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 23 – The Goblin Queen

"So how do I get in?" Sarah asked, folding her arms and looking up at the rather typical London three story terraced house where music blared out into the night from an upper floor window. Jareth looked at her like she'd just turned into somebody he didn't know.
"Well its not as though I can fly."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't know how? Its not one of those things I think about asking you to teach me."
"You wanted to do this, its not my fault you are woefully unprepared. Perhaps you should let the master lead the way." Jareth muttered shaking his head and preening his spiky hair fondly.

"You are sometimes way too in love with yourself." She said narrowing her eyes as she watched him. "If I didn't know better I'd say you enjoyed all this."
"I'm an evil, child stealing, young girl seducing King, if I don't love me then who will, and who doesn't love a bit of theatre?" He shrugged. "My aim is after all, to please and fulfill wishes, performing a public service." He said bitterly.

Sarah didn't reply, twitching her cloak further around her shoulders to ward off the gale that shot round the edge of the building and trundled on down the dirty alleyway they had arrived in.
"Pretty sure that's not how most people see it." She shivered again.
"You'll just have to teach me then." She said grinning as he glared at her and then stopped, as he was suddenly very, very close, pressing her up against the alley wall and whispering in her ear.
Sarah valiantly tried to prevent her heart from jumping out of her chest as he held her close. Her eyes widened as he explained how to change form.
"You must not tell anybody else." He said blithely walking away from her.
"Why?" She asked faintly wishing he hadn't.
"It's a family secret."
"Like noodle soup."
"Something like that."

She sighed, gathered herself mentally, and changed form. Of course it didn't happen perfectly the first time, but in the time between each individual second, away from the noise of human life, she could practice until she had the process down right.
"Good enough?" She asked mentally as she sat on the brick wall and preened her feathers slightly. She sat and watched him, marvelling at how much better her eyesight was in this form.
"Not bad." He said admiring her. "Why a raven?"
"Because it was the first bird I thought of other than a sparrow."
"There's no hope." He sighed fading away through the veils.

The raven took flight, clawing its way through the windy sky until it managed to look at least fairly used to doing so, landing on the small railing outside the open window, mentally closing its ears as the rock music continued to pound out, slowed recklessly by the splitting of time. She 'nudged' the Aboveground and suddenly it all ran up to speed. The raven cawed and settled itself again on the railings as another gust of wind shook its precarious perch. The argument continued above the music, regardless of the gap in time they had just jumped through.

Sarah watched through the eyes of the Raven and filed away all the new swear words the two brothers were throwing at each other, filled with spite and hate.
"I wouldn't mind but they are identical twins, and both look about 13." She sighed mentally. "No baby snatching today." She waited calmly as the brothers continued to hurl insults at each other and then with ease, caught the muttered oath, the wish sparkling around his head as one twin wished his brother away. Sarah could feel the labyrinth stirring as the magic filled it . The wind suddenly howled through the house, catching the brothers unaware as the music suddenly stopped. Sarah sighed in relief that they hadn't just seen a perfectly ordinary raven turn off the stereo. "That's better."

"Daniel have you been keeping pets again? Mom's going to kill you when she finds out!"
"I didn't, it's not mine!"
"Well then how did it get in here?" The first twin asked trying to shoo the rather large raven off his stereo. Sarah pecked at his hands making him back away rather quickly.
"You were the one who left the window open."
"You were the one supposed to close it before."
"I hate you."
"I hate you more. I wish the goblins really would come and take you away right now!" The first twin screamed as his brother leapt and throttled him.

