Checked for continuity, spelling, and grammar: May 4, 2011.

Chapter Thirty-One: Reconcile the Differences

Agnes leaned against the bookshelf and pondered the sight of her best friend seated at one of the larger tables. Piles of what Agnes could only describe as gargantuan tomes lay scattered both on the table and the floor. The look of concentration on Sarah's face as she bent over the texts fairly made Agnes want to burst out laughing. She sauntered over and, hooking a nearby chair with her foot, dropped down to sit. "Williams, what are you doing?"

"Research," came the answer with the turn of a page. "Welcome back, by the way."

"Mm." Agnes lifted a book off the nearest pile and arched an eyebrow as she read the title. "Feudalism and Medieval Society." Five minutes of silence passed as she opened the oversized book to a random page in the middle and perused its contents. Finally, she closed the book with a grimace. "If this author speaks the same way he writes, I firmly believe anyone he talked to fell asleep on the spot. Or maybe ran away screaming."

Finally looking up, Sarah glanced at the book in front of Agnes. She grinned. "Yeah, I didn't get very far with that one, either."

"So why the sudden interest? Did you change your major in the three days its been since I saw you last and now have to do four years worth of studying in one night?"

Sarah grinned, sheepishly. "No... Jareth and I had a heated argument over some of the more outrageous concepts. At least to my twentieth Century feminist and humanist influenced way of thinking."

"You argued over," she paused, incredulous, "feudalism."

"Basically." She caught Agnes dumbfounded look. "What?"

"Normal people argue about things like, oh, I don't know, children, finances, insults, hurt feelings, leaving dirty socks all over the house. Then there's you."

Sarah sighed. "I know, it's ridiculous. But it seemed awfully important to stand firm on my opinions at the time."

"Natch. But what does your argument have to do with this mess?" Agnes gestured to the piles.

"Well, I ran into Edmund when I came back and he advised me to invite Jareth to apologize first."

"Good advice."

"Yes, he said you'd probably recommend that. Anyway, I decided that, apologies or not, the whole argument could very well arise again. And, since I wanted something more substantial to base my arguments on, I thought I'd do some research."

"And the result so far?"

"That I really didn't know what I was talking about and was rather unfair about the issue."

Agnes snorted. "Never concede defeat."

Sarah grinned. "Aggie, I love you dearly, but Jareth is not Edmund. I don't think the former needs to win quite to the same extent that the latter does. Or at least to the same extent that you think the latter does."

"Hmph. Are you interpreting my relationship with Edmund as something more than it is? Not that it's a relationship, per se."

"Of course not. I'm just saying your guys' arguments might be solved differently than ours."

Agnes dubious scowl quickly transformed into a grin. "'Ours', is it? Have you finally admitted to a different status than 'I like him'?"

Sarah grinned back. "Maybe..."

"Cool. Now come on. Let's go grab dinner and you can explain in greater detail this heated argument of yours and how, precisely, that factors into your romantic development. And then I can tell you how much I despise Psychology retreats. I'll help you put these books away so we can get out of here before that dragon of a librarian comes in for the evening."

"Oh, good call," Sarah replied, hauling a pile of books to her hip as she rose from the table. "She drives me crazy."

It was well into the evening and Sarah was rather glad she did not have class in the morning. She highly doubted sleep would come any time soon, if at all. She was in bed, lying on her stomach with her chin propped up on her knuckles. All the indoor lights were out but, as her blinds were cracked open, the room was dimly lit by the lights shining on the path around the dorm. She always wished it would be the light of the moon, but such romance must be sacrificed for the safety of students who were determined to be night owls.

Tonight, it did not bother her for in the light she could clearly see the crystal that lay on the pillows before her. She poked at it briefly, watching it roll back and forth over the lumpy stand, entranced at how it shimmered and, at times, nearly glowed from within.

Her talk with Agnes at dinner had left her feeling a little better, though in truth it was Edmund who had given her the comfort she needed. Agnes, however, gave her the confidence to make amends. He friend gave her all manner of advice and schemes, but Sarah had already formulated her own plan and merely needed reassurance that it was not a terrible idea. Agnes, in her lighthearted yet critical way, had done just that. Inadvertently, Sarah conceded, for had asked directly she would have preferred Sarah to fire up for another round or four.

After dinner, Sarah put all the pieces of her puzzle together. The only problem left was how to let Jareth know she wanted to see him.

