A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this out. I had to work a lot this weekend. Also, this was a much harder chapter for me to write for some reason. Thanks again for all the great reviews. I hope you enjoy this new chapter, it's very long.

Disclaimer: None of this is real, go back to sleep.

Karen stood silently, watching the scene that played out before her. A few feet away lay Sarah, dressed elegantly in a blue gown of rich brocade and lace, her hair spread around her and adorned with ribbons. She had been laid on a byre at the foot of a raised platform in what seemed to be some kind of grand assembly hall. The hall was lit with candles, and flowers surrounded the byre on which Sarah rested. Many, many more flowers were being added to the pile, as thousands of Jareth's subjects made their way past to gaze upon the woman who had won the heart of their king.

She had not understood why Jareth had insisted on this public funeral. She knew that very few people here had ever even seen Sarah. Why should they care that a mortal girl from another world had died in their lands? But Jareth had been firm, and Karen had not had the heart to argue about it. Watching now, she was glad Jareth had won the argument, for it seemed appropriate to her now that Sarah be so honored, and Jareth seemed comforted it by it.

She shifted her gaze to the Goblin King. Poor, sweet Jareth, she had learned to adore him over the last few days. He had done everything in his power to make her comfortable. He had suggested to her that it might not be safe to return to her above ground life. She conceded that the disappearance of Richard and Sarah, along with the blood that stained the carpet in Maya's room, would be difficult to explain. Not only that, but there would be no way to keep Maya and Toby from talking about what had happened. Besides, what did she have to go back for? Life as she had known it was over. Jareth had offered her a chance at a new life, a chance to start over, and she had graciously accepted. He had offered to take her back to her home to gather belongings that she wished to keep, but she could think of nothing now that wouldn't be tainted with false memories.

The children were heartbroken over the loss of their sister, but they were coping. She marveled not for the first time at how resilient kids could be. Toby was drawn to the Goblin King, no doubt remembering on some level the man who had played and sang to him when he was a baby. They shared their love of Sarah, and their grief over the loss of her, but Toby was old enough to recognize that grown-ups deal with pain differently, and so he kept his visits brief. Karen knew that would change, and eventually Jareth would have trouble getting rid of him. Somehow, Karen didn't think he would mind.

Maya had been a little harder to coax out of her shell. She had remained quiet and withdrawn, until she attracted the attention of one of Sarah's friends from her first visit here. Ludo, the hulking creature with the face of a monster had approached Maya as she stood clinging to Karen's leg. "Ludo fwend" he had said simply, and held out a large furry paw. Karen had expected Maya to be afraid of the beast, but instead she put her tiny hand in his, and he had lifted her up into his arms. Karen would be lying if she said she hadn't found this alarming at first, but Jareth had assured her there was no one in his kingdom that Maya was safer with, save himself. The unlikely pair had been inseparable ever since, and their laughter could often be heard ringing through the corridors of the castle, a welcome change to the aura of sadness that had settled over it.

Karen's attention turned back to the procession of mourners that was now near its end. She had been astonished at the diversity of subjects in Jareth's kingdom. There were Goblins, of course, but there were dwarves as well, pixies, trolls, and other creatures that she had seen in story books, and many she had not. There were also humans, which she had not really expected. Jareth explained that what she saw made up only the smallest fraction of his kingdom, that his realm was as large as the earth, and that there were many, many kinds of creatures that were not represented here today. He also explained that her world had been similarly populated many thousands of years ago, but that as the magics there had died, only the hardiest of races could survive. She supposed that had been a compliment to humans, but Karen felt humbled in the presence of so many mythical beings.

The procession had stopped now, and all present stood at the foot of the platform in the front of the hall. Jareth stepped into view, more regal than any human king had ever been. He wore a long silver brocade cloak over matching pants and vest, and a white shirt beneath the vest. In place of his usual knee high leather boots he wore a more formal pair that stopped at the ankles. On his head was a silver crown with an emblem at the center that matched the amulet he wore around his neck. Jareth seldom wore his crown, and Karen had never seen it before.

When he reached the center of the platform, he turned to all present and they knelt before him in unison. Karen, too, knelt before the great king. He stood quiet for a moment, and Karen thought that he would speak. Instead, to her astonishment, he began to sing. His voice was breathtakingly beautiful, the melody heart wrenching, and the words were in a language she had never heard before. She stood with her mouth agape. She bent down and whispered to Sir Didymus who was standing next to her, "What's he saying."

