Woohoo! I got it up earlier than I had anticipated. With Torchwood this week turning me into an absolute spaz, I wasn't sure that I could do it this fast. My great apologies to all my readers for the cliffhanger. I like occasionally being evil and such, but I think the even worse cliffhangers in Torchwood have made me not want to prolong your pain (RTD is EVIL-- wonderfully brilliant, amazing, and talented... but EVIL). So here it is! It backs up a little in Sarah's point of view.
When Sarah had crossed to the Goblin City, she had seen that the goblins were still immobile. She didn't know exactly what sort of a spell had been cast over them, but she didn't want to take the chance that they were just frozen in place. She would have bet money that the spell allowed Amneris to control them when the twisted queen needed. But also would have bet that a few good warriors had stayed out of the rain, and thus out of Amneris' spell.
Before going to the castle, Sarah flew into a part of the forest where there was a little stone cottage in a small clearing: her three friends' house.
"Hoggle! Didymus! Ludo! I need you," she called.
"Your majesty," Sir Didymus said as he came out first and gave her a sweeping bow.
"Good Sir Didymus, please tell me you are all unaffected by the spell," Sarah said hopefully though she was pretty sure of the answer.
"But of course, your majesty," the little fox said. He was then joined by the other two.
"You need us, Sarah?" Hoggle asked.
"Yes, I need to get to Jareth in the castle, but I'm afraid of what Amneris has done to the goblins. I want you three to guard the castle and make sure the goblins can't get in unless you are absolutely sure they are no longer under the spell. Can you do it?" Sarah had just realised it was an awful large task for her faithful champions.
"Yeah," Hoggle said gruffly.
"I know I could take on battalions of goblins myself alone," Didymus said. "But perhaps your majesty could order the assistance of the fieries… just in case."
"They aren't affected?" Sarah asked.
"Nah," Hoggle explained. "They hate water. They've been hiding in the caves not far from here."
"All right," Sarah said. "You start going to the city as fast as you can. It should only take a few minutes. I'll go speak with the fieries. They'll come and help. When they do, Didymus, you'll be in charge. Ludo, listen to Didymus and call your rock friends when they're needed. Try not to hurt the goblins too much. Just keep them out of the castle until the spell over them is broken. Hoggle, you'll come with me. Enter through the hidden passage to the kitchens and I'll meet you there. There are a few goblins in the castle that weren't touched by the rain. I want you to lead them. If Jareth is hurt I leave it to you to protect him."
"And you, Sarah?" Hoggle asked, even though he could already guess the answer.
"I'm going after Amneris. You have the plan? Let's go."
Sarah once more transformed into a swan and flew to the cave Hoggle had said. The fieries were only too glad to get out and have some proper fun now that the evilly wet rain had stopped. It didn't take them long to get out of the forest and to the Goblin City. As Sarah flew above the city she saw all of her friends take their places. She dived through a window of the lower castle and only had to run a few steps to the kitchens.
"Hoggle, are you ready?" she asked as she looked over his little band of soldiers.
"Yes, your majesty," he answered. She could have sworn she heard admiration in the gruff dwarf's voice.
"Can I help, Lady?" Splunk asked.
"I'm counting on it, Splunk," Sarah said while thinking. "You'll stay with me. The rest will stay with Hoggle. The main priority is to make sure the king is safe. If he's injured…"
Sarah stopped. She couldn't finish the thought. What if he was injured? Or worse? The ideas suddenly swimming in her head made her ill. She didn't want anything like that to happen to him. He had to be safe.
Part of her questioned why. Only a few weeks ago she had been a normal human Aboveground living a normal, if somewhat West End glamorous, life. She had hated the Goblin King. Hadn't she? She was better off without him. Wasn't she?
I have reordered time. I have turned the world upside down. And I have done it all for you!
He sounds like a good match, if he's like what I think he is.
Fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave.
Sounds more like a proposal.
I married you, Sarah. You must come to me because you want it, not because of anything—or anyone—else.
Fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave.
I love you.
The memories flashed by in her head. It was so obvious now that she had been in denial that he loved her. But he did. He loved her.
She then remembered all the dinners together, all the training sessions… the kiss… their wedding night.
It then hit her like a tons of bricks. There was a perfectly good reason why she had to save Jareth, why she wasn't better off without him.
She loved him.
"Lady?" Splunk asked.
Sarah had only been lost in her thoughts for a few seconds, only a few seconds to realise she loved him.
"Yes, I'm fine," she said. "Do we know where the king is?"
"His king-ness and the evil witch are fighting in the throne room," one of the goblins said.
"Then Hoggle, you'll take your team in through the main doors. I'll go around through the Room of Many Stairs. Good luck everyone."
"Be careful, Sarah," Hoggle said as he followed his group. She heard him order the goblins to be stealthier as they turned out of sight.
"Come on, Splunk."
"Yes, Lady!" The goblin sounded eager.
It didn't take them long to reach the throne room. The Escher room, known to everyone else as the Room of Many Stairs, was far easier to navigate when one had magic. She heard the sounds of the battle as she quickly, but quietly, came down the stairs to the throne room. The two duelling Fae came into view just in time for Sarah to see Jareth fall with one of those ghastly goblin "knitting needles" lodged in his back.
Everything seemed in slow motion for a brief moment. Sarah heard a scream and then realised it was her own voice. Rage boiled and took over completely.
"Amneris!" Sarah's voice was hard as steel. "I think this is between you and me, don't you?"
The Nightmare Queen laughed. "Since I've finished off your king, I think I can now take care of you. Let's see which of you has to see the other die first!"
"You want to kill me, come and get me!" Sarah turned and ran back to the Escher room. She could hear Amneris scream in frustration. Good, Sarah thought, changing her plans will throw her off.
