise from the sudden affection, but she gladly embraced Sarah back. "My word, Miss Sarah, what's gotten into ya?"

Sarah blinked back tears and pulled away from the hug. "Nothing, I just…" She patted the corners of her eyes to wipe away any moisture that escaped. "I missed you," she said with a smile.

Griselda gave her a warm smile back to her, the many wrinkles in her face crinkling more. "Oh, you sweet darling girl! Zelda missed you too," she said fondly, giving Sarah's cheek a pinch. "Now go have a sit and drink your tea before it goes cold," she ordered, waving Sarah away.

Sarah sat on the velvet chaise in front of her bed with a cup of tea in her hands.

"So," Griselda began, still tidying things up behind Sarah, or at least pretending to. "How did the visit go?"

Sarah started coughing, spitting out a little bit of tea, taken aback from the question. "Uh," Sarah hesitated, worrying on her lower lip. Oh, nothing much happened. I was just verbally assaulted by my own family, confessed my love to your king, and then had sex with him. No big deal. Sarah scoffed internally. There was no way she was going to tell Griselda what happened the other night. But then again, she really needed to talk to someone.

Sarah's thoughts were interrupted by another rap on the door. Two distinct ones, actually. Sarah stood and made her way over to the door again, and when she opened it she was greeted by the familiar lilac eyes and pink and blue hair of her handmaidens. Sarah sighed in relief to see Delia and Dimitra.

"Good morning, Sarah," the two girls said in a chipper tone.

"His majesty told us to keep you company for the rest of the day," said Delia.

"He said that you weren't feeling too well," Dimitra said with a look of concern.

Sarah crossed her arms in front of her chest, her mouth setting into a thin line. "Is he letting the entire kingdom know that I've had a rough weekend?"

Delia and Dimitra looked at each other with mischievous smirks.

"What happened, Sarah?" Delia asked, a pink brow cocked.

"Yes, Sarah, what has you upset? Tell us," Dimitra added.

Suddenly Griselda was also at the door next to Sarah, peeking her head through to look at the twins. "Oh no you don't, you cheeky little brats! Those questions are above your class. I suggest you keep your nose out of Lady Sarah's business."

The two young girls huffed at Griselda and made pouty faces.

"But we just heard you ask the same thing!" Dimitra said.

"We could hear you from outside the door!" Delia said as well.

Sarah rolled her eyes at the three. "You're all nosy!" She grabbed Delia and Dimitra by their wrists and pulled them inside, shutting the door with her foot along the way. "Okay, I'll tell you three everything, but you can't tell anyone."

The three of them looked at each other with triumphant grins. "We promise!" They all said cheerfully.

"Okay," Sarah sighed, taking up her cup of tea and sitting at the foot of her bed. "Everyone have a seat. It's gonna be a doozy."

Delia and Dimitra both kneeled, sitting their bottoms on their heels. Griselda chose to sit on the chaise; much easier to get to what with her old joints and such.

"So, it all started when Jareth sent goblins to my apartment without my consent…" Sarah started her whirlwind story, starting at the point where she got the phone call from her parents in the first place, to the part where she realized she was in love with Jareth, to their arrival at her parents and how good Jareth looks in his glamour, to the party on Saturday, then she got to what happened after the party.

She took a deep breath in and looked at everyone's faces. They were all so enthralled. Griselda had a very serious face; you could tell she was listening very intently. Dimitra's face looked dreamy, like she was picturing herself in Sarah's position. Then Delia's face was lit up like a Christmas tree, her smile wide and her eyes round and gleaming with wonder about what Sarah's was about to say next. Sarah steeled herself before blurring out, "I told him that I was in love with him and then we…slept together," she cringed when she heard herself actually say the words out loud.

The twin's faces dropped when they heard that.

"You slept?" Asked Delia.

"That's it?" Dimitra asked.

Griselda clicked her tongue at the naïve girls. "Not sleep sleep, you twats," Griselda spat at them. "They had a bonding ritual."

The two girls gasped, looking at each other with gaping grins. "You bonded with the king?!" They both exclaimed, then quickly slapped a hand over their mouths when Griselda lifted a hand to scold them.

Sarah turned to Griselda with a look of confusion on her face. "Bonding ritual?" She asked.

Griselda lowered her hand and nodded. "Here in the Underground, we don't partake in such pleasures of the flesh as people do Aboveground. Well, the acts are pretty much the same, but the meaning and purpose are a little different. You see, the bonding ritual is only used for those who are truly in love or just simply have a passion for each other. None of this 'hit it and quit it', as you humans might say."

Delia and Dimitra wrinkled their nose at the term Griselda used and Sarah blushed.

"No, there is no 'no strings attached' relationships here. The bonding ritual is for people who wish to grow closer, physically and spiritually."

Sarah grimaced. "So then, that means Jareth wants to be…that way with me?"

Griselda shrugged her shoulders. "His highness is from the Underground, so that could be the case. But he has spent some time in your neck of the woods and is accustomed to human rites and rituals."

Sarah bit her lip. Of course nothing was as it seems and everything was vague about the situation. "God, why can't anything just be easy?"

