Just a little more background story that circles back around to what happens in Chapter 2. Once again, I hope everything flows OK and the plot doesn't sound too stupid. Don't worry, the story between Jareth and Sarah will continue next chapter. Please read and review! - Angel

Two days later, a funeral for Princess Ariana was held in the Elf Kingdom. Jareth, the High King and Queen, all of the guests at the ball and many other Underground inhabitants were in attendance. Ariana had not only been beautiful on the outside, but she also had a heart of gold and everyone wanted to pay their respects to the well-loved princess.

As per the Elf Kingdom's custom, Ariana's body was burned on a funeral pyre along the lakeshore. The sky was covered in dark clouds to match the collective mood of the mourners and a strong wind blew across the land, creating whitecaps on the water and causing the flames to waver. The gusts of wind blew through Jareth's long locks as he stood between his and Ariana's parents, staring stony-faced into the fire. Instead of his usual flamboyant style, he was dressed somberly in a black coat, waistcoat, poet's shirt, breeches and knee high boots. His hands gripped a black walking stick; on the head was a silver owl in flight. Next to him, Nessa threaded her hand through her son's arm and gripped the crook of his elbow, tears running down her face. Cronan stood beside her with his hand resting on her back. On the other side of Jareth, Ariana's father remained stoic with one arm around his wife who sobbed loudly, clutching on to her husband and burying her face in his chest.

Ariana had been a great friend of Jareth's since they were children. They often played games together when her family would come to court, wreaking havoc on the castle staff and their laughter ringing throughout the vast halls. Although they would try to include Talbot in their antics, he usually turned them down, preferring to sit and read in quiet corners of the large castle. The real reason, however, was because he became shy and tongue-tied around the young princess. As they grew older, Talbot's infatuation with Ariana turned into full-blown love, but he could never quite express his feelings to the beautiful princess. Any other Fae woman he would just bed to fulfill his sexual needs, but he often sat and pined for Ariana as he tried to get up the courage to court her. He had hoped to make her his wife someday. Jareth, on the other hand, held more of a brotherly love for Ariana.

Entranced by the flames, Jareth became lost in his thoughts as the words spoken by the Elf Kingdom's High Priest faded into the background. Although Talbot was the ultimate cause of Ariana's death, Jareth felt guilt for having played a part in it. He knew how unstable Talbot became when his emotions overtook him and Jareth had taunted him at the ball. He hadn't been the Goblin King for very long and already he had blood on his hands. Jareth knew he had to make it right and if he ever got his hands on Talbot, he would put an end to his immortal life.

Despite his quick temper, Talbot could be a very patient man. It had been more than 100 years since he had transported himself to the Outer Realm and during that time, he became obsessed with exacting revenge on Jareth. However, he had not sat idle throughout the centuries; he had used the time perfecting his magical skills. Before his exile in the Outer Realm, he had been much weaker than his older sibling, but now he was almost as powerful, if not quite fully.

Talbot had also adapted to his surroundings, making allies with many of the other outcasts who lived within the Outer Realm's caves and learning how to survive in the desolate land. His closest ally was an old Fae witch named Morgra who escaped from the Underground's Dark Region, so named because it was where harpies, banshees and other dark creatures lurked. Morgra was almost a thousand years old, with disheveled gray hair and a weatherworn face that framed one beady black eye and one enlarged white eye. Her twisted frame was always shrouded in shabby black robes; her gnarled hands the only other body part that ever showed. She helped Talbot hone his magic, taking him under her wing and teaching him the darker side of sorcery. He began to conjure black crystals and practiced using them on obstacles that Morgra would throw his way, completely destroying them. Talbot also perfected his shape shifting ability, turning into a red-tailed hawk every chance he had; he came to enjoy the freedom that flight gave him.

As his power became stronger, he began to organize the inhabitants of the Outer Realm, with Morgra by his side, creating a small army of his own. As a fear tactic, those who refused to fight by his side were immediately vanquished in order to discourage the rest from resisting his rule.

When the time was right, Talbot planned to mobilize his army against Jareth, putting an end to his rule.

