Lady of the Labyrinth: It's a classic logic riddle - the letters stand for the first letter in the numbers 1 to 10 (One, Two, Thee...) making the answer "T" for Ten.

Draegon-fire: I think Jareth seems a jerk in this fic particularly, because I don't show anything from his point of view or reveal his thoughts to the reader. Of course he's in love with Sarah, but he's much to stubborn to just say it to her or court her normally. He probably wouldn't even know what normal courting is;-)

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Sarah's heart began to beat wildly – she was happy to see her goal so close, but at the same time, she knew that HE would be waiting for her there. She was scared of what he might do to her, but then again, if he wanted her as a wife, he probably wasn't going to hurt her. She tried to think about her encounter with him again, but still couldn't fathom why he would want her for a bride, when she had clearly shown him she didn't want to come. Unless he was so evil and twisted that he only enjoyed himself when he had someone to tease and torment. Or maybe it was revenge, because she had almost bested him in his own game. Well, whatever the reason, she was not having it, and he would regret his choice.

In the warmth of the sunlight, her arms and legs had begun to scratch horribly where the dried mud was peeling off, and the sounds from the fountain drew her nearer to it. Its sparkling waters danced in all the colours of the rainbow. After testing a bit of the water and finding it fresh and delicious, she drank deeply and then sat on the fountain edge, using a relatively clean corner of Jareth's cape to wash her face, arms and legs. She couldn't do anything about the torn and dirty nightgown, but tearing off a small strip of the cape, she tied her long hair back into a quick braid to keep it as neat as possible.

"Well, this will just have to do," she said to herself. Taking a deep breath, she rose and headed towards the castle.

As she entered the Goblin City, she found a completely different city than the one she had experienced the last time, where it had been deserted. This time, there were goblins everywhere in the streets – a few of them in armour and horned helmets, but most of them in friendlier outfits doing things like carrying baskets and feeding pets and cleaning the houses. Others were laughing and running around playing catch or soccer. Within seconds of her arrival, however, she was spotted and they all stopped what they were doing and stared at her open-mouthed. Some began to whisper and laugh, and other started running towards the castle, screaming "She's here, she's here!" at the top of their lungs. Well, so much for secrecy, she thought with a wry smile.

With a tail of goblins after her, she continued along the main road towards the castle, smiling at them and saying hello to all the ones that dared approach her, which were not that many. They seemed very excited, but shy in her presence. Turning a corner, she could see the front gates of the castle, and in front of them – the Goblin King. He was casually clad in blue tights, black leather vest and boots and a white poet's shirt, open in the front to show off his shining necklace pendant. The slender whip in his hand was tapping his boot impatiently.

As soon as he saw her, his eyes locked on hers in a burning stare, and everything around her slipped away as she sensed him and only him. How her legs had kept moving, she didn't know, but suddenly she was there, right in front of him.

"I'm impressed, Sarah," he purred and bowed mockingly. "I trust your journey was not too difficult?"

"Oh no, not at all," she lied and lifted her chin defiantly. "Nothing to talk about, really!"

"Yes, I can see that," he answered and looked up and down at her, making her painfully aware of her torn and ragged attire. As his eyes reached her shoulders, he froze. "I do hope that is not my cape you are still wearing…?"

"Oh yes," she answered loftily and took it off, offering it back to him. "It was very useful, I assure you, but you ought to try to find something in a better quality next time – it really wasn't very durable!"

His icy stare made her shiver, as he slowly reached out and took the cape with two fingers, as if handling a dead rat. He threw it at the closest goblin without even looking whether it caught it, and started to say something, but then apparently though the better of it.

"Come," he said between clenched teeth after a short pause. "I believe I promised you some nicer accommodations, and since you didn't like the cape, we'll just have to find something else for you to wear, won't we?"

He reached out, putting a hand on her shoulder, and smiled when she flinched as his touch. The surroundings blurred, and suddenly they were standing in a large room inside the castle. She hastily took a step back from him and broke the contact.

"This is your room for now," Jareth said casually. "It is the Queen's chambers, which have been unused for many years, but I trust you will find them to your satisfaction. There are clothes in the wardrobe and the hot bath that you seem to be in… hmmm… dire need of, is through the little door to the left. I will be expecting you to join me for dinner tonight, but otherwise you can do as you wish."

