I'm here with another update! Originally this chapter was MUCH longer but I decided to split it up into two because it was too long. I think it had around 14,000 words or something! xD So anyway, I have chapter 15 already written and ready to upload! So leave your girl and review and I'll post the next update within the next few days!


Chapter 14

The Road Gets Tough


Jareth strode down the dusty stone halls towards the storerooms with Nugan. It had been many a year since he'd been in this part of the castle. He would almost go as far as to say he hadn't walked these halls since he was a boy. He had one rather vague memory of running through these tunnels to hide from the cook after he'd stolen a number of her freshly baked goods for the upcoming winter ball and he had been afraid of getting into trouble.

As they approached the door, Jareth's ears pricked up when he heard a noise – voices, and clattering sounds coming from the other side of the door.

With a little magic, the light of the torch which Nugan held died down slightly. Nugan glanced up at his King, watching as he lifted a gloved finger to his lips, shushing him.

Jareth pressed his ear to the door, listening intently to the muffled voices on the other side for a few moments. Then he suddenly pushed it open with such great force that it caused the door to slam back against the stone wall, a few pieces of rubble falling to the floor.

All the torches on the walls flared to life almost immediately and Jareth's brows lowered over his eyes when he caught two goblins red-handed. Their eyes were wide from the shock and fear of being caught.

They had managed to fill two large hessian sacks with grain, and their pockets were stuffed as well, some of the grain was spilling out from the holes in their tattered clothing. One of them had even stuffed his trousers with vegetables and Jareth glared when a tomato fell from one of the goblin's trouser legs and rolled across the floor in front of him, stopping just beside his boot.

His jaw tightened as he stared at the tomato then he slowly looked up, his gaze meeting theirs. His usually pale eyes darkened when he recognized the two of them. Earlier, when he had been distributing out food in the throne room, these two had kicked up quite a fuss about the amount of food they'd been given and had demanded more. But the supplies were low, so of course, Jareth hadn't been able to give them anything extra. "Everybody gets the same amount." He had told them.

"Well, well well..." Jareth folded his arms over his chest, stalking towards them with a dangerous scowl etched upon his face. His heeled boots clicking against the flagstone as he approached the terrified pair. The calmness of his voice had made them quiver, and they clutched at the sacks of grain, their eyes large with fear.

Jareth crouched down to their height, eyes narrowed as he regarded the pair. "Percy and... Merrick, isn't it?"

When they didn't answer him he cocked his head to the side, furrowing his brow in an almost innocent manner. "Forgotten how to speak? You two astonish me, for was it not the two of you who were rather vocal with your demands yesterday?"

Percy and Merrick looked at each other, nervously nodding to the other, a signal that the other would speak.

Percy cleared his throat, puffing up his chest to make himself feel bigger. "We ain't talkin' cuz we ain't got nothin' to say."

Jareth blinked, then he chuckled coldly. It wasn't a pleasant sound and each goblin gulped as a cold chill ran down their spines.

"I see... then allow me to do the talking." He grabbed Percy by the scruff of his shirt, the speed of his actions caused a gasp to slip past the goblin's lips and he grabbed at Jareth's wrist, trying desperately to be freed from his strong grasp.

"I see that you and your little 'friend' have decided to break into the castle and steal from me?"

Percy gulped but he kept his head held high. "We only takin' what we need!" He told him, refusing to give in just yet, even though he was terrified to the point of almost pissing his pants.

Jareth's grip tightened a little."You've got two sacks full! And don't think I haven't noticed your stuffed pockets!" He spat through gritted teeth, his calm resolve vanishing before Percy's very eyes.

Merrik, who was still huddled into the corner with the grain, suddenly pushed the sacks away from himself and they fell to the floor, the contents pouring out all over the flagstone.

"We didn't mean no harm!" He cried, obviously terrified and giving up on being brave. "C'mon, Percy! let's get out of here!"

"You will do no such thing!"

Jareth turned to see Aiden standing in the doorway, his appearance disheveled, almost as if he'd just woken up. But he was swift in his movements and he leaned down grabbing the little goblin just as he tried to escape, heading for the open door but choosing the shortcut; a decision he would later regret - between Aiden's legs.

The goblin yelped and began to struggle in Aiden's arms, thrashing his legs and arms about in his panic. "Lemme go!" He cried, his voice shrill.

"Shut up or the King will bog you!" Aiden said in a raised voice as he shook the infuriating creature rather harshly.

Needless to say, Merrick stopped screaming after that.

Jareth looked back at Percy. "The bog is the only place for the likes of you two."

Percy shuddered at the thought.

