Disclaimer: Labyrinth and its characters belong to Jim Henson and co.

Chapter Title: from "Rubik's Cube" by Athlete

The light from the single open window crept up Sarah's sleeping figure at a steady pace, like a wave building to high tide. When at last it touched her face, her tired green eyes lifted, blinking a few times to alert the rest of her body that she was, in fact, awake. It took no time at all for her to remember where she was and what she was meant to be doing there. And when she did she promptly buried her head beneath a pile of pillows, biting into one to keep herself from screaming.

When she had successfully vented her frustration, she sat upright in bed, schooling her breathing until she was completely calm. And with her relaxation came reasoned thought. It was Tuesday. Her birthday was Friday, giving her a solid three days to accomplish everything on her list. If she tried hard enough, she could trick herself into believing that this was an acceptable amount of time. She just had to make sure not to think about it for too long.

In keeping with this, she untangled herself from the sheets—a difficult task as she had slept with her jeans and shoes still on—and looked about the room.

It was a beautiful set up, really. More open and bright than she would have imagined was possible for the Goblin Castle. The bed she slept in was a massive Renaissance-type affair with four posters of dark oak inlaid with some of the most intricate design work Sarah had ever seen up close. The dark color scheme was offset by surrounding drapery, which matched the Prussian blue of the sheets and the light tan of the walls. Sarah traced the uneven lining of stone all the way over to the domed window, where she peaked out at the world.

Three years ago, the view from that window would have been spectacular. The labyrinth stretched out in front of her for miles, the canals and passageways a giant snake always twisting and curling. But it was a molting snake, deep in the process of shedding its skin. Pieces of it were getting left behind, destroyed, and not for the better. The labyrinth needed fixing, and in more drastic ways than she knew how to remedy. Loathe as she was to admit it, the Goblin Kingdom needed its king.

And I'm going to return him to it, she thought as she collapsed into the red suede chair beside the window. She convinced herself that it was for the sake of the labyrinth that she made this promise, but a part of her knew that it went deeper than that. It was not just for the labyrinth, but for her friends. For Hoggle, and Ludo, and Sir Didymus. For all of the goblins whose carefree hearts had been hardened during her time away. And, yes, for the Goblin King too, she admitted.

Of the times she had thought about him over the years, it was always in the context of royalty. She imagined his lithe frame draped over the throne, or pressing a royal seal into hot wax, or dancing the night away in a stream of parties as grand and twinkling as the Milky Way. For whatever reason, she needed to imagine him that way. Anything else made her heart clench in discomfort.

She was largely unaware of the way her hand was creeping across the table in front of her, her fingers stretching towards smooth, polished glass of their own accord. When they finally made contact, she snapped back to attention, realizing what she was now holding.

The crystal was perfectly round, and it sat in her palm proudly, like a living thing that demanded her notice. Sarah balanced it on her fingertips, holding it at eye level and looking within its depths. It'll show you your dreams, she could still hear him say. But the more she stared it down, the more bottomless it grew until she eventually gave up. She laughed at herself; this silly orb could not show her her dreams. It was probably just some parlor trick. It did get her wondering though…

She balanced the crystal in her palm, gently rocking it back and forth. How does he do this? She wondered while she tried to get enough momentum to juggle it onto the back of her hand. She had just gotten it up to speed when there was a knock on the door. Startled, Sarah spun around, the crystal slipping from her grasp and shattering against the floor.

"Shit," she cursed. She was scrambling now, trying to sweep the broken shards under the table with her foot. The knock came again, firmer this time. "Double shit."

The door swung open and crashed against the opposite wall, making Sarah yelp out: "It wasn't me!" She had feared it would be Arden, but quickly saw that that was not the case. Standing in the doorway was a plump, gray-faced goblin with wild hair and a fixated scowl.

"You clumsy dolt, what've you done?" the goblin asked. She spoke with the scolding tone of a teacher addressing a child who permanently sat in the back of the classroom.

Sarah blinked in shock. Perhaps this goblin woman was worse than Arden. "I'm sorry," she tried, "I didn't mean to break anything. It just sort of—err—happened."

"Now I'll have to clean up every last bit," the goblin muttered angrily to herself. "Didn't even ask for this job. Taking care of a human. Humph."

"Excuse me," Sarah interjected, "But you're being very rude. I'd be happy to clean up after myself, and I certainly don't need any taking care of."

"Selfish, prissy, little brat…"

Sarah's mouth dropped open, incredulous. "You can't talk to me like that! I mean, I'm a…and you're a…" she struggled to articulate.

"And now who's being rude?" she snapped back, wagging a pudgy finger.

"I'm a guest," Sarah finally decided on. She crossed her arms and slumped down in her chair, more than content to ignore the wretched little creature. She glared out of the corner of her eye, watching her begin to sweep up the mess that had been made. That was when she noticed something peculiar. "Look at me," she requested, leaning forward in the chair.