Almost five years after it happened, word of a girl who had conquered the Goblin King's Labyrinth and managed to escape back to the Aboveground had finally reached the furthest corners of the Underground. When he was a child, Talbot overheard his uncle, the Goblin King at the time, telling Jareth that if anyone should ever overcome the Labyrinth, its power would become weakened. According to him, the only way the Labyrinth could remain strong was for the sitting Goblin King to retain power over the conqueror. So when Talbot heard the news, he was elated, and began to devise his attack on the Labyrinth and subsequent overthrow of his hated sibling, making himself Goblin King.

Jareth, who was usually vigilant when it came to Talbot, was preoccupied with his plans to restore his crumbling Labyrinth; he planned to begin his seduction of Sarah in the guise of David Prescott the very next day. So he wasn't prepared that night when Talbot's army of around 150 appeared at the Labyrinth gates. Despite its weakened state, the Labyrinth was still able to warn Jareth of the intrusion via their magical connection.

"He comes to claim the throne," a feminine voice whispered in his ear.

Luckily, Jareth was in the Underground at the time of the warning. He was sitting on his throne, one leg draped over the arm, and watching Sarah through a crystal ball while contemplating how he was going to persuade her back to his kingdom. As soon as he heard the voice of the Labyrinth, the image of Sarah faded into haziness and he began searching for Talbot instead. Concentrating on the crystal ball with a frown on his face, an image of Talbot's army trying to breach the Labyrinth's walls appeared. However, Talbot was nowhere to be seen.

Jareth immediately stood up and began to summon his army, giving his lieutenants orders.

"Hurry! Move! We can't let them get inside the Labyrinth's walls!" Jareth ordered, and the army of goblins disappeared one by one, only to reappear outside the Labyrinth to engage in battle. Jareth's army far outnumbered Talbot's and was much more experienced in combat, so he was confident they would be victorious.

Meanwhile, Jareth knew Talbot was lurking around his kingdom under the cloak of darkness, and he was determined to capture the bastard himself. He transformed into his owl form and flew through one of the throne room windows into the night sky. Even in the modest moonlight, Jareth was able to search the darkness with his keen eyesight; he could hear the sounds of battle off in the distance.

As Jareth soared toward the battle, he spotted a hawk below him and knew who it was.

Now you're mine, Talbot, Jareth thought as he swooped to engage his brother. They collided in mid-flight, talons stretched out to tear into each other. As they fought in the night air, a sound of pain erupted from the hawk and it started to fall out of the sky. Jareth dove after his brother, meaning to finish the fight. Talbot transformed back into his Fae form as he hit the ground with a grunt and rolled. As he regained his thoughts, Talbot stood up, gripping the arm that Jareth had ripped into, and noticed he was standing in the middle of a forest. Blood from the wound on his arm flowed between his fingers.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Talbot heard a cavalier voice from his left and he turned his head that way. Jareth stepped out from behind a tree, dressed in his battle regalia, a smirk across his face. He adjusted the fingers of his black leather gloves as his eyes met Talbot's in the dark. "You have trespassed into my domain and now I get to kill you."

Jareth approached Talbot and circled him like a predator after its prey. He finally stopped right in front of Talbot and put a gloved finger to his lips in contemplation.

"The question is, should I kill you fast or should I kill you slow? Which do you deserve more?" he asked rhetorically.

Talbot looked back at him stone-faced.

"Do what you will, but you know what?" Talbot asked and Jareth crooked his head to the side. "I won't go that easily."

With that, a black crystal formed in his hands and he dove to the left as he launched it at Jareth who ducked to the side, forming a crystal ball of his own. Talbot's black crystal narrowly missed Jareth, smashing into the tree behind him and creating a large hole in the trunk. Talbot ran for cover behind another tree as Jareth hurled his crystal at him, only to hit an adjacent tree instead.

"My, my, my, brother, for being so perfect, you really need to practice your aim," Talbot tutted from his hiding place.

"Oh don't worry, Talbot, I just enjoy toying with you," Jareth replied coolly as he hid in the shadow of a nearby tree and formed another crystal. "I have to admit, though, you've gotten pretty good with conjuring balls, it's just too bad you don't know how to use them."

