"Sky's Eclipse"
Chapter 7
By Aiijuin

*Disclaimer: I don't own anything Jim Henson or Labyrinth. This chapter took a little longer to type out than the others, because I am attempting to improve my grammar. As recommended, I have removed the annoying parenthetical phrases.

Gröeg was originally designed by Brian Froud and catalogued by Terry Jones in Brian Froud's "The Goblins of the Labyrinth". This fanfiction is rated M for some harsh language and adult situations.. While the dialogue may seem rough at times, I don't believe (other than Jareth-who is royalty & Sarah- who is a college graduate) Toby Williams, nor the goblins speak like English professors.

**Revised 09/10/2009: Major grammatical errors were repaired, parenthetical phrases were removed from the story, and Irene's name was changed to Karen to keep the continuity of "Labyrinth" fanfictions everywhere that concordantly agree that Sarah's stepmother's name is "Karen".

Chapter Seven: What kind of magic spell to use?

The study was a bit brighter than the foyer. Like the house itself, the whole room was fashioned in Baroque Classical. Wooden panels of dark-stained cedar lined the walls, and had various oil paintings of landscapes and mythological scenes hung in various locations. Two wall bookcases by the entryway, reached from ceiling to floor, and encased about several thousand volumes of antique novels and writs. There were many golden wall sconces holding thick wax candles and various gold moulding outlined the ceilings and doors. A massive desk made from cherry wood stood diagonal to a tall set of French doors. A green velvet chaise was placed in front of the desk. Gavin escorted Sarah to the chaise while he took a seat behind the desk. He pretended to look interested at some papers on its surface.

Gavin straightened the papers and returned his gaze to Ms. Williams. He remarked, "It is apparent there is much on your mind, my Dear. I'm here if you care to share."

Sarah grinned politely and responded, "Mr. King, I didn't come here to burden you with my problems today."

Gavin pretended to be pleasant. Inwardly, however, Jareth fought the urge to insist she tell him why she had come. "I never insinuated you would burden me. I just wanted to let you know I'm available, in case you need to talk. Your brother confides in me, quite often."

"Yes, I know," Sarah said, "I've been told. Actually, I didn't come here to speak with you in casual conversation, Mr. King."

"Oh?"

Sarah blinked, "I've come here to warn you of danger."

Gavin squirmed a bit, he wondered if Sarah already realized his secret, "Warn me? Is there a problem, Sarah?"

Sarah nodded, "Yes, it's about the 'disscussion' last night at my house. Do you recall whom we were speaking of?"

Gavin inhaled slowly, "Was it in regards to that Goblin King chap? The fellow that young Master Williams mentioned?"

Sarah nearly jumped across the desk at Gavin. Before he knew it, she had her index finger pressed to his lips. "Shhhhh," She hissed.

Gavin was allured by her proximity, or rather, Jareth was. His smile changed from serenely sweet to intensely passionate. There was hardly a breath between either of them, and before 'Jareth' forgot himself, he moved back. He knew he had to adhere to his plan and make Sarah play his game.

Now, after eight years in the mortal realm, he had no intentions of showing her leniency.

Sarah sensed the discomfort in Gavin as he withdrew. She blushed slightly. Sometimes she forgot she wasn't fifteen anymore. She should have remembered this with Mike Pierce, but her mind sometimes strayed to unconsciously digressing into her adolescence. It was easy to do without the responsibilities of a husband or children on her mind.

Sarah was quick to apologize. She sat back down on the chaise and crossed her legs at the ankles. She was too embarrassed to look into Gavin's eyes, and looked past his shoulders instead. Her eyes focused in at the view beyond the vast windows of the lofty French doors. That's when she noticed his backyard garden. She had forgotten her imminent warning to Gavin. She exclaimed, "Oh!"

Gavin's face brightened again. Relieved she had broken the silence, he asked, "Yes, Ms. Williams?"

"You have a backyard hedge maze!"

Gavin turned around to take a fleeting look. "Why, yes," he began, "I've always had an interest in planting one of those. Don't you think it's lovely, my Dear?"

Sarah stood up again, this time to get a better view of the maze. It had grown very high, standing nearly twelve feet tall. The shrubs that formed it were thick and overlaid with vines of blossoming Honeysuckle, Wisteria, Morning Glories, and other various florae. A white wooden trellis interlaced with pink and peach roses marked its entrance. Sarah scanned the labyrinth, but couldn't find the exit. She turned back to Gavin, and finally answered, "It's breathtaking."

Sensing the awkward moment had passed, Gavin asked, "What were you about to warn me of, Sarah?"

Sarah broke her concentration on the outdoor labyrinth and turned to say, "Well, our conversation last night bordered on the unusual. I wanted to warn you about speaking openly about such things."

Gavin grinned and laughed, "Yes, I should, rightly, think that I'd be mistaken for a madman, if I begin conversations with this particular topic."

"No. It isn't that."

Gavin was interested now. He had expected Sarah to agree with him. That would have been the 'human response' he anticipated. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "Then, whatever do you mean, my Dear?"

"It's not good to talk about or even speak about the 'said' Goblin Kingdom figurehead. You could accidentally summon him to you, and then you'll have to pay the consequences."

"Sarah," Gavin said sternly, "I doubt the Goblin King hardly pays any mind to the babble of humankind."

