Disclaimer: I don't own it, nor will I ever (mores the pity)
Thanks for all the reviews, they've made me feel better about this whole thing. All the questions will be answered in time, but for the time being please please please R&R!
10 Years Later:
Sarah shot upright in bed, the last images of her dream floated through her minds eye as she lowered her arms from where they covered her face, protecting it from shards of crystal that were not there.
"Sarah?" A sleepy voice muttered from beside her.
"It's alright, Cam," she replied quietly, "I just need a drink. Go back to sleep." He grunted in reply as Sarah swung her legs out of bed. She padded quietly from the room thinking of her dream. She had been in the ballroom, dancing with Him; and every time it ended differently, though there were three common endings: She ran, he drove her away or they shared a passionate kiss and of late the third had been happening more and more. She had been dreaming this way for nearly four months, and over the last month the dreams had been much more intense, ever since Cam had moved in with her. At first she had thought it had been stress that had caused them, she and Cam had been going through a rough patch when they had started and then, when they had gotten more intense she had decided that it was nerves, but they had not stopped and the reason for it baffled her.
Sarah had changed in the 10 years since she had left the Labyrinth and not just in appearance. All the promise of the 15 year old girl had been fulfilled, she had curves, nothing too much, just womanly and over the years she had grown more comfortable with them. Her hair was still long and dark and her eyes were the same startling green that they had been but the main changes were in her personality. She was less petulant now and thought more before she spoke. The Labyrinth had also taught her three important things:
1. Life was not fair. Stuff happened and there was nothing that you could do about it.
2. Not everything was as it seemed
3. Take nothing for granted. When things went well treasure it because it was almost guaranteed that life would jump up to bite you.
She had lived by those rules for nearly ten years. The sound of Cam moving in the bedroom brought her back to reality and she hurriedly grabbed a glass, filled it with water and drank it down before returning to bed.
"Must you always watch her?"A dark haired woman asked as she glanced at the crystal that hung, suspended from nothing, near her companions head. "Jareth, it's been ten years." She flicked an irritating strand of black hair out of her face, her mismatched eyes now turned to search those of the Goblin King.
"My dear sister," he almost purred, "I really could not expect you to understand."
"What makes you think that she even remembers you, brother?" She continued. "Mortal minds can be so..."
"Enough, Alyana!" He snapped. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why are you here?" He pinched the bridge of his nose wearily.
"As First Lady of the Dragons the council asked me to give you a message, since you can't seem to tear yourself away from this girl long enough to attend the meetings," the formality cleverly held her reminder to him of her rank and Jareth wisely ignored her jibe. "They requested that I tell you that the Dark Elves have come out of hiding." To her surprise, Jareth laughed. "This amuses you?"
"Who do you think warned them that they may have been emerging?" He made the field within the crystal larger, large enough for them both to see the man who was sharing a bed with Sarah. He could only be described as beautiful. Like Jareth, he had well sculpted features, but the similarities ended there. Where Jareth's hair was controlled disorder, his was uniform shoulder length and coppery in colour, and it was ordered, even in sleep. Alyana did not need to see his eyes to know what colour they were, she knew the man, and his wolf gold eyes, well.
"Camulus!" She hissed. "Surely the Seven Circles should have claimed him!"
"So thought we all," Jareth replied moodily, "and he must have worked hard on that glamour."
"Why do you say that?"
He grinned wryly. "Sarah is not easily fooled."
"So we've all heard." Jareth did not miss the smug note in his sisters voice. "The council also requested that you give them Grandmother's ring."
"Ah, that may be easier said then done," Jareth continued to stare at the crystal, his face a mask. Alyana pinched bridge of her nose in a gesture identical to her brothers. "I gave it to Sarah."
"To a mortal? Why?" Alyana also kept her face blank, careful not to lose her temper in the presence of the Goblin King, in his realm he was the stronger.
"Because I knew that she would keep it safe."
"What if Camulus..."
"Please, Alyana, no "what if"'s. Camulus doesn't know that she had the ring. She hasn't worn it for nearly 4 years." Alyana nodded, the council had only started investigating the Dark Elves eighteen months ago, Camulus could not know about the ring.
"Have you warned her?"
"Oh, yes, I can see how that meeting would go," Jareth laughed sarcastically. "Hello, Sarah, remember me?" He mimicked. "I'm the man who took your brother and made you run a dangerous Labyrinth to get him back. Now I have to tell you that the man you think you're in love with isn't a man, he's a Dark Elf and he only wants one thing, all the kingdoms of the Underground." He shook his head. "I'm sure that you can imagine how she will respond. She is safer as she is."
"You don't believe that and you don't know it either. Remember who will inherit this Kingdom if you are killed, Jareth, and then think if she is better off under his thumb." She turned away from him and began to leave the room. "I have my own affairs to attend to. Warn her, brother, she has to know."
There we go. Thoughts anyone?
Artemis
