After Sarah had disbanded from the castle, Jareth retreated to his throne. He did not know why he felt the need to be so cruel towards her, but cruelty was the only thing he knew how to do well. It was an accepted fact that he despised the human race for their stingy ways. In his opinion, humans were shallow and greedy, and only thought about the physical things, as opposed to art and the appreciation of its beauty. Or so he assumed until he met Sarah. Her grace alone told him that depth and artistry may well exist in the mortal world after all. She was kind and pure, and at that moment, Jareth felt like the most selfish being in all history. For in spite of everything, all the king had ever wanted was a queen to share his world with - but the way she looked at him with such repulsion just a few moments ago, told him that she could never love him.

"Why so glum, Master?" a little voice quipped. Jareth became startled by the sudden intrusion, until he saw that it was only the fiery-haired pixie who had failed to depart when Sarah did. As small as she was, Elva was a bright spark, and knew exactly what was troubling the king. "It's her isn't it?"

"What about her?" he snapped, getting annoyed at the way she flitted back and forth in front of his eyes in a showy fashion.

"We fairies are small, but not stupid. I see the way she gets right under your skin. You never let other beings get to you unless you…"

"Unless I what, Elva?"

"Unless you...care for her." She muttered these words with contempt, and when Jareth failed to respond she knew she had been right. "Bah! What do you need her for anyway? There are plenty of prettier girls to choose from?"

Elva fluttered her eyelashes so fast, it looked like she was having a slight convulsive attack. But Jareth was oblivious to her attention-seeking bid, as he had other things on his mind. Since, at that moment, a herd of panic-stricken goblins came rushing through the castle doors.

"What are you doing here, scoundrels? You're supposed to be out minding the borders!" he proclaimed, watching them all head straight towards what was left of the stale cheese and ale he had brought in earlier.

"Too windy!" a dense one replied.

"Don't be foolish, you pesky little oaf! You've never disobeyed my orders because of a slight breeze! Now, get back out there and mind the borders!"

"Not just breeze! Big, big winds!" another added.

Just then, a nostalgic glaze came across the kings face, and he knew what was coming.

Concurrently, Sarah found herself caught in the midst of the vigorous gales, as she went onward in her search for Hoggle. The strength of the wind took her aback. She had never known the conditions of the Labyrinth to be so harsh, but on this particular day it was quite unsettled. In fact, it seemed to worsen with every step she took. She clutched her shoulders as the cold drafts blustered against her tiny frame. Leaves darted about the air in an angry dance, warning her to get back inside, but she knew that had to find her friend, for he would be out in this brewing tempest also.

Onward she went, braving the storm as the blasts of air now thrust against her, almost as if it was trying to attack her. The forest trees swished and swayed, howling violently as they did so, like great monsters in the sky. Glancing up at the clouds, she could almost make out a face; one that smiled wickedly, and told her she would not survive what he was about to throw at her.

Feeling apprehensive, she scanned her surroundings to look for shelter, but all she could find were trees with less-than-inviting arms which thrashed at her to go away. One of the branches swung so fast that is struck its woody finger across Sarah's cheek and caused her to bleed.

Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, something began to descend from the demonic heavens. A spec of air started to twist and turn; so much so that it grew in size, until it ripened into a full-grown tornado. Sarah yelped, as the violently rotating column of air collided with the ground, and proceeded to waltz about her like a teasing specter. She screamed, and grasped onto the tree that had once clawed at her, trusting it now more than anything else in the forest. But the tree was already losing its roots, and she knew it was only a matter of time before the vortex made its decision to cease its taunts, and engulf her fragile soul. She could already feel its breath, luring her into the stratosphere, inhaling her with its gravitational might. The overpowering waft of stale ventilation told her it wouldn't be long now, as her fingers began to lose grip of the branch she so desperately clung to. It was too late for the leaves and the soil on the ground, for they had already been taken by the windstorm. This made it a lot harder for Sarah to see clearly as they darted about her horizon, striking her face as they did so. Sarah could fight many things but the sky wasn't one of them, and as the twister thrust towards her she let go of the tree and succumbed to its power.

The world was still, and black.

'So, this is death' became her first thought.

It sure felt like death. She could feel the blood dripping from her pounding cheek from where the branches had scratched her, and she could still smell the rankness of the dirt and earth that had spun around her. Oddly enough, though, she did not feel the slightest bit dizzy. In fact, she didn't recall spinning around at all. She could have sworn it felt more like she just floated away. It was more of a relieving feeling, if anything.

