AN: Yeah! Another Author's Note! Well, I'm sure glad I'm not getting paid for this…because I'm sure I would have been fired already for taking too long between postings. To my faithful readers, thank you for your words of encouragement and support. This story is a whopper, and I'm sure you've noticed that my chapters are never short. I'm not a perfectionist, but I feel that details help the story to come alive. I've heard some say the story is confusing, but every detail has a purpose, which I hope comes across by the end of this story. To again visualize my characters, as descriptions fail me, visit my cast page (look for the link in my profile). Saxonny, StormChild, thanks for putting up with me & helping me out (they are so good to me).

P.S. The Collector's Edition of Labyrinth came out on DVD (in the USA) today! Go out and get it!

Ch. 21: Ponderings and Wanderings

It took only a few moments for Yanic to wait for Toby to succumb to his exhaustion. Seeing the elder child's eyes finally shut, Yanic left the nursery in search of an answer. He had sensed something and wanted to ensure he was right.

A moment later he entered the room with an obsidian orb in his hand, its black form cold and heavy. Yanic walked over to the bed, staring down at the younger of the two boys, wondering. If he was wrong, if he lowered the stone to the boy and he was wrong, the magic within the stone could harm the child. But if he was right, what would it mean?

Yanic eased himself onto the bed beside Brendon and lowered the orb to the boy's chest. He let go of the stone and whispered words to awaken the magic within, then waited. The solid black stone lifted like a bubble a few inches into the air yet did nothing more. Yanic took the stone back and squinted at it, trying to look into the core of the orb, feeling out what could be halting the orb from working but he could sense nothing. He placed it back on the child's chest and again spoke the words he was sure would bid the magic to work, and this time the orb not only hovered but began to spin. It floated a few inches into the air, then as if blown by a gentle wind, glided above Brendon's forehead. It settled down onto the boy's skin, and as soon as it touched, glowed an eerie red, like a dying sun.

Yanic sat there a moment, not knowing what he wanted to do now that he had his answer. How was it possible that this small one had magic? Granted, his mother held magic within her, but obtaining magic from another as she had done could only be achieved through another's death. Her son could not have been given magic by any means other than by birth, so his magic couldn't be from her. It had to be from his father. Magic begets magic, but only through heredity, not thievery.

Did it even matter, though, who this boy's father was?

Still, Gelyna would want to know all she could, to have leverage over Sarah. Perhaps exposing this boy's father would help his mistress achieve her goal of further forcing the Goblin Queen into attending to the Labyrinth.

Yes, he was sure his mistress would reward him for this discovery.

Removing the orb, Yanic exited the room, appointing another servant to guard the door while he went in search of his mistress. No one was to go in. No one was to go out. And no one but Yanic and Gelyna were to know what lay hidden within the room. This not being her castle, she had brought a handful of her most loyal slaves to attend to her, Yanic being her favorite. Her other slaves could only spread rumors amongst themselves as to what their mistress might be up to.

Fen Lear was the greatest of the three castles in Denobrega, and despite having spent the last four months in it, Yanic still had a hard time navigating its many halls. It didn't surprise him at all, after asking a few of the castle's servant's where his mistress might be, to find Gelyna in the King's private chamber getting ready for another of the parties the Fae rulers frequently held. Corbin, the King of Denobrega, was nowhere to be found, which slightly disappointed Yanic. He liked how the young monarch treated him as though he was more than just a slave.

Yanic was allowed to enter the chamber and was told that Gelyna was bathing in the adjacent bath. He prepared himself to wait and eyed an armchair that sat beneath the mantle of a fireplace, but Gelyna had heard the chamber door open and demanded to know who had entered. The women informed her that her favorite servant had arrived and the Empress's daughter ordered her women slaves to leave the room at once and bid Yanic to enter. They did so without haste.

The air in the room was thick from the steam rising from the pool his mistress lay in, her body so relaxed that not a single ripple disturbed the smooth surface. Out of reverence, Yanic averted his eyes from his mistress's nude form.

"What are you doing here? You should be watching over our little secrets." Gelyna sneered while rubbing a cloth over her bare arms.

"My lady, I have used an Ebyn stone on one of the children, the son of the Lady Sarah."

"And?"

Yanic clasped his hands behind his back as he spoke, eyes still avoiding her gaze, "He has magic, my lady. As his mother received magic through the Goblin King's demise, we can only assume the boy's magic did not come from her."

Gelyna took pondered this news aloud, "So her son has magic. He, a child of Earth who gained magic through the death of….but wait. Jareth is alive. I wonder." She arose from the water, raising her hand for Yanic to assist her, which he was able to take by looking out of the corner of his eye. Once out of the tub, she released him and rung her hair in her hands, "He is alive and according to Sarah's mother, they are lovers. He has been away for at least six years. Isn't that about how old the child is?"

"I believe so, my lady." Yanic stuttered in confusion, having not realized before that the Goblin King still lived.

After drying her body with a towel, Gelyna padded over to a crimson satin robe, which lay on the end of the bed in the main chamber, and covered herself. There was a laugh in her voice as she spoke, "This is interesting. So the Goblin King didn't take a used woman; her son is his. He's been playing house on Earth all this time, neglecting his duties for his own pleasures."

"It would seem so, my lady." Yanic nearly smiled along with her, but refrained from showing emotion in front of her. She often ridiculed those beneath her who showed their own joy, and now was not the time to allow a detour off the subject. "However, I do not believe the boy has ever been taught to use his magic."

"Not taught to use magic? I think that is the most absurd thing I have ever heard. The older a child becomes, the harder it is for them to find magic. I find it hard to believe that a king of the Underground would not teach his own son even the most basic of magics. Are you sure?"

"Yes, my lady."

