Hi there! It has been such a long time, sorry for that I didn't mean it -.- but I lacked of courage to post anything more about this story and as I wasn't receiving any feed back I had a block .

Thank you very much Chocolate Pockey-chan! You gave me a little ray of hope, I am glad you liked my story. n.n Thanks to all the people who read this and I'd like you to leave me comments! I will read them all and answer them n.n'

xxx Love, Kaidere

Disclaimer: I do not own Jareth nor his labyrinth, anything else cames from my imagination and madness .'

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Chapter Three: Challenge me not, little Rose

Some days had passed since she beat the labyrinth, nothing has really change, the Gobbling King has remained silent and distant to everyone. He use to lock his door and spent hours in his chambers, no one knew what was he doing.

Jareth lying in his favourite coach, yes, he was sure depressed. He couldn't sleep nor eat well. It was late and it was darker than the usual, tonight there wasn't any moon and the sky was lit only by a few tiny stars. With a long deep breath, Jareth got up form his coach, and went to his balcony to get some fresh air. He tiredly supported himself in the balcony wall. Looking vaguely to the sky while sighing deeply, remembering al that had gone, and all that is never going to be, not anymore.

'You can't sleep either, can you?'A sad female voice affirmed form the next balcony. Her delicate figure unknown under that floor-length and white nightgown. 'I know how it feels like and it surely hurts badly, more than you may think, perhaps.' He didn't look at her, he thought he wouldn't bear looking.

'Look at me! I am talking to you!' She said now angrily. He could face her but at the sight of her first tear he disappeared from his balcony to reappear in hers, holding her closely and warmly. He took her inside and both sat down on a canapé where he kept her in his arms.

'Is something bothering you, Jareth?' She asked as if there were nothing wrong with her.

'Yes, there is, I have not watered my Rose for a long, long time, and I am afraid she will die if I cannot do something to help her.' She had never heard him talking so sweetly, or she couldn't imagine of what he was really taking about, no one could. 'I am afraid, there is something bothering you too, could you tell me? I am more of a bad guesser than many may think' He said while wrapping his arms around her waist.

'I don't know, I really don't' She sobbed 'This feels so right, this is what I have been dreaming of, and yet, I feel so, so, alone, hopeless, so bad and I just cannot understand why. This is frustrating' And he held her tighter. 'Shh, Rose, let the your tears pour, you will feel better, Rose, I am here, don't ever forget that' He said.

'Why Rose? That's not my name..'She said after a while.

'I liked to think of you as a rose, pretty with deadly thorns. You will never be unprotected, remember that, Rose' The sound of that name made her shivered, the sweetness of his voice made her shivered and so did this warm touch.

'Are you my thorns?'She asked with curiosity.

'No, I will never be. The thorn are a part of the rose as well as its petals' Then he remained silently brushing her head.

'What are you doing here Rose?' She shivered at the sound of that name which usually, almost every time showed only sweetness, now sounded angry.

'Errr, I don't know, I just happen to end up here. I just needed to get away from the castle and have some sun and fresh air, is that so wrong?'She said sheepishly.

'How do you manage to get here, HOW!' Now he sure was really pissed off.

'I..I...I...just opened the door, JARETH! I OPENED THE DOOR AS ANY OTHER NORMAL PERSON WOULD HAVE DONE!' Well, now both were pissed off.

'Sorry, Rose, really, is just that this place is...inaccessible for anyone who hadn't been here before...' He left, and Rose's jaw drop dead.

"Something is going on here, I know, I feel it...but I can't figure it out what it is." She thought while staring to a deep red rose. It was a marvelous garden full of flowers which smelled pretty good, colourful and dreamy. In the center a big tree with thorns and deep red roses hanging from it. It was unbelievable such a impressive tree almost 5 meters tall and at least 2 meters of diameter and 10 the crown from which the big roses were hanging.

That was Jareth's secret garden, were he used to spend hours and were a little baby used to play...

