AN: Sorry this chapter took so long. My grandma was in the hospital. Ambulances and everything. Turns out, it was treatable, but it took a while to figure it out. She's home and doing fine, now. Thanks for your patience! And sorry about the overlaps in the POV's. I hate changing POV in a story, it screws up my characterization, but it was necessary here. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own, yada yada yada. Except Raiko, Leslie, and the troll. On with the story!

Voices were speaking and they stirred me awake. It was dark still and I was extremely irritated, especially because of the headache I had. I knew I'd drank a lot last night, but I didn't realize I'd had that much. I listened for a moment, gathering my strength to get up and ready for school. Now that I was awake, there was no point in falling back asleep.

"She's here, my lord. I found her," it sounded like Igor from Frankenstein…

I wondered if Les had left the TV on again…

"So you have her? Is she conscious, yet?" The deep voice was full of unspoken secrets and dark promises.

"No, not yet, but she should be, soon."

"Good, insure that she doesn't escape. We wouldn't want our champion running off, now, would we?"

"Yes, my lord. I mean, no, my lord."

I felt my lips twitch at the corniness of the movie. Who groveled like that anymore?

"So, I see you're awake… Good, that means we can begin," spoke the Igor voice.

"I'll be there shortly," said the other.

I opened my eyes and moved to get up and turn the TV off, but found to my horror a grotesque monster leaning over me. I swallowed a scream, refusing to voice my terror. Instead, I found my eyes narrowing, "What do you want?"

The thing laughed.

LPOV

I sat on the couch, for once up before Sarah, feeling slightly guilty for the way I had interrogated her in front of Jareth a few days before. Usually, I wasn't the kind of person who did that, but Jareth had enlisted my help and I couldn't say no. He was good for Sarah, whether she admitted it or not. He wanted me to play the bad-guy, so he could be the good-guy. It was irritating, but so was her dancing around the topic of being in-love with him. I sighed, remembering the betrayed look she had sent me after I finished with them. She probably didn't even realize she had done it.

If that kiss in the hallway was any indication, progress was being made, though. A few years ago, she'd hardly considered a first date with a guy, but now she was kissing him in public. That was a long ways to go for it. While pondering this, I suddenly got an awful feeling and knew without a doubt that something was wrong with Sarah. I checked her room, and after seeing that she wasn't there, slipped on my shoes and went to get Jareth. Over the weekend, he'd showed Sarah and I his house, so I knew where to go. I opened the front door to leave and jumped to find him already there.

"Sarah's—"

"In trouble, I know. Where was she last?" he demanded, tapping his foot.

JPOV

I waited impatiently for her answer, but it came faster than I expected, "In her room, laying on the bed. But she's not anymore."

I brushed past her immediately, knowing that there would be something left that only I could find. Whoever took her would be sure of that. Sure enough, the moment I walked through the door, I found the object, tainted slightly with Fae magic. I grasped it and felt the magic crawl up my spine, causing an automatic shiver. They had used one of the lesser Fae to plant this and steal Sarah. Of course, that in itself told me something. It was a Fae I knew, one who's power signature I would recognize. I growled and focused on the object. It was imprinted with the rules of my own game. I had to choose to solve a labyrinth or to give Sarah over to them. If I chose the first, I would have thirteen hours to solve it, but if I failed, my own Labyrinth would no longer obey me. She was the greatest in the land and tied to my will, because I had beaten her. If I were to let a lesser maze defeat me, she would no longer respect me.

The second part hit me; if I controlled the Labyrinth because I had beat her, so too did Sarah, but with no knowledge or experience, they could manipulate her. I had to run the labyrinth, not that any thought besides that crossed my mind, but I now had a second reason to do so, one more politically acceptable should it go to the High Fae Court. Grimacing, I gathered my power and formed a crystal, placing it on the snowglobe I'd picked up. Within an instant, both were gone. I had accepted the challenge. I turned on my heel, making up an excuse as I did, ready to tell Leslie.

"I'm coming with you," She spoke the moment I walked out of the room.

"Absolutely not," my voice was hard. The last thing I needed was a mortal tagging along. There was more to the maze I'd be running than met the eye and I needed to be on my toes.

She stood to her full height and something in her eyes changed as her features hardened, "Goblin King, I'm coming with you."

