A/N: thanks for all the reviews guys! I love every one! And I know you guys are gonna hate me cuz I didn't really answer the cliffie… you'll see what I mean… : ) so, if you really wanna know what happens, please give me a review! And enjoy the chapter! Thxs!

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Labyrinth: The Dream Never Ends

By: Eriksleadinglady

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Disclaimer: Labyrinth is not mine. Neither is Jareth… Which is sad, because I know for a fact that he would love me! After all, I'm so spectacular! Hee hee. Not really, but… as least Jouegh's mine. He is a twin to Jareth, and even if he s evil… he's nothing compared to me!

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Chapter 8: No the world is neither just nor unjust

Jareth awoke some time later, his entire body aching, including a horrible migraine beyond words and expression. Slowly he rose to his feet, but found his legs to be incredibly shaky, and he wobbled over for a moment, taking time to regain his balance. He placed a hand on a nearby tree trunk in order to steady himself before he once more tried to walk. Still, he was weak and unstable and could not function to his full capacity. Grabbing a hold of his head, he tried to concentrate in order to use his magic. Focusing as much as he could, and using what little energy he had left, Jareth attempted to create one of his crystals. But not much to his surprise, he found that he had no magic in his bones to create such an item.

Under his breath, Jareth heavily cursed his brother for doing such a horrendous thing to him. That iron had hurt like hell, no, much worse, and he remembered very vividly the treacherous thing that had been done upon his being. Iron was a very dangerous thing to be meddled with down here, but luckily for him, it was not enough to kill him. The places where Jouegh had stabbed him had healed while he slept, although some of the areas were still sore, and probably would be until he regained all his magic. The iron had rendered him without power, and now, as he surveyed his surroundings, realized that he was lost as well. He had no clue where his brother would have dropped him off at, and so Jareth, in turn, had no idea which direction to go in.

He sighed as he tried to tell which way was north. North always led to civilization, right? Or did north just lead to water? Jareth shook his head. He had never bothered to learn any survival techniques, for he had always had his magic to use to transport him to wherever. Now, however, he was deeply regretting that decision. He couldn't even turn into an owl to scout the area!

Looking about him in all directions, he decided that he would just use his basic instincts to guide him through the giant forest. After he had turned all about, Jareth concluded to go down the path that held the least amount of shrubbery, if he could consider it that.

So picking up his left foot, Jareth set off in his decided direction.

After several hours (or had it only been minutes?) Jareth found himself to be getting even more lost than he was before, if it was possible, which Jareth believed it to be so. No area or direction looked even slightly familiar to him, and he was beginning to wonder if this place was even real, or just a concoction of his imagination! Still, Jareth's resolve was high, and so he continued on in his search for finding his way out of this mess.

Multiple times along his search, Jareth found his mind wandering towards Sarah, instead if his dirty brother. It seemed that he was more worried about her well being than getting his revenge on Jouegh. Perhaps he was losing his mind after all. Or do you truly love the girl? His mind mocked. But Jareth just shook his head. Thinking about that right now would just drive him crazy and he would just keep on wondering how she felt, and if she cared for him too, instead of trying to find a way out of here.

Yes, concluded Jareth. It is better to think of a plan at a time like this instead of some silly little girl.

Continuing on along what he thought of as 'his trail', Jareth began to grow wearier and wearier by the second. It seemed as though he was still not as rested from his iron incident as he had previously hoped. Leaning against the nearest tree, he began to take in deep breaths in order to steady himself for his journey. Even though he was labored, he knew when he needed rest. Placing his back against the tree that his hand had been resting on, Jareth slumped down into a sitting position at the base.

As he sat there, he heard a rustling in the distance, like someone was walking. He could faintly hear the crunching of their boots, however, proving that whatever it was moved with great stealth. The noise was coming from behind him and he slightly turned his head, just enough to take noticed of what it was. When he saw it, he immediately rose to his feet and backed away slightly, his eyes widening with shock. Before him was an all too familiar woman, her long brown, wavy hair cascading down her back. Her features were striking, with an angular face and a voluptuous body, all together making her a very beautiful woman.

