Chapter Five

"I want the child brought back to the above ground." Jareth announced as he strolled through his library, three goblins at his heels, and Damien at his desk. The goblins started their panicked protests, but Damien beat them boldly to it.

"It is impossible, my lord." He stated matter of factly, almost boredly as his king stopped before him to glare at him, "The child has already been wished to us. We cannot simply send her back."

Jareth scowled as he crossed his arms. With the plans he had for his Tara, she couldn't be distracted with the child, and sending her back would give him a sort of... glow. It would be a good deed, of sorts. A reason for his newest slave to like him, and in order to play the game he intended to play, he needed to get that close to her at least.

"There must be a way." He stated, "I am the Goblin King! I can do whatever I choose!"

"Yes, my lord." Damien stated, "You are the king of the -Labyrinth-, the -underground- but walk on the streets of new york, and I dare say you will be far less respected." He paused, eying his king, and his friend, carefully. "Why do you want to do this so badly, anyway?" He asked curiously, and then frowned, "Oh, my king... please tell me it has nothing to do with that slave girl you retrieved from the elves not so very long ago." At the silence he recieved, Damien groaned, holding her head, "She's a mortal, my lord!"

"A mortal in whos good graces I would thrive in." Jareth bit back, glaring.

"But my Lord," Damien strove to argue, "She is but a servant girl! A -mortal- servant girl!" Jareth opened his mouth to speak, but Damien interupted, "And don't tell me it is none of my concern, because I am no longer speaking to you as my king-- Jareth, I am speaking with you as my -friend-!"

"Then as my friend, assist me in this dilema in which I find myself!" Jareth snapped, and glanced behind him at the now cowering, and confused Goblins. "You are dismissed." he growled, and they bowed before scurrying off.

Tara woke up alone (due to having woken earlier than she was meant to), but sated. The candles had long burned themselves out, and she found herself in perfect darkness. That didn't mean to say, of course, that she minded. Something different from the time she had previously spent, was that now she could see fine in the darkness. She assumed it was the lingering touch of the Goblin King.

She frowned, pushing her black hair away from the white skin of her face, before dragging her fingertips over her eyes, stretching the fragile skin as she tried to think. She was missing something very, very important. Something she had forgotten, though of her own free will. Something she had to remember... Something that ws a burden as well as a blessing. Something that she had loved, and despised. Something... pure.

Jareth cut his rant short, eyes widening, and then gleaming, "Dear friend," He stated, "I must leave you now. The mortal servant girl of whom we speak is overcoming my spells."

As his king swept off, Damien remained in the library, frowning, and worrying for his king.

"Xanthe." Jareth answered Tara's unasked question as he stepped into the room, casting his sillouette on the wall. He blinked at her as she exclaimed the name at the exact same moment as the one he had given her the answer.

"I underestimated you, pet." He stated as she stared at him unblinkingly, before looking down. Their previous...engagement was not foreign to her memory. In fact, the instant she saw his beautiful blonde hair swaying around him, it was nearly all she could think of. The ways he had touched her... the ways he had made her feel with only the simplest kiss. She blushed furiously as his mocking laughter echoed throughout the room.

"You seem to underestimate many people." She stated finally as she looked up boldly, "You surely underestimated the courage of the elves."

"As well as your courage." He agreed, staring warningly at her, though she did not back down. "I have made a decission. A decission I am sure you will find quite to your liking." As an expression of hope crossed her face, a faint smile graced his slim lips. He wouldn't be letting her down, this time, "Although, with my decission comes an obligation, from you. A... deal, so to speak."

The hope left her face, though it remained in her eyes, "What is this deal you speak of?"

"I will send your beloved Xanthe back to the above ground if you will agree to fight for the kingdom of the Goblins." She opened her mouth to speak, but he interupted, "This will mean you will go through training-- pysical, mental, and magical."

"Who is to be my teacher." Tara asked without hesitation. She liked the deal. She'd have done nearly anything to get her beloved back home.

"I am." Jareth stated with a small nod, "You will be in my company at all times during the day, and at many times during the night." He explained, "Which means you will be attending quite a few political get togethers."

"You have yourself a deal." She stated, and offered a hand, at which he blinked at in confusion. She grinned slightly, and took the hand back, forgetting that the midieval king did not know to shake her hand. She shrugged it off, deciding that she would forget such above worldly traditions before very long.

Suddenly, Damien burst into the room, and looked at the two before bowing awkwardly. "My Lord!" He panted, "I need to speak with you!" Tara tilted her head, noting that the man she had never seen before was quite red in the face. He was handsome in his own right, far more refined than Jareth could even hope to appear, but exhausted.