SPOV

The thing laughed and something in me snapped, "I suggest you do as I say. You appear to be a lesser creature, so I doubt that you will be extremely valuable to your master. He could probably find a hundred more like you. If he wants me to cooperate, I will demand a few things in return and one of them could easily be your death, so I suggest you stop playing tough." My voice was cold and low, almost a hiss. The thing swallowed its laughter.

"You are just a mortal. You have no sway with my lord."

Memories were coming back at the word 'mortal.' Something from that night….

The party was winding down and everyone but my three closest friends had gone home. "Sarah…" Hoggle sounded sad, "I guess this is goodbye….."

"For now, yes," I was slightly sad at the thought, as well, but I couldn't understand why the trio looked so down.

"No, fair lady. It is quite probably good bye for ever…. Your memories of us shall fade and you will go on with your life as usual… the Lady Labyrinth will see to that."

"Don't be silly," I shook my head, "How could I ever forget you! How could I ever forget any of you! I'll remember, it's impossible not to."

"Sarah…" hoggle sighed, "just remember, should you ever need us… please, don't hesitate to call."

I nodded happily, glad that they were dropping the nonsense of not remembering. We said our goodbyes and they faded away as they touched my mirror, their reflections lingering slightly longer than they.

I held back a gasp as I came to myself again, focusing and cataloging, storing it away to ponder later and thinking about the present. This thing looming over me was a fae, probably from the troll class. That would explain the stench. I couldn't help but stare at it while I reconciled myself to the fact that all my fairy tales were real, not just the ones I'd experienced. Suddenly, the words to the song came floating through my head, 'I'll paint you mornings of gold, I'll spin you valentine evenings, though we're strangers till now…'

I focused on them, thinking of Jareth. A shock went through my system as I encountered a barrier and couldn't remember the rest of the words. I cried out in pain at the feeling of my heart being severed in two and noticed the troll leering at me.

LPOV

There was always something about him, something I couldn't place my finger on, but now I knew. Sarah's book was real, probably planted by Jareth himself. My head was reeling as I felt his power, suddenly and without warning. He could crush me without a thought and I would be powerless to stop him.

He walked out of Sarah's bedroom and I spoke before I lost my nerve, "I'm coming with you."

"Absolutely not."

He wasn't going to compromise, so I played my trump card. I stood as tall as I could and thought of helping Sarah, feeling my jaw harden, "Goblin King, I'm coming with you."

His eyes widened and I had a moment to enjoy it before he asked a simple question, "Why do you call me that?"

"Because it is your title…" I was confused, why else would I call him that? Another question, how did I know that?

"How do you know that, though?" He asked the very question running through my mind.

"I just do. When I look at you, I know there's something weird about you and just then, when you walked out of Sar's room, I knew who you were," I said, not sure if that would make any sense to him.

He stared at me for a moment, then nodded sharply, "Then let's go."

"I can come?" I was a little shocked, thinking that he would ditch me anyways.

"yes. Let's go," He tossed me a crystal and the moment I caught it, I knew I was supposed to focus on what I would wear. I thought of armor, something I had idly designed a few weeks ago. It was light and flexible, but sturdy. I didn't know what it was made out of, but it fit me like a glove. I looked down at it in amazement. Before I could say anything, he grabbed my arm and we disappeared. I felt a slight wave of vertigo and we were in a giant stone room.

"where are we?" my voice came out confident and I was thankful.

"In my throne room. We have to gather a few things before we set out for the—" He doubled over suddenly, his jaw clenched and eyes squeezed shut.

JPOV

She was Fae… That explained the phrase 'above or below' that she had used. Her mother must be part Fae. She could find Sarah if I took her with me. They would have blocked my connection to her, because she didn't fully understand what it was, so she couldn't keep it strong. But this girl could find her…. I nodded sharply, "Then let's go."

"I can come?" she sounded surprised.

"yes. Let's go," I tossed her a crystal and the moment she caught it, it popped and she was dressed in light, sturdy armor, fit for running a maze. I caught her arm and we disappeared. We appeared in my throne room.

I was mentally categorizing the objects we would need. She would need a weapon and something to strengthen her latent abilities for a time. I would need to speak with my Labyrinth and see if she knew anything about Sarah's whereabouts. I began to explain this to Leslie when a ripping pain shot through my body, tearing me in two. I doubled over, clenching my jaw and closing my eyes. I heard the girl gasp, but focused on the pain. She was trying to invoke our bond, but they had blocked it, just as I suspected. Through the haze of agony, I could feel her nearby. I knew she was in as much pain as I, because she had made it double-sided.

