A/N: Did you guess right?

Sarah ran through the long, dark passage towards the brightly lit archway at the end. As she approached the exit, the enchanting sound of synthesizers rose through the air. She skidded to a halt once she saw what the tunnel opened into:

The Escher Room.

Immediately, the music became dark and her attention was captured by an all too familiar voice.

How you turned my world,
you precious thing.

Snapping her eyes up and to the left, she saw Jareth standing on the underside of a stone landing across the space. He looked exactly the same as he did when she first came to this room, only this time, he wasn't looking at her. His strange eyes were out of focus, like he was staring off into space; like…like he was in a trance.

You starve and near exhaust me.

He started walking towards the nearest archway. Startled, Sarah hurried up the stairs to her right to the wrap-around platform above, hoping to reach him in time.

Everything I've done, I've done for you.

Unfortunately, Jareth disappeared through the opening and came out, right side up, through another archway directly across the puzzle room. Trying to ignore the rising panic in her chest, Sarah tried another flight.

I move the stars for no one.

Jareth continued to stare blankly ahead as he walked through the room, completely unaware of the human girl frantically chasing after him.

You've run so long.
You've run so far.

"Jareth, wait!"

Your eyes can be so cruel.

Just as I can be so cruel.

Sarah groaned in frustration as she just missed catching Jareth's arm before he flipped under another walkway. "Jareth, look at me!"

Though I do believe in you.
Yes I do.

"Jareth, please stop!"

Live without the sunlight.

Love without your heartbeat.

Sarah bit her lip as she tripped over a bottom step. Her heart ached at his words. She knew it was the same song as before, yet, somehow…she never really listened to what he was saying until now.

I, I can't live within you.

The music pounded in her ears. In the back of her mind, she might have laughed at the irony of it all. How not twenty four hours ago, she was running through this very room, chasing her wished away half-brother; and now, she was pursuing the very being that stole the child in the first place! The one she once called her enemy.

But, this time was different. Her desperation was much worse. Her determination was stronger. She felt tears brimming in her eyes. Her breathing grew harsh. She had to get to the Goblin King. She had to…save him…but no matter how she shouted or pleaded, he continued to elude her.

I can't live within you.

The song repeated its ominous riff and Sarah mentally noted that he seemed to be heading in a general downward direction, she managed to glance towards the 'floor' of the room. Her mouth fell open in horror at what she saw.

The Escher Room dropped out at the bottom into what might have been a black open space, were it not for the ocean of Fairy venom swirling inside it. A solitary, protruding ledge stretched out over the middle of the burning amethyst liquid like a diving board, and Jareth was heading right for it.

"JARETH!" Sarah screamed, leaping down the next flight of steps. It was a wonder that she hadn't sprained an ankle or skinned a knee yet. "STOP! STOP, PLEASE! JARETH, ANSWER ME!"

Jareth made it to the ledge and began slowly walking to the end. Sarah started to sprint as the venom below morphed to form the shape of Mya's laughing face. Jareth took a step off the edge.

"JARETH, NO! DON'T!" Sarah sobbed as she crashed into his back, wrapping her arms around his waist and hurling the both of them over the edge with the sudden momentum.

The Escher Room vanished along with the venom and Jareth's body dissolved into a swirling cloud of ivory feathers. As Sarah fell through the darkness, weightless as the first time, the Goblin King's final, melancholy line echoed through the void.

I, I can't live within you.

Sarah uttered a frightened gasp as she sat bolt upright. The soft feel of feathers under her hand made her flinch in alarm. A fluffy white duck was blinking awake beside her.

Oh no!

Jumping to her feet, Sarah turned to the mouth of the cave, only to see Ludo leaning against the dirt wall, snoring like a buzz saw. The campfire in the pit was extinguished, the rain had stopped and Hoggle and Sir Didymus were nowhere in sight.

Sarah stomped over to the beast and nudged him awake before heading outside the den to see if she could locate her two other companions. Thankfully, she didn't have to look far, for both the dwarf and the fox knight were just coming around the hill, from the direction of Hoggle's house.