"I am listening, Damien." The Goblin King stated calmly, looking at the man with a look that said for all the world that nothing could bother him at the moment.

The man looked at his king, and then at Tara, and back again. "Privately, my lord." He stated hurriedly, "I do not believe you want the girl to hear this."

Jareth frowned lightly, and left her to follow the man into the hallway. His mistake was to assume that she was completely under his rule now, and that she would sit like a good girl where she had been left, in complete and utter silence, without a trace of curiousity.

Such was simply not in Tara's nature.

So, she stood and made her way to the door, putting her ear to it as she listened to the two men talk.

"You're highness..." Damien muttered with a frown, scowling lightly as Jareth glared, hard at him, "I'm afraid that we have learned something about the child that will prevent our ability to return her to her home world. You see... she has her aunts touch on her."

"Yes, And!" Jareth demanded hotly, causing the fae to recoil, "What impending danger does this pose us, that is so important that you required my immediate audiance! And farther more, what does an aunts touch have to do with stopping the transportation of an unwanted child back to the world from which she came!"

"Your highness," Damien pleaded, "The child will not be safe! The elves will take her and use her as they would have that girl!"

Jareth froze with a scowl. "And there is no way of protecting her on the above ground?"

"No, my liege." Damien muttered quietly, bowing, "I'm afraid that there is nothing we can do but keep her within the Labyrinth, under heavy guard."

"I see." Jareth stated with a scowl, "Well then... We'll just have to send her back when the elves have been destroyed then."

"Yes my liege." Damien answered loyally.

Tara stepped back, having heard enough. She frowned deeply, wrapping pale arms around her pale body. Suddenly, as she felt the skin of her arms against the skin of her stomach, she felt her cheeks heat up, and she looked down to find herself completely naked. Her eyes went wide, and she snatched the silk sheet from off of the bed she had previously occupied, wrapping it around hesrelf as she stared around her in utter horror. Her mind was reeling-- she had gotten her beloved Xanthe all mixed up in this mess! And what did Damien mean, 'as they would have that girl'! What would they have done to her!

She closed her eyes in an attempt to shut out the world as her mind went back to that nightmare Jareth had woken her from, and she bit her lip hard, not even hearing him open the door, and slip in until she heard Damiens voice.

"My Lord," He called, face contorted in a frown, "The books I have been refrencing indicate that there may be a third!" He stated, walking through the door as the Goblin King turned around, his wild hair swaying with his movement. "If we can get the three together, and meld their powers, the elves would have not a chance."

Jareth frowned a little at this, but nodded, "Find the third." He ordered, "And bring her to me."

"Yes my lord." The fae responded with an obediant bow before he turned, and fled the room, leaving the king and I alone yet again.

He seemed to scowl at my sheet for a moment before he rise his gaze to meet mine, and he spoke. "I will have a servant girl in this room shortly to prepare you for tonights festivities." He stated matter of factly, "I expect you to be ready for her." He turned to go, but Tara interupted, standing.

"Jareth!" She called, cowering a few feet as he turned to her, an eyebrow arched at her pure gall. She blushed a little, before amending her exclaimation, "I mean... My lord..."

"You may call me by my name when we are in each others company alone." He dismissed, "What is it you require, Tara?"

"What do you mean by 'tonights festivities'?" She blubbered, her blush deepening as she struggled to straighten, and take up a posture that demanded attention. He smirked at her attempts to appear as his equal, telling her quite plainly that it had not worked, without uttering a single word.

"Did I not tell you?" He asked delicately, "Representitives from each kingdom will be arriving tonight to meet my..." He paused, for effect though it seemed to her that he was searching for the right thing to call her, "New student." His smirk broadened as she stared at him, trying in vain to stutter out thousands of questions that were swirling around in her pretty little head.

"You're not serious!" Tara cried out as she blanched, "They're coming to-- THEY'RE coming to--"

"Oh, I am perfectly serious." He stated with that arrogant charm that made her want to smack him, and bed him, all at the same time. "They will be arriving in precisely two hours, so I will leave you and allow you to prepare."

"Wait!" She half begged, rushing forwards as he turned to go. He turned back, his eyebrow arching higher than it had before, and she frowned, "Will there be elves there...?"

"Absolutely not." He stated calmly, before taking his leave of her.

Tara frowned as she turned her gaze flatly to the mirror. This day just got better with every minute that passed, didn't it? She scowled at her reflection, finding herself to be ragged. Broken, or at least, stretched to the point of breaking. She wasn't ready.

She wasn't ready for any of it.


Authors Notes: The Labyrinth does not belong to me. Jareth does not belong to me. Yay.

Thank you to my grand total of two reviewers. You guys are so nice.

Two is so much better than one!