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 27 – Destruction

Sarah yawned and strolled on through the hedge maze, ignoring where she was going as, after 4 months of walking the pathways every day, she knew their twists and turns like the back of her hand. She flopped down on a handy wooden bench and half smiled as she ran her fingers across the silver silk dress which partially hid her growing bump.
"How women cope with being pregnant all the time is beyond me." She said idly to the Labyrinth, listening in between the bird song and whispering wind for the Labyrinths voice, but it never came.
For four months now it had not spoken to her, had never come to her when she was creating things to practice her magic nor had it even spoken to Jareth after that night, though he too refused to speak of the matter.

Sighing half in frustration, half in boredom, Sarah stood again and took a different route than her usual one into a part of the Labyrinth she did not venture often. It was too strange to walk between the silent stone chess pieces and down the broad black and white, marble paved passages.
She found herself at one point staring blankly at a pair of Bishops, effectively blocking the way, though there was a wistful glimpse between them of an open courtyard with a tinkling fountain in the centre. Turning her back on the Bishops Sarah walked on, ending up, not for the first time back at the beginning.
She ignored the white Queen in her elegance and sat gratefully down on the black pawn, which was slowly turning grey, as though it had only been painted black which had been partially washed away in the rain, revealing the white marble below. She could sense Jareth, distantly through their link sighing in agitation over something to do with the kingdom, exhausted from a night traipsing round the labyrinth with Isenith after 2 separate wished away children.

"Its strange how one always finds oneself at the beginning, however hard you look for the end." Elindah said walking out from behind a tall Rook. Sarah bit her lip as she jumped at the unfamiliar voice.
"How curious that a half bred whore can get pregnant faster than a pure Fae. Not to worry, that aching back isn't going to ache for very much longer." She said, almost sympathetically as Sarah stood and backed away from the Fae.
"You are banned from this place." She said quietly as she backed up against a wall, flinching as Elindah got close enough to run her long fingers across Sarah's bump. Feeling the caress Sarah summoned her magic, and found nothing. "What have you done?" She gasped, searching in her soul for the magic that made her heart beat in time with the Labyrinth. Elindah laughed.
"Its time for me to take back what was stolen my Sweet." She said continuing to caress Sarah's swollen stomach.
"Nothing was stolen from you. Why do you delude yourself? Jareth never loved you, never cared for you, was never interested in marrying…" Sarah stopped as Elindah slapped her hard across the cheek.

"Liar. You stole him from me!"
"I am so sick and tired of people hitting me. Get a grip on yourself Elindah. You can't have him, and you certainly can't have the Labyrinth." Sarah tried to reach out to grasp Elindah's arms, but found that she couldn't move. "What have you done!" Sarah cried, struggling against invisible bonds to free herself.
She looked up and instantly understood. Behind Elindah floated several black creatures of the Unseelie Court. The opposite of the Seelie Court in every way. As Sarah watched in horror they raised skeletal hands to the sky and created dense, yellow and black clouds, swiftly covering the sun from view and casting the Labyrinth into darkness, a pale, sickly darkness that spread like water rather than proper shadows.

"Please tell me you haven't made a bargain with these things." Sarah asked struggling against her unseen bonds, tears forming in her eyes as she went cold.
"Oh yes. It's all arranged. I get my King, and my Labyrinth, and they get power. Everybody is happy." Elindah smiled like a child at the thought of a treat.
"You fool. They will destroy the Underground now you have set them free." Sarah howled as her bonds tightened.
"That doesn't matter." Elindah said dismissively flicking her fingers and creating a tarnished black dagger from nothing.
"What are you going to do?" Sarah whimpered, watching the sickly light shine off the black metal.
"Its what you are going to do that you should be concerned about." Elindah said bluntly. "Call him."

"What?"
"Call him here. To you."
"No."
"Call him!" Elindah shrieked, slashing at Sarah with the dagger. Sarah didn't even realise that she had raised her hands to protect herself, or that she had managed to do so despite the bonds. She stood and watched a shining drop of blood drip from the daggers point with infinite slowness as the world around them stopped.
"Call him, or you will die without ever seeing his face again." Elindah said smiling as Sarah staggered and fell to her knees, watching the blood pour from the wounds across her upturned wrists, staining her dress a deep crimson.
"Jareth." Sarah whispered, tears joining the blood on her dress as she fell sideways to the floor.