It had been six month since she first came, she seemed more cheerful now, and she surely didn't get lost so often though the castle was certainly huge, she had managed to remember how to get to the most common places all by herself. Jareth has spoke to her quite little, in fact, there were little chats at dinner time and nothing more.

She had been sleepless for some weeks when she decided that it was time to see the other places of the castle, the ones that weren't connected directly to it, or even wander in the labyrinth or the woods, she'd always loved trees. The outfit today, having so many free time on the castle she asked for fabric and a rustic swing machine, to make her own clothes, so today, she was wearing something comfortable, black tights, an almost knee-length dress, opened in the sides, boots and a belt from where a dagger hanged. Well, nothing luxurious for a small walk. The first thing Rose saw when she got outside the castle was a very big stone building. It had a big entrance door and there was an small structure some feet away from the main building it had two swords on the top of the door.

'What are you doing here? Who are you!' Rose turned around to face the man who had yelled at her with curiosity.

'I am Rose, I live in the castle' She replied.

'This ain't place for servants to come, specially if His Majesty is here training. Go back to the castle." The authority proper of the soldiers, they always think that they have the right of telling you what, when and where to do your things.

"I am not a servant. I am a guest of King Jareth. If you could be generous enough of taking me to him, or telling me where he is, I need to see him." Rose's voice was polite but the glare in his eyes might have frightened the poor soldier because he did what he was told.

That was the head quarters of Jareth's army and it was there near the castle where they were trained, some of that training was instructed by the King himself. It was believed that a King must be qualified enough to lead its army in battle but also had to be one of the most skillful among all the military force. So Rose was taken to Jareth, he was, well, he was fighting with two swords with other four, FOUR privates, while fifty other watched the lesson.

"Amazing, he is, gorgeous even when he is sweaty and fighting" Thought Rose, of course she wouldn't admit it out loud but it was a start. Jareth grinned and she shook her head as if he had tried read her mind and she wanted to clear her head from that kind of thoughts.

'Stop for now men! You try to strengthen your arm or use the other, you lack of strength and your hand shakes when you swirl your sword' He said to a red headed private who looked like a glam rock star.

'Rose! What brings you here, may I ask?' When they were in front of people he was too polite and sweet but when there was no one to see them fight, they brought hell to the earth.

'I was wandering around when I found the armory and a soldier tried to make me go back to the castle, but once I learned you where here, I HAD to come and say good morning to you' She finished with a smile and before he could speak again she interrupted.

'How impressive your moves are! I never thought you could do something like that!'

"Ohh, but I can do so many other things" She almost believed he had spoken in her head with mischief but she gave up the idea as soon as she realized that it had been his expression not his voice which had told her that

'Can you teach me? Please?'She begged.

'No Rose, that is out of question, this is no place for a woman' He said hiding that he couldn't bear looking at her hurt with his I-am-the-king-and-you-do-as-I-say tone.

'Okay, let's do it your way Kingy' Jareth sighted and all the soldiers were expecting what was to come, no one never had spoken to the King in that insolent way and certainly he must do something about that little girl's attitude.

'If I can prove you that I am worth of your tuition in all this war staff would you train me?'She asked.

'Only if you defeat me in a duel, you choose the weapons' He had to surrender this time, though, he was going to go easy on her, he wouldn't let her win.

'Thank you very much, I'll show you what I can do, but, do not go easy on me Your Highness. Quarterstaff is good enough for you?' She asked making a low ponytail on her long dark brown hair.

'Steel or wooden?' He asked with a serious expression, after all, that was his father will, sooner or later he had to fulfill his promises.

'That depends on how serious you will go on me' She winked him and smile. Jareth sight again, war wasn't meant for women to take part in, it wasn't a game, it was serious but he understood she was only a girl after all. Jareth made a sign to one of the high ranked soldiers and he came back with two wooden sticks.

'Thats quite disappointing, never mind, I'll take you down' She said, once she was given the staff Rose started to swirl, twist, spin -and whichever other synonym you'd like- the staff around her leaving all quite amazed at the speed, the control and the dexterity of such graceful and young creature.