"You know. I could stand and watch you kill each other all night." Sarah said picking at her fingernails as she leaned back against the tall chest of draws, trying to adopt Jareth's bored tones.
"But I'm rather a busy person, and my appointment book is full." She smiled darkly at them where they lay scrapping on the floor at her feet.
"Its also rather impolite to stare." She continued mildly, waiting for the wind to howl though the house again for added effect, letting it snap and tear at her hair and cloak.
"You're… you're…"

"You're not the Goblin King." The second twin said dragging his brother to his feet, continuing to stare at Sarah.
"10 out of 10 that boy." Sarah laughed gamely. The boy twitched as she pointed her finger at him.
"Next question?"
"You're not real. You're not supposed to be real." The first twin gasped backing away from her. "You're just a fairytale!" He said scornfully.
"Really, can we stop with the repeating ourselves? It's getting a little tedious." Both boys shut up as she stopped leaning on the chest of draws and took a step towards them.

"Lets get a few things straight here, just so nobody gets confused. I'm real, regardless of my gender, and one of you has just wished the other one away… oh, sorry, lets get that out of the way first." She clicked her fingers summoning two scaly little goblins that appeared, bowed at her and then disappeared again, taking one of the twins away. Sarah was quite glad about that, as she had already begun to confuse the two.
"You bring my brother back now!" The remaining twin gasped as his brother disappeared. Sarah walked up to him slowly, glaring at him until she was close enough to see the flecks of brown in his eyes. He tried to back up further into the wall and failed.
"Lets get one thing clear straight away." She whispered as she leant on the wall next to him.

"I don't like demands, plea's, crying, tantrums or anything other than calm, collected and intelligent conversation." The boy nodded silently. "Much better." She continued.
"You weren't meant to be real. The book was just a fairytale!"
"I thought we'd already covered that bit?" Sarah sighed looking down at him and folding her arms Jareth style.
"Do you know why fairy tales exist?" The boy shook his head.
"Fear." She said as the window slammed shut behind her, making the boy jump out of his skin.

"When the world was dark and new, humans walked in fear every moment of their short lives, they made up stories to help others understand what their fears were, to teach those that would remain once they were gone and their bones turned to dust."
"Every single fairy tale tells a story of fear. Wolves in the forest, fairies at the bottom of the garden, imps, gnomes, elves, goblins, they all exist. A goblin King, or Queen…" Sarah amended.
"To steal away children in the night if they had been bad. To wish away a child was a very bad thing to do, but people through the centuries have continued to do so, and so the tale is passed on."
"People always forget the price though." Sarah mused half to herself and half to the boy who was trembling.

"Price?"
"Of wishing away a child to the Goblin King… or Queen." Sarah clarified shrugging her shoulders about the gender issue.
"The story didn't say anything about a price. I've got some money though. I'd really like my brother back, I'll give you anything you want…"
"The story never does mention the price, and I wouldn't offer 'everything'… since you don't know what it is that I want." Sarah smiled dangerously at the boy who cringed up against his wall.
"Lets put it this way. You have two choices." She said creating a small flickering point of light in the centre of her palm and holding it out to him.

"Choices?"
"You can have everything you want." She held her palm out to him.
"Or we can do things the hard way."
"Everything I want?"
"Yes. Must you keep repeating me? Everything you have ever desired… all right here waiting to be taken. Your room to yourself, your parents love all to yourself. All the presents at Christmas and birthdays…" Sarah ran out of things to add.
"Err, what's the hard way? My mom will kill me if my bothers not here when she gets home…"

"We can play a game." Sarah said laughing and walking away from him, hiding the sparkling point of light.
"What kind of game?"
"You have heard of the Labyrinth haven't you?" She asked looking back over her shoulder at him. The boy looked up into her sparkling eyes and saw infinity. He whimpered and nodded.
"Its your choice." She said shrugging again, leaning back against the chest of draws.
"What happens if I don't… do it the hard way?"
"You get everything you want, with the added bonus that you'll remember nothing."
"Nothing?"

"Not a thing. You won't even remember you ever had a brother."
"Oh. I kinda quite like being a twin… there are some good things… I think I'd better try it the hard way first."
"How do I get there?" Sarah smiled at him and opened up the veils behind him.
"You get in through there." She said nodding. He turned and gasped, staring with horror at the Labyrinth as it slowly woke up in the morning sun, exactly as it had when it had been her standing before Jareth.
"Err, how long… do I have?"

