Sarah could barely believe it, but her gamble had paid off. The people of the Underworld were too used to be restrained by their rules and codes. They no longer knew how to disobey them. The chaos they displayed was only apparent. Humans had to be afraid of their illusions. That was what gave them power and strength. Was it surprising the Underworld inhabitants had started to believe in their illusions too? If a human behaved as if everything was due to her, well maybe she was right, and it was better to lead him before their lords. It never occurred to them until then that humans could refuse to play by their rules. Even they ignored them when they arrived, they learned. Of course, Sarah had conformed to the rules the first time. She had grown up lulled by fairy tales. Even Jareth, who had been defeated by his realization that he had no power over her, never imagined that she could break the rules one more time.

However, the members of her escort were not stupid. They dispatched scouts to make sure Those of the Moor agreed to meet her. Sarah expected it. She relied on their curiosity and their amusement to get their permission to continue. The scouts returned, exchanged a few words with her guards, who nodded as they continued to guide her. She had won this round.

As they advanced, Sarah thought about what she was going to say or do when she got to Those of the Moor. Her refusal to follow the rules of the game would help, but now that they expected her to act like that, they would be ready. The only good news was that they had to be as unsure as she about what she would do. This meant that they were talking about strategy at the present time and that they had to delay her arrival.

They could try, at least.

"I know you are leading me in the wrong direction," she shouted to her guards. "Stop these idiocies immediately. I gave you an order."

"She knows! She knows!"

The sprites groaned in despair and started running around. They were not like those who had faced Jareth with the monster. Sarah was under the impression the first ones were a sort of an elite troop, but these ones were easily intimidated. They had been chosen for their number and because their death would be negligible to their leaders. Sarah felt sorry for them. Still, she glared at them until they calmed down and all took their place in her escort. After this reprimand, they moved much faster, eager to get rid of her.

Finally, the tunnel started to go up again and quickly led to the moor. With excitement, the sprites pointed to a pavilion erected a short distance away. The hangings were gold and silver and flapped at the whim of some invisible wind. A courtship of goblins, boggart, brownies and sprites surrounded it, looking at Sarah with curiosity. Three grey metal thrones with purplish shades, empty, stood in the middle of the pavilion, awaiting their owners. Her escort led Sarah there and left her alone, facing the thrones. She was clearly supposed to be afraid. On the contrary, her anger only increased, to the point that she wanted to sit on one of these seats to insult its owner's authority. If Toby's life and freedom weren't at stake, maybe she would have.

She contained herself and, finally, Those of the Moor condescended to appear. They looked incredibly powerful and beautiful, just like Jareth. They were three, a man and two women with angular faces and black hair combed back and tied by dozens of copper trinkets. Their ragged leather clothing revealed blood-red velvet dresses and metal-studded boots below.
Sarah alternately met each of their threatening and intimidating stares and realized that she didn't fear their powers. This did not mean that she was not worried or afraid, only that she trusted her ability to face them.

"So here is the mortal who thought she could challenge us", commented the first man in a contemptuous voice.

"Did you see that?" Asked the first woman with amusement. "She's less impressive than we have been told."

That voice was familiar to Sarah. It was the woman who had spoken to her before she entered the mirror room. She was brave enough to face her, but not enough to do it without help, so Sarah stayed quiet.

"Pathetic," murmured the second woman.

They were doing their show. They were ready to insult or seduce in turn to show their power. Those of the Moor were proud and so sure they were better than her. More powerful. However, Sarah noticed two things. None of them had pronounced her name. Even better, they had driven out their subjects with a single gesture. Sprites, boggarts and other creatures had disappeared in the air and the holes in the ground in respect and terror. It meant Those of the Moor feared Sarah, even a little. If not, they would have loved to keep their audience. Sarah took great care not to show her satisfaction and prayed she was right. If her mother-in-law and father had not wanted Sarah to disappear at the time of her adolescent crisis, they would not have wanted Toby kidnapped. It was their plan.

"Lords of the Moor", she nodded in a voice as clear and firm as possible. "I come to you to allow you to repair the great injustice that you have done to me. I come, looking for my brother, who was taken from his family for no reason. You illegally hold him, and you are going to give him back to me."

She did not implore, she did not accuse, determined not to undermine her chances of success. Her interlocutors remained impassive.

"What will you give us in exchange for your brother?" Asked the first lady.

"I have nothing to offer because he was not given to you. He is free to leave and I am free to take him with me.

"Some might think that this little man is already our Underworld kingdoms' subject. He has already been given."

"And recovered."

The lord spat his contempt in a sneer.

"Not legitimately, but by cheating and spreading your thighs."