"You aren't with child, are you daughter?" a feminine voice resonated in the room, the sound echoing about them.

Gelyna swung herself around to face the mirror hanging on the wall, finding the violet eyes of her mother glaring at her from within, "No. What makes you ask such a thing?"

"You were speaking of a son, and I haven't spoken to you in quite some time. I could only assume. Who's son were you speaking of?"

Her mind raced to design a lie, "Tsojin's son...I forget his name. Tsojin has so many children, as you know. I have heard rumor that one has been so neglected that he hasn't even been taught how to use magic."

Malora seemed to accept the answer, but sternly stated. "Don't let those rumors you have heard journey with you to the celebration at hand. I'm sure Tsojin would not appreciate such untruths being spread."

"Yes, mother." Gelyna lowered her eyes but mentally kicked herself at having such a reaction. She didn't know why she allowed herself to be intimidated by her mother. She supposed it was because she wanted to hear a compliment once in a while. Instead, her mother persistently nagged of how she was the sole heir to the Underground and had to be an example to others.

"You are not dressed for the celebration. I expected you to be here by now. It will take you half a day to journey into Sendai…."

"Mother, you worry too much. I'll just use a gudgell. Corbin will.…"

"You cannot continue leading the boy astray through your selfish wants." Malora hissed.

Gelyna grinned knowingly, "I thought he had already strayed against our ways."

"In his views on human slavery, yes. But at least he respects magic." Malora straightened and her tone increased in authority, "You will arrive by carriage or steed, as the rest of those in attendance have done. You will ration your magic, or you will not participate at all. Is this in any way unclear?"

Gelyna again lowered her eyes. "No, mother."

"Good. I expect to see you here no later than tomorrow evening." Then she was gone.

Yanic watched a tear slip from his mistress's downcast eyes, causing him to softly ask, "Is everything alright, my lady?"

"She will appreciate what I have done. I swear it. When the Labyrinth is repaired, she will thank me for making Sarah come. I know my mother. The first chance she gets, she will find some way to eliminate the Goblin Queen. There will not be another empress." Gelyna feigned a smile as she turned to Yanic, wipping away the tear and standing up straight and proud, "Well, you heard the Empress. I have work to do. Go, inform the women to come in and dress me."

"And the children?"

"The Festivities are only for a week, I'll be back before their fate must be decided."

"And should the Labyrinth be mended in your absence, what would you have me do?"

"Inform me of it, but wait upon my return or for me to tell you otherwise." Gelyna said quickly, her voice rising with impatience. "Now go, send them in."

Yanic quickly left the room and bid the women waiting outside the door to tend to his mistress. Slowly, he began to walk, not caring where his feet took him. He had hoped that Gelyna might reward him for his finding, or at least acknowledge him in some way. Instead, all she cared about was her appearance for a festival she wouldn't even remember come next year. In Yanic's opinion, she had not thought the situation entirely through before taking the children. But however much he disliked his position, he had no option but to obey.

Moments of seclusion were something that the young king of Denobrega cherished. Once he had come of age, the council handed over rule of the kingdom to him, and for the past three years he had hardly had a moment to himself. Although the days of his youth were still fresh memories in his mind, those days were to never be had again. And Corbin accepted such a sacrifice. He no longer had himself to think of but the lives of his people. Leading a nation to embrace a new kind of monarchy had been no easy task. But things had calmed in the kingdom, and for the moment, he could afford the luxury of being by himself.

Corbin sat in his study, diligently reading up on a kingdom he'd never visited save for one occasion in his youth, when one of Tsojin's daughters was married off to the Troll King. Corbin had the impression that the other monarchs disapproved of him as it was, and he in no way wanted to seem a fool. Although, if he had a choice, he wouldn't be going at all. But following protocol was a necessary step to aid changing the way others viewed him.

"Waiting on her again, I see?"

Corbin sat up from his lounging position on the divan in his study to greet his companion and Captain of the Guard, Holt. Though he was happy to see him, Corbin's pale eyes quickly turned weary at hearing the sarcastic tone in his friend's voice, "Yes, Holt. Another beauty session for another party. Only this time, I cannot avoid attending."

"Ah, but my friend, this isn't just some party. " Holt's brown eyes teased, "It's not often that a man gets to celebrate his eighth millennia of rule. Master Tsojin deserves the recognition. Besides, you're well on your own way to such recognition with the way you have ruled since your inauguration."

Corbin laughed half-heartedly, "Three years on the throne, and I doubt that anyone sees me as anything more than Gelyna's play thing, if they notice me at all."

Holt ventured further into the library, resting his shoulder against a bookcase and crossing his arms, "You say that as though you believe it. My ears have heard no such rumor. So why do you not count yourself worthy?"

"Because treaties have been annulled and trading with certain provinces ceased as soon as I announced the abolition of slavery for all creatures under my rule." He returned to lounging, propping his chin on the palm of his hand, "I'm lucky war hasn't broken over the issue."

"You shouldn't worry. Your subjects are behind your decision. They love you, and those who don't have left," Holt casually added. "Don't fret on what happens outside our boarders until you feel things are stable in our own land. You stay focused on your passions, and others will follow. Or at worst, they will admire your courage."

Corbin smiled, grateful for his friend's encouragement. "Holt, you should have been my councilor instead of Captain of the Guard."

"I am both, as you have need." Holt bowed in jest, but both knew he truly meant it.

Corbin stood, groaning a bit with the effort to rise after having sat for so long, "Well, then as I am presently at a loss, councilor. While I wait for my lady fair, why don't you tell me where you suggest changes be made in Denobrega?"

Holt thought on it for a moment, but then thought twice about voicing his opinion. What he had to say he was sure Corbin would not want to hear, "I concede. Your government is well established. It will merely take time for the people to adjust fully to the changes you have initiated."

