Interlude:
The goblins were all nervous.
Their King, Jareth, had been in a black mood ever since The Girl Who Ate The Peach had managed to get away.
The smarter beings of the labyrinth had for the most part been in hiding. To everyone's surprise and disbelief, however, Jareth had not punished those now known as "Sarah's Friends". He had once or twice ordered them to speak to him from behind closed doors, but though shouting had been heard, none of Sarah's Friends seemed to have come to harm, though all of them refused to speak of what it was that Jareth had said to them.
"That's between us, His Majesty, and the Lady Sarah," sniffed Sir Didymus. The others seemed to have taken his lead. Even Hoggle, who was well-known for his dislike of Jareth, refused to speak of it. "Tis not my place," was all he would say on the matter, before he would scowl, and move away.
But that had been before the mirror had broken.
The goblins knew that the mirror had broken, because that was something that Sarah's Friends had shared with little prompting, depressed as they all were about what it might mean. They had no way of re-establishing contact without Sarah trying to contact them first. It was one of the rules of dealing with mortals, that it was they that had to make the first move in every interaction. Otherwise, the Ancient Contracts of the Underground would be null and void, and no one wanted to know what would happen should that occur.
Ever since the mirror had broken though, Jareth's previously black mood had turned positively homicidal. The goblins barely dared to whisper why that might be.
The King had even stopped singing. The Labyrinth reflected the moods of the King, and as he became angrier, and sadder, the Labyrinth became more brutal and desolate than it had ever been before. Nowadays it was a masterpiece of danger and despair.
The last Runner to come through had been so traumatised by the machinations of the King and his Labyrinth that Jareth's wiping of their memories had been positively charitable.
But the goblins weren't happy. They would rather their King not be so sad and angry, not only because it made it dangerous to be around him, not only because they were feeling neglected, but most importantly, because...
Well, the goblins didn't really have words for what they felt, but they felt that the King deserved better, and that he should be happy, because he was their King, and they loved him.
As only subjects who had been unwanted could love their king.
So when the voice of The Girl That Ate The Peach echoed through the summoning chamber, they started to cheer.
They didn't know what was going to happen next, but whatever it was, it would be a change of pace, that was for sure.
And change was always good, for goblins. Change usually meant Chaos, and Chaos meant Fun!