A/N: I'm sure you readers are enjoying this, but I'm not pleased that I keep making these chapters so long. It means I have to keep making them longer! :P Thanks to everyone who read, subscribed, favorited and reviewed the last chapter. I'm really excited, because now this story has gotten more alerts than Beauty's Beast. Hooray! Thank you everyone for all the love! :)

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"Goblin King," Sarah spoke up, picking her way carefully through the wet ground, "I'm not so sure this is mud." She shuddered and held both arms out wide for balance. Her desire to avoid falling down on the pathway or into the rushing water to her left overrode her desire to keep her clothes neat, and the edges of her skirt were stained with the mess that had collected on the ground.

"It took you long enough to realize that," Jareth replied with a smirk, a few paces ahead of her, "This is most assuredly dung."

The pair hadn't been walking down the first passage long when they discovered a doorway off to the side that led into what Sarah had first thought was an underground river. Jareth however, knew it to be the Elven city's sewage system, and had led them along the small walkway that lined the water. The path was only around two and a half feet wide, and the entire tunnel reeked of decay and sewage.

"You are aware that these are the city's sewers, are you not?" Jareth asked in response to Sarah's groan of disgust as her foot squished in a pile of filth.

"I'm aware of it now," She answered, gagging, "This is absolutely revolting!" She shuddered and struggled to keep up with the Goblin King's faster pace. "Why do you have to be so much more balanced than me?" she asked indignantly as she tripped over a protruding cobblestone.

Jareth chuckled and paused his steps to wait for Sarah to catch up. "I'm a Fae, you're a mortal," he supplied, turning around in amusement to watch her carefully step over the path, "Unfortunately for you, you could never be as graceful as one of us. It has to do with the magic in our blood."

"Well it's not fair!" Sarah muttered, finally catching up to the king. Jareth smirked and turned around, continuing his trek.

"Life's hardly fair, Princess," he replied over his shoulder, "That's a lesson you'd best learn quickly." Sarah scowled at his back and then turned her gaze back to the ground. She didn't want to trip again if she could help it.

"You never did tell me why you wanted to speak to me," Jareth spoke up after a moment of silence, "What exactly caused you to wish for my presence?"

Sarah side-stepped a pile of unknown substance and looked up. "I saw a ship come into the harbor today," she answered, slowly, distracted by her steps, "And I saw that it was my father's."

"And?" Jareth probed, looking back towards her, "What of it?"

"And I was hoping it might have brought word of my family," Sarah finished, "Do you know if my father was on the ship?" She looked hopefully at the Goblin King and gave him a small smile.

The Goblin King's brow furrowed in thought. "Your father was not on the ship," he answered at length, coming to yet another halt, "But I believe your brother has arrived."

Sarah's eyes lit up as she too stopped in her tracks. "Toby?" she asked excitedly, "Toby's here? Have you seen him?" She thought for a moment. "He must be around fifteen now! How is he?"

"Your father made him a general," Jareth deadpanned, "He is the youngest general in your country's history, but from what I observed by speaking with him this morning, I feel he shall be an adequate one."

Jaw dropping, Sarah could hardly contain her shock. "Father made him general?" she breathed. Her eyes filled up with unbidden tears and she pressed the back of her hand to her mouth. "Oh gods. He really has grown up."

Cringing, Jareth hoped Sarah wouldn't lose her composure like she did earlier. "You should be proud of him," he said quickly, trying to defuse the situation, "He appears to be a very mature young mortal. It will be an honor to fight alongside him." However, when he mentioned fighting, Sarah let out a strangled noise, and Jareth realized that it had been the wrong thing to say.

"He's not that old," Sarah protested, blinking furiously. She refused to cry again. Not after her meltdown earlier. She could only take so much humiliation. "He's not old enough to be in battle. What is my father thinking?"

Jareth crossed his arms, but avoided leaning against the filthy stone wall. "Your father is thinking that your brother will make a fine general," he answered, even though her question was more rhetorical than anything else, "He may be young, but he is not too young to be fighting. Your brother is nearly a man, Princess."

