I'm doing some background story between Jareth and Talbot in this chapter so I hope everything flows OK to make it understandable. I hope you guys enjoy. - Angel

That Friday, the sun shone brightly in the sky as Sarah stepped into the apartment building she lived in. She stopped to check her mailbox before heading up the stairs, leafing through the various bills and junk mail as she made her way toward her apartment. About halfway down the hallway, she could hear her phone ringing. She froze for a second before making a mad dash to her door, shuffling through her keys until she found the right one. The phone had already rung three times by the time she let herself in, tossed her keys in the bowl next to the door and threw her backpack on the floor. She reached for the phone, but hesitated.

What am I doing? If it does end up being David, I don't want to seem like a desperate loser who just sits by the phone, she admonished herself.

After the phone rang a couple more times, she finally reached for the receiver.

"Hello?" she tried to say in a calm voice although her heart felt like it was pounding in her throat.

"Hello, Sarah?" said a silky British voice on the other end.

Yes! It's him! Butterflies formed in her stomach as her heart beat even louder. She covered the mouthpiece as she let out a quiet squeal. She hurriedly cleared her throat.

"Hi, perfect timing. I just got in. How are you?"

"Wonderful, now that I've reached you," he replied. "I had some time during my lunch break to call and see if we're still on for Sunday."

"Yep, 2 o'clock. Is there someplace you're interested in going to?" Sarah took a deep breath, trying to keep her breathing steady.

"Since I've only been here for a few weeks, I was hoping you would have some idea of where to go. I'm sure a beautiful woman such as yourself gets asked out a lot and would know a good place to spend some time."

Bring the moth to the flame, he thought.

Sarah giggled nervously before slapping a hand over her mouth. She hesitated long enough to get her wits about her before responding.

"Well, I do like to hit The Daily Grind in the mornings before heading to class. It's just a couple of blocks from campus. Maybe we can meet there," she said.

"Sounds perfect, love. Well, sorry about this, but I have to cut this short; I have some things to get done before my next class starts. I do look foward to seeing you on Sunday though," David said in that same voice full of promise.

The butterflies in Sarah's stomach started working overtime. "Yeah, I need to eat and get to my next class also. I'm looking forward to Sunday, too. I hope the rest of your day goes well."

"Thanks, love, you too. Bye," a smirk crossed his face as he hung up.

Let the games begin, he thought.

That night, a white barn owl with golden plumage on its wings soared over the labyrinth. With keen eyes, Jareth searched the darkness for any sign of his brother. He knew it would be a fruitless pursuit, but it made him feel better to know that he was doing something and, besides, the freedom of flying gave him the opportunity to think. It wasn't enough that he would have his work cut out for him trying to seduce Sarah into coming back to the Underground, but now he had to deal with his younger brother. Since Speck broke the news to him about his brother's escape, Jareth had tried to find Talbot through the use of a crystal ball, but to no avail. With a feeling of deep-seated dread, Jareth knew that Talbot was no longer in the Underground.

Despite being brothers, Talbot was as dark as Jareth was fair. He had chocolate colored eyes that seemed to constantly look at the world with a quiet disdain. His short, chestnut locks were wavy and surrounded a handsome face that attracted its fair share of women. Like his older brother, he was tall with a slender, but muscular build. He only dabbled in romance long enough to seduce a woman into his bed before turning her out and moving on to the next one; he no longer had time for the concept of love. Talbot's gift to beguile others was only used for his own pleasure and to further his own agenda.

Ever since they were children, it was no secret that Talbot hated Jareth. Since he was the older sibling, Jareth received most of the attention because their parents, the High King Cronan and High Queen Nessa, were busy shaping him to replace their uncle as the monarch of the Goblin Kingdom.

Talbot resented being shunted aside in favor of his older brother and did everything in his power to hurt Jareth. One beautiful afternoon when they were kids, the two were sitting out in the courtyard, working on their studies, when Talbot became enraged after their father once again payed more attention to Jareth than to him. After Cronan had turned his back and gone inside the castle, Talbot grabbed a handful of stones and began hurling them at his hated brother. Jareth, who already excelled in defensive magic by the time he was 15, managed to deflect most of the stones; however, one of the stones swept past him and hit him in the left eye, causing that pupil to enlarge. Instantly, Jareth was blinded in that eye.

