Author's Note: In this chapter, you will find the scene immediately inspired by Nene Thomas's "Queen of Owls". It occurs at the moment where Sarah returns to the Underground after receiving Hoggle's summons. Look at the picture when you read the scene. You'll see it.

Chapter Three: The Challenger

Aboveground. Metropolitan Theatre.
Ten years after the fall of the Goblin King.

The lights were dimmed. A single spotlight shone in the center of an empty stage. The audience, a full house, was waiting with bated breath. And then she stepped into the halo of light.

The White Queen.

Not that any in this world would recognize her as such. The light reflected brilliantly off of her white dress and pale skin, so that she seemed to glow from within. A thrill of anticipation swept through the crowd and Sarah drank it all with a bewitching smile, though she had eyes only for one. Front and center, not ten feet from where she stood on stage, her little brother Toby.

Today was his eleventh birthday and eleven is a very important age to little boys. She gave him a special smile and saw him return it with wide-eyed wonder before she struck the graceful pose that signaled the orchestra to begin.

It was the first aria she had ever written, from what critics were hoping would eventually grow into a smashing new musical, about a little boy who is kidnapped by goblins and goes on a wonderful and magical adventure. She hadn't bothered to tell them that the aria was her sole accomplishment since her graduation five years ago, nor was there likely to be a full-fledged musical anytime soon. Balancing her two lives never got any easier and the older Toby got the less he relied on her. Whereas her popularity in the Underground was soaring to new heights with each day of continued peace, in the world of her birth she was beginning to feel obsolete.

You're too young for such thoughts, she chided herself. Just look at all the people who came to hear you sing!

She was only a few bars into the song when she felt the summons. Without missing a beat, she let her eyes drift shut as if giving herself completely to her music. In reality, she withdrew from it, letting her body operate automatically as images blossomed across her lowered lids. Several years ago, she had succeeded in creating a new way of communicating that didn't require the use of mirrors, crystal balls, scrying pools, or anything other than the mind and the magic. Even Jareth had been impressed with that one.

Hoggle appeared almost immediately, looking unusually disheveled. His cap had been knocked off and his short hair was sticking up in all directions. He was glancing around nervously and as soon as he saw Sarah he began to babble. "Saraaaah, you better get over here fast!" He wailed. "There's someone...something...ulp!" He took off running and the picture immediately began to fade as he lost his concentration, but not before she caught a glimpse of something impossibly large and blood red. The last thing she heard was Hoggle's terrified wail before she was again alone on the stage.

There was complete silence. For a moment, her mind struggled with the implications of Hoggle's message and the implications of the lack of music in her present situation. She realized her face was flushed and she was breathing hard, and took a deep, calming breath. As she exhaled, the orchestra thundered back in and she nearly jumped in surprise. Her voice responded automatically, picking up the song only a half beat late. Sarah remembered writing that pregnant pause into the middle of the aria and counted her blessings that her lapse had fallen right at that moment and not at some other point when the audience might have been alerted to her unusual reaction.

Her eyes fell on the little boy in the front row. Hoggle needed her, her kingdom needed her, but she couldn't just run out on this performance. Toby would be heartbroken and she could not explain to him what had been so important that she had left in the middle of his birthday song.

She felt a faint flicker from Hoggle and a sense of horrible wrongness filled her. Something unnatural was happening and the creature she had glimpsed, whatever it was, filled her dread.

Her voice broke on the next note and she saw the orchestra conductor twitch and gape at her in amazement, but as if it had been deliberate, Sarah built on the error, pouring raw emotion into her singing with such force that she swayed on her feet. She was torn between two worlds, her love of each threatening to destroy the other. All of her power was not enough to hold them both together. She lifted her arms as the aria spiraled into a dizzying crescendo, barely aware that her hands were crabbed into claws that grasped futilely at the air. The piercing final notes were half sung and half screamed.

