Chapter Three

"What do you mean her husband? You said you were her husband," Rose said.

"I am," Jareth said.

"Then how could her husband take your daughter?"

"Nari and I had been friends since childhood. We did everything together. When we were at school..."

"You went to school?"

"Of course he did. He didn't learn how to be the Goblin King from the Dummy's Guide to Goblin Magic," the Doctor teased and she gently shoved him.

"You're being rude."

"I am?"

"...May I continue?" Jareth asked

"See, THIS is why Sarah left!"

"STOP SAYING HER NAME!"

"Sorry," the Doctor said with a hurt look on his face.

"When we were at school, we met Nol. Like Nari, Nol was fey or fairy. He was my best friend. Then, when we were sixteen, war broke out between Nol's kingdom and Nari's. It was hard not to pick sides, but I loved Nari. It was decided that marriage was the only way to stop the war and Nari married Nol. Nol did love her and knew who she really wanted to be with. She would come here, where she felt loved and wanted, and I treated her like a queen. This made my mother very angry, but we didn't care. After I became king, a war broke out and she told me she had to go back to Nol. I didn't want her to leave, but she did. That was around the time... It was when..."

"Why did you take that little boy?" Rose asked.

"I had my reasons. One was I was very lonely. The other was I needed an heir. Another was I was just tired of this life. Nari and I had talked about just disappearing. Finding a little village and settling down. There are places on your world where we could do that."

"But you fell in love with Sarah," the Doctor said.

"THAT was an accident!"

"What happened?" Rose asked.

"The war ended and Nari came to me in tears. She said that Nol had been reported killed in battle and I told her that she could stay here. We asked The Great Queen and King of The Fey to void their marriage and they did. We were married eight years ago and were happy. When Nari told me that she was going to have my child, I was so full of love that I thought my heart would burst."

"Then she died."

"Yes. It was at her funeral that we got a shock. Nol arrived and was insane. He had been captured and tortured, but had escaped. He went into a rage when he saw that Nari was dead. He told me that he was going to take back what he thought was his."

"Your daughter?" the Doctor asked.

"I think so. I mean what else did I have that he didn't? Nari was dead. He went back to his kingdom and now he's taken my daughter!" Jareth said then staggered to one side and Rose caught him.

"Easy," Rose said as she helped Jareth up the stairs and helped him lay down on the bed. The Doctor followed them when he sat on the bed and checked Jareth's pulse. "How is he?"

The Doctor got up when they walked to one side of the room and she looked into his eyes.

"I think he's dying," the Doctor whispered.

"What's he dying from?" Rose whispered.

"I think he's giving up. Without his wife and child, he has nothing to live for."

"Then we have to help him."

"Jareth, do you know where Nol is?" the Doctor asked, looking at him.

"Yes," Jareth said when he tried to sit up, but the Doctor had walked back to the bed and gently held him down.

"Don't move. Tell me where he is and I'll go get your daughter back."

"I'm that bad, eh?"

"No!" the Doctor said, elongating the "o".

"Don't try to trick me, Doctor, I know I'm dying," Jareth said and the Doctor sighed. "There is a map over there."

The Doctor got up when he walked to the desk and picked the map off the desk. He placed on the black framed glasses as he looked at the map and Rose stood next to him.

"Can't you just wave your hands and send us there?" Rose asked.

"I would if I was strong enough. He has his kingdom guarded with runes and spells. I also could have flown there myself, but the winds around the castle are too wild."

"We'll go in the morning," the Doctor said, taking the glasses off and placed them in the pocket. Rose looked at him when she saw the anger in the Doctor's eyes and she frowned.

Rose looked at her reflection in the mirror as she smiled and twirled around in a circle. Jareth had given her a room that looked like it came out of a fairy tale and the nightgown was so warm and soft. She turned around when she looked at the four poster bed and it had a blue canopy over the top. She walked to the bed when she moved the dark blue duvet back and slid under the duvet. Lying down, she moved the duvet up and the torches on the walls went down. The room was dark while she lying on her back and listened to the castle. The walls seem to whisper a soft lullaby as she sighed and closed her eyes, rolling onto her right side.

Suddenly a sound made her open her eyes as she sat up and looked into the darkness. Something moved in the shadows as she looked around and reached over for a candle. She felt something touch her hand when she jumped then screamed and something screamed back. The door to the room opened as the Doctor, wearing a white night shirt, ran inside the room and held the sonic screwdriver in his hand. Rose could see the blue light of the tip in the semi darkness as he came inside the room and something ran passed him.

