A/N: I'm back…I'll bet you thought I'd forgotten all about this story. Nope! Life just got in the way. Special shout-outs go to gothlena13, Prongsy's Girl, sandy162, CeliaEquus, gamesofmakebelieve, Dark-Assassin92, Tal J. Smith, seniastardust, gunitatsuhiko, KraZiiePyrozHavemoreFun, ShadowHeartofFaith, Full-Empty-Spirit, TheraSerenity, wedimagineer, LittleMargarita, I'Like'Cheetos, angel56335, Jareth Lover 16, notwritten, scifigeek10, CarliAnne, Kactus Wrynn, xenylamine, hazlgrnLizzy, and Her Royal Goddess for reviewing this story. Your efforts have made it possible for this story to surpass 250 reviews. Please keep them coming! Remember – reviews make me happy and happy people update faster.
Disclaimer: I've learned my lesson. I don't own a thing except my own crazy ideas.
Jareth sat on his throne, relaxed and daydreaming. His little brunette beauty was running the Labyrinth, much as she had done when she was fifteen. This time, however, she wasn't afraid. She still had that determined, defiant look on her face. It was his secret pleasure that she did not cower before him and loved to defy him at every turn. He watched her enter the tunnels. As always, she took his very breath away. Instead of the garments of her youth, she wore a long, flowing, emerald gown of the finest silk. It clung to her curves like a second skin. She was looking behind her and giggling deliciously. The sound of her laugh was an aphrodisiac to his very soul. He stood at the end of the tunnels, much like he had when she had come this way before. There were some differences. This time, he decided not to wear the beggar's costume and Hoggle was nowhere to be seen.
Sarah was so busy looking behind her that she didn't see Jareth standing in front of her. She crashed into him, nearly knocking him over. His arms went around her imprisoning her in his embrace. She tilted her head back and looked at him, her emerald eyes twinkled brightly.
"How are you enjoying my Labyrinth?" he purred, exuding seduction from every pore.
"It's a piece of cake," she said, smirking. Her tongue darted out and licked her lips. His eyes followed the movement with rapt attention.
"Really?" he asked, his eyes boring into hers. It was the same smoldering look he gave her in the crystal ballroom just before he took her in his arms. "Then how about upping the stakes."
Instead of making a clock appear and taking away more time from her, this time he did as he had wanted to the first time. He moved his head towards her, intent on ravishing her lips with his. He watched as her eyes closed and her mouth puckered in anticipation. Just as their lips were about to meet, a noise startled him out of his fantasy.
"Your Majesty," repeated the intruder. Jareth snapped his head up to look at the man and sighed. It was one of his father's servants.
"Yes," he said, irritated by this interruption.
"His Majesty, King Raghnall, has requested your appearance before him," the man announced.
Jareth dismissed him and frowned. What did his father want now? He just hoped it wasn't another complaint or more bad news. Everything had been going so good for the past few days. He didn't want to have to deal with any more problems. He quickly put on his leather long coat and transported himself to his father's Throne Room.
Raghnall sat on his throne watching as the doors opened and his eldest strolled into the room. The younger Fae made his way to where his father was sitting. He bowed deeply, showing his respect before the High King.
"Your Majesty," Jareth said.
"Rise, Jareth," Raghnall commanded. He took a moment to look over his eldest son. Looking deeply, he could see the blended traits of both himself and his Queen. His son cut quite the figure and, it was with great pride that, he could see why the girl was so attracted to him.
"You sent for me father," Jareth stated, relaxing his stance and looking at his father with a wary eye.
"We will wait for the others before I shall explain," Raghnall replied.
Before Jareth could say anything else, the doors to the Throne Room once again opened to reveal his cousin. Liam quickly walked up to the King and bowed before him. Jareth narrowed his eyes at him and took a posture of aggression. This did not escape the eye of the High King, who shot a glare at his son. Jareth quickly schooled his features into arrogant nonchalance and stood down. He pondered this latest predicament. How his beloved Sarah was turning his world again. He'd never felt such jealousy in his long life. Now, he was willing to destroy anything in his path just to be with the girl.
