A/N: I'm sorry for the delay, but I did get this up sooner than I thought I would. If you're ever in doubt of where I am in my stories, please read my profile. I update that regularly. Thanks to my awesome readers for continuing to read and review. Shout outs go to RachCar, MichArela, RDG, Fangirl, loretta537, Skylingeri, Dark-Assassin92, seniastardust, MageofApples, Eun Hee Kim, Her Royal Goddess, wedimagineer, Kaia Tristan, LittleMargarita, gamesofmakebelieve, I'Like'Cheetos, lonely 27, PhoenixMa'at, TheraSerenity, KraZiiePyrozHavemoreFun, EmeraldAnne, and hazlgrnLizzy for their wonderful reviews of Chapter 16. Thanks so much for leaving me a note to let me know how ya feel. It makes me want to just keep going until the very end. Please remember, reviews make me happy and happy people update faster.

Disclaimer: Yadda Yadda Yadda…you know the drill. I still don't own anything from the Labyrinth.


"He's gone too far this time," Liam protested. He was pacing the floor at an even, yet frenetic, pace. The concept of time had slipped away from him in his fury. The fiercely feminine room became blurred as the night wore on. The pretty dark-haired woman watched him and tried to lend some comfort.

"Has the Goblin King ever fought fair?" she said with a knowing smile. She continued to watch him pace as he vented his anger at the situation in which he found himself.

"Not in all the years I have known him," he agreed. "He does whatever it takes to win."

"Then you must do the same," the young woman advised him.

Liam stopped his pacing to face her. She had a very devilish gleam in her eyes. It was hard to believe that they were related. Liam was much more his mother's son. He hadn't inherited the devious streak for which his father was well-known. She continued to lounge on the settee as he crept closer.

"Just what did you have in mind, sister dear?" he asked. In truth, he was a tad frightened of his little sister. On more than one occasion, she had wreaked havoc on him and his friends. It was the goblin in her, he had decided long ago. She had spent more time than he within the borders of the Goblin Kingdom.

"You have to play the game according to Jareth's rules," she suggested. "You are going to have to summon your own goblin streak. It's the only way you'll win the girl."

Liam sighed. He knew his sister was right. If he kept playing into Jareth's hands, he would lose Sarah. That could not be allowed to happen. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but he had fallen completely head-over-heels in love with the girl. Unlike Jareth who embodied confidence, Liam was actually pretty shy and quiet. Jareth had had many loves along the way. Surely Liam deserved his own chance at happiness.

"I don't know if I can," Liam said.

"Well then, let me show you," she replied. For the rest of the night, they planned. When it was near dawn, Liam finally collapsed into bed. He was exhausted, yet hopeful. If everything went according to plan, he'd come out victorious. He couldn't wait to see the look on Jareth's face when he realized that the rules had been changed.


Sarah got up early the next morning to have a little time to herself before spending the afternoon with Jareth. One thing on her agenda was contacting Pryderi. She felt it would be easiest to talk to him about ending the courtship. After that, she would have to talk to Gough. She was positive that it would be more difficult to get him to end the courtship so she wanted to put it off for just a little longer.

The goblin entourage was acting as her guard. Sarah had shut herself in the library to relax and had given them strict instructions not to let anyone past the thick mahogany doors. She had seen them practically swell with pride in their prestigious assignment. They would protect their friend at all costs.

Settling down in one of the chairs, she sat down to read. It was time to read a little more about the royal family. It wouldn't do for them to have more knowledge of her. After all, knowledge is power.

After the birth of Prince Fagan, the royal couple tried, unsuccessfully, to have more children. Queen Riona, going against tradition, reared her boys without the help of a nanny. It was said that she loved her children too much to "let a stranger raise them."

Sarah could tell she would like the High Queen. Anyone who would stand up for their beliefs enough to go against traditional protocol was someone Sarah could admire. She looked at the picture on the bottom half of the page. It showed the High Queen in all her radiance, holding a small infant. The small tuft of blond hair sticking out of the blanket made it obvious that she was holding Jareth. She thought he was so cute at that age. Those thoughts then led her to wonder what her own children would look like. Would they look like Jareth or herself? Sarah admonished herself and blushed at the thought. She continued to read about the two brothers.