Corbin looked Holt straight in the eye, "What were you really going to answer?"

Holt smiled faintly, avoiding his friend's eyes, "I believe as a friend, my thoughts are not meant for your ears."

"No?" The young king clasped his hands behind his back as he approached his friend, "To your king, then. What would you tell him?"

Holt knew Corbin well enough to know he wouldn't have asked a second time had he not truly wanted to know. Nor would he have any reason to pull rank. Standing at attention, Holt stated his thoughts as though he was presenting a proposition in front of the court, "My lord, there is a presence in Denobrega, particularly Fen Lear, which is like a steady disease, bleeding the confidence out of its king. This disease lingers and does nothing to benefit the kingdom. It is a consumer and I foresee that it will only harm the efforts so recently begun."

"And does this disease have a name?" Corbin asked, then added when Holt showed signs of hesitation, "Your king would ask this."

Holt took a deep breath, "Gelyna is the name that one would give such a disease."

In his gut, even before her name was given, Corbin had known the answer. Holt was right, Gelyna was a high maintenance pastime, but she wasn't a disease. Why would he call her that? There had to be more. "Is she only an economical burden, in your eyes?"

"No, My lord." Holt relaxed his shoulders and resumed leaning against the bookshelf, "In honesty, Corbin, the woman is only using you. I know you are not naive, but I believe you haven't been letting yourself look into the future. Gelyna will never be your queen, if she will wed anyone at all. She is solely the eyes and ears of the Empress. Yet you have bed her, allowing her to attain your magic and see your heart's desires for this kingdom. If you want your kingdom to prosper, if you do not want interference in your rule, Gelyna must not remain at your side." Holt looked to his lord for some reaction, but Corbin stood very still, his eyes staring into space. "Do you love her? I will try to understand why if you do, but sire, if you don't, be done with her."

Corbin nodded slowly in agreement with Holt, a wary smile turning the edges of his lips, "She has much beauty and wit, but her arrogance and lies have been wearing my patience thin as of late."

"Ah, yes. The gudgells issue." Holt growled, "I have not yet learned what she did with them. They most certainly did not die on her."

"I want you to continue inquiring what happened to them. The loss of thirty gudgells cannot be tolerated, for any reason. I will not stand for that type of deceit."

"Then why have you kept her?"

Corbin gave a sly smirk, "Because she happens to be an excellent gossip. She has been exposed to the other monarchies and has said much on their successes and failures. I have learned a great deal from her."

"But you don't need her any longer." Holt stated.

"No." Corbin admitted, the smile washing off his face, "You are right. This must end." Clapping Holt on the shoulder, he added in a playful tone but in all seriousness, "And you will help me through all her protests that she has nowhere else to go and remind me why I bid her farewell."

Holt's eyes raised in confusion and sarcastically added, "That's exactly what I intended, my lord."

The young king laughed, "Don't look so glum, my friend. I cannot sack her now, at least not until after Tsojin's little party. I will spare her the humiliation. No, I'll give her hints in the coming days that our time is over, then make it formal upon our return."

"Good luck." The Captain scoffed.

"Have some faith in me, Holt. Just as I have every confidence that you will guard my kingdom well in my absence."

Holt smiled, "I have served you well so far."

"Indeed. Just do not forget to take a troop to the Eastern coast. Orin has been restless, so I have been told by Lord Waynel. I do not want a civil war on my hands. Orin must understand that change cannot be made overnight."

"Yes, those pesky humans have been restless, haven't they?" A feminine voice chimed in.

Corbin shared a secret look with Holt before turning a smiling face to his lady, "Gelyna, ready at last?"

"Impatient to leave, are we?" Gelyna teased, coming over to Corbin and wrapping her arms around his waist. She grinned at Holt, winking at him, "I'm sure you'll miss him ordering you around."

Holt nodded his head to her, trying to sound pleasant as he said, "I only do my duty. I will take my leave. May your journey be safe."

He bowed sharply, then left.

Gelyna pouted as she looked up at Corbin, "He's always in a foul mood. No matter." She smiled again and said with enthusiasm, "I think we should go by carriage to Sendai."

"No, darling. We wouldn't get there until tomorrow afternoon. Taking sathes will be much faster."

"But, sathes would only be able to carry us. They are all wings. How will I take my dresses and other things? I cannot seem a pauper."

"And it would be rude to be unfashionably late. Your things can arrive by carriage. I believe you can go one night without wearing a new dress every twenty minutes."

Gelyna pulled herself away from him, "Sathes are disgusting creatures. I'd rather mount a human."

"Are you saying you do not want to go?"

"I am not missing this," She turned to him swiftly, then hesitated, "but I refuse to touch a sathe."

"Very well, then." Corbin said, "I will go by sathe and arrive on time, while you can join me tomorrow by carriage. I will try to fabricate some suitable excuse for your absence that will not embarrass you."

"Just say I was ill."

"Ah, like the dozens of other times you have been ill as an excuse for being tardy. They're sure to believe me." He teased.

"If gossip flies, so be it. At least I won't arrive in such a degrading manner."

"As you wish. Then I'll be off." Out of habit, he kissed her cheek, "Enjoy your journey."

Frokna, the Troll King, watched his wife as she stared off into space, absently stroking their daughter's raven hair as she nursed at her breast. He shook his head, recognizing the look Cestral got when something plagued her mind. He had tried to get her to speak to him when she had gotten that same glint in her eye earlier that day during their journey to Sendai, her father's kingdom, but she wouldn't open her feelings, not even to him. Cestral had been like this ever since they had tried to reason with the human Sarah four days ago, and the only one she might confide her thoughts in was nowhere to be seen, if not dead.

