Chapter Thirteen: Hide Your Face So The World Will Never Find You

"When will the bloody thing begin?" Ron was in a foul mood. Too much "chick flick" kind of nonsense happening and he didn't much care for it. Jareth, King of Everything, laughed heartily and clapped twice. The crowd, who had been brimming with talk and laughter, fell quiet.

"Let the games begin, my loyal subjects. Finn, if you please…"

His voice, booming and yet soft at the same time, reached all the corners of the Arena. A man stepped to the centre of it, with a long, shaggy coat of royal blue with gold trimming and simple peasant clothing underneath. He had dirty blond hair and startling blue eyes and a deep British accent. He smiled often and had a wicked sense of humour.

"Good afternoon ladies and Gentlemen" he said, smirking and bowing, accepting the cheers from the crowd "Will the people in the cheaper seats please clap you hands? All the rest of you… If you'll just rattle your jewellery" (John Lennon's quote)

There was laughter from the lower seats, and uncomfortable shifting from the higher seats. There only a few people laughed, among them the Kings of the Elves, the Fairies, and the Leanan Sidhe. King Paul of the Daoine Sidhe, on the other hand, looked offended as well as other various nobleman and woman, including a very serious- looking Djinn who was accompanied by his daughter, a shy little creature immersed in a book.

"Oh, well, they are being the difficult crowd… again" Finn melodramatically rolled his eyes "They do not pay me enough to do this, I assure you. Whatever on the Underground could loosen up such a difficult audience?"

He was smiling mischievously and the mortals supposed quite correctly that Finn knew all along what it would take.

"Get on with the Games, Finn! That will loosen up your crowd for sure!" one man from the audience shouted at the top of his lungs, laughing merrily. Finn rolled his eyes.

"You poor folk have no respect for poetry or dramatic pauses. But as this is a show basically for you, then I guess I'll get on with it. Happy?"

The crowd cheer and he bowed to them.

"Then, we'll go straight to the presentations. Here in this corner we have the home challengers… The mysterious, the unbeatable, the strangely alluring and incredibly powerful though amazingly modest and marvellously gentle Unwanted. Many of them you want to hug, most you want to kiss and practically all of them you dread to find alone in a dark street at night!" there were nervous laughs and downright guffaws from the very Unwanted, many of whom were laughing openly at the description "They were cast away from society, shunned, abandoned, disposed of, deemed inappropriate and unnecessary… And now they hold court here, where they rule above Kings and Queens, as the subjects of his Most Royal Majesty" upon saying this he mocked-bowed at Jareth, who smirked back "And as his Champions they accept the challenges of the members of TirnanOg. The Best of the Best of the Kingdom of the Fae will face the Courtiers of the Wild Lands in a series of games that will determine the supremacy of one and the weakness of the other"

The crowd cheered again, some of them looking gleefully at the members of TirnanOg, obviously waiting for them to fail miserably. They fidgeted in their seats, except for a selected few who seemed to be in the good graces of the crowd. Sarah laughed low in her throat.

"You like to make them suffer… don't you?"

"You'll get the urge to laugh at them also, in due time… believe me" he replied, his head titled to whisper into her ear, sounding positively wicked. They stared at each others eyes, something deep and dark and red flaring deep in their eyes before the trumpets announced the beginning of the first game, the jousting, and they parted, as if in a daze.

"And here is our contestant for the Wild Lands. Though not an Unwanted per se, he is indeed an old inhabitant of the Labyrinth and deserves the respect of the crowd. Ladies and gentleman I give you… Lord Vulpes, the Grey Knight"

There was a great round of applause as an aged, by the way he moved, and yet strong knight stepped into the arena, ridding a white and grey stallion that looked fierce and brave, the mane of thick white hair curled at the ends, and golden eyes that shone in the light of the day, though age had already begun showing around its eyes and body. The Knight was wearing dark grey armour, including his helmet so his face was covered and hidden from view. His banner was a grey, fierce fox against a dark red background and his pageboy was a leprechaun with long hair tied with a ribbon and shabby clothing. It was quite laughable, really, to see such an odd competitor.

"He reminds me of someone" Sarah pondered aloud, looking at Jareth with an arched eyebrow "I have a bad feeling about this"

"Relax and enjoy the show, darling" he replied, drawling out the endearment as if he was making a sinful proposal "I know I will"

There was something malicious in his look, something dangerous in the curve of his lips, but Sarah had no idea what it could be so she forced herself to lean back and watch as the Grey Knight and his aged horse, against all odds and predictions, took down each opponent. One by one they all fell to the hard arena, defeated and humiliated. The Knight didn't say a word, didn't complain and, as tired as he seemed before an encounter, he always seemed to pull it off for the joust, recovering miraculously from each thrust and jab at his chest, his armour holding up wonderfully.

"We have the best blacksmiths in the land… And the competitors for the Wild Lands always have the best of the best. It is the general rule around here. Everyone contributes to the success of the games… to the glorious triumph of our Champions"

There was thick pride behind the mellifluous quality of his voice, and a certain fierce fire in his eyes. He was indeed a creature of games. She had always known. He was also terribly possessive…

If she didn't know that, she was about to find out.

"Now you see we are down to the finals in Jousting, and I must say it's going to be thrilling. Lord Graysville almost never loses and has been known to ask for the sharp end of the spears to be used"

"No stopper? No cap?" Katie enquired, gulping. Jareth smiled widely though, and shook his head in mock-sadness.

"Sorry to disappoint you, mortal, but we play it rough when need be. And this is, after all, a final. Risking one's life is almost a requirement in here. Though we are immortals, the points of the spears are laced with steel that, as you know well, contains a significant amount of iron"

"You mean someone could die for a stupid game?" that was Angelina's outraged contribution. The King of Kings simply shrugged.