Taking a deep breath, Sarah shook her head. "I don't want to think about it right now," she said after a moment of composing herself, "Let's just hurry up and get out of here."

Silently nodding in agreement, the Goblin King turned around and continued to lead them down the wet path. Their feet made odd squishing noises with each step, and Jareth found a small tinge of amusement in each time Sarah let out a noise of disgust. The pair had been picking their way in silence for what felt like hours, though Jareth knew it could have only been an hour or so, when they came to a part of the tunnel where the pathway stopped.

A narrow footbridge crossing the sewer water began where the path ended, and coming to a halt, Jareth looked across it. He could see light streaming down from the ceiling, revealing an old wooden ladder. Hopefully the ladder would lead to a secluded part of the city, or even better, out away from the city. Otherwise, both he and Sarah would most assuredly be easy targets for any manner of enemies to take advantage of.

"We're almost there," he called to Sarah, who was lagging behind, "That light means we are near the surface. Once we climb that ladder, providing it holds our weight that is, we are free to go our separate ways."

Sarah, still several paces behind, looked up from her feet. "Our separate ways?" she asked hesitantly. Jareth shrugged.

"Of course," he answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "We each have our own duties to attend to. Isn't your sister worried to the point of insanity over you?"

With a sigh, Sarah nodded. "Yes," she replied quietly, "I suppose she is." She bit her lip in thought, but Jareth was too caught up in getting out of the sewers to catch her contemplating expression.

Forcing himself to ignore the resigned tone in Sarah's voice, Jareth began to make his way across the bridge. His trek was halted halfway however, by Sarah's voice calling from the foot of the bridge.

"Take me with you."

Jareth turned around and gave the girl a long stare. She looked so hopeless standing on the end of the path, clothes wet, stained, and torn, her hair a complete mess, all the while clutching her crystal tightly with both hands. "Please," she pleaded, the crystal's glow making her look more haggard than she actually was, "Let me go back with you."

Something wrenched tightly inside Jareth, and in that moment, he desired with all his might to be able to give the princess what she wished.

"I haven't seen or heard from my family in ten years," Sarah elaborated, too caught up in the events of the day to be ashamed of her desperation, "If I go with you, I can be reunited with them. I- I miss the Underground. I miss the people I love."

"You have your sister." Jareth offered weakly. How was he going to be able to turn her request down?

Sarah let out a bitter laugh. "Karen?" she scoffed, "My sister and I couldn't be more distant. Karen cares for no one but herself. She is hardly family to me anymore." She shook her head. "Elves have been kinder to me than she," Sarah continued, "I am nothing but a means to an end for her."

Closing his eyes, Jareth wished he could find words to say. There was absolutely no possible way he could take the girl back to the camps. But the thought of turning her request down pained him to a point where he doubted his sanity.

"Sarah," he said quietly taking a deep breath, "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah." He opened his eyes, and looked into the princess's face. Seeing the resignation in his expression, Sarah shook her head.

"Don't say no, your highness," she pleaded, her voice rising, "Please. Don't say no." She wrapped her arms around herself and lowered her head, her emotions getting the best of her.

Jareth walked back to her side and took her free hand into his. "Allow me to explain why," he said softly, "Perhaps then you will see why I must refuse your request."

Lifting her head, Sarah gripped his hand tightly. Surprisingly, her eyes were tear-free, though swirling full of emotion. "Explain then," she replied, struggling to keep her voice even, "Tell me why."

With a sigh, Jareth began to walk them across the bridge. "You understand Fae and Elvish law, do you not?" he asked. Sarah nodded, but then shook her head.

"Somewhat," she replied after a moment of thought, "It never was a subject I threw myself into, like poetry." With a chuckle, Jareth stopped them at the ladder, having led them across the bridge. The pair leaned up against the old wood, and Sarah drew her hand out of the Goblin King's grip.