Not even present, the Goblin King could strike jealousy in Frokna's mind, knowing that Cestral trusted Jareth with her most precious secrets. Cestral was the picture of fidelity, but even after nearly seven hundred years of marriage he had not yet gained her friendship. She did all that a wife was required in showing support and genuine love, but Frokna desired a relationship beyond duty and protocol. However, as their marriage had been arranged, he shouldn't ask for more of her--but he wanted it to be himself that she thought of first when demons plagued her mind. Frokna knew he shouldn't feel jealousy towards Jareth, for Cestral only loved him as one would cherish a brother. He wanted his wife to be free of worry and hoped for her sake that the Goblin King was alive and merely living a new life in that strange world.

There was a tap at their chamber door. Cestral jolted out of her thoughts and quickly covered her breast with a blanket. Once his wife was decent, Frokna answered the door to find a human servant waiting. At least Frokna took her to be human, as he felt no magic from her, yet he couldn't be sure. In other kingdoms it was obvious who was of magic, as those who were not of magic were required to possess lesser fineries and the mark of their master. However, Tsojin, being more liberal, dressed his servants alike--Fae or not. All that Frokna could trust was that this servant's robes bore her master's crest. Still, he did not let his guard down as he held the door open.

The young woman bowed, voice trembling as she spoke, "If you please, Majesty, I was sent to prepare the queen for the festivities."

This girl's dark eyes showed her terror of him; he supposed he might be a bit of a shock to her, as trolls did not frequent Tsojin's kingdom. "I see. Do come in. She is just finishing nursing our daughter now."

The maid quickly rushed in and went to the other end of the room before abruptly turning toward him with head bowed, "I was also ordered to inform you that King Tsojin requests a private meeting with his esteemed daughter."

Cestral turned a sharp head at this, "Did my father mention why he requires my presence?"

"No, my lady. I am sorry."

"Does he need me immediately?" Cestral's mind frantically calculated how quickly it would take to make herself look presentable. "If so, it will be several minutes and I need to send an apology."

"Do not worry, mistress. He is currently occupied and only said that he will come to you during the festivities."

"They last seven days." Cestral said to herself a bit forlorn.

"Then we'll just have to be on our toes, won't we?" Frokna laughed.

Cestral tried to smile, but wasn't successful. She was grateful that her husband seemed to find the good in each situation before the bad, but this time it wasn't easy to follow suit. She hadn't seen her father in nearly seven hundred years, the last time being when he married her off to the Troll King. Being the forty-third borne of his hundred and forty-six children, she was quite surprised her father even remembered she existed. Cestral didn't feel as though Tsojin was her father, having been raised in seclusion from him with her other brothers and sisters and having only met him for the first time when she had been introduced to the Royal Court in her youth. Being one of so many siblings, and of much lower stature than many of them, she wondered what prompted her father to single her out. What could he possibly need of her? How would she react seeing him face to face? She had never spoken to him privately and had no clue of how to approach him; should she treat him like he was any other king or embrace him as kin?

The only words she remembered Tsojin giving to her personally was a side comment, as he walked her down the aisle, that he was sure he had made the proper decision in giving her in marriage to the Troll King. She didn't know it at the time, but it truly was the greatest gift he could have ever given her. Frokna never treated her as a possession but as his wife and queen. And just two months ago, he had given her a most precious gift, their first child together. She had worried at what type of father a troll could be. It is comment knowledge that trolls themselves were a harsh and boorish people, although Frokna was much more civilized than those he governed. But governing a population was not the same as raising an infant. Cestral had insights into the future through her gift, but she was unable to foresee how Frokna would be with a girl child. Had she known how wonderful he turned out to be, she wouldn't have wasted such thoughts of mistrust towards her husband during her pregnancy.

"My love, could you take Freyna? She's done feeding." Cestral smiled softly as Frokna took his daughter with careful hands. She then nodded to the awaiting maid, making sure her tone was firm so that the maid would make no mistake in what she wanted, "I'm ready to dress for the celebration, but I do not want you to fuss over me and I do not want anything fancy. I'm not here to impress."

A hearty laugh carried across the room from her husband, "I am blessed with a simple wife." He smiled at her, "You do not waste time with dressing outlandishly and adorning your hair; you allow your own beauty to shine through and save my purse a hefty sum."

Cestral followed the maid behind the dressing curtain and removed her clothes, teasing her husband, "And just for that, I think I shall be outlandish. I am sure Tsojin has hundreds of lavish dresses laying about from his many concubines."

"Absolutely not." Frokna said in all seriousness as he gently patted his daughter's back to burp her, "I will not allow my wife to wear such gaudy fashion. Those women are.…"

She sucked in a painful breath as the servant tugged on the strings on the bodice of the dress she had slipped on. Having to breathe shallow with the constraints to her lungs, Cestral wisped out, "One happened to be my mother. That is how my father's people live. Appreciate that I do not follow their ways."

"Believe me, I do." Frokna smiled softly and he gazed on the prize in his arms, her fists full of his long red hair. "None could doubt our Freyna's parentage. She has your dark hair and my good looks."

"And horns." Cestral rubbed her chest in remembrance as she nodded to the maid that the dress was fine and made her way to the nearby vanity, "I don't know how troll women breastfeed without being injured."

"Who said they aren't? I remember when Arcuri.…" Frokna stopped short abruptly and looked apologetically to Cestral.

She turned to her husband with understanding eyes, "Go on. Please, speak of her. I don't mind."

"No!" He motioned for the human servant girl to take his child from him. As soon as Freyna was taken, he stormed towards the door, "I will be waiting for you down the hall. Don't be long."