"People would be disappointed if there was no danger of an imminent casualty… We live for a long time, Sarah. Sometimes we feel the need to be close to death, even if it is only to remind us how undesirable it really is"

Sure enough Graysville asked for the pointed spears to be used. As the now shaking leprechaun handed his sire the aforementioned object the knight bowed and, in an awfully familiar voice, proclaimed while raising his weapon:

"I dedicate this, my future victory, to the Lady Sarah of the Labyrinth, may her power rise and protect our beloved Wild Lands. I also ask of her an object of her possession for luck and safety, if she will concede that to an aged, useless knight as I am"

He bowed deeply then, and came forward to the seats of Jareth and his companions. Sarah quickly looked for her handkerchief and, after asking silent permission from Jareth, tied it around the black spear of the knight.

"May the Goddess Danu shine upon you, my Knight" she said simply, a smile of encouragement on her face. There was something warm and familiar about the man…

"Good Luck" she whispered to him, briefly touching the tip of his helmet, trying to use her magic to keep him safe from harm… This knight… this knight so familiar to her… so friendly and warm. And as he rode away she suddenly realized who he was.

"Oh no!" she tried to get into the Arena, but suddenly two strong pairs of arms held her back "No, get off! I have to stop Sir Didymus!"

She tried elbowing him in the ribs, but he was quicker and sat himself in his throne, with her lying on his lap, the upper part of her body snuggled… albeit unwillingly, against his.

"You'll do no such thing, Sarah" he said lowly "They are all watching dear and it would be a disgrace for the Wild Lands if you stopped the contest just because you are afraid your little friend will get hurt. Might I also point out Sarah that he hasn't lost a single joust yet?"

He was, for once, being the voice or reason and Sarah relaxed, eager to be rid of his proximity that made her feel all… tremulous and tender.

"You are right… Absolutely right. I should just sit down and enjoy the show, Sir Didymus will be great" she breathed out as best as she could, willing her breath not to hitch when she felt a slender hand come to rest on the small of her back, massaging it.

"Oh, no you are not getting away so easily, child" there was something sinful in the way he said the word 'child' "I am tired of your attitude and your constant defiance. This is punishment, deal with it!"

It was really the end of the discussion. She then turned to the only other thing that worked with Jareth: Silent but determined fighting. She squirmed and twisted on his lap, refusing to blush and noticing that no one else seemed to be noticing what was happening. She had hoped the teachers were going to step into action as they had every time Jareth had gotten close and cosy, but they seemed to be deliberately not looking at the scene she was making. Just as the rest of the Auditorium was doing. Everyone was avoiding looking her way.

"What have you done?" she accused turning around to face him, her voice low and, unwillingly, sort of sultry.

"Well, it's the perk of being the most powerful magical being in existence. You learn a few effortless tricks" he smiled down at her wolfishly and then bent slightly to whisper into her ear "Oh and I wouldn't recommend any more fidgeting. The consequences of you moving like that on my lap might be more than what you are prepared to handle"

He ducked his head to brush his lips against her neck, relishing in the smell that was only Sarah's. Yet in his mind he could still here the old Crones telling him about how she was going to change him in frightening ways:

"She will be your perfect match, King of Kings" they had hissed contentedly "A Queen in the Making she'll come to you and you'll forge her with help of wizards into the most bewitching creature to behold. And then you'll lose your will and your mind to her, and she'll hold such power over you it will make you tremble in fear and utter desire"

His last comment had at least made her stop moving around, causing part of his body that had stirred to life go back to relaxation. Knowing he wouldn't lose his control any time soon he continued a more fervent exploration of her neck with his lips, using his tongue to trail wet Celtic patterns he knew from memory over her skin: Love, Lust, Life… He paused to trace the telltale horizontal eight over her right shoulder… His symbol.

Eternity…

"Stop" she managed to gasp out, panting all the way, her trembling hands trying to push him away with no avail "Please…"

All she got back was a silenced chuckle against the hollow of her neck were it met her shoulder as he pressed his face into it, biting gently. She almost fainted, her head rolling back and her eyelids closing to cover her green-grey eyes.

"Please what, my dearest, most beloved Sarah?" he purred into her throat.

He was tired of pretending. He was tired of longing, of making believe there wasn't anything between them. And if she was going to be his undoing it was not going to be because he had had to restrain himself to death.

Just then there was a loud clashing sound and the crowd cheered. Sarah whirled around, hair whipping around her to face the arena, getting away from the dizzying eyes of the regent of the Underground.

"Oh, sir Didymus. I can't believe I forgot about him!"

Jareth smiled, pleased with himself, and released the girl from his grasp, causing her to almost loose her balance. Muttering unladylike nonsense into the air the girl approached the arena and motioned the winner, the Grey Knight, to come forward.

"Is it you, Sir Didymus?" she asked in a low whisper as she was handed a crown of laurels to put above his now uncovered head, which did resemble that of the Fox's. The Knight smiled and nodded, bowing deeply.

"Things are never what they seem here, little Lady, remember? I know I may not seem a valiant knight most of the time, but there is still enough magic in these old bones to bring back the old glory of my jousting days for one day each year. I knew you would be here this day, so I wanted to surprise you. And Ambrosias wanted that to, didn't you old friend?"

The aged yet brave white-and-grey horse nodded as if he understood what was being said and, to Sarah's amusement, tried to bark.

The next great competition was bow and arrow, for which the crowd was not very enthusiastic.

"Go break a leg, My King" Titania muttered snidely towards her fiancé, fanning herself with a feathered fan of a pale pink colour, hiding her smirk as she did so. Oberon rolled his eyes.