The little creature looked at her with shining eyes. "He sings in the ancient tongue of his kind, M'lady." He explained. "I speak but little, though from what I can understand it is a dirge for a fallen queen."

"Queen?" she murmured, as she stood back up. As the word escaped her lips, Jareth was turning to a goblin who approached him, head bowed in respect, holding a blue fringed pillow made of satin. Upon the pillow was a silver crown, very similar to the one Jareth himself wore, but smaller and more delicate. Jareth lifted the crown gingerly, and paused both in motion and in song, as though he were lost in thought. When he continued the dirge, the emotion in his voice was thick. He held the crown above his head for all to see, then knelt down next to Sarah and gently placed it on her head. After this he placed a tear filled kiss upon her lips, and stood upright once more. Upon seeing this, the crowd once again bowed low, but now they were not so quick to stand up.

The sadness in the room was palpable, and Karen finally understood why Jareth had insisted on the public ceremony. It wasn't just a funeral, it was a coronation. Jareth had let it be known that he considered Sarah his Queen, and that she should be remembered as such. It was more than Karen could bear, and the tears she had been holding in check finally broke free.

Sarah didn't so much wake up, as come to the realization that she was awake. It was a strange feeling, as though her consciousness had blinked out of existence, and then blinked back in. She had been in Jareth's arms, had felt herself fading and now she was…where? She was standing in a meadow of some kind. There was a forest around her in every direction, but she was in a clearing. There was grass here, the softest and most beautiful green grass she had ever seen. There were flowers of every color and description, that seemed to grow with a will of there own. There was a stream at her feet, shallow and bubbling happily away as it traveled from one end of the woods to another. There were birds singing and in the distance she could see small animals cavorting in the warm sunshine. It was, in short, the most beautiful place she had ever imagined. Then why are you so miserable? she asked herself.

She realized with amusement that instead of the angelic robes she had expected she was in a tee shirt, jeans, and hiking boots. It must have meant she was supposed to walk, but she could see no obvious path into the woods, and she had no idea where she was supposed to go from here. She could follow the stream, but which direction should she take? It would help if she had some idea where she was or why she was here. Frustrated, she sat down at the edge of the stream and absently picked at the grass around her. Great, she thought, you've been in the afterlife for twenty seconds and you're already confused.

She heard a rustling noise in the trees behind her, and turned to see a woman step into the clearing. Not just a woman, but the most beautiful woman imaginable. Sarah could scarcely believe so much beauty could exist in one place. It was almost too much for her eyes, and she had to fight the urge to look away. She wore a gown of purest silver, her hair the same color and flowing about her as though it were alive. Her eyes were blue and shining, her skin fair, and a gentle smile played about her lips. Her face was ageless; she could have been 16 or 60, it was impossible to tell. She wore a crown that seemed to be moving, although from where Sarah sat it was hard to see it clearly. Also, she seemed to be glowing, a faint warm glow that reminded Sarah of moonlight.

Behind her, another figure stepped into the clearing. He was strange, and almost frightening in appearance. He wore a long robe of shimmering gold, the color of sunlight in autumn. He had human features, except that in the place of feet he had split hooves, and on his head a magnificent rack of antlers. He, too, seemed to glow. He was definitely not human, but then Sarah figured the woman was probably not human either.

She looked back to the woman again, who was still smiling warmly. Sarah was not sure what to do, so she stood and, after another moments thought, bowed humbly to the pair. The woman's smile grew broader, and she opened her mouth to speak. "Is this the young mortal who has set my lands to talking?" she asked. "Is this the great slayer of labyrinths, and of immortal hearts?"

Sarah didn't know what to say, so she merely introduced herself. "I am just Sarah Williams, my lady." This last phrase was strange in her mouth, but it seemed appropriate. She had no idea who this woman was, but she felt compelled to show her the utmost respect.

The woman placed her hand on the top of Sarah's head and bade her rise. "Yes, Sarah Williams. Long have I watched you child, for you are most intriguing to me. You are wondering who I am, are you not?" Sarah nodded shyly, and the woman continued. "Of course, very few in your realm recognize me anymore. When the magics died in your world, my existence became a burden to those who would seek to use religion to subjugate others, and so it became a crime to even speak of me. None the less I do exist, as all of these men have learned eventually." She smiled conspiratorially at this last statement. "I have many names, Sarah Williams, and many faces as well. But you may call me Great Mother, for it is I who created you, and all that you have ever known."