His throat bobbed as he swallowed nervously. "We were takin' it to save ourselves! To save our families!"

"The thing that bothers me, Percy, is that you were willing to steal from those that tried to help you." Jareth gathered some of the spilled grain in his gloved hand, "This grain was going to feed the families that didn't get a share of the food when we were distributing it out earlier... I'm sure you noticed the number of families that left here without so much as a grain of rice."

Percy nodded slowly, watching as the grain spilled through Jareth's fingers and landed back onto the stone floor. "This grain was for them... and you were willing to take it for yourselves even though you've already been given enough food to keep you and your family fed for a while."

"How was we supposed to know? We thought you was keeping it for yourself!" He raged, his weatherworn face turning red from his anger even as Jareth's gripped tightened even more.

"We were keeping it for them and for those that live here in the castle!" Aiden shouted from behind them, his temper boiling over the edge. "But even if his Majesty had been keeping it for himself, it is his divine right as our King to do so! There are more than just you goblins in this Kingdom, you know! Or perhaps you've become so involved in yourselves that you've forgotten - or perhaps you simply do not care about the other species that dwell here?!"

Merrick glanced up at Aiden, looking somewhat confused. "What other species?" he asked.

Aiden wanted to wrap a firm hand around the creature's throat after hearing that.

"Dwarfs! elves! fae! beasts are living here of every kind! We even have a human here or are you so dumb that you don't even know what a human is?!" He spat. Why were goblin's so fucking dumb?

Aiden knew he was overreacting, but the truth of the matter was he wasn't sure how much longer he could cope with living with these impotent fools for another second! How Jareth had managed to rule over such pathetic creatures for so long, he had no idea.

Jareth sighed at his friend's outburst. Obviously, he was angry about something. Perhaps it was just from being woken up at such an early hour. Jareth couldn't blame him if that was the case.

Jareth shook his head, turning his attention back to Percy.

"I'm ashamed of you both for being so incredibly selfish! The two of you will be punished for what you have done."

Jareth raised a hand and the much taller goblin guards entered the little storeroom, taking Percy and Merrick from Aiden and Jareth and dragged them out of the room. Percy and Merrick screamed and fought against them, but they were no match for the guards, and their struggle was in vain as they were dropped into the nearest oubliette. They would stay there until Jareth decided how to punish them.


The sun had fully risen by the time Jareth made it back to his chambers. He was exhausted beyond measure after having to deal with these bloody goblins. He and Aiden had spent some time considering a suitable punishment but he had ultimately chosen the bog in the end. It would teach them both a lesson but wouldn't hurt them.

The terrible smell would fade...

Eventually.

Jareth pushed open his bedroom door and felt his heart sink in disappointment when he noticed his bed was empty and neatly made.

He glanced around the room, noticing that Sarah had cleaned out the ashes and the fire had been lit to take the chill off the room.

Sighing, he threw himself onto the bed.

The truth was he hadn't expected her to still be here when he got back, rather he had just really hoped she would be.

He glanced up at the ceiling, sulking from the bad luck he'd had this morning. It wasn't like he could make Sarah stay with him again tonight. This had been the one chance he had to hold her. The one chance to wake up with her in his arms. He had originally planned to ask her to have breakfast with him when they woke up together, but obviously, that wasn't to be.

He reached for a pillow, disappointed when he realized she'd refreshed the sheets; her scent no longer lingered there.

Just as he was about to toss the offending pillow at the wall, he caught a glimpse of a figure standing in the doorway.

He sat up, hoping it was Sarah, only to be disappointed further when he saw Aiden standing there, arms folded.

Jareth sighed and covered his face with the pillow he'd been about to lunge at the wall. "What is it now, Aiden?" he asked, his voice slightly muffled against the pillow.

Aiden rolled his eyes, "Come on, you already know why I'm here... we need to talk."

"Aiden, I am not in the mood for this." He grumbled. He knew exactly what Aiden was here to talk about and he did NOT want to discuss anything about his feelings for Sarah with him.

"Sire, I have a right to know what's going on. For months now we have been relying on you to get Sarah to fall for you so that you could regain power over her." He crossed the room, standing with his back towards the fire. "Please just tell me what the hell is going on? "

Jareth pulled the pillow from his face and sat up, gazing at Aiden for a few moments before he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Fine." He stood, pacing back and forth with his hands locked behind his back. "I've been thinking about everything... we never knew for definite that Sarah held the key to fixing the situation with the kingdom-"

"What do you mean we never knew for certain? The moment I set foot back here you told me of your plan! You told me that when Sarah said those words all those years ago, something happened to your connection to the Labyrinth! Jareth, you know she is the reason you lost it - you know you have to regain that power back from her to fix your Kingdom before it's too late!" Aiden interrupted, the panic in his voice evident.