"What was that?" Rose asked, pulling the duvet around her waist. The Doctor closed and locked the door as he walked to the bed and the torches flickered up, lighting the room in a warm glow. He checked under the bed, in the wardrobe, behind and under every piece of furniture then closed the curtains, carefully walked to the bed and sat on the bed, placing the sonic screwdriver on the table. Rose looked at the nightshirt as she tried not to smile and he brushed some of his hair back.

"Goblins," the Doctor said as he took her hand and wrapped her fingers in his. "Are you alright?"

"No!"

"Want me to stay with you?"

Rose was stunned, but she knew she was also scared and nodded. The Doctor slowly got up when he walked around to the other side of the bed and laid on top of the duvet. He snuggled closer as she looked at him and he brushed the hair from her face.

"Aren't you going to get cold?" Rose asked and he shook his head. She felt him slowly place an arm around her as they went head to head and she closed her eyes. He gently stroked her hair as she drifted off to sleep and he looked at her, closing his eyes and went to sleep himself.

Mirror looked into the crystal as he watched the Doctor and Rose sleeping and a growl filled the darkness. Mirror sat in the semi dark throne room as his left leg hung over the arm of the throne and the leg swung back and forth.

"So, Jareth sent for the Doctor, did he?" Mirror growled then shook the crystal and the TARDIS appeared. "Let's see how far he gets without this!"

Mirror waved his right hand over the crystal as the TARDIS vanished then reappeared in the crystal and he smiled. Mirror got up off the throne as he walked to the shelves and placed the crystal on the holder sitting on the shelf. Mirror laughed as he left the room and the doors closed slowly behind him.

The bedroom became brighter when Rose sighed and snuggled closer to the Doctor, placing her head on his chest. She started waking up when she heard the soft beating of his hearts and she opened her eyes. She watched the shadows on the wall as she smiled then cupped her mouth when his stomach made a loud gurgling noise. She gently tapped her fingers in time with his hearts when he placed her hand against his chest and she looked up at him. The Doctor sighed then slowly opened his eyes, looking at her.

"Good morning," the Doctor said with a yawn.

"Morning," Rose said as she sat up and he smiled at her. "What?"

"Well, yesterday you screamed when I saw you first thing in the morning," the Doctor teased and she laughed.

"Yesterday, I looked like a witch!"

Rose got out of bed and noticed a tub was sitting in one corner of the room. The Doctor looked at it then at her when he got out of bed, picked up the sonic screwdriver off the table and walked to the door.

"Doctor?"

"Yes?" the Doctor asked, stopping at the door.

"Thanks," Rose said as he smiled then left the room and closed the door.

"You're welcome," the Doctor whispered as he touched the door then walked down the hallway.

Rose and the Doctor walked out of the labyrinth when they looked at the hill and Hoggle walked closer.

"Right, Hoggle, I want you to take good care of Jareth," the Doctor said and Hoggle grunted.

"Why should I? He doesn't give a fig about me," Hoggle growled.

"Because it's a nice thing to do and because I said so!" the Doctor said as he locked eyes with Hoggle and crossed his arms across his chest. Hoggle shook then nodded as he went inside the labyrinth and Rose took the Doctor's hand. The Doctor led the way as they walked along the path to where the TARDIS was parked then stopped seeing it wasn't there.

"What?"

"Where did the TARDIS go?" Rose asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor said when something tapped his right leg and he looked down then smiled. "Well, hello."

Sir Didymus was a small fox with red and white fur and wearing a cavalier's outfit with an eye patch over his right eye. He was sitting on Ambrosius , the sheepdog and Rose smiled.

"Aw, it's so cute!" Rose said.

"Cute? I am anything, but cute, Young Lady!" Sir Didymus said.

"Sorry."

"Rose Tyler, this is Sir Didymus," the Doctor said and Sir Didymus looked at him.

"You seem to know me, Sir, but I do not know you," Sir Didymus said.

"Oh, sorry, I am the Doctor."

"You are?"

"Yes," he Doctor said, kneeling down and Ambrosius sniffed his hand. Ambrosius ruffed and wagged its tail as The Doctor patted the fur then stood up.

"Well, seeing how Ambrosius knows you. What can I do for you, Doctor?"

"We seem to have misplaced my ship. Have you seen a large blue box about this tall? It was sitting right here."

"No, I haven't."

"Wonderful. Now how are we going to go rescue Jareth's daughter?"

"Someone has snatched Princess Zeeni!?"

"Is that her name? Jareth didn't tell us. Yes, someone took her."

"Then we will go with you to get her back!"

"Alright," the Doctor said when he took out the map and looked at it. He looked around when he nodded and placed the map away in his pocket. "Guess we'll go that way."

The Doctor took Rose's hand as they headed down the hill and the clouds moved slowly across the sky.