Sarah gasped. She had known that she was in the presence of someone very important, but…God? This is certainly not how she had pictured her creator. But, then, isn't that what she had just been told? Without thinking, Sarah fell to her knees again, her face low to the ground. Suddenly she was afraid to even look at the beautiful woman who stood before her.

Great Mother laughed softly, the sound of a thousand wind chimes in a gentle breeze. "Stand, child." she said, "You have nothing to fear from me." Sarah did as she was told, and the woman gently stroked her cheek. The feeling was like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a cold night. "I can see why he loves you so." the woman said. "I know a great deal of love, for I too have a soul mate." She gestured towards the man who had accompanied her out of the forest. He had not moved from the edge where he had emerged, nor had he spoken. He merely watched the two women before him, smiling at them when he noticed their attention on them. "This is my consort, Sarah. He is called the Hunter." The male figure bowed to her cordially, but still did not speak. The woman turned her attention back to Sarah. "You seem so sad child. I am unaccustomed to sadness in the Summerlands, for this is a world made of dreams."

"I have only one dream, Great Mother, and I'm afraid I left him behind." Sarah said, and began to cry once again.

"Yes, you found the love of an immortal. Jareth, one of the dearest of my servants, if I am not mistaken. True love is hard to come by in any realm, dear Sarah, and I know it is hard for you to lose it so soon I have no doubt Jareth would have married you, would have made you his Queen. Look, he has done so anyway!" With that, the beautiful Goddess removed her shimmering crown and held it in her hands. On closer inspection Sarah realized it was not made of any metal. There were tiny pinpricks of light, arranged in swirling patterns, some larger than others. They were arranged in a ring, but somehow seemed infinite, as though if she could only see past the first few swirls, there would be millions more behind them. Sarah gasped as she realized what she was seeing. Stars, galaxies, planets all held within the outstretched hand of the woman before. She wears the Universe as a crown!

Her tears forgotten, her grief momentarily pushed aside, she stared at the amazing sight before her. As she did so, the scene began to shift, the stars seem to come towards her, and move past her. She felt as though she were flying through space and time. The vision became faster, faster, until the stars were a blur as they moved from her line of sight. There was no sound, no sensation of any kind except the dizzying feeling of floating through eternity. Then suddenly she stopped. She was looking down at Earth, except there was more than just one. As the vision unfolded, the Earth expanded so that there were twelve replicas in a line behind it. The thirteen dimensions, she realized, though she had no idea how she knew this. The vision shifted again and her attention was focused on one of these replicas. She was drawn closer, again moving forward. She was flying over fields and oceans, mountains and trees.

A familiar sight caught her eye. The Labyrinth! And beyond it, gleaming like a jewel in sunlight, Jareth's castle. Black crepe lined the turrets, balconies, and windows. Every door and window was closed and the curtains drawn. She was drawn inside, drawn deep into a large room she had never seen before. There were people here, and creatures of every sort. Thousands of beings drawn together, but for what? She hovered over the crowd, and moved forward to the front of the throng. She looked down at the crowd. There was Karen, with Sir Didymus standing beside her. They both looked as though their hearts were breaking. A short distance away a large red furry creature stood, his face an unmistakable mask of sorrow. In his arms was her own darling sister. Maya's arms were wrapped around Ludo's neck, her faced buried in his furry shoulder. Next to them were Toby and Hoggle. They, too, wore tear streaked faces. Why was everyone so sad? Then her gaze moved to the byre at the foot of the platform. She saw herself, eyes closed, hands folded over her chest. It was only then that she remembered her pain. This shell, this body, was all that was left of her in their world. Her joy at seeing her family and friends crumbled. This is why they were crying, because she had left them. She wanted to run to them, to tell them that she was still here, but she couldn't move from the position she held as she floated above them.

Then she heard the singing. In all of her life she had heard nothing more beautiful, more haunting, than this mournful voice and its heartbreaking melody. It seemed to echo inside her, as if it were calling to her through the veil that separated her from the world it was in. She looked up to find the source of the otherworldly music, and there he was. Her life and her love, stood before her, before her empty body, before the gathered throngs of onlookers, and he was singing. Her heart ached as she saw the pain in his eyes. Although she couldn't understand the words he was singing, she could tell he was having a hard time keeping his composure. His eyes were ringed with red, and she knew that he had spent a great deal of time crying.

She became aware of a presence beside her, and turned to see that Great Mother had joined her in her invisible surveillance. "He sings for you, child," she said, knowing the question that burned on the tip of Sarah's tongue. "He sings of his love for you and of his grief."

