A/N- Hai. I'm back.

Reviews!

ThePhantomismyLove: We'll see... we'll see...(I'm not always what you would call 'kind' to my characters, so it really could go either way. XD)

Bree O'Malley: Thanks! Glad you like the story!

Savysnape7: I'm just gonna reply to all of your reviews here because I'm lazy. XD I'm really glad you like my story. And, for the junk lady, then I thought 'Well, she's fighting to keep who she is, while simultaneously running from her problems. A person as clever as her wouldn't stop there, before they got what they wanted, and felt that they had run far enough. So, basically, she would never be satisfied there, and would just keep running, anyway.' That, and it would make the story way too short and anti-climactic. XD

JustRandomPerson: Yeah, I realize that. This one's short, too, but the next one is longer, don't worry! And, no, sorry, Nova Initia isn't right for either. I will tell you that neither is in that fandom, though. Good guess, though! :D

Oh, and the conversation between Ashlyn and Jareth in this chapter is pretty much all LovelyAmberLight's idea. I just tweaked it a bit to fit what I wanted. So, major thanks to you, LovelyAmberLight!

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth.

I stood at the top of the wall, surveying the city that expanded before me, and the best possible route to the castle. Seeing so many goblins made me wary, but there was nothing I could do. Figuring that walking down the main road wouldn't bring me any less attention than winding my way through the alleyways and back roads, but it would take me to the castle sooner, I determined that that would be my course.

I leaped down from the wall, and hissed in pain when I landed wrong on my ankle. I straightened carefully, and took a few hesitant steps forward. The pain was there, but it wasn't unbearable, and I knew that I could still easily walk. So, I made for the Castle beyond the Goblin City.

The roads were cobblestone, and not at all welcoming for my tired feet. The houses all looked pretty much the same; stone, small, with wooden roofs. The goblins scurried around on their daily business, whatever that may be. Most of it appeared to be terrorizing chickens.

Speaking of which, there was one that apparently had a death wish, because it kept following me, clucking incessantly. I was about ready to start calling it 'Dinner'.

Instead, I simply walked through the quiet, stone city, throwing glares at any goblins that looked at me. Apparently, I could look quite fearsome in my tired, haggard, sick-of-this-bullshit state, my murderous glares warding off anyone, because none of them bothered me.

"You remind me of your aunt," Jareth's voice caught my attention. The chicken squawked in terror, and fled. He was leaning up against a statue of himself, arms folded and knee bent with his foot resting on the stone behind him. "You both can be quite surprising."

"Go away," I kept walking. I was almost there at this point. There was no way this bastard was stopping me now. I just wanted this to be over. My feet were sore. My legs ached. And the last thing I wanted to do was to talk about my late aunt Sarah, especially with the man..er... goblin… thing who betrayed her.

Jareth stiffened, but kept his features under control. It was probably a rare thing for someone to dare give him an order, especially a fifteen-year-old mortal girl. He shrugged off his statue, and appeared in front of me, but I simply brushed past him.

"She loved you," I accused.

"Did she?" Jareth voice sounded almost bored.

I whirled around, ready to give the monarch a piece of my mind. And possibly an introduction to my fist. But when I turned to face him, he wasn't there. I sighed, though it sounded quite reminiscent of a growl, and turn back only to come face to face with the king. I let out a small shriek at the start, something that I would deny until the day I died.

Jareth tipped his head to the side, watching me. I simply stood, glowering at him. He smirked, knowing he'd put me on edge.

"Y... Yes," I recovered. "She did." I moved around the King. "And you just let her die. If you'd brought her here..."

"She didn't wish herself away."

I stopped. Pausing, I let his words sink in. "You... you can't bring someone here." I turned around. "Without a wish?" I finished.

"Correct."

"Well, I wish you'd taken my Aunt Sarah away right before the doctor's said she had cancer."

Jareth laughed. "And what good would that do?" he asked. "You'd only run the labyrinth to get her back. You would have cheated just like you've been cheating. You'd never have let her become one of us." The Goblin King grimaced. "Pointless." He waved his hand in the air like he was waving away the conversation. "No matter," he pronounced. "What's done is done. It's too late now."

He stepped uncomfortably close to me. I stepped back, bumping into a house behind me. Jareth leaned in close. "Why should I worry about Sarah," he asked me, "when I have you?" The monarch looked me in the eyes. "And what a lovely goblin you'll make."

In a puff of glitter, the king was gone, leaving me with a roller coaster of emotions.

My breathing sped up. I could feel my grief trying to force me into crying, but I refused, shoving back the sobs trying to force their way out of my throat. Aunt Sarah was gone. Gone! The tears I had been fighting broke loose, and started running down my cheeks.

"It's not fair!" I shouted, kicking a nearby stone. This behavior was really unlike me, but I didn't care. "If he'd promised not to turn aunt Sarah into a goblin," I whispered, voice hoarse, "I'd forfeit running for her."

Or I'd take her place. I thought to myself. I took a deep breath, stood up tall, and wiped the tears off my cheeks. "I'm not going to end up a goblin," I pronounced, remembering the king's taunt. "I might want to live here, but he is not going to have power over me."

I started down the stony road once more. I moved quickly, with new vigor in my steps.

(Third Person POV)

Hidden nearby Jareth watched the runner in one of his crystals. He was smiling. "We'll see, little Williams. We'll see." The crystal popped, leaving the area empty. The king had work to do. He had been far too generous with the human.

A/N-Yes, I realize this chapter is short. But, don't worry, the next chapter will be up in a few hours at most. You're welcome.

Haha, I just realized that I forgot to give you my hint last chapter. So, here it is:

One of the two is my third-newest story. The other one is an anagram, and I'm not giving you a hint for it. Because there are ton of sites that solve anagrams. :D Goodluck!

Yeah, that's all. Fave, follow, review, and PM me!