The room was bright and sunlit, and large open windows were almost a balcony in themselves, as they were cut through the four feet thick walls of the castle. Outside the Labyrinth stretched for as far as Sarah could see. One wall in the room was dominated by a huge four-pillar bed with crème-coloured drapes and covers, and by the windows the wardrobe stood next to a vanity table and a large full-size mirror. A fire burned steadily in a big fireplace with two chairs and a dainty table in front of it. Apart from the smaller open door to the bathroom, Sarah could also see two larger closed doors on the right wall and behind her.

"That one leads to the hallway," Jareth pointed with his whip, "and the other one leads to my own bedroom." He smiled and seemed to enjoy the idea. Sarah took a step further away from him, but he immediately followed and looked down at her.

"So you see, Sarah, if you need me, I'll be just a few steps away."

Sarah fought to remain calm and not let him see how much he was upsetting her. She was really angry with herself that she should be letting him have this power over her, and angry at him for being so intimidating. They stared intensely at each other for a moment, and he was so close she could feel the warmth of his body against hers. She held her breath and braced herself for his touch which was bound to happen, but the expression in his eyes remained unreadable, and at last he stepped back and walked casually towards the door to the hallway.

"I shall leave you, my lady," he said nonchalant, "but I'm really looking forward to dinner to hear all about how you got through my Labyrinth in less than eleven hours. I must be getting careless…!"

As the door closed behind him, Sarah took a deep shuddering breath of relief. That could have been worse – he had even given her a room, as he had promised. Suddenly two small shapes burst out from under the bed and knocked into her legs, clinging to them with grubby little fingers.

"Oh, Lady Sarah," Fanny wailed, "please don't tell him we helped you!"

"He'll throw us into the bog!" Fenella cried and sobbed openly. "Please don't let him hurt us!"

The two little goblins looked absolutely miserable and their crying went straight to Sarah's heart.

"Of course not, my little helpers!" she reassured them and patted them on their heads, "I promise I won't tell. You were most helpful, and it would be horrible to repay you by tattling on you to the king."

"Really?" They looked at her hopefully, still sniffling, but with anxious pleading eyes.

"Yes, really," she said. "I was my fault anyway, I shouldn't have asked you to guide me, but I just had to get here as soon as possible."

"We'll be eternally grateful, Lady Sarah," Fenella said meekly, but with an eager smile. "Is there anything we can do for you? Please, anything at all? We have volunteered to be your personal maids, and we will see to your every need!"

"Well," Sarah said and eyed the bed with longing eyes. She really wanted to lie down and sleep, but felt filthy despite her best efforts at the fountain. "Your king said something about a bath – is it ready?"

They nodded eagerly and grabbed her hands. "This way, my lady!"

Half an hour later, Sarah felt clean and relaxed and even sleepier. She was soaking in a huge bathtub filled with pink fragrant bubbles and had just finished a nice cup of tea, brought by Fanny, who was now piling up fluffy towels for her beside the tub. Fenella came in with a white nightgown, far less modest than the one she had worn from home and which they had declared beyond repair and thrown into the fire.

They waited patiently as she got out of the tub, and giggled at the sight of her pale naked body, and started comparing it to their own darker skin.

"But you will match his Majesty," Fanny said knowingly, "He's just as pale when naked as you are."

Disturbing images of a naked Goblin King, his lean body with the broad shoulders and narrow hips flashed through Sarah's mind and she felt her face redden. "You've seen him naked?"

"My lady," Fenella said gravely, "We've seen everything – we have known him for more than a hundred years, you know."

Sarah tried to push the images away and accepted the towel she was handed. Drying herself off, she inspected the small wounds and cuts she'd gotten in the Labyrinth at the same time. A few of them had opened in the bath and was bright red with blood, but they all seemed superficial and would surely disappear in time. Fenella fussed about them and promised to bring her a salve to make them heal faster, but Sarah was so tired she didn't even really feel the pain.

Putting on the nightgown, she went back into the bedroom and climbed into the bed, which was heavenly soft and luxurious.

"Please wake me before dinner," she mumbled and then closed her eyes and let herself fall asleep.