I apologize for the lengthy wait. I have paid a bit more attention to my Transformers stories than this one, because I only really write for one fandom at a time. I've been drawn back to this one naturally, and I decided that I needed to focus on this a bit before spending any time on other, unpublished stories. I'm still very fond of this story, and I still believe I know what I'm doing. But, of course, I can't promise I'll be able to finish it in this go. I might be drawn into another fandom again before I get even another update out, but I do promise that this story will be completed eventually.

On a side note, as I reviewed this story in my own records, I've corrected spelling and context errors and will soon be republishing each chapter with a fixed version. I don't know if that shows up in 'follow' emails or anything like posting entirely new chapters are, but if they do, you can ignore those because they aren't new chapters.

I hope you enjoy this update! I certainly don't own Labyrinth, and I'd like to give my respects to David Bowie, 1/8/1947-1/10/2016.

The library was rather quiet when I came back in. I would have suspected it to be empty if I didn't know better. Aurea was in the back, probably hiding from me.

"Hello there." I called out, peeking between the shelves. "You here?"

"Lady Sarah." A small voice greeted behind me. I turned quickly, suppressing the urge to jump slightly. Where did she come from? But I otherwise ignored the title.

"There you are. So what was she like?"

"She?" Aurea continued to play stupid. I'm still not so sure how I feel about all of this, but I do know I'm tired of the secrets.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about. And it's alright, Jareth's already told me everything." I crossed my arms and stared down at her. "And he told me you're the one that set up her gravestone. So what was she like?"

Aurea gave me a dejected look and sighed, deflating like a balloon. "Lady Linda was a good friend to me. She spent much time in here. We met when she asked me to teach her to read Faethen."

I gave a smile, thinking on the few memories I had of my mother. Even though I'd been a lot closer to Dad before she'd left, I had been yet closer to her. I just remember her telling me stories at bedtime. Singing me songs... I don't really remember most of them but I'm sure they had to do with magic and fairy tales. I've always thought of her as loving magic stories and that's why I love them. I also remember that- as opposed to other things about her -because after she'd kiss me on the forehead and turn the lights out, those creatures would come out.

"So she could read all of these?" I looked to the bookshelves wishfully.

Aurea nodded and hesitated. "Most. She was not fluent in the language, but she knew well enough by... by the end of her time."

I looked back down to the dwarf. Now that I'm here, I don't know what else to say. There's so much I want to know, but as I search my thoughts for something else to ask her, I'm coming up blank. I can't think of a single thing to ask that makes any difference. None of it really matters, and right now, I'm still a little upset about not knowing any of this. I'm upset I'm not more upset about it. I should be! It's just... I've waited for this for so long that even learning this doesn't disrupt it. I'm here, my best friend is back, and my mother used to be here.

"Lady Sarah." Aurea spoke up, curtsying only subtly as she asked for my attention.

"Just Sarah." I shook my head.

She gave a small smile. "Lady Linda would always object to such formalities also." She mused, before turning and pointing off in one direction, in the general direction of her desk. "I'll show you something."

I followed her down the main aisle towards a seemingly random side aisle. However, after venturing down it a bit, it opened up into a sort of reading area I hadn't known was there. There were a few chairs and a comfortable looking throw rug layed over the stone floor. The lighting here was different, even. I hadn't come to this side of the library when I'd helped put books away, I remember.

"This is nice." I mused, walking around to touch each of the chairs. There was a black cloth chair, a pale blue wide chair that was almost a love seat, a red leather chair with a small wooden side table, and a grey lounging chair, the sort that looks like a mix between a chair and a bed.

Aurea had walked to the red chair and stayed as I'd passed it, waiting for me to finish inspecting the reading nook back here. "This one was Lady Linda's chair. She had favored it when she read and when she wrote."

"My mother wrote?" I asked curiously, coming back to sit in the red chair. I didn't really feel closer to my mother by sitting here. Just knowing that she hadn't actually been in this chair since before I ever met Jareth made it seem like so long ago that it doesn't even matter. And until recently, I hadn't spared much thought to her. I've always kept her close to my heart, but I came to terms with her leaving long ago. She'd send gifts on my birthday for a few years after she'd gone... and now I suppose she must have stopped when she'd died.

"Yes. It bothered Sire so much, what she wrote, but he never made her stop. He never punished her for it, he kept the book, I think." She mused.

"She only wrote one book then?" I mused, feeling the leather. It doesn't feel old. It doesn't feel new either. There must be magic acting on it to keep it comfy. "Will you teach me Faethen also, then?"