When she saw him, her mouth twisted into a sly smirk, accentuating her distinct features. "My, my," she said silkily as she advanced on Jareth. "It seems I have found myself a Goblin King."

Jareth swallowed tightly as he managed to nod his head. "Lila," he addressed curtly. His feet were beginning to feel weak and his legs shaky. He was worried that he would fall down any moment; but, luckily, he managed to gain his composure in front of her.

Her smile widened. "How nice that you remember me, after all those years, Jareth," she said as she continued to walk towards him. "We've been out of contact for so long."

"You have only yourself to blame, princess. You began to fraternize with the enemy." His eyebrows raised in accusing mockery. "That, I just could not stand for."

Lila pouted her lips. "Oh, you know I was just having fun." She stepped closer to him, her body only inches away. "Besides," she whispered in his ear, "it is you that I want."

Jareth immediately stepped away from her. "You only want what you can't have." He squared his shoulders. "Now go home, back to your soon-to-be-husband - my dear, dear brother - and leave me be."

"Now, now, Jareth, don't be so quick to send me away! I am not married to your brother just yet, you know. Besides, I am only doing it to 'make peace between our two territories' as my father puts it. But me, I am doing it to become high queen." She scoffed. "My poor father doesn't even know that I will turn against him the minute I am crowned. Though, his faith in me is very sweet, but it is greatly misplaced; he is a fool to trust me. Honestly, who would believe that I would stay honest to my father, oh great king of Jackylsvan," she continued sarcastically. "If anyone believes me of such, then they deserve whatever treachery I throw their way." She paused to look Jareth sweetly in the eyes. "But you, Goblin King, have always seen straight through me. That is what I respect you for. Pity that you have to be stubborn though. We would have been such a great match together."

She paused, waiting for him to reply, but when no words came from his mouth, Lila turned her back to him and began to slowly walk away.

"You are such a waste of good looks, Jareth, I hope you know," she called over her shoulder. "You could have anybody, anything, and yet you always settle for less. Pity."

And then she was gone. Just like that, she had come back into his life, and then she had left as quickly as she had come. But it was just as well; Jareth wanted nothing to do with that temptress. After all, he would never go for someone that was in with his brother; that sort of evil should not be trifled with.

Once he was sure that she was gone, Jareth once more slumped down against the tree, trying to get some more rest to his poor body.

His mind wandered back to Lila, thinking of how odd it was that she just happened to be out here, in the middle of the forest, just when he was here as well. It was most convenient on her part, hinting that she might have had something to do with his attack as well. It would be no surprise to Jareth if she really had helped his brother surprise him with his presence at Odeons'. But it was no matter now, for he was still lost and he was still in the dark of his present situation.

Sighing, Jareth's eyes wandered around the forest, and, as he began to look at it all even more, something struck him as slightly familiar. He narrowed his eyes as he continued to take in deep breaths and tried to remember what all this reminded him of.

Somewhere in the distance, he saw a faint blue glow emaciating from… was that a stream? or a pond? He squinted his eyes in that direction, trying to make out whatever it was. Giving in to his curiosity, Jareth slowly rose to his feet, taking a moment to regain his balance. Then he began to take trying steps towards the water, now in deep want of whatever it held.

When he reached it, his eyes widened in shock at first, and then with realization. He had heard and read about this place before, where this pool lied. It was the All-seeing pool, which could show you the future, if it wanted to. It didn't show its powers to anyone, only those that it chose or considered to be qualified for such a great thing.

Jareth eyed it carefully, wondering if he wished to see the future at all. He had always wondered what the future had held for him, but at a time like this, he wondered if he really wanted to know. Sighing his resignation, Jareth approached the pool with a wary eye, watching it to see if it would indeed show him anything.

