Toby frowned at his phone. Sarah never gave him the brush-off. But she'd only replied to his text with, Super busy. Unexpected guest at bf's place. You know what I mean. Will call later.
None of that was like her. If he called, she usually answered, and when she was with a client, she called back as soon as possible. Not for the first time, he wondered what the Goblin King was getting her into.
He'd mostly processed the fact that his nutty sister (in their own minds, they were never half-siblings) was dating the fairy king who once kidnapped him. Weirdly, compared to some of her boyfriends, Jareth seemed like a pretty good option. Barton wasn't the only sucktacular one she'd brought home; Toby remembered the one guy who called him 'champ' all the time and kept badgering Dad to let him take him hunting. About the time he brought out the argument that boys needed vigorous outdoor exercise to keep them from turning out queer, Sarah had broken in to inform him she was getting closer to gay with every word, and kicked him out of the house before Karen plated the spaghetti.
Sarah had a very keen sense of justice, Toby figured. She always defended him from school bullies, she made a career out of protecting kids, and in everyday life, she was that person who would snap back at some idiot cursing out a cashier. Sarah always took the underdog's side, and she was brilliant at making the bully look foolish.
Knowing that, a king didn't seem like the obvious choice for her. But apparently Jareth had gone through hell of his own. And the stories she'd told about the Labyrinth did sound amazing. A whole fantastical world of her own … people who only knew Sarah the Very Serious Social Worker wouldn't have understood, but Toby could see where that was a big bonus, too.
What a mind trip. His awesome yet admittedly kinda weird sister had been sneaking off there, actually visiting a fairy kingdom and apparently shacking up with its king, for years. Without him or their parents ever having a clue. When had she found the time? Her life was nuts!
And how long, exactly, had this been going on? Had she told him scary stories about the place, then slipped off there to jump Jareth's bones? Gross to think, but it was possible.
Karen knocked on his door, and Toby called to her to come in. She brought in his laundry and set it on his bed – it was already folded, but he had to put it away and bring back the hamper, which was lame, but he didn't want to hear another lecture on taking responsibility for himself. He just sighed at the sight of the laundry.
"What's the matter?" Karen asked, tousling his hair affectionately. Toby pulled away with a frown, but he actually didn't mind. At least his mom loved him and took every chance to show it.
He shrugged one shoulder. "I was trying to get hold of Sarah, but she's busy."
"Sarah has a very important job, Toby," Karen said, and he could hear the lecture-gears winding up. "She loves you very much, but she can't always jump to her phone. She always calls back, though. You know that."
Before she could tell him how grateful he should be for his relationship with her, Toby tried to play it off. He gave another casual shrug. "It's no big deal," he told his mom. "I mean, with her new boyfriend and everything, I don't expect her to wait by the phone for me to call or anything. I just wish we lived closer, so I could go visit her more often." The bus trip wasn't that bad, but Karen still worried a little about him going into the Big City, capital letters very much included every time she spoke.
Unfortunately, he'd been a little too successful at deflecting his mother from lecture-mode. "New boyfriend?" Karen asked, sounding as falsely casual as Toby had a moment ago.
"Yeah, he dropped by the last time I was up," Toby said, kicking himself inwardly. She's gonna slaughter me when she finds out I told Mom, he thought glumly.
"What's he like?" Karen asked, fussing with his shirts as if they needed to be refolded.
Toby tried to do damage control as best he could. "Eh, okay. Some British guy. This one might actually last, unlike Barfton."
"Name-calling is for kindergarteners," Karen said absently. She left when it was clear that Toby wouldn't give out any more info, and he just knew she was telling Dad an exaggerated version of it.
…
Sarah stood at Jareth's side as he summoned the seeing-crystal. The goblins surrounded them, and the baby slept contentedly amidst them, his thumb in his mouth. Seeing him reminded Sarah again of Toby.
Jareth concentrated, moving his hands deliberately, and the crystal sprang into being like a soap-bubble, its contours shifting. Then it solidified, the interior cloudy at first. "You've got to teach me that," Sarah muttered.
"I will. Later. Haven't you enough to occupy your time, love?" he asked, grinning.
