Labyrinth: The Dream Never Ends Chapter 7: But the world is neither just nor unjust, a labyrinth fanfic

A/N: Wow! Thank you all for the kind reviews! They give me motivation. : ) Please enjoy the chapter and, as always, let me know what you think! Thxs!

Labyrinth: The Dream Never Ends

By: Eriksleadinglady

Disclaimer: Henson owns the Labyrinth. Bah Humbug. However, these pretty little fellows known as OC's are all MINE!!! HA HA HA!

Chapter 6: But the world is neither just nor unjust

Jouegh was at his throne, sitting lazily on it as he listened to the messenger before him attempt to give him some information, but the man was so nervous that he was stuttering every out every word, and Jouegh could barely discern a word of it. At last he could take it no longer, and he rose from his throne in one fluid motion.

"Enough!" he yelled harshly, causing the messenger to flinch slightly and cower away in fear. But the single word had served its purpose and the man was quiet.

Jouegh cocked his head to the side in an attempt to sound interested. "So precisely what are you trying to tell me?"

The man began to take a few deep breaths to calm himself, but that was enough to try Jouegh's patience even more so.

"I am not giving you my time so that you can breathe! Out with it already!" he commanded sternly.

"T-The Hymonia a-and Jackylsvan t-territories a-are refusing to o-obey your o-orders, your m-majesty," the man said frightfully. "T-they a-are gathering up t-their p-people a-and a-are p-preparing t-to leave a-as soon a-as t-they p-possibly can!"

Jouegh, however, seemed uninterested in these happenings, and had a smile on his face for he realized that the man only stuttered on his T's, A's, O's, P's, and M's, making him quite amusing and rather open for taunting.

With a wicked idea in mind, the ruler of the Middle Kingdom feigned shock and despair as his eyes widened and his mouth went open in disbelief. "You m-mean t-they a-are p-planning o-on leaving?" the king mocked sadly in a perfect impression of the messenger. "O-oh m-my… what is t-there t-to do?" Then he threw his head back in a fit of cruel laughter.

The messenger lowered his head in shame, and all he could do was stand there and take the mockery. His nerves had gotten the better of him, he would admit, and the stuttering had gone on for far too long. He wanted nothing more than to give that ass what he deserved, but he knew better than to do so. After all, Jouegh's powers were far above his own, and they would be of no use if he had decided to attack.

When the laughter had finally ended, the messenger looked back up and noticed that the king was staring at him in a most peculiar fashion. Then Jouegh raised his finger and pointed it at the door. "What are you still doing here?" barked Jouegh. "Get out of my sight!"

As fast as his legs would allow, the man scurried out of the throne room and out of Jouegh's sight, only too glad to be leaving.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o000ooo

Back in the throne room, Jouegh rose from his seat and began to pace his quarters. Next to the throne stood his most trusted advisor, Yakt, who was a very powerful Minotaur. Yakt was one of the few people that Jouegh trusted; actually, he was probably the only one. At every turn, Jouegh expected someone to be planning treachery and in every face he saw a traitor. But his advisor, he knew he could trust him: Yakt had proven so many years ago. He smirked at the memory. Yes, he was sure his dear brother would remember that.

Turning in his spot, he faced Yakt and narrowed his eyes in thought.

"Yakt," he addressed firmly.

"Yes, Jouegh?" replied the Minotaur. He was the only one who was allowed to call the Highness by his name.

"What do you know about mortals?" asked Jouegh as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Yakt stuck out his chest in pride. "They are cowardly creatures with no purpose. They kill each other and are causing the destruction of their world."

"And they are killed easily?"

"As easy as squashing a bug."

Jouegh showed him a toothy grin. "Good."

"What are your plans?" asked Yakt, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Jouegh waved his hand. "No need to trouble yourself with that, my old friend. They will become known in time." He paused. "But first, I need to speak to a long time family friend."

"Just say the name, and he will be brought to you."

The king shook his head. "No, no. I will go to him."

The Minotaur stood up tall. "The name?"

A smirk lit Jouegh's pale face. "Odeon."

Yakt was silent for a moment, becoming slightly worried at what his king might be planning. "Is that wise, Your Majesty?" he asked quietly.

"No," he replied sarcastically. "He is great enough to kill me." Then he grew angry. "Of course it is wise! He cannot harm me. I spoke with him once before, but I feel that he is hiding something from me. We will go at once."

Then Jouegh turned away from his adviser and stormed out the door, adjusting his sleeve cuffs as he did so. This could get messy.

Behind him, he heard Yakt's hooves clacking on the stone as he followed him out. Even though he would never say it, Jouegh was actually quite grateful to have Yakt as a friend, for sometimes he just needed someone to confide in, and Yakt was the only one for that. Jouegh was certain that Yakt would follow him till the end, and that was what Jouegh required.