"It is not the most exciting of subjects, I can assure you," he informed her with a wry grin, trying to lighten the mood, "However, knowledge of it is vital to a successful war strategy. One of the laws, or rather, series of laws, deals with a certain code of honor in wartime. Have you not wondered why the Elves have not directly attacked the Fae camps along the shore?"

Sarah frowned. "I have not," she answered, "The shores belong to the High King. King Priam has no right to intrude on his property."

"Precisely," Jareth continued, "But, there are a few circumstances in which the Elf King would be well within his rights to invade the camps. If you came back with me, it would be seen as kidnapping, and the Fae would be charged with encroaching on a member of the royal family's right to freedom and possibly life. This would then give the Elves full rights to launch an attack."

"But... but... that's absolutely ridiculous," Sarah protested, eyes flashing, "I'm not even a member of the royal family! And if I came willingly-"

"That hardly matters," Jareth interrupted, "The Elves would take any and every chance they could to legally launch an attack on our camps, even if it means twisting the laws to fit their means."

Loosening her hold on the crystal in her hand slightly (she had been holding it with a death-grip), Sarah pushed away from the ladder she was leaning on to look at the Goblin King straight on. "I see now," she informed him, seriously, "Coming with you would be a threat to your life, to the lives of all the soldiers, and to Toby." Jareth placed a hand on her shoulder.

"If I didn't know it to be a death sentence on the lives of the men who rely on me, I would have no qualms about taking you with me," he told her, "Please understand that." With a nod, Sarah closed her eyes. She had been so close! So close to leaving her life behind and going back to what she used to know. Disappointment hurt, but the weight of thousands of soldiers' lives threatened by her presence outweighed the sting.

Instead of dwelling on her failed attempt to be reunited with her brother, Sarah turned her attention to the ladder. "How do you suppose we get out of here?" she asked, looking up at the beams of light streaming through cracks in the ceiling, "We have no idea where this leads."

With a small smile at Sarah's practicality, Jareth rubbed his chin. "It would most likely be best if you went up first," he answered, thinking out loud more than anything else, "As there is a chance that we are still inside the city. If you don't mind that is." He followed Sarah's gaze up the ladder, and squinted at the light.

"I don't mind," Sarah conceded quickly, "I'll go up and see where we are." Looking down at her hands, she studied the crystal she was holding. Then, handing it towards Jareth, she said, "Here. Thank you for letting me use this."

Jareth took the crystal from her, but instead of making it disappear like Sarah thought he would, he leant over it and whispered a few words in Fae. Sarah couldn't quite hear what he was saying and leaned forward. She strained to make out the words, but to no avail. Once Jareth was done speaking, the light faded from it, and he held the orb out to her.

"Keep it," he said with a small smile, "It's a gift." Sarah carefully took it back and squinted at it in the dark.

"What is it?" She asked, holding it up to the light to see it better.

Grabbing the crystal that was still floating beside his head, Jareth spun it around his hands. "It's a crystal," he shrugged, "Nothing more." He tossed his own ball up into the air and it disappeared without a sound. "But," he continued, leaning forward and taking hold of Sarah's hand, "If you turn it this way, it will show you your dreams."

Eyes widening, Sarah let her wrist be turned by the Goblin King's hand. In the dim light, she could just barely make out movement inside the crystal, and she let out a gasp. "There are pictures!" she exclaimed, "And they're moving!" She looked up and smiled. "Thank you," she breathed, "Thank you so much."

Jareth released her wrist and waved off her thanks with his hand. "It's only a crystal," he said, repeating his earlier statement, "Nothing to get excited over." Sarah grinned even wider and carefully tucked the gift inside the pocket of her skirt.

Turning to the ladder, Sarah carefully tested her weight on the first rung. The wood seemed to be able to hold her, and she slowly began to ascend. The ladder was only around fifteen rungs tall, and it didn't take long for Sarah to get to the top.

"There's a trap door," she called to Jareth, though she refused to look down, "I'm going to push it up."

"Slowly," Jareth cautioned, holding on to the ladder and looking up, "Open it slowly. Otherwise you might attract unwanted attention."