Jareth glared at him for a few silent moments before turning towards the window. He gazed out at the view of the Labyrinth, trying to calm himself down. He did not want to get into a serious argument with Aiden, their last one had not ended well.

He took a shuddering breath. "I can't do it to her, Aiden..." He said in a low voice, pressing his gloved hand against the glass of the window. "I know what I said back then; I know that this was the only chance I had to save the Labyrinth but..." he trailed off, allowing a shaky sigh to slip past his lips.

"So you'll just... let the Kingdom fall?" Aiden said, his tone was distant, cold, filled with disappointment.

Jareth felt his stomach twist into knots. He didn't want to let everyone down. He didn't want to be the King that let his Kingdom collapse around him but what could he do? As each day passed it had become more apparent to him that Sarah did not deserve to be used as they'd first planned. She was a good and kind person and now she'd won his heart. He couldn't go through with it. He loved Sarah more than he thought he could ever love anyone. Her kind heart and fiery temper had captivated him.

With last night's memories still fresh in his mind, he recalled just how kind and gentle she had been with him and he couldn't help but smile as he remembered how she had cuddled to him, comforted him, and told him he was doing a good job.

"I'm doing all I can to figure everything out, Aiden. I...I don't want to simply let everything crumble around me. I will do everything I can to try and figure something else out. I just can't do this to Sarah anymore... she deserves better than to be used like that."

Aiden let out a heavy sigh and without another word, he turned and left.

Jareth didn't bother calling him back. He knew Aiden needed time to process everything, and he had to respect that. Still, he couldn't help but feel frustrated. Aiden was his adviser, wasn't he meant to help and comfort him when he needed it most?

Jareth took a few soothing breaths, managing after a few moments to regain his calm.

There had to be an answer to all this. There just had to be. Whatever it was, he would not rest until he had done his very best to find a solution to all these problems. Either that or he would die trying.


The next few days passed in a panicked haze as Jareth set about trying to find another way to fix the desperate state of his Kingdom. When he wasn't busy elsewhere, he could be found in the library reading through masses of ancient books that probably hadn't been touched for hundreds of years. But despite his avid reading, he was still without a solution. But he refused to give up. So he continued to search. Some nights he even refused to sleep. He was determined to find some solution – any solution possible.

It was only when Sarah happened to wander into the library in the evening of her day off, that she began to feel concerned for her Goblin King.

Jareth was sat on the couch by the open window; he looked as if he was fighting sleep and dark circles hung under his eyes. his usually wild hair was limp and lifeless around his face.

In his lap sat a heavy book and a single piece of paper which he had randomly been scribbling notes on, what was written she had no idea, for it was written in a language unknown to her.

Surrounding him were endless piles of books and rolled up scrolls of some sort. Some of the books were still open and Sarah could see a few paragraphs were underlined with black ink.

Frowning, she walked up to the nearest bookshelf and carefully placed the book she'd borrowed back on the shelf.

She glanced his way when he didn't seem to notice her presence in the room, finding him with his head still hidden behind the pages of his book. Since when had his royal 'tightness' ever taken more interest in a book than in her?

A deep frown worried her features as she approached him but it was only when she got closer that she began to feel seriously concerned for him. He was pale, yes, he was always pale, but tonight he looked almost white and a thin sheen of sweat coated his face and body, causing his white poets' shirt to stick to him in several places, his skin visible through the damp material.

"Jareth?" She made sure to keep her voice quiet so as not to shock him by her presence, but her worry of startling him soon faded when she noticed his hand shaking as he turned the page of his book.

"Jareth, are you sick?" she asked in concern.

Jareth didn't look at her, instead, he kept on avidly reading, his finger following the words along the paper so that he would not lose his place. "Forgive me, Sarah-mine, for I am very busy and haven't a moment to speak with you, I must continue my research."

Sarah watched as a bead of sweat formed above his lip. His whole face and body glistened in the light of the flickering candles and fear gripped at her heart when she noticed his struggle to breathe easily.

"Jareth, you're not well...you need to rest, you can't go on like this," She shivered from the cold air that poured in from the open window. It was cold during the day but the night air was beyond freezing. That couldn't possibly be doing him any good if he wasn't well.

Jareth shook his head, still refusing to tear his gaze away from the book. "I'm fine, Sarah. Please leave me to finish this. I am sorry I haven't been around as much but I've been so busy. I will do my best to come and see you later."

