A/N: I know this is long awaited and I apologize for that, especially after my promise in January. Believe me when I say this is not abandoned or on hiatus. I am consistently working on it and I can't tell you how much I appreciate those of you who have not given up on me. I just hope this chapter isn't too disappointing for how long you've had to wait. As always, please read and review. Reading reviews gives me so much inspiration and I love seeing your thoughts and anticipations.

What Remains to be Seen

It was about an hour after he'd watched Sath feed Terra her midday meal when Jareth had the dutiful and matronly attendant bring the girl to his study. Sath knocked softly on the door and when Jareth called permission, Didymus, mounted on an increasingly protective Ambrosius, led her in by the hand. Terra followed silently. Her lips set in what seemed to be a permanent tiny frown.

"'Tis only his Majesty in the room," he heard Didymus mutter. She gave a small nod but made no other sign of interest or recognition.

Jareth gestured towards the couch Marie frequented and watched the kitsune lead her over gently. Her fingers trailed over every inch of the seat before sitting down without a word. The King tilted his chin to the door. Didymus bowed awkwardly in his saddle.

"If you have need of me, my Lady or my King, I shall be right outside."

Once again, Terra showed no hint that she'd even heard him and Jareth watched his ears and tail droop in disappointment. He tried to steer the reins away to leave but Ambrosius planted firm.

"Come now, Ambrosius, it's time to go. We must stand guard outside," the fox commanded. The steed simply sat on his haunches beside her, sending Didymus tumbling gracelessly to the ground. "Ambrosius, now," he ordered to no avail.

"He may stay," Jareth acquiesced, seeing the steed's steadfast resolve to not leave Terra's side. "You however, will wait outside until you are summoned again." Didymus bowed low and scurried off to his temporary post.

Jareth took three silent steps towards the girl, intending to take his place across from her as he was becoming accustomed to when having serious conversations with Marie, when Ambrosius stood aggressively between them and began growling low. Jareth raised a single arched brow, staring intently at the steed. A full minute passed before Ambrosius' ears went flat against his head and he laid down. The King nodded with a smirk.

"You will not be reprimanded for doing your duty to your mistress," he assured the steed, "but you need not raise your guard against myself or Miren. She and Marie are guaranteed our protection."

Ambrosius' tail thumped lightly against the stone floor. Throughout the exchange, Terra said not a word, had not reacted at all. Jareth took his seat and studied her unseeing face. He did not like the drawn expression that had taken hold, nor the weight that seemed to bear down on her slim shoulders.

"Do you know why I had you summoned, Terra?" he asked, finally breaking the silence. She shook her head once.

"Am I in trouble?" she whispered, a slight trembling in her voice. It was the first tonal shift he'd heard from her in days.

"You are not," he assured. "However, there is a matter I must discuss with you. You see, young one, it is becoming quite obvious that you do not seem to be healing. You and Marie have both suffered unparalleled circumstances, yet you are not improving as she did."

"Maybe because she can still see," Terra replied bitingly before clasping her hands over her mouth. "I mean…uh…" It was clear to him that she had not meant to speak so blatantly. Jareth frowned but kept his voice light and conversational.

"Interesting," he drawled, crossing one leg over the other. "And what advantage does her sight have over your improvement?" The girl bit her lip and she started wringing her hands in the folds of her skirt.

"Well…I mean…she…she can see, so…she can…do things. Without needing help, I mean. I can't do anything on my own. And she can see this place too. She knows what things look like. She knows what you and Sir Miren and Didymus and Ambrosius and the goblins all look like. She can draw and read and run around. I can't do any of that anymore and I'll never know what anyone looks like! I can't even get around my own room without Sath helping me. I can't get dressed on my own, I can't take a bath on my own, I can't walk around on my own, I can't eat on my own, I can't do anything!" By now, the poor thing was crying hard. Choking sobs lending sound to the despair that she had been withholding the last week.

"Is that so?"

The King was a little stunned by how quickly she had confessed. It had taken him several attempts to pry such information out of Marie and even still she had some difficulty admitting to what weighed on her mind. Terra, it seemed, one she started, it was as though a dam broke and every thought that had been causing her grief since that first meal spilled forth. And what griefs they were! Jareth thanked the stars he would never suffer what she did.

Still, it fell to him to ease her burdens. Whereas Marie needed to build trust, Terra needed to find her confidence again. He had a thought, though whether it would help her or set her back further, he wasn't sure. Their reactions had proven quite unpredictable. It was a gamble, as were most attempts he made to help them. He walked to his desk. From the top left drawer, he pulled out a curious metal contraption.

"Terra, I would like you to do something for me. Will you?" She turned in the new direction of his voice, still sobbing, and started backing away rapidly, stuttering a response he couldn't make out. "Ease yourself, young one. What I have in my hands is a…puzzle of sorts. Will you let me give it to you?" She sniffed heavily and nodded, holding out trembling hands. "Thank you."