Liam took a moment to look at his haughty cousin. He could see the arrogant confidence that defined the Goblin King. It would be a great pleasure to knock him down a peg. The girl belonged with him. Why was he the only one who could see this? He loved her. It wasn't just a matter of winning in this contest of wills over Jareth. He truly wanted the woman to stand at his side forever. As his cousin was fond of saying, it wasn't long at all.
Just as the tension in the room was about to become suffocating, the doors opened once more. Gough strutted down to bow before his King. He gave the other two looks of arrogance that excelled Jareth's. At this instance, both Jareth and Liam were united in their complete and total dislike of the Dwarf King. Jareth conceded that he'd rather see his green eyed beauty with Liam than with Gough. One look at Liam, told him that he'd had similar thoughts regarding himself and the fair Lady.
"I'm pleased by your swift response, gentlemen," Raghnall began. "You may realize that we are missing one of the rival suitors today." All three men looked around and noticed that Pryderi was not among them. They looked back to their sovereign. "Pryderi and the Lady Sarah have decided to sever their courting bond. You three are now the only suitors of the good Lady."
Each of the men had smiles on their faces. This was finally moving forward. Soon, there would only be one standing alongside the Labyrinth's Champion. Each man was sure that she would pick them. Now the intensity of their rivalry became even more palpable. Things were going to get more heated now that they were down to three. Raghnall could only hope that Lady Sarah would come out of this unscathed.
"I'm going to warn you to behave honorably," Raghnall stated plainly. "You may be dismissed."
Each of the men bowed before him and left to begin planning their next stage in this strange courtship. Raghnall prayed to the Gods that Sarah's plans would work. If not, things could turn very ugly in the Underground. Remembering the aggressive posturing of his son he shuddered. Very ugly, indeed!
Sarah was sitting on the edge of the fountain, losing herself in her thoughts. She knew by now that her suitors were getting the word that they were down to three. This made her both nervous and excited. She wondered how they were taking the news. This afternoon, she had a date with Liam to tour the countryside. She supposed that she'd find out his reaction, at that time. Her thoughts were momentarily distracted by the rustling of grass near the fountain. She turned to see her five goblin entourage running towards her.
"Hi Lady Sarah"
"Queenie"
"Play game?"
"Have fun?"
"We like play games with Queenie"
"Hi guys," Sarah replied. "I can't play a game with you right now. I'm going to be leaving with Liam soon."
"Why you be with Kingy cousin?"
"Don't you like Kingy?
"Kingy love Queenie"
"We love Queenie"
"You love Goblins?"
"Oh, guys," Sarah sighed. They were so much like children. She wasn't sure how much they would understand. "Liam is my friend, just like Jareth. I like your King quite a bit. Though I'm not sure how much he loves me, I know he does care about me. Both of us love you very much. How about we play a game when I get back? I know I haven't spent as much time with you as I should."
"Yay!"
"We play game!"
"Lady Sarah friend"
"Lady Sarah Queenie"
"Bye Bye"
The five goblins hurried away leaving Sarah alone. It gave her more food for thought. Did Jareth love her? She found herself strangely excited about that thought. What if he did love her? What then? Love was still a concept that mystified her. She had thought her mother loved her, but then she left and didn't really look back. Sure, she sent presents and called, but Sarah never felt that she truly loved her. Then there was her father. The man showered her with love and affection until he met Karen. Then, it seemed he didn't really have time for her anymore. She became intolerably resentful of Karen. She never allowed Karen to show her any love. It wasn't until after Sarah ran the Labyrinth that she finally let go of the resentment. Though they had become pretty good friends, Sarah couldn't say that they had a mother/daughter kind of love.