The pain ceased after a moment, probably when she was unable to focus anymore, and I forced myself to straighten up instead of collapsing onto the floor as I wanted. I forced my jaw open so I could get in air. Opening my eyes, I spied Leslie standing in front of me, her hands on my arms, "Are you okay? Is Sarah okay?"

She sounded surprisingly calm and I nodded, "Yes and no. I'll explain it to you as we move."

She didn't ask questions and simply followed me to my throne.

LPOV

I followed him quickly. He sat in the throne and indicated I stand by him. Then, he conjured a crystal and tossed it down. A short, scabby man appeared, obviously in the middle of something, because he had a rake and shovel. A fox with an eyepatch and a sword also appeared, riding a dog that bore a striking resemblance to Sarah's childhood pet, Merlin.

"Hoggle," Jareth spoke and the scabby man's eyes snapped to him, "I need you to watch over my kingdom for me. Our lady is in danger and I must rescue her, but I can't take more than one person effectively and this woman has claimed that right." He spoke quickly, but calmly, and I was surprised at how uneventful he made it all sound.

Hoggle nodded quickly, "Do whatever you have to, Jareth. Bring Sarah back in one piece."

Jareth nodded sharply, then stood with a sweep of his cloak, "Sir Didymus, come with me." He grabbed the two of us and transported us to an armory.

The fox, Sir Didymus, immediately moved to the sword rack, "This is what you'll need, something sturdy and light." He handed the sword to Jareth and glanced over at me, "You'll need one of these," he moved to a different rack and pulled a bow, cocking his head at me, "because I suspect your mother was of the woods. You have that look to you."

He handed me the bow and immediately set off to another section, muttering something about strengthening abilities. I glanced at Jareth, "Explain."

He nodded quickly, moving to belt on the sword, "years ago, Sarah wished away Toby. She ran my labyrinth and for the first time in several hundred years, my labyrinth was defeated. I was the last to defeat it and I'd fallen in-love with Sarah, doing something that I probably shouldn't have at the time. I sang her a fae bonding song. After she defeated the labyrinth, she made her forget."

I interrupted, "Who's she? Sarah?"

"no, my Labyrinth. She wanted to give me a chance at happiness. Sarah forgot her adventure here and at the time, was just on the threshold of womanhood and childhood. I couldn't keep her at the time, so I reluctantly let her go. It took me a while to pull myself together and find her again, for by leaving my lands, she rejected my bond and you can't imagine the pain that causes. I went aboveground to woo her and try to get her memories to resurface. It was working and when she sang to me, she unknowingly accepted the bond, tying herself to me as tightly as I'd tied myself to her years previously." We were walking after the fox, now, "Right as she remembered her time here, one of the fae I've met took her. They sent someone less powerful so I wouldn't recognize them and left me a challenge, a challenge to run a labyrinth.

"If I win against the labyrinth, I get Sarah back. If I lose, my own Labyrinth, being the greatest in the land, will no longer respect me for losing to a lesser maze, and will shun my power. If I refuse to run their labyrinth, they keep Sarah, who has also beaten my Labyrinth and therefore has control over it, as much as I do. At the time, she will obey Sarah in the same way she obeys me. Sarah has accepted my bond and in the Labyrinth's eyes, she is my equal and technically, my queen."

My eyes widened, "So, basically, you married Sarah without her knowledge and now they can force her into manipulating your Labyrinth, which you will lose control of if you lose their game."

He nodded, "Essentially. Sir Didymus! Have you found what we need?"

He rode back into view, "Here, my lord." He held out a small pouch and Jareth took it, handing it to me.

"What's this?"

"A way to enhance your natural abilities, since we don't have time to teach you finesse. Take this and do what comes naturally if you have the urge to do something you've never tried before.

Once more, Jareth reached for my arm and we disappeared. We were suddenly at the gate of his Labyrinth and he placed a hand on it, eyes slipping closed. After a few moments, impatience set in and I grit my teeth, focusing on Sarah and knowing Jareth was trying to find her.

SPOV

Panting, I let go of the words and immediately, the pain went away. The troll cackled again and I glared as I felt someone else in the room, another fae, and I changed my tactic, "Alright. What the fuck is going on here?"