Cestral cringed when the door slammed behind him and tried to dismiss the tears that formed in her eyes. It saddened her that Frokna did not feel comfortable speaking of his first wife with her. Countless times she had explained that she wanted to share all aspects of his life, but in this he was not willing to do so. The only time Cestral had ever been able to get any solid answers on Arcuri's character was when she went to Frokna's son, Donin. Cestral made it absolutely clear that she had no intension of taking his mother's place; after all, she herself was closer to his own age and couldn't remotely try to be motherly to him. With that knowledge established between them, Donin shared what he remembered of his mother, a queen who had been so different from Cestral that he was surprised his father was interested in her as his new queen at all. Frokna had been a widower for nearly a thousand years before even considering taking a wife after Arcuri, but eventually decided it was time for him to move on. And he was determined to keep the past behind him.

Having laid Freyna into the crib that had been placed at the foot of the large bed, the servant girl neared Cestral, "Majesty, do you need me to assist you with anything?"

Cestral bowed her head, causing a tear to slip down her cheek, "No. Please find my daughter's nursemaid."

The girl curtsied and left.

Cestral wiped away her tears and reached for a brush, letting her thoughts wander while she ran it through her sable hair. As she gazed into the vanity mirror, her head began to feel tingly and her eyes seemed to look beyond her reflection as sparkles began to dance in her mind's eye. On instinct, she immediately formed a crystal. Visions had seized her mind so often during her life that it was an automatic reflex to create a crystal to record the memory, incase she desired to look upon it again and remember. She saw two boys, very much alike in appearance, playing together. One was of magic, the other was not, for when the Fae boy touched the other, the human became hurt through the contact. The vision was brief and Cestral didn't quite know what to make of it. She did not know whose children they might be, nor did she feel any danger for either of them through this vision; yes, the human had been injured, but it was very minor.

Cestral jumped when someone touched her shoulder and she turned to find her husband. He did not look angry any more, merely curious. "I sensed something happen. May I see?"

She gave a small smile and nodded as she placed the crystal in his outstretched claw, "Yes, but it was nothing. I do not recognize the children in it. Knowing me, they might not be born for centuries."

Frokna studied the vision within the crystal for a moment, then shook his head, "I do not know them. Who knows, it might be nothing of significance." He then tossed the sphere onto the bed and gave his wife a sympathetic smile, "Let us go down and join the festivities. Your father will only have this one chance to rejoice in his 8,000th year of rule. And knowing him, seven day's won't be nearly enough time to celebrate."

Jareth looked to the sky in frustration. How could Sarah even think that love could be forced? Such a thing wasn't possible. And that she assumed it was a means to sleep with her; surely she thought he had more integrity than that. "Sarah, I.…"

He turned his head only to find that she wasn't there. He looked along the edge of the bushes, then to the forest and still no sign of her. Panic was his immediate instinct; if they became separated they might never find each other again. But he forced himself to remain calm. Even if the Labyrinth was changing erratically, she couldn't be more than five yards away. "Sarah? Sarah, where are you?"

Sarah heard but ignored him. How could he do this to her? How could he lead her on and let her feel this….this lust for him and make her think it was real love? But it seemed so real. Was there any chance that it was? He had told her before in her youth that he loved her yet hurt her not minutes after making the proclamation. What was she to believe now?

Jareth's alarm at receiving no response quickly turned into annoyance. "Sarah, if you do not answer me, I will proceed without you. Despite the magic being within you, I do not need it to find my son."

She stopped her steed and chided, "You mean if you can do without the magic, you can do it without me."

He directed his Luachrach to move towards her voice, "That is not what I said, but if you make it necessary I will have no other choice. However, I hardly feel confident that I would be successful without you."

"And once he's found, you'll be off running your kingdom I suppose. I expect you'll want me to have him on the weekends."

Jareth didn't know what she meant, but her anger proved her thoughts; she expected him to discard her and claim Brendon for himself. He urged the Luachrach forward once he spotted the opening into the next section of the Labyrinth. Reaching the opening, he saw that Sarah had halted. Her back faced him as she sat on her steed with her knees tightly braced and her fists painfully clinched against the reigns. He couldn't understand this tantrum she had started; he had done everything in his power to show he was there for her-- "Do you not want to be loved? Is that it?"

Sarah forced her Luachrach to move on, unwilling to acknowledge the question, but Jareth raced after her, grabbing her reigns and stopping her, "Look me in the eyes and answer me. Do you not want me to love you?"

"Not if it isn't real." She refused to look at him.

"What proof do you have that it isn't?"

She snapped her eyes to him then, "Because it was foretold! You think that just by telling me that we are destined is enough to convince me to accept this? That you didn't trick me into feeling this?"

Jareth forced himself to swallow his pride and anger; yelling at her would not be the right tactic to gain her trust. He unclenched his jaw and sucked in a breath before answering back, "How could it be possible for me to make anyone do anything against their will when I do not possess magic?" A thought came into his mind and a sly glint appeared in his eyes, "How do I know it wasn't you who bewitched my own heart?"

Her mouth gaped a moment in thought before she noticed and quickly closed it. She couldn't debate with logic, and what he said made sense. "But I couldn't, I don't know how to use.…"

"Exactly." He snapped, "You couldn't possibly have placed a spell on me, just as I have not forced anything upon you. What is within your heart is of your own doing."

Driven by anger at herself and at Fate, her thoughts slipped past her tongue, "Well, I'll unfeel it!"

"If you learn how, please do share it with me." Jareth chided, releasing her reigns, "For I would hate to remain infatuated with an immature child who cannot tolerate my presence."

There she was again, watching his back as he 'dealt' by walking away. Or riding, as it may be, as he steered his steed to corner part of the hedge.