Sarah folded her arms, frustrated at how damn stubborn this man was. How infuriating it was loving him, sometimes.

"If you think I'm leaving you while you're sick then you obviously don't know me like I thought you did." She quickly snatched the book from him before he had a chance to stop her, causing a surprised gasp to pass his lips, and she carefully closed it, bookmarking the page for him by folding over the edge of the paper. Yes, she was one of those types of people.

She placed it down on the arm of the chair and turned her attention back to him. "Come on, please, Jareth...if not for yourself then for me..."

Feeling too weak to fight her, Jareth could do nothing but allow Sarah to help him stand. sliding her arm around him to keep him supported as she walked with him to the nearest bedroom, which, unfortunately, did not happen to be his own.

"Sarah, while I appreciate you trying to help, you don't have to do this... I can walk by myself." He told her, even as he struggled to keep himself from falling. His legs felt unusually weak.

Sarah rolled her eyes and ignored his protests.

Once they entered the guest bedroom, she helped him into the ensuite bathroom.

She kicked down the toilet seat with her foot, the sound echoing in the room, and helped him to sit on the edge of it.

"I don't think I've ever met anybody as stubborn as you." She told him as she took a cloth from the shelf above the sink, putting it under the tap and soaking it in the fresh cool water.

She heard his heavy sigh from behind her and glanced back at him, noticing how he had his eyes closed and head resting back against the wall.

"Ditto." He murmured.

Sarah sighed, squeezing the cloth out before turning to him. "I'm nowhere near as stubborn as you are," she said as she began wiping the sweat from his brow.

"I beg to differ." He laughed weakly, keeping his eyes shut as Sarah moped at his face. The cool cloth against his burning skin was more soothing than he'd expected it to be and despite his first reluctance, he found himself enjoying the pampering.

Sarah smirked, but not before rolling her eyes. "Fine... we're both stubborn. But you are more so than me." She gazed at him for a few moments, the wiping of his face slowing slightly as she admired just how handsome he was even when he was sick.

"You've worked yourself to the point of exhaustion." She whispered.

Two mismatched eyes opened slowly, gazing up into her own for a few moments before she went on to run the cloth down his neck and over his chest where his shirt hung open. He leaned his head back against the wall again, an audible, yet soft moan slipping past his lips. She tried not to notice that the ever-present bulge between his legs was even larger than normal.

"He's basically your patient right now, Sarah! So stop thinking about what's between his legs!" she mentally scolded herself.

"I have to find a way to fix things..." He whispered, keeping his eyes shut.

"How do you expect to be able to fix anything when you're like this? You haven't slept for days – just because I haven't mentioned anything to you about that doesn't mean I haven't noticed... every morning for the last five days I've come to make your bed and every morning I have found it unslept in."

"I'm not human, Sarah. I don't need sleep as much as mortals do."

"Oh, c'mon, Jareth, even big bad goblin kings need their sleep..." She turned around and placed the cloth into the sink.

Turning back again she reached to feel his forehead, pleased to find that his temperature had gone down a little already. "You should be fine if you sleep now." She said, watching as his eyes flickered open momentarily, his vision blurring a few seconds later and he shut them again. "God's this is so infuriating..." He mumbled.

"Come on, Jareth. The dizziness should go when you're laying down." Without waiting for his response, she pulled him up, pleased when he didn't protest.

She lead him out of the bathroom and took him over to bed by the window.

"Do I have to sleep here?" He whined, "If I must sleep, at least allow me the privilege of sleeping in my own bed."

Sarah stifled a smile at his almost childishly behavior. "Well, since your chambers are up two more flights of stairs, I'd say the easy answer to that is simply no." She made him sit on the edge of the bed.

He slumped back bonelessly, not caring that he was still fully clothed and damp from sweating so much. "Sarah, love... just because I'm exhausted right now doesn't mean you'll get away with bossing me around." He said even as his words slurred and eyes began to fall closed.

Less than a minute later Jareth fell into a deep sleep, exhaustion finally taking its toll on him.

Sarah held back a giggle.

She pulled the boots from his feet and covered him over with the blanket. "I've already gotten away with it."


Sarah had planned to leave soon after he fell asleep, however just as she went to leave she noticed he was sweating again. reaching to feel his forehead she found his temperature had risen again so she had ended up staying with him the whole night, wiping his brow and checking his temperature every hour to make sure he didn't break into a fever. The last thing she wanted was for Jareth to catch a fever. She loved him so much, but she had this nagging feeling that he was a terrible patient.

When Jareth woke later, he was greeted by Aiden standing at the end of the bed. A bed that Jareth did not recognize and it took him a few moments to remember what had happened before he fell asleep.

