"Toby?" Sarah gaped in shock. "Toby is the one who can defeat the Agnostic?!"
"It would appear that that's the case," Wayne confirmed.
"But…that would mean we have to let Toby get consumed by that thing!" Sarah cried. "You're saying we have to endanger Toby's life?"
"No," Stacey insisted. "Sarah, I promise you, I would never ask you or Toby to put your lives in danger."
"Then what are you suggesting? The only way to defeat the Agnostic is by destroying it from the inside. And if Toby is the only one who can do it….."
Sarah's words trailed off when Stacey knelt in front of her and Toby. Wordlessly, she conjured up a crystal ball in her hand.
"There's something I haven't mentioned," Stacey explained, her eyes focused on the crystal she was holding. "I just didn't think it was relevant. But, the day before my coronation, I was studying some old scrolls from the castle's archives. One of them contained a spell of some kind. I believe it could help us now."
"What sort of spell was this?" Sir Didymus asked.
"It was a bit like astral projection. According to the scroll, this spell could temporary transfer your consciousness to a random object. Obviously, it's a risky spell, as it would leave your actual body vulnerable. So I never got the chance to practice it before today. But….perhaps, I could utilize it now and transfer Toby's consciousness into this crystal. Only temporarily, of course. That way, Toby's innocent spirit would be able to enter the Agnostic while his actual body remained safe from harm."
"Would that work?" Hoggle inquired, his eyes wide.
"In theory," Stacey allowed with a shrug. "It's really the only plan we have, though. But it's up to you and Toby, Sarah. I won't force either of you to go along with the idea if you feel it puts your brother at risk."
For a moment, Sarah remained silent, as if considering Stacey's words. But her thoughts were interrupted when she felt Toby squirm out of her embrace.
"I want to help, Sarah," Toby declared, meeting his sister's gaze.
"Toby, are you…?"
"It's to help Mommy and Daddy, too, isn't it? The Agnostic will end up hurting them if we don't stop it."
"Yes," Sarah confirmed. "That's right."
After taking a steadying breath, Sarah glanced up at Stacey and gave a single nod, granting her consent to the idea. Smiling in relief, Stacey held the crystal out to Toby, who took it into his hands.
"Toby, listen closely," Stacey instructed. "Because this is very important. I need you to look into this crystal. Concentrate on how much you love your mommy, daddy and big sister. Think about how you want to help them, and keep them safe from the Agnostic."
For a few minutes, Toby did as he asked, staring intently at the crystal in his hands. Without warning, his eyes suddenly closed and he fell backwards, landing right into Sarah's arms. As he fell, the crystal slipped out of his fingers, and Stacey quickly reached out to catch it.
"Is Toby okay?" she asked urgently, looking at the unconscious boy in visible concern.
"I think so," Sarah confirmed. "I can feel him breathing." Instantly, the worry in Stacey's face melted away, being replaced by a look of determination.
"Then it's time we ended this," she announced, getting to her feet.
"Wait!" Hoggle exclaimed, turning to her in tangible worry. "What are you…?"
"What am I planning to do?" Stacey supplied for him. "What I have to do. For all our sakes."
"No!" Hoggle cried, making a movement towards her, only for Wayne to hold him back. "Stacey you can't…."
Despite directing a pained smile at the dwarf, Stacey focused on turning a deaf ear to Hoggle's pleas. Instead, she simply turned and proceeded to walk back towards the Agnostic, putting all her effort into not looking back at her friends and loved ones, knowing that doing so would make her reconsider her decision.
As she reached the base of the hill, however, an unearthly screech spilt the air as the Agnostic broke through Jareth's barrier wall. Moving at the speed of a tsunami wave, the Agnostic surged forward, consuming everything in its path. As such, Stacey was swallowed up by the dark fog in a matter of seconds. For what felt like a solid minute, she could see nothing. She was completely surrounded by pitch blackness.
