You may wonder why I don't have song lyrics on here when I did in Dreams of Destiny. That's because I wanted to have a stark contrast between that fic and this depressing fic. If you are still reading this, thank you so much and please leave a review!

Jareth had a plan. He wasn't sure if it would work, but he'd try. He didn't know who the assassin was, but he'd be damned if he didn't catch whoever they were. They may have a personal feud with Sarah, or could try to undermine his rule.

And his first suspect was King Charles of the Giants.

He had a meeting with Sarah's three friends.

"Good morning." He said pleasantly, making Hoggle in particular a little nervous. They were all aware of his erratic behavior earlier and knew that as sad as they were to lose their dearest friend and queen, no one was more hurt than her husband.

"I have called you here today to help me with something related to Sarah." Her name came out with difficulty, him still not quite grasping that she was gone from him forever. "There is a possible assassin coming here tonight. I need all of you to hide within the walls, and when I signal, I need you to do your parts.

"Hoggle knows the passages of the castle well, and I need you to alert the guards in the armory if I signal. Didymus and Ludo will help me to fight if necessary."

"Ludo King and Sawah fwend." He said simply. Hoggle stepped forward a little. "For Sarah, we will do it, Your Majesty. And for you, for you are our friend too."

Sir Didymus also stepped forward. "I have served the crown and My Lady, I am willing to do what it takes to help you, Sire."

All three bowed. "Anything, Your Majesty."

Jareth gave a few more instructions and wished them well. "You are all good friends to me. I am honored that my wife has picked you to be her friends as well."

King Charles entered the room, a large man as he had shrunk himself to be the size. The King of Giants and King of Goblins bowed down politely to each other, one hand in front and the other behind their backs as they took their places at the dinner table. As the guest, Charles sat to Jareth's right.

The King of Giants looked around, realizing that he and Jareth were eating alone. This was odd, as there would at least be at least a guard or two to protect them both, but none were there. He could feel tension in the air, but he often did with Jareth so he dismissed it.

Charles held out his wine and made a thank you toast to Jareth, to which Jareth smiled and politely drank the alcohol. Both took few bites of food, Charle's eyes darting back and forth between his food and the King of goblins. "I thank you, Jareth, for inviting me to visit so soon. I offer you my condolences for your loss and the kingdom's loss. I know it must be very difficult for you to have lost Sarah. I must say, you are getting back into the swing of things quite quickly."

Jareth didn't meet Charle's eyes. He was trying to calm down, for Charles may not be the person who actually hurt Sarah. Still, it was hard for him to keep his temper down now that she was gone. He cleared his throat and kept on poking at his food. "Yes, well, my mother-in-law suggested to us to grieve but getting back to work can help us heal as well. I figure, what better way to honor Sarah than for a negotiation between our two kingdoms to allow more integration and peace?"

Jareth had invited Charles under the guise to discuss a possibility that the Giants could go Above, since Jareth was the one who had access between the two realms since the Labyrinth was the border between the two worlds. Allowing more integration between the different species and humans (though said species would still be disguised as humans as a whole weren't ready to be told about magic again quite yet), that could reduce the prejudices by quite a bit. Not to mention the fact that the giants could have direct access to a lot of magical ingredients not found Underground. Jareth was only letting a few go Above at a time, so he could keep tabs on them. He had hoped that once Sarah was strong enough, she could help him with more of them and maybe their children or whoever they could trust to do the work as well. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen, and if Charles was innocent, then they would plan that negotiation between the kingdoms.

Charles wiped some food off his face. "Why yes. I think that would be splendid. Your Sarah had quite a vision, did she?"

"She did. And I will make sure that it is not in vain." Jareth replied nicely.

"Well, of course. Such a noble thing to do, and I am not one to be in the way of a grieving widower who just lost his bride. Speaking of Sarah, how did she pass?" Charles stabbed a fork into his chicken, before changing his mind and just eating the entire thing, bones and all.

Jareth tried to not cringe at his guests's eating habits. Why Charles was like this, he had no idea. Not even Charle's father, the late King of Giants, was like this. But of course, he held his tongue and tried to quiet his organs so they wouldn't freak out at him for no reason.

He also wasn't very keen to answer how Sarah died. It was a little insensitive of Charles to ask, as it had only been a week since her passing. But, to go forth with his plan, he indulged the giant. "Well, Sarah and I were together, of course, ready to go on a honeymoon. All of a sudden, this snake comes out of nowhere and bites her." He looked down, choking on his tears. Even recounting just a little of the details out loud made him sick. The image kept playing in his head, of how he was kissing her then she started to convulse. It haunted him, and he tried so hard to not think about it.