Why did she feel guilty? Why did she have to be the one to change her perspective on life, just because Fate dealt her a hand she had no choice in? How could a Fae king be willing to accept a silly human, 'an immature child,' without a second thought? She certainly couldn't believe it. There was still chaos, chance, and free will in the world. Not everything was predetermined.

But Jareth was right about one thing; she was being immature. Adults did not solve problems by screaming about them, they were supposed to be rational. Besides, there was a bigger problem on their hands than their marriage, and Sarah had forgotten that, having been 'caught up in the moment.' Real guilt struck her. How could she have let herself stop thinking about the danger that her son and brother were in, even for a moment?

Sarah caught up with Jareth, staying silent for a few moments before saying, "Let's drop our relationship problems until after we find the boys."

He nodded once, not looking at her, "That is a good decision."

As she did not want to fall into silence again, Sarah tried some polite conversation, "I think I went through this section of the Labyrinth once. I'm certain we aren't far from getting out."

"We cannot be too sure. It does have a mind of its own and has been known to rearrange itself often. It is not an easy task getting it to stay in place."

"Is the Labyrinth really that hard to control?"

"It became easier as time went on, as it got used to my decisions. But it fought fiercely in the beginning."

"Before, you tried to tell me to reach within myself to find the magic. Is that how to communicate with the Labyrinth also, by feeling for it?"

Jareth breathed out heavily; how could he explain something that he learned to do millennia ago, "Not exactly, but similar. It's more projecting outward, making the Labyrinth listen to your will. You are the master, it obeys."

"I'm sure you had a great relationship." Sarah jeered. "Did it always obey you?"

"Not always."

"Well, does it have sense and reason? If I tell it the boys are in trouble because of its actions, will it understand and help us?"

"It is of magic, Sarah. It does what it is in its best interest unless instructed otherwise."

In her head, Sarah tried to speak to the Labyrinth as they rode along, attempting to project her thoughts to an entity she didn't understand. She was trying so hard that she got a headache, but for all her efforts, however, the Labyrinth didn't hear her.

"I can't."

"What?" Jareth was caught off guard as they had been riding silently for quite some time.

"I can't reach it. It won't listen."

He was unsuccessful at hiding a knowing smirk; it was foolish for her to have even tried, "It won't until you know how to communicate with the magic."

Brows furrowed in frustration, she huffed, "Why does magic have to be involved? Why can't I just speak normally to it?"

"Because the Labyrinth IS magic, the most primal magic still in existence. Magic is what it understands."

Sarah fell silent again and tried to think about what she had heard of magic throughout her life; not just what Jareth had told her, but also what the fairytales said. Yet from all she could remember, none of the stories ever said how magic could be used, only that it was. Well, she supposed the ol' Nike slogan was the best tactic to follow; "Just Do It."

Her eyes went wide when she felt something weighty and warm on her mind…but she couldn't quite reach it. In fact, it moved away when she did get close to it. Sarah trusted that her Luachrach would follow Jareth and closed her eyes in determination to make some connection with the Labyrinth. Again, she felt the warmth press against her thoughts; it stayed longer than before but yet again retreated from her. It did this several times, quickly causing Sarah to become frustrated and make her think it was toying with her. Instead of concentrating on her task, she began to let her anger overtake her thoughts, one of which was that the Labyrinth's magic was so primitive, it was too stupid to think for itself.

The maze heard this projected idea and did not take well to the insult.

In response, Sarah received a splitting headache, as though she had been thwacked in the back of the head. Sarah moved her hands to her temples to relieve the pain, but at the same time her steed suddenly thrashed about in fear. Because she wasn't holding on to the reigns, she was thrown off its back; only then did she notice that it wasn't just the creature that was jumping around. The ground itself was shaking. Sarah realized almost too late that a hole had formed in the ground and was about to swallow her up. She got to her feet and ran, throwing off her high-heals and running barefoot for her life. She started screaming out "I'm Sorry," when it wouldn't stop trying to send her to the oubliette waiting below.

Hearing her scream, Jareth turned to find a gaping trench following Sarah at her heels. Without thinking, he forced his Luachrach to a gallop to reach her, then slowed the creature down to match her pace so that he could grab her and get her to safety. Stumpy though it may be, the creature was swift and hardy. Once Sarah saw help had arrived she quickly took Jareth's hand and jumped into his lap. She landed awkwardly and adjusted herself the only way she could under the circumstances, by straddling Jareth's hips.

The hole continued to pursue as they weaved through the hedge maze and even followed them into a new section of the maze. Sarah didn't notice the clearing they had entered or calm stream and flowering shrubs that surrounded them; her eyes focused on the trench that followed their every step.

"I told you I'm sorry," She shouted in her head, "What more do you want!"

The headache left her and the hole became a distant speck as it ceased its movement, but the Luachrach rode on. Sarah rested her forehead on Jareth's shoulder and she tightened her arms around him, shaking in relief. It took her a moment to catch her breath, for she hadn't run like that since her youth.

Sensing the change, Jareth turned to look behind them. Not seeing the trench, he slowed the Luachrach to a walk. After a few moments of letting it cool down, he steered the creature to the stream so it could refresh itself. Sarah trembled as she clutched him. He couldn't help but to stroke her hair and assure her it was over. She tensed at this and pulled back to look him in the eye.

Sarah fought the strong urge to kiss her savior. To do so would contradict what she was defending in her mind. So instead, she merely thanked him.

He returned an inquisitive eye to his wife, "What was the cause of that excitement, hmm?"

"Well, I talked with the Labyrinth, I suppose." At his continued gaze, she huffed and went on, "It refused to let me actually reach it, so I…I said that it was too dumb to understand anything."

She didn't expect for him to laugh at her but he did. Disgusted, she wiggled out of his embrace and onto the ground.

