DISCLAIMER - I don't own Sarah or Jareth or the Labyrinth (unfortunately) they belong to Jim Henson & Co, and I'm definitely not making a profit from this. (Bummer) All other NPC's are a figment of my own imagination.

Chapter 7 – Judgement

She screamed as the steps she sat on disappeared and she fell down, through a dark nothingness, trying to find something to cling to, to stop her fall. She landed painfully on her knees on a solid surface, and it wasn't until she heard the muffled sniggering of the Fae around her did she realise that she was once more back in the round room with the Seelie Court looking down on her. Opening her eyes she climbed to her feet and glared at them until the sniggering stopped.

"Where is he?" She demanded. "What have you done with the Goblin King? Where is Jareth?"

"Young woman you will desist with shouting at this Court before we have you gagged. If you must know King Jareth is waiting for this courts judgement on his crimes."

"What crimes? What did he do wrong? You do realise the labyrinth is falling apart without him being there don't you?" Sarah asked, somewhat confused.

"King Jareth is accused by this court of kidnapping an adult mortal, disobeying this courts laws, and breaking his sworn promise to this court from 10 years ago." The eldest High Seat told her, a disapproving tone in her voice. Sarah shook her head in amazement. "The Labyrinth will be repaired in due course."

"You're all crazy. He didn't kidnap me. I asked for him to bring me back here. I may have been unwell, or fairly close to popping it, but I knew what I was asking him. I knew he wasn't allowed not to bring me back here if I spoke the words."

"And what were the words that you spoke?"

"There's no way I'm going to tell you that. It's between him and me. I gave myself to him, wished myself away to him, so it's none of this courts business." Sarah said getting angry and trying to hide her face as she blushed.

"Young woman I will not warn you again. If you disrespect this Court one more time I will have you punished to the full extent of the law." The High Seat shouted. Sarah flinched involuntarily trying to avoid the flying spittle.

"I apologise, but I'm just trying to set things straight. Whoever made these charges against Jareth, they were mistaken."

"Young Woman, you will use King Jareth's proper title." Sarah sighed and curtseyed as best she could in her dirty and ripped dress.

"What exactly does the law state about taking mortals?" She asked curiously. The male High Seat looked down at the court orderly and nodded. The young Fae cleared his throat and found the right section of the scroll he held and began to read in the Fae language.

"Wait! I don't understand, make him read it in English." She sighed shaking her head in exasperation. The orderly looked up at the High Seat who again nodded.

"The King of The Goblins is bound by this law to take no mortal human over the age of 19. He is bound by this law to answer any wish of removing a mortal child in the Aboveground. He is bound by this law not to ever return to the Underground without a mortal child in payment. He is bound by this law to allow the wisher 1 chance to save the wished away child by defeating the Labyrinth. He is bound by this law to offer no help to the wisher who requests to play against the Labyrinth. He is bound by this law to give the wished away child to Fae families of worth and standing so that they may prosper and grow as a Fae. He is bound by this law to control the Labyrinth so that none may win, amended in our year 9678." The Fae stopped and sat back down again, rolling us his scroll.

"His Majesty did not break any of those laws. There is no stipulation that he may not take a wished away child over the age of 19, just that he may not take any human over the age of 19. It doesn't clarify, so you can't hold that against him. He was doing exactly as your laws state. I wished myself away, and so he had to return with me to the Underground as payment. I didn't ask to defeat the Labyrinth again, so he didn't have to offer that option to me. It wasn't as though I were in any fit state to go running around that crazy place anyhow." She said trying to make them understand.

"Indeed. We had come to the same conclusion regarding the issue of kidnapping and breaking our laws." The male High Seat said nodding his head as she finished.

"You promised me! You promised me he would be mine! Kill the mortal, she is nothing!" The female High Seat screeched lashing out at her companion.

