Thank you all for reading and the feedback and likes! Things are developing within the castle walls, and Sarah has to hatch a plan.

Sarah rolled out of bed with an unceremonious "harumph" and attempted to steady herself on wobbly legs. She had been forced to find her way back to her room alone last night, which had then led to a late bedtime. She rubbed her eyes and stumbled into the bathroom. When she emerged, Berta was setting a tray of food on the chest at the end of the bed.

"Where would you like to dine, m'lady?"

"Jareth isn't here?" Sarah asked quizzically.

"His majesty is out."

Sarah raised her brows in indignation. He wasn't going to eat with her after last night?

"Oh. Well, I guess I'll eat out on the balcony." Sarah was curious to see what her room faced; the view of the labyrinth was glorious from any angle. "—and thank you!" she added quickly, remembering that it was good to have a friend on the inside.

Then, a thought struck her.

She cried out loud, "My friends!"

She had not thought of them even once. How could she have been so selfish?! Did they know she was here? Did they suspect anything? What if…what if Jareth would never let her see them again?

"What was that, miss?" called Berta from the balcony, her voice accompanied by the faintest clinking of cutlery. Sarah slipped a pair of slippers she had pulled from the shoe-trunk earlier onto her feet and stood purposefully before the bedroom mirror.

"Ludo?" she called. Nothing. "Sir Didymus? Hoggle?" She waited.

Still nothing.

"Hoggle!" she cried. The mirror didn't stir. She screamed in frustration and kicked at the ground.

"My lady!" exclaimed Berta. "What is the matter?!"

"Oh nothing, Berta," mumbled Sarah, accepting defeat. "Was just trying something."

Sarah scuffed her slippers and drug herself despondently to the balcony.

What lay before Sarah was different than the winding maze of the Labyrinth to which Sarah had grown accustomed. Far below her stretched a broad courtyard. It was not the bottom-most level of the castle, but it was far enough away that the figures bustling below looked like ants.

"Is that more of the Goblin City?" queried Sarah as Berta poured her tea.

"No, m'lady. That there's the gentry. The king's court."

While the houses of the Goblin City were haphazardly strewn about, the courtyard below was the exemplar of order. Fountains, greenery, and what looked like market stands were in straight rows.

"Who are the gentry?" inquired Sarah again, spreading pink jam on her toast.

"The nobles," replied Berta, standing in attendance.

"Won't you sit?" offered Sarah.

"Thanks very much, miss, but I'm alright. Does me bones good. The Nobles…them's the Fae that live here in the Castle at the Center of the Labyrinth—not that there ain't more what live in the Goblin city. But I reckon there's several hundred of them here in the castle. Mostly his majesty's relatives. Dukes 'n Duchesses. Counts 'n Countesses. Barons, Baronesses, and Lords 'n Ladies. S'all, if I remember correctly."

"I had no clue there was so much to Jareth's Kingdom." Sarah sunk her teeth into a strange purple fruit that tasted like a mix of sweet potato and mango all while being shaped like an eggplant.

"That there is, miss. It's all too much for me to keep in my head. Weren't made for such pomp and fluff. Much too tottery I am. I'm just a maid," she finished proudly, turning her chin up.

"And my friend," Sarah added earnestly.

"Oh shucks, miss."

Berta gently took a dark green fruit out of the girl's hand as Sarah tried unsuccessfully to bite into it. Berta peeled back a thick skin to reveal bright orange flesh arrayed in large pips. Sarah was grateful for the patience afforded her.

"Berta, am I allowed to have friends here in the castle?"

"All persons what come in and out 'ave to be approved by the King."

"Yes, but…can't someone else speak in his stead?" pleaded Sarah.

"Well, yes, but those is special circumstances… What are you getting at?" asked Berta raising an eyebrow and quickly adding, "M'lady. If I may be so bold to asked."

Sarah didn't like that Berta bowed so much around her, but she wouldn't press the matter.

"Do you by any chance know Ludo, Sir Didymus, and Hoggle?"

Berta's face fell solemnly.

"Everyone knows 'bout those three and that little Morg."

"Morg?"

"Ya, Morg. Fluffy and floppy and sorta slobbery. They call him Ambrosia I think."

"Ambrosius! He's just a dog…"

"Call 'im what you like, that's a Morg if I ever did see one."