"I would rather face the crowd than you any day, my dearest Queen"

With those words he strolled past his infuriated Queen and down towards the Arena, where the rest of the archers were resignedly waiting for the one they knew was going to be the winner. Sure enough there was no elf with more military experience than Oberon and he easily beat the rest of the archers. Sarah noticed with a smile that Titania was the first to clap among the audience and she had the most peculiar smile in her face as Oberon received his laurels from her, as she was his fiancé and all.

"I'm glad to see that you weren't ogling any of those other archers" Oberon said softly, taking both of her hands in his and whispering close to her ear. He was trying to reach out, it seemed. Alicia popped some of the Twin's popcorn into her awaiting mouth and continued watching.

"I thought it would make you loose your concentration" she replied flippantly, arranging his clothing with her nervous hands "It would have been fun to see you lose"

She turned away from him then, making a motion to return to her seat but whirled around to whisper something into his ear before she did so, leaving him grinning like some young, foolish elf in love.

"Whatever on Earth did she tell him?" Sarah whispered to Jareth, titling her head to the side, puzzled.

"She probably told him what colours she would be wearing to the masquerade tonight" he replied confidently and, seeing Sarah nonplussed expression, explained "For a masquerade people use two predominant colours. If you want to show the rest of the world you are attached to a person the couple shows up dressed in matching colours. Colours are also codes for rank, affiliation, friendship, covenants, and all sorts of diplomatic nonsense"

She wished he would explain, but he remained silent and so did she. He was more of a man of action, and so was she in a lot of ways.

Swords clashed then, followed by axes and spears and weapons the mortals had never seen before, including an interesting duel with whips. There were more cheeky remarks from Finn which were received with laughter from the crowd. Finally Finn rubbed his hands together and smirked.

"Oh, well, I don't know why we are having the next duel at all" he said with a shrug. Just then a figure appeared among the mortals. It was a man, with straight, black hair up to the chin, slanted red eyes with practically no pupil and a set of Chinese robes. He had two long, demonic wings of onyx black, like the wings of gargoyles and looked… sleazy.

"Quinn, what are you doing here?" the monarch asked, an eyebrow raised, before introducing the newcomer "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Harlequin, my Royal Gossiper and an Incubus"

"Your Royal WHAT?" Alicia exclaimed, jumping from her seat "You mean that I was not kidding myself, people can live off of that?"

"Only if you know the right people, darling" the man replied. He was almost asexual in his appearance, his eyes always full of desire. The temperature seemed to rise whenever he was around and the girls fidgeted, not liking him. After all, he was a Sex demon…

"What's next, Quinn? Is it your beloved's turn?" the monarch was teasing, but there was something behind it, some sort of wickedness Sarah could not explain.

"Oh, yes. My angel, my love, my darling is next. Sin will be magnificent"

All of the people present suddenly gasped and the twins actually "EWW-ed" loud enough for everyone to hear. Albus Dumbledore had the decency to blush and cough, Minerva blushed even more, Snape raised both his eyebrows till they were covered by his jet-black hair and Ron covered Ginny's ears seconds too late.

"You mean you are in love with… Lord Lucifer?" Hermione squeaked, trying to sound polite.

"Desperately" the creature sighed "But it denies me every time. We made a bet, though. If I ever catch it, then it will have to kiss me… and then… My Original Sin will finally be mine…" (AN: No, this fanfic will never contain slash. Rest assured! All will be explained in the next chapter, when you'll find out something odd).

There were several shudders from the teenagers and a contained chuckle from Jareth, who shook his head.

"The illegal Underground Circle of Bets must be having a blast with this!" he commented maliciously, his shoulders shaking from contained laughter. Finn, from down in the arena, coughed to get his attention.

"Now, as I was saying" he stressed "I really do not know why we are having this duel at all. We all know the outcome, people!" there were several shouts from the crowd and the noblemen looked pretty unhappily at it. "So if our Lord Lucifer does us the honour of stepping towards the arena" there was a rush of air and shadows surrounded the Unwanted. The Shadows dissipated showing Lord Lucifer was no longer seated. The same shadows gathered at the corner of the Arena and the hazy figure of the cloaked bookkeeper became solid again "or teleporting… whatever rocks your boat…"

"You really do talk too much, Finn" Jareth said regally from his place, shaking his head in mock disapproval "Get on with it!"

Amidst the laughs and claps the blond-haired elf tried to regain the respect of the crowd and announce the contestant. But just as Finn was taking a deep breath to plunge into one of his deep, often meaningless speeches the seal of the contestant was covered by a white flag and the crowd deflated at once, just as the members of the Unwanted hissed as one.

The contestant had withdrawn, and by default Sin had won…

"Oh, hell, this is going to be a massacre" Finn cursed aloud, covering his face with his hands just as the guards moved to protect the noblemen and women. The squire of the contestant, who had placed the flag, cowered in fear and ran away from the arena.

"What's got everybody's knickers in a twist?" Fred asked aloud, trying not to choke on his popcorns as he did so, coughing rather loudly.

"To refuse to duel with someone means that you don't trust the person not to kill you or to cheat in any way that may result in any injury to yourself. It is a great insult, a slap in the face, so to speak. And when you insult one of the group, all the Unwanted are in a way compromised"

The figure standing almost alone in the arena did look thunderstruck for a minute before disappearing in a puff of shadows. Everyone sighed in relief in unison.

"Revenge is not for a festive day" Jareth said out loud as a means of explanation "Sin is willing to wait, it seems. If not, all of the Unwanted would have rose up against the Court of TirnanOg and that would have been a show worth seeing"

"Well, that's my pet, always doing the right thing for King and country" Quinn replied, a wistful look in his face. Fred and George gagged.

"Why are you here anyway, Quinn?" Jareth sounded tired, suddenly spent. The games had finished and the people were already leaving their seats.