"Shush. My life is crazy and you know it. Where is she?"
"Still in the forest," Jareth remarked, and the crystal cleared. Amelia, the runner, was somewhere near the junkyard, but she'd been cornered by the Fireys. Sarah scowled; of all the Labyrinth's creatures, only they had ever scared her. And now they were taking obvious delight in playing with their new prey. Amelia had grabbed a fallen branch and was swinging it at them, but they simply fell apart and reformed to attack again. No sound came through the crystal, and Sarah could imagine their laughter. Neesk, still riding in her hair and showing no signs of ever leaving, chattered his teeth in anger or excitement.
"Dammit, they're going to hurt her," she snapped, glaring at Jareth. "I'm getting down there, like it or not."
"Go," he told her, and with a wave of his hand opened a shimmery portal to the forest. Sarah paused for half a second, wondering why he was helping, but then decided she didn't care. She bolted through, Neesk's claws gripping her scalp.
And immediately found herself surrounded by Fireys. When she'd ridden through on the tour earlier, they'd shown no aggression, but now they came toward her, feathers ruffling with interest. Her teenage memories weren't quite accurate, Sarah now saw. These weren't just deranged man-sized parrots; there was something raptorial in their eyes, and they stalked her threateningly. This was the absolute worst moment to remember what Hoggle had told her: the Fireys were originally runners themselves, older ones, who'd lost their minds in the Labyrinth. This is what I could've become, if Jareth was wrong, she thought, and a chill ran down her spine.
"Enough of that," Sarah said sternly. If Jareth had already pointed out to Amelia that she was queen here, she might as well act like it. "As Queen of Umardelin, I demand you let this runner pass."
"Queen?" one of them chortled. "You ain't got no crown!"
"No pendant," another added.
The mocking set her teeth on edge, already wound up from this confrontation with them. The feelings that they churned up in her were never good ones; their insanity had always seemed contagious. And that was Sarah's worst fear. Anger and fear unevenly mixed, she held up the key around her neck. "This is the Key to the Kingdom. I wear it at Umardelin's choosing. Now back off!"
"Keys are for Champions," the first Firey taunted, its eyes feverish with delight. "Not Queens."
A third had already gotten behind her, and sniffed her shoulder, at which Neesk snarled in tiny fury. "Don't smell like no queen," it laughed.
"Does her head come off?" another one asked, as Sarah whirled on the third.
That spark the memory of one of her most frightening moment in that run, as well as one of her later adventures when she had been caught alone with them after losing track of Ludo and Didymus, somewhere in that last year. Her belief waned around that time and things had become dangerous. The Fire Gang had noticed and turned on her; they had almost tested her ability to keep her head to the furthest before a sound like a canon had scuttled them. She had always assumed it had been Didymus; now she had to wonder if it hadn't been Jareth, who had been stalking them at play, that had frightened them off.
Coming back to the present, she made herself glare back at them. "Nope, that's it, we're done here," she snapped. "We've been through this once, my head does not come off, and if you don't leave now, I'll yank all your heads off and chuck them in the bog!"
Amelia, panting, only watched, and Sarah didn't have time to reassure her. A Firey grabbed her shoulder, and she yanked away, shoving it as hard as she could. Neesk leapt off her head, shrieking a war-cry, and his weight knocked its head right off.
Flapping its ears, the head rose while Neesk bit its nose, and the Firey's body reached out to grab him. He squealed, and Sarah's vision went gold.
"Enough! I command you to cease!" she shouted. She spared a glance for Amelia, wondering what the girl saw before making her decision, and snapped to her, "Get clear!"
The Fireys, meanwhile, laid hold of her with sniggering defiance, and Neesk bit the fingers off the one that grabbed him. Sarah had no time left, there was strength enough in their wiry grips to pull her apart, and she reached for the power that flowed golden through her with her outrage. "You have no power over me!" she roared.
The same explosive force that had worked on the goblins shattered the Fireys, so heads and torsos and limbs rolled in all directions. Neesk, too, was caught in the blast, but he bounced and recovered, running back to Sarah with squeaks of triumph. He ran up to her shoulder, and Sarah stood panting with gold streaks still in her vision, challenging, "You wanna try that again, guys?"
