Disclaimer: I own nothing but my plot and characters

A/N: Sorry that chap was so short but I wanted to get it up.

Chapter 18

Dreaming

"Wait..." I was so confused, "How could the Powers find you when you were in my world?"

Jareth explained, "Just because they are from another world themselves does not limit them to where they go. It was smart for you to take me into your world, but it would only take the tiniest hint to set them on the right track. They act like wolves the way they hunt."

"Well, what triggered them to finding you?"

"I've no clue. Could have been anything, really. Speaking my name, going in public, maybe even kissing me." He smirked at the last suggestion.

I shook my head in disbelief, "You could've told me that before we left my house. Hell, you should have told me that the moment you mentioned the Powers. Sometimes I don't know about you, Jareth."

"Kara, just relax. I know we are in the middle of nowhere, but nothing bad will happen. At least not yet. The Powers like making you suffer with anticipation. We should find a spot to sit down in." He looked around at the darkening sky, "Night is approaching, and we need sleep. Regaining stamina and strength will help us with any problems."

Dumbfounded by Jareth's calm speech, I felt obligated to follow his orders. We walked a bit, or rather aimlessly wandered, until we came into a forest. Plants bloomed and grew everywhere, but there were no signs of other life. Jareth pushed through a huge bush and called me over. I pushed my way through the bush as well and spotted a lovely pond.

"Here." Jareth said with no explanation. He lied down on the grass and closed his eyes.

Why was he so eager to sleep? I was wide awake...How could I sleep in a place like this? Especially with these entities trying to kill us or kidnap us. I felt scared, but knew that the Powers were also very persuasive. Maybe I could bribe them into letting us go. But what would be the collateral? Not my sister...I wouldn't want to live through that again.

I lied down next to Jareth and said, "Boy, you're either sick of me or actually tired."

"I'm actually tired, my dear. Like I said, calm down and rest." He sounded a bit agitated that I interrupted his slumber.

Oh well! I loved bothering him. So, I poked his arm five times. "I'm restless."

Suddenly, as if in a horror film, Jareth shot up and demanded, "Lie down and relax! I will not take this immature action from you any longer. Shut up and go to sleep!"

"Someone's crabby." I moved over a couple of feet and sat with my legs crossed. Jareth had a temper problem.

Minutes went by showing no Powers or creatures. Slowly, minutes became hours. The pitch black sky spooked me a bit, but the light from the moon helped a lot. I was sick of sitting on the cold ground. Up I stood, not knowing what to do with myself. I walked a few feet until I hit the edge of the pond. Glancing to my right and my left, I chose to wander for a while.

Through a gathering of trees was a clearing and a field of wildflowers. I strolled through the field, making sure not to step on any of the beautiful plants. The moonlight still showered upon me, giving my eyes some dim light to rely on. In the middle of the field stood a wonderous fountain. A statue of a goblin stood on a pedestal, holding a crystal where water poured from it. I touched the water in the bowl of the fountain. It was freezing cold.

Pssst...

My ears heard a noise, but I knew it was just the water pouring.

Pssst... Touch the crystal... Touch the crystal...

That time I knew I was hearing things. The voice was too soft for me to determine if it was a boy or girl. I wasn't sure what to expect. I waited a moment, contemplating whether or not to touch the crystal that the goblin statue held.

"What the hell? I'm here, I might as well do it." I knew I had nothing left to lose.

Reaching my hand out, I cautiously touched the round crystal. Instantly, a white light surrounded me and I felt myself get lifted off of the ground. Immediately, the white light dropped like water from a shower. My environment was now terribly familiar. I was in Goblin City.

My breath raced and I became panicked. "What in dragon's hatched eggs! How...? Why...?"

Go to the castle...

The voice. That soft voice. I heard it again. As a curious cat, I ran up the castle steps and entered, anxious to find what was inside. Nothing was in the entryway, so I guessed to approach the Throne Room.