"Hoggle?" Stacey called out. "Wayne? Sarah?" To Stacey's shock, even though she was willing the words to come out, she couldn't hear her voice. It was if sound itself was completely nonexistent. There was nothing but darkness and silence all around her.
Just as she started to feel completely disoriented with her senses of sight and sound blocked off, she noticed a light shining in her hand. Glancing down, Stacey saw the crystal ball she'd been holding was now glowing with a warm golden light.
"Toby," she whispered, realizing the light was coming from Toby's spirit. This time, however, the sound of her speaking reached her ears. It was as if the light of Toby's innocent spirit was vanquishing the Agnostic's power of canceling out her senses. Before Stacey's eyes, the light poured out from the crystal and started to form a shape, taking up the basic appearance of the small boy. At first, Toby's Spirit seemed confused, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings, but his face lit up into a smile when he noticed Stacey standing in front of him.
It was only then that Stacey saw it. Just over Toby's shoulder, there was what appeared to be a sinister looking mask. Shining out from the mask's eyeholes were a pair of the most evil-looking eyes imaginable. It was all Stacey could do to not recoil from the sight. So she was not surprised when Toby let out a terrified whimper when he turned and looked himself. In sympathy, Stacey instinctively reached out to give the boy a one-armed hug, only to find that Toby's Spirit wasn't solid, and her hand simply went right through him. As a result, she remembered that Toby wasn't actually there physically. It was only his innocent spirit. After a pause, Stacey glanced down at the crystal in her hand to see it was still glowing with the same golden light.
"Foolish human!" the unearthly shriek of the Agnostic cried out. "You really think you can defeat me? You've already lost! Your friends are gone! There's no one left! And in a matter of moments, I'll have consumed this entire world!"
Refusing to listen to that statement, Stacey turned to face the sinister-looking mask, understanding that that was the Agnostic's physical form. Despite the Agnostic's claims, she could still detect a faint note of panic in its voice. That could only mean that the Agnostic was scared.
Out of nowhere, Stacey realized what she had to do. Focusing her defiant gaze on the Agnostic's true form, she hurled the crystal ball continuing Toby's innocence at her enemy. As the crystal sailed towards the mask, an earsplitting wail split the air, only cutting off when the crystal hit its target. Almost immediately, a jagged crack formed along the surface of the Agnostic's physical form, a blinding light pouring out of the crack, which seemed to grow bigger with each passing second. Then, without any noticeable warning, the mask shattered into pieces, releasing a blast of dark energy in all directions. By instinct, Stacey closed her eyes and tuned her head to avoid the wave of dark energy as it flew at her. However, as she experienced what felt like a blast of cold air wash across her face, her mind suddenly went blank, and she remembered nothing else.
Distantly, Stacey was aware that she was dreaming, but she found she couldn't really care. She simply looked around at her unfamiliar surroundings, realizing she was standing in what appeared to be a 1950s style kitchen.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound a young boy shouting something. No sooner did she turn in the direction of the voice, two blonde-haired boys appeared. The first boy seemed to tower over his brother, whose head and arms were slightly disproportional with the rest of his body. It appeared they were in the middle of an argument. But Stacey could not take her eyes off the two boys, feeling that she recognized them somehow. With a jolt, she realized she was looking at a 10-year-old Jareth and a 12-year-old Wayne.
"Wayne, I'm sorry!" Jareth exclaimed. "I didn't mean…it was an accident."
"An accident?" Wayne shouted, glaring at his younger brother. "I told you not to touch my stuff! But you just do whatever you want, don't you?
"No, I…" Jareth stammered, looking close to tears. But Wayne continued his tirade.
"Of course you do. You're the golden child! You're the one everyone loves."
"No, that's not true!"
"Yes, it is! You're the one who's normal, the one everyone knows will go places. Now look at me. I can barely see over the counter at the soda shop. So what kind of job do you think I can possibly get when I'm older? Do you think I can go work in our father's office? No one there's ever going to take me seriously. And I can hardly go to work as a mechanic or plumber. I'd be too much of a liability. The only job someone like me could ever find is a circus clown. Or a part of the freak show."