After recovering from a moment of hilarity at her expense, Jareth replied, "It was a warning. You are lucky it didn't try something worse than trying to throw you into an oubliette. I suggest that you harness your temper. Insults will literally get you nowhere with the Labyrinth."

Removing himself from the creature, Jareth took a minute to stretch life back into his arms and legs. It had been hours since he himself had walked on ground and his body ached from riding.

As she walked around, Sarah noticed the smooth pebbles under her feet and cringed. It wasn't that the pebbles themselves were the cause of her distress; it was the fact that for the rest of their uncertain journey she would be barefoot. And what was worse than loosing her shoes was that she had also lost the Luachrach, and it had the other half of their supplies.

"Damn. What will we do now? I lost the other luckr.…lakra.…lizard."

Jareth grinned at her inability to remember the creature's species. "Don't worry about that. She should be along soon enough."

"You mean it isn't lost?"

He shook his head, "Mating pairs are never separated for too long, and if lost, they find each other soon enough."

"How?"

"No one knows, really. It's simply a fact."

Sarah took the information in with wonder and acceptance. One thing that she had learned about the Labyrinth; why question what couldn't be explained. She went to the stream herself, thankful to have the cool liquid touch her skin and parched mouth. The heat of the day lingered on and the sun was still well into the sky. She glanced at her watch; 4:07pm. They had been riding now for seven hours. It was nice to be able to take a breather.

"It's very peaceful here. I've never seen this area before. Are we still in the Labyrinth?" He nodded at her question, causing a bit of confusion, "None of the other sections were like this; it doesn't look very tricky to me."

"Don't judge everything by what your eyes see. There are many things hidden throughout the Labyrinth." Now in a more vertical stance, gravity was taking its toll on Jareth's bladder. He spotted a large shrub that would give him enough cover not too far off and made towards it, calling back to Sarah, "I'll return shortly. Stay here."

In alarm at seeing him leaving, she shouted, "Where are you going?"

He stopped a moment to reproach her, "I believe it is customary to relieve oneself in private."

"Oh." Sarah blushed a bit, "Sorry."

She hadn't thought about what would really need to happen on this journey--where they would sleep, what they would eat, where to go to the bathroom in this wilderness. Stories of such quests rarely spoke of the latter. Luckily, she had always been good at fighting nature and ignoring discomfort in that area. She would wait until they found some placed civilized or she wouldn't go at all.

Sure enough, just as Jareth said it would, the other Luachrach came bounding into the clearing a moment later. She approached Sarah with a low growl in her throat, then stepped to her mate, who she nuzzled and cooed with. Once the creature was sure her mate was safe, she wandered off to graze, eating the flowers off a shrub.

Something in the shrub caught Sarah's eye. It sparkled blue, then yellow, but from ten feet away, she couldn't tell what the object might be. She walked up to the bush to get a better look, but the Luachrach pushed her out of the way so that it could eat the blossoms that surrounded the object. Sarah thought twice about pushing back, as a bite from the creature would certainly be more harmful to her than a mere lick had been, so she stepped around the creature to see if she could see the object from the other side.

Walking around to the other side of the shrub, Sarah parted the stems, digging a bit to see if she could reach what she had seen on the other side. With her body bending into the bush, looking as though it was swallowing the top half of her, she finally found it. There, sheltered by a nest of feathers, dried leaves and twigs, were dozens of eggs. Well, she supposed they were more like cocoons since they weren't round and didn't look as though the shells were hard. Each was the size of a golf ball and the silver liquid inside shimmered through the translucent shell. Sarah reached a hand out and gently removed one of the cocoons to better see what was inside. Her eyes had been right, the shell was very soft and a honey like film protected the creature within. The liquid wasn't completely opaque, but the leaves of the shrub made it too dim for her eyes to focus on what could be inside. She removed herself from the shrub and held the cocoon up to the sky so that the sun's light would shine through. What she saw amazed her; within was a fetal fairy, its tiny limbs not fully formed yet its wings were clearly defined. Never before had she stopped to ponder where fairies came from or that they had stages of growth like any other creature; nothing had prompted her to care before.

"Sarah?"

Stuck in wonderment of her discovery, it took her a moment to realize she was to answer Jareth's call, "I'm here."

A moment later Jareth rounded the shrub, and immediately froze. Through clinched teeth, he hissed, "Put that down."

Sarah ignored him, musing, "I've never seen a baby fairy before."

"Nor shall you again if you do not place it back, now."

Flippantly she challenged, "Why should I?" But at seeing his eyes focused on something behind her, she turned to find a multitude of very angered adult fairies glaring at her. Her throat tightened, and she wasn't exactly sure what warned her to be wary of such tiny beings as fairies; perhaps it was the memory of the sting caused by the bite during her first encounter with a fairy so many years ago. She smiled apologetically at them, squeaking out, "I'll just put this back then."

She bent into the shrub and replaced the cocoon, but despite the fact that no harm was done, the fairies attacked. She scrambled aimlessly about trying to shoo them off her, but they bit at her ears and their tiny hands scratched at her eyes, their nails surprisingly sharp. Jareth had been right; she would never see a baby fairy again because the parents were trying to remove her eyes. So many attacked her that some had no choice but to attack obscure parts of her body, biting at her bare shoulders and ankles. One fairy grabbed a hold of the necklace around her throat and attempted to choke her. Sarah coughed from the pressure caused against her trachea and yanked the necklace loose. Remembering her shoulders were bare because she had tied the cardigan around her waste, she quickly removed the garment and placed it back on, trying to protect what she could. There were so many tiny bodies covering her, it was hard to put it on; as soon as she knocked them off they would come flying at her again. She finally managed to slip both her arms through the sleeves, however a fairy had not bothered to get off her back and squirmed against her. Sarah wiggled her shoulder blades, trying to knock the creature off, but it climbed up her back to her neck and proceeded to take a bite out of her ear. She yelped and knocked the fairy off her shoulder.

