A small squadron of goblins were congregated just outside the gates to the Goblin City. While it had taken about a week to get everything in order amidst the ongoing relief efforts, the day had arrived for Primrose to set off with her goblin escort. Two of the goblins, Candlewic and Gürtie, had been chosen as the leaders of the escort team, and it was glaringly obvious they wanted to leave straightaway.

As the group prepared to leave, Lady Bernadine passed a haversack over to Primrose.

"Here you are," she said. "I packed you some of my special pasties for your journey. You always seemed to love them during your stay here. You'll also find a piece of parchment stored inside. Daedalus scribed the recipe for me. This way, you'll be able to make them for yourself whenever you want."

"Thank you, Lady Bernadine," Primrose replied, embracing the lady fox in gratitude. "You always were a good friend. I'll miss you. But…I wonder where Hoggle is. He knows we're about to leave."

"Does that mean he decided to leave with ye, after all?" Sir Didymus asked. The fact of the matter had been that Hoggle had been rather quiet on the subject of Primrose's offer to have him accompany her back to her village. While it had been clear he was considering it, he hadn't given any indication on what his decision would be.

"He…he hasn't actually told me what he planned to do," Primrose admitted.

"Well, it is a huge decision for him to make," William the Worm stated from his spot atop an uneven brick in the city gates. "He'd be giving up his whole life here. Not to mention saying goodbye to everyone he knows."

"But he'd be able to be with other dwarfs," Lady Bernadine countered. "Until Primrose came to the Labyrinth, Hoggle has been the only dwarf I've seen in these parts. I'm sure it gets lonely, not having others of your kind around."

"Ludo only yeti in Labyrinth," Ludo pointed out. "Ludo never lonely."

Before the conversation could continue, Hoggle suddenly appeared from behind one of Agnes' junk piles. He was clearly out of breath, as if he'd just run the whole way.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized. "I got a bit held-up."

"It's okay!" Primrose insisted, quickly stepping forward to greet him with a hug. "I'm just glad you made it in time!"

"So, Sir Hoggle," Sir Didymus began, stepping forward. "It looks like it's time to make your decision. Is this going to be farewell?"

Hoggle started to open his mouth in order to reply to Sir Didymus' inquiry, but before he could say a word, he noticed someone was missing from the group that had come out to see everyone off.

"Wait," he said. "Where's Stacey? Isn't she here?"

"I'm afraid she isn't able to be here in person," Daedalus explained sympathetically. "You remember how, when the Agnostic was still a threat, she erected a series of magical barriers around the Labyrinth in an attempt to provide us protection. But one of the largest barriers was put up around the borders. That particular barrier spell was so complex, she has to devote a few hours to remove it. Otherwise, Primrose and her goblin escorts wouldn't be able to leave at all. She said that she was going to try to make it back in time to see you off, but that you shouldn't feel the need to wait around just for her to show up. She instructed me to convey her well-wishes to all of you, if she couldn't be here in person."

After a brief moment, Primrose turned to glance at Hoggle, whose expression was unreadable.

"Well, Hoggle?" she prompted. "Will you be coming with me?"

Stacey wearily rubbed at her eyes as she made her way through the Border Gardens. Lowering the protective barriers had taken longer than she had initially thought, and had proved to be particularly exhausting. Right now, she felt as if she could sleep for days.

As tired as she was, Stacey still stopped in her tracks when she spotted figures moving in the distance, heading away from the Labyrinth. She realized instantly that it was the goblin squadron, escorting Primrose back to her village and she sadly bowed her head. There was not a doubt in her mind that Hoggle would be among them. He had the chance to be among other dwarfs again, and maybe even build a life with Primrose. Why would he stay in the Labyrinth and give that chance up?

Briefly, she felt deep sorrow that she hadn't gotten the chance to say goodbye to her dear friend in person. At the same time, she also decided that it was probably for the best. Even though she knew that this was Hoggle's decision, she didn't quite trust herself to be completely unselfish at the moment of his departure. She might even try to forbid Hoggle to leave. As Hoggle's friend, she had to act like a friend.