Aiden sighed, smiling at his King who still looked a little worse for wear despite sleeping.

"Sire, I was beginning to think you'd never wake."

Jareth rubbed his eyes, still feeling a little groggy and disorientated. "How long have I been asleep?" He asked, his voice croaky.

Aiden glanced at the clock, counting the hours on his fingers. "Well, now let me see, 3, 4, 5- it's been 48 hours."

Jareth's eyes snapped open, "What?!" He bolted upright and immediately regretted doing so as the room began to spin around him, making him feel nauseous. He swore weakly, laying back against the pillows once more.

"Aiden, stop teasing him," Came Sarah's voice from the next room. Jareth turned his face towards the open door and his heart skipped a little just from the sight of her. His eyes swept over her, admiring her lovely dark hair which was cascading down her shoulders. It had grown a lot since she had been here. Despite her rather boring dark blue dress and apron, he thought she looked absolutely breathtaking.

She approached him with a tray of tea and smiled gently. "Don't worry, it's actually only been 24 hours."

Jareth groaned, covering his face with his hands. "I shouldn't have slept for 5 hours let alone 24!" He grumbled.

"You were suffering from exhaustion." She said, placing the tray down on the bedside table next to him. "If I hadn't kept you cool you would have broken into a fever and spent the next few weeks in bed, so count yourself lucky."

Jareth let his hands fall away from his face as he gazed at the dark-haired beauty as she poured tea into a little china cup for him. Their eyes met, and a weak smile tugged at his lips.

"I thank you, precious, for staying and caring for me." He watched as the blush he loved so much appeared on her cheeks and his smile broadened. He guessed she liked her nickname, then.

Aiden watched their exchange, silently observing their mannerisms. He decided there certainly had to be some feelings between the two of them. They kept exchanging smiles and gentle words were spoken between them. He wondered for a moment if they'd forgotten that he was even in the room, especially when he saw Jareth take Sarah's hand in his own, his thumb tracing a circle on the back on her hand as he told her that she could take the rest of the day off.

It was only when Sarah left to prepare him a bath that the almost dreamy look fell from the Goblin King's face. His smile vanishing to be replaced by a cold stare when he caught Aiden raising a questioning brow.

"I knew it!" Aiden whispered when he heard Sarah turn on the water in the bathroom. "You do love her, don't you dare deny it!"

Jareth glared back at his adviser. How dare he ask him such personal questions about what he may or may not feel for Sarah.

Jareth folded his arms stubbornly. "We are not having this discussion."

"For gods sakes, why not? it's not like your doing a great job of hiding what you feel! Your feelings for her are as plain as the nose on your face!"

Jareth shot his adviser an almost hateful glare. He was furious and it was showing.

"You should remember who you're talking to, Aiden. You are my adviser, yes, but I am still your King. Don't you dare forget it." With that, he threw back the blankets, and shakily got to his feet. "I suggest you spend less time worrying about what I might feel and perhaps concentrate on your own feelings for a certain someone, hmm?"

Aiden's jaw dropped. How could Jareth possibly know? He had not spoken a word of his secret struggle to Jareth so how on earth did the bastard know?! He watched with wide grey eyes as Jareth disappeared into the bathroom without another word.

Payback for when he walked out on him the other day, then. Touché.

Sarah emerged from the bathroom a few seconds later. She immediately noticed the uncomfortable atmosphere and just how tense Aiden seemed. "Aiden? Are you alright?" She asked him, her concern showing in her voice and her beautiful green eyes.

"I um...yes, thank you, Sarah." He stood, "I should go. I promised Adelaide we'd spend some time together, today. I've been neglecting her a little of late. Besides, the bastard seems to be back to his normal arrogant self, anyway."

Sarah laughed, unable to help herself, and Aiden's lips twitched but he refused to laugh. He was still annoyed, after all. "Well... it's true."

Sarah nodded, "Well, I guess I can't say you're wrong about that." She laughed. "He is very arrogant, very self-absorbed... but I'm sure you'll agree that these are some of the infuriating things about him that make us love him."

Aiden blinked, surprised at hearing Sarah admit that she had loving feelings toward him.

She tensed when she noticed her slip up. Her eyes grew wide and she covered her mouth with both her hands. "No! No, I-I didn't mean-"

Aiden smiled gently, resting a hand on her shoulder to calm her. "You love him?" He whispered gently even as that mischievous look sparkled in his eyes.

"Damn Fae and their fucking playful nature!" she raged inwardly.

She shook her head, her expression saying 'no' but her eyes saying 'yes.' Aiden already knew the true answer. "It's alright... I will keep your secret." He chuckled, removing his hand from her shoulder.