As the body parts rolled back toward each other, it looked as though they just might … and she wasn't sure how soon she could summon another blast. Instead, Sarah looked to Amelia and held out her hand. "Come on, while they're trying to put themselves back together!"
"You are magic! And you have one of those goblins! Why should I trust you?" the girl called, her eyes wild.
Sarah ground her teeth. She'd just attacked the only creatures here that scared her for this ungrateful brat, and she was still getting shit for Jareth's unwelcome revelations. Part of her wanted to abandon Amelia to her fate…
… but she wasn't doing this for Amelia. She was doing it for her son, Henry. "Let me put it to you this way," she growled, glaring. "What choice do you have?" Amelia blinked, and took her hand, and they ran for it.
Somewhere in the castle, Hoggle was probably laughing at her.
…
Amelia and Sarah ran, clutching each other's hands to keep from falling on the uneven path. They crossed into the junkyard swiftly, and the ground seemed to turn under their feet. Sarah raised her gaze to the horizon, making sure they were headed toward the castle.
She had to stop when Amelia's feet caught on the protruding legs of a table, spilling them both to the ground. Neesk went rolling, but scampered back happily. They were both panting by then, and Sarah sat up first, brushing bits of junk off her.
"Okay," Amelia finally said. "I'm sorry I freaked out at you. And thanks for getting rid of them."
"You're welcome," Sarah replied, "They're not exactly my favorites, either. They scared the hell out of me when I was younger. Still kinda do, if I'm honest."
The girl groaned, and rested her head in her hands. "I've been stuck in the forest for hours. First I fell down a hole, and had to climb a tree from the inside to get out. Then there were these little cute fairies, and they swarmed me and wouldn't stop biting me, and I had to run from them. I found this swamp that just stank, I mean worse than Henry's diapers when he was on antibiotics, and I barely got past that on this jacked-up rope bridge that swung the whole time. Then those things were chasing me, and I tried to hide. That worked for a while. They found me, and I climbed a tree, and one of them took its head off and threw it at me!"
"The Fireys do that," Sarah replied, smiling a little. Had she sounded like this to Hoggle that first time, to all of them like this when they had had their solo adventures? What a question. Of course she had. "At least they didn't actually try to take your head off. Believe me, they're crazy enough to try."
"This place is massively screwed up," Amelia complained.
Sarah couldn't help laughing. "You haven't seen the half of it; sounds like you got the visitor's tour. Believe me, it could have been worse. C'mon, let's get you to the goblin city. You have a son to win back."
"My mom always said my smart mouth would get me in trouble," Amelia sighed. "Guess I'm gonna be a lot more careful what I say, from now on."
That wasn't a bad lesson for her to learn, and Sarah helped her up. "Wouldn't be a bad idea. Even I have that problem these days; then, too, your wishes couldn't destroy figurative worlds. Feel lucky." Both of them dusted themselves off, Amelia leaning against half a table that stuck up from the conglomeration of junk.
Until it moved, and she fell with a yelp. "Watch where yer goin'!" a cantankerous voice snapped, and Sarah moved forward even as Amelia boggled.
Sarah now knew that there were more creatures living in the junkyard, but this looked like the same one she'd confronted all those years ago. That lesson had come back in so many nightmares over the years that she couldn't help the resentful heat in her glare as she turned on the sly creature. "Beat it," she said warningly. "This one not half-stunned from a peach dream, you can't fool her."
The junk lady's mouth worked with angry words she didn't quite say, but Sarah caught a grumbled, "Not fair," as she trundled off, pans clanking.
"The hell was that?" Amelia asked.
Still shaken from the reminders of her original run, the soon-to-be Queen of Umardelin had not completely settled again before hearing the runner's voice, breaking that small spell. "Do you want a complete tour and a list of all the Labyrinth's creatures, traps, and potential allies, or do you want your son?" Sarah shot back, still rankled, and that brought Amelia to her feet.
Unfortunately, the junk people were no longer the only ones watching them.