As Sarah watched, a crown was brought to him, small and beautiful, matching the larger one he wore on his own head. She stared silently as he knelt to place it on the head of the dead girl that she had once been. She saw him kiss her, and touched her own lips, willing to feel his warmth on them. She watched in awe as everyone assembled bowed low before her lifeless body. "What does it mean, Great Mother?" she finally asked.

"Jareth has proclaimed you his Queen, Sarah. He has given his heart and his soul to you. He has publicly declared that for the rest of his days he will love no other."

Sarah's heart was aching. "Oh, Jareth," she whispered. To her amazement, his head snapped up, as though he had heard the words and was looking for the one who had spoken them. He couldn't see her, though, and he bowed his head once more.

She felt a light touch on her arm. "Come child, it's time to go." With that, they were once again standing in the clearing by the stream, and the cosmic crown once again adorned the Goddess's head.

Sarah fell to her knees and sobbed. "Why?" she pleaded through her tears, "Why did you show me this?"

"So that you would know just how much he loves you. It is no small thing, the love of an immortal. He has bound his soul to you, even in death."

"And what good does that do either of us, when he's there and I'm here." Sarah cried.

Great Mother smiled. "Perhaps we shall soon find out what good it has done." With that she placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder. Sarah felt a calming sensation rush over her. Her mind was soothed, and she couldn't remember what she was crying about. The weight on her heart lifting more and more, and a dreamy smile began to play at her lips. She felt happy. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this good. She struggled to remember, it seemed vitally important that she remember. She was dancing; there was a soft voice singing to her. She could almost remember, but it was so hard. She could here the tune in her mind, and she began to hum it softly. Who had she been dancing with? In her memory she looked up into a pair of shimmering mismatched eyes. Suddenly, the memories flooded back to her, and she pushed the Goddess's hand from her shoulder.

"You're trying to make me forget! She screamed. "Those memories are all I have left of him! You have no right to take them away, and I won't let you." In the corner of her vision she saw the hunter begin to move forward, but Great Mother motioned him to stay. She smiled, and it was much kinder than Sarah expected after her outburst. She stroked Sarah's cheek, and Sarah warily allowed it.

"There's the fire!" Great Mother said. "I was afraid it was gone, but I see it burns still, as does your love for him. Tell me child, if you still lived, would you have accepted his suit? Would you have become his Queen?"

Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but there was too much emotion trying to come through at once, and she closed it again. She took a moment to collect herself, and tried once more. "I would have given him all that I had." She answered simply.

"That is all I wanted to know." Great Mother said, sounding inordinately pleased with herself. She held out an outstretched palm once again, but this time instead of her crown, it held a crystal, much like one of Jareth's crystals.

"What is it?" Sarah breathed, staring into the swirling mists within the object.

"If you look inside, it will show you your dreams" Great mother answered. Sarah concentrated, and the mists began to move aside. She saw Jareth, dressed as he had been at her funeral and standing on the same platform. In fact everything was the same, except that he was smiling broadly and so was everyone else. Then she saw herself, dressed in a long white gown, a crown on her head, white ribbons and flowers in her hair. He held out his arm to her, and she joined him. It was a wedding she was seeing. No sooner had the realization come to her, than the scene shifted.

Now she and Jareth were sitting on a couch of some kind in front of a fireplace. He was sprawled out and sleeping, she lay next to him on her side, reading a book. His arm was around her, his hand spread protectively over her large round belly. Sarah felt tears rolling down her cheeks, and the scene shifted again.

They were outside in a clearing much like this one. The sun was shining and she sat on a blanket watching some kind of game. Karen was next to her, holding a tiny baby girl, and smiling fondly. Maya was older, perhaps twelve, but her steel grey eyes were unmistakable. She and Ludo were running and laughing in the grass chasing two other, younger children who also howled with laughter. She noted with interest that the older of the two, a little boy, had remarkable mismatched eyes. Just then Jareth and Toby joined them. Toby was so tall! Jareth leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, and then sat next to her. He reached out to take the babe from Karen, and kissed its tiny little head.

Sarah wanted to see more, but the crystal began to fill with mist once again. She looked up at Great Mother, and unspoken plea in her eyes. "No, Sarah, the time for dreaming is done." She answered. Sarah opened her mouth to protest, but the Goddess place a hand on her and she began to feel dizzy. Slowly she slumped to the ground. Her eyes wide with fear she looked up at the Goddess, unable to speak. The last thing she saw was Great Mother's gentle smile, and then all was darkness.