Sarah shook her head again, looking beyond a little flustered and her face had reddened a few shades darker which made Aiden like her more. There was something very pleasing about being about to see the effects of his teasing. fae women were able to easily mask their emotions, and never did they blush. They weren't exactly bashful creatures; so he could see why Jareth was so taken with Sarah. There was an appealing air to the dark-haired woman who stood before him with her defiant green eyes.

"Aiden, I... I don't! I meant- ugh! I meant that those were the things that we find... endearing about him." She knew she was losing at this battle and she hated it. Turns out Aiden was just as much of a bastard as Jareth sometimes.

Aiden quirked an eyebrow, a small smile appearing on his face. "Very well, if you wish to be in denial, I understand."

Without so much as a goodbye, Aiden turned and left the room. Leaving behind a very flustered Sarah, who took her frustration out by batteling with bedsheets much to Jareth's amusement when he emerged from the bathroom with only a little towel tied around his waist.

"I won't even ask." He chuckled, starting to pull at his towel and laughing wickedly as Sarah turned crimson and rushed towards the door. "Are you sure you won't stay?" He called after her, a wide grin spreading across his face when she gave him the middle finger before slamming the door shut.

"Fucking Fae." She thought, even as a smile betrayed her by turning up the corners of her mouth.


That evening, Sarah walked through the empty halls of the castle with Ellie. She was blowing out all the candles and Ellie was closing all the curtains. It was their usual nightly routine after a long day of chores. Despite Jareth giving her the day off, she had declined, although she had to admit that she had taken quite a few breaks throughout the day. But she found she actually enjoyed her work now – while it was exhausting, it was also part of her daily routine now so it was always quite difficult to just switch off from that.

She had become quite close with all the servants here so she ended up helping them with their chores so that they could get home to their families earlier than usual. And Sarah was more than happy to do that. Besides, working with them kept her busy and stopped her from thinking too much.

This evening, however, she found herself unable to shut off the all-consuming feelings that swirled within her chest. Even as Ellie rambled on about the latest news of the fastest chicken in the goblin city, she found herself daydreaming of a certain Goblin King with his wild blonde hair and his enchanting mismatched eyes. She told herself that was all she was thinking of, but her mind often wandered back in the gutter and she would have to kick herself out before someone noticed her blush.

She approached the fireplace in the sitting room and cradled her hand behind the candle as she blew it out carefully, watching as the smoke danced and swirled around her fingers before rising up in the air and eventually vanishing.

"You love him."

She sighed as Aiden's voice came into her head for the one-hundredth time and she wondered when she'd become such an open book. Was it really so easy to see her feelings for Jareth?

She seriously hoped that Aiden would keep to his word and not mention it to Jareth. She was far too worried about how he would react should he find out about her feelings for him.

She knew Jareth cared for her in some way and that he valued her friendship; but as far as she knew, that was all he felt for her. If he did not return her love, she wasn't sure how she would cope with the rejection. So it was far better not to know the answer and carry on as they had been. Things were good for them so why did anything need to change?

She leaned up on tiptoe to blow out the candles on the mantelpiece, swallowing thickly when the large portrait above caught her attention.

Of course, it was a portrait of him. She wondered how she'd never noticed it before. It wasn't like it was easy to miss, after all.

She gazed at it, her heart doing that little summersault thing in her breast.

The portrait was painted in the finest oils and the frame was ornate and gold.

As she admired the portrait, she realized it was at least a few hundred years old because the oil had crackled with age. and even though Jareth was immortal and didn't age much, she noticed a more youthfulness to his face that he did not have now. His skin in the portrait seemed to glow, his eyes appeared brighter, and he had fewer wrinkles around them.

She found though, that she still preferred how he looked now. She liked that he had very faint wrinkles and that his eyes held the wisdom of hundreds of years of life's experiences. It made him more alluring somehow.

He was like a fine wine - better with age.

She smiled to herself, shaking the thoughts away. In the portrait, he was posing by an ancient tree, that even in the portrait seemed to sparkle with light glitter - his arm was resting against it; just above his head. And in the background were the high outer walls of the Labyrinth. She was marveled by just how beautifully realistic it all was.

He was dressed in a dark blue velvet tailed coat, his high waisted tights, and tall black boots, and of course, both his hands were gloved in black leather. One hand was outstretched and in it, he held a glowing crystal ball.

There was something about his eyes in this portrait... something so lifelike it made her stomach quiver and her heart race. It felt as if he was staring right at her, inviting her in - into a world of colors and canvas. Had he reached out of the painting and offered her his hand, she knew she would have taken it.

