Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own Labyrinth or any of its characters or places. I do, however, own Lumini and the Castle of Shifting Shadows, and of course, Melani. Don't steal them!

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Sarah looked uneasily to Melani. The voice in her head urged her to go right, but what if the voice was Lumini? She couldn't get lost in this place. The King of the Shadow Realm might come and find her- and she could not bear the thought of returning to his care.

"Melani, do you know what way to go?" Melani frowned a moment, closing her eyes. Her lips moved silently, as though she were speaking to someone Sarah couldn't see. Her eyes opened again, but they were set in a puzzled expression.

"Jareth says he will speak to you to let you know." She shrugged apologetically at Sarah, then her expression became expectant.

Go right, Sarah. Sarah sighed in exasperation and turned to the right. She kept her hand on the wall while she walked. Dizzy spells came frequently, and she needed the wall to keep herself upright when they hit.

"Melani, how is it you know who I am? Is my name really Sarah?" Melani started to laugh- a beautiful chime-like sound, though it was faint.

"Of course your name is Sarah! I, and the others in the Labyrinth, know about you. You beat the game. You won the Labyrinth." Sarah frowned.

"The Labyrinth?"

"That is where you are now. You don't remember, do you?" Sarah shook her head, grey eyes distressed.

"Well, don't worry about it. Lumini must have tortured you good and long for this to have happened. The Labyrinth is a gigantic maze that makes up the Kingdom of the Goblins, ruled by Jareth. Of course, there are more than just goblins here," Melani soothed. Sarah's memory flared.

A huge orange beast. Hair hanging in tangles and matted all the way down to his hide. Huge jaws, hands, feet. A name- Ludo.

"But it is called the Goblin's Kingdom because technically, they own it. Goblins are a pretty stupid lot generally, so they needed Jareth to run it for them. They do whatever he tells them in return for his political maneuvering."

"You said I 'won' the Labyrinth?"

"Yes. You beat the game." Upon seeing Sarah's confused look, Melani elaborated.

"When a young girl wishes away her charge- namely the baby she is watching, though we have gotten others- that charge is brought here. The girl says 'I wish the goblins would come and take you away right now' and the goblins come and take the child. Then the girl has a choice." Melani's voice was sparking memories in Sarah's mind.

Toby was screaming at the top of his lungs. He'd stolen Lancelot, and Sarah couldn't stand it when people came into her room uninvited. She'd told him a story, but he'd been shrieking so loudly she couldn't even hear it herself, let alone he hear it.

"I can bear it no longer! Goblin King, Goblin King, wherever you may be, take this child of mine far away from me!" Noting happened. She almost swore. Putting Toby back in his crib, she stormed for the door.

"I wish the goblins would take you away," she hit the light switch, "right now." Lightning flashed, and the screaming stopped. Stepping back into the room, she flicked the switch. Nothing happened. Had the power gone out? Sarah stepped further into the room, nervous now.

"Toby?"

"The girl can allow Jareth to take the charge," Melani stated.

"I'd like to have my brother back, if it's all the same."

"What's said is said." Jareth's arrogance was astounding, even then.

"Please, I have to have my brother back!"

"She can accept his gift in return for the charge."

"I've brought you a gift." A bubble grew in Jareth's hand, instantly solidifying into something clear and round.

"What is it?"

"It's a crystal. Nothing more. But if you turn it this way, it'll show you your dreams. Do you want it?" Sarah eyed the crystal almost hungrily. "Then forget the baby."

"Or she can go through the Labyrinth."

"Is that the Castle Beyond the Goblin City?"

"Turn back Sarah. Turn back before it's too late."

"I can't. Don't you understand that I can't?"

"What a pity." She studied the layout of the land spread beneath her.

"It doesn't look that far."

"It's further than you think." Jareth pointed to a clock that had materialized close by. Such a curious clock- it went to thirteen instead of twelve.

"You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth before your baby brother becomes one of us forever. Such a pity."

"If she succeeds in finding the Castle Beyond the Goblin City, she can choose to take her charge back, or allow Jareth to keep it." The flow of memories stopped. Sarah blinked. Melani wasn't finished, however.

"You are the only one that succeeded in finding the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. No other girl has been able to get even close. That is why you are famous in the Underground. That is why Jareth wishes you for his wife." Sarah abruptly stumbled and fell to her knees.

"Melani, I don't want someone to claim me again!"

"Sarah, no one will claim you. Jareth loves you. He wants you as his Life Mate because he loves you, not so that he can rule you."

The Castle Beyond the Goblin City

Jareth was watching through Sarah's eyes. He could easily have answered her questions, a lot more quickly than Melani. But she had a right to know it all. Besides, Melani was helping Sarah rebuild herself. Without that, she would never be his Sarah again. It was good that she had to travel the Labyrinth again. It would help spark her memories, bring herself back. He flinched when Melani told Sarah his feelings- how had she known? Who else knew? Was it that obvious?

Just Inside the Gate to the Labyrinth

"How can I man I don't even know love me?" Sarah asked. The question brought on more laughter from Melani.