"The law is the law. Elindah. If he did not break the law, then this court can do nothing. You will be restrained if you cannot behave. You requested to be on this High Seat, and you made your vow not to hinder the court in any way." He told her, brushing her complaints aside.

Jareth had stood smugly behind his invisible wall throughout Sarah's entire outburst; he only hoped that she would be able to keep him from the rest of his charges. He swore to himself he wouldn't shout at her for making his Labyrinth into an adventure playground, so long as the court didn't judge him.

"You!" Sarah exclaimed as Elindah's hood fell away from her face again as she argued with the other High Seats. "Why did you appear in the castle? I didn't understand what you were getting at with your cryptic remarks…" Sarah gasped as she pointed at the stunned Fae woman.

"What is this?" The Older High Seat cried getting to her feet.

"She was there, in the Labyrinth, well, in the Goblin Kings Castle to be precise." Sarah said glaring at the woman.

"Shut up you stupid fool!" Elindah cried trying to free herself of the male High Seat who was holding onto her wrists.

"What did she say to you?" The male Fae whispered looking at Sarah as though she had just turned into some kind of monster.

"She told me that he wouldn't ever be mine. That he belonged to her." Sarah said staring right back at him defiantly.

"I don't believe you." He stated as he pushed Elindah into her chair.

"I don't care if you believe me or not, I'm telling you the truth." Sarah said bluntly. She stepped back as the older High Seat got out of her chair and stepped down the podium to her.

"Give me your hand." She said holding out her own. Sarah reluctantly held out her hand and the Fae woman placed a delicate fingertip on her wrist. "She is telling the truth." She said after not speaking for a moment. She removed her finger from Sarah's wrist and returned to her seat.

"I can also confirm that she does indeed have a remarkable potential. Something that will have to be carefully trained." She said cryptically looking up across the room. Jareth behind his wall nodded once at the High Seat before she turned away from him and looked down at Elindah.

"You are found to be in contempt of this court. Remove yourself and await for our judgement." She said sitting down again and motioning for two tall court orderlies to remove Elindah.

"You can keep your little whore Jareth, but you still belong to me!" She screamed as they pulled her from the room. Only Jareth noticed that Sarah went very pale at her words, and vowed he would make Elindah pay, regardless.

"What year is it?" Sarah whispered as the muttering of the crowd had stopped.

"It is 9688. Why do you ask?" The older High seat said curiously.

"Why was the law regarding helping people through the Labyrinth changed 10 years ago?" She asked feeling faint and breathless.

"Because he helped you." Was the reply the woman gave. Sarah stared at her and then broke into laughter. Jareth closed his eyes and wished for the gag they had threatened her with earlier.

"He helped me? You're all insane. If you think he helped me, then you all need to go for counselling, I can recommend somebody if you like?" She said continuing to laugh. "Wait, I know what you are referring to, it was the cleaners, wasn't it, that gave him away, I mean he was only trying to cut me to ribbons in that bloody tunnel, so it wasn't like he wasn't trying to help me. Or wait, it was the Oubliette… and the peach to confuse me right?" She was shaking, and she knew she sounded crazy, but she didn't care. Jareth groaned and hoped that somebody would make her shut up soon.

"Young woman…"

"I know, I know, the laws, disrespect, and being polite. I'll try harder." Sarah said trying to be serious. She felt sick, and really thought that if they didn't hurry up she was going to throw up over the floor.

"Somebody get her a chair." The High Seat sighed, waiting until an orderly had made the girl sit down.

"What did you make him promise? Besides not giving anybody else a 'sporting chance'?" Sarah asked trying to control her nausea. She heard the court orderly sigh as he stood up again and unrolled his scroll.

"The Seelie Court hereby orders Jareth, Goblin King, Keeper of the Labyrinth to cease all contact with Sarah Williams, mortal, (age 15) effective immediately of this date (9678). He is not to under any circumstances contact her, watch her, go to the Aboveground to find her, or send her dreams."