Sarah thought he looked like a dog, but maybe there was a language barrier she didn't know about. Or maybe Ambrosius was more than just a sheepdog…but that was a matter for another day.

"Well…I'd like to visit them. Or I'd like them to visit me."

Berta's face betrayed no emotion.

"I don't know about that miss. Such matters is a bit above my station…"

"Pleeease Berta," Sarah begged. She could see the goblin thinking about it, and if Berta was at least thinking about it, that meant Sarah had a chance of winning.

"Please. I'll follow castle rules, I'll give you no trouble this whole week. Please."

Berta's face softened, but she said nothing.

"I just want to see my friends."

A moment passed.

"I'll see what I can do, miss. But the King will find out eventually. I'll tell Darell, one of the Hands to the King, and he can give the o-kay. But His Majesty will find out." A crease formed in the middle of the old goblin's brow and her hands gripped her apron tightly.

"Berta, I swear on the power of the Labyrinth that no harm or blame shall befall you." The handmaiden gave a tight-lipped nod.

Sarah liked talking to the Labyrinth. Or at least talking about it; she always felt a sense of warmth and belonging, and an odd sense of power.

"She did heal me," Sarah thought to herself, sipping a warm, earthy drink she supposed must be the Underground equivalent of coffee. "She…it. Whoever or whatever kept me safe."

"Let's go, miss." Sarah was suddenly being rushed into clothes and out the door. "It'll have to be today. Who knows when he'll return…"

Sarah sat in a stone chamber not unlike the throne room. There were magenta and baby-blue silken cushions lining the three pits that occupied the space of the small cavern. Low, glass tables with gold filigree were scattered with quills, glasses of ink, and parchment. A large bell with a chord, which was presumably for summoning servants, was mounted next to the door.

Despite the coziness of the fire burning in the far corner, Sarah could do nothing but pace. What if they were caught? What if her friends were caught before they reached her?

Sarah prayed.

The approaching footsteps sent shivers down her spine; she could just imagine the guards coming to throw her into an oubliette for her transgressions.

A familiar furry face rounded the corner first.

"Sawaaaaah," bellowed the beast—but Sarah was not afraid; she knew it was a cry of affection, though Ludo's brow furrowed with concern.

"Ludo!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck. She buried her face in his fur, inhaling the warm, familiar scent of trees and earth. She could feel Ambrosius jumping on her legs behind her. Didymus was tottering in the saddle, precariously grasping the reigns and protesting profusely.

"Now, Ambrosius, contain yourself! Lady Sarah is worthy of a royal greeting, not a—do not lick Lady Sarah! I say!"

Sarah giggled and knelt down to receive sloppy puppy-kisses all over her face. She hugged the squirrely knight, whose relief of seeing her unharmed made him forget the propriety of a knight's greeting.

"Oh, Sarah…" he said, voice full of pity and eyes full of sorrow. Sarah now noticed that, while Sir Didymus' eyes glistened with tears, her face was already covered in them. They had fallen the moment her friends walked through the door.

But where was Hoggle?

She turned towards the doorway to see the Dwarf standing on the threshold, hands wringing each other and eyes the size of the moon.

"Oh Hoggle…" she said, a new flood of tears streaming down her face. He took a cautious step back from her when she approached.

"Sarah…? Sarah, is it really you? What happened? What did he do to you? Why are ya here, Sarah?" Hoggle looked terrified.

"Hoggle, it's really me. Something bad happened and I wished myself away."

His jaw dropped.

"When they said the champion of the Labyrinth requested an audience…I had no clue it was you. Here. I had no clue what to think. Are you really here? It's…it's a trick, is all."

"Please, Hoggle, it's me. Please. I need you." She opened her arms wide.

Hoggle's countenance broke. He ran to her and she collapsed into a hug. Hoggle was crying now.

"That rotten Jareth. That rat. What's he done to ya?"

The floor was hard and cold under her knees, and she wished she had one of those pillows right about now, but she couldn't bring herself to rise. She stayed there on the floor, collapsed into Hoggle. Ludo and Didymus immediately joined the dogpile of hugs.

Sarah told them about the fire and wishing herself away. She told them about how she was his intended bride and he was trying to keep her locked away, and how Berta had graciously allowed her some freedoms.

"He hasn't hurt me," she assured them, sparing them the details of the Goblin King's advances. "He hasn't hurt me. But I'm a prisoner here. I need to find a way to escape."