The two princes were bonded by their love of mischief, which they are said to have inherited from the High King. Throughout their childhood, both boys made a habit out of playing tricks on servants and family members. Due to the close proximity in age, they were much like friends. It was rare to see one without the other.

She read more about their day to day lives and stifled a yawn. Turning the page, she glanced at the picture before her. It was of a young Jareth running through the Labyrinth with a young Fagan right behind. They were just about to the place where she had met the door knockers during her run. Jareth was grinning arrogantly while Fagan had a more determined look about his face. If she could make a guess, she supposed that Jareth was just about to beat his brother in a race.

Sarah flipped to a chapter on the Royal Extended Family. She hoped to learn a little more about Liam and his relationship with Jareth.

The Goblin King, Arthfael, married Queen Catrin in 450 a.d. (Aboveground Years) after, then, Prince Raghnall ascended the Goblin Throne. Even though Queen Catrin was very young at the time of her engagement, the match was approved by her parents. Due to the previous High King's early death, Prince Raghnall was forced to take the throne quite young. This forced King Arthfael to resume his duties as the Goblin Regent until Raghnall produced an heir suitable to inherit the Goblin Throne.

Lord Liam was born in 1023 a.d. (Aboveground Years). He was followed by Lady Seirian in 1554 a.d. (Aboveground Years) and Lady Tirion in 1770 a.d. (Aboveground Years).

Sarah looked at the picture facing the current page. It was another family portrait. There was a man, a woman, and three children posing for the artist. She assumed that the man was King Arthfael. He was handsome, with strong, imposing features. His eyes were hazel and his hair was the same lovely shade of auburn as Liam's. Next to him was a younger Queen Catrin. She looked blissfully happy, while her husband had the same arrogant smirk as Jareth. Liam was standing next to his father, a shy smile decorating his face. He looked to be about twenty or so. Really, he didn't look much different than he did now. A girl of about fifteen was standing next to her mother. She had dark hair and hazel eyes and was really quite beautiful. In her arms sat a three-year-old girl. She had auburn hair with one blue eye and one hazel eye.

Sarah put a bookmark in this section, deciding to read a little more about that family later. She picked up another book, remembering that she wanted to read more about Fae lifespans. How old were Jareth and Liam really?

The Lifespan of the Fae – The gestational period of a Fae is twenty-seven months, approximately three times as long as the gestational period for a human.

Wincing, Sarah thought about how tough the pregnancy was on Karen. She was sick the entire pregnancy and claimed that Toby was kicking her hard enough to break a rib. This book was telling her that she could expect three times as much as Karen went through. Obviously, having children was not to be taken lightly in the Underground.

Once a Fae infant is born, they grow at roughly the same pace as a human child until they reach one year. At that point, their growth starts to slow at a rapid pace. See chart for human equivalencies. The average Fae can expect to reach the age of 3600 years. Some Fae have been recorded at reaching an age of 5000 years, but these are extremely rare. Most Fae travel to the Underworld long before 4000 years. Due to this longevity, many Fae live their entire lives childless and are forced to adopt children of other races. Fae of royal bloodlines may have up to three children, but it is rare that they will have more than two. Fae reach marital age at approximately 300 years.

Fae - - - - - - - - - - - Human

Birth-1y - - - - - - - - - - Same

4y- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2y

9y- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3y

16y- - - - - - - - - - - - - -4y

25y - - - - - - - - - - - - - -5y

100y - - - - - - - - - - - - - -10y

225y- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 15y

400y- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20y

900y- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 30y

1600y- - - - - - - - - - - - - 40y

2500y- - - - - - - - - - - - - 50y

3600y- - - - - - - - - - - - - 60y

4900y- - - - - - - - - - - - - 70y

Looking at the chart, Sarah figured that Jareth, Fagan, and Liam were in their early 30s. Developmentally, they were only a decade or so older than her. She wondered what it would be like to live to be thousands of years old. It was quite fascinating.