As he approached it, he watched the pool as it began to swirl and continue to illuminate with blue light. Then, the pool began to transform from its clear blue color into a picture screen. He watched what played out before him, knowing that it was the future…

The land was a barren place, all of its previous beauty was replaced with rock and it seemed as though the sun had disappeared completely. The view turned to a castle, large and made of stone; an imposing figure of doom. It zoomed into the castle, going in through a window. Then the picture was of a man sitting on a throne, with a crown on his head, and a scepter in his hand.

It was Jouegh, divine ruler of both worlds. He sat on his throne, watching as his prisoners worked away, in and out of the castle. Then the view expanded, showing the entire expanse, and all of the creatures, large and small, good and bad, were being used to excavate and work for unknown purposes.

Then the view expanded even more, and it showed the Aboveground, which was in the darkness as well. The humans were nowhere to be seen, apparently either inside their homes, or possibly all dead. There were giant, evil creatures everywhere, keeping on eye on what was happening and making sure that all was doing what they were supposed to do.

The image then went back to Jouegh's castle, and it went beneath the surface, down into the prison cells. There, he saw Sarah, who was being held in a special case of some sort, as though she was being preserved. She was deathly pale, and her eyes were closed. She never moved from her position, but just laid there in her coffin, her hands clasped in front of her, in perhaps a deep sleep.

Then the picture moved from Sarah, and went into an adjacent cell, where Jareth saw himself sitting. He looked paler than usual, and was becoming extremely thin. Under his eyes were dark circles, causing him to look like he hadn't slept in days and was extremely famished and tired. The picture zoomed into his face, and his eyes went up, showing just how sad he was and how deep the pain went. The image followed Jareth's line of sight, and it proved that he was looking over at Sarah. There was regret, guilt, and emptiness in his eyes when he looked at her. And then he dropped his head to his chest, looking to be utterly defeated…

When the image faded away, Jareth was left looking at it, utterly bewildered and… was he frightened? This was certainly a new emotion for the Goblin King, and he wasn't quite sure what to do with it. But as he thought back on what he saw, he knew that he was indeed afraid of what lied ahead.

Worst of all, Jareth thought, was how Sarah had looked. She appeared to be dead, yet she was alive. This confused him, for why was she being kept in such a style? What had happened to her? He knew that it probably had something to do with Jouegh and that prophesy, but he still did not know what that prophecy meant; Jouegh had made sure of that. Since Jareth was not able to speak with Odeon, the one person who would know what this was all about, Jareth felt like he would be kept in the dark of what to expect and how to prevent it.

The future was not at all what Jareth had expected. He had always wondered what would come to pass if Jouegh had indeed gotten power, but what he saw was ultimately unexpected. It was a horrendous view of a world to come. Although Jareth hated what he saw in that pool, he was not completely regretful that he had seen it. Horrible as it was, it gave him a new sense of drive in order to do everything in his power to prevent that future from coming.

He turned away from the pool and began to stalk off in the opposite direction. As he was walking, he noticed something peculiar begin to rise in his bones, his blood. It felt like a breath of fresh air, and familiar air at that. Flexing his hand, he realized what it was: he had gotten his magic back. Jareth couldn't help but smile at the thought of being able to use his magic once again in order to get out of this unknown place.

Just for practice, Jareth created one of his mischievous crystals, testing it to make certain that everything was in working order; and indeed it was. Testing his energy and power, Jareth was careful to make positive that he had complete power and was ready to use a transportation spell. When he was well convinced of his state, Jareth all too eagerly used his regained magic to transport himself back to his home, his castle beyond Goblin City.

Once he was back inside his castle, safe and sure, he took in a deep breath of the refreshing, regular air, and proceeded to go directly to Sarah's room, just to double-check that she was still there and doing alright.

Sensing that using the previous transportation spell had taken a rather taxing toll on his magical abilities, Jareth decided that he would walk to Sarah's room, since it wasn't too far at all, seeing as how he had plopped himself right into the throne room. As he walked there, he had an extra bounce in his step, just being all over happy at returning to a somewhat sense of normality. The Labyrinth was his home, and even as the Goblin King that he was, he too got a little home sick sometimes.

