As the sun set, the remaining wraiths swirled back into the darkness, back towards their king. While the sun shone, they could attack the fortress, but as it set, the wraiths would be burned to ash if they remained near the border. Eliza's arm was proof enough of that and the other wraiths had no desire to lose any part of themselves.

Jareth flew down the stairs, knocking guards out of his way. He must get to Sarah - he must get to his queen before his imagination convinced him that she was dead. Ignoring Valeria's sudden weariness, he had jumped over fallen soldiers to go to his queen.

Valeria fell to the ground, the tiredness was getting worse with each battle. The nightmares she knew would come this night made her even more exhausted. Pulling herself back to her feet, she made her way to the infirmary to check on casualties. War stopped for no one, not even a love struck Goblin King.

"Sarah!" he cried, running out onto the battlefield. Ludo picked up the girl and started running toward his king. Jareth grabbed her and hugged her tightly to his chest. He had almost lost her once already, what was she thinking?

"Sire," Sir Didymus said, causing Jareth to glare at the knight. "Begging your highness' pardon, but Sarah used a spell that I have only heard once before - by your own mother sir. No one else could have taught it to her, the queen's magic being what it was."

"You must be mistaken and I have no time to reflect on it," Jareth growled. A burst of glitter and a half crazed wish later, Jareth and Sarah were gone.

JSJSJS

Sarah was walking through a haze of purple mist that seemed to follow her. Sarah spun around frantically, looking for something - anything that would tell her where she was. Walking up a long staircase, she could see she was in a tower of some sort. The purple mist was met by another of blue and the two surrounded her as if to examine who she was and if she was safe. Receding slightly, they formed into two regal Fae, imposing yet kind somehow. The male smirked at her in a way that made her want to blush as the woman glanced her over carefully. They looked familiar to her and she frowned. Had she met them? Was she dreaming?

"Sarah Williams," the man said softly. "Welcome to the Dreamscape. We have been waiting to meet you for some time."

"Do - do I know you? Where am I? Where's Jareth?"

"Ah Jareth, you have feelings for the Goblin King?" the woman asked, a hint of amusement in her gaze. Sarah did blush then and nodded.

"I love him and he loves me. Is he all right?"

"Lovely child, you were the one who were hurt and yet your only thought goes out to our son," the man said approvingly. Sarah gasped. These were Jareth's parents? But they were dead. She sat down in a nearby chair and tried to figure out why she was dreaming about people she'd never met.

"Your son? I don't understand." The couple looked at each other silently and the man nodded. Jareth's mother came over to Sarah and held her hand gently as she knelt by her chair.

"I am Descordia," the woman said gently. "My husband Chandler," she waved a hand towards him. "Child, we do not have much time. The reason you can see us is because of the interference in your powers."

"Because of the change, I have powers now?"

"Yes and no. Remember the beginning of your story - the Goblin King had given the girl certain powers. You have carried such magic in you for some time now. Then you accepted the change into Fae, meaning you accepted Fae powers as well. The two magics are, to put it mildly, clouding your judgement."

"You ran off towards the border to destroy the Dark King - untrained and bringing your friends into danger," Jareth's father said roughly."As much as we'd love more time with you, dying is not part of your destiny here."

"So I'm not dreaming," Sarah whispered. "And I'm not dead. Now I'm really confused."

"Sarah, your powers from Jareth were never meant to stay with you - they were given to you so that you could come into our world to save Toby and not be harmed by the many cruel creatures that wander the realm. Jareth made it possible for you to stay safe in the Labyrinth by putting a protection spell around you. Once you defeated the Labyrinth - the powers should have been released."

"But they weren't? Why not? I didn't feel any different."

"Jareth was so relieved that you forgave him that he never gave the protection spell any thought. That's why he gave you the other protections at your birthday. He just didn't think about it. But then," Jareth's father explained, "you were hurt and started to become Fae. The two forms of magic in your system have been fighting for dominance. You must release Jareth's spell. It's giving you access to things you should not know, but do." He shot a look to his wife who shrugged.

"She is to be High Queen after all," Descordia said mildly.

"You shouldn't be able to see us. We are in the pathway to the Fade, but cannot be released until Orion is destroyed. His bargain with the Darkness is what put us here. He fooled a young girl into helping him and we must see that her soul is returned to her own keeping. Until that is done, she is punished and we have no control over our own fate. Please help us Sarah. Help us be sent into our afterlife. Help our child free her soul and let her know we forgive her for her part in our deaths."