Sarah flipped through the first book and looked at some more pictures of the royal family. She saw a cute one of Jareth as he looked as though he was taking his first steps. His chubby legs looked quite wobbly as he walked towards King Raghnall's outstretched hands. A noise outside distracted her from the picture and she absentmindedly placed the open book on the table before her.

"What do you mean you won't let me in?" came the irate voice of the Goblin King.

"Queenie's orders"

"No one comes in"

"Do not disturb"

"Queenie reading"

"Shhhhhh"

Sarah stifled a giggle as she listened to the exchange through the door. She hadn't thought her goblin entourage would defy their King for her. It was her hope that they wouldn't get into too much trouble.

"You will let me in or I will send you to live in an oubliette for a month after I dip you into the Bog of Stench and I will not remove the smell until you are released," he threatened.

Sarah, not wanting them to get hurt, threw the door open. She faced a rather angry Jareth and some trembling goblins.

"Thank you for your help guys," Sarah said. "I didn't realize how late it was. You should never disobey your King for me, but I do appreciate how great you did your job. Go into the kitchen and help yourselves to some ice cream for a job well done."

The goblins practically fell over trying to bow before her. She giggled as they ran down the hall for their treat. Wordlessly, she went back into the library to retrieve her books before leaving. Jareth followed her in, a look of incredulity mixed with pride upon his face. He couldn't have picked a better Queen. The goblins had already decided that she was their Queen. Who was he to argue?

"What were you doing in here?" Jareth asked, closing the door behind him. He strolled over to the table and picked up the book she had set down before going to the door. Looking at the picture, he smiled and moved closer to her.

"Just doing some reading," she replied, taking the book from him. "You were a cute kid. Too bad you had to grow up." She laughed to show she was teasing and he gave her a wry smile.

"Wherever did you find that book?" he asked, sitting on the ornate settee.

Sarah took a seat next to him. The settee was made for only two people, so she was sitting rather close to him. So close, in fact, she could smell his unique spicy scent. It was almost comforting in its familiarity. She relaxed into him and went through the book, looking for more pictures. He put his arm around her shoulder and he watched her leaf through the book.

Finding the family portrait, she giggled as he rolled his eyes. "I remember when mother made us pose for that. She was so angry when Fagan tried to make gestures behind me. Of course, I believe I made a few gestures of my own. This was the only portrait that was fit to put in our family book."

"You do look quite devilish here," she remarked. Jareth smirked and flipped through until he found another picture. This one showed a teenage Jareth standing in a ballroom with a pretty young girl on his arm. He was wearing a midnight blue velvet jacket over a cream colored ruffled shirt.

"My first ball," he explained.

"She's really pretty," Sarah replied, pointing at the girl in the book.

"I suppose she is," Jareth sighed. "My mother set us up, hoping that we'd make a match. Unfortunately, we never really thought of each other as anything more than friends. Besides, I think you're much prettier than she is."

Sarah blushed and said, "flatterer." She laid her head on his shoulder as she flipped through the book for another picture. The pages came to rest on a picture of the High Queen. She was looking off to the side and laughing. Jareth chuckled and Sarah could feel it rumbling in his chest.

"I remember this," he said.

"Your mom is beautiful Jareth," Sarah replied. "What made her laugh so happily?"

"Here," Jareth said. "Let me show you."

He waved his hand and the picture began to move. The space that held the picture began to flicker like a home movie. Sarah could even hear the Queen's laughter. It sounded like the tinkling of bells. Soon, two very rambunctious boys ran into view. They were followed closely by a young Jareth. It was clear that something was very off about his appearance. Finally, it came to her.

"What did they do to your hair?" Sarah asked. There was a large chunk missing from the side. She began to giggle and looked up at Jareth. He had a slight smile on his face and put a finger to his lips.

"Mother," young Jareth said. Sarah was surprised to realize she could hear him so clearly. "Look what they've done to me!"

"Fagan and Liam," Riona said, trying desperately to school her face into a frown. "What have you got to say for yourselves?"

