Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth. Such a pity…

Chapter 2

They arrived in the Goblin City a few hours later and the men looked around in wonder as they traveled through the city. All around them houses of various shapes, sizes and colors sat in a jumble of confusion. Creatures ranging from two to six feet walked the streets, talking and shouting as they went about their business. Most stopped to stare at the men with Kara as they rode through. A small goblin child ran up to Kara's horse and offered her a flower. Mark and Logan watched as Kara leaned down with a heartfelt smile and accept the gift before continuing on to the castle's steps.

They reached the castle steps and slid from their horses. The two mares spun away and trotted regally from the city while the stallion that Kara rode huffed once at her and trotted towards the stables. He made his home in the city to be near his mistress most of the time, though even in the times he stayed with the rest of his herd, he was always within her call.

"Well, that was interesting." Mark snorted sarcastically. Kara looked at him curiously before turning to lead the way to the castle doors. Two hobgoblins, standing nearly six feet tall stood at guard near the doors. They bowed to the woman and her guests before pushing the massive doors open with massive clawed hands. The men eyed the creatures with distrust as they walked behind Kara.

"Don't worry. No harm will come to you unless you attempt to hurt either the king or myself. His Majesty's subjects are very loyal to him and will tolerate no attempts upon his person."

"Are you their queen or something?" Logan asked curiously. Kara laughed lightly as she shook her head. They followed her down the long dimly lit hallway lined with doors, tapestries and statues.

"While I am the king's companion, I am not their queen." She stopped before another set of doors and spoke to the hobgoblin guards standing there. They grunted and answered back in a guttural language that neither Logan or Mark recognized. Logan wished they knew what was being said as the creatures pushed the doors open and they followed the woman into the throne room.

"You're late." A cold silky voice said as the doors closed behind them. Kara's lips twitched upwards as she knelt and bowed her head. "You know I worry when you are out this close to nightfall."

"My apologies your Majesty. The ride back took longer than I anticipated." She stood and introduced the two men before walking slowly towards the figure sprawled out on the throne as she pulled the pouch from her belt and held it out to him. Mismatched eyes traveled over her body, narrowing when they found the cuts on her arm. Immediately the man stood, towering over the woman at the bottom of the dais.

Mark fought to keep from busting out with laughter at the sight. He'd never seen anyone dressed so strangely. The king wore a pair of dark grey leather leggings and a loose white shirt that hung open to show his chest and the silver-gold tri-horned medallion that hung around his neck. The outfit was topped with a black vest, polished black high heeled riding boots that rose to his knees and black kid gloves. His pale blonde hair was the most eye-catching though, it was cut and spiked so that it stuck out in several directions. The king looked up at the slight sound Mark made and raised a finely shaped eyebrow at him. Mark stiffened at the cold look the king gave him. Logan rolled his eyes at his friend and sighed, wondering if Mark just had a knack for making royalty mad at him or what.

Jareth turned and looked at Kara again, his eyes concerned. "You're wounded my dear. Why have you not had it seen to yet?"

Kara lowered her head. "I haven't thought about it your majesty." He sighed and shook his head as he stepped down from his dais.

He reached out and lifted her chin, staring hard at her. "Go see to your wounds and get cleaned up my foolish one. Your guests will wait here till you return." She smiled as she stepped back and bowed slightly to him.

"As you wish your majesty."

They watched her turn and leave the room. Jareth turned to study the strangers, his mismatched eyes taking in every detail. After a minute he turned and went back to his throne where he sat down again, hooking a leg over one side. "Kara has informed me that you are here to search for your sister. Might I enquire as to why you think she would be in my kingdom?"

"Her ship landed somewhere on this world a few months ago, but we could not locate the exact area your majesty." Logan stepped forward before Mark could open his mouth. Something told him that making this particular ruler angry could have dire consequences. "All contact was lost when they landed."

Jareth eyed them carefully he leaned forward, gauging their reactions. Their reasons for being there concerned him greatly. He could sense that the young man was speaking the truth, and he decided that it was worth looking into. If the man's sister had landed in another kingdom then he would not know about it unless the other rulers let him know. Considering the danger surrounding his kingdom over the past several years, the other rulers tended to avoid his kingdom and most news traveled slowly.

Mark shifted his weight from one foot to the other and Jareth's eyes darted to him quickly. He smirked wickedly to himself as the man quailed before him. Logan tensed and glanced from the king to his friend, wondering what it was about Mark that really irked those in royalty. After a moment, the king looked back at Logan before smiling vaguely at them as he waved his hand through the air. Chairs appeared in the middle of the room and he gestured for them to sit. Once they were seated, they made small talk until Kara arrived.

The heavy double doors to the throne room opened slowly and they all looked in that direction. Kara glided forward, dressed in a long low-cut gown of sapphire blue silks that flowed like water around her. Jareth smiled affectionately at her as he rose from the throne and walked forward to greet her. He took her white glove hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles as she curtsied to him.

"You have had your arm tended to?"

Kara rolled her eyes and sighed "Yes your majesty. The healer was able to repair the damage. Not even a scar to show for it." She turned slightly when she felt eyes on her and found both Logan and Mark staring at her. She glanced up at the king and noticed that he was watching their guests closely. She sighed and squeeze his fingers where he still held her hand.

"Come, I am sure our guests would like to eat before they retire for the night." Kara's voice rolled smoothly across them, hiding the fact that she was slightly nervous for some reason. Jareth smiled at her again and offered his arm to her, which she took.

"Indeed my lady." He turned to look at the two men, "We shall talk more over dinner."

Mark and Logan followed them from the throne room and down a few hallways until the entered a grand dinning room that was decorated in crystal and silver. In the center of the room stood a table laden with a variety of foods and wines. Jareth led Kara to her chair at the right of his and held the chair out for her. He then gestured to their guests to sit down as he took his seat.