Plus, he knew that the Minotaur would never commit treachery against him, for he had already proved himself in that department. Yes, Jouegh remembered that day well…

Jouegh was flying over the forests of Kilfwood, going to visit his father, when he saw a small Minotaur child wandering the forest. For a moment, Jouegh decided that he would just leave the child there, for he had a meeting to go to, which were required on his part so that the Granatian King could make sure that he wasn't getting into too much trouble.

But as he flew over the Minotaur, he realized just how powerful that this one creature could be, not only with physical strength, but as well as a pawn to get what he needed. So, finally deciding to speak with the creature, Jouegh flew in for a landing and just as he hit the ground, he transformed into his Fae form.

The Minotaur looked over at him, and prepared to do battle, thinking that this man was going to attack him, like so many others had. But Jouegh placed out his hands in front of him defensively, and began to speak.

"I do not want to fight you, my friend" he coaxed. "I want to help you."

"Why?" the Minotaur asked.

Jouegh smirked. "I believe that we can help each other."

This got the creatures attention, and he lowered his defensive stance and agreed to listen to this man's proposition.

"You need help," explained Jouegh, "and I need information."

"Go on," replied the Minotaur.

"I need you, once you are healthy, to go to Goblin City and get into the Kings good graces. Once there, he will trust you and let you, basically, go where you please. Now, after he does trust you, I need you to try and get information about the powers of the Labyrinth, and how far they reach. He might be suspicious at first, but just say that you have heard rumors, and you just want to know what is true." He paused. "I only know one thing, but I am not sure where it is. I need you to ask him about the labyrinth tree and what it does, where it is located. Do you understand so far?"

The Minotaur nodded his head.

"Good," continued Jouegh. "Then there is one last thing that I need you to do. Jareth, the Goblin King, wears an amulet necklace; it is always around his neck. I need you to get that amulet. Can you do this for me?"

The Minotaur nodded his head. "But what is in it for me?"

Jouegh smirked. "I will help you, give you a good home, and you will become my second hand man when I am the ultimate ruler."

"How will you do that? Is it possible?"

Jouegh's grin only widened. "Oh yes, it is most certainly possible."

Jouegh smiled at the memory. Their plan had most certainly worked. Jareth drew to like Yakt very much, and he was placed within his trusted circle. His brother was such a sap. And in fact, Yakt had gotten all the information that he needed, even the amulet. When he first received the amulet, Jouegh was ecstatic, for he knew that the amulet was the key to the Goblin throne and that whoever held it was the king. However, what Jouegh did not know, was that his brother had placed a relocation spell on the piece, and within only a few seconds of receiving it, the amulet disappeared straight out his Jouegh's hands.

He had been very angry, oh yes, but he had gotten over it since he knew that in time, the Labyrinthine kingdom would be his, no matter if his brother liked it or not.

Jouegh had learned some deep secrets from Odeon when he first visited him. It was amazing how much information you could get from a wizard when you tortured him. And now, he was going back to visit his old friend and learn what the wizard had lodged away deep within his mind, so that no one could find it. But he would discover all his secrets – he would make sure of it.

Just as he was getting ready to leave the kingdom, another person materialized before him. A faint smile played at his lips as he realized whom it was.

"Why Lila," he exclaimed when he saw her. "What a pleasant surprise that I should be graced by the Jackylsvan princess so soon."

Lila only rolled her eyes. "Don't pretend to be so happy, Jouegh. Save the sap routine. I came here to arrange the wedding date."

The king narrowed his eyes and he sighed. "Now is not the time. I have business to attend to."

But Lila didn't budge. "If we don't set this up accordingly, you will lose the planned alliance with my land, and we will start a war. This marriage will stop all that, and in order to make it look like we are doing it for my father, we need to set up a date. He will get suspicious if we do not."

"Fine, fine," Jouegh stated, finally giving in to his fiancée. "How about two days from now?"

Lila smiled at getting her way. "That shall be fine. I will inform my father immediately. He will be most pleased."

With that, Lila left and Jouegh was all set to go and finish what he had started.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Sarah lounged in her room, laying on her back in bed. She was bored, as she usually was, but she was also thinking. Things around here were a mess, and she couldn't seem to make sense of any of it. Here, in the Labyrinth, nothing was ever as it seemed. Everything was riddles and nonsensical phrases that she could never figure out. Sure, she had beaten the Labyrinth the first time she was here, but did she understand it? of course not.

She sighed as she sat up and tossed her legs over the side of the bed. There was no point in thinking too much about how and why things were: she would never come to a conclusion. Instead of wasting away her day, Sarah decided that she might as well put herself to some use and try to find something productive to do.

