-1Sarah coughed through the smoke that surrounded her. As it cleared, she saw that she was once again back in the mysterious Underground. They were in the throne room, just as empty and abandon as it had been when she had rescued Toby. Its peculiarities came back to her like something from a dream, the color of the stone, the smell of the air wafting through the open windows.

"Well, little princess. What say you and I celebrate this marked return, shall we?"

Sarah turned around. Etan was standing there, now dressed in casual tights and blouse. He strode toward her as she thought of a response. He was distracting her, reminding her of the way Jareth used to needle her, as he advanced. But, something indistinct was off about him.

"Come now, don't be shy."

Sarah thought quickly. "Can I go home and find something more," she paused, allowing him to watch her hips as she moved toward him, "comfortable?"

"We have anything and everything you could possibly want here," he growled.

Sarah closed the distance between them. "But I know just what to wear. Please?" she placed a hand on his waist, repressing her urge to spit in his face.

"I can't just go back above on a whim, my precious one, because the magic needs to be connected there as it was when you, so charmingly, wished yourself into my hands." Sarah turned her head down to hide the satisfaction on her face. "But, it doesn't really matter what you wear anyway. It's what you don't wear that counts," he said in seductive tones.

Sarah pushed away from him and walked to the window. "You don't really think I'd consent to that, do you?" He said nothing, but his lusty grin fell away. "You can't go back and harm Jareth."

His face reddened. "I can have you any way I like. You're consent matters little to me."

"Ah, but it would be so much more enjoyable, would it not?" She turned around to face him. "The hunt is more fun than the kill."

"I care not for your distractions. I will have you when and how I please."

Sarah ignored him. "I offer you this: I will be civil as long as you are civil. In this way, you can pursue the chase and I shall play the part of the unbiased hunt. Do we have an accord?"

Etan studied her for a moment, then smiled knowingly. "Suit yourself. But I warn you, if I tire of your coy games, I may retract my accord and go about things my own way."

Sarah was painfully reminded of "Jareth's way", and wondered if he was alright. When she came out of her reverie, she realized Etan was standing too close now. She jumped.

"I suppose then, dear Sarah, that I should play the gentleman and show you to your rooms. You won't be going anywhere soon, so I suggest you make yourself comfortable." He placed her arm in his and she grudgingly followed him.

They wound in and out of hallways until they stopped just outside a large set of double doors. "I trust you will be comfortable here. And if you want me," he smirked, reminding her terribly of Jareth, "I sleep in the room just down there," he gestured down the dark hall. "Pleasant dreams."

With two swift movements, he bowed and shut the door behind her.

The dark room suddenly illuminated with hundreds of tiny candles mounted around walls near the ceiling, rather like stars. A simple, raised platform bed was set in the very center of the room, with pillows arranged in the middle. She could see an archway leading into what she presumed was a bathroom, and another which seemed to lead into a closet. Each was hung with a shimmering white veil that matched the tidy white of the bed. Out a large window, she could see the labyrinth stretching out to the distant hills, stars glittering overhead. There were three moons.

She sank onto the bed and gazed out over the labyrinth. "I wish I could see Jareth, right now," she whispered. Slowly, faintly, something began to shimmer before her eyes, flickering indistinctly. It gathered together, materializing into a foggy crystal. The king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl and had given her certain powers. Perhaps, this was some residue of his old magic, giving her some power here. It glowed from within, becoming stronger as she cupped it in her hand.

She could see Jareth, gingerly moving through her apartment. Even though he winced, she could see he was walking straighter, as though healing. He seemed to have no real purpose in his movements, but he had that faraway look of someone deep in that dark terrain of thought.

Fog began to cloud the crystal again. "No," Sarah murmured aloud. She cupped it helplessly, giving it a little shake. The contents swirled like water in a pond, then became clear again for a moment.

Jareth was crouched on the floor, one gloved hand to his forehead. The other was splayed on the ground. As the picture slipped in and out of focus, she could make out his former regal attire of the Underground. He stood abruptly and then the contents flashed white. Sarah stared hard, then shook the crystal again. In moments her condo came into focus but, Jareth was not there.

She was still searching the crystal when something white flashed out of the corner of her eye. She jumped up and ran to the window. She was sure she had seen it, somewhere out there on the edge of the labyrinth.

She looked back to the crystal, but it was too foggy to see anything. Finally she retired to the bed, curling up under the covers and tucking the crystal under the pillow. She was so exhausted that she fell asleep almost instantly.

…..oOo…..

When she awoke, sunlight was just streaming into the window and across the floor to her face. She rolled over, the strange and somewhat frightening memories of last night sinking into her consciousness. She slipped her hand under the pillow to bunch it and her knuckles hit the solid cool surface of the crystal. She pulled it out and gazed into it. Nothing.

A thought struck her. She balanced it on her fingers and tried to turn it the way Jareth had. It rolled limply to her lap, but a brief flash of foliage swirled through the mist. She tried again, but it was ridiculous. Every time it went careening off her arm and into a pile of pillows. But she did see more brief glimpses of a forest rather like the one in which the firies had lured her. "I wish this blasted thing would just work," she muttered, but nothing happened. She clutched it tight to her, not wanting to leave it unattended for fear of anyone else discovering it. "Then I wish it could be worn around my neck, hidden, during the day," she said with a touch of irritated sarcasm. To her surprise, it shrank to a tiny little thing and sprouted a thin silver chain that allowed it to fall between her breasts. She put it on and tucked it out of sight. Perfect.

At a loss to what was expected of her in this new world, she rose and made her way to the door, intending to wander the halls in her faded jeans and blouse from the previous day. As she reached the door, she noticed a little note sitting on a small table that she was sure had not been there before.