Still, she decided to remain shut-eyed and silent, as opposed to facing whatever death had in store for her. That was until she felt a thick, gooey substance splashing onto her face, scalding her cuts and bruises.
She yelped, and opened her eyes to face a toothless goblin, who she now realised had been drooling over her all along.

"She's alive!" The goblin smiled, as it continued to lean over her, and splosh her face with is rancid bodily fluids.

"Alright! That's enough, Gemble. Give her space," commanded Jareth from behind. The goblin quickly scuttled away, then Sarah turned her head to see the Goblin King stood beside his very own bedstead; the one she had previously caught herself in.

"Wh...what happened?" she asked, quivering in shock. "I'm..not dead?"

"I'm just as surprised as you are, Sarah" Jareth said, producing a silk handkerchief from his sleeve and gently wiping the drool from her cheeks. "That tempest was a ravenous one. Why, if I'd have reached the tempest any more than a second later...Well, it would have eaten you alive!" he chuckled.

"You…saved my life?"

"You're welcome" he replied, obnoxiously, causing Sarah to spring up from the bed and remove the covers in anger.

"No, no, don't act like we're suddenly okay now. I'm still furious about what you've done to Hoggle! How could you humiliate him like that after all he's been through?"

Jareth rolled his eyes, annoyed that the girl he had just saved from death still had the pesky little dwarf on her mind. He clenched the handkerchief he had used on her, and crumpled it into pieces. If she was going to act hostile towards him, then so be it.

"Because that is the way it works," he sighed. "I lay down the rules, and he does whatever I command. Come now, Sarah, if I suddenly start going soft on Hogwart, or any of the other creatures for that matter, then the Labyrinth will turn to an frenzied circus!"

"I don't care about your stupid Labyrinth! Hoggle didn't deserve that!" she yelled. "He's been one of the nicest friends I've ever had, and right now he feels like he has nothing to live for! I have no idea where he is, and it's not fair! It's just not far!"

Sarah began to weep, and in a rush of frustration, she ran over to the end of the bed chamber. Her fists couldn't help but thump the walls, as Jareth looked on, now concerned. He had always thought she was a composed, together sort of girl, but her aggravation showed that she clearly had a deeper side.

"Sarah, calm yourself!" he demanded, as he walked over to her and held her arms down. She quickly found that was too tired and aggravated to object to his actions. "Come, into the foyer, and I'll have one of my servants deliver you a fresh beverage."

In a third of an hour, Sarah had regained her composure, and sat calmly small wooden stump in the grand foyer. She felt rather uneasy being so frail in the Goblin King's presence. It was so easy for her to stand up to him in the past, but now she simply felt helpless. The fact that he had saved her life made it harder for her to hate him, and the fact that Hoggle was still missing made it difficult for her to concentrate on anything else.

"I'm just so worried about him," she whispered; her first words since Jareth had brought her downstairs. They had both been sat in silence the entire time - Jareth playing with his crystals, Sarah sipping down her goblet of apple cider.

"Now, now. Hoggart has been dwelling in this Labyrinth for decades. Yes, sometimes he gets cranky, but he soon recovers," he assured, rendering Sarah mystified as to why he was trying to comfort her.

"But he looked crushed! I'm afraid he might do something stupid!"

"Well, if it will console your feelings, I'll alert the guards to be on full lookout for a suicidal dwarf!" he joked, but Sarah glared, showing that she was less than impressed.

"I'm being serious! I've never seen him so mortified! He's never ran out in the dark on his own before. What if he's out there, and the storm has gotten him?"

"The worst of the storm is over now, Sarah. The air is perfectly clear."

"Still, I'm so worried! Oh, why did I have to mislead him? I should have made it clear that I loved him as a friend and nothing more!" complained Sarah.

"Sarah, it's not your fault" Jareth said, softening his voice down a little, seeing how distressed she was.

"I know. It's yours!" she snapped. Jareth frowned a little but didn't retaliate. He was beginning to get used to her blatant crankiness. "Why do you always taunt him Jareth? Isn't it enough to know that he's mourning for his dead true love every single day of his life?" asked Sarah.

"Ah, so you know about Helga!" he said. "Yes, they were a smitten little couple. Pity about what happened to her. But time doesn't stop just because someone loses somebody. You're a clever girl, you should know that! When you lost your brother, you had to deal with it, didn't you? Nobody tiptoed around your feelings. That's just the way life works, even for creatures in the Labyrinth. Besides, that was centuries ago. Hoggle would have gotten over her by now."

"Maybe he hasn't! Maybe he's still grieving for her inside, but won't show it."