After she left her room, she walked down the halls, not really having a certain destination. She crossed through the throne room, noticing that no one was in there, not even a goblin. Being in here made her remember Dex and how he had helped her. Glancing around, she wondered if she could find her way back to his quarters and perhaps spend the day with him and take him around the gardens. Of course, she doubted that Jareth would be much pleased with that, but he didn't have to know, did he?

Taking a deep breath, Sarah began her attempt to retrace her steps and find the way to the previous room. Actually, Sarah found that it was quite simple to retrace her steps, since she had a particular destination in mind. It seemed as though she was not guiding her feet at all, but that they were leading her.

In no time at all, Sarah had found that familiar hallway that she had been in only yesterday. However, unlike last time, she no longer heard chirping coming from Dex's room. Instead, it was complete silence, just like the door next to it. Hesitantly, she raised her hand to the door and knocked politely on it.

"Hello?" she called lightly at the wood.

She placed he ear next to the door in order to hear any reply. When she heard none, Sarah glanced worriedly around her, thinking that something bad had happened to her friend. Hastily, she attempted to open up the door, but she remembered that there had been to doorknob. Raising her hand to the knocker, she once more banged on it, trying to make it open for her, but once again, nothing happened.

"Dex?" she yelled through the door as she continued her banging.

"Dex!" she called more frantically. Still, there was nothing. Complete and utter silence.

Behind her, a voice spoke from what it seemed to be nowhere. "All that banging and yelling will get you nowhere."

Sarah spun around immediately and looked into those mismatched eyes that she found all too unwelcome at this moment. "What the hell did you do?" she spat at him.

Jareth's mouth twisted into a smirk. "I only gave him what he deserved."

That was the end of the straw for Sarah. Within only one giant step, Sarah placed herself within mere inches of Jareth's face and she grabbed a hand full of his hair, twisting it severely.

"Tell me what you did!" she demanded as she continued to mess up his perfect look.

Jareth, however, decided that he had had enough of this madness and vanished into thin air, leaving Sarah holding absolutely nothing. She turned around on her heel, trying to find him.

Behind her, Jareth reappeared, but Sarah noticed too late. As quick as a cat, Jareth had grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her harshly too him, his eyes flashing anger.

"Do not ever," he said icily, "reprimand me like that again. Otherwise, you will be severely punished. Is that understood?"

Sarah nodded her head quickly as the pain in her arm began to spread. Then Jareth let her go, shoving her away from him, making her hit the wall behind her with a thud.

She watched as Jareth tugged his jacket back into place and his cool Goblin King mask presumed. Swallowing hard, Sarah dug up the courage to ask him, once again, about her friend.

"So… um… what did you do with Dex?" she asked sheepishly.

Jareth glared at her for a moment, and then he just shrugged carelessly. "Why don't you ask him yourself; he's in the gardens."

Just as Sarah was about to ask why he was there, Jareth vanished once again, leaving her standing alone in the empty hallway. Still wondering what was going on, Sarah continued on her way through the hall, deciding to go out to the gardens, just to see if Dex really was there as the Goblin King had said.

She found her way outside easily enough, and upon entered the gardens, Sarah looked frantically around for her friend. Then she saw him, kneeling upon the ground, appearing to be planting some sort of plant. When she saw him, her eyes gleamed with happiness, and she ran towards him, yelling his name. "Dex!"

He heard his name being called, and turned his pug-looking face to face her. When he saw that it was Sarah, he immediately rose to his feet just in time to meet her in her hug.

"Oh Dex!" she said gaily. "I'm so happy that you're alright."

As they pulled away from each other, Dex looked at her strangely. "Why would I not be alright?" he puzzled. "I am as happy as I've ever been!"

"What happened, Dex?"

Dex laughed heartily. "It was the strangest thing!" he reminisced. "I was sitting in my cell, like I normally do, and then His Majesty entered. He rarely visits me, you know, so you can imagine how surprised I was. Well, he came in, and told me that I was freed of all charges! I asked him what had changed his mind, and he said that a witness came forward to proclaim my innocence! Then, he motioned to the door and told me that I was free to go!"

After Dex had finished explaining, Sarah felt like she was going to faint. All the color rushed from her face, and turning to a nearby bench, she slumped down in it.

Dex looked at her worriedly. "What is the matter, dear Sarah?" he asked kindly.

For a moment, she didn't respond, but just sat there staring out into space, her eyes beginning to glisten.

"Sarah?" Dex asked once more, placing a large furry paw on her shoulder.

At last, Sarah turned to face him, and that was when the tears came pouring came. She turned into his shoulder as she began to babble. "Oh Dex! I was so mean to him! He didn't deserve any of it!" Dex just shushed her as he pet her head. He didn't really understand any of it, but he assumed that she was talking about the King.