Charles gave a look that Jareth supposed was supposed to be sympathetic but it came off as very insincere. His eyes weren't full of kindness, more of nonchalantness.

"Jareth, I'm so sorry to hear that. Do not blame yourself. Sarah was strong, but not strong enough to withstand the poison. There was nothing you could've done, I'm sure." He took another sip of wine, seemingly eager to distance himself from this narrative.

Jareth looked at Charles, trying to study this king. Though Charles was a big mouth (that was useful), he was also hard to read when you wanted to read him the most. It irked Jareth to no end. How he wish he could just get the information he wanted out of him.

"I suppose." Jareth shrugged. "Still, I do wish I had been more careful. I should've been looking to make sure that we were safe and have been more alert. She was in such pain." He wasn't sure if he was talking to Charles or himself at that point.

Charles gave a look of pity. "Don't blame yourself. How would you have known if she would've been bitten at the ankle or not? It's not your fault at all." Charles took another large bite of food.

All of a sudden, strong vines came out of Charles's chair and wrapped themselves around the king. He choked, looking at Jareth in fear.

Jareth was the exact opposite as he had been when Sarah had died. He was now calm, no longer raging. He stood up in his chair and snapped three times. Charles winced, expecting more magic, but instead just heard some scuffling in between the walls.

Jareth grabbed the top of the Giant's hair and yanked it back, hard. Charles whimpered, and Jareth leaned in close. "You COWARD! You stupid, stupid COWARD!"

He threw Charles's head back, the giant still unsure of what to do. Jareth never took his eyes off of him. "I never mentioned where she was bitten."

Just then, the doors bursted open, Jareth's men and women warriors all had their weapon of choice pointed at the Giant. Ludo was behind them and Sir Didymus was among them as well. Jareth cocked his head to one side. "Send him to the dungeons."

In the dungeons, Jareth went to face Charles, the fae king's eyes were large and red from weeping. Without a word, he produced a crystal, throwing it into Charles's head. As soon as he realized Sarah's death was no accident, he commanded that truth serums be made immediately. They were hard to make, and Jareth rarely used them as it took one's agency away.

For him though, he didn't want to wait around for Charles to admit it. He needed to know NOW the whole truth.

The crystal had sunk into Charles's head, like a bubble. The king of giants looked dazed and scared. He knew exactly what that crystal meant. There was no mercy for him now, no. Jareth was a good and just king. But, if you came to hurt his subjects or the people he loved most, he would never forget it.

Ever.

The Goblin King wasted no time in his interrogation. "Why do you have that type of serpent after it has been banned?" He flipped his cape to the other side, pleased that Charles shook in fear.

Charles felt himself speak, due to the truth serum. "My family has bred them for as long as we have existed. We haven't stopped now and won't if we can help it."

Jareth lifted his hand up, his riding crop appeared in his hand. The Fae King tapped it on the ground as he paced back and forth. His next question was plain and simple. "Why kill Sarah?"

"She has insinuated that I had something to do with my father's early passing, and I have, for he had been contemplating my ability to rule. Furthermore, she is a human, and as you know, the first human to be a monarch Underground. What do you expect will happen? Humans will come from Above and take over. Have you forgotten what integration with humans did to us magical folk? We were forced to run and hide! Not to mention YOU marrying her, mixing your pure fae blood with her dirty human blood when you were married to a fae queen in the first place."

Jareth growled and tipped the riding crop under Charles's chin. "I haven't forgotten my history. I've told you that if we cannot open borders, we will just take the things humans have created and learn from them, like technology. We aren't planning on making ourselves known to humans this instant you fool. And, for the record, we don't need humans to lead us to our demise, it is clear that folks like you are self destructive already."

He was tempted to kick and spit on Charles, but he couldn't do it. Not when he knew that it may lead him onto a path of self destruction again. Instead, he focused on Sarah. "Sarah is a human who was made to be queen. You know the Labyrinth as well as I have chosen her to be queen regnant and my bride. Because of her, I have restored my kingdom to where it was before I was lost in my owl form. Because of her, you got your stupid goose that lays the golden eggs. And, for you to suggest that I, as a king, would choose a wife poorly and without substantial proof, you have trespassed in my personal life and in MY authority as king."

Jareth's eyes got large and nearly red. No one was allowed to tell him what to do, especially this overgrown child. He got his riding crop and jabbed it at Charles's chest.

"How DARE you say that her blood is not pure! You and everyone who thinks that the likes of the late Princess Victoria was a better bride for me than my Sarah, you all deserve to be thrown in the Bog of Eternal Stench!"

He held up a crystal, and rolled it a little. It began to play back their conversation. Charles gulped, knowing that he was damned now. His words would be used against him in his homeland, declaring him unfit to be king as he had killed his father and killed another monarch.