Sarah frowned.

"If there was a deception that night, it was not my fault. I won legitimately, with all the tools at my disposal. My victory was conceded to me both by the Goblins King, his subjects and the Labyrinth itself. I struggled body and soul to obtain my brother's release. I will not see my victory contested by those who were not there that night."

Those of the Moor sneered with delight. The second lady stamped her foot on the ground. Sarah felt her tongue freeze in her mouth. Invisible cords grip her, to the point of making her breathing difficult. The three gave each other a satisfied smile.

"Do you hear her?" Asked the second lady. "Have you ever heard more ridiculous than this silly girl? Know, child, that no one has won against the Labyrinth and that it never spits out his prey. You are nothing here, just an insect. We can crush you at the slightest whim, and you have no right to speak of us like that. Bring him in."

Sarah turned her head towards the entrance to the pavilion, full of hope. Now that they had shown her their power, they could show her a simulacrum of leniency and give Toby back to her. She would even bow to them, and gladly. She just wanted to hug him. But it was not going to go her way and she nearly cried. It was not Toby who was being tossed in the pavilion, but Jareth, chained and injured. Covered in dirt, blood and sweat, his face pale and his eyes haggard, he had nothing to do with the proud king Sarah met so long ago. His guards dropped him. Jareth fell to the ground, without a groan and immediately passed out. He was at the end of the rope.

Many times, before and since their reunion, Sarah had wished to see him demeaned and humiliated. Not anymore. Not like that, when they obviously wanted to make her the instrument of his ruin.

The first lady rose gracefully and knelt down to take Jareth's face between her hands and scratched him with her gold-painted nails. Sarah still felt the wound left by them on her own face.

The pain woke Jareth. He opened his eyes to dart them at the lady. He tried to send her a threatening look and straighten up, but she just laughed and caressed his face with amusement then send him back to the ground with a simple push of the finger.

"You are defeated. We have wanted to see this for a long time."

"It was inevitable", added her companion, getting up and coming next to her." Did you really hoped you could hide your downfall for so long?"

"I'm sure he's surprised to have been defeated and captured so easily", added the last of the three, still sitting and staring at Sarah. "Who knows. He may still be unaware that he has been betrayed."
Jareth's feverish and begging eyes fell on Sarah. Her stillness, her silence, supported the accusations of the lady. It wasn't Sarah wish. But she had never shown the Goblin King enough affection or respect for him to believe her against any evidence to the contrary. He must have thought she sold him for Toby's freedom. Sarah preferred not to wonder if she would have done it if Those of the Moor had proposed that deal. They wanted to obliterate Jareth and had only too well realized that she was his principal weakness. Sarah thought she was winning the game by refusing to participate in their power plays. She hadn't thought that they would cheat with even less shamelessness than Jareth and that her existence or opinion would be of so little importance to them. She had grown too used to being placed on a pedestal by the Goblin King. His feelings for her, whatever they might be, had made her forget she was nothing and no one here.

The first lady's smile widens. Her nostrils flickered. She looked like a bloody predator about to rush on its injured prey.

"Don't you want to ask her by yourself, Jareth?"

Hearing his name spoken aloud almost annihilated Jareth. He convulsed, his eyes rolled back, a silent howl stuck in his throat. Sarah would have gladly screamed in horror and could only let tears of shame run down her face. It was her fault. Everything was entirely her fault. If she had allowed him to come alone, if he had to face Those of the Moor without having to worry about her, if...

No. Whatever she felt for him, pity, attraction or other, Sarah refused to regret what she did. It was up to her to take care of her brother. She would not leave this privilege and this duty to anyone else, whatever the consequences.

"I imagine you are suffering greatly, Jareth", the lord of the Moor pretended to sympathize. "I can only imagine, of course, because for my part, I was never stupid enough to let a vulgar human remember my name. Of course, your arrogance has always been the only thing that can claim to equal your stupidity. I'm impressed."

"Your suffering can end, Jareth", insisted the last mistress of the Moor. "You only have a few words to say. Leave your kingdom, entrust it to us, and we will grant you a quick death."

Jareth laughed weakly and managed to get on one knee.

"Fighting, poisoning or stabbing me is easy. In the last centuries, others had succeeded it when they tried to take the Labyrinth and the Goblins city from me. But they always failed, in the end. I have never yielded against a will which is not as strong as mine. Yours is far from being worth even that of the most cowardly of my Goblins."

A whip, suddenly appeared in the second lady's hand, scarred Jareth's face.
"Down, dog", she ordered in a soft voice. "Whoever has lost one of his two kingdoms can't be permitted these insolences."

