Chapter 1

The stoic barn owl sat by the glow from within Sarah's bedroom, he observed without feeling the young girl through the windowpane, who merrily danced about the room with creatures from the underground.

He turned and flew into the night, lost and numb. Transforming himself back into his true form, Jareth stood within his Labyrinth garden, the soft greys and shadows of night illuminated by the silvery moon, a cold and solemn moon, Jareth felt. He sat by a fountain there, the constant sound of trickling water dampening his thoughts.

In a rush everything that had happened that day came back to the Goblin King, in a flash all was recalled. His mind then replayed the agonising last moments when he had been with Sarah, the last time she had looked into his eyes, and not seen his, the moment she completed her fairy tale the way it was written, and looked straight through him.

His mind then dared to think ahead, to contemplate his immediate future, a future of rejection, loneliness and sorrow. His hand rushed to his chest as he tried to subdue the pain, his face grimacing as his world came crashing down. His heart was broken. He looked up suddenly, into the abyss of night, his vision blurred through the tears. In a wretched and empty voice he cried "why?", before burying his head in his hands.

Some moments passed, the fountain ever trickling. Jareth slowly put his hands down by his sides and lifted his gaze. It was stony and severe. He stood, and producing a riding crop within his hand, strode on towards his castle, tapping at his boots as he went. It was this moment that he was resolved to never make a fool of himself again.

X X X

Sarah sat looking into the mirror of her dressing table, adding touches of rouge to her cheeks, tint to her lips and adding a few more plaits to her long dark hair. She looked admiringly at herself, before realising that something was missing from her elaborate Shakespearean costume. She then came up with an ingenious solution. Placing her hand against the glass of her mirror, she whispered "I need you Hoggle!"

Hoggle appeared behind her in the room. "Is everything alright Sarah? You know how dangerous it can be calling me through the mirror, if Jareth finds out he'll bog me for sure!"

"I know it's risky" Shrugged Sarah "But we can't let that miserable brute spoil our fun can we?" She winked. "I was just wondering if I could borrow some of the jewellery you have for my play tonight? It's just what I need to complete this look!" She grinned.

"That's all you wanted?" Hoggle tutted, before looking down lovingly at his collection of treasures, obviously reluctant to give them up.

"Hoggle! I told you, it's my first performance at this theatre, I have to make a good impression! And I was thinking that a piece of your jewellery might give me a bit of…err..might help me break a leg!" Sarah nodded matter-of-factly, pleased she remembered not to say anything about luck on opening night, especially when she was playing Lady Macbeth.

"Oh well, if you put it like that" Hoggle handed over his entire bundle of sparkly things for Sarah to look through. At that very moment, Sarah's bedroom seemed to darken, accompanied by a sound of distant rumbling. In a crackle of electricity, the Goblin King stood in Sarah's room.

She looked at him open mouthed. She hadn't seen him since she had completed his Labyrinth, five or six years ago. He was more imposing and otherworldly then she could have remembered. His presence filled the room, he stood looking down at Hoggle, his eyes dark, his handsome jaw set. Sarah felt herself almost blushing, she'd thought about him almost every day since she'd last seen him, something she would never admit. How could she think of him when he had been so cruel?

"So you defy me again, Hogweed?" He spoke calmly but with irritation. "Perhaps you're trying to remind me that I have been neglectful of my duties? What's that?" Jareth knelt down by Hoggle, his hand cupped sarcastically behind his own ear as if he was trying to listen, before impersonating Hoggle in a mocking voice "Oh yes, Your Majesty, when shall I be Prince of the Land of Stench?" Jareth then stood, his voice fierce again "Sooner than you think, Hogbrain, sooner than you think."

Before Hoggle could even fall to his knees and beg for forgiveness, Jareth placed his hand on Hoggle's shoulder, both of them disappearing in a rain of glitter. Sarah still sat open mouthed, looking into the empty space where her friend and Jareth once stood. She could have sworn too, that in the last second Jareth had looked into her eyes, a veil of something like longing covering his own unique mismatched pupils.

Then she thought about poor Hoggle, she couldn't possibly leave him to some dreadful fate. She had a few hours before she had to be at the theatre. She resolved to use what time she had to return to the Labyrinth and rescue Hoggle. She only had one idea of how to get there. Squeezing her eyes shut, she made a wish.

"I wish the Goblin King would take me away!" She was sure she heard the tittering of goblins. She opened her eyes, only to find that she still stood alone in her room. She stamped her foot.

"This isn't fair!" She called.

"You say that so often…" the Goblin Kings voice boomed as he appeared again in front of her. He stood, his hands on his hips, wickedness in his grin. He towered over Sarah. In shock Sarah sat back down in her chair.

Jareth raised a well groomed eyebrow. "Do I frighten you?" He asked. Sarah merely looked down at the floor. "Well at least we're starting off on the right foot. How dare you make a wish to me again? A silly girl playing silly games." He sneered.

Sarah's eyes flashed at his, why did he always know what to say to make her feel small? She felt courage brewing in defiance of his pretentiousness. She stood, putting her face only a few inches away from his. As she moved closer, his expression seemed to weaken, but only for a second.

"You don't know me, Goblin King! Where is Hoggle?" She demanded.

Jareth raised his chin slightly, and looking down his nose at Sarah began walking forward, making her stumble backwards.

"What makes you think I'll tell you anything?" He spoke each word slowly through his pointed teeth.

"Oh, I'll make you!" Sarah challenged, before looking down at her dressing table for inspiration. In a moment she picked up her hair brush, and moved to hit Jareth around his upper arm. Before she even got close, he clasped a gloved hand around her wrist, so tightly she dropped the brush in weakened fingers, and moaned slightly with the pain.

"You dare to assault the king?" Jareth hissed. With both hands he took hold of her shoulders, and in a whizz of magic transported them both to the throne room in the Castle Beyond the Goblin City.