"Goodbye, Hoggle," Stacey whispered, watching as the goblins headed off. Once they were out of sight, she slowly sank to the ground, with her back against the stone wall that circumvented around the Labyrinth, hugging her knees to her chest. After a moment or two, she felt her vision start to blur from the unshed tears. Letting out a sniffling sigh, she quickly wiped the moisture out of her eyes. But when she brought her hand back down again, she let it drop to the ground beside her. Almost at once, she felt a sudden stabbing feeling in her finger and she yanked it back on sheer impulse. Turning to look at what had caused the unexpected pain, she noticed a ruffled-looking fairy flit away. Mentally kicking herself for her carelessness, Stacey glanced down at the sore finger to see tiny pinpricks of blood appearing.

At that moment, a second pair of hands appeared, carefully taking hold of Stacey's. Upon glancing up, Stacey nearly jumped in surprise at the sight of Hoggle standing in front of her.

"Hoggle!" she exclaimed, staring at him in shock. "What…what are you doing here? I just saw Primrose leaving!"

"I'm sure you did," Hoggle commented, examining the fairy bite. Wordlessly, he reached out to pull a leaf from a nearby plant and started to rub it over the wound.

"I don't understand," Stacey muttered, shaking her head. "Weren't you…? I thought you were going with her."

"Did you want me to leave with Primrose?" Hoggle asked, finally looking back up at her.

"No!" Stacey cried. "I mean…it was your decision, not mine. I told you before, I wanted you to choose what would make you happy."

"That you did," Hoggle agreed. "And it would appear I made my choice."

"But…" Stacey sighed, unable to quite fight the smile that was forming on her face as the realization that Hoggle was staying sank in. "You could have been with other dwarfs. Are you sure you won't regret it? Or miss Primrose?"

"Perhaps I will miss her a little," Hoggle admitted, wrapping a bandage around Stacey's finger as he spoke. "But I realized I wouldn't miss her as much as I'd miss the things I had in the Labyrinth- my house, these gardens, my friends….and you."

For a long moment, the two friends sat in silence, having what appeared to be a nonverbal conversation. It was Stacey who looked away first, almost shyly.

"So," she said, breaking the silence. "Should we get back to the castle? Maybe Lady Bernadine made some extra pasties."

"I'd like that," Hoggle agreed.

Together, the two friends headed off together. As they walked, they causally reached out in unison, joining hands.

The main square of the Goblin City had once again been elaborately decorated with colorful banners and garlands. While there was a long chain of tables filled with all manner of foods, ranging from fruits, sandwiches, sweet potatoes and cheese to pies, cakes, pastries and tarts, everyone's attention was currently directed to the two figures standing on the raised podium in the center of the square.

Stacey, smiling warmly, gently lifted the silver-gilt medal from the silk cushion Sir Didymus had been charged with holding, placing it around Toby's neck. It had been practically a unanimous decision to commend Toby in some manner for the role he played in the defeat of the Agnostic. Especially since his actions had helped save both worlds. But everyone had also agreed that he was still too young to be officially declared a knight. As such, it was decided to award the boy a medal of valor, an act that would make him an honorary member of the royal court. Stacey had even placed an enchantment on the award. With his medal, Toby would be able to travel to the Underground at any time, the way Sarah could with her labyrinth pendant.

Once the medal had been properly awarded to the young boy, Toby excitedly ran over to Robert, Irene and Sarah, who had been seated nearby. For a moment, Stacey simply watched the family interacting, returning Sarah's smile when they met each other's eyes. It was only when she caught sight of Wayne and Daedalus standing by the refreshment tables that she stepped away, making her way over to them,

"So, how did Mr. and Mrs. Williams fare through the ceremony?" she asked once she reached the pair. "I can appreciate how overwhelming the Underground can be on your first visit."

"Well, I doubt they'll be frequent visitors," Wayne predicted. "Irene especially seemed to be unnerved by the appearance of the goblins. But they seem to have accepted the fact that Toby is as safe here as he would be in his own house. And they understand that Toby really did save everyone. Personally, I think you might have won a few points in Irene's eyes when you told Toby that he needed to get his parents' permission to visit the Underground, and that you'd personally remove the enchantment on his medal if he ever came here without telling anyone first."

"Of course I would make that constraint known to him," Stacey commented with a casual shrug. "Toby's still a 6-year-old boy. I'm not about to condone it if he tried to come here on his own."

At that moment, a slight distraction erupted. Prometheus and the other Fireys had impulsively decided to ignite the fireworks that had been set up as part of the celebration of Toby's award ceremony and the defeat of the Agnostic. The sudden booms of the fireworks ended up spooking Ambrosius, who took off like a shot.