…
Jareth soared over to the junkyard leisurely. This runner had several hours left – too much time, he thought, as it was making her cocky. Sarah's interference was making the run too easy for his taste, though watching the girl scrambling out of the tree-oubliette, across the Bog, and into the Firey's clutches had been amusing. He couldn't let her think there was no challenge here, that her foolish words were so easily taken back, so when Sarah and the runner started toward the city again, he was waiting.
"Well, well," Jareth chuckled, strolling toward them both. This time he wore armor, which clearly intimidated their runner; the girl fell back a step, letting Sarah lead. "You do realize this is meant to be what's-her-name's run, don't you, Sarah mine?"
"My name is Amelia," the girl said, standing firmer. Like Sarah herself, confrontation brought out the best in her, and Jareth let his approving smile curl into a sardonic smirk.
"Enough, Jareth, you're grand-standing," Sarah said, defiant as ever as she stepped forward to face him. "She's fought on her own for most of the damn thing. I made four allies, there's nothing wrong with Amelia having help from one."
"Oh, but I think assistance from the soon-crowned queen is far too much assistance for any runner," Jareth replied.
"Really? As I remember it, you even helped me, last time," Sarah pointed out. "Occasionally when I could have handled it myself perfectly fine."
"I had ulterior motives," he purred, letting his lascivious gaze make those motives absolutely clear.
That hateful glare was his reward, as he could feel her temper begin to rise. If only she wouldn't make it so easy for him. Shearing off a bit of her fury, Sarah kicked an empty can at him, taking on her own arrogance. "Knock it off, Jareth. It's too late in the game for this. You and I both know you can't stop us, so just get out of the way, Your Majesty."
And that gave him the perfect idea. Laughing, Jareth held up his hand, Amelia's clock fading into view behind him. "No, but with all the generous help you've rendered, I do need to even the scales." A flick of his fingers, and the clock hands spun.
The look of thwarted outrage on Sarah's face was almost enough to make him laugh. "Oh, you under-handed..."
"No!" Amelia cried. "Stop it, that isn't fair!"
"Life so rarely is, little girl," Jareth taunted…
… and then paused, because his magic had hit a snag somehow. He looked at the clock and saw the minute hand straining against his hold.
This was very advanced magic, and he turned to Sarah with incredulity. Somehow, she managed to catch hold of time itself. Because he'd done it to her before? Because she knew herself to be his equal, and felt that anything he could do, she could also accomplish? Or because Umardelin loved a contest, and lent her the skill? Jareth didn't know which it was, only that Sarah shouldn't have been able to do it at all, much less so soon.
Her brow furrowed, and she bared her teeth with concentration. "Amelia, go. I've got this," she told the runner, and twisted her wrist just so, buying back half an hour of time.
"You truculent little wench," Jareth said, in tones of awe.
She broke into startled and delighted laughter, forcing back the minute hand even further. Sarah shone with her own accomplishment, as the runner bolted off. Meanwhile his intended queen and bride gave him a grin every bit as predatory as his own. Even as she was trying to catch her breath, she returned his earlier taunt. "No, life … isn't … always fair. Your move, Goblin King."
"You are well-named, Sarai," Jareth murmured, and banished the clock when she'd given the girl an extra hour. Sarah was panting with exertion, but radiated smug delight. He had to wipe that look off her face. "Since you've given away such a great advantage, I must prepare the city's defense. And I cannot have you interfering any more. So…"
A quick gesture, and the Key to Umardelin unwound itself from Sarah's neck, flying toward his hand. Though she was Champion and chosen, he was still king – and for the moment she was still uncrowned. For a little while longer, he had this power over her; after the coronation he would not be able to take the key. Sarah gave a cry of dismay that quickly turned to wrath, as Jareth teleported himself and the key back to the castle.
His first order was to bar the gates after the runner passed, to keep Sarah out at all costs. And then he mustered the goblin army. "Absolutely no biting!" he roared; this girl Amelia needed to be frightened and taught a lesson, but not harmed. And unlike Sarah's last run, when her disbelief had shaken his control of the realm and made the goblins more vicious, this much he could ensure.
Jareth went inside to check on the baby, finding his parents in the audience chamber. "Forgive me, Mother, Father, the runner is nearby," he said hurriedly. They waved him on, unconcernedly.