"Well, I have been sent by my fellow mates to issue an invitation to your guests to our lovely masquerade in celebration of our victory… Yet again. Any of you ladies care for a little dancing?"

With a wicked smile he bowed, kissed Sarah's hand and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving a black envelope in his wake, golden words engraved into an elegant square-cut invitation proclaiming them in favour with the Royal Court of the Wild Lands.

"Well, this ought to be fun" Alicia muttered under her breath just as she saw Jareth face. There was something wicked about the way he was half-smiling that she found oddly exciting.

For better of for worse, the evening was bound to be interesting.

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It had been decided that, with the tension between the Court of the Wild Lands and the members of TirnanOg it wouldn't be safe for Sarah to make a display of her magic, so they had withdrawn after the victory ceremony, sans one of the victors, had been performed. (AN: Do not fear, something along the lines of a magical demonstration WILL happen).

The Goblin Castle was deadly silent that night and nobody would have guessed there was a party going on somewhere behind tightly closed doors. They had arrived by carriage, as the town was too crowded in the middle of festivities to be safe at all. Now they had split into different chambers to go change for the gala of the night.

"I just can't wait for the party. I bet if it's anything like your dream bubble we are going to have the time of our lives!" Alicia squealed, gleefully trying on several dresses Aracne had left for them. Sarah's own gown, as per his Highness's request, had been laid out in another chamber, awaiting her.

"I don't know how to ballroom dance" Ginny suddenly gasped, adjusting her modest, princess-styled maroon and green dress "What on Earth am I going to do?"

Katie Bell laughed aloud as she grabbed the satin deep blue and silver dress Alicia had picked out for her to wear, as the fashion consultant of the group.

"It's easy, really. Step, step, step, twirl, bow here, bow there…" she demonstrated with an imaginary partner and got a few catcalls.

"Where in the name of Merlin, King Arthur and the bloody knights of the friggin' round table did you learn to do that?" Angelina asked, awed. Katie was then forced to confess that "Captain Wood had taught her" so she was subjected to several mocking comments. Angelina finally went for good old baby pink and powder blue and Alicia opted for a deep red and gold. Hermione chose a purple and silver dress of velvet and as they went to change Sarah reluctantly went to her own room, still a little bit skittish about leaving her friends alone. As she stepped out of the chambers they had been assigned, Orion, the friendly little pixie from before, approached her.

"King Jareth entrusted you to my care, Lady Sarah" the little girl said with a respectful bow "I will make sure you bathe and dress and then do your hair in a way that will knock everyone's socks off"

The creature was practically jumping up and down from the excitement and ushered Sarah into what the girl considered the most luxurious set of chambers in the whole damn castle. They were decorated in deep, almost blood red and black, with purple accessories and also touches of gold, making it seem rich and luxurious, as well as decadent. The style was a cross of Renaissance, romanticism and baroque, with some heavy rococo influence in the intrinsic carvings on the furniture of dark cherry wood and the golden-framed mirrors. There was something 'Royal' about the chambers, that included a bathroom with a bath resembling a little lake with a waterfall just as it was in the Prefect's bathroom, only ten times bigger and more opulent.

"Whose chambers are these? They look unoccupied but definitely opulent… Like they are waiting for someone to come and claim them" Sarah's voice carried itself from the dresser she was exploring, which was the size of her room in Hogwarts, towards the bedroom, which she had yet to see. Orion, who was fussing over the dress laid out over the bed, called for her and replied.

"These, my lady, are the Queen's Chambers"

Orion was practically beaming as she said it, but Sarah's expression was another thing entirely.

"Oh"

She made no further comment and stepped into the bedroom, where a huge crystalline chandelier hung from the impossibly-tall ceiling and made tinkling noises when the breeze blew gently into the room. The walls were made of stone but covered in tapestries, portraits, and mirrors, several of them, glinting under the candlelight. The room was breathtaking. And the dress…

It was a spaghetti-strapped, scoop-necked blood-red silk dress that had, over the layers of red silk that acted as petticoats, a layer of see-through black gauze that caused the dress to look midnight-black. The gauze had tiny little beads of crystals sewn into it, shimmering under the light as stars in heaven. The dress pooled to the floor and had a short train, making it look also sort of medieval. It was beautiful, and yet she knew she had seen it before.

"Is the dress not to my Lady's liking? Because I can tell you right now you are going to be the Diva of the night, rest assured"

The little pixie was trying hard to please Sarah, but it wasn't a question of pleasing. It was a nagging voice at the back of Sarah's head, telling her something was really wrong with the picture.

Shrugging her concerns off and picking the beautiful dress up from the bed she went to change, leaving Orion to choose the jewellery and hair accessories.

In the adjoining rooms a very nervous King walked, or rather paced, raking a hand through his mane of hair. It had grown through the years, even if Sarah hadn't commented on it, but still some bangs reached only to brush across his shoulders. He was wearing a blood red silk shirt, black breeches and a black beaded frock jacket, and was about to make the biggest mistake of his life. But for once at least the dreams he had been planting in Sarah's head, the dreams in which he had reached her over the years, would be true. Only one night.

He knew that invading her dreams had been wrong, but he hadn't been able to help himself. It was so easy for him to access her mind, just a little tug for it to open to him. And then he had created the ballroom as their space, and had given her a new ball gown, one that reflected her true complexity and personality. The gown of a queen.

"Will she remember?" he wondered aloud, cursing in six different languages "Will she be happy about it? Fat chance there."

He looked at himself in his full-length mirror, from the red streaks in his hair down to his black polished boots and added a black silk mask which he tied at the back of his head. He then smiled and was not worrisome anymore, but wicked.