Stacey's eyes were focused on Wayne during his entire rant, amazed at the bitterness in his voice. There was something about the way he was talking that resonated with her. Within his tone, she could hear the same sort of pent-up anger that she herself had felt through most of her life. Was Wayne bullied as a boy because of his diminutive height, the way she herself was bullied through her entire childhood?
"Wayne, you know that's not true," Jareth beseeched. "Everyone knows you're smart and funny. I bet they're even going to pick you to be valedictorian."
"Yeah, that'll be the day," Wayne scoffed. "And I bet they'll build me a special stepladder in shop class. Face it, Jareth! You're definitely our parents' favorite. They must have been so happy that you were born normal, and they weren't stuck with two freak children."
"You're wrong, Wayne!"
"No, I'm not! Why else would Mom and Dad let you get away with everything? Watch; I bet you anything that they'll just shrug it off when I tell them you broke my favorite record. They'll tell me that I should take better care of my things, or that I should go easy on you because you're the youngest. You know something, Jareth? I wish that…the goblins would come and take you away. Right now!"
At this, Stacey suddenly let out a gasp. It wasn't until that moment that she realized exactly what she was witnessing. This was the moment when Wayne had carelessly wished his brother away. Sure enough, she could only watch as a small horde of goblins suddenly materialized in the room, grabbing Jareth and dragging him out of the room. For a few seconds, Wayne seemed rooted to the spot, too stunned by he was seeing to even move. But the moment he realized what was happening, he cried out and ran after the goblins, trying desperately to stop them. Unfortunately, the goblin horde vanished into a hallway mirror before he could reach them, taking Jareth with them. As such, all Wayne could do was bang a fist against the glass face of the mirror, begging and demanding for the goblins to return his brother.
As Stacey watched the young Wayne in his distress, she felt as if her heart would break, too. She knew how this story ended. Wayne had been given the same chance Sarah had been given when Toby had been taken away by the goblins. But unlike Sarah, Wayne had failed to reach his brother in time and was forced to return home alone. What must that have been like? How could he have possibly explained what had happened to Jareth to their parents? Who would even believe his story?
All at once, the scene seemed to dissolve, and the 1950s kitchen transformed into a room Stacey recognized as the grand ballroom of the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. The room was filled people, laughing, conversing and dancing. From the looks of things, it was a masquerade ball. Her attention was only directed away from the multitude of dancers when she heard a long-suffering sigh from behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she was taken aback by the sight of Jareth, now considerably older than he'd been when the goblins had abducted him from his childhood home. While he was dressed in an opulent blue tailcoat, it was clear from expression, and the way he was slouched in a seti chair, that he'd prefer to be anywhere but at this ball.
It appeared Stacey hadn't been the only one who heard Jareth's sigh, as a figure took that moment to sit next to him.
"Not now, Angus," Jareth said, not even bothering to look over. "I'm not in the mood right now."
"It is a party, your majesty," Angus reminded. "All these people came to pay their respects to you. Some have come from beyond the mountains. And here you sit, ignoring them all."
"I already told you," Jareth growled. "I did not want to even have this ball. Especially not today. Have you forgotten the date?"
"Oh, don't tell me you're still hung up over that," Angus groaned. "You're not still tormenting yourself about him, are you?"
"He was my brother, Angus!" Jareth snapped.
"After all this time, you still say he was your brother?! He didn't care about you! If he had, he would have come to save you. Don't forget that I was there that day. I was there when the goblins first brought you to the Underground. So I had a front row seat to the whole ordeal. And I was there when your brother just gave up. He didn't even try to reach you in time. He didn't even care enough about you to…."
Before Angus could continue his statement, Jareth rose to his feet and proceeded to storm off. Though he was able to reign in his annoyance just enough to graciously greet everyone who stopped to talk to him as he navigated through the crowd.
