Chapter Four;

Sentry duty was not for the faint of heart.

If there was one thing that Farnig had learned from years of serving as Jareth's right hand man, it was that some of the tasks that were placed before him were just plain boring. Today would be no exception. Jareth had insisted that he remain as close to Sarah as possible, to watch over her and keep her safe as his liege tried to find a way to repair the damage that had already been done. There was no telling what repercussions would come from Sarah's actions.

He had never seen the girl fall so low before, though. When they had finally been dismissed by the Goblin King and had returned to her chambers, the small girl had all but collapsed into an array of cushions and had not moved for hours. Every so often she would heave a deep sigh and seem to disappear further into the cushions. The poor girl held herself completely responsible for their current situation.

"Come now, Sarah." He smiled sadly. "Chin up."

"I ruined everything." She mumbled, her face pressed against the cushions. "I can't believe I was so stupid."

"It's not completely your fault, you know. Jareth was very vague about why he did not want you looking into his past. Everything happens for a reason and our King should have known his bride to be was far too strong willed to simply take don't do it for an answer." Farnig explained, crossing the room to where a small tea station rested. He busied himself with preparing tea for the small girl, hoping to bring some life back into her.

She let out a sound that, to the Faye guard, sounded like a cross between a banshees roar and a snarl, lifting herself up to a more appropriate sitting position. "He's going to hate me forever, isn't he? He'll never forgive me for this."

Farnig all but laughed, shooting her an apologetic look. "He loves you, Sarah. There is no force on this earth that could ever make Jareth hate you. He may be disappointed, but he knows you did not do any of this intentionally. He's a very different man than he was before you came into the Underground. He's done a lot of changing, a lot of growing, and I have to say that most of that is due to your presence. He wanted to become a better man for you and so he did. He's far less angry than he was before."

"I can only imagine." She huffed, brushing her fingers through her silken hair. "Tell me something about him, will you? Something I don't already know."

"You know much already, little one." Farnig chuckled, finishing up the tea and presenting it before her. Our King does not keep many secrets from you and the ones he does choose to keep are for your safety as well as the safety of the entire Kingdom."

"Well then not something I don't know. Tell me a story instead; something that happened between the two of you before I existed. Tell me something to get my mind off of all of this," she gestured around the room as if it was falling apart around her. For all he knew, she really did see her world collapsing around her. Everything she had thought she had once known about the Underground really was collapsing. Her grasp on the ideal of magic had changed in a way Farnig simply couldn't understand.

He had been blessed as a member of the guard, or maybe he had been cursed. The moment he accepted his role, Jareth had confided every secret of the Underground in him. He told him of the magic that existed, the Troll wars, the way humanity had stripped the magical beings of their power. Every dark and horrible part of their history had been laid bare before the Faye Guard… and he had never been more horrified or determined to make sure that history did not repeat itself.

"What is it about Author's that insist on everyone telling stories?" Farnig teased, lowering himself down into a cross-legged position before the small girl.

"Indulge me." She smirked, pulling a soft blanket from its resting place on the pillows and draping it around her petite frame.

"What type of story would you like to hear? I have many to tell. Happy times, sad times, silly times. The choice is yours." He explained, running over hundreds of years of friendship with the Goblin King in a single moment.

"Start with something happy."

Farnig smiled lithely. "A long time ago, a human girl wished away her baby brother…"

Xxx The Day Sarah Arrived xxX

"My liege," Farnig greeted respectfully, bowing low before his King for simply the sake of appearances. The two had been close friends, if not advisors to each other, for many years. Farnig simply held up the respectful decorum for the sake of the other members of the Goblin King's court. It would not bode well for their King if everyone began greeting him informally. "You summoned me?"

"Yes." Jareth sighed in agitation. His body draped over the stone throne, a small baby dressed in red and white balanced easily upon his lap. "I need your assistance."

"How may I assist?"

With a wave of his hand, Jareth cleared the throne room of his court. Both goblins and Faye scrambled left and right in a desperate attempt to avoid their leader's wrath. It took barely a moment for the two to find they were alone with just the small child upon Jareth's lap. "Ugly little creature, isn't he?" Jareth teased his friend, bouncing the small boy upon his knee.

"Horrifying. And the runner?" Farnig asked, smirking down at the adorable child.

"A human girl, quite young in fact. She's the child's elder sister." Jareth explained, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

"A sibling wished away the child?" Farnig asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. It was rare that someone other than the parent wished away a child and the Goblin King complied.