Toby was the first person to teach her about love. The moment she wished him away, she realized just how much she loved the little guy. Now that he was older, she found that he loved her back. They had quite the bond. As for men, Sarah hadn't found one to which she could say the big "L" word. She had dated James for years without feeling that little spark and she certainly didn't tell him that she loved him. She refused to lie and get his hopes up. Now that she was in the Underground, she finally felt that spark. Before, she hadn't thought it possible for her to fall in love. She now felt the pang in her heart that she had only read about in books. Unfortunately, she felt that same pang for two men. It was all so confusing.
With a sigh, Sarah forced herself to get rid of these thoughts for the moment. It was nearly twelve o'clock and Liam would be there in an hour to pick her up. Standing up and brushing off her skirts, she made her way back to the castle. She was passing by the Throne Room when she heard voices raised in anger. She crept to the door and peaked in to get a better view of the commotion. Liam and Jareth were standing toe to toe with Fagan trying to insert himself between the two.
"You always get your way, cousin," Liam accused. "Not this time! I love her and she will be my Queen someday."
"In your dreams, cousin," Jareth spat. "You will never have her. I love her and she is going to be my Queen."
"Please gentlemen!" cried Fagan. He could see the red faces and the clenched fists. If he didn't stop this, it would be coming to blows soon. He couldn't allow this to happen. His father had made him promise to keep the courtship civil.
"I'm warning you, Jareth! Stay away from her," Liam threatened.
"Or what?" Jareth countered.
"You don't want to know what I'm capable of!" Liam shouted.
"Such big words for such a little man," Jareth goaded.
"Enough!" yelled Sarah, bursting into the room and startling all three men. "You are both acting like children. I will not see either of you until you decide to grow up. Come find me when you become men. I don't date boys!"
With that, she stomped out of the Throne Room and slammed the doors. Fagan tried desperately to hold in his laughter. He took one look at the shocked look on both their faces and burst into loud guffaws. The two suitors looked at him, then at each other. The wind had been taken out of their sails and they were silent for a moment. Without a word, they walked to the girls' room together. Jareth knocked on the door and both men waited for the door to open.
"Go away!" came the reply.
"Precious, please open the door," Jareth begged.
"Sarah, we're sorry," Liam apologized. "We didn't mean to cause you distress."
The door opened and, for a moment, they were hopeful. When Allie's head popped out, their hearts both dropped. Allie looked at both men for a moment before stepping out to speak with them. It was apparent that Allie was angry. Her face was red and her face was drawn into a deep frown.
"You two should be ashamed of yourself," she admonished. "She doesn't want to see you right now. Come back later. Maybe I'll have her calmed down by then."
Her words left little room for argument. They hung their heads and made their way back to the Throne Room. Fagan was there and he had managed to rein in his laughter. Instead, he simply shook his head at them. Behind him, stood the High King. Fagan had summoned him after the men had left. He wasn't going to allow their tempers to be blamed on him.
"You two have some explaining to do," Raghnall said frostily.
"We were just –" Jareth began.
"I don't want your excuses, Jareth," Raghnall interrupted. "I told you both to behave honorably and, the moment my back is turned, you almost come to blows. I'm ashamed of both of you. It would serve you right if I terminated your courtship right now."
Both men blanched at the threat. Neither of him had seen him this mad in quite some time. They could tell he was serious. Their courtship of Sarah was in serious jeopardy. They hung their heads in shame.
"I'm sorry, father," Jareth said. "I won't let it happen again."
"I'm sorry, too, uncle," Liam added. "I'll keep my emotions in check from now on."
"See that you two behave," Raghnall replied. "If you don't, I will terminate your courtship without blinking an eye. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to provide some comfort to the Champion." He disappeared, leaving Fagan in charge of watching over the volatile suitors.
"They're gone Sweetie," Allie said as she closed the door.
"Good!" came Sarah's muffled reply. She was lying on her stomach on the bed with her face buried in the pillow.
Allie wasn't sure what was going on with her friend. Sarah had burst in the door in tears and flopped down on her bed. The only thing she had understood was that the men had done something to upset her. When they came to the door, she was furious at them. She hadn't seen Sarah this distressed ever. Even after her breakup with James, she hadn't cried this hard.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Allie soothed as she rubbed the brunette's back. Sarah sat up slowly. Her eyes were red and puffy and tears wet her face.