Then she was backing out of the light to thunderous applause and into the arms of the waiting stage crew, who recognized her performance as slightly unusual at least. Leading her off the stage, they tried to make her sit, to drink some water, but she pushed past them. Tucking her wings tight against her back, much to the consternation of the crew who thought they were a static prop, she wove through the clutter of props and dressing rooms to a side door. The night air was cool and refreshing compared to the hot lights and stuffy darkness of the theatre and Sarah breathed it in with deep gulps.

There was movement from the corner of her vision and then the owl landed softly on her shoulder, managing to look concerned. He was, of course, already aware of the turmoil in Sarah's mind. He nuzzled his tufted head against her cheek and she lifted a hand to caress his soft feathers, drawing comfort from his presence...but only for a moment.

She stepped forward.

Underground. The Outer Labyrinth.
Ten years after the fall of the Goblin King.

In the space of a breath, the temperature dropped to freezing levels. An icy breeze lifted Sarah's hair from her neck as she appeared amidst lifeless, snow-covered trees. With a low hoot, the owl spread its wings and launched into the air from her shoulder, white wings camouflaged by winter. Squaring her shoulders for what may come, the White Queen emerged from the forest.

With an expression as cold as her name, she hid her confusion and fear as she surveyed the destruction. She had never seen anything like this Underground.

It was a battlefield. The snow was trampled and dirty, sometimes stained red. Trees had been uprooted, broken, and clawed at. Strangely, the area was deserted. There were not even any bodies. Sarah shuddered at the thought. And what about Hoggle?

As if in response to her silent query, a groan sounded from beneath an upended tree trunk. She was at his side in an instant, magically lifting the heavy log off of him. "Hoggle, what happened here?" she asked calmly, though her eyes traveled across the injuries frantically and she placed a healing hand on the dwarf's forehead.

"Sarah..." Hoggle groaned again and coughed weakly. "Ain't seen nothing like that before, not ever. It was a...a giant! Riding a huge dragon! And he ate...he ate..." Hoggle shuddered.

"Shhh it's safe now," Sarah whispered comfortingly, wondering to herself if it really was. A soft hoot drew her attention to the tree stump where the owl was perched. It was right near Hoggle's head and, presumably, was the stump from which the tree flattening the dwarf had been broken from. The owl was pecking at something with its beak and Sarah reached forward to wrench the object free. At her touch, it seemed to jump into her hand. She studied the two-inch figure, marveling at how the wood carving had been polished as smooth as glass.

A red king.

Her eyes met the owl's. "I'm going to need your help for this."

The bird fluttered to her hand and a moment later Jareth was kneeling beside her in the snow. He lifted the dwarf carefully in his arms. Luckily, Hoggle had fallen unconscious and was unable to protest. Though Didymus and Ludo had quickly accepted Sarah's relationship with the former king, Hoggle had never quite gotten over his intense dislike.

"I've healed as much damage as I can for now," she told Jareth. "But he can't stay here, not if some rogue magician is targeting me. He and the others are certainly no match against this kind of power!"

Jareth inclined his head in acknowledgement as her surveyed the scene through human eyes. "I ruled here for centuries, but I know of nothing that would have caused this." Sarah rested her cheek wearily on his shoulder. Between healing Hoggle and transforming Jareth she was completely worn out, but she still had to repair as much of the damage as she could. "You should not take on so much," Jareth said quietly. "You are too important." She lifted her head to look at him and his eyes spoke volumes.

Sarah smiled, dismissing his fears with a wave of her hand. "It's just been a long day. Take Hoggle through now and I'll follow. This will only take a minute." She knew he saw past her light words, but she was the queen now and he had no power. Still, love has its own power and she saw his jaw clench.

"We will speak of this later," was all he said. He stepped backward, eyes never leaving hers as he faded from view. A shadow passed over his face just before he was gone and Sarah had only a heartbeat to realize that the shadow was from this world and not the one he had departed to.

By the time she screamed, it was too late.