Alrighty, this takes place right after the last chapter. And thank you to all who have reviewed! It makes my day!

Chapter 19

Changes

She smiled. It was Jareth's throne room, but…well, rather deserted as she looked around. Objects were scattered messily on the floor, and a musty smell filled the room, similar to last time, but there was no one in the room, save that man, and he was lounging in the throne. Sarah's eyes widened and she cleared her throat, stepping over a few rags and weapons as she made her way closer to him, "Look, you may be his father, but I don't think that gives you the right to sit on his throne." To her utter discern he laughed at her aloud. "It is not funny!" She replied crossing her arms, "and I think you should get OUT of his chair." She stared him down, and then again, as an afterthought added, "Sir," in a quieter tone.

Sighing, he stood from the chair, but not because she wanted him to, he told himself sternly, the damned thing was very uncomfortable, but he stood nonetheless and stepped down the few levels to stand in front of her. "If you are going to continue to demand things of me, child, I suggest you call me by my name; and not by this compulsion for "Sir"." He nearly bit his lip at what he had said. He was offering her his name? Was he mad? Or did he merely see the benefits of being addressed as a normal person for once, and not as the damned High Councilman.

Sensing his hesitance, Sarah shook her head, "If you wish for me to know your name, then I will use it." At this he was quiet, and Sarah grinned, "You could call me by my name; you know, instead of always referring to me as "child" or "girl"." His eyes met hers and he smirked, "Yes, I suppose I could."

Sarah laughed. What an answer, but she really wasn't expecting a straight answer from him. She turned from him as he lowered his eyes and began inspecting the room, barely hearing when his soft voice called to her, "Addoyn." She turned, not sure she had heard correctly, but he had turned his back to her, and Sarah knew he'd never say his name again. She tasted it out, wording the name a few times silently before nodding. It seemed a good name to her.

It was then that she noticed a window and she rushed over to see the beautiful labyrinth that had sprawled in every direction. A labyrinth that had haunted her dreams for the longest time, but as she reached the sill her eyes fell upon a white wasteland. The once lovely maze was completely frozen over; no green of trees could be seen, no ground at all, just miles and miles of white. She shuddered. Jareth had said something like this had happened. She looked to the once vibrant red sky and saw only clouds hanging low; she couldn't even tell what time it was, for the sun was out of view. There was a sad sigh beside her and she turned to see Addoyn staring sadly at the same sight. There was such a sad look in his eyes as he spoke, "He will be devastated to see this," he motioned his hand toward the maze.

"He hasn't seen it yet?" She asked and Addoyn shook his head, "Where is he?" She asked suddenly. He smiled to her, but said nothing.

"Addoyn, you agreed to bring me to him," her voice rose a little.

"Ah, so I did, so I did." He agreed stepping away from the window. With a wave of his hand the window disappeared and she watched the wall a few seconds more before turning and following him out of the throne room. They walked in silence around bends and turns and up stairs. The castle was a vast complex of stone rooms, hallways, and stairways, and she was thankful she had a guide for if she hadn't she would most certainly have wondered forever. They passed another window and with a small wave from her guide it disappeared again. This caused her to find her voice.

"He'll still see," she said softly. Addoyn smiled. He knew what she meant. He had purposefully removed that window to avoid the sight, but more importantly, so that Jareth would avoid the sight.

"I know." A glint in his eyes made her smile, "I can postpone though." He added with a smile.

She stopped before following him down a new hallway, and when he noticed he turned back to her. "You are his father, aren't you?"

He regarded her coolly, "Even if I am, it matters little here." He began to turn again and she ran to catch up.

"It doesn't matter?" she echoed. "How does it not matter?"

"You are inquisitive, aren't you?" He watched her frown out of the corner of his eye. The next corner brought them to the king's private wing of the castle, and it was quite a sight to see. The floors, the walls, the ceilings, everything was plastered by a goblin or other subject. And their voices! The decibel level was nearly unbearable as the goblins laughed and chatted and screamed and sang. There was barely enough room to breath, let alone think, and he felt Sarah grab a corner of his robe.