Deep masculine laughter came from the darkness and I turned my glare in that direction, "My dear Sarah—"

"I'm not yours," I cut them off before they could get past it and then stayed quiet, waiting for the rest.

"by now, you've probably realized where you are…" it sounded slightly irritated.

I shook my head, intending to keep all my cards close and play the bitchy ditz to cover how scared I was and how much I knew, "No idea. If this is someone's idea of a joke, it's not funny."

"You are underground."

I raised an eyebrow slightly, glancing around, "Doesn't look like a tomb to me. In fact, I can see sky… right through that window. If you're going to play a prank, you might want to be a little more thorough next time, guys!" I yelled the last part, as though I thought someone was watching from somewhere, laughing.

Someone stepped from the shadows, "Sarah, stop playing these games. You know very well where you are…"

I sighed, glancing over at the sky, "I swear to God, it's not funny after the first initial panic attack."

"Look at me, Sarah."

I glanced over to see a breathtakingly handsome man standing before me. While Jareth was pale and ethereal, this man was the tall, dark, and handsome type. He had black hair, dark eyes, and his skin tone was almost chocolate colored. A few years, even a few months ago, I would have loved to flirt with him, but now, all I felt was distaste. Still, I let that small part of my mind govern me, the part that seemed to know what to do in this situation, even though listening to it made my heart ache, "Whoa. Hi there…"

The man chuckled, "I need you to do something for me, Sarah."

I smiled suggestively, "What kinda somethin'?"

He ran his eyes over me appreciatively and I forced down an angry blush, "I need you to help me defeat the Goblin King."

I felt my eyebrows draw together, even as alarm bells went off in my head, "Who? Is this some kind of RPG?"

The man sighed, "I know not what an RPG is… explain, please."

"Ohhh, so we're set before RPG's were invented. Got it. I can do that. Ummm, so what year is it? I need to know so I can act better," I said excitedly.

He looked at me, puzzled, "you really don't remember a thing, do you?"

I shook my head, "No. I don't know what you're talking about. I remember falling asleep in the cab and waking up here. I must have had waaay too much to drink last night… That would explain the headache and lack of concentration. That's the last time I go clubbing with them. Anyways, can you please explain who's who? I mean, I gotta know if I'm a hostage or a princess in a tower. If I'm a hostage, who've I been taken from? You know? And beyond that, are you the good guy or the bad guy? I mean, judging from this 'minion' here," I added air quotations and pointed at the troll, "I'd say you're probably supposed to be a badguy… but whatever. I've seen worse. Seriously, I just wanna go home, take a few aspirin, and go to bed."

He stared for a moment and the part of me I didn't usually listen to was guiding me and cheering at the blank look on his face even as the sensation of being pulled in half increased. A small bit of clarity came over him and he smiled genuinely, or at least, what would have been genuinely if I didn't know the truth. He dropped his voice and spoke as though he was breaking character, "I'm the good-guy, the Goblin King is the bad-guy. You're the love of my life and I'm trying to protect you from his evil intentions. The 'minion,'" I nearly laughed as he did the air quotations, "has been enchanted to look that way and wants revenge on the evil king for it."

I nodded, "I can work with that. Why does the Goblin King want me?"

He smiled, "Because you are gorgeous and powerful."

I let a slight blush creep into my cheeks, "You don't have to say that."

He winked, voice still deep, "oh, but I'm glad to. You are perfect in every way, dear Sarah."

I noticed that he hadn't said 'my' Sarah and held back a smirk, "So, what kind of power? Are we talking, like armies worth of power or more strategic and diplomatic ability?"

"neither. You have magical powers that allow you to control the area in your kingdom. You have a magical Labyrinth that obeys your every command and right now, the evil king is trekking through it, trying to reach and claim you. If he makes it here in thirteen hours, we have no choice but to do his bidding and give up your power and my claim on you."

I grinned stupidly, wishing I had bubblegum to pop and complete the image, "Epic. So, how do I control these 'magic powers'?"

"Simple, you speak aloud to the labyrinth, telling it that you want the Goblin King to die in her clutches."

I raised an eyebrow and made a small sound of distaste, deciding to go all out. The odds were pretty high he'd never seen 'Mean girls,' "Isn't that a little melodramatic? I mean, like, if he is just detained for thirteen hours, wouldn't that, like, do the same thing? I mean, really. Killing him?"