She was hardly aware of Jareth's pants and grunts as he tried to free her from the swarm. But she couldn't help but notice when he forcefully gathered her into his arms and ran. She didn't care to look at where he was taking her, too preoccupied with protecting herself from the fairies. It wasn't until she heard him shout "Hold your breath," and felt the shocking bite of cold water hit her body that she realized what he intended. Fairies logically couldn't go under water. She barely had time to gulp a full breath of air before he was pulling her under by her arm. The pressure to breathe, the urge to break the surface was great, but the fear of the fairies was greater. She blindly sought Jareth and found his hand, which she held in desperation, hoping that she could hold out a little longer through his strength. But her lungs were weak and she broke the surface, eyes panicked and searching.

The air was vacant.

Sopping wet, they made their way back to the Luachrachs in silence. Jareth had a mind to scold Sarah for being so foolish as to disturb a fairies nest, however the thought was forgotten at the sight of thin lines of blood trickling down Sarah's face and neck from the dozens of scratches that were etched into her skin. This was more his fault, if anything. He shouldn't have let her out of his sight; He knew fairies thickly inhabited this section of the Labyrinth and he should have warned her of them.

A surprise awaited them when they reached their steeds. There, lounging in the shade the lizards provided, was a black ball of fur.

"Isn't that your cat, Smirnoff?"

"Smyrna," Jareth corrected, "Yes. I'm surprised that she found us."

Sarah, beginning to feel the sun start to warm the cardigan, attempted to peel the damp material off her body, "Why are you surprised?"

"She doesn't normally travel into this section of the Labyrinth. She's afraid of the fairies."

"With good reason." Sarah laughed, taking a moment to survey the damage done to her skin. Her face was still damp and the blood easily wiped off onto her hand. The sight of her own blood made her cringe, "No wonder Hoggle enjoyed killing them. Damn things are a menace."

Jareth went to one of the Luachrachs and removed Joey's backpack. He then lowered himself to sit on the ground and took out the First Aid Kit, lifting it up for Sarah to take, "I think you might need this."

"Thanks," Sarah said, taking the box and sitting down next to him. She sat the kit onto her lap, thinking the contents useless for her current injuries, and used her cardigan to mop up the remaining water and blood from her skin. The cuts weren't deep enough to be bandaged, and besides, there were too many of them and too few bandages.

Jareth noticed that sometime during the struggling and the swimming, Sarah had lost the wrapping from her previous injury, "How is your hand doing?"

Sarah looked down at the blistered skin from where the Luachrach had licked her, "Well, I haven't really noticed it really. Besides, I have other wounds to worry about now."

Jareth rummaged through the other contents of the backpack and took out the box of graham crackers, "Are you hungry?"

"Sure." She stopped herself from laughing when he couldn't figure out how to break the box's seal, "Here, let me." She opened it, then smiled when he sniffed the sweet cookie before taking a cautious bite. Taking the backpack from him to put the box back, she then rummaged through the bag to see what else had been sent, "So who decided to put in graham crackers?"

"That would be Irene."

"It seems they've thought of everything essential; pocket knife, toilet paper…oh good, a water bottle. Looks as though the only thing missing is duct tape." Sarah grinned as she continued to examine the contents, "You'd think someone would have thought of that."

Jareth stood, "Come on, let's get moving. Let us hope that your insult to the Labyrinth has not cost us."

Sarah didn't respond, but she couldn't bring herself to raise her eyes to him. She wasn't sure if he meant to say it as a 'slap in the face comment,' but she hoped that wasn't what he meant, even though he hada point. Everything was up to the Labyrinth with no one to command it; if it wanted, they could be trapped within the maze forever.

Once again astride the Luachrachs, they attempted to continue their journey. However, a fuzzy ebony form decided to block their path. Jareth attempted to move around her, but she matched every step, halting their progress.

"Smyrna, get out of our way. Go on." Jareth hissed, forcing his steed to charge the feline.

Seeing the cat refuse to budge, Sarah offered, "Maybe she wants us to follow her."

She was exactly right.

Nearly forty minutes later, both Sarah and Jareth were gaping in awe at the sight before them; Jareth out of the absurdity of how easy it had been to find, and Sarah from its sheer beauty. With Smyrna's lead, they had found their way out of the Labyrinth. The cat had merely followed its nose to the sea.

A/N II: Had to get that "Duct Tape" comment slipped in there, since Steahl pointed out to me that any sane person would think that would be essential. In response to a few of the reviews for Ch. 20 (and thank you to all of you who did review):

Sp777: I hope you can see who Gelyna is supposed to be through this chapter. She's a daughter who wants to be acknowledged by her mother.

Anne Marie & Skyfire4: Glad you liked my sneaking in the Froud/Jones stuff. I hadn't seen anyone else do that and LOVE "Goblins of Labyrinth." I hope I did it justice.

Robin C. Rivero: Thanks for all your comments! As far as Smyrna's name, nope, there wasn't anything special other than it sounded cool. As far as when Jareth will hear from Sarah what happened, that is many chapters away. But you are right, they are learning to love each other for who they currently are.

Boguswoman: I hope things have been cleared up about Malora and Gelyna. And about Jareth forgetting things, Sarah wished it, thus, it was done (aka. Be careful what you wish for).

MagicMizzy: The day is still young. Sarah will be hit hard with the reality of what has happened in the next chapter.

Draegon-fire: I think most of your questions are answered in Ch. 5, accept for the why. That will come in time.