"Oh, Sarah," bemoaned Hoggle, slapping his palm to his forehead. "Things are different now. You wished yourself away. There's rules here in the Labyrinth. We can't break them. There's nothing we's can do. We'd run that Labyrinth with you and fight a whole hoard of Goblins ten times over again. But this is magic, Sarah; this is something we can't fight. I'm sorry."

The Dwarf hung his head in shame.

"We try," huffed Ludo, determined and strong, like the rocks he summoned and called friends.

"Yes, my lady. We will do everything in our power to help you escape whatever fate awaits you within these walls. But, my lady…things are different this time. And we can only do our best." Sarah did not like to see Sir Didymus so sad. Hoggle was pessimistic by nature. Ludo was a sensitive beast. But Didymus was that undying beacon of light in the darkness. And if he were despondent…

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you all so much. But, let me worry about myself. I need you now; I need you all now as my friends." She grasped Hoggle and Didymus' hands and reached her foot out to touch Ludo's paw.

"The Goblin King doesn't know you're here. At least not yet—but he will soon. You all should go. We'll see each other again; he can't keep me locked up forever."

"But Sarah," said Hoggle, sounding smaller than his already small stature, "you can't marry him. You can't be his bride. You don't belong to him."

"I know Hoggle, oh I know," Sarah sobbed, a new deluge of tears pouring down her cheeks. "But I might not have any choice. My family is safe; that's all I wanted. I'll do my best, but just know this…" She cupped Hoggle's face in her hands, "no matter what happens to me. No matter who I marry or where I am, I'm still me. Nothing will change. We'll be friends forever. And I know that if something happens to me, you guys will be by my side. You guys will be there to save me. I love you all." She kissed Hoggle's forehead, and then she kissed the noses of Ludo and Didymus. "Now go. I don't know when he'll be back. Go." She squeezed their hands one more time and they all gave parting goodbyes, praying that the Goblin King would show them mercy. Praying that Sarah would be safe.

Praying that they had the courage once more to aid and abet her on the quest that lay before her.

Sarah's friends left the room one by one. Hoggle had lingered at the door, and Sarah pretended she didn't notice in order to make parting easier. She didn't know when or even if she'd be able to see them again.

Sarah stared at the fire; the heat didn't bring her any comfort. She strode to the bookshelf against the far wall and looked to see if there was anything of interest. The thought had crossed her mind that perhaps there would be something to help her, a book that could teach her about the Underground and the magical ways of the Labyrinth, but Sarah just wanted something to take her mind off her friends' departure.

She was hardly a chapter into a book on Keeping Fairies out of Your Garden when Berta came to collect her.

"Can't I just stay here?" asked Sarah.

" M'afraid not, m'lady. The king's left instructions for today."

"Instructions?"

"Yes."

Berta didn't elaborate and swept out of the room. Sarah took a step towards the door, but then dashed towards the shelf to grab a handful of books. She didn't know what she grabbed, but if the future held isolation, she would never be alone if she at least had books.

She cantered to catch up to Berta.

"What kind of instructions?" she asked, arranging her pile of books so she didn't look a mess trying not to drop them.

"Instructions for your preparation."

This was awfully cryptic... The little hairs on the back of Sarah's neck rose and told her Berta was hiding something.

"Preparation for what?"

"Preparation for your…entry, into the Court."

"But I don't want to join the Court," stomped Sarah, abruptly halting.

"Oh, Lady Sarah, please," plead Berta, turning to face the pouting girl behind her. "Beggin' your pardon, but the king'll have me hide if ya don't follow me, and I'm just trying to do me job."

A frustrated tear rolled down Sarah's cheek and she started to walk again. "I know," she mumbled, defeated.

Berta led her along a narrow corridor; Sarah remembered this one.

"Guess I'm getting the hang of this place," Sarah thought to herself with bittersweet sardonicism.

Eventually the corridor led to what Sarah had mentally tagged as the "Golden Ballroom." The tables and chairs that had previously occupied the space had been pushed to the sides. In the center of the room were four chairs.

Behind three of these chairs stood the most beautiful women Sarah had ever seen.

The three women—Fae, Sarah supposed—bowed their heads.

"Lady Sarah," the tall, blonde in the middle addressed her, "we welcome you."

"Lady Sarah," the other two chimed, bowing their heads.