"We know perfectly the terms of the treaties which bind you to your kingdoms. As long as you have both, you have no right to give either. But that's no longer the case, is it?"

Sarah was flabbergasted. She had understood that Jareth was reluctant to face other sovereigns in the Underworld directly, but she never imagined that his situation was so precarious. He knew how much he was putting himself in danger to meet the challenge of Those of the Moor. So, he had used her to secure his back. In the end, they used each other quite well. Jareth may have been right when he said that she was acting with the cruelty of his race. Well, at least she had learned from the best.

"My ladies are right", approved the lord. "It is common knowledge that your goblins no longer obey you and that the door to your castle is closed to you. You may remain master of the Labyrinth, but you have no more people to govern, no more armies. You have been besieging your own city in vain for years. Stop making a fool of yourself in the eyes of your peers. Just give up."

"Or are you too imbued with yourself to do so? You know that in death, you may recover some honour."

"My Goblins may have chosen a new master, but the Labyrinth is still mine. You will not be able to tear it off even from my dead fingers. It will fight against you. The Labyrinth can only be obtained in two ways. The first is strength, and the three of you are far from having the power I had when I took it alone."

The lord shrugged.

"So we'll use the second."

Jareth laughed at him. There was a new sparkle in his eyes as his gaze shifted from one to the other of the masters of the Moor, flying over Sarah's frozen face.

"You three will never understand this way of conquering, any more than I do. I should have been wary the second I lost the allegiance of one of my subjects. By the time I realized it, everyone had abandoned me. They had decided that they preferred another way of ruling than mine. But you will not be able to conquer them in this way. This is simply not the way of our race."

He looked more sharply at Sarah, who suddenly realized what he was saying. She had always known that Jareth had a plan. Now, she realized the few clues he had give her on their journey, no doubt confident in her ability to understand his plan. How bad he must have felt when he discovered her so-called betrayal. After their conversation, he had to reach the conclusion that Sarah had only pronounced his name because she learned from his own mouth what it would cost him if it were known to his enemies. And yet, even now he risked everything while betting on her.

Ten minutes earlier, Sarah would never have succeeded in overcoming the spell that made her mute and motionless. How could a human have escaped the power of these beings' spells? As soon as she understood that they only received her to use her as a pawn, she began to doubt her ability to refuse the Underworld's rules or influence on her. Now, she knew she could face them, even by following its rules which she knew almost nothing about. Wasn't she sovereign, her will equal to theirs?

"He can't give you the Labyrinth," she said in a firmer voice than she hoped. "He has no right to do so."

All the attention of Those of the Moor focused on her. Their disdain could be read on their faces, as was the surprise hiding below. Sarah decided not to give them time to recover.

"You say he's at your mercy, but you are wrong. He's at mine. I heard your people laughing, saying that he was crawling at my feet. They are right. The master of the Labyrinth belongs to me, as does the Goblins city, its castle and its palace. I conquered them. I am their queen. Jareth belongs to me and cannot give the labyrinth without my permission. I refuse him."

She had taken great care to pronounce his name in a way that revealed all the attraction, fear and desire that she felt towards him, finally pronouncing his name as he whispered hers.
Jareth trembled, but this time, it was not because of the pain.

"Are you sure, Sarah?"

"It has no importance. I understand my responsibilities. From now on, I assume them."

The third of the Moor springs out of its seat, ready to spit an insult or a spell. His right hand was clenched on his whip, ready to attack. The other two from the Moor grabbed Jareth, darting sharp daggers toward his throat and belly.

"You're not going to do that," Sarah told them quietly. "The master of the Labyrinth is no longer a man on the ground that you can kill or ransom. He's a visiting sovereign with his consort. If you attack today, it will be known, just as you knew he was losing his power. No one would forgive you, especially if we win today. No goblin, sprite or Underworld lord would forget. Attack us, and see all the Underworld turn to you without mercy, just to show us that they were not your accomplices. Even a mortal like me, who does not know anything about the politics of your courtships, can realize that. So, are you ready to take the risk?"

Only dark looks answered her. Those of the Moor were not ready to give up the fight. They had bet too much and were too ambitious. Jareth, who was still on the ground, made a sign that he wanted to speak. Sarah easily overcame the spell that immobilized her and came to help him stand.

"My companion raises some interesting points. I remind you that she can also summon the goblins ost and we all know that they are more ferocious than your subjects. Would a battle on the moor entertain you?"

"Be careful," threatened the first lady. "Maybe you can fight back, but we still know your name. Both of them."