When he reached Sarah's bedroom, he decided to knock on it instead of just barging in there, like he normally would. He waited for an answer, but when none came, he once more tried his knocking. Still, nothing replied from the other side of the door.

Shrugging his shoulders, Jareth assumed that Sarah was in the bath, like she had been on previous other occasions. So he let himself into the room and went into the bathroom, where, to his surprise, Sarah was not located. And it seemed as though the bath had not been in use for some day's time.

Narrowing his eyes, Jareth now began to wonder where that woman could have gone off to this time. Then he remembered how she loved reading books, and he decided to go and try the library. This time, since the room as located up many steps, he used a simple spell to get himself there (this one used a lot less magic, since it was so close and it was in his realm). When he got in there, Sarah was still nowhere in sight. However, he did notice that a few books and shelves had been thrown all over the place, creating quite the mess. For a moment, Jareth pondered what Sarah could have been doing in here to cause such a ruckus, but he just let it slide, knowing that Sarah did have quite the temper.

As he stood in the library, Jareth began to wonder where else she might have gone off. The gardens? Poof, he was there. Still, there was no Sarah. The kitchen? No, she was not there either.

Now, Jareth was beginning to get worried, not being able to think of anywhere else that the girl might have run off to. He wondered whether or not she was smart enough to stay out of the Labyrinth… he concluded that she was not. Then he walked over to the front of his castle, but as soon as he reached the doors, he stopped dead in his tracks.

Before him, the castle doors were flung wide open, an array of items scattered everywhere, inside and out. What worried Jareth even more, however, were the dead bodies of so many goblins lying in the path and around the doorway. He gave a moment of silence to the poor souls who had passed away here, and thanked them for giving their lives, whatever the cause may have been.

Then he redirected his attention to what possibly could have caused such a thing.

It appeared as though some sort of attack had gone here, no doubt about it. As he looked forwards even more, his eyes landed on something just by the inside of the doorway, near the front steps. He eyed it carefully as he walked towards it and noticed that it was a letter, addressed to him. Gingerly, he picked it up and ripped it open carelessly. On the inside it read:

My dearest brother:

I am sure that by now you are wondering what has happened in your own dear castle and where your precious little Sarah is. I assure you, Jareth, that she is unharmed and perfectly safe in my keeping. However, I cannot say as much about your goblins. I will not lie; I tried to kill as many of them as I possibly could. They are such pesky little vermin, always getting in the way and defending their king until the end. They are very loyal to you, though, I will give them that. Of course, they were, and are, no match for me. I do apologize if I left a mess though, that was not my intention.

My intentions, sure and true, were just to get Sarah. I do hope that by now you have at least heard of the prophecy. But I am certain that you do not know what it means, which is a terrible thing for you, I must say. And no, I will not enlighten you, not yet. That would just ruin all the fun.

I hope that my letter, besides all the other little inconveniences that I just inflicted, has found you in good health. When we meet again, I hope you will be in tip-top shape so I can prove once and for all that I am better you. Until then, my brother…

The High and Mighty,

Jouegh

After Jareth had finished reading the letter, he was thrown into a most foul mood. He was upset, indeed, that his brother had had the gall to come into his own castle and take his property, as well as kill a good multitude of his subjects; this was beyond rude. But, of course, he had expected something to happen while he was left helpless in the middle of an unrecognizable forest.

In his hand, he crumpled the letter and threw it carelessly over his shoulder. His brother would pay dearly for this atrocious act; he would make sure of it. And if Jouegh so much as harmed one single, beautiful hair on Sarah's head, Jareth would make his life a living hell. Or, he could just banish him to hell itself… yes, that sounded more like a plan.

Dun dun dun!!!! So... what happened to Sarah? Next chappie! Promise!