Jareth placed the puzzle gently, keeping tabs on any negative reaction from Ambrosius. Receiving none, he smirked to himself. The steed was far wiser than his loose-tongued master. The King's smirk morphed into a sneer as the term entered his mind. He would never think of it without thinking of them and the damage they have done to his wards. Jareth shook his head slightly. Such black thoughts were best saved for solitude, or at most, Miren's companionship. He watched Terra's head tilt as the cool metal touched her fingers. Still sobbing but it was clear he had distracted her attention somewhat as her fingers began feeling the various, tangled parts.

"Supposedly, this puzzle, once solved, forms a ring. A wished-away had it in her possession some years ago and we wiled away the hours with it while her wisher was bumbling through the Labyrinth. I want you to fiddle with it and while you do so, I want you to simply let your mind wander. Nothing specific, mind you. The important thing is to keep your fingers moving. Understand?"

"But I c-can't see," she protested.

"I suppose it's a good thing I didn't ask you to look at it then. I only asked you to fiddle with it, yes?"

Terra nodded, her fingers feeling the shapes, lengths, and sizes of the different components. Already, her breathing was returning to normal and her sobbing was beginning to settle.

"Good. I will be at my desk should you need anything."

Jareth returned to his desk chair, clicking his boots against the stone louder than he normally would have so that Terra could follow the sound. He sat with an unseen flourish and pulled a sheet of parchment and a fresh quill towards him. He wrote every concern his ward had voiced and how it might be alleviated. For a while, not a sound could be heard but for the scratching of his quill, the light tink of the metal puzzle, and an occasional snore from Ambrosius who had fallen asleep. Jareth had created a sizeable list of ways her quality of life could be improved when the quiet clearing of a throat drew him out of his work.

"Yes, little one?"

"I…I finished the puzzle."

He looked up to see her still-frail form in front of his desk, holding out a completed metal circle, Ambrosius standing dutifully at her side. A grin spread over his face.

"I had a feeling you would be able to solve it. Let me ask you something, if you'll indulge me." Jareth leaned forward, clasping his hands together. "Why did you wish yourself here?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Terra tilted her head in confusion.

"I mean exactly what I say, child. Why, in that singular moment, did you decide to believe in your Big Sister's story enough to attempt to wish yourself here? You certainly could have done so much sooner. Why then and for what purpose?"

"I…I don't know. I thought they were just fairytales Big Sis told us so we wouldn't be afraid. She talked about how believing in stories gives them the power to take us anywhere all the time but I never thought it was actually real." Her bafflement in the strange circumstance mirrored his own.

"What changed then?"

Terra slowly raised her hand and pointed to her bandaged eyes. "When Master Thaddeus got done with this," she said quietly, "he tossed me back in the room where they keep us. The others were off with clients. It…it hurt…so bad." Her slim shoulders began trembling as two damp spots reappeared on the already tearstained wrapping. "S-so bad. And all I w-wanted was to be…to be away from there. I w-wanted…"

"To be free," Jareth finished when she faltered. "In that moment, though you find it hard to put into words, you believed there was a place where you could live freely. Having experienced these tortures as long as you had, your manner of adapting was simply to exist, am I right?"

"I don't know," Terra sobbed.

Jareth hummed, thinking of how to re-word the sentiment in a way her young mind would understand. "You explained, when you first arrived, that the house was little different from your previous life, yes?" She nodded, sniffling and wiping her nose on the sleeve of her tunic. "Then am I correct in assuming hat you rarely did anything to provoke your captors, simply because it was a life you were already accustomed to?" Another nod. "I thought as much. Tolerating such abuse, that was not living. Bearing such torment, all you did was exist. These eight days past, all you have done is exist. You've given up, meandering listlessly through each day. But that's not the reason you came here. You did not suddenly believe in your Big Sister's story and wish yourself all the way here just to give up. You came here, Terra, to live. I want to see you live. Miren and Marie want to see you live. Didymus, Sath, Ambrosius, want to see you live. And I know your Big Sister would want to see you live as well.

"Now, everything you brought to my attention are things that reflect your lack of independence due to your new condition." Jareth sighed. "I only wish you had come to one of us sooner. These are easily remedied. Why, your room can be redesigned to suit your needs by tonight. Walking around on your own, that I do not even allow Marie to do. I've explained how dangerous this castle can be, therefore, both of you are to be escorted by at least your attendants at all times. Eating, I believe you could accomplish on your own if you put in the work to do so. As for reading, well, that will be difficult to do on your own yes, but if you have Sath read to you, how is it any different than listening to your Big Sister tell you stories? Seeing, there is a way but I would only do so with your consent."

"What's the way I could see things?" she asked hesitantly.

"I not only have control over the goblins and equal control over the Labyrinth, I have control over the dreams of mortals. I know their hearts' desires, I can craft a reality that meets their expectations, I can plant dreams in your head as you sleep that shows you the wonders of my Realm, the images of those around you. I can paint you along the paths we take in the gardens. Only if you want me to."

"Does that mean you could also give me bad dreams too?" She asked, a slight tremble to her voice.

"I could," he acquiesced, "but I never would."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" She took two steps away from him, biting her lip nervously. Ambrosius put himself between them.

