Hey all! I know, I know, it's been a while. I'm really sorry! I've been incredibly busy lately, and to top it all off, my over-achieving Muse has decided to turn my novella into a full-blown novel (without MY consent, of course). Which means that instead of being "almost complete", it's now only "half-way there". T_T Why do all stories have to be a certain length for anyone to want to read them…? There are perfectly good short stories out there! On another, but not unrelated, note, I just happened to glance at the word count on this little fanfic, and realized it's about, oh, roughly three times the length of my novel at present, which is already 82 pages long.

O_O No wonder I can never seem to get my novel done…

Anyhoozle, so after I finish Saving Labyrinth, don't expect me to start a new story for at least a little while. You know, seeing as how I can make money on my novel, I should probably focus on that. Bills and all. ^_^ Maybe I'll post the name of the novel on my author page later on…but I should probably consult the official rules before that. Wouldn't want to do anything against the rules…*sweats*

Enjoy, and, as always, I am eternally grateful for your amazing reviews! THANK YOOOOU!

In a musty, dark chamber in the dungeon, Turnok sat dejectedly on the cold stone floor. Only a few feet away, Hoggle was pacing anxiously. The goblin grumbled in annoyance. It was bad enough that the Captain of the Guard had been unceremoniously stuffed into the dungeon; it was worse still that the troll guarding them had confiscated his dagger. But apparently that hadn't been enough for Fate, which had mischeviously decided to stick him with the dwarf. His last few hours living, and he had to share a cage with his arch nemesis.

Fate was a callous old bitty, to be sure.

As his cell mate finished his umpteenth lap and began another, Turnok could bear it no longer.

"Will you stop that?!" He hissed, narrowing his already beady eyes.

"I'm thinkin'!" Hoggle snapped back, "Ye should try it sometime!"

Infuriated, Turnok clenched his hands into fists.

"Thinking isn't going to get us out of here!"

"Neither is yer grumblin'!" The dwarf replied, glaring, and continuing his pacing, "Now pipe down, an' do somethin' useful!"

Silence followed. But it was short lived.

"This is all that human girl's fault," the goblin spat heatedly, "If she hadn't come here, none of this…!"

"All Sarah's fault?!" Hoggle choked, whirling around. Anger had twisted his brow. "If ye want to blame someone, blame yer king! He's the one that fell in love with her!"

The goblin leapt to his feet, unconsciously grabbing for the dagger he knew wasn't there.

"How dare you! Take that back this instant, or I'll save Edorin the trouble of an execution!"

"What are ye gonna' do? Stab me with yer invisible knife?!"

"You brazen…!"

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

Both winced, and turned to where the thunderous voice had echoed. For a split second, it seemed to be coming from the troll guarding them.

Until the troll fell to the floor unconscious, a large dent in its helm.

An enormous creature stood behind it, covered in orange fur, with large horns gracing the top of his head. His expression softened upon seeing the diminutive duo.

"Fighting too loud," he exclaimed, galumphing towards them.

"Ludo!" Hoggle cried out, rushing to the bars of the cell, "I never been so happy to see ye, ye overgrown mammoth!"

Turnok, however, was pressing himself against the far wall, his eyes wide.

"What the devil is that thing?!" He cried out.

"Ludo friend," the creature assured softly. He reached out his massive hands and took hold of the bars. With little effort, he bent them apart, leaving a hole plenty large enough for escape. Hoggle quickly slipped through the opening, and turned back to his friend.

"What are ye doin' here? Where's Didymus?"

"Brother went to find king," He replied, "Told Ludo to find Hoggle. Hoggle okay?"

The dwarf nodded. The orange creature turned to regard Turnok.

"Goblin okay?" He asked hopefully.

Hoggle glanced at his still-pressing-against-the-wall-like-his-life-depended-on-it companion, who had began to babble under his breath.

"Erm…more or less," He said simply, before turning his attention back to Ludo, "How'd ya know we was in here?"

"Pretty girl said so," he answered.

That seemed to snap Turnok out of his shock. He stepped forward eagerly, just as the dwarf exclaimed, "Leija? Leija's alright?!"

"Went with brother to find king! Follow Ludo!" The orange creature ushered, before turning and clomping heavily back down the hall. Hoggle pursued. Turnok pulled himself through the bars, and went over to the troll. After searching it thoroughly, he relinquished his dagger from its belt.

Shooting the groaning guard a victorious raspberry, he hurried down the corridor after them.

Jareth gasped. His lungs were aching with each breath, though it still felt as if he couldn't get enough air. A sickening sensation was spreading over him. It felt like fire was running through his veins; but if that was the case, why was he so cold? He shivered, and raised his eyes to his captor.

Edorin was sitting on the throne, watching intently. Every so often, he would carefully add a few notes to the parchment on his lap. But his eyes never left the Goblin King.

Another wave of pain seared through him. Jareth bit down on his lip to keep from crying out. Even in misery, his stubbornness remained. He would not allow the Troll Lord the satisfaction of hearing him scream.

The Fae's limbs had begun to grow heavy, like they were lead. Every heartbeat rang deafeningly in his ears. Without magic to sustain it, his body was tearing itself apart. Jareth knew that he did not have long.

He closed his eyes. Memories of her voice drifted through his mind.

Jareth, are you alright?

We'll find out together, then.

We need to get out of here! Come on!

You could try to be a little nicer to him…

Hold on to me, okay?

You've changed too, you know.

…I was worried about you.

The last one echoed several times in his ears. She had said she was worried about him. She had risked getting lost in her fears, and come back into the Well to find him. That determined, fair face. Those beautiful hazel eyes, filled with concern…she had rescued him from his nightmare.

