Disclaimer: I've forgotten this the last few chapters, so consider this retroactive. I don't own the Labyrinth.

A/N: Please pardon the lengthy pauses between chapters. I won't bore you with excuses. Thank you all for sticking with the story and for your wonderful reviews. Tess Michaela Bowie: Fear not, your efforts were not in vain. In fact, I found them so inspiring I began writing this chapter that very night. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and as always, reviews are welcome.


Ryan felt like a small child having been sent to bed by his mother in the middle of the day for looking "worn out." The truth was he felt worn out, but not for the reasons Sarah assumed, and no amount of sleeping was likely to help.

The dreams that had plagued him since his return from Above continued unabated, worsening each time he closed his eyes. They had started benignly enough, with Ryan standing on a green hilltop gazing out over rolling green grass and rocky pastures. The place was pretty, and would have been serene if not for the nagging feeling that he was here for a reason and was meant to find something.

In the distance, two figures stood gazing at him from a across the horizon. They were too far away for him to make out any specific feature, but he knew that one was clad in an emerald gown, the other in pale midnight blue that seemed to shimmer with its own light.

He called out to them, but if they heard him they made no move to acknowledge it. Curious, he attempted to walk towards them, but the farther he walked the farther away they seemed. Finally, the one in green held up her hand, and soft voice came to him from across the distance. "….not strong enough yet…."

As he wrung his hands in frustration, this dream had faded, but it would by no means be the last. Each successive night had found him back on the hillside, running to catch up with the women who stood like sentinels in the distance. After five sleepless nights, the woman in blue was no closer than before, but he had come near enough to the on in green to see that her eyes were the color of her dress, her skin pale as cream and her hair the color of burning sunsets.

"The murdered unborn has returned." The green clad lady said softly, her voice carried across the lessened distance by a soft magical wind.

"What did you call me?" Ryan asked, his heart thudding madly in his chest.

"Son of Ma Caohail, lost soul, banished to the nether worlds by a thoughtless act." The woman replied. "Blessed of the great Queen Danu, child of thunder, savior of Upper and Under."

Ryan's mind reeled as the list of monkers grew ever longer, and none of them made any sense. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Are you talking about me?"

"I speak of the murdered unborn, and yet unborn again. His soul hovers between the worlds, and many would seek to destroy it." She answered and Ryan suddenly understood, a shiver of fear ran down his spine.

"Why, lady?" he asked fervently. "Why is the child in danger?"

"The circle which started when first his soul began is near its ending." She said cryptically. "The curse of darkness will be lifted and the Light Bringer will restore peace to both the worlds. But if his ascension is stopped once more, all will be lost, and both worlds will fall."

"Both worlds…" Ryan said softly, the words intended for himself only, but the woman in green answered him.

"The world you were born in, and the one you now call home." She told him, confirming what he feared. "Their destiny is tied to each other. Already, the world above is destroying itself. You have seen this, King of the Cursed Army, and have lifted your hand to stop it. But you cannot, nor is it your destiny to do so. Only the Light Bringer can stop the death pangs in both worlds."

His throat was dry, and there were helpless tears in his eyes. "What can I do then, Lady, if I am helpless to stop the destruction?"

Even as the words were spoken, he noticed the vision before him beginning to fade. "My time is short." The lady told him. "You are not yet strong enough to hold me here."

She continued to fade, and Ryan reached out to her, imploring her to stay. "Please, Lady, tell me what to do!" he called after her.

The vision was gone, and the dream melting away, but as Ryan awoke pale and sweating, a ghostly voice lingered in his ears.

"Protect the child."


"One, two, step, together. One, two, step, together. One, two, OUCH!" Goewin hissed, jerking his abused foot painfully out of harm's way.

"Oh, Gods, I'm sorry!" Jasmine cried, hiding her face. "I told you I'm terrible at this."

"You're not terrible." Goewin said, unable to hide his smile at her mournful tone.

"More like ghastly." Jasmine supplied.

"Well, yes, ghastly maybe." Goewin agreed, laughing when Jasmine swatted him playfully.

"A gentleman wouldn't agree with me." She said, a coy smile on her lips.

Goewin saw his opportunity and moved on it. Placing his arm around her waist in a premise of continuing the lesson, at the last second, he swooped her sideways and back, his face hovering precariously close to hers.

"Haven't you learned by now, Princess, that I am no gentleman?" He whispered, just loudly enough for her to hear over the thundering of her own heart.

Jasmine sighed, her brain momentarily shutting down as her body took over. Her eyes closed and her lips parted in what would be, unbelievably it seemed, her first kiss.

The moment was shattered, however, by the sound of angry voices and slamming doors.

"It's not fair!" BAM

"Oh really? I think I've heard that somewhere before!" STOMP

"Don't get smart, Jareth! You're being unreasonable and you know it!" BANG

"When it comes to the wellbeing of my children, there's no such thing as unreasonable!" SMASH

"Fine, then. If you won't let me fly, I'll just walk through the Labyrinth." CRASH

"Go ahead! And when you stumble head first I into the Bog I'll build you your very own castle…far away from me!" SLAM

Jasmine and Goewin quickly righted themselves as the High King and Queen made their way down the hall, arguing all the way. AS Sarah passed the doors to the ballroom, she stopped and stuck her head inside. "Your father is an arrogant pig!" She said, and continued down the hall.

"That's more than she told me about him in the first sixteen years of my life." Jasmine commented dryly.

A few seconds later, Sarah's face was replaced by Jareth's. "Your mother is a selfish, self-centered brat!" he informed them, and stalked off behind his wife.