Pleased with himself, Talbot smirked, waiting for his brother to howl in pain; however, his look quickly turned to fear when a harsh wind started sweeping around Jareth and the daylight seemed to slightly darken as he conjured up a crystal. Anger spread across Jareth's face as he hurled the crystal at Talbot, hitting him square in the chest and sending him hurling across the courtyard.

"What is the meaning of this?" a deep voice rose above the din, and the wind died down and the afternoon sun brightened once again.

Two sets of eyes turned their attention toward the entrance of the castle, seeing that Cronan had returned.

"Jareth, what have you done to your brother?" he demanded to know.

Despite being winded, Talbot hurriedly stood up and crossed the courtyard to stand before Cronan.

"Father, Jareth has gone mad!" he pointed an accusing finger toward his brother. "I was just sitting here, working on my studies when he suddenly attacked me!"

Jareth stoically stood to the side and said nothing about the lack of vision in his left eye.

Cronan turned his chocolate brown eyes to his oldest son.

"Is this true? Did you attack your brother without cause?"

Jareth crossed the courtyard to stand before his father.

"No, sire, I did not. I was pushed to retaliate," he replied and at that moment, Cronan noticed the damage to his son's usually bright blue eye.

"Talbot, what have you done?" he roared and turned on his younger son. He strode over to Talbot and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him toward the castle entrance. "As punishment, you will go to the kitchens and tell Serena you will help the staff clean. Jareth, come with me. We must get you to the healer."

As Cronan released his arm and ordered him to the kitchens, Talbot turned back once and glared at Jareth with pure hate in his eyes before stomping off to find Serena.

Roderick, the old castle healer, was leaning back in his chair reading, his feet resting on his desk, when Cronan burst through the door with Jareth in tow. He looked up from his book and over the top of his glasses to size up the situation.

"Roderick, I need you to take a look at Jareth's eye and see if you can repair the damage," Cronan said with authority in his voice.

Roderick sighed as he dropped his feet from the desk and stood up; his perfectly quiet day had been ruined. He approached Jareth, who remained standing calmly next to his father. He peered into Jareth's left eye where the pupil was completely dilated.

"You're not able to see out of that eye are you," Roderick said. It was a statement, not a question.

"No, I cannot," Jareth replied.

Roderick looked directly at Cronan.

"Your Majesty, I can save Your Highness' eyesight, but I cannot completely change the eye back," Roderick explained.

After a brief pause, Cronan nodded his head once, acknowledging his healer's statement, "Do what you can, Roderick."

The healer patted a chair next to him, indicating for Jareth to sit down. "If it pleases you, Your Highness," he said.

Jareth sat down as Roderick turned to a cabinet across the room. He rummaged through it, pulling out a couple of different powders and mixing them; he then added some water and swirled the contents until the powders dissolved into a turquoise liquid. He turned back to Jareth, carrying the strange fluid and an eye dropper.

"Lean your head back," Roderick instructed and Jareth did as he was told. Roderick drew some of the liquid with the eye dropper, then turned to Jareth. He held Jareth's left eye open and applied a few drops of the potion, causing Jareth to yell when the liquid started to burn.

"Please, Your Highness, the burning will pass," the old healer reassured.

Roderick continued to apply the liquid to Jareth's eye and as the potion did its work, Jareth began seeing bright swirls of color that slowly formed into a view of the healer's office. His eyesight had been restored; however, from that day forward, the pupil in his left eye was never quite the same.

It was several years later when Talbot lashed out, yet again, during the Winter Solstice Ball following Jareth's coronation as Goblin King. All of the Underground's elite was invited to the castle beyond the Goblin City to celebrate Jareth's crowning. The opulent ballroom was a sight to behold, with mirrors lining the walls, giving the room the appearance of being twice as large. Giant silvery-blue snowflakes fell silently from the ceiling, disappearing halfway to the floor; they sparkled beautifully in the light of the large crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the room. A string quartet sat in one corner of the room, consisting of three males and one female all dressed in blue and silver; the music they played encompassed every inch of the room. At the front of the ballroom stood a dais draped in silvery-blue material. Upon the dais sat four thrones where High King Cronan and High Queen Nessa were surrounded by their two sons, their attendants standing quietly behind them. Jareth sat tall and confident to the right of their father while Talbot was seated to their mother's left.