"No! Jareth don't, it's a trap!" She screamed in her mind as she felt him answer her call. She gazed up at Elindah who shimmered and changed as she created a glamour around herself, turning herself into Queen Selindé of Shayene, Wife to Jareth, King of the Goblin Realms and Keeper of the Labyrinth, Marked Prince of Shayene, mother of his unborn children, soul mate, lover and friend.

The creatures of the Unseelie Court disappeared even as Jareth appeared through the veils, catching Elindah in his arms, and asking her what was wrong.
"I killed her." Elindah whimpered, clutching onto Jareth as she pointed with the blood stained dagger at Sarah, who lay on the floor in a pool of her own blood. "She was going to hurt me. She was going to hurt our baby!" Jareth soothed Elindah, stroking her hair gently and taking the dagger from her hand, letting it disappear back into nothingness.

"This time Elindah, no one will save you." He said, his eyes widening in shock as he noticed the bracelet of Shayene around the Fae's wrist as she mutely shook her head, her hazel eyes wide with terror. Jareth's heart stopped, the bracelet could not be duplicated, could not be removed by any except Shayene's Heir. She had said baby, not babies, or children, yet he knew she was expecting twins. His skin prickled and turned to ice as the Unseelie Court materialised in a circle around them, sucking away his power.

In his one last coherent thought, casting aside Elindah's glamour Jareth created a small crystal within Sarah's hand and called forth the Labyrinth from its cage, hiding his actions from Elindah who was still holding him to her, not noticing that he had realised it was a trap. The Unseelie Court raised their hands smothering them in a milky blackness, cutting him off from the Labyrinth, taking his remaining power. Gloating at their easy success they cried out and then disappeared, leaving Sarah alone, her heart slowing as she got colder and colder. She lay, watching her thickening blood seep in between the marble flagstones and listening to the dying beat and wheezing breath of her body, wondering if heaven existed in the Underground when she realised with shocking clarity that she would probably go to hell anyhow for not saving her children. The crystal in her unresponsive hand felt cool and warm at the same time, and within floated a smoky essence, unlike other crystals she had seen Jareth create. Jareth, her beloved King, Sarah wept, her tears blinding her as she took her last breaths.

"Avenge me." She whispered to the Labyrinth, hoping for one last time that it would be strong enough to defeat the Unseelie Court.

"Not without your help." It said, materialising in front of her and scooping her up into its ethereal arms. They emerged without walking through the veils in its mirrored room, where it laid her, reverently on a bed of moss, cushioning her head and wiping away her tears. "Do not cry Selindé we will fight to get back what is ours, but I can not do it without you." All of a sudden Sarah screamed as her body burned like fire, a searing second of pain that was gone, without memory. "Forgive me, I can not take away the pain like he can."

"I do not need to forgive you." Sarah said, raising a hand to her face to admire the silky smooth skin across her wrist. "I want my King back." She said, sitting up with a little difficulty because of her stomach.
"You will not be able to do it on your own." The Labyrinth said brooding as it floated within the mirrors.
"Then help me, you've merged with Jareth, merge with me, give me your power and I will defeat them." She said standing up as watching the floating entity.
"I would be vulnerable. Though we would be joined, I would still be missing Jareth's power."
"Then isn't it lucky he gave me this?" Sarah said opening out her other hand to reveal the glowing crystal.
"You might not survive." The Labyrinth said warily.

"I might not survive anyhow, and things can't get any worse." In the distance, from the direction of the Goblin City and the Fortress, came a resounding crack which shook the floor. "They are destroying my home, they are destroying you. Is being joined not what you wanted?"
"Not like this, they force my hand."
"We don't have any other choice. I trust you."
"Very well. Brace yourself." The entity appeared from the depths of the mirror and, approaching Sarah, merged itself within her. For several moments, Sarah stood, shaking as she fought to control the power threatening to make her mind implode, for the first time comprehending her existence, herself within the maelstrom.