"Even if I have this one night, I'll have it… and her"

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"I've heard that she has raven black hair, and that her eyes change colours"

"I've heard that she has skin as white as snow, and lips as red as the Ruby Moon"

"I've heard that he is totally smitten with her"

"I've heard that he is head over heels already for her, but that she doesn't even know"

"I've heard he visits her in her... Oh, Lord, here they come. By the underground, what curious creatures these mortals are!"

The faces of the courtiers who were whispering amongst each other were hid by masks of several shapes and colours. They disbanded as soon as the mortals, whom the Courtiers had spotted briefly at the Arena
stepped into the ballroom, disguised. A certain raven-haired, snow-white-skinned maiden with ruby red lips and eyes that changed colours was missing, sadly. So was the King, who was hiding amongst the masked dancers as he had done so long ago, in a bubble dream.

"This place is the stuff dreams are made of" Alicia whispered in awe.

She watched as Quinn, whom they had met earlier and was dressed in an outfit that reminded them of an Asian pirate in jade and gold, kissed the hand of a woman dressed in a Gothic raggedy dress of violet and
black. The girl hurriedly escaped his clutches and, without saying a word, disappeared amidst the dancers.

"It is sort of dreamy" Ginny nodded, smiling at a young man who came to kiss her hand. Harry sent him a glare before any of the redhead boys could and the man, laughingly bowing, retired.

"And where on Earth are the professors?" Hermione wondered aloud. Just then the crowd parted a little and they saw Minerva McGonagall, still with her hair down, dancing with no other than Albus Dumbledore in a stunning ballroom outfit loose around his frame.

"There is nothing like old people in love" Katie sighed with a wistful smile on her face.

"Yeah, and nothing like the Greasy Git chaperoning us" Fred muttered darkly pointing at the figure dressed in black and emerald that was, indeed, their Potions Master.

"Well, let's loose him" George proposed "He seems pretty distracted looking for that Gothic chick with the black and purple dress that disappeared around the corner anyway"

Everyone turned to see that the Potions Master was indeed discreetly moving his eyes through the crowd looking for hints of black or violet. They all took off cautiously dodging the courtiers in search of a safe spot.

"I think we lost him Eons ago" Angelina finally said, coming to rest against a pillar before realizing it was really a woman pretending to be a pillar. She jumped right up and apologized.

"Let's stay here for a little while"

The group huddled in the corner, looking at the dancers as they twirled, but they didn't seem to be really dancing, as in the bubble dream, but rather stretching, waiting for the real fun to finally begin.

"What on Merlin's name are all of you doing here?" a voice asked from behind. Startled beyond belief all of the teenagers jumped and whirled around, expecting to see a moving statue. Instead they found Sarah, a garnet chocker around her neck and dressed in scarlet and black, unmasked.

"Sarah, you look divine!" Angelina squeaked, as Alicia was actually at a loss for words.

"And your hair, the tousled look really works for you!" Katie added a little bit quieter. Just then the dancers stopped in the middle of their activity and a voice, his voice, whispered across everyone's minds:

"Now that the guest of honour is in the premises, let this masquerade begin! Drink, dance, lust and live, my dear courtiers, for another year had passed and you have shown your worthiness"

There were several whispers coming for everyone before the group of courtiers that had been gossiping before climbed atop a large, open staircase, flutes of champagne in hand. Music started in the background:

"What a splendid party" one of them said, drinking up.

"The prelude to a bright new year"

"What a night, I'm impressed" a man was singing this time, looking at a woman while trying to ogle her assets. The woman slapped him gently with her fan and replied in a beautiful soprano voice:

"Well, one does one's best!"

They all toasted together and directed their flutes to the audience.

"Here's to us. The toast of all the city, what a pity that the losers can't be here!"

In unison the flutes with the remains of champagne were thrown into a nearby fire that roared with the addition of alcohol. Several torches lit up as well, filling the ballroom with light. Music sprang into life again, strident and deafening, but the crowd didn't seem to mind. Actually, they started singing as they moved to the rhythm of a strange, upbeat waltz full of pirouettes, dips and spins:

Masquerade!
Paper faces on parade . . .
Masquerade!
Hide your face,
so the world will
never find you!

Masquerade!
Every face a different shade . . .
Masquerade!
Look around -
there's another
mask behind you!

Fans flapped in unison everywhere and the teenagers where enthralled by the whole spectacle. People not only danced in the floor, but also in mid air, all following some sort of well-practiced choreography, moving in unison, teasing with masks, fans and handkerchiefs.

Flash of mauve . . .
Splash of puce . . .
Fool and king . . .
Ghoul and goose . . .
Green and black . . .
Queen and priest . . .
Trace of rouge . . .
Face of beast . . .

Faces . . .
Take your turn, take a ride
on the merry-go-round . . .
in an inhuman race . . .

"Oh, so there you are, you little brats" the dark voice of the Potions Master stalked towards his students who were pretty easy to detect in the synchronized pantomime going on around them. Dodging women and men alike the Slytherin Head of House caught up with the awed group of teenagers, who had nowhere to run.

"You ran away like children!" he spat at them, clearly beyond angry. The girls promptly hid behind the boys, who were stuck with the job of finding and excuse.

"Well, it is… you see" Fred begun "George will tell you all about it"

"ME?" there was a pause "Oh, yes, ME. Of course. Gladly. The deal is that… Hey, Fred, isn't that the Gothic chick with the raggedy black and violet dress you were talking about just before…?"

The Twins smiled knowingly as Snape's head did a double take. Sure enough atop the stairs the girl was rejecting suitors with a wave of her black metallic fan, hiding her face behind it at times and singing with a voice that stood out from the others and lulled the senses, as if casting a spell of some sort. Her face showed no joy, as opposed to the rest of the dancers though, she was a total blank, as if her face was a mask on its own.