Carefully, Sarah began to push at the covering, but it wasn't budging. Applying a little more force, she slid her leg through the ladder rungs so she was straddling it and pressed her forearms against the hatch and let out a grunt. "It's not moving!" she growled in frustration, letting go of the hatch and slamming both hands on the ladder, "Ugh! I wish this would just open!"

Suddenly, the door jerked violently and with a loud creak, flew open, raining dust on both Sarah and Jareth and blinding them with light. Sarah choked and spluttered in shock, and in her disoriented state, lost her balance. With a cry, she slipped backwards and it was only due to her position straddling the ladder that she didn't hit the ground. Instead, Sarah dangled upside down, suspended only by one leg

For a moment, Jareth stared up at her completely dumbstruck, and Sarah was too shocked to make a noise. Then, when it finally registered in her brain, she let out an odd strangled sound.

"Help me down!" she nearly shrieked, squirming to try and lift herself up. Unfortunately, her abdominal muscles were not strong enough to hold her high enough up to right herself, and she swung violently back upside down. Her head hit the ladder with a thump, and she hissed in pain.

Snapping back into reality, Jareth hurried up the ladder. "Don't let go," he warned, his head coming level with hers, "This would be a very bad time for you to fall." He climbed high enough so that his waist was at the same height as Sarah's. Sticking one leg between the ladder rungs, Jareth straddled the ladder and took hold of Sarah's shoulders with one arm, and the back of Sarah's waist with the other.

"As soon as you can grab the ladder," he coached, pulling Sarah up, "Slide your foot out and let it drop to a lower rung."

Sarah, now bent nearly in half, took hold of the ladder and nodded. "Don't let me fall." she said in a strained voice. Jareth laughed despite the situation.

"I won't."

Slowly, Sarah slid her leg away from the ladder and let her weight drop. Her boots caught her on the ladder again, only this time leaving her right side up on the same rung as Jareth. "Thank you!" she gasped, grateful to not be hanging upside down. She coughed, and brushed the dust and dirt away from her face with one hand, grimacing as she did so.

"You did it again." Jareth looked up at the opening in awe, and then looked at Sarah. "You made a wish, and it came true."

Sarah blinked. "No," she answered slowly, holding onto the ladder tightly, "No, it wasn't me. You did it. You must have." She made to brush off his comment and climb out the opening, but Jareth's hand on her arm stopped her.

"It was me," he said, "But it was you too. I felt it this time. I could feel myself forcing the hatch open, but I didn't and still don't feel a strain on my magical energy."

With a frown, Sarah looked back at the Goblin King. "I don't understand," she replied, "What do you mean?" Jareth mimicked her expression and then swung his leg back out from the opposite side of the ladder so that he was no longer straddling it.

"I meant that I granted your wish," he elaborated, "Again." He grinned like a young child and seated himself on the ladder rung. "I wonder why it is that I can do that."

Sarah was puzzled. "Shouldn't you be upset?" she asked as she pulled clumps of dirt from her hair, "I mean, you had no power over yourself when I made that wish. Is that not even the slightest bit disconcerting to you?"

Cocking his head slightly to the side, Jareth frowned. "You don't understand," he explained, "I haven't been able to respond to any wishing summons for the past eight years. To finally be able to use my magic in that way feels unbelievably... incredible!"

"But what if I make a bad wish? What if someone finds out? What if someone else can make wishes like that?" Sarah was concerned with Jareth's apparent lack of concern.

"I don't think it would work that way," Jareth replied, resting one arm on the ladder, "But we could try. Here, make a wish I wouldn't want to grant."

Just as Sarah was about to protest though, a noise from above the hatch startled them both to attention. Cursing himself for losing focus like he did, Jareth clapped a hand over Sarah's mouth, right before she could make a sound. He leaned in close to her, and when his mouth was right next to her ear, he breathed, "Not a sound, or we both are as good as dead."

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Dun dun dunnnnn! Looks like Sarah and Jareth are in trouble! What do you think will happen next?

Make sure to leave me a review, telling me what you thought of this chapter. :)