Maybe I blew it completely. Maybe I had my one chance and that was it. Way to go there, slick. Of course, Jareth is Jareth, so maybe he won't let a little thing like this get in the way of what he wants.

Assuming he still wants it. ... Now there's a thought. Probably one I shouldn't entertain.

But I still want it. I had no idea what a small threat to... to... to whatever it is that we had up 'till now would do to my sense of well-being, of safety, of certainty. It has been as though my world was in a state of unravelling, not falling into place.

But now... what if...

No, that isn't how it is. He will come, eventually. And I will show him, tell him.

This went on for some time. And as her hand closed over the crystal, her eyes closing and submitting to sleep, her thoughts were still on Jareth: I would face the Labyrinth itself just to see him again...

It was the gentle breeze on her cheek and the smell of wildflowers that prompted Sarah to open her eyes. She sat up, slowly, and peered down the hill. There lay a site she had not seen from this angle in years. It's glittering walls, winding and twisting, stretched far into the distance. She stood, not blinking, entranced by the sight that had once frightened her so. But now... now it inspired her with awe and, oddly, hope.

She took a few steps forward, stopping when her bare feet left the softness of the patch of flowers and touched hard, bare earth. Looking down, she found she was dressed in her pajamas, a set of green flannel with bright orange giraffes prancing happily in beach scenes. It was the only confirmation she needed that she was, in fact, not dreaming. Somehow, she had truly been transported back to the Labyrinth. Had it been a dream, her subconscious would certainly have clothed her in something more appropriate. Certainly have given her shoes.

But, no. And she was glad for it. Looking forward once more, determined and rejuvenated, she stepped toward the first set of walls knowing the prize for completing the Labyrinth this time was no less precious than the last, and no less life-changing should she fail.

And she stepped forward, ready with an answer should the question come.

Jareth bolted to an upright position. He had been lounging in his study, admittedly petulant and sulking, for he had yet to come to a conclusion as to what to do next, how to make Sarah see that his point of view, nay, that his very position in life was not as horrendous as she seemed to think.

Then, abruptly, she vanished.

Though she had not given him access to her thoughts, he had felt her presence lingering on the outskirts of his own for months, if not years. It was steadily growing, an encouraging sign as far as he was concerned.

But now she was no longer there.

Immediately, he conjured up a crystal and did what he had resisted doing since she first expressed her objections to the action. He looked for her in all her usual haunts. She was not there. It was deep into the night and, by all rights, she should have been sound asleep in bed. But it lay empty. The covers were rumpled, as though she had been there at one point.

Looking around her rooms, he saw no sign of struggle, no sign that something had caused her to leave in a hurry.

As he gave her bedroom a second perusal, he saw something that both startled and comforted him. Rather, it was what he did not see.

The crystal he had given her to shield her dreams from intrusion was not in its stand by her bedside. Which only meant she had taken it with her, wherever it was that she happened to be. Little harm would come to her before warning would be sent to him.

Still, he could not sense her anywhere. This unknown stirred him deeply with confusion and, he could not deny, with fear.

Sarah approached the wall. This time, there was no Hoggle spraying fairies to help her inside. She looked left and right, yet saw no door.

Things are not always as they seem...

Lifting one hand to touch the wall, she realized it was not empty. Turning it over to look at the crystal briefly, she smiled tenderly and tucked it in a pockets in her pajamas. She turned her attention once more to the wall, and pondered it.

"Hm... I wonder..." she murmured.

Closing her eyes, she envisioned the doors as she saw them the first time, so many years ago. Raising her now empty hand, she gently rapped on the wall. Instead of knuckles touching stone, she could feel aged wood as the knock echoed inside.

With a smile, Sarah opened her eyes and watched as the large doors opened before her, stepping back slightly to give them the room they would need. "Thank you," she said, though who, precisely, she was thanking she did not know. She did not think it mattered. And so, she stepped through the doorway and, remembering the worm and Hoggle's initial parting remarks, continued to walk forward through the walls before her until she reached the next path. Unnoticed, The doors closed silently behind her, wood fading into stone once more.

Time, in the Underground, moves differently than in the Mortal World. Some would speculate that it truly does not move much at all. Had the subject come up to Jareth in what had been the past three mortal hours, he would have tossed the speculator off one of the castle balconies with no thought to any consequences. As luck would have it, he had been bothered by no one. A knock on his study door, interrupting his frenetic pacing, brought him back to the reality that, while he might be concerned for something, or someone, dear to his heart, life continues at its normal pace for the rest of the world.