Jareth opened his eyes when he heard the large stone doors slam. A troll had rushed in, looking disheveled and horrified. Edorin glanced at the creature in annoyance.

"Report."

"The…the prisoners, my lord…they have escaped!"

The Troll Lord stood. Rage flared in his eyes. His subordinate backed up a few steps, trembling in terror.

"Find them!" He hissed.

The troll didn't even waste the time of saluting before running back through the doors. Edorin shot Jareth an icy, seething glare.

"I will find them," he assured venomously, sparks of green electricity dancing over his form, "And I will make them beg for death before the end."

Moments later, the Troll Lord was replaced with a giant, black wolf. Snarling, it bounded out of the throne room.

Jareth's head fell, resting against his chest.

At least…they have a chance now…

His thoughts were interrupted as another surge of pain hit. This was stronger than the last, and completely overwhelmed his senses.

Twisting in agony, he screamed.

Sarah's eyes flew open. She skidded to a stop, listening. What was that?

For a second, she thought she had imagined it, until another echoed through the halls. There it was again. It was faint, far off, but it sounded like…

Jareth!

The girl abruptly changed her course, heading towards the tortured cry.

There seemed to be few trolls in the castle. She hadn't come across any since she had gotten inside. She was grateful, of course, but the lack of guards made her uneasy.

Maybe Edorin lost it and massacred most of them, Sarah thought hopefully.

As the girl darted down another hall, she found herself at the top of a staircase. She wasn't alone. A good half-dozen trolls were marching up them.

So much for that theory.

The troll nearing the top stair bellowed furiously, pointing towards her. The others snorted, raising their weapons.

Her face filled with fear, eyes wide with panic.

For about two seconds.

Then the fear disappeared, and was replaced by a righteous fury that actually made the lead troll screech to a halt.

Jaw set in resolve, Sarah charged at the monster and, using her momentum, shoved it as hard as she could. The troll toppled over, smashing squarely into its compatriots. One by one, they crashed to the ground, like a row of gigantic, armor-clad dominos. The fallen trolls then proceeded to slide back down the staircase, where they landed in a groaning heap. Before any of them even had time to register what had happened, Sarah had jumped over their crumpled bodies and kept on running.

Not far away, Leija was seriously starting to question why she had gone with Sir Didymus. Riding on the back of Ambrosius, she chanced a glance behind to see a large group of trolls stampeding after them.

"What exactly are we doing again?" She called over the thundering footsteps.

"Simple, fair maiden!" The fox-knight cried, holding onto the reigns, "We shalt lure the beasts into a dead end, wherefore we shalt smite them with our superior position and the element of surprise!"

Leija balked.

"But if we lead them into a dead end, won't we be the ones that are cornered?!"

"Precisely what the enemy shalt think!" Sir Didymus said confidently, "That is our element of surprise! Ha ha! What luck! There's one now!"

The gnome's face turned white. She really hoped that he secretly knew what he was doing, and wasn't just making up plans on the fly. Unfortunately, he was.

As courageous and clueless as ever, the fox-knight steered Ambrosius right into the dead end.

Far behind them, Ludo, Hoggle, and Turnok, who had seen the two riding the cowardly dog, were scrambling to keep up. In the dungeon, the goblin had not understood why the dwarf had been so horrified at the news Leija had gone with his friend. Until now.

"Why didn't you tell her Didymus was crazy?!" Turnok howled, chasing after Hoggle, who was sprinting at the front.

"I thought it was common knowledge!" Hoggle yelled back.

Meanwhile, the fox-knight in question had dismounted from his whimpering steed and brandished his fencing sword in what he thought was a menacing manner. Leija stayed planted firmly on the dog, looking for an escape.

"Thou knaves hath fallen right into my cunning trap!" Sir Didymus chortled, pointing his sword at each troll in turn, "Surrender, or abandon all hope!"

The trolls growled angrily, preparing to advance on the annoying creature who had led them on a wild goose chase through the castle. Suddenly, there was a loud clang.

The other monsters whirled around just in time to see two of their companions fall to the floor, out cold. Ludo stood there forebodingly, and raised his enormous fists. Sir Didymus took that instant to dart up the side of the leader of the trolls and onto its shoulder. Once at the same height of his adversaries, the fox-knight went to work. Leija, Hoggle, and Turnok watched in wonder as Didymus's blade zinged through the air, fallen foes piling up at his feet almost as fast as they were piling up at Ludo's. With a triumphant whoop, he slid to the ground just as the last troll crashed to the ground.

"Excellent technique, Brother Ludo!" Didymus said, before turning to the dwarf and goblin, "Where hath thou been, Hoggle? Thou hast missed many a grand battle!"

"Ye've been here all along?!" The dwarf cried in dismay, "I been out searchin' the whole of the Labyrinth, an' you and Ludo been here, in the city?!"

"But of course!" Didymus replied, "'Is this not where our foes dwell?"

Red-faced, Hoggle was about to chew him out for putting Leija in danger, when he saw something that made his jaw drop.

A human girl had just hurried down the hall. A brown-haired human girl.

"Sarah?!" He gasped, running to the doorway. She hadn't heard him, and was still rushing down the corridor. But at least now he was certain he had actually seen her.

Hearing the familiar name, the rest of the rag-tag group soon joined him.

"Sarah back!" Ludo said happily.

"Mi'lady!" Leija exclaimed in surprise, "How did she…?!"

"There's no time!" Hoggle said firmly. He turned to his companions, taking charge for one of the few times in his life. "She needs our help! C'mon!"

They nodded, and followed after her, running as fast as they could to keep up with her pace.

There were only nine minutes left.