"What are they all doing here?" She nearly had to shout to be heard. He just shrugged, "Jareth brought them here; you can ask him to explain." They pushed through the crowd, which never attempted to move out of the way. Jareth's chamber, of course, stood at the end of the hallway, the only open door in the vicinity, but if they could not get the stubborn goblins to move it would take forever. After a few more minutes, Addoyn lost his temper and raised his voice above the noise, "Move out of the way!" The commotion stopped. The hallway grew quiet as all eyes focused on the two, and for a moment, just a moment they considered moving for these "guests", but only a moment. After that moment passed, and with a collective shrug, the goblins went about their business, not moving and not glancing up. Addoyn growled, "Stupid goblins; can't even be taught to obey."

To both their surprise they heard a laugh from the room in front of them. "Of course they won't obey you, you are not their king." The voice was heard, but the owner was not seen, but that did not stop Sarah's heart from fluttering. There was no mistaking Jareth's voice. After a moment of silence Jareth's voice rang through the hall, "Let him pass." Without stopping their noise the goblins scooted out of the way and allowed Addoyn, with a lovely mortal trailing behind, safe and quick passage down the hall.

They came to a room with open doors, the goblins coming and going, laughing, talking, jumping; the chaos was very disorienting to Sarah. So crowded was the doorway that she was forced to stand behind Addoyn as they approached the chamber.

Addoyn looked around in disgust as the goblins circled around their pacing king. It was hard not to smile at the sight though, for he was glad Jareth was out of the bed, and looking much improved as he paced the large room. But he was reminded of the goblins as one struck into his shin. "Why do you allow them to do this, Jareth, it is such a nuisance."

Jareth continued to pace, his soft gray pants swishing against his legs, his pendant swaying against his smooth chest, and his hair was flowing in all directions. With a shrug, he turned and began pacing the opposite direction. "For years this was all I've known, and…" he paused as he watched their anecdotes, "they're occasionally entertaining." He stopped pacing and turned to the councilman, "Where have you been? Did you see Sarah?"

Addoyn rubbed his face as if in deep thought, but in truth he did not want to smile. With his other hand he motioned the mortal girl behind him to be still, for at the mention of her name she pushed against his back. "I had some business to take care of in Mayair, and I thought it best to let you rest." Jareth's look of impatience was perfect, and Addoyn smiled, "As for the girl, well, she requested an audience with you."

"Really?" Jareth asked slightly taken aback, "I wouldn't have thought she would want to come back to this place." Addoyn jerked forward slightly, and Jareth raised his brows as a slender hand pushed its way past Addoyn; clearing the way for the rest of the body.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," Sarah said agitatedly as she literally pushed by Addoyn's form. When she finally managed to move by him she was stunned by the sight. There were so many goblins in this room it was hard to tell where one stopped and another began. They were swinging from drapes, climbing on a bed, jumping on a desk, literally bouncing off walls, but what caught her attention the most was the barely dressed king in the middle of the commotion, standing still and staring at her.

Jareth clinched his fist, "Addoyn, I would appreciate it if you would tell me when I have guests." The anger was palpable as he glared at the older man, who was seemingly disinterested. Addoyn waved off the comment, "I thought you would prefer a gift." He said with a grin that turned to a smile as the king glared back.

Sarah just stared at the two. Oh, there were differences between them. Jareth had that long, silky, blonde hair, while Addoyn's was a short brown; their eyes were different, though Jareth had the same remarkable blue in one, but their build, their voice, hell, even the way they stared each other down gave no room for error in her mind: Addoyn, without a doubt, was Jareth's father. But this was pushed aside in her mind as she realized she was still being ignored. With a sigh, she rubbed her temple, "Are you two through yet?" Both men turned their gaze to her, a little embarrassed.

Jareth recovered first, "Sarah, I'm surprised to see you here. Addoyn did not tell me he made arrangements for your visit." This last part was directed at Addoyn, who just shrugged.