"Guys!" She snapped, placing he hands on her hips in irritation. "You said you wouldn't let me sleep long! Jareth's transformed again!"

"We left Ludo to keep watch and wake you up." Hoggle offered feebly.

"He fell asleep too!"

"I told you he looked too tired." The dwarf hissed to the knight.

At that moment, Ludo lumbered out of the cave and Jareth waddled along behind him. As Hoggle eyed the duck, his lips pressed together in an attempt to hide a smile. A snort managed to escape, despite his best efforts.

"Hoggle," Sarah warned in a sharp voice, "if you laugh, I swear to God, I'll kick you. Where were you guys anyway?"

"Forgive us my lady," Sir Didymus bowed, "but once the storm passed, Sir Hoggle and I thought that it might be a good idea to see if we could salvage any supplies from the cottage."

"We didn't get much." Hoggle shrugged. "Those rotten thorns damn near covered my whole house! I could only reach a rope and some bandages through one of my windows."

The dwarf held up a small knapsack Sarah hadn't noticed.

"Before we headed back, we looked around for some food. We found some trosh berries; they're not quite ripe, but they're still edible, they'll just be a bit sour."

Sarah's brow furrowed. "What's a trosh berry?"

"It's a fruit that's indigenous to the Underground." Hoggle explained. "They're really good for you. You'll like 'em."

"Well, we're gonna have to eat them on the road." Sarah sighed, leaning down and scooping Jareth into her arms. There was no way his short little legs would be able to keep up with them on foot.

"We can't afford to waste any more time. Was Jareth still a polar bear when you guys left?"

"Yes, my lady." Sir Didymus replied.

"Are you sure?"

"We know the difference between a bear and duck, Sarah." Hoggle huffed. "Besides, we were gone only about fifteen to twenty minutes."

"Ok." Sarah relaxed a little. "Let's go, guys."

The group had taken a right at the pond this time.

They'd been walking for quite a while now. Sarah wished she'd worn a watch today.

The paths through the Firey Forest were rugged and so narrow at times, it seemed like they were trudging straight through the brush. The trosh berries had run out some time ago. Turns out everyone was starving.

Sarah had enjoyed them; they looked like blueberries, but they were lime green with black spots and tasted like cinnamon and grapes

She couldn't help glancing at the bird in her arms every few minutes. She was secretly happy that he hadn't shown any sign of compliant since she'd picked him up. She didn't know why, but the idea of his acceptance pleased her...a lot more than she wanted to admit. Still, her mind kept drifting back to her nightmare and she would stare at the Goblin King nervously as the images flooded her memory, just to reassure herself that he was safe. Unfortunately, every time she gaped at him, his beady little blue and brown eyes would eventually meet her emerald green gaze, causing her to blush and look away.

Finally, after about the tenth time, Jareth had had enough.

"Quack!"

"I know, I'm sorry." Sarah whispered, gently adjusting her grip. "It's nothing."

"What did ya say, Sarah?" Hoggle muttered.

"Nothing, I was talking to Jareth."

The dwarf quirked an eyebrow.

"You do realize he can't talk back right?"

"Yes, Hoggle, I know that." Sarah's cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"'Cause he's a duck?" A ghost of a teasing smirk appeared across the dwarf's face.

"I…would you…just-just…never mind." Sarah growled. "Where are we, anyway?"

"As a matter of fact," Hoggle chuckled, "we're right where we need to be."

The dwarf pointed toward a dark grey rock wall. A familiar wooden door was inset in the stone.

"This leads to the Hedge Maze." Hoggle said, pushing the door open.

Sarah and Ludo grinned at each other when they saw the two knockers they'd conversed with before, sleeping soundly on the other side.

Countless turns and pathways later, Sarah paused when she noticed a piece of paper floating along the ground behind her.

"Guys," she called, "over here!"

Backtracking, the group traced the paper around an unexplored corner to a circular open space. A concrete sundial and various other statues were scattered about the area, including a large chair made out of stone books. The thorn branches spilled into the space from the south east, blocking off one of the alleys. Dozens of wrinkled papers fluttered in the breeze.