"Help yourself to whatever you desire." Jareth offered graciously as Kara poured a goblet of wine for him.

She had told them that she was merely the king's companion, but the looks they shared and their actions said there was more to it. Mark smirked when he caught Logan watching the girl and nudged him discretely. Logan flushed when he realized that his friend had caught him watching Kara, and he hoped the king hadn't seen it as well.

Jareth watched the blond man throughout the meal, he had seen the way the young man was watching Kara and he felt jealousy rearing up inside him. There was no way he would let the woman go. When an elf came in to serve dessert, Jareth declined, preferring to sit back and watch as he sipped the goblet of wine that Kara always refilled for him while she told the strangers about her past.

She was an enigma to say the least. His mismatched blue and brown eyes turned to rest on her as his mind drifted to memories of when she had first came to him. There had been news that one of the outer villages had been attacked and his soldiers went to investigate. When they had come across her four years ago, he had had her brought to his castle and tended to her wounds himself. There had been severe gashes across her back where claws had ripped into her tender flesh and burns on her arms. During her flight to escape the demonic creatures that plagued his lands, she had been burned as well by the fire that destroyed her home. It had taken weeks of healing before her body had recovered from the ordeal. The creatures had slaughtered her entire family that night and it had later been found that she herself had been the one to start the fire. She had told him later that it was the only way she could think of to escape.

For months afterwards, Kara had been terrified to sleep. Nightmares had haunted her at all hours and Jareth had spent many nights watching over her when she finally slept. She would wake, drenched in sweat and crying out for her lost brother and sister, both of who had been torn apart mere inches before her eyes as she lay buried under the porch of her home. The children had been trying to crawl under the house with her when they were caught by the Plaguebacks.

When Kara had been able to move about again, she had started sitting in with the king whenever reports filtered in about further attacks. It had been her idea to conduct studies on the creatures and Jareth had found the girl to have an intellect that rivaled his own. She was bright and curious, with a razor sharp mind that absorbed every little detail. He had found himself unable to deny her anything when she begged him to train her with a sword.

"Needless to say, his majesty was not pleased at all with my idea." Her laugh drew his attention and he focused on her once again.

Arching a brow at her, he smiled gently. "That is because I have found many of your ideas to be extraordinarily dangerous my dear." She returned his smile with one of her own and he felt heat flood through him.

"You have to admit my lord, that using one of the beasts own stones has kept me safe from their poisons."

"Indeed. But that was only after your body accepted the stone as part of it." He leaned forward, forgetting their guests for the moment and covered her hand with his. "I can not help but worry over you my pet. I would be lost without you." She blushed deeply at his words, knowing that he really did care for her yet still uncomfortable with his attentions at times. A slight noise caught their attention and Kara jumped.

"What do you mean after her body accepted it?" Mark leaned forward, his expression curious.

Jareth continued to hold her hand as he sat back and took another sip of his wine. "Exactly that. When the healer placed the stone inside Kara's shoulder, she had a violent reaction to it and we nearly lost her. One's body does not readily accept alien material in it that easily."

"Yeah, we've seen something like that happen before." Logan added and Jareth nodded.

"Then you know the risks are great. Considering that the stone was carried in the Plagueback's venom sac, it had absorbed some of the poison. Oh, not enough to be fatal to be certain, but it was enough to send Kara here into a coma for several day. She suffered from convulsions, fevers, chills as well as her heart stopping." Jareth turned his mismatched eyes towards her again and stared at her when she squeezed his hand slightly. "We had thought her lost till the Labyrinth intervened."

"What happened?" Logan asked when Jareth grew quiet, still staring at Kara. He snapped his eyes back to them.

"The Labyrinth entered her body and helped heal her, restarting her heart and bringing her from the coma."

"Wait a minute, how can a maze do that? It's not a living thing." Mark, ever the skeptic asked. Jareth smiled benignly at the man as he answered.

"In most cases you would be correct. But in this place, nothing is as it seems. One can not take everything for granted because of that. What you may see as nothing but a maze, we see it as something completely different. The Labyrinth is it's own creation, ever growing, ever changing. It is a being of pure magic with powers far greater than my own at times."

Mark shook his head, "I don't get it." Jareth growled softly under his breath which cause Kara to tighten her fingers.

"What his majesty means Mark, is that the Labyrinth is alive, just as any tree or animal you see out in the forests. It was created out of wild magic, by whom, we don't know. Perhaps it has always been here, since before any of us were ever created. Even the Labyrinth does not know how long it has been in existence. But once you walk it's paths, you are changed forever. You can feel it's life pulsing in every stone and every plant. Even the creatures that reside within its walls pulse with the Labyrinth's own power. "As Goblin King, it is his majesty's duty to oversee the Labyrinth as it can't be controlled the way one might control an animal or that carriage you arrived in. The Labyrinth only obeys the Goblin King and the king draws most of his power from the Labyrinth. The two create balance where if one falls, then the whole Underground will eventually fall. Yet at the same time, the Labyrinth only obeys it's own whims." She sighed and thought for a moment. "Think of the Labyrinth as a spirit or ghost, only full of life. We do not have to be able to see or touch the Labyrinth's spirit in order to know that it is with us."

Jareth smiled again at her and she shook her head with a light laugh, "I think I just made it even more confusing."

"Actually," Logan grinned, "it made sense in an odd sort of way."

Kara flushed slightly and ducked her head. "Thank you Logan. Now I believe it is time to show you to your rooms so that you may rest." She glanced at Jareth and found him watching her intently. She wondered what he was thinking as he released her hand and rose to his feet, bidding them all a good night before leaving the room.