Smiling, and trying her best not to laugh, Sarah nodded, "I know. I…well, I think I have some relevant information." She was trying her best to think straight, but the commotion around her was so distracting. For a second she watched in silence as a goblin tried to pounce on a tail, and only after biting it did the goblin realize it was its own. Sarah brought her hand to her head as moments later the same goblin pounded on the same tail again. A soft chuckle brought her out of her musings and she looked up to see two wonderfully mismatched eyes staring at her.

"Alright," he said softly, "they are a bit of a distraction when gathered in such a large group." He stood tall, "Listen!" His voice echoed through the room, down the hall, and Sarah clutched her ears tightly. The noise abruptly stopped and all eyes stared at their king, awaiting orders. "My wing of the castle is off limits, again," he added dryly. "Now be off with you and play elsewhere!" Beady eyes regarded the imposing form, but not one goblin moved, not one stirred. Jareth picked up a nearby goblin by the ear and shook him in the air, "NOW!" At that, the lot pushed and shoved, nearly knocking Sarah off her feet as they raced each other from the room, however, not one goblin neared Addoyn during their frantic exit. Jareth dropped the little goblin he had been holding and it scurried out after them. Jareth, surveying his work, gave a small nod. "There," he gestured to Sarah and Addoyn, "now we can talk in peace."

Sarah nodded, but Addoyn shook his head, "I still have work to do. I shall see you soon." And just like that his form disappeared. Jareth shook his head and suppressed a moan. He was about to speak when Sarah, still staring at the empty spot of Addoyn, spoke first.

"What does he do?"

Jareth was confused by the question, "Addoyn?" Now it was Sarah's turn to be confused. He had called him Addoyn…that was unexpected. A small doubt crept into her reasoning. Her confusion must have been evident for Jareth spoke again, "Sarah?" She just nodded slowly and glanced around the room as Jareth replied, "Addoyn is the High Councilman of the Underground. It is his duty to oversee the laws of all the lands."

Sarah tilted her head at that, "Like royalty?"

"Similar," Jareth thought a second more, "More like Parliament though, for there are other council members, my mother included." His voice took a hard tone at the mention of his mother and Sarah decided not to push the topic.

Biting her lip, Sarah looked once more around the room. It was a bedroom, that was certain from the overstuffed bed pushed against a wall, but other than that, it was not what she would have expected from Jareth. No elaborations; nothing out of the ordinary; except there seemed to be the remnants of a chair burning in the fireplace, and that was quiet odd. She shrugged it off, probably a goblin.

Jareth watched her as she surveyed the room. It was strange having her here, after all these years. It stirred something in him, but he was not quite sure what it was. He shook his head. "You wanted to speak to me?" he began.

Nodding her head, Sarah turned from the fire to face him, "Yeah…but not here." She gave a small gesture towards the room and he nodded in silent agreement. In a blink, the chamber vanished and she reappeared in a tall stone room, a little awed by the smoothness of the transition. No dizziness accompanied her, no disorientation at all. She glanced around the room and saw a wooden table and many chairs lining the edges. There were no windows in the room, she noticed. Only soft candles and chandeliers lit the area. Jareth stepped from beside her, fully dressed in a beige shirt and black pants, and escorted her to a chair, which she accepted and continued to look around.

Jareth took a seat near her and threw his boots onto the table and leaned back in the chair, hair falling around his face and down his shoulders. "I think this room was meant to be a conference room of sorts, but the only use I've found for it was to feed the goblins. It might be interesting to use it as it was meant to be." He added lightly.

Sarah watched him with avid curiosity. He was different here, in his own domain, more open. Oh, his arrogance was still there, but tempered by something else, something she could not put a finger on. She shrugged to herself; there was a lot she didn't know, but she got the distinct impression that this was not the same king she had met all those years ago. Well, anything can happen in fifteen years time, she thought, and hadn't he already proved he wasn't the same man by saving her and not letting her drown? A small drumming caught her attention, and she looked down at Jareth as he thrummed his fingers on the table, clearly impatient. Smoldering a laugh, she sobered as she remembered the reason for her visit, "I don't think Deirdre is the curse." She blurted.