"Oh, you know him. You just don't remember that you know him. The last time you were here, he threw a ball in your honor. True, he was trying to get you to forget Toby, but you broke through his spell. He even wrote a song for you, sang it to you in the Ballroom Bubble. Think about it- do you remember?"

Sarah was looking for something. She didn't know what she sought, but she knew it was worth the time it was taking her. She was wearing a white ball gown, sewn with pearls and diamonds and opals. The silk cascaded around her, poufs at the shoulders and floor-length, a wide skirt. The bodice sparkled with tiny rubies placed among the opals and diamonds.

"There's such a sad love

Deep in your eyes

A kind of pale jewel

Open and closed

I'll place the sky

Within your eyes."

Sarah nodded to Melani.

"I remember a little bit. I'm sure my memory will improve as we get closer to the Castle." Melani nodded.

"I have no doubt, sweet one."

"Melani, will you tell me more about the Labyrinth?" Melani nodded.

"The Labyrinth is separated into several separate sections. The sections are too numerous to mention them all right now, but as we come to them I'll be glad to tell you about them. Right now, we are in the Hedge Maze, or the Bushmesh, as the goblins call it. We aren't too far in, and probably won't get too far until your head gets better. But worry not; we have all the time in the world." Melani danced around on Sarah's shoulder for a few moments. Sarah giggled, though it made her head hurt even more.

"You're pretty good." Melani sighed.

"I was better when I had a partner." Her face lit up. "Do you want to be my partner?" Sarah frowned.

"Aren't I a bit big for that?"

"That can be changed. I can make you my size." Sarah nodded.

"As long as you can put me right afterward." Melani nodded.

"Oh, that's the easy part." She spoke a single word that Sarah didn't understand, and suddenly, Sarah had wings. Looking at Melani, she realized she was no longer human-size, but about as tall as her hand used to be.

"How did you do that?"

"When a fairy dies, her magic is distributed among those remaining. Because I am the only one left right now, I received all of the magic. Usually it would take a dozen of us to have done that."

"What do you mean by 'for now?"

"I can split in half to create a new fairy. And I will, once I get you safely to Jareth."

"Won't that halve your magic?" Melani smiled.

"Oh, no. When we recreate, our own magic is doubled and the copy is given to the new fairy. So we lose no magic when we recreate, and the new ones are not any less powerful than we." Melani abruptly grabbed Sarah's hands, and they danced in midair.

It was near twilight when they finally came back down out of the sky. On the way down, they had been far too giddy to notice the white-and-cream screech owl. It chased them almost playfully for a very deep dive. When they hit the Bushmesh, the owl left off and flew away. Sarah thought she heard a chuckle from it. A voice startled both of them.

"'Ello." Both girls spun around quickly. Melani unraveled the spell on Sarah quickly, and Sarah found herself sitting sprawled on the stone walkway, staring at a blue caterpillar sporting a red plume on the top of his head.

"By the Goblin King! Sarah!" The worm yelped. Sarah stared curiously at the little worm, mesmerized. She knew him. She couldn't remember how, but she knew him.

"You know each other?" Melani asked, nervous. The worm nodded.

"Sarah and me was acquainted the last time she came through the Labyrinth. I showed her that things aren't always what they seem in this place." Sarah nodded.

"You don't by any chance know the way through this Labyrinth, do you?"

"'oo, me? Naw, I'm just a worm."

"Oh."

"Come inside, meet the missus."

"I remember you now. You asked me in for a nice cup of tea, and to meet the missus." He nodded, bulbous eyes filling with tears.

"No more missus, Mistress Sarah. She died shortly after you beat the Labyrinth."

"Oh. I'm so sorry for your loss." He nodded.

"Thank you, Mistress. Where are you headed this time?"

"Back to the castle. I need Jareth to help me get my memory back."

"In that case, follow the same path you did before. Go through that opening there, Mistress. Just across the way. And never forget that things aren't always what they seem in this place." He crawled back into his home. Sarah stood, scooping Melani up with her, and walked through the opening beyond the worm's home. They would get through this, and she would face Jareth, hopefully with her memory intact.

The Castle of Shifting Shadows

Lumini sat alone in his dark Throne Room. His mangled arm was cradled in his lap, still periodically dripping blood. The shade had not quite healed the stump. It would not be able to grow it back, but it was at least going to stop paining him so. He could not see Sarah himself. But Jareth could, and he could get into Jareth's mind. Jareth was constantly monitoring Sarah, so it was an easy feat to keep an eye on his prize. Once she reached the Castle Beyond the Goblin City, he could claim her as his once more. She did still bear his brand, there was no doubt about that. His mark would never fade, not ever. Jareth couldn't explain that mark away. He would wait. She would soon be his.

The Castle Beyond the Goblin City

Jareth watched as Sarah bedded down for the night. He would watch her sleep to keep the nightmares that were imminent away from her. He sent for one of his underlings late that night. Sarah deserved an escort.

"Sarah is in the Bushmesh close to Stoneweb," he said casually to the creature before him. "Make sure she gets a proper welcome, won't you?"

"Yes, sir." The creature bowed and left, thoughts in turmoil. Sarah, back? Here, in the Labyrinth? How could that be? He would do as his King requested, though. It was his duty.