Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Labyrinth. Serina, Kelgar, Matilda, Ralir and the storyline are mine.

Chapter 10

The next morning, Jareth woke her and waited patiently as she bathed and dressed. The clothes in her wardrobe had been changed overnight. She wore a dark green leather bodice that hugged her form over a light beige peasant blouse with long flared sleeves that was tucked into a pair of black pants similar to the ones he always wore. A pair of black boots that stopped at her knees completed her outfit. Once she had emerged from her wardrobe, Jareth had merely turned and left. Grumbling, she straightened her back and grabbed an apple before following him from the room. They walked in silence for a few minutes before he turned his head to look at her, watching as her teeth sank into an apple. "Does this mean that I no longer have to force you to eat?"

Serina cut her hard eyes over at him. "Touch me again and you will regret it." she snapped.

"Such a pity," was his only reply. Serina suddenly staggered and nearly fell, but his arm caught her

around her waist to steady her as his other hand caught her elbow. She snarled under her breath and tried to step away from him, only to feel his hold on her tighten.

"You're pushing it Your Majesty."

He smirked at her and continued to lead her down the hallways, pointing out things of interest. "Here we are kitten. Here's the armory; you will find everything you need in here." He informed her when they stopped before a pair of heavy wooden doors. He bit back a laugh when she jerked away from him and shoved the doors open. Her breath escaped her when she stepped inside. There was a wide array of fine weapons hanging from the walls as well as several ornate suits of armor. Jareth leaned a hip against a table near the door as the woman rushed rapidly over to where someone had laid some things out on a low bench. The first thing she picked up was a pair of twin swords. She hefted the long thin blades and swung them around in an arch. Jareth's eyes widened when he saw flames race down the edges of the katanas and he automatically stepped forward. Those swords should not have done that. He made a mental note to ask Ralir about it later.

Serina sheathed the blades with reverence, sighing as the flames licked over her hands. It felt as if they were welcoming her back. She glanced over her shoulder towards the king and grinned before turning her attention back to her armor. Without another thought, she disrobed and drew the armor on then buckled the sword belt around her waist. "Training hall?" she asked as she turned back to face the platinum haired man.

Silently, Jareth gestured towards another pair of doors that stood to the left of him. Serina darted over to the doors and pushed them open. Inside she found a massive room large enough to allow a whole regiment at once that was bare except for the occasional training dummy or archery target scattered here and there. Benches lined the walls. He sat down on one of the nearby benches and watched with interest as the woman darted towards the center of the room.

Serina practically pranced towards the center, her emotions welling up inside her as they each fought for control. She stopped in the center of a huge mosaic star and stared down at the floor. After a moment she closed her eyes and went down on one knee. Muttering a few words under her breath, she drew the katanas and crossed them before her, centering herself. Stretching out with her senses, she could feel the king's intense gaze on her. Slowly, she drew herself up and brought the crossed swords to her chest.

Jareth watched her movements with a mild curiosity, wondering what exactly she was doing. He jumped and flushed slightly in embarrassment when she flung her hands out from herself and flames raced from her hands to the tips of the swords. Tilting his head, he continued to watch as she began moving the flaming swords in arches around herself. Keeping his eyes on her, Jareth summoned a crystal and whispered to the faces that appeared for them to come to the training hall.

Scant moments later, several others had joined him, watching in awe as the woman cavorted with her swords around the floor. Kelgar took a seat next to Jareth and leaned over to ask if everything was alright. Jareth simply nodded, then flicked his eyes over at the captain of his guards. The man's face was frozen in admiration as he watched the girl.

"Is there someone I can spar with?"

Jareth shook himself mentally, surprised at her question. He arched a brow at the woman who was kneeling in the center of the room again. "Wouldn't you rather rest?" Serina shook her head and he sighed tiredly. Waving his hand through the air in front of himself, he smirked at the astonished expression on the woman's face when she stood up to watch him approach.

"How quaint." She quipped in amusement, "A wave of your hand and you are ready to battle." She walked around him, looking him over. A shimmering black breastplate now covered his usual flowing silk shirt. She smirked to herself as the armor looked to be lightweight. His tight pants were now replaced with black leather.

"Magic does tend to have its uses, kitten." he spun, bringing up a longsword to block her sudden attack. He staggered under the force of her blow.

Serina sneered up at him. "Don't you just love surprises?" she taunted.

"Hmm, no. Not really."

"Sorry, but you'll find I am full of them." She sneered as her foot swept out, knocking him to the ground. Serina pointed the tip of her sword at his throat for a moment, letting him feel the heat from the flames before withdrawing with a nod.