She hesitated. "It took Lady Linda many months before she read the simple books alone. And just as much longer to read the books she wanted."

That is quite a time, but I smiled. "Well, I'm told I'm a fast learner. And I promise I'll study."

She gave me a curious look, but curtsied again. "As you wish, m'lady." She gave a skittish look behind her and back to me. She didn't seem much at ease at all talking about this subject.

"Do you still miss her, then?" I guessed. It seems like they were close, and I can't imagine what it would be like if the daughter of my deceased friend someday showed up.

"Of course. But it's been a long while, m'lady." She shifted uncomfortably. "It does not bother me to remember."

"Then why are you so worried?" I sat at the edge of the chair and leaned forward, not really intending to stay here anyways.

"I worry for you, Lady Sarah. I'm sorry, it isn't my place, but I do anyways." She gave a slight huff, making me smile a bit. "And it isn't my place to say this either, but I will. I don't believe Sire knows what he's doing, with you being here. It's no place for a human with a choice. You belong in the Above, but I worry he wants to keep you here. He's gotten too attached, and Sire may think that can keep you here like he did Lady Linda. But you don't have to be here, and you are mortal." She gave a cautious- almost fearful -look around as she finished this.

I glanced around also, knowing well enough she was thinking that Jareth would show up, upset about what she's said. But he didn't.

"Jareth went to take care of Bartley." I brushed it off. "He won't be back tonight."

"Of course." She shook her head, getting a look of disgust. "Those Shaders aren't welcome in this castle! Not in this Labyrinth! Nothing of such an Unseelie's court are welcome back here."

"Well you seem rather opposed to them." I scoffed. "Surely the haunting of my childhood hasn't caused this?" I can tell that it means quite a bit to Jareth, but surely my childhood isn't as important to everyone else here?

She tightened up and huffed, turning to the bookshelf and quickly pulled down three books that had ratty spines. They weren't in terrible condition, but they were bad enough for her to use an excuse to go back to work.

"Those of that Unseelie's court are underhanded and not above anything! It isn't just the Shadow Reapers that you know that he controls. Those are just the only ones that live naturally in the Above. They can move freely between our two worlds with what little magic they've stolen." She was clearly angry. Her ears were even turning red. "But those imps- Oh! Oh those imps! They're nothing but trouble!"

"Imps?" I questioned, jumping to my feet and following her back through the rows of books.

"Oh those imps!" She bristled. It seems to me like she's kept this in long enough, she takes very little prompting to get going. Which is much better than hitting dead ends. I've had more questions answered today than I have had in my entire life! It's like nobody's been willing to talk to me at all until I've come to the castle.

"What are these imps?" I asked, prodding further.

"They're tricksters. They're as bad as their king. Tricksters, and rotten, and no good, and greedy, and they have no respect!"

"What happened?" I held back a laugh, seeing her like this. She was throwing herself around furiously, glaring, working overly hard on something she didn't need to put so much effort into.

"They came into my library and ruined it all! First it was changing the shelves around, and the books on the shelves, and the labels on the sections. Then it was water damage, and fire damage, and tearing the pages out! I have never allowed those goblins in here and to ruin my library, but those imps! Oh!" She furiously sewed the spines back together, fixing material that shouldn't be sewn. And yet, it seemed to work perfectly fine.

"Why were they in your library?" I asked, still trying to hold back a laugh. I picked up one of the damaged books and inspected the cracks in the leather binding. The leather on this book, however, was only on the spine, and it was stretched tightly over rings on the inside.

"That Unseelie's been trying to take this Labyrinth for decades! He's sent in those imps, the Shadow Hunters, and everything else he's got. But they haven't got magic, and when they do get a small bit from some unfortunate child in the Above, it certainly isn't enough to combat Sire's protection. Sire protects this Labyrinth from all outsiders. He is very good to this Labyrinth, it he never made me happier when he finally banished those horrid imps from the kingdom completely! And good riddens, for imps under that Unseelie's rein are much worse than unpleasant." She was practically hissing.

I was sobering, realizing she was now getting more and more angry at these things. Asking her about them may have been a mistake, because she was sent off on a rant, and I didn't care to interrupt her. She stabbed at the spine of that book with that needle rather violently.

"They're hateful, they're unethical, and they take their games and tricks much too far. And when he manages to get them in here, he uses them to damage Sire from the inside. He hopes to sap his magic, or compromise Sire so that he may attack. That Unseelie killed Lady Linda when Sire became fond of her."

