A/N: This chapter was much more fun to write, and therefore a second update in the same day. Thank you all so much for your reviews, they make my day and I love you all.

Disclaimer: I do not own the labyrinth or any of the other famous works of literature I have defiled in the following paragraphs. My utmost apologies to JRR Tolkien, who I'm sure is spinning in his grave.

The day had passed at whirlwind speed. She had descended the staircase on Jareth's arm, and entered into a whole new world. At times she was almost overwhelmed by the adoration and respect being shown to her as she made her way through the halls of the castle. It seemed she could not go two feet without someone bowing before her. She was amazed at the variety of subjects in under Jareth's rule. She only remembered goblins before, but now there were elves and dwarves, humans and fairies, and enchanted creatures of every shape and size.

There were other differences as well. The castle seemed much cleaner than it had before, and much more stately in its adornments. There were rich woven tapestries on the walls, as well as lining the floors. Furniture made of hardwoods and intricately carved were scattered about, polished to a high shine and covered with luxurious knick knacks. Enormous chandeliers made of crystal and gold hung suspended from the ceilings, thousands of candles burning brightly within them. It was almost too much to take it.

Jareth watched her in silence as she studied everything she passed. They came through a large hallway that opened into a balcony that overlooked a large room. It seemed to be some sort of assembly hall, though not as grand as the one she had awakened in. Behind her there was a portrait on the wall, a portrait so large she wondered how it had fit through the castle doors. There was an older man in the painting, with long white hair and a flowing white beard. He was wearing a robe, and in his hand he carried a staff of ivory. He seemed ancient, yet mighty as an oak, and there was a twinkle in his eyes which defied explanation. He had an expression of quiet dignity bordering on arrogance. and Sarah was reminded of Jareth when she saw him for the first time. Surely this imposing figure was some relation to the Goblin King.

"My great-grandfather, Mithrandir." Jareth confirmed, "One of the first of my kind, and the builder of this castle. It was he who tamed this realm and the magics within it. He was a great man." Jareth was looking at the painting with a kind of reverence Sarah had never seen in him, and she watched him with almost the same reverence. She was amazed by just how much she didn't know about the man she loved, and looked forward to learning it all.

As they began walking again, she motioned towards one of the tapestries. "I don't remember all of this from before, the castle seemed almost empty then. Why is that?" she asked.

"Ah, it was all part of the illusion, darling." He said, smiling mischievously. "You see, you needed to see me as the enemy: cold, empty and without comfort. This perception had to be maintained not just in myself, but in everything I touched, all the way through the labyrinth and the city to my castle and even my subjects. I believe you'll find many things that aren't as you remember them." He stopped, wrapping her in a warm embrace. "But don't worry, later I shall show you the kingdom as it really is, and I think you'll find it agreeable."

They had arrived at breakfast in time to find Hoggle, Ludo, and Didymus running through the doors. Apparently, word had spread of Sarah's return, and they were anxious to see for themselves. It was the first time Sarah had seen Hoggle express such unguarded emotion, as he hugged her and cried unabashedly. Ludo, on the other hand, had always been an open book, and his joy at seeing her again was loud and genuine. For his part, Didymus seemed only capable of saying "My lady!" over and over again.

Once the shock had dimmed they had shared breakfast together, Jareth at the head of the table, Sarah at his right hand, and family and friends surrounding them. It was the first meal of its kind for Sarah, and she had never felt so at home. The company engaged itself in pleasant conversation, and cheerful voices mingled with the tinkling of silverware against china, crystal against wood. More than once Sarah looked up from her plate or her present discussion to find Jareth watching her silently, his eyes sparkling and a hint of a smile on his lips. Neither of them realized that they had held hands throughout the meal, his right hand laid gently atop her left, but it didn't escape the attention of anyone else at the table.

True to his word, after breakfast Jareth had taken her on a tour of the castle, and of the Goblin City. Just as he had told her, things were much different than she remembered them. The city was a real city, filled with all sorts of people, not just goblins. They were going about their business, some working in shops, others cleaning, still others taking children out for a stroll. It was mundane and magical at the same time.

The city was much larger than she remembered as well. It had seemed very small when she had fought her way through it to storm the castle as a teenager, and nearly empty. Now it was bustling with people and there were houses of all sizes, as well as tall buildings, lined on streets that seemed to stretch out past the horizon.

Inside the castle he had shown her other portraits of his family. There were others of his great-grandfather, though none as imposing as the one in the entrance hall. There was also a portrait of another man who resembled the first in many ways; he too had long white hair and a flowing beard. But his eyes were mismatched like Jareth's, and he had the same hawk like features. Jareth explained that this was his father, Myrddion. Sarah stared at him, awestruck. Jareth's father…the concept sent a shiver down her spine. What she would have given to meet this man.

Next to the portrait of Jareth's father was one of a beautiful woman with waves of long black hair that flew around her as though swept by the wind. She wore, of all things, battle armor of rich black leather, and in her hand she held a spear. She seemed both old and young, and in her eyes Sarah saw defiance and willfulness. This was a woman that could be incredibly generous and kind, but had the power to be deadly when provoked. "Your mother…" Sarah breathed.