She ran down one set of stairs, jumped a short ways to another set, ran up some more and waited by an archway. Amneris came charging into the room but stopped when she saw what it was. The evil queen let out another scream of frustration as she looked around for Sarah. Sarah let herself be seen just before slipping out of sight through the archway. She could hear Amneris going up and down stairs to find her. Though this was a fight for her life, Sarah couldn't help but have fun during her game of cat and mouse; granted, things were much better for the cat than the mouse.
"Come out and face me, you little brat!" Amneris shouted.
Sarah ran unseen up and down and around more stairs. "Why? I'm having so much fun."
Once again, Amneris was forced to look around the room and try to find the source of Sarah's voice. She continued to scramble about the stairs trying to reach Sarah. In all of Sarah's reading of political texts, she had learned that only the Fae royalty of the Labyrinth could easily navigate the room. In fact, one of the reasons so many Fae avoided the whole Labyrinth was a poorly developed sense of direction. And Amneris was luckily one of those Fae that so easily got lost.
Sarah continued to appear and disappear a few times before deciding Amneris was ready for phase two. She motioned to Splunk, and he began bouncing around the stairs, giggling the whole time. Amneris began throwing spells at him while still trying to get to Sarah and hit her with anything, but the little goblin had a whole lot of practice in dealing with a Fae's attack. His only reaction was to bounce and giggle even more, constantly distracting and confusing Amneris.
Sarah then started phase three. Pulling on the magic pulsing in the castle, Sarah covered all the stairs with ice. Her own steps were immune to the magic; breaking out of Jareth's spell in the oubliette had helped her figure out how to make a spell specific to the one that cast it. It was a risky move using that much magic, but Sarah felt confident she could control it.
The Nightmare Queen stumbled with another scream. She tried again and again to get up, but the ice was too slick. She sent out balls of fire trying to melt the ice, but if anything the ice only got more slippery. It would briefly melt then refreeze even thicker.
Sarah looked out from her hiding place in one of the arches. Splunk came to her side. Amneris' chin was bleeding from where she must have scraped it on the stair. Her dress was torn from scrambling over the stairs. Sarah couldn't help but laugh coldly at the sight.
Amneris looked even more enraged. "That's it! Goblins, come to your new queen and serve her!"
Sarah could feel the other woman's spell reaching out and awakening the frozen-still goblins. She could also feel the amount of magical control it was draining from Amneris. Her spell left by the rain wouldn't even last long now that it was no longer dormant.
Sarah started laughing her mirthless laugh again when she heard the bellow of Ludo calling the rocks echo around the castle. The goblins would not be coming any time soon. Her little band outside could easily hold them long enough for Amneris' spell to wear off.
"Why are you laughing?" Amneris demanded. She threw a ball of fire at Sarah, but it was very weak and effortlessly cast aside.
"I'm laughing because my goblins aren't coming. An army was left untouched by your spell and now surrounds the castle," Sarah said, stretching the truth. "No one is coming to your aid. You've lost, Amneris."
It was time for the cat to catch the mouse.
"No!" The screamed echoed throughout every arch and passage in the room.
OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIO
As soon as Amneris had followed Sarah out of the throne room, Hoggle and his group had rushed to the side of their king. Luckily a small elfin healer was among the group and immediately began seeing to Jareth's wounds.
As Jareth winced and gritted his teeth in pain, the High King and Vandeele walked into the room. Vandeele rushed to Jareth's side while the High King surveyed the room and the view from the window.
"Jareth, what happened? Where's Queen Amneris?" Vand asked him, throwing all protocol and rank etiquette out the window.
"Former Queen Amneris," the High King corrected.
"She went into the Room of Many Stairs," Jareth croaked in pain. "Sarah… she…"
Then Sarah walked back into the throne room from the stairs leading to the Escher room.
"Queen Sarah," the High King nodded his head towards her, and she gave a tired and slightly sloppy curtsy in response. "Where is Former Queen Amneris?"
"In the Room of Many Stairs," Sarah said. "She's a bit stuck in a cage of icicles and under the guard of a goblin at the moment. Did you need to see her?"
"You trapped her yourself?" The High King sounded both shocked and impressed. "As the one who stopped her, and the one attacked, it is your right to decided her punishment. Unfortunately we cannot simply kill her."
"I think she might do well to receive some of what she's given," Sarah after a moment's thought and trying not to collapse. "May I suggest cursing her to a mortal life while her Fae body is trapped in a tomb of ice?"
"Very well." The High King's mouth twitched. "And the condition of her release? There must be one."
"Oh, how about until the High Queen allows the princess that Amneris cursed into the High Court's inner circle?"
Now the High King smiled. He nodded his head and left to see to the former Nightmare Queen. No longer needing to stand, Sarah crashed to her knees then flopped onto the floor.
"Your majesty?" Vand said with concern.
"I'm fine," Sarah mumbled. "It's just been a very long day. Jareth?"
"He'll mend," the elfin healer said.
Vand moved out of the way so she could see the Goblin King. The couple just stared at each other. They each had so much to say, but it all was left unsaid for the moment.
"Remind me to be mad at you later," Sarah said instead of all the others things she needed to tell him.
Jareth gave a small chuckle. "I was just about to say the same thing to you."
Sarah smiled. "Vand, you don't see any pigs flying, do you?"
If you have any questions, if any part of this was confusing, please let me know. The next chapter is pretty much the last chance to clear everything up. So tell me what you think. I'm not sure how fast the next and possibly last chapter will be in coming, but reviews make it go faster. Don't let the muses become distracted by that Captain Jack Harkness and his Torchwood. If there is enough interest I may be persuaded into doing a sequel; I'm not sure yet.