"Ah mother," young Fagan replied. "We were just trying to help. What girl is going to look at him with hair like that?" Sarah giggled into her hand.

"I'm sorry Auntie," young Liam responded. "It was Fagan's idea. I didn't think he was really going to do it." Young Fagan looked at his traitorous cousin with a glare.

"That'll do boys," Riona said, cutting off any more response. "I want you to apologize to Jareth right now." Both boys looked very uncomfortable as they made their apologies. "Now Liam, you are going to return home right now. However, I will not speak to your parents about this. You may not return back to this castle for a month unless you are accompanying your family." Riona waved her hand over the boy and he disappeared. "As for you Fagan. You are confined to your room for the next week and will be missing the Samhain celebration." Fagan looked stricken at the thought, but quickly turned to leave the room. As he was leaving, Jareth flicked his wrist at his younger brother and Fagan's hair turned a bright shade of pink. Fagan looked ready to fight and Riona rolled her eyes. With a wave of her hand, both boys' hair returned to normal. Fagan stuck out his tongue at Jareth and left the room.

Young Jareth sighed and took a seat in the room. "Why do they have to torment me?" he asked, sullenly.

"You're just growing up faster than they are and that makes them jealous," Riona explained, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I guess, but that still doesn't explain why they did this. I mean, what do I care about girls for?" he asked.

Riona giggled. "Oh son," she replied. "One day you're going to find a very beautiful girl and fall in love with her." He gave her a rather disgusted look, but didn't say anything. "Trust me Jareth. It's an inevitability." She smiled at him and he found it rather hard not to return it. Standing to face her, they embraced. At that the picture stopped moving and returned to the original pose.

Sarah looked up at Jareth. He returned her gaze with a smile. "Mother was always right," he said, after a moment. Bending down, his lips met hers in a sweet kiss. It was slow and thorough, leaving her breathless when they parted again.

Sarah turned the pages in the book as they talked more and he showed her more of his childhood. Pretty soon, Sarah was sharing stories from her own childhood and they laughed together. After a while, her head began to nod and it was harder for her to keep her eyes open. During one of Jareth's stories about Fagan's attempt to ride a unicorn, her breath fell into an even rhythm. Jareth looked down at her and smiled. He rested his chin on her head and closed his eyes, smelling the soothing scent of lavender from her hair. A few hours later, Fagan and Allie found them both fast asleep. Sarah was curled into Jareth and her head rested on his chest. He had a protective arm around her waist, holding her to him.

"Should we let them sleep?" Allie asked.

"I think we should wake them up," Fagan replied. "I thought they had plans for today."

"They did," Allie said giggling. "It looks as if the plans were changed."

Fagan reached down and shook his brother's shoulder. A pair of confused mismatched eyes opened and stared at him. It took a moment for Jareth to realize where he was and what had happened. He looked down and saw Sarah resting on him. With a smile, he nudged her and she too woke up.

"Oh my gosh," she said, sitting up. "I didn't mean to fall asleep like that. How long was I out?"

"You were both sleeping when we came in here," Fagan replied. "It's going on six o'clock right now."

"Oh no!" Sarah exclaimed, turning to Jareth. "I'm sorry. I've completely messed up your plans for the day."

"It's ok precious," he replied. "This was much more fun than a walk in the gardens. We'll just have to do that at another time. What do you say we both get changed and I take you somewhere for dinner?"

"I'd say that sounds great," she answered. "I'm famished."

"Alright," he said. "I'll meet you at your room in an hour."

"I'll see you then," she replied. He waved a hand and disappeared back to the Goblin Kingdom. Fagan and Allie excused themselves to make their own dinner plans. With thoughts of later running through her head, Sarah made her way back to her room to change.


Liam fumed once more as he paced the gardens. The sun was almost ready to set and his cousin and Sarah had yet to arrive. All of his plans went up in smoke. He just wasn't good at playing by Jareth's rules. The man was just too unpredictable. He transported himself back to his mother's castle. It was time to regroup and come up with a different plan.