A/N: Thanks to Ocean Fairy for the reviews! Tossing up another chapter before I head to work, but this'll be the last one for a couple days...so read slowly! Enjoy. -PC

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters from the Labyrinth movie.

She settled deeper into the chair cushions, her hands wrapped around the wine cup, as Jareth commenced the tale.

"There is a ruling class," he began, "which has dominion over all the Magical races. The rulership of each individual Kingdom is passed down through the generations, but the rulers of each race are all of the same original bloodline. Thus, my cousin Hamel is King of the Fire Folk, those who live beneath the mountains and forge the lava for magical purposes. Do you see?"

"Yes…so you're not really a goblin?"

"No. I am of the ruling class, as is Hamel. We are a difference race; a younger race than most of the other Magical races. Some have hypothesized that the ruling class was the result of mixing the Elven and Human bloodlines…but that is irrelevant at this point."

"Right. Save the history lesson for later."

He grinned, very uncharacteristically. "Precisely. So, the ruling class is immortal, or so near as to make no noticeable difference. We can be killed, with difficulty, or we can choose to pass on, but more often than not, we simply become bored, and thus the rulership of the races is handed down.

"Hamel and I received the rulership of our individual Kingdoms at roughly the same point in time. We had been rivals as youth, and from the beginning he was jealous of me. The usual petty complaints – I had a larger Kingdom, with more resources and more power – became a source of constant agony for him. He has tried to take over the Goblin Kingdom several times before; trying to take one another's thrones is a chief source of amusement among my people."

"But…" Sarah's mouth was open in shock. "So you start wars for fun?"

Jareth looked uncomfortable. "Well…I've always found running my own Kingdom to be enough of a diversion, personally, but…"

"That's horrible! What about all the innocent people that happen to get killed in your little games!"

He frowned. "I told you, I don't do that sort of thing. Now, we can either get sidetracked on something that has very little bearing on what's happening now, or we can skip it, and return to the fundamental problem at a later time. Your choice."

Sarah subsided, grumbling.

"Very well. Now, as I said, Hamel has tried this several times before. This time, he waited quite awhile before trying again, and managed to catch me unawares. You see the result." He gestured to the prison. "Unfortunately for me, he's also planned much better this time; he developed the magical skill necessary to keep me all but helpless. But fortunately for me, he made some assumptions that were incorrect."

"What were those?"

"He assumed that, crippled by his spells, I'd only be able to call a goblin as my Champion. Which led to the assumption that anyone I'd be able to reach, wouldn't be willing to fight for me, either out of spite towards me, or fear of him. And that assumption led to a third: that if I couldn't call a Champion, eventually, I'd grow so bored and depressed with being in prison that I'd either take my own life, opening the way to the throne, or I'd cede him the Kingship willingly in exchange for my freedom. So what if it took centuries? Hamel's shown that he's patient. Also, he is currently King in all but technicality, and he is willing to forgo the technicalities for now."

She was stuck on one thought. "You wouldn't…kill yourself…would you?"

"You'd be surprised what centuries of boredom would drive one to," he said dryly. "Hopefully, that will not be the case."

"Because you called me. As your Champion."

"Exactly."

"But wait a minute, though – Hoggle said there were rules, that you had to be allowed a Champion. Didn't Hamel violate the rules by preventing you from calling one?"

"Seemingly, yes, but he would always have been able to argue that I had the freedom to call a goblin Champion. There's no rule that says I have to be allowed my first choice of Champion, just that I have to be allowed to call one." His fangs showed in a grin. "Fortunately, it turned out that I got my first choice."

Despite herself, Sarah grinned. "I think you'd better explain all these "rules" to me."

"I shall. As I said, this has happened before, and so there is a protocol to be followed in regards to assuming the throne of another. There is a formal Challenge to be met, where the deposed ruler – that would be me, in this case – has the right to call a Champion – that's you - to represent them and attempt to complete the Challenge. If the Champion succeeds, the deposed ruler regains their throne. If they fail, then the usurper can banish the deposed ruler and hold the throne."

"So the rules are in regards to the Challenge?"

"And the Champion, and the treatment of the deposed ruler…believe me, it's a very long list. I'll spare you most of it, except what you need to know."

"Thanks…I think…"

"Don't mention it. So now, we come to the nature of the Challenge."

"That'd be nice to know, yeah."

"It is one of the principle reasons that I chose you as my Champion. The Challenge…is to solve the Labyrinth."

Sarah was quiet for a moment. "What's the catch?"

"It won't be like the last time. Hamel will assume control of the Labyrinth for the length of the Challenge. Again there are rules – he can't kill you, he can't make it impossible for you to solve the maze – but he can throw things at you that you've never seen before. No one inside will be allowed to help you. And you must go alone."

"Sounds like a real picnic," she muttered.

"It will be. And I can only help you so much."

"What do you mean?"

"The rules state that I'm allowed to give you three gifts to help you through the Challenge."

"Pretty complete rules," she observed.

"You would not believe it if I told you."

"Probably not."

Jareth abruptly stood, pacing across the room to one of the windows. "You can still choose to not accept the Challenge. It's my duty to tell you that, even though you've already proclaimed yourself as my Champion. You can still step aside."

"What happens to you then?"

He looked out the window, not meeting her eyes. "Then I shall see how long I can stand being in prison."

"Couldn't you just choose another Champion?"

"No. I have one choice. If, once accepted, my Champion will not take the Challenge, then I am, as you humans say, spit out of luck."

She hid a smile at his butchering of the expression, reminding herself of the seriousness of the discussion. "I won't leave you like that. I'll accept the Challenge."

"You aren't afraid?" he asked softly.

Sarah looked up, catching his gaze and holding it firmly. "I'm terrified," she admitted. "But if what you say is true, you've put me in the position of being the only one who can save you. And you ought to remember what happens when I'm put in that spot."

"Yes…" his lips curved in a smile, "yes, I believe I do. Very well, then, my Champion. Will you dine with me tonight?"

She jumped up, realizing she'd forgotten the time. "I can't – when we got here your cousin asked me to eat with him…I should go, I probably have to dress or something…I'll try to come back later tonight, if they let me…"

Jareth's eyes narrowed. "You should be able to come see me at any time…that is protocol, at any rate…so until later, then. But be careful of Hamel, Sarah. He has a fondness for things that are mine."