"I was intrigued." Jareth explained, again nonchalantly. "The parents are horribly neglectful. The child would have been wished away eventually anyway."

"Not that I lack appreciation for my summoning… but why was I summoned Jareth?" Farnig asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he appraised his King. As desperately as the man before him tried to act like he did not have a care in the world, it was evident that something was off. Farnig knew the Goblin King better than anyone else in the world. He could tell when the King was behaving differently.

"I need you to watch over the child. I have business to attend to." Jareth said, rising up and placing the small baby into Farnig's supportive arms.

"You're giving me a wished away?" Farnig asked, his face contorting into a mask of confusion and horror. "You've never given a wished away to anyone before."

"I need to attend to some pertinent business." Jareth said briskly.

"Jareth." Farnig warned, his voice stern. "What is this about?"

Jareth was silent for a long while, his eyes blankly staring ahead at the stone wall. Whatever was changing in his King, Farnig had yet to decide if it was for the better or not. "The runner."

"The human girl? You know you cannot interfere in the runner's trail. If you deter her in any way…"

"I don't plan to deter her," Jareth snapped, his eyes blazing as he turned back to his college. "She intrigues me. Nothing more, nothing less."

"What is it about this particular girl that has you abandoning your duties? You have never acted so recklessly before." Farnig pointed out. It was true, Jareth was stoic and unmovable. He never abandoned a wished away during their trial. The only time they were out of his sight was when Farnig took those of acceptable age to assess their options. This child was far too young to be passed off on the Faye Guard.

"I have no need to validate my motives with you, Farnig." Jareth snapped, arms crossed over his chest. Where most would have seen a regal King chastising one of his subjects, Farnig only saw a petulant child. He was stubborn and thick headed and he was trying to push the wrong buttons in the captain of his guard.

"You do when they involve a runner and the finer points of our regime." Farnig explained flatly, moving Toby so he rested effortlessly upon his hip. "You've done all you should when it comes to this runner. Tell me why I should let you shirk your responsibilities to go bother her again."

"I'm intrigued." Jareth repeated, once again shrugging his shoulders. "I would like to see her fail."

"For the sake of the child or for your own personal gain?" Farnig wasn't really sure where that particular question had bubbled from but he had never before seen his King become so bothered by a runner. In fact, he had never seen his King become intrigued by any woman ever. If his liege saw something in the female runner, who was Farnig to stand in the way.

"I haven't quite decided yet."

Giving a knowing smile, Farnig motioned for his King to leave.

Xxx A few Hours Later xxX

Farnig had never seen Jareth fume quite like the Goblin King was at that very moment. To be honest, Farnig wasn't sure what he had been expect, but it definitely had not been for his King to return in such a state.

"A piece of cake!" Jareth all but roared, pacing back and forth across the stone floor of the throne room. "She called my Labyrinth a piece of cake!" Angrily he turned on Farnig, jabbing a finger into the younger Faye's face. "Do you think my Labyrinth is a piece of cake?"

Farnig snickered. He hadn't meant for the noise to cross his lips, but once it had he knew it was too late to take it back.

"And what, may I ask, do you find so funny?" Jareth asked, his eyes flaming with his rage.

Farnig snickered again. "You've let a mere child get under your skin, my lord."

"She is far from a child. She is infuriating and prideful and entitled." Jareth ranted, still pacing back and forth as he did. Even Farnig, far from versed in the ways of life and love, could tell that Jareth had fallen victim to a woman's charm. Whatever it was about this runner, she had captivated his King completely.

"She is quite beguiling." Farnig smirked, edging his way into the inner workings of the King's mind. If anyone knew how to make Jareth admit what was really going on in his head, it was Farnig.

"Quite."

"And irritating. How dare she belittle the hard work you put into creating the Labyrinth." Farnig continued.

"My Labyrinth is not a piece of cake. It is a force to be reckoned with. Few runners have ever succeeded and fewer have escaped unscathed." Jareth's fury was slowly being replaced with pride for his creation, his chest puffing out against his own compliments.

"She is quite annoying. Allying with the dwarf to try and thwart your attempts to save the child." He pushed farther, determined to confuse his King into admitting what he truly felt for the runner.

"Quite. Hogwart will be of little use to her, though. I took time away and sent the cleaners after her." He smirked smugly, his pacing starting to slow slightly, his face falling. "I'm sure she found a way to escape."