Finally, he made it out to the balcony overlooking the Goblin City, and he found he could breathe again. While he knew Agnus was right about having a responsibility to play the part of a gracious host, he just wasn't in a hospitable mood. Not on the anniversary of the day he'd been taken away from his hometown as a boy. It hadn't helped that he'd had a nightmare about it just last night. All day long, he'd been tormented by the mental image of Wayne's anguished expression as he'd watched the goblins drag him away.
Jareth was so lost in thought, he hadn't noticed that he wasn't alone on the balcony until he saw the movement out of the corner of his eye. Thinking it was Angus again, he spun around in anger, fully prepared to reprimand him for following him outside. But his voice died in his throat when he saw it was a young dark-haired beauty in a flowing white gown.
"My apologies," the woman stated, smiling placidly up at him. "You seemed so troubled, I didn't want to disturb you by announcing my presence earlier."
"Did you follow me out here?" Jareth asked, frowning in disapproval.
"If you want to be technical, you were the one who followed me," the woman replied. "I was sitting out here a good ten minutes before you stepped outside."
"Why?" Jareth asked. "Shouldn't you be inside enjoying the party? Like all the other women here?"
"It was getting a bit too overwhelming in there for me. Crowds like that; I can only handle in small doses. I came out here to clear my head a bit."
"If you're not one for parties," Jareth commented, "why even show up?"
"I had a responsibility to be here, to represent my people."
It was only then that Jareth noticed the leafy ornaments woven into the woman's hair. Right away, he recognized them for what they were. They were not there as decoration, but as an identifying insignia.
"You're one of the Mages from the Order of the Willow," he realized.
"I came with some of my sisters, in order to pay our respects to you, Goblin King. But I ask your forgiveness. I was not prepared for the overwhelming contradiction of emotions."
"What do you mean?"
"It is an unfortunate burden of being a Willow Mage, your highness. When you reach a certain level of enlightened wisdom, it is not always easy to switch it off. And you can feel the vibrations of extreme emotions. Normally, masquerades such as these are overflowing with frivolity and mirth. But tonight, the vibrations of those emotions were overpowered by an almost crippling torment. It was the feeling one gets when they find themselves trapped in isolation. It was frustrating for me that I could not pinpoint the source of those feelings. Especially when everyone around me was laughing and celebrating. So I came out here, hoping that distancing myself would help make things clearer.
"But now that you're standing out here, I see that those feelings were emanating from you. If you'll forgive me, I never imagined a single person could feel that much sadness and pain."
For the longest moment, Jareth could only stare at this woman in shock. She could actually sense what he was feeling? And the way she was looking at him; it wasn't the look of pity. She was looking sincerely remorseful and sympathetic towards him. He was suddenly getting the impression that she genuinely wanted to help him. Not because of who he was, or for the sake of propriety. But because she cared about him as a person.
"What's your name?" Jareth asked.
"Susan," the woman replied. "My name is Susan."
The scene then dissolved, but reformed instantly to show Jareth standing out on the same balcony. This time, his expression was noticeably lighter, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. When he heard the sound of a small baby babbling, he instantly turned around, his smile widening when Susan came into view, her long hair being lightly tousled by a passing breeze. Nestled in her arms was a baby girl. Without hesitation, Susan stepped into Jareth's waiting arms, resting her head against his shoulder. With his free hand, Jareth reached up to gently stroke the baby's head. At the touch, the baby girl looked up at him with wide blue eyes.
"My precious Stacey," Jareth whispered, gazing down at his baby daughter. "You and your mother are my greatest treasure."
In the blink of an eye, the scene changed again in a flash of light. This time, the scene that replaced it was void of the peace and joy of the last one. Instead, there was a feeling of fear and terror. Jareth was charging through a wooded area, sheer horror on his face. He skidded to a halt when he reached a thatched wooden hut. His stomach dropped when he saw the large gaping hole in the thatched roof.