Sarah didn't know if Gavin didn't believe her story or was challenging her knowledge of Jareth. Either way, she was slightly taken back and responded defensively, "And I doubt that you, hardly, have any authoritative knowledge of this subject, beyond what you've heard discussed at my parent's dining room table last night."

How dare her, he thought. She couldn't possibly know more than he did about himself.

Then, Gavin remembered that he was supposed to Gavin King, owner and official litigator of Liege Legal Advisors, LLC. He decided to back down and let Sarah win this round. It would be easier to keep her close to him and monitor her, if he didn't make her his enemy. He had the trust of her parents and her brother. He only needed to gain her confidence. Then, he would trap her into his retained his silence to keep the peace between them.

An uneasy silence followed, but luckily, Gröeg chose this moment to return as Jareth had planned. The tiny butler tapped at the entryway of the study. King waved his hand to bid him forward. Gröeg had a tray made of pure silver and encrusted with garnets and rubies. The teakettle and cups also matched. Steam rose from the hot water, and Gröeg had to carefully watch his steps to avoid tripping on the oriental throw rug that lay across his path. He placed the tray down on the desk in front of Sarah.

Gavin smiled and asked, "Won't you join me for tea, Sarah?"

She exhaled deeply. Her conversation had gone nowhere. Knowing it would be rude to deny him, and since she had nowhere better to go anyway, Sarah nodded. Gavin reached for the teakettle, and turned the cups upright onto their saucers. Sarah thought about how she had originally wanted to tell Gavin that the Goblin King was watching her family. She knew since the lawyer supervised her father, that Gavin was most likely to fall prey to the same fate that Jareth had planned for her entire household as well. Karen had spent nearly half a night telling Sarah the entire story of Gavin King's escapades with the Williamses. She felt a chill run down her back. She sensed something was about to happen.

But that's impossible, she thought. Jareth usually travels by moonlight.

When she returned from her thoughts, Gavin was handing her a poured cup of tea. He said, "I hope you don't mind. I though it would be best if I steeped this for you. It's a rare blend of herbs and fruit, so the taste is just heavenly, but only if the timing is correct."

Sarah didn't really listen to Gavin. The foreboding feeling overwhelmed her. She looked out the windows at the garden maze hedge again.

Gavin was speaking about something else, but sensed Sarah wasn't hearing him. Finally he asked, "Sarah?"

He had to call her name twice before she jumped. She grinned sheepishly. She hadn't meant to be rude. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr. King. I was just…"

She paused, but then waved her hand in front of her. She finished, "Never mind. It's nothing."

She began to sip her tea. Gavin watched as the liquid left the cup and trickled into her lips. A smirk spread across his face.

Like a moth to a flame, he had her now!

Sarah smiled and said, "This is very good!"

"Do you like it? I had it imported from my homeland. It's quite rare."

Sarah nodded again. She yawned a bit and lightly rapped her face.

Apparently, my double life is already beginning to take its toll, thought Sarah. I can't believe how tired I've suddenly become!

Before she realized what was happening, her arms began to weaken. Her vision was also starting to blur. She thought she heard laughter, but looked around to find no one except Gavin.

Gavin walked around the table and clutched her shoulder. He kneeled down by the chaise and asked, "I say…Are you feeling well, Sarah?"

She tried to nod, but couldn't think straight enough to do so. Before she could speak another word, she slumped over into Gavin's arms and dropped the teacup and saucer onto the floor.

At first 'Jareth' believed he had Sarah under his spell, at last. But then he realized, his spell was an overkill.

She's not supposed to behave like this, he grimaced.

"The goblin twit must have used the wrong mixture," he muttered lowly.

Gavin braced Sarah upright, but her head bobbled about inconsistently. Gavin shouted for his servant, "Gorg!"

Immediately, Gröeg appeared before his master and bowed, " I'm Gröeg, Sire."

"Whatever."

"Yes, Sire?"

"Which magic spell did 'we' use on our dear princess?"

"The same one Master told me to. Arrowroot and fairies breath, mixed with a touch of daydream petals and a twig of cinnamon for taste."

"Well, it seems a bit off. Are you sure you didn't confuse the petals like last time?"

Gröeg blinked and nodded, "Yes, Master. King said to use the 'special tealeaves', so Gröeg did as he said. Except, Gröeg made them stronger than before."

Gavin placed his hands over his eyes in exasperation. He knew the goblin must have bungled it somehow. He ought to have known better than to let one of his subjects prepare a trap that required great precision. Gröeg had increased the potency of the daydream petals and now, Sarah was practically comatose. He had wanted her to be open to suggestion, not close-eyed and asleep. Still, Sarah was fighting and resisting. Her eyes nearly slits, she continued to mumble, even in her incoherent state. Gavin leaned in closer, feeling very curious what she might say.

At first, her words were mere mumbles, but then a few cryptic decipherable ones slipped past. It left Gavin wishing the whole thing were unbroken.

She said, "Sun… moon…. Spin round…round…common ground… dance about 'round…sky…eye to eye….Night…Day…masked in disguise…..love's still strong…they could not know…was torn from….long ago….past memories all lost in despair….fair…woes"

Gavin whispered, "Sarah?"

She did not acknowledge him, but continued babbling, "King lures his queen… she goes…and always doth…run from him…his castle…Labyrinth…they'll meet again in sky's eclipse…"

Her mouth barely formed the last words as her voice trailed off into silence. Her eyes snapped shut and her world became a sea of darkness.