"I hope so. It would be a shame to see her mowed down so crudely. She is quite beautiful." Farnig smirked, his smile spreading across his entire face as he patiently waited for his King to walk into his trap.

"Quite."

Like a moth to the flame.

"No. Not quite!" He quickly tried to recover. "She is a vile creature and the sooner she is removed from the Underground the better. She does not belong in our world."

Farnig merely smiled knowingly. "Whatever you say, my King."

Xxx Hours After Sarah's Departure xxX

When Farnig entered the throne room, the King was alone. No child, no runner, just the Goblin King sprawled out across his throne. It was evident immediately that something was off about him, but he seemed almost sad.

"I assume she finished the Labyrinth?"

"She did." Jareth acknowledged, not bothering to look at the Faye General. "Both she and the child have returned to the Aboveground."

"She rejected you then?" Farnig frowned, eyeing his King speculatively.

"Yes." Jareth's lips twisted into a light smile, seeming to be looking at something that wasn't there. "But I won't give up hope."

Xxx Present Day xxX

"He knew even then?" Sarah asked, skepticism lingering in her voice. It had taken her a long time to realize how she felt about the Goblin King, but he had simply known. The first moment he laid his eyes upon her he had known that there was something special about her, no matter how infuriated he became by her antics. His words suddenly filtering back into the recesses of her mind.

You asked that the child be taken; I took him. You cowered before me; I was frightening. I have reordered time. I have turned the whole world upside down, and I have done it all for you.

I ask for so little. Just fear me. Love me. Do as I say and I shall be your slave.

The more she really thought upon it, his actions had seemed less cruel and more persuasive. Jareth had seen something in her that she had been unable to see herself and so he had sought to thwart her at every turn. It was not that he wanted to see her fail, he had merely wanted to keep her in the Underground with him forever. Jareth had seen into her heart in ways that no one else had from the very moment they had met.

"Never fear, little one. Your King will still love you after all of this is over. I would expect him to be moody and brood for a little while, but once everything has been righted and the world is safe again, you will be at peace." Farnig promised.

"Do you think this will be easy to fix?" She asked, nibbling at her bottom lip lightly.

"I think it will be trying. I think we are facing dangerous times ahead. But fear not, our King will be victorious." There was no doubt in his voice, though a slight undertone of concern. Farnig had complete faith in the Goblin King.

"Dangerous times…" She repeated, picking at the hem of her dress. "He'll keep everyone safe, wont he?"

"He will try."

Xxx The Aboveground xxX

She kicked at the dirt at her feet as she walked, creating little craters in the ground as she moved. Freedom was a rare commodity these days, between school and work and family obligations she barely ever found the time to merely wander. Days like today were a blessing in disguise.

While the sun hid behind the cover of clouds and a light misting of rain dabbled against her face, she knew that there were much worse fates to face. For today there was no homework, no essays due, no annoying customers to placate and no parents in town for a whole weekend. To say she was in heaven was probably the biggest understatement of her life.

And it helped that the mountain pass was completely empty today.

There was not much to do in the more rural areas of Montana. Especially not if you were under the age of twenty-one. There were national parks and hiking and adventuring to be done, but not much more. A girl of only twenty could find herself crumbling under the pressure of constant boredom, but at least she liked to hike and climb. The exertion made her feel strong and free and the dark made her feel safe in an oddly comforting way. She enjoyed the silence and the sounds of nature, but mostly she enjoyed the make-believe.

When she wandered the caverns and the woods she could pretend that she was part of something greater. She could pretend she was a magical being with whimsy and freedom. She could pretend that she was more than just a girl from Montana going nowhere fast. She could act as if she wasn't stuck in a one stoplight town with parents who refused to acknowledge her potential. She could pretend that she was a queen or a princess or a fairy. The world was her canvas and with every step she took she painted it in vibrant colors.

Deeper she crawled into the caverns, admiring the rock formations and the beautiful bodies of water that lingered in the darkness. A flashlight as her only companion, she navigated through the dark passages with a familiar ease. "A long time ago in a world much like our own," she began, narrating her own imagined story. "There lived a beautiful girl. She was fair and kind and just but she was very lonely. Every night she would crawl from the window of her castle and escape into the wilderness, visiting with all the creatures who loved her very much. But her heart sought something else, something deeper. She yearned for a love she could call her own. But in a world of magic, there were duties to perform and creatures to protect. Fairies of the elements could not fall in love without risking the seasons and changing the earth from season to season was one of the most important magical jobs."