"Wait, he what?" I stepped up quickly, getting snapped back into that story so hard I nearly had whiplash. I thought I hadn't wanted to know the whole story, but just how much was Mom's presence relevant to mine?

She paused and looked up to me, before going back to her work with forcibly calmer hands.

"The imp gave Lady Linda a fruit of the Underground while in the Above. She had been haunted by the Shadow Hunters when she was younger, and in her later years, she remained a plush and powerful resource of magic unobtainable by that Unseelie. She and I speculated that he sent the imp to her, hoping to flush her into the Underground where he could have greater power over her and to steal her magic despite her age. Sire agreed in this, and it was one reason he allowed her solstice in the castle. That Unseelie wanted her magic, for it would be a powerful resource in his campaign against the Labyrinth. But when Sire took her in and grew fond of her, that Unseelie sent in another imp to replace her daily peach with an Abovegrounder's peach."

"She died because she ate a regular peach instead of a magic one." I shook my head. "That's awful."

"It's downright heinous, Lady Sarah. Both Sire and that Unseelie draw magic from humans that believe in it. Sire grew stronger by having such a strong believer in his court. He would draw from her wishes to sustain the barrier that kept him out." She paused. "But that Unseelie would kill Lady Linda to take the magic from her and attack the Labyrinth's barriers. This war is very old, m'lady."

"Aurea, will you tell me exactly what happened? With my mother? From beginning to end." I shifted to sit on her desk, and she faltered in her sewing before sighing and nodding.

"Much of what I know Lady Linda told me herself. She knew she had eaten an Underground fruit the moment she bit into it, when that imp gave it to her." She began, and I found myself already distracted. This war is old, but Jareth hopes to finish Bartley off tonight? That sounds more dangerous than I'd originally thought, and I was suddenly afraid for his safety.

"Lady Linda told me that she comes from an old magic family. Not many still believe in the old ways in the Above, but she told me of her mother who had taught Lady Linda all sorts of stories and songs about the Fae and the Underground itself. So when she bit the fruit- it may have been an apple, I don't believe it to have been a peach -she knew what it was and she knew what it meant. So she wished herself away, calling upon Sire, and explained her predicament to him." Aurea finished the first book and set it aside. I handed her the next. "Thank you."

"Your welcome." I then waited for her to continue, which she didn't until she'd prepared a new needle and had started to string it.

"Sire didn't care. Sire was interested in her, however, and let her stay. Because he was interested, and because allowing her to roam his Labyrinth would make it easier for that Unseelie to get to her and attack the Labyrinth." She shook her head. "So Lady Linda stayed in the castle. I met her when she came to look through the library. She'd tell me of the stories her mother told her, she sang me the songs she knew, and she begged me to teach her Faethen. She'd also tell me stories of her family in the Above. About her husband, and her daughter, and how she missed them. Lady Linda was kind, and she was sweet, and she loved the Labyrinth as much as Sire himself, though they did not care for each other much." She gave a fond smile and glanced to me.

"But that doesn't matter to this story. Sire enjoyed her company but found her annoying and smart-mouthed. She thought him funny, but rude and self-absorbed. It was always amusing to watch them attempt to read here at the same time."

"Oh yeah?" I smiled.

She nodded. "Yes. It was a nice normal here for those few years. Lady Linda was a good friend, a kind friend. I was named Keeper of the Peaches to tend to the tree Sire had grown for her and to insure she had one every day. I kept the stock during the months it wouldn't bloom, and I tended to it when it did. On top of my own duties, Sire gave me this because he had no interest in taking care of a human. And had I been better in keeping those peaches, perhaps Lady Linda may still be alive." She frowned, but didn't seem to grief too much.

"It wasn't your fault." I insisted.

"It's been a long while. It doesn't bother me to remember." She reminded me. "When Lady Linda passed and we came to learn that all of the peaches in the store had been replaced, Sire insured to banish all imps from the Labyrinth, and he allowed for the grave I set up beside Lady Linda's peach tree. I thought it fitting, that she receive proper remembrance there."

I nodded. "Right."

"It wasn't much long later that Sire started disappearing for hours at a time, every night." She went on. "Then for periods of time during the day in addition. The Labyrinth fell into neglect. He worked vigilantly to maintain his kingdom during the time he was here, but his mind was elsewhere. I'm not sure the others truly noticed, but I could tell, he was distracted. He didn't want to be here. He told to us when we asked, that Lady Linda's daughter believed in magic as her mother had. That the Shadow Reapers had found her and when Lady Linda had passed, they seemed to want her for just the same reason. And he could not allow that Unseelie to get ahold of Lady Linda's daughter as he couldn't allow the Unseelie to get ahold of Lady Linda herself. But I could tell," She winked at me, "I could tell he enjoyed caring for this child."