Jareth, who looked so much like his mother with his long, blond hair, was dressed in a metallic blue coat that brought out the blue in his eyes. Under his coat, he wore a black poet's shirt that gave a glimpse of his chest and a silver waistcoat; his long legs were covered in his notoriously tight black breeches and black knee-high boots. Around his neck hung the pendant that marked the sovereignty of the Goblin King. As was Jareth's style, the roots of his hair had been accented with blue and silver streaks. Talbot, who looked every bit like his father with his dark hair and eyes, was dressed more conservatively in a dark blue coat, but with a gray poet's shirt that reached all the way up to his neck, a blue waistcoat and black breeches and knee-high boots. The High King and Queen complemented each other well. Cronan's attire consisted of a royal blue coat and waistcoat with a white shirt and black breeches and boots. Latched to the collar of his shirt was the pendant of his monarchy. His chestnut hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his neck. Meanwhile, Nessa was dressed in a floor-length gown made of a royal blue material that sparkled in the light. It was sleeveless, backless and accentuated her figure in a pleasing manner. Her light hair was swept up off her neck and decorated with blue diamonds in the shape of snowflakes. Together, the foursome carried the demeanor of a perfect royal family.

The guests were also dressed to match the season; a sea of blues, whites and silvers covered every inch of the ballroom. The ladies wore beautiful long flowing gowns, while the men looked dashing in their coats, waistcoats, breeches and knee-high boots. The room was alive with excitement as the guests enjoyed the festivities; they were laughing, drinking wine or dancing on the ballroom floor.

Talbot, from his place on the dais, seethed as his brother received all of the attention, especially from all the most beautiful Fae women in the Underground who would look flirtatiously at the young king. One such woman was Princess Ariana of the Elf Kingdom. The princess was the only woman that Talbot had ever loved, even if it was from afar. She was tall and slender with wavy, raven-colored hair that hung to her waist and shone in the light. Her eyes were as blue as a crystal clear lake and sparkled when she smiled. She was fair complected with rosy cheeks and lips that Talbot was dying to kiss.

Talbot's heart leapt into his throat when he noticed Ariana approaching the dais. He started to stand with the intention of asking her to dance when she walked right past him and headed toward Jareth. The latter stood and grasped her hand, brushing his lips across her knuckles before leading her onto the ballroom floor. Jareth held her close to him as he led her into the dance, placing one of her hands on his shoulder before grasping her waist and gripping her free hand in his. Ariana was entranced by Jareth, smiling up at him, not giving a thought to anyone else in the room. The material of her silver gown made a whispering sound as they glided across the ballroom floor.

With fury building up in his chest, Talbot stormed off the dais and headed for a nearby balcony. He stood in the moonlight, staring out at the surrounding labyrinth, clasping the balcony railing in a tight grip. Despite being cold outside, it did not cool the heated flush that rose in his face. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself, but to no avail; the hate he felt for Jareth swept through him like a tide, flooding every part of his body.

I will stand for this no longer, Talbot's mind fumed and he turned to re-enter the ballroom. He strode across the floor to where Jareth and Ariana were swaying to the music in each other's arms. Guests hastily moved out of his way and those who didn't were shoved aside by Talbot, some even falling to the floor.

"Jareth!" Talbot roared at the top of his voice and the entire room went silent, even the musicians quit playing. Everyone turned wide-eyed to see what the commotion was about. Cronan and Nessa turned their eyes to where their sons were standing amongst the crowd. Cronan stood from his throne and started to head in their direction, but his wife grabbed him by the arm to keep him still.

"Jareth can handle this," Nessa whispered to her husband. Her son was a king now and he needed to handle the situation on his own terms, in his own kingdom.

Talbot, consumed by hate for his brother, yanked his sword from the scabbard at his side and pointed it at Jareth. The crowd around them continued to back away from the fray. Moving Ariana behind him, Jareth calmly unsheathed his own sword and held it toward Talbot, a slight smirk spreading across his face.