"Susan?" Jareth shouted, charging forward. "SUSAN?!"
Not waiting for an answer, Jareth yanked the front door open, nearly ripping it off the hinges in his panic. The scene waiting for him made a horrible bellow of torment escape from his throat. There was Susan, lying motionless on the floor. Her mouth was open in a silent scream, which was echoed in her wide, fear-filled eyes.
"Susan!" Jareth screamed, dropping to his knees and gathering up her body in his arms. "No, no, no! Please, no!" Tears coursed down his cheeks as he began rocking Susan's still form, his own body racked by sobs. His misery was so great, it took him a while to realize he wasn't the only one crying. The one-year-old Stacey was sitting in her crib nearby, wailing in a mixture of fear and pain. On her small shoulder, there was a fresh burn mark. It was Daedalus who approached the small girl first, perching on the edge of the crib.
"Your Majesty," Daeduls said, speaking softly. "I understand your grief. But the young princess is hurt. She needs her father."
"No," Jareth sobbed, unable to look away from Susan. "Take her away. Far away from here."
"What?" Daedalus gasped. "You can't be seriously asking…?"
"Don't question me, Daedalus!" Jareth shouted. "I am giving you an order! You are to take that child far away from here."
"But…with respect, Sire. Your daughter needs you."
"She needs a father who can protect her," Jareth snarled. "If this day proves anything, it's that I am not the father she needs. Now, do as I say, Daedalus. You are to take that child from the Labyrinth. Take her far from this very world. I don't care where. Just….take her somewhere where she won't be near me."
"Are you certain this is what you want?" Daedalus asked.
"What I want," Jareth replied, "is my wife back. As you can see, what I want doesn't matter anymore, does it? Now you heard my order, Daedalus! Don't make me ask twice!"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Daedalus relented, giving what appeared to be his attempt at a bow.
Jareth didn't look up until he heard the sound of Stacy's cries cutting off abruptly. In a flash, he turned to the crib and found it was empty. The sight of the empty crib caused a sudden wave of misery to wash over him, as if he'd only just realized what he'd done. He was now completely alone, having lost Susan and Baby Stacey all at once. As the realization sank in, his sobs grew even louder than before.
The scene changed again…..
Jareth was now sitting alone in his throne room, sprawled out on the throne. His expression was of someone who had lived through a hundred years of misery. His eyes were trained on a small object in his hand- a baby's teething ring. It was only when he heard the sounds of someone approaching that he stuffed the toy into his pocket. The moment the teething ring was safely out of sight, the man Jareth had interacted with at the masquerade ball appeared in the throne room.
"Thank you for seeing me, Your Majesty," Angus began in greeting. "I appreciate how you were able to push through your grief to grant me an audience."
"Only because you said it was worth my time," Jareth retorted. "What is it you had to show me?"
"Well, you see, Sire, it pains us all to see you in such misery, and it torments us to know we can do nothing to ease your pain. But I may have found a way to help." As Angus spoke, he produced a familiar looking pendant. It was the crescent moon necklace that Jareth always seemed to wear in the present.
"Do you think a worthless trinket is enough to replace my family?" Jareth snarled, glaring at Angus.
"You misunderstand, Your Highness!" Angus replied, speaking quickly. "It's enchanted. While it won't erase your sorrow, it can help mute the grief. The medicine man I purchased it from said he used it with the patients who were experiencing severe pain. Every time, it dulled their agony, making it easier for the medicine man to treat their ailments. Perhaps it can also ease the pain within your heart."
For a long moment, Jareth simply glared at the pendant, contemplating what he was being told. Then, in an abrupt movement, he reached out for the pendant, taking it from Angus. The instant it had been placed around his neck, however, Jareth flinched, realizing something was wrong almost instantly.
"What is this?" he growled, trying to pull the pendant off again. However, when he tried to remove it, he was shocked to find the pendant burned his hand.