Eye of gold . . .
Thigh of blue . . .
True is false . . .
Who is who . . .?
Curl of lip . . .
Swirl of gown . . .
Ace of hearts . . .
Face of clown . . .

Faces . . .
Drink it in, drink it up,
till you've drowned
in the light . . .
in the sound . . .
But who can name the face . . .?

"Retreat, retreat!" Fred said in a hushed whisper. But before vanishing from sight, George couldn't resist and shouted over his shoulder:

"Oh, and Professor Snape, Sir? I heard one of the dancers call her Ala (Ah-lah), in case you were interested"

The Weasleys laughed hard at that till a slightly panicked Katie interrupted their amusement with one tiny little question:

"And where is Sarah?"

Masquerade!
Grinning yellows,
spinning reds . . .
Masquerade!
Take your fill -
let the spectacle
astound you!

Masquerade!
Burning glances,
turning heads . . .
Masquerade!
Stop and stare
at the sea of smiles
around you!

Masquerade!
Seething shadows
breathing lies . . .
Masquerade!
You can fool
any friend who
ever knew you!

"Let go of me!" Sarah was trying hard to pry her arm free from a man's dead grip. The masked felon simply laughed and threw her into the waiting arms of another dancer, who spun her around until she was dizzy.

"Help!" she managed to choke out just as she was grabbed by the waist, pulling her into a tight embrace.


Masquerade!
Leering satyrs,
peering eyes . . .
Masquerade!
Run and hide -
but a face will
still pursue you!

"There she is! And she doesn't seem very happy!" Alicia shouted to be heard above the roaring of the music. They were fighting their way around the dance, but once they spotted Sarah it was futile to keep trying to move, the crowd wasn't allowing it. Sarah's protest grew weaker and weaker, as if she was falling asleep and suddenly they couldn't hear her anymore.

"I so don't like this" Angelina hissed at her boyfriend, holding onto him for dear life as someone whirled past her. They were trapped by the dancers and the columns, which were not really columns, almost as if they were preventing them from helping their friend for some reason.

The music slowed down towards another part with dialogue and the people atop the staircase started talking:

"What a night"

"What a crowd"

"Makes you glad"

"Makes you proud! Of all la crème de la crème"

"Watching us watching them"

"And all our fears are in the past" the voice singing that was so pure in its intonation that everybody quieted as it ran through the room. It was the gothic girl. As in cue there was a surge of magic that made the room glow from within, blinding the mortals for a couple of seconds.

"Twelve months of relief… of Delight… Of Elysian Peace"

"And we can breathe at last!"

"No more jousts"

"No more swords"

"Here's to health"

"Here's a toast"

"To a prosperous year"

"To our friends who are here" there was amusement in the voice who sang that. The girl in black gasped and let her flute of champagne drop. She quickly scanned the room, and as her eyes passed the group of teenagers they widened. She promptly whirled around and disappeared amongst the dancers and was never seen again.

"And may our splendour never fade"

"What a joy!
What a change!
What a blessed release!
And what a masquerade"

The music calmed down for a while, soft violins playing harmoniously. Sarah tried to escape then, but she was already too dizzy and drowsy to move. She fell into a stranger's arms, and noticed idly that the stranger was wearing her colours… Red and black.

He also had the strangest wild blond hair, and she knew she had seen hair like it before. Red streaks crossed it, making it seem warmer, more golden.

"Do I know you?" she asked in a whisper. The stranger smiled, pulling her closer.

"In dreams, maybe"

The music suddenly came back to life, reaching an impossible crescendo. The dancers twirled to life again, dancing madly around and around, taking Sarah and her strange hero with them. She held onto his neck, terrified.

"I'll be drowned in this sea of faces!"

She felt arms entwine around her waist and suddenly she felt safe and warm and loved.

"Hush, my pet, I will not let them drown you"

She didn't remember her name, but she remembered that someone had called her many times that endearment, and it was right and proper, so she thought nothing of it.

Masquerade!
Paper faces on parade...
Masquerade!
Hide your face so the world
Will never find you!

Masquerade!
Every face a different shade...
Masquerade!
Look around-
There's another mask behind you!

Masquerade!
Burning glances, turning heads...
Masquerade!
Stop and stare
At the sea of smiles around you!

Masquerade!
Grinning yellows, spinning reds...
Masquerade!
Take your fill-
Let the spectacle astound you!

And with the dark notes reaching their climax the music died away as quickly as it had blared into life. Yet the spell of it seemed to still hang in the air, as if suspended in the middle of the air they breathed.

"I feel dizzy" Sarah whispered, leaning her forehead against that of the mystery man's "And kind of giddy"

"I feel the same" came the husky answer, and Sarah could feel warm, spicy breath against her face "Isn't it funny?"

Her strange prince spun them around. The music that played now was soft and mellow, almost seductive. It was a waltz, of course. The raven-haired mortal marvelled at the way they danced as if they had done it a thousand times before, in perfect synchrony, as if they knew the other's rhythm by heart. Closer for the spin, hands entwined for the complicated steps, eyes never losing contact. They laughed in unison even as they fell over and over under some kind of incantation.

It seemed to them as if they danced for hours, but they really lost track of time. The masked dancers occasionally got close enough to scare her, but the stranger would always pull her flush against him and dismiss the courtier nosy enough to wonder towards where they were with a wave of his hand. The gesture always seemed to trigger something in her mind, a memory, a recollection. It was so… so…Royal.

"You command them?" she asked him, her hands resting on the nape of his neck and her eyes sparkling. The man let out a soft chuckle and shrugged, dipping her. She was referring to the way there seem to be always a circle free of people around them, as if no one dared to get close to them except for the occasional drunk.

"They respect me"

"You sound too full of yourself, you know?" she teased, unconsciously pulling closer to him, her lips parted in a smile that Jareth had never seen before in real life. It was both innocent in its happiness and seductive, inviting.