"Now, now, Talbot, why are you so upset?" Jareth taunted, keeping his eyes directly on Talbot's.

Jareth's mockery only further stoked the fire burning within Talbot.

"Out of all the women in this room, you had to choose her!" Talbot gestured toward Ariana, who recoiled further behind Jareth in fear. "You knew how I felt about her and, yet, you just had to have her!"

Jareth tutted in reply. "Talbot, if you had really loved her, you would have made your move by now. You saw with your own eyes ... she ... picked ... me."

"I love her and you ruined it!" Talbot shouted, continuing to point his sword at Jareth. "You take everything while I'm left with nothing! You are no brother of mine!"

Jareth only continued to smirk while a look of surprise crossed Ariana's face at Talbot's announcement.

At that moment, Talbot lunged forward to strike at Jareth at the same time Ariana moved from behind him

"Stop!" she yelled before Talbot's sword lunged into her chest; a surprised gasp coming from the surrounding crowd who could see the fracas. With catlike reflexes, Jareth dropped his sword and swooped to catch her as she fell to the floor, blood pouring from the open wound in her chest. He laid her head in his lap, not caring about her blood soaking his clothes. She stared wide-eyed at Jareth as she started to cough, more blood gushing from between her lips. Talbot was rooted to the spot, watching as the lifeblood drained from the woman he loved.

Roderick, who was among the crowd, rushed forward to join Jareth and put a hand over her chest, using magic to close the gaping wound, but it was too late. Ariana looked over at Talbot, looking as though she wanted to say something else, but she began to cough again before she took her last breath and passed through the veil of death.

Jareth hung his head as the fury began to build within him. He gently placed Ariana's head on the ballroom floor and reached for the sword he had dropped. He stood to his full height, pointing the sword at Talbot who was still looking down at the fallen woman with shock on his face. His eyes finally met Jareth's as he heard his brother speak to him.

"You're right. You are no brother of mine," Jareth said with quiet intent. "I should kill you right here, right now, but I will not have more bloodshed in front of everyone tonight. Instead, you shall be banished to the Outer Realm where you will live alone with your guilt. If you should step foot back into the Labyrinth, I will kill you."

Talbot turned his gaze toward his mother and father who were approaching them at the center of the ballroom.

"Father, please help me, it was an accident," he pleaded, holding a hand toward Cronan. Cronan just shook his head sadly.

"No, Talbot, you brought this upon yourself. For an offense such as this, death is the penalty; however, Jareth has shown you mercy by sentencing you to banishment and I will stand behind his decision. But, if you should step foot outside of the Outer Realm, you will be put to death." He summoned the large Fae men dressed in armor who were standing around the ballroom.

"Guards," Cronan said with authority, "take Talbot to the Outer Realm and leave him there. He is to go in the clothes on his back and with no food or water. From this day forward, he is to fend for himself and shall be stripped of his magic and his title as prince."

But before the guards could advance and his magic bound, Talbot disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. Jareth cursed under his breath.

"Well played, but I will find you and once I do, you will die," Jareth vowed.

Within a few seconds of disappearing from the ballroom, Talbot reappeared in the middle of an area so desolate that civilization could not be seen for miles. He landed face first onto the ground, the dust blowing up into his face and making him cough. After he got his breath back, Talbot stood up, brushing himself off and taking in his surroundings. The pale moonlight cast an eerie glow on the dead trees and plants, creating twisted shadows on the ground. Unlike the Labyrinth where a winter chill was in the air, the weather was hot in this uninviting place. Talbot immediately knew where he was.

"I ended up in the Outer Realm after all. Must have been the power of suggestion," he said with a humorless chuckle.

Ever since his childhood, Talbot heard stories about the Outer Realm and how it was where the Underground's seediest inhabitants dwelled. They were either banished there because of their hideous crimes or were in hiding from their imminent death. For most, it was the Underground's version of hell, but for Talbot, it was a welcome sanctuary. He once again scanned the area until he spotted the silhouette of cliffs in the distance. He began to walk in that direction, hoping to find a cave where he could take shelter.

"No better place to hide until I can get revenge for my sweet Ariana," Talbot seethed. "Jareth, I can't wait to make you pay for what you did."