I tilted my head. As I've already come to terms with, I don't remember much about my mother. But everything here seems to match up well enough. I never met my grandma on her side, but I remember going to her funeral and some aunt I never knew- and still don't know -told a sad but funny story about grandma dancing barefoot outside. Any time Irene would talk about my mother or Mom's side of the family, she'd refer to them as the 'Celts' like it was an insult. That they were crazy. I suddenly wished I remembered the songs and stories Mom would tell me.

"When you turned ten, Lady Sarah, Sire returned for good, but was no less distracted. He worked very hard to turn the direction of the long standing war with that Unseelie. We had always been on the defense, not really caring to attack back as they were no real threat. However, for the last six years, Sire has worked hard to keep you hidden and be rid of that Unseelie. When that brother of yours made that wish- I remember the moment for Sire had been in here reading -Sire was very upset and he left in such a rush, I had to clean up after him."

She seemed to be finished and was focusing on repairs now. She had calmed down during her story, and I once again failed to think of something to ask. I don't know what I want to know, but I feel as if I should be more concerned with my mother. Does she remember the stories she would say? Or the songs? I've only been vaguely aware of my 'Celtic' heritage on that side, but it sounds like if Mom had continued to live with us in the Above, I would have been much more familiar with it all. I don't even know if 'Celtic' is an appropriate term for that side of my gene pool. As far as I'm aware, I've got an aunt and a couple cousins on that side that I know nothing about and have never actually met.

But I don't really want to hear any more about my mother. I've lived several years very happily with knowing such little about her, I don't feel as if it's necessary to know everything about her now. It actually makes me sort of uncomfortable. She's been an enigma in my life, a person I've built up into a Saint, and now she's a person.

"I thought you didn't like talking about Jareth when he wasn't here?" I questioned, changing the subject.

"I don't." She stated rather easily. "But it isn't his story. It's Lady Linda's, and since her passing, it's been as good as mine. I've put it into the books, and her story is well enough lived in pages here." She looked out towards the hundreds of shelves she cared for. "I won't speak on Sire's personal givings or memories without proper rights to his story, but every part he plays in Lady Linda's or yours belong to both you and I."

Of course. She thinks of memories the way she thinks of books, and that makes sense. No wonder she's the librarian.

"Pardon me, Lady Sarah." She motioned to the third book, which I'd pushed to the other side of the desk when I'd sat on it. I handed it over to her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." I nodded. "Well, thanks for talking with me. I guess, once you were allowed to."

"I hope to enjoy your company as I had Lady Linda's. I don't get much company of this sort in here. They're either wanting a book in a hurry, or somewhere to hide themselves as they hoard whatever trinket they'd found." She sighed. "Don't make yourself a stranger to these shelves, Lady Sarah."

I was backing away to the door, unable to think of anything else to say here, and there were too many other things plaguing my mind. I needed to get out of here. "I won't." I insisted, before turning and rushing out. No, I rather like her and I am really looking forward to avoiding awkward silences with her by talking about that language she'll teach me to read. But I'm not sure I could stay there any longer like that.

I feel like this was a rather informative and, if you aren't into backstory, boring chapter. I was starting to feel like Aurea is an extra in a video game, where you ask questions and they tell you their life story and everything like it's small talk. But, she's a librarian, and she is all about stories. She loves to tell stories and discuss stories, and since Linda passed, her story is now Aurea's. Aurea runs her mouth just naturally, and she's got a reputation for saying things she shouldn't already. She actually gets away with it more than others because it's just who she is. But going with that, when she knows she shouldn't talk about something, she is rather cautious to talk at all because she knows she will say too much. So there's my reasoning to Aurea's easy prompting.

I also used this chapter to lay everything out. Well, most of it. I like to write stories that prompt the reader to figure it out and put things together before the 'big reveal'. It's not all that intentional, but there it is. You can probably find that 'big reveal' chapter in all my stories.

In any matter, I might start posting more stories outside of Transformers. Maybe another for Labyrinth, or I'll go into my other fandoms. I regret to say... I follow several...

Please, tell me what you think of this chapter! Was it good? Was it worth the wait? I intend for the rest of the story to be from only Sarah's point of view, so the chapter from her mother's remains to be an anomaly. And if you have any questions/complaints, please review! I try to get back with your, or take your concerns into consideration as I write the rest of the story.