Suddenly, Sarah pulled away from him and stood to her feet. Then she turned to face him as she said, "I have to go find him and apologize."

Before Dex could say anything, Sarah was already off and running, leaving him behind, shaking his head.

0o0o0ooo0oo0o00o00o0o0o

Sarah ran as fast as she could into the castle, her mind a jumbled mess. She had no clue what she would say to him if and when she found him, but what she did know was that she had to set things right. In all truth, she felt horrible about what she had done to him; she had no right to reprimand him like that when he had helped her friend. She had… oh god… she had attacked him ruthlessly, without reason, scolding him like a child. She could only imagine what that had done to him, being the proud king that he was. He must have felt humiliated. As she thought, Sarah once again felt the tears wanting to come back, but she shook her head, trying to focus on where she was going and where she would find him.

When she did in fact find him, he was sitting on his throne, his crown placed crookedly on his head, playing with a crystal by rolling it along his arm and hands. When he heard footsteps, he shot his head up instantly, but when he noticed that it was only she he looked back down at his crystal. "Oh, it's you," was all he said.

Sarah stood there, taking a moment to breathe before she spoke. "Jareth," she pleaded. "I am so sorry for what I did to you earlier. I… I was just angry and afraid that you had done something horrible to him." She stole a glance at him and noticed that he was still just playing with a crystal, appearing not to be listening. "I know that an apology cannot fix what I did, but you did not deserve any of it. You helped Dex, let him go free, and for that, both he and I are eternally grateful." She paused, trying to think of her words carefully. "In… exchange for your… generosity," she looked down at her feet, "I am willing to offer some sort of… payment for your troubles. Anything you ask of me, I will do."

This had, at last, gotten hold of Jareth's attention, and he stopped playing with his crystal to look at her. By looking at her, he could tell that this had been hard for her to do, for she was standing with her head bowed and was shuffling her feet.

"Anything?" Jareth wondered, a hint of mischief lighting his voice.

Without looking up, Sarah slowly nodded her head.

A smile lit his face as he thought of what he could make her do: absolutely anything. She could be his slave, his toy, anything. But as he thought about it more, his smile slowly faded as he realized that he could never make her do anything horrible, even though it was in his ability to do so; he had the power over her. But he could never do anything to harm her. He sighed as he placed a hand over his eyes.

"So?" asked Sarah, who was looking up at him, fear in her eyes.

Rubbing his temples, Jareth rose to his feet and then walked forwards a few steps with his hands clasped. "Alright," he finally said. "I shall strike a bargain with you."

Sarah nodded her head numbly, wondering what sort for torturous thing he would make her do.

"You," began Jareth slowly, "shall… bow."

Sarah's head shot up. "What?" she asked, disbelief in her voice.

"Has your hearing gone bad?" he responded playfully. "I want you to bow before me, like you are mine."

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure you don't want me to do anything more productive?" she asked hopefully.

"Sarah, you promised me anything, and I want you to bow before me, like you are my humble servant and subject."

"But I'm not," argued Sarah.

"Exactly!" jeered Jareth. "So let's get to it then! Bow."

"But… but… I am not your servant or slave! And you most certainly are not my king!" Sarah continued indigently.

"Sarah," reprimanded Jareth. "You promised me anything. I shall get what I want, and I want you to bow."

Sarah grumbled to herself as she slowly got down to her knees. "There," she said while she kneeled. "Happy?"

Jareth shook his finger at her. "Ah, ah, ah. All the way."

He continued to smile as Sarah once more mumbled to herself about some "stupid, vain Goblin King", and his smile only widened when she had laid herself all the way down at his feet, her arms outstretched before him. Then Jareth walked past her lowered form saying, "You may rise."

Sarah got up quickly to her feet, lightly cursing beneath her breath and rolling her eyes. She watched as Jareth stopped in the middle of the room, turning around to face her.

"I will be leaving for a couple of days," he explained. "I am visiting an old friend. Now, while I am gone, I want you to behave yourself and not get into too much trouble."

"How long will you be gone for?" asked Sarah.

"About two or three days," considered Jareth.

Sarah then continued to march forwards and as she passed Jareth, she patted him on the back saying, "Okay then, see ya!"

But before she could get too far past him, he grabbed her arm. "Sarah, I want you to promise me that you will not try escaping, or any other funny business."

Sarah grumbled something underneath her breath.

"What was that?" asked the Goblin king as he raised his eyebrows.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I promise."

A toothy grin spread across Jareth's face. "Good. I shall see you in a couple of days."

With that, Jareth transformed into an owl and flew out the window and over the Labyrinth.

You know what to do!