He rolled his eyes, "Fine. Detain him then."

I nodded, "I can do that. Sorry for, like, dissing on your idea, dude. especially if you wrote the script."

He growled, "Just do it."

I raised my hands and rolled my eyes, "Fine, fine! Want me to get dramatic?"

He nodded, "Of course."

I winked and threw my hands in the air, "Labyrinth, heed my command and detain the Goblin King for thirteen hours or until he dies!" Lightning cracked and I jumped, then laughed, "Nice special effects there."

Suddenly, a confused voice sounded in my mind, "You wish your lover to fail?"

I barely managed to refrain from jumping, replying silently, "No. I wish to keep myself alive and hope that Jareth makes it to me before this man does me harm."

"So, am I to ignore the previous order?"

"Not entirely. Make it difficult, but insure that he will survive and make it here in time. I want no suspicions being cast upon my beliefs and memory."

"As you command."

The exchange took less than a second, being more in images and emotions than words, and I snapped back to reality, "So, in the mean time, what are we supposed to do? I mean, if we're together, that means you are trying to, like, protect me, right?"

He nodded, "After the Goblin King fails, you are to become queen of your land. He recently killed your parents and as a result, you have had no time to ascend to your throne."

I nodded, "So, what's your name? I'm gonna need to know it for the game."

He smiled, "My name is Raiko and I want you, Sarah."

I blushed again, wondering why he was being so bold. "Raiko… How long have we been, you know, together?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Sarah, we are betrothed. We were supposed to be married today, but the Goblin King forced us into hiding. Tonight was to be our wedding night."

I looked away, "Are they expecting us to, like, act it out? Because I won't go that far with people watching. It's just gross and I'm so not that kinda girl."

He laughed lowly, the sound sending a disturbing tingle up my spine, "No. But they do expect us to act a little friendlier towards each other. For example, relax a little when I come to sit with you."

I did as he said, leaning lightly against him when he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Do you want me to, like, play my part now or has the game not started yet?"

"Oh, it's started, alright. They've been focusing mainly on the Goblin King, so I've had time to answer your questions. Now, they'll come back to us, so play your part and don't ask questions or you'll ruin the realism of it."

I nodded, then shuddered, "Just don't, like, call me pet names? I totally hate pet names."

He laughed, "Of cour—" he seemed to cut himself off and I knew he was pretending the cameras were on us.

I snuggled closer, "I'm, like, scared, Raiko… What if he, like, makes it through, despite my efforts?"

He pulled me into his arms and I forced myself not to cringe, "Don't worry, Sarah. I'll kill him before I'll let him take you."

I hugged him tightly, "I don't want you to, like, actually fight him…"

"I know. Relax, Sarah. This was supposed to be a night of joy. Focus on here and now."

I nodded and snuggled closer, not surprised, but stifling a shudder when his hand ran up and down my back.

JPOV

After a few moments of conversing with my labyrinth, I became frustrated, "What do you mean you won't tell me where Sarah is?"

"Because, my king, that is part of the challenge. Once you enter, I can no longer help you. I must hinder you."

"What are you saying?"

"My queen has ordered me to slow your progress."

Clarity washed over me, "You mean Sarah is somewhere within you?"

"Yes, my king."

"And she's ordered you to keep me away?"

"yes, my king."

"Has she been hurt?"

Her outrage rippled through me, "Of course not, my king. I would never allow my queen harm while within me. Even when she was a mere runner I would not harm her!"

"I apologize. I was simply inquiring as to whether her captors had wounded her in order to command you."

"no, my king. She pretends to be unaware of the situation, in order to keep herself safe. I must make it difficult for you in order to insure that safety."

"Where is she within you?"

"I cannot tell you that, my king. You have become a runner, but you know the ways through me, so I am unable to tell you. Use the girl."

I was about to ask exactly what she meant when her doors opened. I glanced back at Leslie, a grimace forming over my face, "We have to go, now. The moment I step within the labyrinth is when the timer starts. We have thirteen hours to beat her or I am unable to enter my kingdom."

"Let's go, then."

I nodded sharply and gestured her in before me.

AN: R&R, please! It makes it so much easier to write. You guys are the only reason I'm continuing this story.