Jareth leapt back onto his feet, wondering how in the world she had moved so fast. His own soldiers were only halfway out of their seats by the time she stepped away to let him up. He watched her cautiously as she moved back to the center of the room and kneeled again with her head bowed and eyes closed. With a thin smile, he pointed at the captain and two of his best soldiers. The men quickly rushed at the woman only to find themselves staggering backwards as she shot upright and spinning wildly around, her swords leaving a blazing trail of fire in their wake.

Finally, Jareth stepped back in as well, catching a groan from Kelgar. Serina batted away the foursome's attacks as if they were no more than flies buzzing around her. As the room watched, they discovered that every part of her could be considered a weapon. Her long braided hair whipped around them, bludgeoned her opponents as she spun, dipped and parried each sword. Her feet were graceful and swift as she moved across the floor, many recognizing dance steps as she sent the others flying with kicks. When one went down, there was another to replace him.

Serina knew that Jareth would have the entire room fight against her while Kelgar was the only one who sat and watched with an air of confidence. Even the king was getting winded, but Serina had trained hard for many years and knew that she could outlast them all without much trouble. Her life was dedicated to fighting and endurance. A stinging blow across her back had her spinning around, bringing her attention back to the fight. She spun completely around, her leg catching the attacker and sending him sliding across the floor.

Eventually, it was down to just Jareth and her on the floor as everyone else sat battered around the room. They circled, eyeing each other as if to gauge their moves. Jareth darted in with a low feint and Serina spun to the side, bringing the flat of her sword down across his shoulders. A cry went up from the others as the king stumbled forwards a few steps and turned to face her again. Sweat dripped from them both as they squared off again. Serina feinted to the left only to dart back to the right when Jareth moved to parry. She smacked him hard against his ribs with her sword and he felt the heat from the flames ripple across his skin.

Kelgar stood up and walked towards them. "Perhaps it is time to call a draw?"

Serina gave no sign of hearing him as she swiftly brought her other sword up and tapped the king's chest. The movement so fast that he barely recognized it. "No need for a draw." She said as she stepped back away from the king and sheathed her swords. "I just won." Jareth stared after her in shock as she walked away, catching the mischievous light shining in her eyes as she smirked over her shoulder at him.

"You heard the lady. She won." Jareth barked as the others stared at him. They had never seen their king defeated in battle before and were all stunned that it had been a woman to defeat him.

Kelgar reached out to stop the king as he started to follow Serina. "Are you sure it is wise to allow her such freedom you majesty?"

Jareth stared at the doorway Serina had walked through. "Wise or not, the priestess spoke to her at length and Lady Serina has sworn an oath of fealty to me. I'm not sure I trust the woman completely, but she is good." Jareth looked at Kelgar and Ralir, the captain of the guard ho had walked over to them. "She may hate being here and she may hate me, but she's alive and interacting with everyone. At least now I won't have to force her to eat anymore. I hope." Kelgar snickered at this and caught the sour look Jareth shot him. "You've tried getting that woman to cooperate. She's worse than the Labyrinth!"

"Do I even want to ask?" Ralir asked as he listened to them, still rubbing his shoulder where Serina had kicked him.

Kelgar snickered again while Jareth brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I have spent the past week forcibly restraining that damn woman just to feed her," he sighed.

"This is all the while trying to avoid getting his head removed, bitten off, attacked by flying dishes or flying food." Kelgar added, trying not to laugh.

"Is she really that violent my lord? I thought is was just luck that I met her." Ralir paled as he turned to see the woman in question walking back towards them, now wearing the clothes she had come down in. Her sword belt was belted around her waist.

"I have fought many battles Lord Ralir, and was victorious through them all." Serina responded as she walked towards them. She stopped and glared at each of them, her hard eyes finally settling on the king's face. "Many have feared me, which is wise. Those who do not…" she sneered and turned to walk away. She stopped at the doorway. "I swore an oath to the king. My word is my law."

She ignored the shocked gasp and outraged snarl that came from behind her as she continued from the room once again. Suddenly Jareth was beside her, leaning down to whisper in her ear again. "My word is the law here, kitten, and it would be best if you feared me." his breath against her skin startled her as she shivered. "It would be in your best interest not to defy me, especially in front of my own subjects."

Serina turned her head to look at him, his scent confusing her. His face was a scant inch from hers as she glared up at him. "Intimidation doesn't work on me. Even the First Elder knows that." She spun and left the room regally, though as soon as she was out of sight she broke into a run.