"Ah love." Jasmine sighed sarcastically, her previous romantic notions forgotten.

"What was all that about?" Goewin asked, his face pale. He would never have believed such a heated argument was possible from the Royal couple.

Jasmine waved her hand dismissively, turning back toward the dance floor. "I would guess that mother wants to go flying and Dad things it'll hurt the baby." She said.

"Should we be worried?" Goewin asked, and clearly he already was.

"Only if you have an adjoining room." She replied, giggling when he raised his eyebrow curiously. "They fight a lot." She explained further. "It's a sign that you've become more accepted around here that they did it in front of you. But the point is, the bigger the fight, the louder they are when they make up. This was a big fight." She grinned wickedly when he blushed, the meaning of her words sinking in. As his blush deepened, the glamoured blue of his eyes faded to the natural black. He turned his face away from her hurriedly, but Jasmine caught his cheek in her cupped palm, pulling him back to face her.

"Why do you do that?" She asked him gently. "Why do you hide your eyes from me?"

Goewin swallowed dryly, searching for an answer that wouldn't be a lie. "Some people find them unnerving." He told her, and congratulated himself on his cleverness.

She brought her face closer to his, her eyes searching his own. "I think they're beautiful." She said softly, and before the sentence was properly finished his arms were around her and his lips fervently claiming her mouth.

It was almost harsh at first, like a desperate plea. But Jasmine put her arms around him, meeting his hunger, and when he knew she would not pull away he softened the kiss, gently exploring her lips with his own. His heart was racing, but his mind was strangely calm. The duality he had been feeling melted away as she yielded to his embrace, her lips parting slightly at his tongue's insistence. Weather she knew it or not, his kiss had become a promise, a solemn vow to keep this beautiful creature safe at all costs. "I'm in love with the enemy." his tortured mind managed, before conscious thought left him completely and the beauty of the moment swallowed him whole.


They continued this way for some time, all inner conflicts and outer distractions forgotten. It was only a rhythmic tapping that continued unabated that finally pushed its way into their consciousness. They pulled apart, staring at each other for a long moment, before finally turning toward the persistent sound.

To their horror, they found a bemused Goblin King staring back at them, tapping his booted foot against the marble floor.

"By all means, don't let me interrupt." He said dryly.

Jasmine and Goewin hastily detangled themselves. "Ryan." Jasmine said breathlessly. "We didn't hear you come in."

"Obviously." Ryan said simply, his gaze remaining fixed on the face of his guest. He studied the other man with all of his newly developed keen senses. The thudding of his heart, the smell of nervous sweat, none of these were unexpected, nor did they indicate malice of any kind. Satisfied for the moment he focused on the one thing that was out of place, the metallic smell of blood.

"Goewin, have you injured yourself?" he asked.

"How did you…?' he began by Ryan cut him off.

"You have blood on your tunic." Ryan supplied.

Goewin looked down and realized that there were indeed three tiny and nearly invisible splotches of blood on the black fabric of his tunic. Immediately he looked up, the obvious question poised at his lips, but Jasmine answered with a wordless tap of her nose.

"I…I cut my hand on a broken glass." He explained, repeating his earlier lie.

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "really?" he asked. "Your hands seem fine to me."

Goewin held out his unmarked hand. "Well, Jasmine healed it." He said, feeling like a child being interrogated by an angry adult.

Ryan's interest overcame his desire to seem aloof. He took Goewin's hand in his own and studied it carefully. There was indeed not a blemish on it. Looking up at his sister, he inquired "How long have you been able to heal?"

Jasmine shrugged. "Since today, I guess. I didn't know I could do it until I tried."

Ryan stared at her for a long moment. "Maybe you should try turning lead into gold." He said, and then his gaze turned to Goewin. "And maybe you should be more careful." He dropped the other man's hand abruptly and turned on his heal, taking long strides toward the door.

"You don't happen to know where mother is do you?" he called over his shoulder.

"She and Dad were arguing." Jasmine said. "She went for a walk in the Labyrinth."

Ryan turned back. "Alone?" he asked, suddenly alarmed though he knew nothing in the Labyrinth would dare harm her.

"No." Jasmine said. "Dad was right behind her. I'm sure they're well on their way to making up by now."

Ryan seemed lost in thought. "Why are you looking for her?" Jasmine asked finally. "Is something wrong?" He looked up at her, standing far to close to Goewin for his liking. When had she started trusting him, let alone kissing him? And was it the Goblin King within him that balked at the idea, or just the protective brother? He saw the way her hand sought his at the thought of trouble, and he didn't miss the way the other man readily gave it to her, along with the comfort she needed. He cared for her, obviously, but did that mean he was trustworthy? Ryan wondered if he would have trusted any man with his sister. He shook these thoughts out of his mind, deciding to worry about one thing at a time.

"No." he lied. "I just wanted to talk to her about something." With that he turned away again. There was a time when his sister would have been the first one he confided his fears in. For now, he would have to face his fears alone.


"Did you search his rooms as I asked?"

"Yes, my Lady. I found a letter. I did not read it, but I noticed that he mentioned you, and thought it might be of some use." A gnarled hand stretched out into the darkness, and the folded piece of parchment was passed.

The parchment was opened, blue eyes quickly scanning the pages, and soon shrill laughter filled the darkened room.

"You have done well, Valerent. Go back now, quickly, or you will be missed."

"Yes, my Lady." The old traitor said, bowing lightly before hastening from the room.

Allydriel continued to laugh. "Oh, dear brother, you should have sent your letter right away. Won't mother be pleased with me now?"