Jareth made the crystal pop, sending it to his study. The entire time, the look of malice hadn't left his face and his eyes were tired and full of the greatest amount of disdain. "For sending the putrid snake into MY private garden, you have trespassed into my kingdom. You have murdered another monarch and have put my kingdom in danger, not to mention treason of your own kingdom."

He got up, and circled Charles like a vulture. There was no kindness in Jareth's eyes. No playful grin. No teasing attitude. Just pure, pure indignation. He wanted JUSTICE.

He grabbed Charles's collar and pulled him close so their noses were nearly touching. He growled, letting Charles hear the angry sound from his chest, to scare him more. "More than that, you have killed the love of my life. You have taken what I have fought for. You have taken the life of an innocent woman who deserved to life a full and happy life, all because you are prejudiced. No one takes what is mine away from me. It's too bad that you will pay with your life."

Never let it be said that Jareth was not a ruthless king when someone wronged him this badly. By having proof that Charles was a cold blooded murder, Jareth had every right to execute Charles. He produced another crystal, it turned into a paper with a pen, writing things down as he spoke.

"King Charles of the Giants." He said quietly, though with just as much malice as he had in him before. "I hereby sentence you to death tomorrow at dawn. You have killed my wife and queen, another monarch, and only because of your own prejudices. You have also killed your own father, and by the laws of your land, you have committed treason. You will be beheaded and suffer a death without magic for you deserve to die as the humans you so hate. May the afterlife treat you better than you have treated my wife in life."

That night, Jareth surprisingly fell asleep quickly. Must've been from all the exhaustion that finally caught up to him.

Jareth knew he was dreaming, but he tried to not think that he was. Sometimes, he would dream about random things. Lately, he'd been dreaming about Sarah, and only of her since she died.

Tonight though, it was the first dream of her since she died that was a happy dream.

It was a memory actually. She was 17, nearly 18, set in her home right after she had freed him from his owl form. His arm was bleeding and in pain from an accident he had an as owl, but that didn't deter him from being the huge, charismatic flirt that he was.

He played ping pong with her, both feeling exhilarated. He hadn't felt that way in so long, and so carefree. Though his arm was hurting, he wasn't about to relent and let her win. No matter how much she was baiting him.

Then, in the middle of playing, a bright light appeared to his right, making him lose his balance.

"Seriously?" He yelled at the woman that walked in. "You can't just wait even a little? I need a break and you interrupted my memory of playing with Sarah!"

He pouted like a child, looking at the woman that walked into the room. She was beautiful and glorious, like the sun. Her eyes were full of sadness and seriousness, much like the last time she appeared to him. He folded his arms and huffed. He didn't care about being polite anymore. He didn't care about anything since Sarah died, if he was honest with himself.

She didn't respond to his childish outburst. Instead, she looked at Dream-Sarah, her eyes full of sadness and pain. Then, she finally turned to Jareth. "Child, I know you are in pain. Believe me, when Sarah accepted her place as queen, I felt her death and it almost killed me as she became the other half of my heart. As for you, since you are also my heart, I can feel your pain. I am not exaggerating when I say I know exactly how you feel."

Jareth refused to meet her eyes, angry tears falling down his cheeks. "Where were you? Where were you when she died? I could've saved her if you had warned me."

Labyrinth reached out, putting her hand on Jareth's shoulder. He didn't move away, but he still refused to meet her eyes. She spoke softly, knowing the pain he was in. "I am bound by ancient magic, as you well know. I could not interfere."

He glanced at her, a look of disdain clear on his face. His lips were in a tight line and his eyes scrunched together and angry. He moved from her so she was no longer touching his shoulder. "So why are you here? To comfort me? To find a new bride? Because if you are, just leave. I don't need any of this right now."

Labyrinth sighed and took one of his hands in both of hers, like a mother pleading her son. "Jareth, please. I am here to tell you that Sarah may not be totally lost."

At this, he perked up. "Not lost?" Surely, she wasn't suggesting that Sarah could come back, did she? He couldn't take any false hopes anymore.

She nodded. "It is a huge risk, but for you, someone who loves her so wholeheartedly, I know that a life with her will be lonely and heartbreaking with every step. I had debated on letting you grieve as one should, but I think you should go find her."

Jareth pulled his hand from hers and rested both his hands on her arms. His eyes were large and desperate. "How? How can I find her? Oh Labyrinth, I will do ANYTHING to bring her back!"

She looked at him, a sad smile on her face. "You may not succeed. You may be lost in the process as well. Once again, I cannot tell you how to find her. All I ask is that before you do, to name an heir in case you are lost too. Set precautions and be careful.

"I can only give one hint, and that is this: Things aren't always what they seem."