"Just Sarah is fine," said Sarah.

The brunette to the left and the woman in the middle did not stir, but Sarah couldn't help but notice the tiniest of smirks on the face of the woman to the right.

The woman in the middle spoke again, "Lady Sarah, begging a thousand pardons, but permit us to address you as Lady Sarah."

Sarah felt a flush crawl up her neck; she wanted to make a good impression

"But why?" she thought to herself. "Why should I make a good impression? I should be kicking and screaming. I should be making a scene! I don't want them to want me to stay." But Sarah knew she wouldn't escape by brute force. And, she wanted to be taken seriously. She could just hear Karen saying, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

She would have to be strategic.

"Of course," Sarah said blandly. What had Jareth already told her audience?

They all stood facing each other for a few awkward moments before Sarah realized she was to sit first. When she did, the Fae followed suit.

"My name is Baroness Jepha," said the woman in the middle once more, her voice light and bright as stars.

"And I am Lady Gwyreign," said the brunette to Sarah's left; her olive skin complimented by her dark hazel eyes.

"Lady Chelsea," chimed the brunette to Sarah's right. She had dark eyes that stared at Sarah a little too intensely to be friendly. That smirk still played at the corners of the Fae's thin-lipped mouth; Sarah had the feeling this Chelsea would be no friend to her.

Gwyreign spoke once more, obviously the leader of the group.

"The next fortnight shall prepare you for your Presentation Day. It is the day His Majesty and the Intended will make their first public appearance together. The three of us shall educate you in the ways of the Fae and, specifically, the Underground. I will educate you on the court and its traditions; you have much to learn about who is who. Lady Gwyreign and Lady Chelsea shall help you with further customs of the Court, such as dancing and daily life. Your first lesson with me is tomorrow after your luncheon; after tomorrow, we must meet every day from dawn until dusk."

Sarah felt as though her heart would beat right out of her chest and was sure they could hear it. She wanted to be a part of the Labyrinth…but not like this. If she asked them for help, would they help her? Berta knew she was here against her will, and Berta couldn't do anything. Sarah doubted any of the Goblins even wanted to do anything to help, so why should the Fae be any different? Sarah remembered the twisted, laughing mouths peeking from under masks that fateful night at the masquerade ball. She had thought they were just a figment of her imagination, creations of Jareth's dream…but what if they had been actual people?

"That sounds very well, thank you," Sarah pronounced, attempting to sound as regal as possible. Just go along with it, she thought to herself.

A plan was morphing into being. This was a battle no rocks or spears, no running or hiding, would win. If Sarah wanted to win, she would have to play the game, and that meant playing by their rules. Jareth might play with trickery, and the only way to beat him was with diplomacy and cunning. Sarah would have to be clever.

"Earth above," the baroness mentally exclaimed, "she is but a child…" The Goblin King was known for his cunning and trickery, but a girl? A human girl? What was His Majesty getting at? "But she is Champion of the Labyrinth," Jepha thought to herself. "There must be more than meets the eye. Though she be beautiful."

"I certainly hope I don't mess this up," thought Gwyreign to herself. "I might be young, but I won't mess up my first big assignment from the King." Lady Gwyreign was not fazed by Sarah's humanness nor by her youngness; it was just another day in the Goblin Court, and by God she would deliver.

Lady Chelsea did not even think about Sarah; all she could do was sneer.

"A human? A human?!" she scoffed inwardly. "She is not welcome here. The King is old and wise but perhaps mistaken. I wouldn't be doing my duty if I did not test her here…" Chelsea could hardly contain her mocking smile. Of course, the child had broken propriety and requested an informal address. How absolutely vulgar.

"I pity this poor creature," Jepha thought to herself. She would be kind to the dear, though she would not betray her station…but she would be kind. No child deserved this.

It had felt odd, but Sarah dismissed the Fae and rang for help. A small, green Goblin with comically bright orange hair had appeared in seconds.

"My lady," he squeaked, giving a comical bow so low it dashed the poor dear's forehead against the floor.

It escorted her back to her chambers. The King did not show for lunch, nor for dinner. Sarah spent the afternoon and evening at the stable, reading to herself and spending time with her peryton, Isabell.

"Fairies," read Sarah, "like the Fae, are iron-avoidant; sprinkle scraps of iron over the topsoil in your garden. The sharp shards will also deter any dirt-dwelling insects or pests."