For the first time in a long time, he smiled back.

"I'm afraid you'll leave me then, for being too full of myself" he said casually, but the way his grip around her waist tightened told her another story entirely.

"Leave you?" that thought had never crossed her mind, and it sounded completely unappealing "I will never leave you, you have nothing to worry about"

Suddenly his eyes took on a pleading quality and he pulled her tight against him, forehead against forehead yet again. He looked pained and at the same time hopeful.

"Promise me you'll never leave me. Even if you don't understand me" he asked of her, his voice devoid of any wicked undertones. It almost hurt to see him like this.

"I promise" Sarah said it without thinking, and she would live to regret it sooner than she expected. Alas, the temptation to do anything to soothe his soul was almost… overwhelming.

Her words worked wonders on him and abruptly he was back to being the nameless, seductive villain with a touch of hero. His lips curled into a pleased, almost self-satisfied smile and his hands caressed her back, no longer gripping but stroking in slow, almost lazy motions.

"Seal the promise the way we do in the Underground, with what we consider the most sacred and precious thing" he pleaded, but there was shameless flirting behind his voice, in the husky quality of it "Seal it with a maiden's first true kiss"

She didn't have time to tell him that she had been kissed before, even if not truly. Sloppily, unpleasantly, unwillingly, yes, but irrevocably kissed. She didn't have time to agree or deny him his heart's desire. She didn't even have time to arch her eyebrow in surprise before his mouth, so thin and cynical and tempting at the same time, covered hers. Eyes opened wide as soft lips met icy ones in what was a mind-blowing kiss, a kiss of kisses. All the passion she had accumulated over the years, the dreams she couldn't remember, all the longing and waiting and the frustration of knowing it was not to be, fuelled such a display of affection. She flung her arms, which she had let drop from sheer shock, around his neck pulling her body so close to his than not even a sliver of light could have passed between them. Jareth's hands reached for the nape of her neck, to deepen the kiss, and her waist, to caress and worship just as his lips were worshipping hers.

Darting his tongue out to seek entrance, Jareth sighed in bliss as Sarah willingly opened her mouth, her own tongue meeting his halfway, both duelling, tightly wrapped in a lover's embrace. She moaned as he expertly licked the roof of her mouth while massaging the back of her neck with long, slender fingers. Everything was there, from the stars to the planets, from the butterflies in their stomachs to the tingling sensation behind their eyes, from the idyllic oblivion to the complete surrender. It was truly a kiss, it was raw passion and mellow tenderness, it was wickedness and kindness, it was lo…

They parted reluctantly, panting in the most seductive manner, both dazed and confused and sated, yet famished at the same time.

"Jareth" she heard her own voice whisper breathily and, swiftly, it all came back. Who he was, who she was, where they were, the people who were around then, what they meant to each other…

It all came crushing down. And it hurt. Deep down in the pit of her stomach it burned.

"You… you tricked me?" she asked in disbelief, flinching away from his arms, almost stumbling backwards "You placed a charm on me… to forget?" she suddenly looked down at herself and recognized at last the dress she was wearing as the one from her dreams "And the dreams! You have been messing with my dreams for seven years! You bastard!"

There were several gasps from the crowd and everyone stopped dead in their tracks. The illusion, the whole atmosphere suddenly crumbled and died.

"Sarah, let me explain…" Jareth's face had lost all of its dazed pleasure and it was as worried as when he was in his room, pacing and wondering.

"Explain what?" she shrieked, but compose herself before continuing "Explain to me why, for seven years you invaded my dreams without my knowledge? That you never told me? That you tricked me, deceived me, mocked me…?"

"Enough!" the King of Kings roared, suddenly loosing all of his worry. He was furious "Enough of that, you child! I mock you? I beg to differ, my fair Lady, you are the one who mocks me! For the last seven years all I have ever wanted to do was sleep, sleep and pretend that the thirteen hours didn't happen as they did. When I tried to do my duty it was your face I saw, always! I disregarded my obligations, I lost my self-respect, I turned the bloody world upside down… And the reason for all that was you! You mere wisp of a mortal girl, you plague!"

He was breathing heavily, his mane of hair and fierce eyes making him look like a wild beast. But Sarah was nowhere near apologetic.

"Don't lie to me! Don't try and make me feel sorry for you, because that is never going to happen!" she shouted back and a crystal, perfect and clear as a cloudless day, appeared in her right hand "I'll never forgive you for this one, Jareth!"

She hurled the crystal towards him and he barely had time to conjure a crystal of his own to nullify the power. The explosion of magic was great and the courtiers looked at each other, nervous. It didn't bode well. Sarah's body was surrounded by an aura of power Jareth hadn't seen before. Her eyes shone silver as she conjured another crystal.

"Well, look at that" she whispered snidely "I finally got the hang of it, just as you wanted"

What came next was to be considered one of the greatest duels of the century. Sarah threw her crystal, which shattered in mid air. Each piece turned into a dagger, swift and lethal. Jareth stopped most of them with a wave of his hand, but didn't see one that scraped his left shoulder.

"Well, congratulations" Jareth's voice was cold, unfeeling "You drew your first blood" he paused and smirked at her, snapping his fingers "If you want to fight, you better look like a fighter, my dear. First rule of Underground combat"

She didn't have to look at herself to know she was wearing her Amazonian outfit. However she didn't plan on giving him all the pleasure of showing-off.

"Well, the second rule, I guess, would be to have the weapons at your disposal, right?" she snapped her own fingers and weapons, probably from the weapon's room she knew he had somewhere in the castle, appeared floating on each side, to be fair.