Amelia managed to sneak through the city, for the most part, by simply ducking into a barrel, kicking out the bottom, and shuffling quietly along. Her ruse was effective until a goblin jumped atop the barrel. The lid, which she'd loosened to peer out of, fell in atop her. Luckily for her, the barrel itself did afford some protection. It still could have gone either way, but she snatched a spear from one of the guards and used it to sweep goblins out of her path. In short order, she arrived at the castle bruised, scuffed, and angry, but uninjured.
And Jareth met her on the steps, cradling her son, who cooed happily and tugged at his hair.
A complicated mix of emotions flew across her face. Frustration and anger melted away to relief and adoration at seeing the boy, safe and sound. Then a deeper fury rose. "Give me back my son," she demanded, striding forward.
Every run was not the same, and Sarah's right words would not work for most runners. For Amelia, this was not a power struggle between herself and Jareth, but a straightforward mission to retrieve her son – and atone for her momentary foolishness.
"Why should I?" he demanded, rocking the boy. "He seems quite happy here. And you were the one who wished him away."
"That was a mistake," Amelia replied, stalking forward. "One I won't make again. Now give me the child – don't make me come and take him."
Jareth took a step toward her, glaring, his eyes full of iridescent fire. Around her, the goblins began to gather, chittering softly. But the girl braced up under threat, as she had from the first, and met him step for step. "Henry is my son," she replied. "I'll never give him up. He's mine. And I beat your Labyrinth. You have no right to him."
The tension in the atmosphere let go suddenly, which Jareth could feel – and so could Sarah, even outside the walls. Umardelin judged the contest complete, and Jareth dropped his hands as the little boy magically appeared in his mother's arms. "What a strange dream," he murmured, magic lending weight to his words even as she completely ignored him to croon to her son in heart-wrenching relief. "Who would ever imagine that you could do such a thing? Surely it was only a dream, you would never truly wish away your own flesh and blood. But in your heart of hearts, Amelia, remember…"
The girl and her child faded from the castle steps. They would find themselves at home, and she would believe this all a daydream. But she would never forget the commitment, the choice to suffer and strive to keep her babe, and though she might not have chosen to become a mother so soon, she would not regret her boy. She would love him dearly, all his life, and raise him as best she could.
That much of their future, Umardelin let him feel, and Jareth sighed. The good endings were rarer than he liked. The goblins cheered, though they would've cheered just as loud if they'd kept the boy, and he made sure to send several of the most reliable to unbar the gates before Sarah battered them down.
Footsteps made him turn around, and Jareth saw his parents descending the castle steps. "So she won," Thiel said. "I'm glad for her."
"I am, too," Jareth sighed. "Some of them I'm happy to defeat, some I can be philosophical about, but this one deserved to win."
"Didn't you tell us that Sarah's run left the city in ruins?" Della added, smirking. "I imagine you're also glad that this run ended without so much collateral damage."
"Yes, well, Sarah was different," Jareth explained. "She made allies, which many runners don't. And she'd actually won the moment she gained the castle steps. I could've handed over her brother, but I made her confront me, instead. I was trying to convince her to stay. I'd figured out that she might be the answer to the curse … but it was too soon, for us both. And I paid the price for it."
"Speaking of Sarah, where is she?" Thiel asked.
"I barred her from the city," he replied. "She was being a bit too helpful."
Thiel immediately took a step back from him. "You're going to pay for that, you realize."
"Of course. I expect no less. But I have a few things to repay her for, as well." Jareth smiled, letting his grin explain the probable currency of their payback. "You and Mother will have to continue to entertain yourself, I'm afraid."
Thiel looked at Della and raised an eyebrow. "And you worried they were putting on appearances for us. Sounds more to me like they're trying to give us grandchildren as soon as physically possible."
Jareth coughed. "Not yet, Father. Sarah needs to extend the engagement as long as possible, and I prefer that my children are born legitimate. So you have several years, at least, before you have to choose nameday gifts." He chuckled, and added, "That doesn't mean we cannot practice, however."
"Good luck with that," Della laughed, nodding toward the road. "Thiel, you and I should take cover. Here she comes."