Griselda chuckled at Sarah's misfortune. "Well, deary, then that wouldn't be life, would it?"

Delia and Dimitra both looked at Griselda with admiration. "Wow, Zelda, you know everything."

Griselda laughed heartily. "You don't get to be my age without learning a thing or two!" She stood up slowly, her bones cracking and moving into place. "Now come on, you two. We mustn't dilly dally any longer, we've got chores to do."

The sound of two identical groans filled the room. "But we don't wanna," the twins said in unison, throwing their head back in feigned anguish.

"Now you stop that whinin'! That's no way for servants such as yourselves to act in front of a lady," Griselda motioned to Sarah, then grabbed the girls by their wrists and pulled them up off the floor. "And you've dirtied your garments sitting on the floor like that," she clicked her tongue at them. "Go on now and get to work. And don't let the king see you in your dirty state!"

The girls gave a curtsy to Sarah before they both fled from Griselda, who was posed to swat at them if they didn't leave quickly enough.

Before leaving herself, Griselda gave Sarah a warm smile. "I wouldn't worry too much about Jareth, dear. I know in my heart that he's never loved another as much as he loves you."

Sarah's cheeks warmed as she watched Griselda roll the silver tray trolley out of the room, but before she was out the door, Sarah called out to her. "Zelda," she said hesitantly.

Griselda looked over her shoulder at her. "Yes, dear?"

With a smile spreading across her face, Sarah said, "thank you."

Griselda smiled back, her eyes crinkling and the lines on her face deepening. "Any time, love." With that, she left Sarah alone with her thoughts.

The rest of the day, Sarah found herself trying to submerge herself into whatever would take her mind off of Jareth and the whole "queen predicament". She tried to take a nap, but her mind wouldn't let her sleep. She tried to read a book in the library, but her thoughts fell over the words on the page. She even tried taking a walk through the garden, but catching a glimpse at the peach tree grove made her feel nauseous.

After trying everything she could, it was dinner time. Following Griselda into the dining room, Sarah found that it was just as quiet and lonely as everywhere else in the castle. Because Jareth's not here, her mind concluded, making her feel even more disheartened. She took a seat at her usual chair, peering across the table at the chair that was usually filled by Jareth. She sighed, worrying on her lip, knowing that she would be alone for dinner.

"Zelda?" Sarah spoke up. "Is Jareth coming to dinner?"

Griselda, following behind a new kitchen servant to fill Sarah's glass with wine, said, "Oh, I'm so sorry, dearie. I plum forgot to tell ya' that his majesty is away to have dinner with his parents. If you'd like, I'll have your meal brought up to your room if you don't want to sit by your lonesome here."

Sarah frowned. She had hoped that her suspicion was wrong, and that Jareth would just be late. Alas, Sarah would be alone for the evening.

She shook her head, staring at her wine glass as it was being filled. "No, it's okay. The table is already set for me." She looked down at the elaborate fine china with gold filigree around the edge of it. Suddenly an idea struck her, and she looked up at Griselda. "Zelda, have the maids had their dinner yet?"

Griselda shook her head. "No, no, the castle workers don't eat until well after the king and his guests eat."

Sarah smirked and said, "Well, the king isn't here, now is he?" When Griselda gave her a perplexed look, Sarah pushed her chair out and stood. "I think we should all have dinner together."

Griselda raised her thin eyebrows in surprise. "Together?" She repeated, making sure she heard correctly.

"Zelda, tell the chef I'll be dining in the servants' dining room, and I'll be having whatever you guys are having."

"But…" Griselda started to argue but hesitated. "If his majesty finds out that his guest is dining with the maids—"

"I'll talk to him," said Sarah, giving Griselda a wink.

Griselda hesitated a moment. Never has she ever seen or heard of a royal guest wanting to take supper with the servants. But then she couldn't help but smile. She really will be a fine queen, she thought, turning on her heels to hurry into the kitchen. "Mavis!" She cried out to the cook. "Sarah will be having her dinner with the maids!"

"But what will I do with this?" Mavis motioned to the already prepared food.

"Oh, just feed it to the Fireys!" Griselda disappeared into the kitchen, Sarah hearing a bunch of clattering of pots and pans as she entered.

"Lady Sarah," a voice next to Sarah said.

Sarah turned to see the young new servant next to her.

"If you wish, I would be happy to escort you to the servant's quarters," he bowed slightly as he talked to her.

Sarah nodded, smiling graciously. "Yes, thank you. And you don't need to bow for me," she said, reaching and lifting the boy's chin. "I'm not royalty or anything." Yet, the back of her mind prodded, and a wave of anxiety washed through her.

As soon as Sarah entered the servants' dining hall, all eyes were on her. As she made her way through the aisles of tables, she could hear them whispering to each other, their eyes following her every move. A spark of anxiety shot through her as she realized they were all whispering about her.

"Lady Sarah in the servants' hall? What is she doing here?"

"She doesn't belong here."

"The king will surely reprimand her."

"Is she here to punish us?"