Out of nowhere, Angus started to laugh. But the laugh didn't sound natural. It was almost demonic and sinister. The moment he heard the laugh, Jareth snapped his gaze at him, his expression a mixture of surprise and suspicion.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "You're not Angus, are you?"
In the blink of an eye, 'Angus' shifted in form, becoming an eerie black mist, revealing itself as the Agnostic.
"Foolish man," the Agnostic taunted. "There never was an Angus. Did you never question the fact that another human lived in a city solely occupied by goblins?"
"I don't understand," Jareth growled, getting to his feet. "Why? What were you trying to accomplish by poising as my steward?"
"Oh, think, you simpleton," jeered the Agnostic. "I thrive on despair and emptiness. And there you were- a small, easily-manipulated child who had just been ripped away from his family. It was all too easy to nurture that misery in your heart so it would continue to sustain me."
"So when I found happiness again, with Susan and our daughter," Jareth continued, filling in the blanks.
"Ah, catching on, are you? Yes, you are correct. The woman and the little brat were successfully combatting the misery that lived in you for so long. I couldn't have that, could I?"
"So you killed Susan solely to make me miserable again," Jareth concluded.
"Don't give me all the credit, Goblin King. You were the one who chose to send the young princess away. That decision was yours alone."
"But now, you must realize you've made a mistake, too," Jareth laughed. "You've told me how to strike back at you. You need me to stay miserable, or you won't be able to sustain yourself. But if I can locate where Daedalus took my daughter, I could have her back in my life again."
"Only if you want her to be harmed by your own hands," the Agnostic countered. "You forget the pendant you now wear."
"What have you done?" Jareth asked, growing pale.
"Within that pendant, I placed a portion of my being," the Agnostic revealed. "If you ever seek out the young princess again, the pendant will activate, and I will be able to temporarily take control of your body. Imagine what I can make you do to her in the span of just a minute."
"Don't you dare harm her!" Jareth bellowed.
"That's entirely up to you, Jareth. If you don't want her harmed, you best not do anything that would bring me close enough to do so. Looks like keeping your distance from your precious little daughter really is the only way you can keep her safe from me, after all. Wouldn't you agree?"
Before Jareth could respond to that, the Agnostic vanished from sight. But the cruel laughter from the entity lingered, echoing throughout the room. Jareth, fully realizing the terrible position he was in, sank to his knees, misery taking hold once again.
From this point on, the visions that were flashing before Stacey's eyes seemed to follow the Agnostic as it continued to wreak havoc on everyone's lives. She watched as the Agnostic tracked her down to the town where Daedalus had brought her and took up the identity of Phoebe, Quinn and Rosabel, enrolling itself into the local school with a series of phony birth certificates. She watched once again how the Agnostic used the disguise to gain her trust before framing her with the broken doll, and relishing in watching her subsequent misery, knowing that her broken tears indicated her innocent childlike nature was destroyed forever by the betrayal.
The final vision, to Stacey's surprise, was of the dwarf, Primrose. Before Stacey's eyes, Primrose knelt by a small river to refill a water skin. It was clear from the dust on her dress that she'd been traveling a long way. Without warning, the Agnostic suddenly materialized beside Primrose, who reacted with shock and alarm. But before she could even begin to run, the Agnostic seemed to latch onto her arm, where it seemed to absorb itself into a small pearl bracelet around Primrose's wrist. For a brief moment, the peals changed color, becoming an inky black color. In the same instant, the fearful expression on Primrose's face was altered, being replaced by a sinister smile.
Slowly, Stacey became aware that she was lying on her back, a cool, fragrant breeze washing over her face. Acting almost involuntary, she inhaled deeply, needing as much of that fresh air inside her lungs as possible. Moments later, she felt something warm and fuzzy brush against her cheek. In curiosity, she opened her eyes to see what it had been. While it took a few seconds for her vision to focus, she quickly was able to identify the beady eyes of Theseus, looking down at her.