"They were fighting," Sarah confided.
"Fighting?" Allie asked.
"They were saying hateful things to each other," Sarah explained.
"What were they fighting about?" Allie asked.
"Me," Sarah replied, bursting into tears. Allie embraced her friend and let her cry on her shoulder.
When she calmed down, Allie said, "Oh, Sarah. They both just care about you so much."
"They both said that they l-loved me," Sarah stammered, sniffling.
"Can you blame them? You're just so easy to love, Sarah," Allie replied.
Sarah gave her a watery smile. A knock on the door, distracted them from continuing the conversation. Allie looked at Sarah and arose to answer the door. Peeking out, she saw the High King standing in the hall. She quickly opened the door and curtsied deeply.
"May I come in?" Raghnall asked, waving her to arise from her curtsy.
"Please," Allie replied, moving out of the way and allowing him entrance to the room. She left, giving the two privacy.
"Hello Sarah," Raghnall said softly. "I came to apologize for the bad behavior you witnessed today. If you'd like, I'll take a switch to both of them. It could do them a world of good."
Sarah had to laugh at the thought of Jareth and Liam getting spanked by the High King. Raghnall joined in and soon they were chortling merrily. It took them a moment to calm down enough to speak.
"Oh, I needed that," Sarah confessed.
"I'm glad to be of service," Raghnall replied.
"They just made me so mad," Sarah declared.
"I heard you stood your own," Raghnall responded, grinning.
"I guess I did," Sarah admitted. "They just needed to be told that I don't intend to be some prize to be won."
"Yet, you still want to go through with the contest," Raghnall replied.
"It does seem sort of counterproductive, but I think it's the only way," Sarah acknowledged. "To keep the peace, I will act the part. I just don't want them to think that my love is a trophy."
"No," Raghnall agreed. "It is a treasure and they should start thinking of it as such." Sarah blushed. "Has Fagan made the announcement?"
"Not yet," Sarah replied.
"Why don't I do it while I'm here?" he asked.
"Could you?" Sarah replied.
"Of course," Raghnall confirmed. "I am the High King after all."
Sarah giggled and he assisted her to stand. He waved his hand over her face and it went back to its normal state. She thanked him and they began their walk to the Throne Room. As he was walking, he sent a summoning globe to Gough. They discussed their plans and he asked if she might like to come to court with him sometime. He liked to get her ideas on some of his rulings, especially where women were involved. She was flattered and heartily agreed.
Walking into the Throne Room, he noticed that all three men were already there. Raghnall was surprised by the speed at which Gough had responded. He dropped Sarah off to Fagan's side and climbed into the Fairy King's throne. Fagan looked down at the green eyed beauty and winked. She smiled in return.
"You may be wondering why I have requested your presence, again," Raghnall stated. "Two of you have almost come to fisticuffs over this delightful creature. Lady Sarah has agreed to allow you to work off some of this aggression in a contest." The men blinked and turned to the Lady in question. "Each of you will come up with an event for this tournament. It must be a fair and just contest. No using magic to aid or hinder. Lady Sarah has agreed to also create an event. The top two suitors to finish this tournament shall retain the rights to court her. The last place finisher must rescind their rights. You will have one week to produce your event. You will not take Lady Sarah on any excursions until the tournament is complete. Any questions?"
"This is most unusual," Liam replied, stunned.
"That, it may be, but it is my will," Raghnall decreed.
The other two suitors looked as if they were about to argue. He silenced them with a glare. Sarah curtsied to the High King and was dismissed. She nodded her head to each of her suitors and left the room. Raghnall whispered something to his youngest son and also took his leave. Each of the suitors gave the others a pointed look before transporting to their prospective Kingdoms. Fagan was left alone in his Throne Room and breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad to be alone. Being the keeper of the peace was certainly harder than it looked.