Isabell chomped hay silently. Sarah kissed its muzzle before retiring to her chamber.

Watching the sun sink behind the horizon over the Fae courtyard was as glorious as it was ominous. Sarah could not easily embrace fitting into their world, but she knew she must make her way into the Court if she wanted to disrupt the balance of things.

Sarah read until she felt tired. Time was irrelevant, or drastically obsolete, in the Underground, so she figured she should sleep whenever she wanted. How did the sun even rise and set here? Did the Labyrinth go through seasons? Daylight savings? Was a day 24 hours? She supposed she would figure it out over the next two weeks.

For all her troubles, she couldn't (and wouldn't) deny herself the pleasures of royal treatment. Her silk nightgown and satin sheets felt heavenly against her skin. Berta had shown her what was what in the bathroom, and the scent of the floral cream on her skin and serum in her hair helped her mind drift lazily towards sleep.

A whoosh of air told Sarah she was no longer alone.

"Jareth?" she asked tentatively.

"Were you expecting someone else?" he quipped slyly.

Sarah shot up in bed.

Just when I was getting comfortable, she though.

"What are you doing here? You can't just barge in whenever you want."

"Oh, I think you'll find that I can," he said with a wicked grin.

Sarah gulped, but her throat was dry.

"Well…what do you want?" Sarah did not want to know the answer.

"Darell told me your entourage made an appearance today."

"So what if they did?" she snapped.

"You did not have my permission."

"I don't think I need your permission."

"YOU'RE WRONG!" he yelled. All the wicks in the oil lamps around the room burst into flame as he turned his palms upwards.

Sarah stopped breathing for a moment.

"If I'm your Intended, I won't need your permission much longer," Sarah retorted with her chin held high.

Jareth flew to the bed and pinned her down, crouching, his left knee to one side of her and his right foot to the other.

"That may be, but that pesky handmaiden of yours has deliberately disobeyed house rules."

Sarah tried to push him off of her, but he pinned both her wrists.

Sarah wouldn't let him scare her.

"By the certain powers you have granted me, you will not harm a hair on her head. No punishment or consequence will befall her." She had no clue if this would even work. Feeling that strange, warm feeling once more, she took this as a confirmation and smiled triumphantly, then quickly added, "—or my friends Ludo, Sir Didymus and Ambrosius, and Hoggle."

She would have to get used to using this commanding voice.

To her surprise, the Goblin King's eyes widened in shock; it lasted only a moment before his eyes narrowed in a devilish slant.

"Be that as it may, that still leaves you."

One more Sarah's tongue felt like saw dust in her mouth.

Jareth leaned in close to her; Sarah turned her head.

"I can't punish them as I like, but I can still play with you."

Jareth drew a line up her right cheek with his nose and set a kiss upon her temple. He skimmed his lips across her brow and placed another kiss on her forehead. Drawing his lips down the straight line of her nose, he hovered above her mouth. Sarah couldn't help but feel a pang of want, and she hated herself for it; she would not give in.

"Sarah, Sarah, Sarah…" he gave her a kiss on the tip of her nose, his grip tightening around her wrists. "You will not leave this room. You are confined here. I will outfit this space for your upcoming instruction."

"You can't keep me locked away here like a prisoner," she spit at him.

He slipped his right hand behind her head and shot up so they were sitting. His face was mere centimeters from hers, his hot breath was kissing her before his mouth even touched her lips.

"Oh, precious, you'll find that I can." As quick as the wind he was kissing her. His body-weight prevented her from moving, and she could do nothing but submit to his advance. The sickly-sweet taste of peaches covered her tongue, and she could not help but both delight and detest the sensation simultaneously.

"Sarah…" his fingers worked themselves into her hair, and suddenly his eyes were earnest and his voice was pleading; how could he change from assailant to lover so quickly? "We are together now. We are together for better or for worse. While you may be a mere prisoner here, I am a slave. I am a slave to you. I would not love you if you did not fight me with such a passion, and I do love you; but do not be foolish. We're together now, so you may as well use your time wisely."

He disappeared in a cloud of glitter; the absence of his weight left her feeling alone rather than free.

"And you may as well enjoy your time," his voice taunted within her mind. He was no longer there, and yet she felt his mouth nibbling at her ear before he disappeared for good.