Jareth's blatant insinuation angered Talbot and he lunged to the right, throwing another black crystal toward Jareth only to narrowly miss again. Jareth, with his catlike reflexes, took the opportunity to launch the crystal in his hand at Talbot, hitting him squarely in the chest and throwing him against a tree. Talbot's head hit the trunk, knocking him unconcious.

Jareth approached Talbot's limp body and looked down at him.

"You know? I think I'll enjoy watching you die slowly. Killing you fast is too good for you," Jareth said as he picked Talbot off the ground and transported him to his dungeons.

Talbot slowly opened his eyes and at first he thought he was blind. After searching his surroundings, his eyes registered the dim light coming from somewhere in the room he was in. The odor of something rotten assaulted his nose and he almost gagged at the smell. As his senses continued coming to him, Talbot realized he was locked within a cell in what could only be a dungeon. He was laying on a small dingy cot that could barely hold his tall frame. He sat up and placed his booted feet on the cement floor, only to notice it was damp and dirty. His head began pounding in pain and he put a hand to the back of his head, drawing it away to find flecks of dried blood.

He heard a scratching sound and turned his head in the direction of the noise. Over in one corner of the cell stood a rat, which stared at him with its beady eyes. He continued scanning his surroundings and discovered the dim light he saw earlier was coming from a lone torch in the corner of the dungeon. On the wall were chains where enemies of the Goblin King were locked up and left to die. In another corner was a rack where tortures were carried out, several sharp objects were hanging on the wall.

He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and along the side of his face. Talbot had no idea how long he had been in this hellhole, but he needed to get out now. With a flick of his wrist, Talbot tried to conjure a black crystal, but nothing happened. The cell was made of iron, leaving him completely defenseless.

Talbot stood up and walked to the cell door without touching it, trying to see if anyone else was in the room. He could hear voices on the other side of the dungeon door and could only assume they were the guards. Despite having elevated Fae hearing, Talbot had to strain his ears to listen in on their conversation. Their verbal skills weren't the best, but Talbot could still figure out what they were talking about.

"I hears King wants the girly back to fix Labyrinth," one of the guards said in a deep voice. "Me hopes he gets her."

"I hopes, too. Things wrong here and me don't likes it," the other replied in a slightly higher voice. "I hears he going Above to make her Queen."

"I hears he wants girly for other things, too," the first guard said, and they started laughing. Far off, Talbot could hear something make a loud banging sound and then the feet of the guards pounding on the floor as they ran off to investigate.

So Jareth's trying to bring his little conqueror back to the Underground, is he? Talbot thought frantically. I can't let that happen! I need to get out of here!

At that moment, the entrance to the dungeon opened and a small, ugly goblin wearing a red scarf carried in a tray with only a slice of bread and a goblet of water. To Talbot's surprise, the little creature placed the tray on the floor, came up to the cell door and unlocked it, letting Talbot free. He stood there for a moment in shock until the small goblin spoke to him.

"Hurry up! We don't have time to dally!"

A smile slowly crept across Talbot's face.

"Morgra," he said.

While the battle raged on the night before, Morgra used the opportunity to hurriedly find a way into the Labyrinth. She knew the Goblin King's army would quickly dispatch of Talbot's, but they were disposable and meant as a distraction for her and Talbot to make their way to the castle beyond the Goblin City. Even though the Labyrinth was still strong in many ways, Morgra used her magical senses to find any weakness within its walls. Although most Underground dwellers would not have noticed it, Morgra was able to find a small opening in the Labyrinth's defenses. Because the link between Labyrinth and ruler was broken in this particular spot, Jareth had no warning as Morgra managed to slip through the gap.

Once inside, she popped her large, white eye out of its socket and used it to quickly find her way through the Labyrinth's twists and turns. She would have preferred to just magically transport herself to the castle, but she knew the Labyrinth was still strong enough to prevent enemies from doing just that and she also needed to conserve her strength. At one point in her journey, she stopped and looked up as she heard a loud screech rip through the sky and knew that Talbot was in trouble, but she continued with their original plan.