"Or, maybe he's turned his attention over to somebody else. Maybe, Sarah, you can give him the love he still yearns for," He said this with a straight face but Sarah just knew he was pulling a scornful smirk underneath.

"You know that's impossible. I don't love him in that way. Besides, he's of a completely different species. It just wouldn't work," she stated.

"It isn't completely unfeasible to fall in love with someone of a different species you know Sarah" said Jareth. "Not if you really, really loved them. You can't say that you could never fall in love with somebody just because they're a little different, could you?"

"Well I suppose not" she said not really sensing what he was really saying. "But like I said, I don't have those type of feelings for him. I just want him to be safe. I'm so worried."

She bowed her head in sadness, and something about this touched Jareth, for deep down, he admired the way she cared so much about others. He left his throne and came to kneel beside her. He hesitated for a moment but then he gently placed his gloved hand on her face and began to wipe away her tears. She looked up at him and for a second they gazed into each others' eyes, sharing a compassionate bond just for a moment to say that even though they had their differences they still understood each other. Jareth then removed his gaze and quickly stepped away from her, almost as if her eyes had hypnotising powers and if he looked in them too long the deep pools of hazel would overpower him and cause him to lose his authority.

"I'll send Elva out to look for him if it'll make you feel better" he said austerely.

"Can't you send some of the goblins?"

"Ha! My goblins are so crocked, they'd end up traversing to the human world and snatching someone's baby...Oh wait, he joked, but sarah was less than impressed. Still, he had a point. The storm had caused the goblins to inebriate themselves even more so than usual. One of them had been cartwheeling around the room stark-naked for the past ten minutes. Sarah had been trying hard not to give it any attention. "No, Elva can brave the storm," he continued, but without Sarah knowing, Jareth had signalled something to one of the goblins, who quickly ran off outside to carry out his master's secret plans. "Fairies are a lot stronger than you would believe. Besides, she's already ate her way through the entire keg of cheese. I don't want her starting on the ale. A sober fairy is one thing, but a drunken one...Well, you don't want to know."

Sarah caught herself smiling at this. She could just imagine what Elva would be like intoxicated; flying so fast she'd be crashing into the walls, and flirting with Jareth even more so than usual.

"You look like you need to rest some more" he said, noticing the shy yawn she had just produced, along with her red and puffy eyes.

"You're probably right. I'll go back to Hoggle's hut and then I'll know if he returns."

Sarah stood up and walked over to the main doors. But when she opened them she was stunned to see that the Goblin City had turned into a battle zone. What was before a silent metropolis now was filled with riots, cannonballs, and blazing fires. It looked much harsher than the last goblin battle she had witnessed. Even the giant metal guard at the door had surfaced! Everytime it moved the whole ground shook. It would be impossible for Sarah to make it out of there alive, especially now she was alone!

"I try to control them but sooner or later they always end up in a battle" said Jareth who unknowingly had walked up to stand right behind Sarah. She turned around to face him.

"I don't understand. The City was silent just a few moments ago!"

"Their goblins! Asleep one minute, totally barbaric the next!"

"You mean this happens all the time?"

"Oh yes, almost every week!" he replied, calmly.

"But how am I going to get home?" she asked.

"My, my, that is a tricky one isn't it. Even I can't stop this battle, and usually a large one like this usually lasts for most of the night! It gets even worse when they manage to break into the second alehouse. Well, I suppose you could always sneak into one of the goblin's houses when the war quietens down. That is, if you don't mind listening to a bunch of drunkards chanting songs all night?" From her disgusted look, he could tell she wasn't best pleased with his suggestion. "No? I thought that was just your style. Well, the only other option is to stay at the castle!"

Sarah looked at him nervously.

He could tell what was bothering her.

"You'll sleep in the spare room, of course! I can assure you that you will not be waking in up oblivious to where you are and unaware of what you had previously done," he said with a slight smirk.

"I just can't believe that it happened" she said. Jareth lifted his brow. "I woke up not remembering anything and well, in a way I was kind of glad that I couldn't remember."

"Then you'll be happy to know that nothing did happen!" he snapped.

"Really? Well then why did I wake up in...?"

"How should I know!" he interrupted, snappily. "Now stop asking questions. You will stay in this room until it's night. Then I will send someone to accompany you to a room where you will sleep for the night" he said before he began to walk away.

"Wait! Where are you going? You can't just leave me here. What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to eat? What if I need to…" Sarah demanded.

"The goblins will sort that out for you" he told her, with a hint of mockery in his voice.