"Cu-chu!" Theseus cooed, the instant he noticed she was awake.
"Hey, Theseus," Stacey muttered, reaching out to scratch at his ears.
"You're awake!" At the sound of the voice crying out, Stacey and Theseus both looked over to see Sarah, who was smiling widely at them. The smile never leaving her face, Sarah turned to call over her shoulder. "Hey! Stacey's awake!"
In a matter of moments, Wayne appeared next to Sarah, sheer relief on his face, followed shortly by Daedalus, who nestled by her side.
"Stacey," Wayne muttered, looking as if he was about to cry from joy. "You're okay! We were so worried!"
The moment Wayne spoke, everything suddenly came flooding back to Stacey. In a sudden panic, she made to sit up, only for Sarah to hold her back and gently coax her back down.
"No, take it easy," she instructed. "Don't try and push yourself too quickly."
"What happened?" Stacey asked, not to be deterred. "What happened to the Agnostic?"
"It's okay," Wayne announced, holding up something in his hand. "It's all over." In curiosity, Stacey glanced down at the object Wayne was holding, which ended up being the two halves of the mask that had been the Agnostic's true form. The mask had been cleaved in two, and looked as if it had been burnt to a crisp.
"It's all over?" Stacey whispered, as if unable to quite believe it. "And Toby? Is Toby okay?"
"He's fine," Sarah reassured. "A little groggy, but he's completely unharmed.
"Here," Wayne said, gently, helping Stacey sit up so she could look around. "See for yourself." Once Stacey was sitting up, she let out a shaky breath, overwhelmed by what she was seeing. While she was currently sitting under the shade of a lean-to, she was still able to take in their surroundings.
They were out in what appeared to be the Border Garden, by the entrance of the Labyrinth. Behind Sarah and Wayne, she could see everything. All the ice and snow had vanished completely, and the Underground was restored to its original glory. A short distance away, she could see Ludo and Sir Didymus, reunited with Lady Bernadine and Baby Reynard. Ambrosius the sheepdog was curled up nearby, perfectly content. There was Prometheus, laughing and playing around with the other Fireys. However, the tension didn't completely dissipate from Stacey's face until she spotted Hoggle and Toby, who were both sitting on a log in front of the lean-to, looking in on her. The moment they noticed her gaze, they smiled at her in greeting.
"Everyone's okay," Stacey breathed.
"Yes," Sarah confirmed. "While we still haven't made an actual headcount, it's looking as if everyone who has disappeared since this whole thing started is back."
"Everyone," Stacey repeated, closing her eyes in relief. Seconds later, however, she opened her eyes to cast a questioning look at Sarah and Wayne. "And…Jareth?"
At the inquiry, Sarah and Wayne shared a cautious glance. But it was Daedalus who answered her.
"We…haven't found him," he admitted. "While we've certainly asked around, it seems as if no one has seen him since he tried to erect that barrier to hold back the Agnostic's final attack."
"But I'm sure that doesn't mean he's dead," Sarah insisted. "Even if he was consumed by the Agnostic, so were the rest of us. Since we all came back, he must have come back, too. And no one has found a body, so that means we have to conclude he's alive, right?"
"Yes, Sarah's right," Wayne agreed. "No one found a body, so it appears he's just gone back into exile. Perhaps, when you've fully regained your strength, we can go searching for him."
"I don't think so," Stacey decided, closing her eyes. "While I'm sure Jareth is indeed still alive somewhere, I don't think we should go looking for him. He's bound to turn up on his own. If he doesn't, then it's probably because he doesn't want to be found. For now, let's just….focus on the important things."
"That's right," Daedauls agreed. "The Agnostic is gone. Thanks to you, Stacey."
"No," Stacey replied, shaking her head. "Thanks to Toby."
AN: This chapter was exhausting to write, so I'm really hoping I managed to convey everything I'd wanted to