Jareth's mouth quirked. "Because, and this is just between you and I, fey creatures like myself and Miren, we cannot lie. Sure, we can omit truths or speak in half-truths, we still have our ways of deceiving others, but we cannot tell lies outright. So when I say to you now, Terra, I will never insert into your dreams or the dreams of any other self-wishers anything intended to frighten any of you, it is an absolute vow of honesty."

A moment of silence.

"Okay."

And for the first time in over a week, Jareth saw the corners of her mouth lift into a very tiny smile. He watched her shoulders relax as her chest rose and sank with a deep breath and he smiled, relieved. The prospect of him being able to control her dreams at will could have sent her into a whirlwind of fear and panic that he'd feared she wouldn't be able to recover from. Instead, she was wary but willing and it spoke volumes to the King how much she did trust him. Jareth reached for her empty hand, gently cupping it in his. She flinched and he watched her fight the instinct to pull away, immensely proud when she succeeded.

"Thank you. The struggles you face are not insignificant but you are not alone. We are all here to help you. All you have to do is let us. Will you let us from now on? Will you come to us with the troubles weighing on your mind so that we can help alleviate them?"

"I…I will. Thank you. I…I'll try to do better, I promise."

Jareth smiled. "I have no doubt of it, Terra, and I look forward to your efforts. Now, how about you run along to the library and have your attendant read you stories, hm? We'll meet for the evening meal."

"Okay. Oh, here." She held out the puzzle she still carried.

"Keep it. Whenever you begin to feel overwhelmed, you can fiddle with it to calm yourself."

"Really? Thank you."

"I am going to call out ot your guard, so prepare yourself." Terra nodded and covered her ears. "Didymus!" A fuzzy snout poked through a crack in the doors.

"Yes, your Majesty?"

"Your mistress would like to hear stories. See to it she is made comfortable in the library and fetch her attendant to read some to her."

"Yes, your Majesty." The kitsune scurried across the study and lightly tugged on her sleeve. "Come with me, Miss Terra," he squeaked.

"Simple, yes?" Jareth grinned. "Now, run along. I will see you for the evening meal and I look forward to hearing about the books she reads you."

For the first time in eight days, her face brightened and a warm smile touched her lips. "I think you're even nicer than Big Sister said you were," she told him just before letting the door shut behind her.

Jareth sat back in his chair, a smile on his own face. He was relieved that this had gone well and hoped he would see marked improvement in her in the coming days. At the very least, he hoped she would be more forthcoming with her troubled in the future. Wallowing in the struggles of her newfound condition and undeserved jealousy was doing nothing for her health.

"You are getting better at this, my King," Miren complimented, sliding out from behind his hidden entrance.

"Nonsense. Her concerns, while not trivial, were easily remedied," Jareth replied, pulling a fresh stack of paperwork towards him and thumbing through them.

"I was referring to your treatment of her compared to how you treated Marie. I'm sure your gentle approach increased her faith in you by leaps and bounds."

"I would dearly love to hear of an alternative," he shot back. "I do not make the same mistakes twice."

"Indeed, you do not, Sire." His friend smirked. "If anything, each new mistake backfires more spectacularly than the last." Miren chuckled at his scowl and leaned casually against the desk. "At any rate, we seem to be well on our way towards preventing whatever catastrophe the Labyrinth has caught wind of."

"It is far too soon to speak such things, as you well know, Miren. I fear there is still much more to come in terms of turmoil. For us, and for them."

"I fear you may be right, my dearest friend. In the meantime, shall we continue to observe and listen as the Labyrinth instructed?"

"Of course. We would not have gotten this far with Terra had it not been for our careful notetaking of Marie's reactions. For now, we should gather as much intelligence as we can from those two so that we will be able to prevent similar situations in the future. Now, kindly attend to this. I must read through these healer reports but I will see you and the girls for the evening meal." Jareth handed his advisor the list of improvements for Terra.

Miren took the parchment in his gloved hand. "Use as much cool logic as you please, we both know you care deeply for them."

"You are dismissed," Jareth replied without looking up. Miren bowed deeply and saw himself out of the study. "How I ever became friends with such a fool, I'll never know," he muttered fondly to himself.

Jareth poured over the reports for three hours, studying every bit of background, training, experience, and personality his spies had managed to dig up on the candidates Ghilanna had provided. His spies had been quite thorough as expected and he was able to narrow the list down to two who met his high standards. He called two of his spies to him.

"Find them and question them on the patients they've treated," he ordered, once the cloaked goblins were kneeling in front of him. "The one who occupies this position must remain in the strictest confidence. Loose lips serve no purpose here. If either speaks freely through idle chatter or drink, they are no longer of interest to me. Report back in three days."

"Yes, your Majesty," they chorused.

"Dismissed." They vanished from his sight.

Jareth glanced at his scrying crystal currently set in its ornate stand and wondered if their 'Big Sister' would approve of his caretaking. Having heard Marie's and Terra's testimony of how often she threw herself into the line of fire for their sake, the King had the highest respect for the mysterious girl. Jareth stood and walked slowly over to the crystal and sighed heavily.

"Big Sister."

A moment passed. Then another. The crystal remained inert.

"As I thought." He went back to his desk and pulled the rest of the paperwork towards him intending to work straight to the evening bell.