Jareth's fingers stopped in mid air, and he placed his hand on the flat surface of the table. "Sarah, I felt it and I saw it, there is no mistaking."

Sarah shook her head, "No, that's not what I meant." She thought a moment, "The curse is in Deirdre, but today, I talked to Deirdre, the little girl, without the curse." Jareth stared at her with cold, impassive eyes that nearly made her shudder, but at second glance, she realized he was looking past her to something she couldn't see. His fingers tightened to a fist.

"Alright," he said through grit teeth, "I suppose knowing she really is a host and not a source lessons the burden."

"How so?" Sarah asked leaning forward. She watched as Jareth rubbed his temples with a gloved hand. He looked so tired there, and it frightened her to see lifelessness in his eyes, in his face, even his hair seemed to droop. "Come on, Jareth, this is good news, right? Doesn't that mean we won't have to kill Deirdre?"

"We still have to destroy the curse. The only way to do that is to kill its host." His eyes darkened and he lowered his feet to the ground and rested his elbows on his knees. Why was he fighting? Maybe he should just give in and allow the curse to destroy him. Surely one life was worth the sacrifice. Did he really have much to live for anyway? A castle full of goblins, a mother who abhorred him, a society that shunned him, he grimaced, nothing like a little self realization to brighten the day. His eyes clouded over and for a second a pressure on his hand seemed imaginary, but he focused and opened his eyes. He was met with bright green eyes shining up at him, a slender white hand over his, and she smiled at him.

"Don't give up, Jareth," she said softly. Had she been reading his mind? She smiled again and leaned back into her chair, "And don't even think about sacrificing yourself." Her tone had hardened and she stared him straight in the eyes. He smiled softly at that. So, she had finally managed to read through him. That was unexpected. He stood from the table and turned from her. She kept surprising him, kept catching him off-guard; it was unnerving and somewhat stimulating. And had there been a touch of caring in her voice? He smiled at that, and turning to her remained smiling.

"How long are you staying, Sarah?" He asked genuinely curious.

A little taken aback by the abrupt topic change she blinked. "I hadn't really thought about it… I have school tomorrow."

"Aren't you a little old for schooling?" he interjected.

She laughed, "I teach, I'm not attending."

A thoughtful expression crossed his face and he brought a hand up to tap on his chin, "Yes, you always did have great patience." There was no mocking tone in his voice. He had seen her with her little brother and how she had befriended the goblins in the Labyrinth; she was very patient all things considered.

Her eyes widened at the compliment. "Thank you." He just quirked a brow and smiled to her before clasping his hands around his back. A thought was circling in his head, a strange thought. Wouldn't it be nice if she stayed…, he was lonely, but he really did want her to stay, he paced away from her. Now was not the time to be distracted, especially when Sarah could be put into danger because of it, and he was a little angry at himself. He paced a few more times and Sarah smiled. He always did that when he was upset.

"You know," she began by breaking the silence, "I'd love to stay for dinner at least, if that's ok with you…"

He turned to her, but she was ready for the movement and didn't flinch. A strange twinkle danced in his eyes and he smiled that beautiful bright smile. "That would be wonderful."

A/N: Well? What did you think? I knew you guys would figure out about Addoyn, but I thought I'd still put it in there. But while we're on the topic, do you think Jareth knows? And I want to apologize if some of my logic is scattered. I write this with my best friend who has been editing my stuff for some 8 years now and knows the way my head work, so if there are missing gaps, sorry!

For example:

Lady of the Labyrinth: The curse isn't really sleeping…its lying dormant, but to a five year old it would be the same as sleeping, k? It's not up to full power yet, so when it sent the storm to the labyrinth it exhausted its resources. Hope that clears that up.

And on a completely unrelated note: Dahja, my dog, is going to be TWO years old on Wednesday. Man! Time flies!