"This is where we met the Wiseman." Sarah noted out loud. "I guess the fairies got him too."

"Wiseman my foot." Hoggle scoffed. "That old fart spouted nothin' but a bunch a hooey."

Sarah rolled her eyes and set Jareth on the flagstone so she could inspect the pages. The ink was so faded on most of them that she couldn't read a single word. Some appeared to be written backwards, others were covered in a loopy foreign script she was sure didn't exist in her world.

A particularly strong gust of wind blew a single paper right against her chest. Raising the page to her face so she could read it, her eyes went wide.

"Treasures within." She recited. "Guys, look at this!"

She handed the paper over to Hoggle.

The dwarf blinked in confusion as he scanned the page before handing it back.

"So?"

"What do you mean, 'so'?" Sarah repeated in annoyance. "This could be a clue!"

"And what if it isn't?" He challenged. "What if it means somethin' else?"

"Come on, Hoggle!" She begged. "What are the odds? This mentions treasure, and that's exactly what we're looking for. At least consider it! Typically, you're supposed to bury treasure, so maybe this means that the treasure is within the Labyrinth, not inside it, under it!"

Everyone stared at each other in silence.

"I must say," Sir Didymus noted, "there is a definite possibility. The Tunnels are the deepest and most mysterious part of the Labyrinth and they're connected to the Oubliettes, which is where one puts things in order to forget about them. Perhaps, the Labyrinth's treasure was simply forgotten and is waiting to be discovered once again."

Sarah beamed. They were on the right track; she could feel it. They had to be.

"Great! Then, we just have to get to The Tunnels. Let's see, we came out of this pot last time, didn't we Hoggle?" She moved towards the fat, iron vase.

"Yeah, but we can't go back that way!" Hoggle grunted. "Look, see how it's sittin' on a table? It's just an ordinary pot once you climb out."

"Is there another entrance somewhere else?" She asked hopefully.

"Sure there is." Hoggle grinned for a second before his expression hardened. "In the castle."

"Oh." Sarah's shoulders drooped. "Crud. Well then, what about the Oubliettes? All we've gotta do is find one."

"Hold yer horses, missy!" The dwarf grumbled. "It's not that simple. Those things are impossible to keep track of. They're traps, they're hidden. Sure, ya could stumble across one in a second, but then again, ya also could never find one. I don't know where they are, I just know how to get out of 'em."

"I know where one is!" Sarah exclaimed. "If the Labyrinth really hasn't reset since I went through it, then it should still be there! I found these two Riddle Doors in the Stone Quarter. The one I chose led to the Helping Hands and then I fell into an Oubliette where I ran into you again, Hoggle."

"So we have to go all the way back to the Stone Quarter?!" Hoggle sighed in frustration.

"Hang on," Sarah soothed, "I've got an idea. Let's split up."

"Hoggle, you and Jareth go that way," she gestured toward a random passage, "Sir Didymus, you go down that one, and Ludo and I will go this way."

She stepped towards an opening with a short staircase ahead.

"Everyone grab a handful of papers," she instructed, gathering a pile into her hands, "wad them up and leave a trail behind you so we can find our way back once you run out. Try not to walk side by side, just in case you find an Oubliette. Sir Didymus, since you don't have a partner, just be extra careful and give a yell or something. When we get back here, we'll decide which path is best to take. Ok?"

Everyone nodded and grabbed their papers. With a final anxious glance at Jareth, Sarah left through her chosen corridor with Ludo.

"Bah!" Hoggle grouched after he dropped the last paper ball. "No Oubliette and no Stone Quarter either! Hmph! Well, hopefully the others had better luck. Let's get back to Sarah, your majesty."

But as Hoggle spun around to follow the crumpled pages, Jareth started beating his wings and was instantly enveloped in the bright light.

"Oh, confound it!" Hoggle dropped his head in his hand wearily. Sarah was definitely not going to like this.

A/N: Have a great 4th of July weekend, guys! Sorry to say that nobody guessed what animal Jareth was going to be in this chapter, but keep guessing guys for the next one! If you get it right, you get a sneak peek! Please review and I'll post real soon!