He attempted to school his voice so it showed neither concern nor impatience. "Come in."

The door opened marginally and a well-dressed Goblin squeezed in bearing a silver tray covered in neat stacks of papers. Jareth gestured his seneschal over to his desk and seated himself, trying to put himself in the correct state of mind. Business as usual, I suppose.

She would never say that the Labyrinth was easier this time around. If nothing else, she was exhausted from lack of sleep, and her feet hurt from walking barefoot on the stone paths. She could only imagine how filthy they were becoming, a thought that brought a weary smile to her lips.

The puzzle of the Labyrinth was as challenging as ever. However, she had run into none of the same odd characters as before. Not that she was expecting to. But with the exception of the odd chicken now and again, she saw no signs of life. There were no unexpected twists and turns, no oubliettes revealing themselves at random, no trick questions. Not even the walls had started to shift.

And the Labyrinth had no ominous feeling to it either. She felt as though she was being observed, yes. But patiently, and kindly. And so she made her way through as best she could, running into dead ends now and then, and only pausing briefly when she lost her breath after running too far, too fast.

The one thing she was certain of was that Jareth was not watching her. The knowledge had disoriented her at first, but then she began to wonder if her being here was not his doing as she initially thought. Perhaps, in her odd thoughts before she felt herself falling asleep she had called to the Labyrinth itself, and it was giving her a chance to prove herself and her devotion after so short a time, especially considering how determined she had been to resist it.

The scenery began to change, the style of the walls developed, broke down again, then became hedges. She could see the Castle in the distance, much nearer than she would have expected. She had no idea how long she had been at it, it seemed like extensive hours and brief minutes at the same time. Without pausing in her maneuvering of corners and choices of turns, she wondered aloud, "Would it be cheating to just go straight through the hedges? Assuming I even have the strength to break through the branches." She chuckled, and shook her head, pausing at a T in the road. "Would I go left, or right..." she muttered, putting her weight first on one foot and then the other as she shook them out to revive feeling in her toes.

Before she could come to a conclusion, however, the hedges shook violently. And with a terrible yawning sound they opened to provide a straight path to the gates of the Goblin City in the distance.

She blinked, wide mouthed. "Okay, then. Thanks!" And taking a deep breath, she started on this new path, still at least a mile to go.

His regular work done for the moment, Jareth dismissed the various staff and servants who had gathered in the Study. Through it all, he was restless, frustrated, filled with flashes of anger at nothing and everything, and above all, worried. It had taken all his effort to not release any of this upon his subjects.

Suddenly painfully tired, he retreated to a room where no one would dare bother him. A room he had left untouched in the whole remodel of Castle and City. A room he had not entered even a single time since the day Sarah defeated the Labyrinth and defeated its King.

In many ways, going through the City itself was more of a puzzle than the actual labyrinth of the Labyrinth. It had changed in remarkable ways. Colorful pennants hung from windows and off rooftops. Even doors and shutters were painted bright. She wandered into one alley and came out the other side into a bustling market square. Fresh produce and hand crafted wares were being hawked from all directions. The chickens here were plump and clucked almost happily as they pecked along the cobblestones.

And am I actually smelling apple pie? The trays of baked goods cooling on a large table, under guard by a stern looking Goblin with a crisp apron and a jolly gleam in her eye confirmed what her nose had already discovered. Amazing...

Curious stares met her wherever she went, but they bore no malice. She saw faces of Goblin children peek out of windows, they stopped their play in the streets to openly gawk at this oddly clad stranger. She found a stream cut through part of the City, the water clear and bubbling merrily as it swiftly ran its course. At its bend, a large pile of rocks stood almost as a monument to something. Could it be for the battle in the City?

Though she wanted to linger, to see what else had changed and to what extent, Sarah knew she should stay on task. Dodging through a few more alleys until she found more of a main road and continued on to the Castle.

She saw no sign of the Gardens she had been brought to a few nights previous, but she laughed at the sight of the milk bottles on the doorstep. The two guards, brightly alert this day, nodded at her as she approached and allowed her to enter with no confrontation. "Thank you," she told them, curious as to the reason but in too much of a hurry to ask.

Once she entered the Castle, it was as though she had been transported back in time. The throne room was precisely as she remembered, down to the odd little piles of rubbish and the stairs leading around the left. Its consistency stunned her more than did the changes.

For the first time on this new journey, she was truly uneasy. She took a few, shaky breaths and mounted the steps leading to the Escher Room.