As I turned opened the door, a golden light flashed for a moment before disappearing. I enetered the room and looked at the throne. A woman sat with crown upon her head and golden sceptre in hand. Her golden dress flowed beautifully past her feet as she stood and faced me. I felt like I knew her for some reason.

"Calm yourself," The woman's fragile voice spoke kindly, "I am not a power. Who I am is no concern at this one moment in time, for you will find out soon enough. What I need is to inform you...Tell you everything."

"But-" I was speechless.

Pointing to a chair in front of the throne, the woman motioned for me to it. She sat as well before giving me a faint grin. I sat down carefully and waited.

Speaking firmly, the woman began her tale, "What you see in front of you is a mirage. This is a haluscination soon to be real. As you know, Jareth was the King of the Labyrinth. You've heard the tale of his vulnerability when fallen in love, right to the very spot where he wanted to sacrifice your sister. He told you it was all a set up for revenge against the Powers. What he doesn't understand is that the Powers do not take joking lightly, especially from former kings and queens. You took place in trickery that was already plotted out."

"What do you mean, already plotted out?"

"Even though you thought seducing Jareth was a smart idea, it wasn't. He already knew your plans. Cunctus, the one power you met, was only helping in the trickery. It is very hard to understand, but Cunctus was already aware that Jareth expected seduction. Cunctus also knew to play along as if it knew nothing, so things could play out correctly." The woman took a deep breath and gazed at me with sympathy, "In short, you have been part of an ongoing conspiracy. I cannot explain fully, but you need to realize that Jareth is not in love with you. He wants to use you against the Powers. Tomorrow he shall be fully revived of his own magic...This because he is back in a world where it is capable to cast spells and become cursed. In your land it is very rare that magic can be performed."

I had my own questions now, "But then why did the Powers bring us here if they knew Jareth would get his magic back?"

"He has already had magic experience. It was only a matter of years before he learned the ways of old witchraft and wizardry. Your world provides books, classes, even cults. Most have insignificant amounts of possibilities, but the Powers wanted to stop Jareth before..."

"before what?" The world around me was becoming hazy.

Smiling, the woman concluded, "I will meet you again soon. You will know the entire story and not even realize it. Just remember one thing: Do not trust Jareth. He will bring you down with him if possible." My sight became blank and I heard, "Farewell, Kara."

My head was aching as I felt my body fall hard on the grass. I opened my eyes to see it was morning. Jareth was standing over me, staring with his handsome eyes. Was that vision just a dream?

"You sleep long when in strange lands. Were you dreaming?" Jareth sounded caring. He must've not seen my fall.

Maybe it was all a dream. I forced a laugh, "Of you!"

Sitting up, I took in my surroundings. Perhaps if I remembered the way I walked last night, I could find the fountain and prove last night was not a dream.

So the Labyrinth I saw was a haluscination? Did that mean the Powers were rebuilding it?

"Jareth," I got on my feet and tried to hide my frustration, "I'm going to go for a walk for a couple of minutes. My legs hurt and I need to stretch them a bit."

He nodded, "Alright, just don't get lost. Come back soon. I'll try to find something to eat. Maybe there are berries or fish somewhere."

Without another word, I jogged the same way as last night. I needed to find the fountain and visit that woman again. There was a part of me that yearned to hear the rest of the story and decide if it was true or not. How could I not trust Jareth? He was so caring and...Ok, I admit it was a change from his indifferent side when I entered the Labyrinth, but that only showed personality improvement.

At last, I found the field of wildflowers. From afar, I could see a tiny something in the distance. As I ran, the object drew nearer.

"Crap..." In the middle of the field, there stood a statue. It wasn't a fountain, and it had no goblin replica.

The statue seemed odd. It was a lady in jeans and a poet's shirt. Obviously it was made from stone, so no colors were visible. On the stone base of the statue were some engraved words:

Our first savior...Long live Queen Sarah.