"He never contacted me." Sarah said, sighing and rubbing her aching head. She looked up at the 2 remaining High Seats. "He never once contacted me, or sent me dreams, or came to find me once I had left the Labyrinth 10 years ago."

"What of the dreams I saw in your head involving him?" The High Seat asked frowning.

"They were entirely my own creation." Sarah whispered, blushing furiously and looking down at the floor.

"Are you positive?"

"I was a hormonal teenager, what did you expect!" Sarah groaned and looked up at the High Seats. "I contacted him. I wished that the Goblin King would appear before me. I wished myself away to him. The very laws you created bound him. He had to bring me back here, or be in breach of them, and yet you are still accusing him of breaking the laws and his promise. I give you my word. I contacted him, not the other way around."

"Very well. This Court orders a recess…"

"I have already made up my mind," The older High Seat told her companion, interrupting him as he rose from his chair. He paused and sat back down again, whispering something to her.

He nodded and again stood up to address the room.

"This Court is hereby decided. All charges against Jareth, King of the Goblins and Keeper of the Labyrinth are annulled. He is found Not Guilty by this court."

Sarah felt even more ill as the Fae continued to speak, she didn't even realise that Jareth had walked down from the dock to stand next to her as she held her head in her hands.

"King Jareth, you are charged by this court to train this mortal in her potential. You are charged by this court to teach her the ways of our world. You are charged by this court as the owner of this slave to be held responsible for any acts against our law that she may commit. Do you hereby agree to these charges?"

"I agree." He said smoothly nodding to the 2 High Seats.

"Do you have anything else to add to these proceedings?"

"I hereby release this mortal from slavery. I will remain responsible for her education, and for her behaviour. She will remain within my kingdoms borders as a free person. Should I be required to travel from my kingdom to another, or should she pass through my borders to another kingdom, she will be officially known as my slave unless I release her."

"Are you certain?" The High Seat stuttered, aghast that he would release a slave.

"Further more, I would have this court bear witness that I hereby release Isenith of my slavery. Within my kingdoms borders he will be free. Outside my borders he will be my ambassador. I will still be held responsible for his acts and for his education." Jareth said smirking at the silent court.

"Is that everything?" The High Seat asked faintly.

"It is."

"Then you are free to return to your kingdom with your subjects." The High Seat said as he sat back down in his chair looking shocked.

REPLY TO COMMENTS

Jacksmybitch – Holy crap, im gonna cream my pants. your story is kick ass. Don't stop writing it... EVER!

Well, thanks for the support, but hopefully I'm going to be able to finish this sooner or later!

Inkie Pinkie - ohh! I like! Write on!

New chapters coming very soon I promise!

Solea - Great job on writing Sarah's mind and her wonderful powers of creation. I am enjoying this fic and think you have done a good job portraying Sarah's excitement and slight disbelief as she discovers each new gift that she has.
The rape scene was sad, but much more tasteful than most of the ones people post, so I was not offended.
Jareth's sister is wonderful and interesting and I even like Jareth himself. Poor James. He was such a good friend to Sarah. I hope that she can grant him his dreams at some point down the road. Elindah - well, yawn. Can't say I like her or that she makes sense. Why would she be jealous in regard to some guy who wouldn't have her even if no one else held his heart? All Sarah should have to say to her is "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful, you bisnatch."

Thank you for your continued support, and for the great feedback! Hopefully the future chapters will explain a little more behind Elindahs reasoning… ;o) Oh, and personally, I think James is just was too nice for Sarah…

Theshadowcat - Cool, a couple of new chapters. And oh goody, a woman who needs to be thoroughly slapped by a certain mortal. Update soon please.

Thanks! Yer, I will admit that Elindah will start to make more sense, and I'll update as fast as I can!

AUTHORS NOTE - I was actually listening to Metallicas "St Anger" CD when I was writing this, and the song "Some Kind of Monster" must have influenced me somewhat, heh, I'm cool with that!