About two hours later, she arrived at the large gate leading to the Goblin City and placed her eye back in its socket. The horizon was starting to slightly lighten as dawn slowly approached; Morgra knew she would have to hurry in order to get to the castle. As she approached the gate, a giant metal guard built into its doors began to stir.

"Who goes there?" asked a low, booming voice. The creature reached to its side and picked up a gigantic axe leaning against the wall.

"Who goes there?" it asked again as it spotted Morgra and began to swing the axe toward her.

Morgra held up her hands and with all her might, stopped the axe in midair, keeping it from descending on her. Shaking from the effort, Morgra used all her strength to take control of the axe. After struggling for a few minutes, she felt the guard's hold on the weapon give and she was able to hoist it from its grip, causing it to fly through the air and landing in the distance with a loud thud. The gigantic guard, however, was still moving toward her and she faced it once more, holding up her hands and using all of her power to keep it at bay. As she felt her power strain to its breaking point, smoke began to pour out of the creature and it began to falter. Morgra had to swoop to the side as it finally collapsed and the helmet rolled away, revealing a small male goblin at the controls. The pitiful looking creature stared up at her with large frightened eyes as she approached him. Since her magic was nearing depletion, she decided to let the goblin live, kicking him instead and knocking him out. Morgra then turned to the double doors leading to the Goblin City and, tapping into the last of her magical resources, pushed the gate open.

As she entered, she took in her surroundings and found the city appeared to be abandoned; all of its inhabitants were either hiding or still outside the Labyrinth fighting off Talbot's remaining army. However, Morgra didn't take the situation for granted and quietly made her way through the city, stealthily moving closer to the Goblin King's castle.

As she approached the looming structure, Morgra closed her eyes and reached out to sense if Talbot was anywhere within the castle's walls. After a couple minutes of searching, she found Talbot locked up in the dungeon and defenseless, much to her chagrin. Outside the dungeon door, she sensed two large goblin guards standing next to a set of keys hanging on the wall. As she continued to search with her mind, she saw a small goblin dressed in a red scarf and carrying a tray of food walking down the stairs toward the dungeon; this was her one chance to release Talbot.

The little goblin's eyes began to glaze over as Morgra telepathically took control of Speck's body and mind. He stared straight ahead as Morgra moved him forward on his intended path. As he approached the guards, he hurriedly hid in the shadows, finding a large stone on the ground and throwing it off in the distance. The guards immediately heard the commotion and ran off to investigate. Speck then approached the dungeon door, placing the tray on the floor and jumping up to grab the keys off the wall. He then picked up the tray and opened the dungeon door, revealing Talbot locked inside one of the cells.

As Talbot watched him, Speck placed the tray on the floor, came up to the cell door and unlocked it, letting Talbot free. He stood there for a moment in shock until Speck spoke to him.

"Hurry up! We don't have time to dally!"

While the guards were still off on their investigation, Talbot carefully stepped through the cell door and started to follow behind the small goblin. On his way out, he kicked the tray with the bread and water into a dark corner. He then quickly left the dim dungeon and closed the door behind him so as not to arouse suspicion. He hurriedly walked behind Speck whose eyes were still glazed over as Morgra continued to take control of his mind. Instead of going upstairs, the little goblin turned in the opposite direction of where the guards were occupied and led Talbot through a series of dreary halls, lit only by evenly spaced torches. Through her telepathic connection to the small creature, she was able to read his mind and learned of a tunnel that led from the castle to the Goblin City.

Speck approached a section of stone wall under one of the torches and reached up to push in one of the stones. The section swung inward to reveal a dimly lit tunnel that would lead Talbot on his way to freedom. As he followed Speck through the opening, the door closed shut behind them. The tunnel had a dirt floor and was dank smelling, but Talbot thought it was a welcome reprieve from the stench of the dungeon cell.