A frog leapt from its perch on a rock and into one of the crystal bodies of water as she approached, the sound of the splash echoing into the night around her.

"That was until she met the Goblin King." A smile filtered across her features, her fingers trailing along the wall of the cavern. "She was stubborn at first, relentless, refusing to bow to the whims of the Goblin King. Far away in his castle he could dream away the days and pretend that a life with the fairy was possible. He could imagine a world where their love could be real and tangible and every time they met he would beg her to leave the Fairies and join him in his castle."

Farther and farther she wandered, losing track of time and the direction in which she traveled. "Every time she would refuse him, insisting that her role with the fairies was far too important to abandon. Every time they met her heart would break further until finally she snuck into his castle late at night. The fairy gazed upon her one true love with heartbreak in her eyes. Without rousing him from his slumber, she placed a gentle kiss upon his brow and prayed."

Gently she placed her hand against the hard wall of the cave, closing her eyes and whispering the prayer of a lovestruck fairy. "Goblin King, Goblin King, with heart as full as mine. Pull down the walls of fate and war so I can now be thine."

Whatever she had been expecting, it was not the tumbling of walls and rock. It was not the shaking of the earth as if the ground itself was threatening to open. It was not the terrifyingly loud sound of paper shredding, of something ripping its way to an opening. Tumbling downward, she landed upon her knees, her hands still pressed firmly against the wall. She could feel the flesh shredding as she scraped across the ground and she could practically taste the metallic blood in the air as it began to seep into the torn fabric of her jeans. She wasn't sure when she had begun screaming, but she could feel her throat going raw against the onslaught of sound. Every moment of her life seemed to flash before her eyes.

How selfish had she been? She had taken everything about her world for granted and it was only now, as she was about to be buried beneath hundreds of years of dirt and rock, that she really appreciated every opportunity she had been given in life. She was studious, attending one of the best colleges in Montana. She had a good paying job at one of the local retail stores that allowed her to pay her bills and get through school without incurring debt. She had parents who loved her, albeit a bit absent from her life more times than not. Could she really blame them for being such hard workers and having to travel so often?

And now they would never know what had become of her. She had left no note; she hadn't advised anyone of where she was going. It would be a marvel if anyone ever guessed that she had wandered into this cave and even more a marvel if they managed to dig through the dust and rock to find her mangled body. She would be a mystery that never was solved, just another face on the back of a milk carton. Just another girl who grew tired of the lie she lived and ran away for fame and fortune.

The very thought made her sick.

As her screaming died, so did the sounds of rumbling and ripping. The hard rock beneath her hand softening as she tumbled through it altogether. Her body rolled and catapulted down a steep slope until she came to a stop atop a grassy hill. Confusion catapulted through her as she sought to right herself, her head spinning as she clambered to her feet.

No longer was she standing in a dark and damp cave lit only by the light of her flashlight. Now she stood atop a hill covered in rocks and baring only one tree. As she shuddered against the wind, she took in her surroundings, marveling at the sight before her. The land sprawled forward, seeming endless and wonderful, covered in sprawling walls and winding walkways. This place had been built from a fairy tale, no doubt housing a minotaur or some mythical creature. But what amazed her most was not the walls of the Labyrinth or the stark environment she was surrounded by… it was the castle at its heart.

Beautiful and sprawling and reaching towards the sky it was everything she had ever imagined, everything her fairy tales had ever predicted it would be.

"Shari-Lynn," she whispered. "I don't think you're in Kansas anymore."

Author's Note: And so it begins. We're getting closer to the nitty gritty. For those of you who have read my stories before, you should be well versed in how I handle my characters. There will be quite a few unhappy and a few happy endings. I haven't really decided on who is getting what, except for one of our characters. I don't like making promises but there is one I am going to make today. I'm going to keep you on your toes with this one. A special thanks to everyone who made a guess at my little game last chapter. It was Jurassic Park and PaleJewel1 was the first with the correct answer. I hope you enjoy her character and the progression she is going to make. Shari-Lynn is going to be a MAJOR turning point for the Underground and a huge part of the progression for this story.

Let me know what you think.

I would like your opinion on the chapters though. Do you prefer longer, beefier chapters like this one ((which will take me longer to post)) or do you want shorter more frequented chapters. It's all up to you!

As always, leave me love and I send you all of mine;

Kaas