"Thirteen hours. Its always thirteen hours, I thought you'd read the story?"
"I did." He whispered. "But I didn't think it would be… like this."
"It's the Labyrinth. It is the same as it always is. Depending on your sense of perspective of course." Sarah smiled watching the magic ripple through the ancient pathways, feeding off the boy's fear and hope.
"You'd better hurry." She said prompting him down the slope.
"It doesn't look that far…" He said turning back to look at her as she shook her head.
"Its much, much further than you think. Time is short." Sarah wondered if Jareth would tell her off for stealing his lines, but right then, she didn't really care. It was the truth. The boy looked at her for a few moments longer before looking back down towards the outer walls. She took that opportunity to make herself scarce, walking through the veils back to the rose courtyard.

He was lounging in his favourite seat amidst the roses, watching her as she removed the cloak from around her shoulders and flopped down next to him. He sat and watched her in silence as she watched him in return. Eventually she gave in.
"Why do you always do that?"
"Because I enjoy irritating you." He replied shrugging.
"Say what you want to say, lets get it over and done with, then we can get right on to the kissing and making up bit." She said smiling sweetly at him. He moved in and kissed her smile away for some time whilst the fairies buzzed around their ears.
Eventually she managed to take a breath as she sat curled in his arms.

"So you have no opinion?"
"No I just wanted to do the kissing and making up bit."
"Oh." There really wasn't anything else to say so she obliged him by doing some more kissing and making up.
"I have no idea what to do with him next."
"I don't generally bother any more. Isenith is much more creative than I am I'm afraid. Particularly when it comes to young boys…"
"Eeewwwww."
"Not that way! I swear you have a mind like the gutter sometimes. I much prefer frightening little girls, they are far more impressionable."
"You didn't really frighten me all that much." Sarah said shaking her head.

"Oh. Perhaps the destruction of the Labyrinth before your eyes wasn't enough to convince you."
"You did give me quite a few good dreams afterwards though." She continued smirking. "I was a hormonal teenager after all." She shrugged.
"Indeed. These dreams…." Jareth said with a glint in his eye. Sarah laughed and got up.
"I might show you… if you promise not to laugh."
"I might be too busy to laugh." Jareth replied as he followed her to his rooms.

They were just getting to the interesting bits when Sarah felt the boy in the Labyrinth calling for help.
"Do I have to go?" She sighed rolling off Jareth with a curse.
"No. You could send Isenith."
"What if he's busy?"
"He'd better not be." Jareth said sulking. Sarah climbed off the bed and wrapped a dressing gown around her partially naked body before going into the sitting room to call Isenith.

"Majesty?"
"There's a boy in the Labyrinth and he's starting to annoy me… can you help?" Sarah said perching on a chair. Isenith looked at her attire and slightly messy hair and nodded grinning.
"Of course." Sarah nodded, ignoring his smirk as she left him standing there in the sitting room and firmly closed the door behind her.
"I'm going for a shower." She said shucking out of her dressing gown as she headed for the bathroom.
"I don't have one of those."
"Then you'd better make one for me quickly before my mood dies entirely." She said as she walked past the bed. Jareth growled and waved his hand as he got up to follow her.
"Mmmmm. Thank you." Sarah said as she walked into the glass sided shower that was already steaming hot. As she washed her hair Jareth leant against the cool tiles and watched her. She laughed at the look on his face as she dragged him in.

"I'm still fully clothed!"
"And?" Sarah asked kissing him under the spray. Holding her for some time afterwards Jareth wondered why he hadn't ever known why humans enjoyed showers.
"Now you know." Sarah breathed into his ear as he turned and kissed her.
"Indeed." He said feeling himself rise to the occasion all over again. Not knowing if his back could take another session standing up he took her back to his bed to claim his wife all over again.