As they made their way through the tunnel, Talbot noticed that the light was becoming stronger. A few minutes later, they approached an old slatted door and he stopped behind Speck as the small goblin opened it, letting in the early morning light. Still following Speck, Talbot exited the tunnel, taking in his surroundings and finding himself among a group of bushes next to a wall. Everywhere he looked were various small cottages and he realized he was within the walls of the Goblin City. To his left, he heard an old woman speak to him. He turned his head to the source of the voice and found Morgra hidden among the shadows.

"Quick! We must move before we're discovered!" she whispered.

Talbot hurried past Speck, who remained standing in the bushes, looking straight ahead with glazed eyes. Talbot moved to hide in the shadows next to his lone ally.

"Morgra, you beautiul woman, thank you for coming for me," Talbot said, kissing one of her gnarled hands. "I have a new plan; it looks like we're going to the Aboveground."

As they started to carefully make their way back through the Goblin City, Morgra extracted her mind from Speck's and erased any memory of what had just transpired. The poor little goblin was left standing dazed out in the morning sun, not knowing how he got there or what he was doing. After a few seconds, he shrugged his shoulders and headed back to the castle to complete that day's chores.

Although all Fae could transform into one animal or another, the ability to change into a bird was the trait of Fae royalty only. Morgra, who could morph into a leopard, had to exit the Labyrinth by foot. So, instead of transforming into a hawk and flying out of the Labyrinth, Talbot stuck by Morgra's side as they slowly made their way back through the Labyrinth to the weak spot where she had entered. To help speed up their journey, Morgra once again used her magic eye to help them choose the correct route.

About two hours later, they emerged from within the Labyrinth's walls, free of its power. Talbot waved his hand, using a glamour to change his appearance. He was wearing a dark blue suit with a white shirt, blue patterned tie and black dress shoes, In one hand, he carried a black walking stick and sported a pair of dark sunglasses that shaded his chocolate colored eyes; above his sunglasses, his Fae eyebrows took on a human appearance. His short chestnut colored hair was slicked back, accentuating his handsome face.
Talbot turned to Morgra and smiled.

"So, care to join me for a little trip to the Aboveground?" he asked, offering her his arm. She nodded as she slid her arm through his.
With that, they disappeared as they transported themselves above.

Close to lunchtime that day, Speck descended the stairs leading down to the dungeon. In his hands, he carried a tray consisting of a slice of bread and a goblet of water. He greeted the guards at the door before entering the dungeon. When Speck's eyes fell on the empty cell, he dropped the tray, which made a loud clang as it fell to the floor.

"He's gone! The prisoner is gone!" he shouted frantically as he turned and ran for the throne room to alert the Goblin King. The guards jumped to attention and entered the dungeon, searching the gloom, before raising the alarm. Goblins began showing up from all corners of the castle and began searching for the escaped prisoner.

Meanwhile, Speck ran as fast as his small legs would carry him until he reached the double doors leading to the throne room where he came to a screeching halt. Nervously, he opened one of the doors and, upon seeing Jareth lounging on his throne, he spoke.

"Ummmm, Your Majesty?" his small, timid voice carried across the air, dragging Jareth out of his deep thoughts. The crystal ball he was holding disappeared.

"Yes?" came Jareth's deep, silky reply as his haughty gaze fell on the little goblin. Speck looked at the floor, as though wishing it would swallow him up; his hands nervously played with the red scarf wrapped around his neck.

"Your Majesty ... Talbot's escaped," he said quietly. He continued to look at the floor, anticipating what would happen next.

"What!" Jareth roared as he stood up from his throne. Out of thin air, a riding crop appeared in one gloved hand and he advanced on Speck, tapping him in the chest with it "How did this happen?"

"We don't know, Your Majesty. He was in his cell last night, but now he's gone," he said nervously.

At that moment, he anxiously awaited a dip in the Bog of Eternal Stench. Instead, the Goblin King strode to one of the throne room windows to gaze upon his Labyrinth, as though seeking answers from it. He reached out to the Labyrinth and discovered what he was dreading most: because Talbot had escaped, the Labyrinth had been weakened even more. Along with bringing Sarah back, he would have to seek out his brother and dispatch of him.

"Well," he calmly said, "if I know my brother, he will do everything in his power to unseat me as the Goblin King. Too bad for him, I don't plan to go that easily."