Ok, so I handwrote this in a spiral while on vacation, and the LEFT THE DAMN SPIRAL IN THE AIRPORT so then I rewrote it on my iPod and emailed it to myself to upload it. Anyway, enjoy! Not much happens, but Jareth gets a backstory.

Sarah slipped out of the castle and into the gardens. She was so lonely at night when the rest of the castle slept. She easily produced a crystal to keep an eye on Toby. He was doing well. Charlotte had erased all memory of her Sarah could watch them from afar without watching them worry about her.

In truth, she loved the Fairy Kingdom. There was a peace and beauty here that rivaled any place on earth. It was only the evenings when she couldn't sleep when she was lonely and thought about her brother and Jareth. There was no denying her love for Jareth, but under the circumstances, she couldn't exactly go visit him. Instead, she pined from afar. She knew he loved her and now she was older and returned his love. There was just the minor issue of her being on his enemy's side.

"Clair?" a voice asked behind her. Sarah turned around. It was Charlotte. Charlotte had renamed her Clair so no one knew she was there.

"Yes, your majesty?" Sarah asked, bowing to her queen.

"Why are you still awake?"

"I can't sleep," she replied.

"Come," Charlotte said, waving her over.

Sarah followed Charlotte through the gardens into a hedge maze. Sarah had solved it twice already, breaking the original record of an hour. She had solved it in thirty minutes. Charlotte, however, did not take the quickest path in and out. Instead she led Sarah to the center where Sarah had never been. There was a large stone statue in the center. It was of a man and a girl. The man had long hair sticking out in all directions. One arm was wrapped around her waist and the other was holding out a crystal to the girl. He was smiling down at her. She smiled back up at him. Her straight hair fell down her back in the most boring way possible. Her long dress only showed off her beauty and amazing figure. The strangest part was the wings coming out of the woman's back. The word 'peace' was carved into the base.

"Who is this?" Sarah asked. She reached out and gently touched the crystal in the girl's hand.

"Well, the man I believe is the Goblin King," Charlotte said slowly. "And the woman is the Fairy Queen. The problem is no one knows who she is. It's fairly obvious the king is Jareth, but the queen is still a mystery."

"What does it mean?" Sarah asked. She knew it was a stupid question, but she figured she might as well ask it anyway.

"When the Goblin King and the Fairy Queen fall in love, there will be peace in the Underground," Charlotte replies. Sarah looked at Charlotte with a confused expression. Charlotte smiled. "Ever since the Goblin King has gained power to rival the fairies, there has been unrest. It used to be the fairies and the High King worked together to ensure peace in the Underground, but then the goblins suddenly acquired power to rival the fairies. The High King hoped that with his son on the throne both kingdoms would support him, but that didn't quite work."

"Where did the goblins get their newfound power?" Sarah asked.

"They had it from the start. It was Evanescence who finally unlocked it."

"Who?" Sarah and Charlotte began to walk out of the maze as Charlotte explained.

"The Goblin King's daughter. She was the first wished away almost ten thousand years ago. Jareth loved her to pieces and spoiled her rotten. She was turned Fae when she was eighteen years old and somehow managed to unlock the hidden powers of the labyrinth and the Goblin Kingdom. The goblins suddenly went from a completely useless race to the rescuers of unwanted children in the human world. No other race has the power to visit that world. The children whose parents or siblings don't make it through are adopted by a family in the Underground. She wanted to ensure all who suffered like her had a happy ending." Charlotte sighed. Sarah thought she saw a tear fall down the queen's cheek.

"What happened to her?" Sarah asked.

"The High King became greedy and jealous. He didn't understand how a mere mortal could unlock powers even the most skilled Fae couldn't. He tried to force her to come to court to trap her, under the guise of her needing to find a husband. Most girls go when they turn five hundred. The High King tried to convince her to come when she was only three hundred. Evanescence knew what he was trying to do and told him she would come when she was five hundred like the rest of the royals. The High King accepted that answer and left her for two hundred years. What the High King didn't know was Evanescence made a vow when she was thirty. She vowed no one would ever have complete power over her." Sarah thought she could see where this was going. Vows were sacred things. They couldn't be broken except under the most extreme circumstances and even then it was considered taboo.

"Evanescence kept her word and went to court when she turned five hundred years old. As expected, the High King started trying to force her to unlock the powers of the Underground for his own personal gain. The magic refused to be unlocked. Little by little the High King grew angry. He began to take control of her. He gave her clear instructions as to when she could come and go. She wasn't allowed to see her father. It began to kill her. As the High King's power over her increased, her health dramatically decreased. She began to lose weight, she grew weaker and one day, she completely disappeared and hasn't been seen since."

"And her disappearance started the war," Sarah filled in as they emerged from the maze.

Charlotte nodded. "If the High King hadn't mocked Evanescence for being weak ten years ago this war would never have started."

"He had the nerve to mock her?" Sarah exploded. After everything he'd done to the poor girl he made fun of her when she was gone? He was worse than the worst bully.

Charlotte nodded. "Called the Goblin King and all the Goblins a weak race because the two women the King loved disappeared without a trace. He said they were weak for not being able to keep them."

"But it was the High King's fault Evanescence disappeared in the first place!" Sarah cried.

"He conveniently forgets that most of the time," Charlotte replied, shrugging. They'd reached their floor. "Get some sleep, Sarah. War is upon us and you're no good to us half dead."

Sarah nodded. She suddenly felt very tired. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

What do you think? PLEASE let me know!