Sarah was trying to pay attention to the small child in front of her. Now, the mother of that child (only three years old) was running the Labyrinth. She did feel sorry for her, as the mother was barely able to support herself and her son and called out in frustration. But, what's said is said.

"This is like TV!" The child (named Logan) was having the time of his life playing with the mirror that Sarah had conjured for him. The mirror reflected his face, but made silly faces back, enthralling the young child. His fascination and being in awe of everything made Sarah think of Cassandra. No matter how old her daughter got, she was always curious in something.

A gust of wind filled the throne room. Sarah didn't have to turn to feel annoyance and anger emanating from her husband. She already knew what was bothering him. Still staring at Logan, she said, "Jareth, what did Zarek say?"

"I'm concerned." The king said, pacing back and forth. "I don't know what's wrong with him. I'm surprised at him, losing his head over a girl!" He kicked a goblin, sending him laughing as he landed on the floor. "Sheesh. He thinks he can force Cassie to marry him and keep that whore around? It's not like Zarek." He mumbled. Jareth almost never used the "W" word, but for a woman that was definitely leeching off Zarek for power and was so awful, he didn't think anything fit her better.

Sarah paused for a moment. "Would it be possible to get that woman, Molpe is what I think her name is? Maybe we can get a truth serum in her. I have a suspicion that somehow she manipulated Zarek." She watched as Jareth turned to look at her.

"Not a bad idea, Sarah-mine. The problem is, she's the lover of the High King. He would never give us permission. Imagine if we somehow kidnapped her and get the truth serum to her. If she didn't do anything wrong, he could even put a stop to our reign." He sighed. It was a lose-lose situation.

They watched as the mother reach their castle. Sarah handed the child to Jareth. "I'll go take care of her." She gave her husband a kiss, and transported.

Jareth sighed. Though they were used to not having Cassandra's presence, he missed his daughter terribly. Having Sarah not be next to him made it worse, even for just a few moments. A set of hooves galloped through the hall, and he knew that his little girl was in trouble.

"Belle, what's wrong?" He saw tiredness and exhaustion in her eyes. "Your majesty, you need to come and guide her immediately. Her situation is dire. As soon as the Queen is available, she needs to come as well."


Cassandra woke up, covered in sweat and in flies. "Ugh. Wish I could've set myself on fire or something." She grumbled. Dusting herself off, she went in search of the mysterious golden sheep or whatever it was. Why was it in gold anyways? Gold was heavy. She would honestly do it a favor to be sheared.

She decided to gathered certain things to help with camp. Gathering soft leaves, she made a shelter. Fire was no problem of course, but food was. She tried to use her magic to sense for some food, but it didn't work. The princess placed her hands on her hips, annoyed. It seemed that magic would be difficult to accomplish on this island and she would have to go on foot. Finding a set of stairs, she decided to climb up to see what was on the other side.

It seemed that she found an oasis. After a bit of venturing, she found some mangoes and coconuts near a stream of fresh water. Happy at her good luck, the princess ate and began to bathe. She was hot, sweaty, and surprised that she didn't vomit at all that day. Maybe she just needed food. Rubbing her belly, she started singing lullabies and telling stories.

After she was dressed, a beautiful, mysterious sound filled her ears. A female voice rang through the air, making Cassandra feel light and happy. She had never experienced anything like it. Her whole body felt so relaxed and so free.

In front of her was a gorgeous woman singing. Somehow, it didn't bother her at all. In fact, Cassandra started to walk closer. The woman had a sheer white dress on, a very light material that outlined her beautiful body underneath it. Her dark brown hair was covered in tiny flowers and her hands were soft and smooth.

Cassandra wanted nothing more than to touch this woman, to please her, to make her happy in any way possible. As she reached closer, the woman was still singing, but started to sing softer, forcing Cassandra to get even closer to hear hear ethereal voice. The woman kissed Cassandra's neck, sending shivers up her spine and emitting a small moan. In the back of her mind, she knew that something was dangerously wrong, but her body couldn't help it. She just had to listen to this woman.

"Cassandra, look." The woman pointed behind the princess. There, she saw her parents, her new brother, her husband, and all the Underground creatures bowing. In her husband's hands was a book with her name as the author. She took the book, and saw that the title was "Magic and Science."

Everyone was praising her for her good work in saving so many lives through her studies. She was her own person, no longer living in the shadows of her parents. Many whispered that she had the best of everything; she had a powerful family, powerful and amazing talents, and was the most beautiful creature in the Underground, more than the gods. She ruled next to Troy as his rightful queen and goddess. Her mother-in-law was good to her and her name would be known for all time.

The Woman in White laid a soft hand on her back and wiped hand over the illusion, making Cassandra disappointed. "My princess, this is all for you. You can have this, and more. Just take a step. Just reach for your dreams and fly." She gave Cassandra another kiss, this time on her collar bone.

Cassandra squared her shoulders and nodded slowly. "Yes," she whispered, "I will. I will reach for my dreams." She stood at the edge of the stairs. Looking down, the logical side of her panicked and told her to not jump. With her body wavering, the Woman in White held her by the shoulders, comforting her. "My princess, you just need to spread your wings and fly. Don't be afraid. Reach for your dreams."