As Sir Didymus dashed after Ambrosius, with Wayne and Ludo both heading over to help him corral the scared dog, Stacey briefly redirected her attention to Hoggle, who had suddenly appeared at her side. The dwarf cast a glance over at the tomfoolery that was unfolding before them, rolling his eyes as Ambrosius' attempt at hiding from the sound of the fireworks ended up knocking over a table, resulting in the elaborate display of cupcakes to fly through the air and collide with Ludo, completely covering him with the frosting. In the blink of an eye, Theseus also appeared on the scene. But instead of joining into the ongoing attempts at catching the runaway canine, he simply took up residence on Ludo's shoulder, licking the frosting off the beast's face.

"So," Stacey chuckled, glancing over at Hoggle. "Are you regretting your decision to stay?"

"Actually, I'm not," Hoggle admitted. "Believe it or not, this is one of the things I'd miss the most."

Without another word, Hoggle handed Stacey one of the two goblets of mead he'd been carrying, which she accepted with a brief but tender smile. After playfully clinking their goblets together, the two friends simply sat back to watch the hijinks ensue.

Two Months Later

Stacey carefully extracted her velvet travel cloak from the wardrobe, draping it over her shoulders. Once she was sure the cloak was secured, she turned and started to exit her bedchamber. Before she reached the door, however, she paused and glanced over at the portrait that hung on the wall. A few weeks ago, the painting that hung on that wall had been one of Queen Susan. However, it had now been replaced with the portrait of Jareth and Susan with the infant Stacey. It was the same painting that had once resided in the abandoned hut, only it had been magically restored to its original splendor.

It was with an odd, slanted smile that Stacey addressed the image of Jareth in the painting.

"I don't know where you are right now," she began. "But I'm hoping you'll decide to return from this self-imposed exile of yours before too long. Because there's still so much I want to say to you. And I want to tell you that I understand, now. I know why you never came back for me, and why you never tried to find me in the Aboveground. We can't undo the past, but that doesn't mean we can't move forward and try to make up for lost time. At the very least, I want the chance to tell you this in person- I forgive you, Father."

"As someone who spent most of his life consumed by guilt, I'm sure he would appreciate knowing you forgave him," Wayne announced from the doorway, announcing his presence.

"Wayne!" Stacey exclaimed, her face lighting up at the sight of him. "I wasn't expecting you today!"

"You sound surprised that I would come visit you." Wayne commented. "Especially considering what you planned to do today. I heard from Sir Didymus and Lady Bernadine that you were about to visit your mother. Unless you'd rather go alone, I wouldn't mind being able to come with you. It's about time I said hello to my sister-in-law, wouldn't you think?"

"I suppose. But it wasn't that I'm not happy to see you, Wanye. Isn't today the first Saturday of the month back in Kent? I thought you'd be continuing your old lumber run tradition."

"Traditions can change," Wayne replied. "And they can be replaced by new ones. To be honest, I think I've made my last lumber run. I've been actually looking into selling that old house in Kent."

"So, does this mean what Daedauls said was true?" Stacey asked. "You're really considering moving permanently into the Underground?"

"I suppose I am," Wayne confirmed. "I think the Labyrinth has a greater need for a carpenter like myself than the people back in Kent. Maybe I could even start whittling again. Did you know the goblin children have very few toys? Perhaps it's time to remedy that. Besides, why would I go back to the Aboveground when all my family is here?"

After sharing a hug of familiarity, the pair made their way together through the castle corridors, eventually stepping out into the Goblin City. It was Stacey who broke the comfortable silence between them.

"It still amazes me, you know," she admitted. "All this time, you were my uncle. And neither of us even realized it."

"You don't have to start calling me Uncle Wayne if it would be too weird for you," Wayne stated. "I can understand how it's a lot to take in. I'm still not quite used to the fact that you're not only by long-lost brother's daughter, but also a queen."

"Perhaps we should just go on acting as if nothing has changed," Stacey suggested. "Regardless of titles, you're still the man who raised me."

"And you'll always be that little girl who brought meaning to my solitary life," Wayne said. "Of course, that just gives me one more reason why I decided to stay in the Underground. In spite of my painful childhood memories associated with this place, I also see the effect living here has had on you. You're clearly much happier living here than you were back in Kent."