Sarah couldn't take it anymore. She stopped at an empty table and stepped onto the seat for everyone to see her. "Ahem," she cleared her throat, loud enough for the whole room to hear. "As most of you know, my name is Sarah, and I am the champion of the labyrinth," she started, her voice shaking a bit. "I am not here to ridicule you or punish you on Jareth's behalf. I am simply here to enjoy dinner with the people that keep this castle running and make my stay here comfortable." Her voice grew stronger the more she spoke, and everyone stopped what they were doing to listen. "So, thank you for having me, and everyone have a nice dinner."

As soon as she was done speaking, servers filed in with their meals and dispersed them. Sarah climbed off her pedestal and sat down in the same spot, watching as everyone received their dinner.

"Sarah!" Two similar voices exclaimed behind her. When Sarah turned around in her seat, she was greeted by Delia and Dimitra. The two were holding two bowls of some kind of stew, each of them wearing big smiles on their face.

"You were just simply wonderful," Delia beamed in admiration.

"Yes, whoever heard of a queen having supper with her subjects?" Dimitra said, earning her an elbow in the ribs from her sister.

"Don't mention the 'queen' word around Sarah!" Delia half-whispered-half-yelled.

Sarah cringed at the word "queen" but recovered from it quickly. "It's okay, guys. I need to come to terms with it, anyway."

The two maids beamed at her with bright smiles. "Really?!" They both exclaimed.

Sarah nodded, running a hand through her chocolate brown locks. "I mean, if you think about what, what choice do I really have?" Sarah sat back down again at the table and Delia and Dimitra followed suit. "When I was away at my parent's, I really missed you guys and this place. It got me thinking—why should I leave when I don't have to? I've never felt as welcomed there than here. If I left, I'd just be wondering what my life would be if I would've stayed. So, I decided to cut out the middle-man and just stay here. Which means…" she trailed off, finding the words hard to say.

Delia and Dimitra waited for her to finish her sentence anxiously. After a few seconds of silence while Sarah tried to search for the words, they decided to help her out.

"Which means," Delia began.

"That you'll be queen!" Dimitra exclaimed so loud that some of the maids around them turned to listen in.

Sarah grimaced at the maids that turned around to look at them. Sarah smiled at them politely, waving them to go back to their own business. "Keep it down, guys, I can't have the whole castle knowing yet. You girls are my confidants, so keep it hush-hush," she whispered.

Delia and Dimitra looked at each other with sly looks in their eyes. "Confidants," they repeated to each other, grins spreading across their faces.

"Don't worry, Sarah," Dimitra said.

"We won't say a word," said Delia. They both put their index finger to their lips, indicating that their lips were sealed.

"Won't say a word about what?" Griselda took a seat at the table next to Sarah with two bowls of stew in her hands. She slid one of the bowls in front of Sarah.

"Sarah wants to be queen!" Dimitra said aloud, and then was promptly cut off by Delia's hand slapping over her mouth.

"She said not to tell anyone!" Delia scolded her sister, swatting at her arm.

"It's okay, guys, Zelda is a confidant too," Sarah clarified.

Dimitra sighed in relief, thankful that she didn't lose Sarah's trust.

"So, that's it, then? You're sure?" Griselda asked, a twinkle of hope in her old eyes.

Sarah nodded slowly, stirring the brown stew around with a spoon. "Yes, I'm certain now. I'm going to tell Jareth tonight when he gets back from dinner."

Griselda clapped her hands together in with delight. "Oh, this is a special occasion! Perhaps I shall ask the pastry chef to bake a cake in celebration."

The spoon fell out of Sarah's hand and landed in the bowl with a clink. "No, no, no, I don't want a celebration just yet. I need to tell Jareth first. After that, he can decide when to tell everyone, and then I'm sure there will be a celebration of some sort."

Griselda nodded, understanding fully. "Of course, dearie." She placed a gentle hand on Sarah's shoulder. "But I'm just so happy that you've chosen to stay," she said with a joyful grin, squeezing Sarah's shoulder.

Sarah placed her hand over Griselda's tan, wrinkly one and gave her a matching smile. "Me too," she replied.

After that, Sarah spooned a bit of stew into her mouth. It consisted of some sort of meat, carrots, peas, onions, and potatoes in a dark brown sauce. As soon as she took a bite, a burst of flavor flooded her mouth. She made an involuntary groan as she chewed the meat, though it hardly needed any chewing due to how tender it was. "Jesus," she muttered as soon as she swallowed. "This is what the castle workers eat?"

Griselda saw the wide-eyed look of bewilderment on Sarah's face and couldn't help but laugh. "You expected some sort of slop, didn't ya'?"

Sarah shrugged bashfully. "I don't know, I guess I just expected it to be not that great."

"His majesty makes sure that we get the best," Dimitra said, shoveling stew into her mouth.

Delia curled her lip up at her sister's crude way of eating. "Yes, the best for our class, that is."

"Jareth is a good king," Griselda said, nudging Sarah slightly. "A good king deserves a good queen."

Sarah blushed, getting butterflies in her stomach at the thought of seeing him that night. She spooned another bite of stew in her mouth, trying not to think about it anymore.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please don't forget to leave a review. I love hearing what you guys think about the story.