"My dreams." she repeated. The woman nodded encouragingly, stroking the princess's long locks. "Yes, you can do it." She gave Cassandra yet another kiss.

Far away, in the Castle Beyond the Goblin City, King Jareth and Queen Sarah screamed for their daughter to not jump, but they could not intervene. Cassandra fell, blissfully unaware of what was happening until she crashed into the ground.


Cassandra was no longer motivated to move her body. The Voice told her to get up and fight, but she wanted to die.

After she landed, the young fey blacked out. When she came to, it was already dark. As she tried to stand up, Cassandra screamed in pain. Making a spark between her fingers, she lowered it down to examine her body. What she found made her vomit. Multiple times.

Her side had horrible internal bleeding, but it was manageable. Her head was fine and her arms were a little scraped. It would take more than a fall to hurt the daughter of some of the most powerful beings of the Underground.

Her baby, on the other hand, was not so lucky.

Screaming in agony, Cassandra went into shock at the amount of blood that pooled around her legs. Whimpering and crying, she pushed herself up and hobbled all the way to the camp. Every step felt like knives were being thrust inside of her. Every tear burned through her face and every breath she took made her want to vomit again. Picking up her bag, she fished for some healing water, hoping and begging to save her baby.

Unfortunately, it was clear to her that the baby was long gone. Though her body got stronger, she lost the will to live. It was her fault for listening to the siren. If she hadn't, her baby would still be alive.

For three days, the princess laid down, not wanting to move. She didn't want to win this task. She was a failure, a terrible mother. She lost the child that was made from love, half her, half the man she loved most. She wasn't worthy of love and certainly wasn't worth saving.

Near the end of that day, she was surprised to see a parcel stamped with her name on it. Being wary of it, she poked it with a stick, and saw a note stuck on it.

Sweet Pea,

We have tried and tried to contact you for so long. This parcel contains a gift from the goblins who miss their princess. We received your letter, and are relieved to know that you're alright. We miss you so much.

Please know that whatever happens, you are NOT a failure. You will always have our love and we will always be here for you as much as we can. You have a good heart and a bright mind.

If you don't think so, when I, your mother, was younger, I was scared to be with your father and in the process, he almost died. I blamed myself so much. I had to learn to accept that love and so should you.

And me, your father, got in a car crash where your Uncle Toby died. I didn't want to live. I felt that I didn't deserve it. Your mother was the one that took good care of me and wouldn't let me beat myself up.

We hope you will find this useful. We love you no matter what. Take care of yourself. If not for you, then for us. We beg of you, our darling.

Love, Mom and Dad

Cassandra burst into tears as she opened the parcel. She drew out a magnificent sword with gems on the hilt, symbolizing a fire. It was the perfect gift, as she had been wanting a sword for a while after hours of practicing dueling with her tutor.

But even more than the sword, the letter from her parents was quite helpful. In fact, it was priceless. Energy filled her soul, and the love her parents felt for her reminded her that she indeed deserved to be happy. Clutching the sword in her hand, she tore off the mango skin with her teeth and sucked on it, ready to track the sheep for some Golden Fleece.


"Ahhhh!"

Cassandra swung the sword behind her back and climbed up a tree. Of COURSE she was stupid enough to forget the warnings to not go near the sheep! "I suppose it's fleece was too pretty to ignore," she told herself angrily.

The sheep wasn't just a regular sheep. Normal sheep were fluffy and kind of cute. This one had blood red eyes and teeth as sharp as a wolf, and ran with the speed of a cheetah. She had no idea how she got away from the terrifying creature, but somehow, she did.

Sitting in the tree, she was glad that the sheep couldn't climb after her. Sharp pain stabbed her insides, and she tried to massage her abdomen. For some reason, not even the healing water could heal the physical pain from her miscarriage, and she was still bleeding. Cassandra decided to call it a night and tried to position herself so she wouldn't fall of the tree.


"Psst! Hey!"

Someone woke her up in the wee hours of the morning. It was lucky that Cassandra had such good reflexes, or else she'd fall off that tree for good. Looking down, she was amazed to find a mermaid. She pursed her lips. Mermaids were not well known, much like centaurs. She wasn't sure if this one meant harm or not. But, like Sarah, Cassandra's curiously won and she slid down the tree and into the ocean.

The mermaid was beautiful, to say the least. Unlike Cassandra's naturally bone-straight hair, hers was bright pink and curly, bouncing around. Her tail was silver in color, glimmering in the sunrise. And her eyes. Oh her eyes! They were the most beautiful violet color that looked even more beautiful when pride with her dark skin. Her chest was bare, with lovely breasts hanging free, something Cassandra wished she could do at times without feeling that it was taboo.

The mermaid smiled. "I know who you are. You're Princess Cassandra, daughter of the Goblin King and Queen." She made a bowing motion. "Your parents are well respected here and we are indebted to them." Sarah had started a project to stop the Underground from throwing trash into the oceans. As a token of gratitude, the merking gave them lovely seashells that were even used for decoration in Cassandra's nursery as a child.