Sarah, please dress in something more suited to the Underground and I shall meet you for breakfast.

Etan

She left the note on the table. Cordial, she reminded herself, and went back to the place she had imagined to be a closet. She pushed aside the veil and entered a veritable cavern of dresses and clothes.

"Good God, he wasn't kidding about the clothes."

She wandered back and forth, studying the different sections of clothes, then settled on a green tunic with bell sleeves and brown pants of suede. With these she fitted riding boots and a belt. She admired her own ingenuity in a mirror that appeared to be made of polished metal like the Egyptians used so many years ago.

She slipped back out, and into the bathroom: a white marble room with what she guessed to be a shower and a sort of flushable chamber pot.

Soon enough she heard footsteps by her door and she went to open it. Etan was dressed in a fresh blue blouse and tan tights, the apparent standard for any Goblin King. She fought back the images of Jareth and tried not to think of how much she wished it was he instead of Etan there to take her to breakfast.

"Good morning, dear Sarah, I do hope you found your room satisfying."

"It was comfortable," she kept her face perfectly blank and maintained a straightforward stare.

"And so, we shall to breakfast."

…..oOo…..

Breakfast was a silent affair, as was lunch. Sarah spent her free time roaming around the castle aimlessly, occupying her mind with little stories and memories from her past. Oh, how she would have loved to run through these gardens when she was nine and full of "Prince Charming" stories. The wicked whatever left far behind in the castle, she could escape its tyranny and secretly fall in love with the prince-in-disguise that roams somewhere far out in that enchanted forest.

But, her escape from the tyranny of Etan was limited to the span between mealtimes, as she discovered when for the second time that day he startled her to bring her in for mealtime.

She had found that she was able to say absolutely nothing and he left her in peace. She feared when he would grow weary of this sustained silence and threaten to retract the agreement, but for now she was content to just wait. She slipped a finger in the neckline of her blouse and felt the chain pressed there, hidden from view. She could feel the miniature crystal rolling lightly between her breasts.

The sky was just beginning to turn orange when they stepped back into the castle. He led her to the same dining room where they had spent breakfast and lunch, though now candles covered the table and steaming plates of something lay in wait.

She politely waited for Etan to begin eating, chalking up another point of good behavior in her favor. He took a small bite, watching Sarah as she watched her lap. She could feel his eyes on her as she lifted her fork.

"So Sarah, how have you been enjoying my castle?"

"It's charming," she quickly took a forkful of vegetable.

"What have you been doing all day?"

"Walking. Thinking. Not very much really."

"What have you been thinking about?"

"Nothing important. Just little memories."

Etan watched her carefully. Sarah took advantage of the silence to take another bite.

"I suppose you've been wondering how I came to be king of this land."

She swallowed quickly, "Yes." Sarah had been wondering, but tried to limit her thoughts to ones that kept her happy and sane.

"I'm glad, because you play such an intrinsic part in the conquering." Sarah set her fork down slowly and looked at him. He was grinning in a vindictive way. "Oh yes, I don't need to tell you about the defeat of Jareth's pathetic labyrinth. You already did that for me." She swallowed. "I, who had been watching Jareth's kingdom for quite some time, finally saw a flaw in his seemingly impenetrable fortress of maze and mind: he had emotion. Affection. Attachment. He was merciful, even benevolent. He could love. All these things worked against him, you see, for with these feelings comes fear and weakness, and ultimately lead to downfall.

"Yes, you, my precious princess, weaseled through his labyrinth and wormed into his heart. Do you really think he would have done so much for you just because of some idiotic wish?" Sarah's breath caught in her chest. "You not only solved the labyrinth, but you weakened Jareth to the point of destruction. I took him down with such ease one wonders how he ever became a king in the first place. His uncle would have done better killing him when he had the chance."

Sarah tried to seem unaffected by this news, but a barrage of questions flooded her brain. Who was this Etan really? Why would Jareth's uncle have a chance to kill him? Why would he want to kill him? Who was, or is, Jareth's uncle?

"And so now, I reign this kingdom. Jareth fled to the Aboveground, the only place where I could not find him. There, he does outweigh me," his mouth became a thin line as he said it. "His magic far outstrips my own. His connections to the Aboveground gave him a safe haven. That is, until you found him and so kindly gave me the power to come up and find him myself."

Sarah drank from the water goblet, keeping her eyes off Etan as he laughed deeply. "Really Sarah, you are the perfect fit for a bride. You are the real reason I'm here at all."

Sarah bristled, but was rapidly distracted by a swelling sensation by her chest that had nothing to do with pent up rage. She glanced down inconspicuously and realized with a wave of panic that the crystal was beginning to grow.

She jumped up and stormed from the room, Etan laughing all the more. He clearly considered it a fine reaction from all his needling. Sarah found her way back to her room and locked herself inside. She pulled the now fully grown crystal from her tunic and stared at it, hoping for a sign. Of course. She had only wished it to remain hidden during the day. The stars were beginning to appear in the indigo sky, a sanguine horizon fading away to violet.

One by one, the candles in her room began to ignite and balance the fading light. She shook the crystal, but it only swirled white like fog. Again, she practiced turning the crystal, but to little avail. It seemed he was still in the forest. Now and again she could make out his figure pacing in the trees.

What took him? It had surely been more than thirteen hours, and if anyone could work through the labyrinth it would be Jareth. She jumped up into the wide window, resting her back against the still warm stone. Out over the labyrinth she gazed, her eyes resting on the large patch of dense trees in the middle.

"Oh Jareth, I'm so sorry," she said quietly, holding the crystal ever closer and fighting back the ripples of emotion that threatened to consume her.