"Well, that's largely because I actually have friends in this world," Stacey pointed out. "Which reminds me. Have you heard from Sarah as of late? She'd be back at school now, starting on her junior year."

"She sent me a letter that arrived the day before yesterday," Wayne replied. "She and her fellow drama students are starting read-throughs for an upcoming production of theirs."

"Well, that's good to hear. I hope Toby's adjusting to life as a first grader, too."

"The Williamses actually let me babysit for him about a week ago. He doesn't seem to have suffered any lasting psychological damage from that astral projection spell you performed on him. Or from coming face-to-face with the Agnostic's true form. But he did get into a verbal shouting match with his mother once, the night before his first day of school. She had to call up Sarah and ask her to provide back-up before Toby agreed to leave his medal of valor at home. He'd been initially planning to wear it to school. Sarah was able to convince him that doing so would be like he was showing off, and that wasn't fitting behavior for a future knight. She also managed to convince him to not go about telling everyone about the Underground. Which is probably for the best."

Stacey responded to Wayne's account with an amused smile. While it was largely unspoken, she knew Wayne had caught on to her true concern, and therefore did what he could to reassure her that her actions hadn't caused irreversible damage on Toby's young mind.

After a brief pause, Wayne cast a shrewd smile at Stacey. "Speaking of your friends, how's Hoggle doing? I heard from Sir Didymus you visited him at his hut last night."

"Oh, yes, that's right. When we were taking refuge in Kent while trying to figure out how to stop the Agnostic, we ended up cooking dinner together. We realized that, despite the urgency of the situation, it was rather nice to prepare a meal together like that. Last night was our first attempt at turning that into a weekly thing."

"I see," Wayne replied, the smile still on his face. "So, what did you two end up making?"

"We made beef and barley soup. It was really good, too. Next week, we're thinking of trying our luck at making a ham and leek quiche."

If Wayne was going to comment on that, he never got the chance. By that point, they had arrived at their destination. At the far end of the Goblin City, there was a tall willow tree that seemed to be made entirely of crystal. This was the site of Queen Susan's grave and memorial. Upon seeing the elegant structure, Stacey had momentarily frozen in place, a multitude of emotions on her face. It wasn't until Wayne reached out to give her shoulder a sympathetic and supportive squeeze that she seemed to snap out of her trance.

With a shaky breath, Stacey approached the base of the tree, staring up at the crystal leaves that shimmered in the sunlight.

"Hi, Mom," she whispered. "Well, we did it. The Agnostic's gone for good. Though you probably already know that. Either way, thank you for helping us figure out how to beat it." Even though Stacey had fully interned to say more than that, she found her voice trailing off, wondering how it was possible to want to say so much but still be at a loss for words. Thankfully, Wayne seemed to sense Stacey's internal predicament, for he chose that moment to step forward.

"I want to thank you, too, Queen Susan," he said. "I know we never got the chance to meet or even talk, but I'll always be grateful to you. Not only did you bring happiness to my brother's life, but you also brought Stacey into the world. It was cruel that you were taken from them so abruptly. I hope it's a small consolation, knowing that your family and world are now safe."

After directing a grateful smile at Wayne for his impromptu speech, Stacey conjured up a wreath of flowers, which she placed at the base of the memorial. But as she started to return to her feet, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. The wreath of flowers wasn't the only thing that had been placed at Susan's grave. A single rose was also lying there.

All at once, the realization of who had left the rose hit her, and she began looking around, searching for a glimpse of her father. However, it appeared that the area was completely deserted. Deflated, she turned to look back at Wayne, who had clearly reached the same conclusion as her.

"It's getting late," Wayne commented. "Perhaps we just missed him."

"Yeah, maybe," Stacey agreed.

A short time later, Stacey and Wayne left to return to the castle together. Neither of them noticed the lone barn owl perched on a nearby rooftop, who silently watched them leave. It wasn't until that the pair had disappeared into the castle that the owl took wing, flying off into the night.

AN:And that concludes my story. Hope it was enjoyable for everyone.

While the story can technically end here, I do have a potential plan for one more adventure in the Labyrinth. It would involve the group traveling to the birthplace of Queen Susan, where the Mages from the Order of the Willow are locked in an ongoing battle with the Nereids. The only real question is if anyone would be interested in hearing that story. Let me know if you'd like to hear me continue. If not, I thank you all for taking the time to read my story.