"Lady's' choice" Jareth conceded, signalling the weapons "What will it be, Sarah? Besides magic, that is"

Without a second's thought Sarah took a rapier and its dagger from thin air and tucked the dagger in its sheath. Quickly imitating her Jareth stood his ground, ready for the attack. He would defend himself, but he was almost sure he wouldn't be able to bring himself to attack her.

Sarah however seemed to have no qualms about attacking him. She moved with the speed and grace he had tried time and again to teach her and had thought she would never learn. She lunged at him but at the last minute changed tactics and whirled to avoid him, trying an attack from behind instead. Millennia of training and battle was all that protected Jareth against her. He knew he could end it but not painlessly. He had been trained to be a warrior, to attack… to go for the kill. And he couldn't use those skills now.

"This is going to be a massacre" Finn, who had been dressed in rags and with a white, dirty mask, shook his head "A veritable massacre"

"By the Moon, Finn, you could be a bit more optimistic!" Julius huffed from behind his black mask, a hand over the hilt of his sword, ready to step into action if things got out of hand "And send for Sin, I don't care if it doesn't like humans. If a magical combat breaks and we need to separate these two, we'll need the best magician there is."

Sarah and Jareth were still gauging each other twirling their weapons in their hands. The crystal in Sarah's glove was glowing, pulsating with energy.

"Oh, no!" Finn shuddered "Lucy hates humans! The lemmings alone will chew my head off! And don't even get me started on the Hellfires Sin keeps around for fun!"

The clash of weapons distracted both men from their talk. Sarah had finally stopped analysing the situation and had lounged at him for the second time, this time making it seem as if she was going to attempt the same trick again and then attacking him openly. The parry went on and on at the same fierce rate, the weapons emitting sparks of magic as they met each other, the daggers ready to be used.

"I trusted you, damn it!" Sarah suddenly burst out. She was crying "That's the worst part of it all. I allowed myself to trust you and to… to think that I even… Oh, Gods, I hate you so much!"

She hissed the last of her speech, a blue orb of light appeared hovering over her weapon-less palm. It was a rare mixture of vibrant green and placid silver, the colours swirling.

"Mistress, don't do it" said a voice inside her head, childlike and innocent. It was the Labyrinth "He is not to be blamed. It is his nature. Deceit is his only way. The only path he has ever known. Don't blame him… save him"

"Save him" she was so angry her eyes were turning the colour of iron. It was always a bad sing in a Fae "Save him from what?" she practically roared in her mind.

"From himself, my Lady…" the voice was merely a whisper now, pleading. The human-Fae's will wavered a little.

But then she remembered the dreams, how wonderful it had felt to be in his arms. And the banter, and the training sessions, and his apparent desire to see her safe. It had all been a lie… Meaningless seduction

"I can't forgive him"

She didn't trust him enough. She though she had, but at the first test she had discovered that, though she had started feeling things that were best left unspoken, she still didn't trust him. Was it ever going to be different between them?

No, of course. Because she was not willing to ever see him again.

"I call upon the land that is fair; I call upon the Wild power in heat. I call upon the sea that ripples and fades into a storm and upon the Goddess Danu that blessed this Labyrinth" she recited the words as if she had known them all of her life and in a language she was sure was not English "Go against what you have known all your life… Go against your master"

The ball of light blinded everyone in the room. All of a sudden singing, the sweet sound of a feminine voice, could be heard. A shimmering barrier appeared just in time to save whatever was left of the ballroom and the people in it as both Jareth, who had cast a counter spell, and Sarah were engulfed in raw, electrical power.

"Sarah!" Angelina shouted from her place. The students as well as the teachers were being held by the courtiers.

"Oh Merlin!" Katie was astonished and her voice shaky "Can you see her? Is she alright?"

The light soon faded. The floor, the one that had not been protected by the barrier was chipped and useless now, the gleaming marble ruined. Sarah was breathing heavily, her upper body propped up by her elbows, scratches and bruises all over her exposed body. But, much to everyone's surprise, she was fine. Nobody had ever faced one of Jareth's power crystals and lived to tell the tale.

"She would make one heck of a queen" Finn commented dryly, and Julius promptly whacked him over the head. Jareth was standing, apparently, breathing heavily and almost as battered as Sarah, looking to the world confused and incredulous. He hadn't taught her that, none of it. She had exceeded his wildest expectation of herself.

And he wanted to be angry, and feel betrayed, and even outraged. But he could only see the power atop her beauty, how perfectly suited they were, how enamoured he was.

"Don't go" he said when he found his voice, waving a hand to heal her wounds, feeling regret when he saw some were deep enough to take some time "You promised…"

But she was already turning away from him, producing a crystal and walking towards her friends. She dared not meet the eyes of her teachers as she stepped in front of a mirror and spelled it into becoming a portal.

"Professor Dumbledore" her voice sounded small "Can we just… go home?"

With a nod, a tender smile and silence the mortals returned to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the crack of dawn.

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Author's Note: Don't kill me. I tried really hard with this chapter, it is the longest and it was the hardest. Everything happens, and in the next chapter everything will change. This chapter is an introductory chapter for the next, which will be a blast. Something huge will happen, a many of you will get your wish for a pairing!

Next, I have nothing against slash. Really. Just not in my fanfic. Oh, and I am a Phantom of the Opera Phan (The musical, the movie was OK) so several songs will weasel their way into this story. I hope you like the idea!

Please leave reviews; I tried this chapter to be as good as it could, as it is a Turning Point. The Next chapter won't take nearly as long, though I'm starting college and a six hours a day, six days a week job. Wish me luck. For those who review and who reviewed, you are ANGELS! Oh, and the profiles will be ready soon. I have format trouble.

Best Wishes,

Artemis Samhain Hell's Librarian

PS: This chapter is officially Beta proved. My Beta Reader is an Angel, with quite an appropriate name and nick! Thanks Angie, you deserve a special mention!