Jareth eyed her curiously, wondering what she was thinking. "Yes…my mother." He said softly, the word mother becoming almost a prayer. "She was a powerful woman, and a mighty Queen. I have missed her a great deal." He turned to Sarah. "You have a quite a lot in common, you know."

"We do?"

"Of course." He said, gesturing toward the painting once again. "You're both powerful, strong willed women. You both fell in love with the Goblin King." He paused to look at her, a glint in his eye, "And I hadn't thought of this until now, but when she shifted, she nearly always chose to be a raven."

"Really?" Sarah said. She didn't know about the other things, but she wondered if the raven was significant. She didn't know why she had chosen that particular shape. In fact, she hadn't even known she had until Jareth told her. "What was her name?" she asked, suddenly wanting to know more about her.

"Muirghan." Jareth answered. "Although the people of your realm called her Morrigan. Many years ago, she was worshiped as a goddess there."

"In my realm?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, my family seems always to have been fascinated by your realm, all the way back to Mithrandir. Twenty thousand years ago he left the Goblin Kingdom to his son and went to your world to help them fight the great evil that threatened to devour it."

"What great evil was that?" Sarah wondered. She had never really excelled in history, but as far as she could remember there hadn't really been any people in her world twenty thousand years ago. But of course, according the school books elves and trolls and goblins had never existed either.

"I once told you that the one of my kind that ruled your realm had chosen to pass on without an heir. That was not precisely true." He sat on a bench beneath the portraits and gestured for her to sit beside him. "You see, our kind were set aside to rule the thirteen realms, to maintain order and keep the magics under control. He wanted more, he wanted to be the greatest of the thirteen kings, and he abused the power that was given to him. He risked the balance of the magics of his realm by trying to gather them all into one place. If he had not been stopped, your realm would have been destroyed. He used the orcs, trolls, goblins, and some men to fight for him, but an alliance formed between elves and men. There was a great battle and he was nearly destroyed. Unfortunately, the finishing blow was not delivered, and after thousands of years he managed to gain enough power that once again he threatened to destroy your realm. That's when Great Mother sent my Mithrandir to step in and aid the alliance against the evil Orc King."

Sarah thought about the story, feeling that she had heard it somewhere before. Suddenly, she remembered. "Wait a minute, the Orc King! Was his name Sauron?"

Jareth's eyes widened. "How did you know that?" he sputtered.

Sarah laughed. "It's a book, Jareth! Almost everyone in my realm has read "The Lord of the Rings." She saw the look of astonishment on his face and laughed again. "No one ever would have dreamed it was true!" she said. Then another realization hit her. "Was your great-grandfather also called Gandalf?" He didn't have to answer; the look on his face was affirmation enough.

"I had no idea that there were stories written about my Mithrandir. I would like to read this book, this 'Lord of the Rings." He said.

"If only we had a DVD player, I'd let you see the movies." Sarah said, still laughing. What would her English Lit professor think if she told him she was married to Gandalf's great grandson. "Did Gandalf really sail away with the elves when it was all over?" she asked.

"I suppose that's a poetic way of putting it." Jareth smiled wistfully. "He chose to pass to the other side of the veil, and most of the elves went with him." He sighed. "He was a great man, I wish you could have met him. He always made me laugh."

Sarah sobered a bit at these words. "Wait a minute, he left twenty thousand years ago, and you knew him? Just how old are you?"

Jareth sighed. "Does it matter to you how old I am?" he asked.

"No, but…twenty thousand years!"

Jareth leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. Finally he opened them again. "I don't really know how old I am; I've lost count. I was just a boy really when Mithrandir left our world, but a boy who had already lived for centuries."

Sarah's stared at him for a moment. Did it matter to her? He was the same man, nothing had changed. Of course it didn't matter, it was just that much more she had to learn about him. She laid her head against his chest and he put his arms around her, holding her tightly against him.

"There are stories of my father in your world." He said. "I've seen them, but most of them are ridiculous. You may have heard some of them as well."

"I don't remember the name." she said, not moving from the comfortable spot she'd found in his arms.

"In your world they called him Merlin." Jareth said and Sarah started laughing again, laughing so hard that she could be heard throughout the castle.

Jareth had finished his tour by leading Sarah into the garden that could be seen from their bedroom window. It was beautiful, with flowers and plants growing in such a way that their colors blended and harmonized. Here and there fountains rose from the flowerbeds and whispered their watery secrets to the plants in their care.

Sarah sat on a bench next to a bush of purple tinted roses. It had been a busy day and she was very tired. Jareth sat next to her and put an arm around her. He reached across her to the rose bush and gently snapped off one of the blooms. "So what do you think of your kingdom, my love?" he asked her gently, placing the rose behind her ear.

"Mmmm…my kingdom." Sarah purred. "It's beautiful."

"Well there is much more to see, you've barely left the castle grounds." Jareth told her. "Just wait until we visit Icecap Mountains to the north, or the Plains of Arendo in the west. There's an entire world to explore."

"But not tonight." Sarah yawned. "Tonight I just want to visit a hot bath and my bed."

Jareth chuckled. Whatever My Queen wants, she shall have." He said. He was about to blink them back to their room when Sarah opened her eyes again.

"Jareth," she asked, "Where is my father?"