"Jareth's crystal?" She asked out loud as the mirrors shattered around her.
"Break it." The Labyrinth told her within herself. Sarah stroked the crystal softly with her thumb before closing her hand and shattering the suddenly fragile globe. The essence surged up around her, congealing and flowing in random patterns until without warning it entered her body. She wept as she felt her link with Jareth return, his very soul merging once more with her own, blocking out the darkness and smothering her with love and safety. Within this unbreakable bond, the girl who was once a mortal, once a child called Sarah came at last to rest as a memory of the fae queen Selindé. A fae queen who stood as one with the Labyrinth, absorbing the feelings and energy flowing through them, touching, experimenting, and forcing the magic into new shapes within their combined minds, their magic tripled.

"Jareth!" Elindah shouted as he stood silently before her watching her with dull, lifeless eyes as she lounged on the throne that once belonged to him.
"Elindah." He eventually answered.
"Come here darling." Elindah crooned, her glamour as Sarah gone now that she owned him, held his heart on a leash whilst the Unseelie Court had his power. Elindah paused for a moment trying to work out in her muddled mind why she had let them take what she had really wanted. She now had her king, and her throne, and her kingdom, but no power. She shook the thought away and buried herself in his reluctant embrace, ignoring his blank stare and unresponsive hands. "Take me to our bed my love." She whispered in his ear, pulling him through the veils with her to a room that she presumed had been his and that mortal whores.

Flicking a finger at the large bed she changed the dark sheets for white and pale pink silk making Jareth back away in horror. Elindah giggled and pulled him back, kissing him deeply as she pushed him onto the bed, ignoring with ease the glassy look in his eyes as she pulled his shirt off over his head. He lay unresponsive to her kisses and caresses until she spoke sharply to him again, drawing his wavering attention back to her. Taking her filmy dress off Elindah straddled him, smiling indulgently down at him as his body responded to her own.
"I want you to fuck me like you fucked her." She whispered as Jareth reached up to fondle her breasts, his male urges the only thing preventing him from throwing her across the room, but his disgust faded as he caressed her, falling away softly into pale pink and white mist as Elindah controlled his thoughts and his broken, empty soul. She cried out in pain or pleasure, or something in between as he rolled her over onto the bed and took her, knowing in the deepest part of him that it was wrong, that everything was very, very wrong.

"Isenith." Queen Selindé called, her ebony hair flying like a pennant in a secret wind that touched only herself within the shredded remains of the Labyrinth. Her equally black robes, snapping and curling around her in the magical wind made her look like a wraith, her translucent skin a sharp contrast to her mismatched eyes. Isenith appeared through the veils and gasped as he took in her appearance, before falling to his knees before her, recognising instinctively her power.
"What has happened?" He whispered staring at her.
"There is no time to explain, protect Shayene. Tilingdor and Magene will probably try something now that Jareth and I are incapacitated. You must find Lucia and Theo and get them to safety, and then you must go to the High King. Tell him Elindah has taken control of the Labyrinth, and that she has released the Unseelie Court." Selindé said pulling him to his feet.

"It can't be!" Isenith said shaking his head in horror.
"Believe me." Selindé said, pointing towards the fortress where it stood, broken in the centre of the devastated Labyrinth. Even from this distance he could see the darkness spreading out from the broken towers, something that only the Unseelie Court could do.
"I will do as you command my Queen." Isenith whispered, bowing before stepping backwards towards the veils.
"Wait, Isenith, take this. You might need Shayene's power." Selindé said unclasping the Bracelet of Shayene from her wrist and placing it around his own. The bracelet flared brilliantly for a moment, acknowledging its transfer to another of Shayene's children. Isenith gasped as she gave him her bracelet, bowing again in shock and then turning and striding back through the veils, leaving her standing seemingly alone, watching the fortress of the Goblin King crumble.

"Are you ready?"
"Now or never!"
The larger than life raven screamed in anger as it took flight and flew across the ravaged Labyrinth, already falling to dust to return once more to the wilderness that had once created it. As it flew it gathered to it the remaining shreds of milky mist that contained the Labyrinths magic, and felt itself pulse with infinite amounts of power. With a second cry it turned and flew towards the one remaining structure, the fortress, a black stain in the dark sky as the very essence of evil poured out from its broken towers.