A shiver worked through her suddenly, and she had the odd feeling that somebody was watching her. She let out a shaky breath and finally tore her gaze away from the portrait. Turning around, she noticed Ellie was no longer there.

"That's odd." She thought. "I was sure somebody was watching me..."

She quickly blew out the remaining candles on the mantle, giving the portrait one last glance before she left the room, the door clicking shut behind her.


Jareth sighed as he allowed the crystal to pop in his hand like a buddle. It had been a while since he'd watched her. Normally, he tried to resist the urge - he respected that she needed privacy - but he had felt the pull to look upon her so strong, that he hadn't been able to stop himself.

Before he'd even finished conjuring the crystal, he had felt her thinking of him. that had both excited and frustrated him; excited to know that he was in her thoughts; frustrated to not have the ability to know what those thoughts were.

Still, he had been pleasantly surprised to find her admiring his portrait in the sitting room. It had warmed his heart and lightened his mood and he found himself wishing that she was with him at this very moment.

But unfortunately, he would be spending the night alone... working.

He sighed and reached for the large leather-bound book on his desk. He had a big stack of paperwork to sign and more than a few documents to read through, and that was without recording the amount of food they had given out over the past few days.

He flicked through a few pages before he set the book back down on his desk and reached for his feather quill, he dipped it into the inkwell, making sure to tap away any excess ink from the sharply pointed tip.

He began making notes of how many families had received their share of food; marking their names off one by one. He let out a heavy sigh when he realized just how many names were still on the list and had yet to receive any food. He leaned back in his chair, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

Aiden knocked gently, entering the room before Jareth had a chance to answer. "Sire." He bowed respectfully, but Jareth noticed the tense way he held himself. "I'm afraid I have unfortunate news."

Jareth tried not to panic at hearing Aiden's declaration. Sometimes Aiden did tend to exaggerate, after all. He took a deep breath to calm down his racing heart before he nodded to Aiden. "Go on, then."

Aiden approached the desk, clearing his throat. "Sire... I'm afraid we have to stop giving out food to the people... We are down to the last bag of grain...and the vegetables are dangerously low, also. The only thing we have a large amount of is goblin ale."

Jareth blinked, shocked by this information. "But that cannot be...Aiden, we can't simply stop distributing food. There are still families with nothing! I've just been going through the files."

"Sire, if we do not stop now, there will be nothing for those residing here in the castle."

Jareth stood, pacing the room. "How can I just sit here when there are still people starving outside the castle walls? How can I do it, Aiden?"

Aiden swallowed hard, glancing down at his hands. "It won't be easy, sire... but you must think first of those in the castle. What would you do if you had nothing?"

"I do not care about myself! I -"

"Then what about your loyal servants? What of Adelaide? She's only a child and she needs nourishment! What about Sarah? Would you see her starve? Would you see her with nothing?"

He knew he was being a little insensitive to bring up Sarah, but the truth of the matter was that Jareth had to know just how dire the situation was becoming. He had to know that if he should give away the last bag of grain then they would all be doomed to starve.

"Of course not!" Jareth cried, angrily kicking over a tall pile of books that were stacked up neatly beside his desk in his frustration. "Why isn't Lilium back with supplies yet?! It's been over a week since she left, for god's sake!" He scrubbed at his face with his gloved hands, feeling utterly hopeless. What could he do? If he gave out the last of the food then everyone living here in the castle would be without– at least until Lilium came with supplies; and who knew when that would be.

At the mention of Lilium, Aiden visibly tensed. "She said she would bring supplies, sire, and I trust that she will... maybe it's just taking her a little longer than she anticipated." He let out a shaky breath before he continued. "So...do we agree, sire? Shall I stop the distributions?"

Jareth glanced out of the window, swallowing hard. This was one of those decisions that a King should never have to make. Help your citizens, the ones that trust you and look up to you? Or help the ones that help and take care of you and keep your castle clean and beautiful? The ones that you value and love as if they were your own family.

Jareth knew the answer. But he still struggled to speak his decision. Guilt swept through him suddenly and he felt sick to his stomach for this was all his fault.

He caught his reflection gazing back at him through the glass of the window and he realized he was beginning to loathe the man gazing back at him.

"My lord?"

Jareth sighed, lowering his gaze from the window. "Yes, Aiden... do what you must."

Aiden nodded, feeling relieved. He leaned over the desk and took the feather quill, signing the document. "I will see that it is all taken care of, sire. I will just need you to sign these documents later."

Jareth only nodded.