Cassandra's eyes lit up. Feeling safer, she tried her luck to ask her for help. "Excuse me, would you help me with getting the Golden Fleece?" The mermaid smiled. "Of course, anything to help Queen Sarah's daughter. But there is a price."

"A price?" Cassandra wasn't ready for that.

"Yes, did you think that I'd just help for free?"

The princess wiggled her nose. Truth be told, she was hoping that the mermaid would in fact help her for free. The medians laughed. "It was not you who saved our kind, but your parents, particularly your mother. Didn't you want your own reputation? Part of that is to not rely on mommy and daddy for any perks in life." She batted her eyes innocently, making Cassandra's blood boil.

The mermaid was right, but she didn't have to be so condescending. Cassandra folded her arms. "Fine. Name your price."

The mermaid swished her tail happily. "It's simple. I want a lock of your golden hair."

At this, Cassandra for suspicious. Why would she need or want her hair? But it was tempting, and easy to do.

The Voice came back to her, telling her to not give in, but Cassandra was tired and wanted this to end. For the first time, she ignored its help. She wanted an easy solution, and she needed it now. "Alright. If I give you my hair, what will you give me?"

The mermaid held up a vial. "A sleeping drought, your highness. Pour it on the blue grass where the sheep feasts. It will sleep and you will have one hour be able to shear off its fleece. But be careful, it is difficult to sheer it off."

Cassandra still wasn't convinced. "And what is my hair for?"

"Oh, I just would like a lock of hair from the most beautiful woman in the Underground. I could sell it for quite a bit of money. Is that so wrong?" Cassandra scoffed, but ripped a chunk of her hair out. "Here." She handed a fistful to the delighted mermaid who tossed the vial back to the princess. "Thank you, princess. Good luck." And she swam away.

Cassandra did some more trekking, ignoring the fatigue she felt from the pain in her abdomen. She was a fey, after all, and not a human. She'd live. Running up the stairs, she found the blue grass the mermaid was talking about, as well as the sheep.

It wasn't facing her, which was lucky. Darting around, she poured the contents of the vial onto the grass and waited for the sheep to eat its meal.

It was hours before he ate the grass, and Cassandra was relieved when he finally did. She came out of her hiding spot and began to sheer the coat. "Damn," she muttered. "This is difficult." It was like trying to cut a sheet of metal coated with maple syrup using normal scissors. She tried to use magic, but it didn't work. Cursing some more, she painstakingly cut through all the fleece, making her hands bleed as well from the strain. But, she thought of her parent's letter and pushed through.

After the hour, she carried the wool away. It was so difficult to do so many things without magic. Kneeling to the ground and holding it up with pride, she cried "Queen Ina! I have completed the second task!"

Immediately, sand swirled around her feet and the Queen of Beauty appeared. She snatched the fleece out of her daughter-in-law's hands. "Oh! How nice this will be on my new gown!" She rubbed it against her cheek without so much as a look at Cassandra. She grabbed Cassandfa by the ear. "OW!" The princess protested.

"That's enough!" The goddess commanded silence. "You will listen to me. Your next task is to run the Labyrinth. Oh don't look so happy; it's not your father's Labyrinth. It's the real thing. You will have 13 days to run it. In the center, you will enter the Underworld where you will meet Queen Persephone and ask for a drop of spring. You do know she's the goddess of spring, yes?" Cassandra nodded. "Very good. When you emerge, you will be met by an orb that will lead you to my palace and present it to me. And beware princess," she sneered. "You may not live this one. I am letting you complete this third task because of how useful you are. You have lost my grandchild. Good luck." With another swirl, the goddess and the princess left the island.

Not far away, the mermaid was showing off the beautiful golden locks that she gathered from the princess. As she swam away to present them to the king, a dagger brushed against her neck. "Hey what-"

"If you want to live, you will hand over those locks to me." A terrifying voice threatened the mermaid, one that she knew well. "Molpe? Please please don't hurt me." The voice laughed and snatched the locks of hair. "Oh don't worry, my old friend. Your debts have been paid. Now swim along and do not tell anyone of this meeting. I have eyes everywhere."

The mermaid massaged her throat, never looking back. In that moment, she regretted letting Molpe get away with the princess's hair. She could only pray that the daughter of Queen Sarah and King Jareth would not be harmed by her actions.


Jeez this is getting more serious by the minute! To be honest, this is one of the chapters where I just kind of go "we'll see what happens" without a real plan but there it is. I hope you are enjoying it so far though, even with the dark themes of this chapter. Next chapter will have more Sarah and Jareth interactions! I have to admit, writing Sarah and Jareth freak out over something together is seriously one of the funner things to write. Freaking out at each other? Eh, not as much (like chapter 8 was so much fun to write). I may or may not post a new chapter tomorrow, it depends on what my mom decides to do for plans tomorrow. I may also just write a one shot just for funsies. But, chapter 11 will come soon either way. Anyways, please leave a review!