"Certainly," replied Jareth, "but you are going to force yourself to forget mine to avoid open war. As for Sarah ... well, she may be the Goblins Queen, but she remains human. Haven't you hear what she said? Her will is stronger than yours. You can try to enslave her using her name. You will fail over and over again. And if you enslave me with my name, you will find her and her armies on your way. Besides, she could reveal to your subjects how mine have freed themselves from their chains to make her their sovereign. I'm sure you don't want to deal with a revolution on your land.

It's quite dreadful. Forget my name."

Between his broken fingers, he made a crystal ball appear. The effort it required nearly made him fall again, but the spell succeeded. The ball flew away to float before the eyes of each of Jareth's adversaries, leaving behind a multicoloured wake. None of them tried to protest or counter the spell. Those of the Moor had been prepared to risk a confrontation with a weakened Jareth. A direct threat to their hegemony over their own backyard was more than they wanted to risk. They bowed with eyes full of rage and a stiff neck.

"As you wish. For now."

"But, master of the Labyrinth, realize that you will find us again and again on your way."

"Your name is forgotten. But not your acts today."

Jareth's arrogant and bloody smile was the only answer he needed to give them. Sarah tried to imitate his posture.

"Now that your royal affairs are resolved, we still have to settle mine", she said. "It's time you returned my brother to me."

"As a token of friendship," added Jareth with a menacing smile.

"Impossible", answered the first lady while raising a hand to appease Sarah, who already started to protest. "A few hours after we took him, he was snatched from us by a goblin and two other creatures. Your subjects, I imagine."

Sarah was so glad she nearly cried and laughed. All politics of the Underworld forgotten, she turned her thoughts to Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus.

The world began to turn.

It was not the first time Sarah was magically moved to another place. However, the process had always been unpleasant. Not this time. Sarah had seemed to slide naturally from place to place. With a simple thought, she was now standing in the centre of the labyrinth, in Jareth's throne room, or at least, his old throne room. The master of the Labyrinth was obviously not welcome. As soon as he and Sarah appeared, roughly twenty goblins armed to the teeth darted their spears towards him.

In the state he was in, they would have killed him easily.

Sarah let go of him and let him slide to the ground. All her worry for him was gone, replaced by intense relief that brought tears to his eyes. Behind the armed goblins and others who awkwardly curtsied to Sarah, stood Ludo, seated at the foot of the throne. And, sitting on his shoulders, Toby was turning a chicken egg between his fingers. Sarah ran to him and lifted him to kiss him many times. The child briefly hugged her before squirming to escape. Sarah placed him gently on the floor and hugged Ludo fiercely.

"Thank you for saving him and keeping him safe. How did you do it?"

Hoggle and Sir Didymus bowed, almost timidly.

"Ludo heard you call him and tell him to take care of Toby", Hoggle explained. "We escaped and obeyed."

"The battle was hard to seize your brave young brother, my lady", added Sir Didymus. "But law and justice were for us, and with the memory of your friendship to guide us, we overcame them. If not, I assure you we would have died trying rather than return without him."

Ludo and Hoggle nodded with conviction. She hugged them in turn, unable to stop her tears. She remembered the story she had told Toby before he disappeared. She had wished that her strange little brother had protectors like hers, nothing more. She required nothing of them.

"You didn't have to do all that for me", she managed to articulate between two sobs. "You have already done so much to help me."
"Nonsense, my lady. We are your good and loyal subjects. We will respond with a happy heart to all of your requests. There was no need to give us an order for us to act. If we had wanted or needed anyone else to assist us, we would have collapsed under the volunteers."

Each goblin around them nodded. Sarah was suddenly forced to realize the responsibility she had accepted by claiming that title. She was a queen now. Queen of the Goblins city. She had a people, a kingdom, of which she knew almost nothing. This idea alone would have overwhelmed her if the euphoria of having found Tedy had not continued to overwhelm her. She tried to smile at the small crowd that populated the throne room, intimidated by the hope and the admiration she saw in their eyes.

"If he had given us such an order, we would have obeyed by force", added Hoggle. "It's not the same for you. You are the queen we chose for ourselves. Now, tell us what to do with him?"
Hoggle's voice betrayed his anger at Jareth as he pointed to him.

"He's my guest, for now. Can you get him treated and find him a bed?"

"If you want that, we'll obey, but not so gladly this time. Many here would like him to continue to suffer."

Again, the goblins approved of the chef or an angry growl. However, everyone got to work, positioning themselves to lift the unconscious man. They managed to do so that his skull hit the ground several times. Sarah didn't scold them. In her eyes, they had suffered enough under his reign to allow themselves this little pettiness. Reassured as far as Jareth's survival was concerned, she turned her full attention to Toby and her kingdom. She had work to do.