As Aiden left the room, Jareth glanced down at the city below him through the window. He could just about make out a few of the goblins standing in queue for tomorrow's next food distribution which, unfortunately, would not be happening now. He sighed sadly as he watched a few of them huddle together to stay warm, several of them sharing the same old raggedy blanket.

"Please come to our aid, Lily... you're the only hope for us now..." He whispered.

But Lilium did not come.


One week passed...then two, then three, and there was still no sign of Lilium or of the supplies she had promised to bring back for them. Not even a telegram to let them know of her delay. Both Aiden and Jareth found the whole situation very odd and out of her character to not even send word of her delay.

Aiden prayed silently every day for her safety.

Jareth did his best to keep the Kingdom afloat; he told his subjects that Lilium would indeed be coming with supplies soon, but while they awaited her arrival they would all have to ration their food if they wanted to survive.

But behind closed doors, The Goblin King was much less positive about the situation.

Sarah, Aiden, and even the goblin servants noticed how withdrawn their King was becoming - even with Sarah. Although, he still found comfort in her arms some evenings when he just couldn't take being alone with his thoughts.

Sarah wanted him to confined in her more than anything, but she wasn't about to push him to tell her anything if he didn't want too.

Instead, he asked her about her family and what her life Above had been like after she'd beaten the Labyrinth. He even asked her about what school had been like and if she had liked it like he had imagined she probably did. He knew Sarah was fond of reading so perhaps she was found of learning too.

Sarah had told him she had liked school well enough, but the bullying had really put a dampener on it for her. Her heart had been moved at his loyalty for her, especially when he had offered to go Above and bog every person that had ever bullied her. She had thanked him gratefully for his loyalty and his generous offer but had ultimately declined. Even though a small part of her would have loved to see the look on Stephanie Anderson's face as she emerged from the depths of the bog. Oh, how she would have laughed to see such a sight.

She went on to tell him about what a good friend Diane had been to her and how she missed her friendship with her. She also told him about her teacher, dear Mr. Grey who was always kind to her and had even encouraged her to wish herself back here to the Underground. Jareth had smiled knowingly but refused to give away any information on the subject to which Sarah had pouted and folded her arms like a spoilt child when not getting its way. He'd soon remedied her bad mood by tickling her until she cried and then by kissing her until she couldn't breathe.

Despite their hungry makeout sessions; things remained plutonic between them. Some nights Sarah wished he would just ravish her and be done with all these innocent kisses. She loved him. longed for him - longed to feel his body against hers, and his lips against her skin, and yet another part of her was still terrified about moving things forward. She was afraid that he would lose all interest in her after they'd shared such intimacy. So for now, despite the desperate longing they both felt, it was better to keep things platonic.

Soon, though, things became more distant between them. Jareth didn't visit her as often; It wasn't that he was avoiding her – she knew he wasn't. She saw him in the mornings when she cleaned his chambers and when she took him his dinner, which he never ate, far too guilty to eat while so many of his subjects had nothing. She tried to tell him that it was important for him to eat, but he never did and he would tell her gently that he was fine and didn't need food as much as humans did, and she would end up leaving with his food untouched. It was never wasted, though. It was either eaten by the servants or by the starving Goblins who always waited outside the castle doors for any food that might be thrown out.

As the days passed Sarah got more and more worried about her Goblin King. He wasn't eating, he wasn't sleeping, and he wasn't reaching out to anybody to help him with this inner struggle. Sarah knew that if things carried on like this, Jareth would either make himself sick again, or he would slip into depression. She knew the signs. She'd heard the way he blamed himself for everything that was happening like it was all his fault.

She would find herself with tears in her eyes more than once as she lay in her bed at night, trying to think of some way that she could help him. She didn't want him to continue with this self-sabotaging. She didn't want him to carry on withdrawing from her more and more because he didn't want to bring her down - or perhaps it was because he was too proud to admit what he was feeling.

How could she let him know that she wanted him to share his insecurities with her no matter how small? How could she let him know that no matter what he was going through that she was proud of him for how well he had dealt with everything? She wanted to be there for him but how could she when he pretended that nothing was wrong when he was with her? it was beyond frustrating.

She would have just asked him what was going on with him, but she was worried about making him feel worse. He might not react well to her telling him that she could see he was fighting an inner struggle. So for his sake, she didn't confront him. Hopefully, he would come to her when he was ready to talk about it.

So, unfortunately, Sarah was forced to watch as Jareth spent more and more time alone, becoming more and more withdrawn. A dark cloud consuming him at every angle.

And there was nothing she could do about it...


I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Make sure to leave a review! The more reviews, the quicker the update ^^ hehe.