"I - what?" Sarah was lost again.

"She didn't know," Chandler said, shaking his head. "She didn't know and she tortures herself daily. Please help us all find our release, Sarah. Sometimes the way forward is the way back. Remember this and remember that Valeria is as much a prisoner as any who have fallen to the darkness."

The two monarchs started to fade back into mist and Sarah reached out a hand. "No wait - don't go - what do I do?"

JSJSJS

"What do I do?" Sarah was shouting, thrashing in Jareth's bed. He sat next to her, holding her hand. "Queen Descordia - what do I do?"

How did Sarah know his mother's name? Had she learned it from the book he'd given her? That must be it - she must be delirious.

"Please," Sarah pleaded to the voices in her head. "Tell me how I'm to save Valeria." Jareth growled. What was she saying? No one knew about the night his parents were killed. Not even Valeria herself. Jareth had wiped her memory of that night. It was not recorded in the book. Who was telling Sarah about it? What was she hiding from him?

"Sarah, wake up Sarah," he said, shaking her slightly. "Sarah please."

Sarah opened her eyes and stared up at him as if she didn't see him. "Queen Descordia, help me."

"Sarah, can you hear me?" Jareth glared at her, willing her to look at him - to see him. He would get his answers, but first, she must prove to him that she was not ill again.

"Jareth?" Her vision started to clear and she sat up shakily. He pulled her into a fierce embrace and held her.

"Don't ever do anything like that again, do you hear me? I will lock you into the darkest oubilette in my kingdom if you ever think to do such a thing to me again."

"Jareth, I was so afraid - I had this urge to go to the border - to save you. But it was like something was pulling me there. When I was changed there was a man with no face, I must have dreamt him."

"No - you saw the Dark King - Orion. He will call to you again. You will go home and not return until I destroy him."

"I'm not running away - I have to help Valeria, and - your parents."

"What are you saying? My parents are beyond help Sarah, they died." Jareth wondered if the stress was getting to his Sarah. She shook her head.

"I know they are dead - they are in a place called...um - Dreamscape. That's it. They're in the Dreamscape because they can't get to the Fade. They said Valeria was tricked into helping someone kill them."

"Valeria did not kill anyone," Jareth almost shouted, rising from the bed. He paced in front of her, not meeting her gaze. "She married the wrong man and paid dearly for it. But Orion is the murderer and he must be dealt with. It is no concern of yours."

"It's every concern of mine. This is going to be my home and you either trust me or you don't. If you don't then maybe I should not consider being your queen."

Not - consider? Jareth's mind spun out of control. What was she saying? He turned to approach her and she scrambled off the bed, onto the other side of the room. She grabbed a chair to separate them and glared at him.

"Sarah, please - sit down. Calm yourself." He slowly walked toward her and she shook her head again.

"No. If I leave here today I will not be back. I'm tired of being treated like I'm a queen one minute and a child the next. Your parents need help. Valeria needs help. I don't understand why you keep trying to stop me from doing what I'm supposed to do, but if you don't plan to help me, then I'm done. We're done."

"Sarah, you don't mean this. You had a bad dream," he started to say and she almost growled.

"I did not have a bad dream. I met your parents. I found out that Valeria was tricked somehow and your parents can't go to the Fade until Valeria's soul is freed. Right before I passed out, I saw a ribbon of something from your sister into the Dark Lands. I think he's draining her somehow. Your parents said she has nightmares. Jareth, you have to see that denying everything does not help anyone."

Jareth looked at her in shock. She knew nothing of the dangers here and now she was telling him how to run his kingdom. She didn't know what she was saying.

"Sarah, you've had a bad time of it here. I'm sending you home and you can rest. When you're ready to talk about this calmly, call on me and I shall come to you. I don't think that I'll see you for Christmas, there is much work to be done here and we both need time to reflect on your change."

"Are you trying to break up with me?" Her eyes glowed and he had to stop himself to rushing to her and kissing her senseless.

"I will never leave you Sarah, but you are still healing and need time to rest without further stress. I need time to plan my strategy against the Dark King. I cannot do that with you here as a distraction."

"I see. Well I'll just get out of your sight, your highness. Don't bother worrying about Christmas, France is filled with lonely boys who would be happy to find me under the mistletoe." With a wave of her hand and a chanted command, she was gone.

Jareth stood staring at the place she'd been standing then fell to his knees, fighting back tears. How had everything gone so wrong?