" Ya wanted to see me, Yer Majesty? " Hoggle said, fearfully entering the Goblin King's study and going down on one knee before his king.

Jareth, the Goblin King swallowed his mouthful of brandy, then put the balloon glass down on his desk. He looked down his regal nose at the dwarf before responding with " Ah, yes! Higgle..."

" It's Hoggle, Yer Majesty" the dwarf interrupted sourly, and rose.

The Goblin King waved his hand dismissively to indicate his faux pas was of no importance to him. Jareth rose from the chair behind his desk, picking up a pair of black leather gloves that rested on a corner.

" I thought you might like to look in on a dear friend of ours. She's going to be a guest of the Underground for a very long time, and I thought seeing a familiar and friendly face --albeit a slack-jawed and unintelligent one--- might cheer her up a bit. She's been rather anxious since her return here. " Jareth explained.

" She?" queried Hoggle suspiciously, his eyes narrowing " She who ? "

" Why, Miss Sarah Williams, Hog-brain! " replied the Goblin King, pulling a black leather glove over a hand and working his way into the fingers of the glove. " Now why would you have to ask? I can't possibly imagine another person the two of us would have in common,. " Jareth chuckled mockingly, " You and I hardly travel in the same social circles, Hogspit ! "

" Sarah? What's Sarah doin' back here? " said Hoggle, the blood draining from his craggy face. Suddenly Hoggle sputtered. " Sarah ain't no friend of yers! "

The Goblin King's back was turned to Hoggle, so he never saw that Jareth winced ever so slightly at Hoggle's declaration that Sarah was no friend of his.

"The girl is back because she has a forfeit to pay to me " replied Jareth haughtily, working his other hand into a black glove.Once the glove fit snugly on his hand, Jareth poured another drink for himself from the cut crystal decanter he'd placed on his desk earlier.

" That's a lie! Sarah ran the Labyrinth fair and square, an' she defeated ya, Jareth! Yer cheatin' ! " accused Hoggle, forgetting his fear of the Goblin King in his outrage at hearing Sarah had been forced to return to the Underground.

Jareth took a big swallow of his brandy. " For your information, Hogs-breath,", Jareth said coldly, " the girl is back because she ate Fae food. That means she returns upon demand...and I demanded it. "

" But she defeated ya ! " the dwarf protested.

Jareth threw his glass against the wall. Crystal shards and brandy sprayed everywhere from the force. Hoggle cringed.

" Yes," said Jareth through clenched teeth, " She ran the Labyrinth in the allotted time, and defeated me. Sarah won her little brother Toby back. She returned him Aboveground and got to play the virtuous little heroine who defeated the wicked villain. I had no power over her taking her brother back ! "

" However ; " , continued the Goblin King, a truly wicked grin slowly spreading over his face, " Sarah ate an Underground peach. She ate Fae food. And that, dear Toggle, makes the girl mine ! "

" Then the last person she's gonna wanna see is me. Ya made me give her the peach, remember? " Hoggle moaned.

" Oh, you flatter yourself, Hoggle ! ", Jareth smirked, " I assure you, Sarah remembers what came after eating the peach more than she remembers who gave it to her. "

Jareth thought back to the one dance he had shared with the girl Sarah after she ate part of the enchanted peach. The enchantment had caused the girl to drop her guard with him for a span of seconds. For a fleeting few moments, the Goblin King was the mortal girl'sPrince Charming, and she was the Mysterious Foreign Princess ; the Belle of the Ball.

The Goblin King's reverie was interrupted by a scowling Hoggle, who was uncharacteristically short with his King .

" So where are ya keepin' Sarah? One of yer holes? " asked Hoggle gruffly.

The Goblin King clucked his tongue. " I told you, Hogborn, Sarah is a guest. Is putting one's guest in a hole a form of dwarven hospitality?" Jareth laid a leather-clad finger against his chin as if in thought before snidely remarking, " It probably is, seeing what sort of hovels you dwarves choose to dwell in."

"As if yer Labyrinth was the Garden Spot of the Underground! " thought Hoggle to himself, " As if yer Throne Room was it's bleedin' Showplace! "

Hoggle asked again. " So where are ya keepin' Sarah? "

The Goblin King made a gesture with his hand as if plucking something from the air, and then held a fragile-looking crystal in his long, gloved fingers. Jareth brought the crystal to Hoggle's face before releasing the crystal to float freely.

" Just follow the crystal, Hogleg, " Jareth instructed, " The crystal will lead you straight to the girl."

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