The goblin woman turned, her mouth opening to unleash a stream of insults and complaints, but Sarah heard none of it. She was focusing on something else. Settled over the goblin's skin, clothing, and hair was a thin layer of frost. It twinkled faintly in the morning light, just as dew collecting on grass might. And it sealed over her eyes as well, making them distant and cloudy. Just like the goblins from the night before.

"What're you doing?" the goblin griped as Sarah reached out a hand towards her. Again she gently smoothed her palm over the goblin's eyes. And, just as before, there came a faint glow from the floor. This time it shone through the cracks in the tile, gathering at her feet, and shooting upwards to her hand. Once more, a flash of sparks popped in front of the goblin woman, only this time it sent a brief shock through Sarah.

"Ouch!" she complained, gingerly rubbing her hand. She brought her middle finger to her mouth, sucking the tip where the shock had exited. Why did that happen? She wondered. It didn't hurt last time.

"You alright, dearie?" the goblin woman inquired.

"Yes, I'm-" but Sarah stopped before she could finish her sentence. "Hang on, did you just call me 'dearie?'"

"Yes, I s'pose I did. Is there something wrong with that, M'Lady?" The goblin standing before Sarah now was not the same as the one who had walked through the door. She was transformed. The dusting of frost had left her, and she stood straighter. When she wasn't hunched and frowning, she had a kindly face, round and full of warmth. Tender eyes the color of melted chocolate bars blinked up at Sarah waiting for her answer.

"No, it's just that a minute ago…Well you were acting…" she babbled in response, struggling to explain what was still a new and bizarre phenomenon for her. She took a breath, and made herself continue. "I think you were under some sort of…spell. And I think I undid it."

"A spell? Oh, don't be silly, dearie, who'd put me under a-" the goblin paused a moment, realization pooling in her eyes. "Why that little brat!"

Sarah sat back in her chair, shocked by the sudden vehemence in her visitor's voice. For a moment she was afraid that she had failed to remove the spell completely, but eventually it became apparent that this particular goblin was just prone to fits of anger. She'd begun to bat rather than sweep at the shards of crystal, all the while muttering a string of reprimands.

"Um, excuse me?" Sarah tried to interrupt.

"Ungrateful child…to think she put a curse on me…practically raised the girl…"

"Excuse me, but who-"

"…pulled glitter out of her hair for three days straight, and this's the thanks I get?"

"Hey!" Sarah slammed a hand on the table, seeing that demanding attention was the only way to proceed. The goblin looked up at her like she could not fathom what had prompted the outburst. Sarah realigned her approach once more. "I think we got off on the wrong foot. My name is Sarah."

The round-faced goblin seemed to realize that she had made a very poor showing. She shook her head at herself before addressing Sarah. "Pardon me, m'Lady. I'm Mable, the head housekeeper here in the castle."

"Mable, good." Sarah offered her hand, which her new acquaintance grasped confusedly. "Now, would you mind telling me who you are talking about?"

Mable hesitated, her globe-like eyes refusing to meet Sarah's. "I was speaking of the Queen of Beasts," she admitted, "And my words were plenty unkind. I beg you forgiveness, m'Lady."

"You don't need my forgiveness," she assured her, "And please, call me Sarah."

"Oh, no, I mustn't do that, m'Lady. You're far too important a guest."

"I'm not, believe me." Sarah hung her head. She most certainly did not feel like an important guest. She felt overwhelmed. Nothing like her fifteen-year-old self would have felt.

Stop thinking like that, she scolded herself. You can't keep comparing yourself to her.

"Well of course you're an important guest. Why else would you be staying in the king's chambers?"

"I really don't think- Wait what?" Sarah was frozen, her heart pumping cold blood through her veins. "Whose room is this?"

"I've just told you. These rooms belong to the ruler of the labyrinth."

Every possible shade of mortification passed over Sarah's face. This could not be happening. Why was this happening? She groaned out her building embarrassment. She was sitting in one of the Goblin King's chairs, at his table, in his room. That this was his view that she had admired, his bed that she had slept in- His bed!

"No, no, no, no, no." Her hands fisted in her hair, the tiny pinpricks of pain the only thing keeping her from having a complete meltdown. She was living in the Goblin King's bedroom. He would—with any luck—be back here in four days' time, and he would know that she had been here. She did not know if he would be able to smell her or just sense her, but she did not have a doubt in her mind that he would know. He would know and either be so furious that he locked her in an oubliette for the rest of her days, or so smug that she would have to move to some third dimension in order to hide her shame.

Okay, Sarah, this isn't that bad, she forced herself to think. All you have to do is come up with a logical means of disguising that you were ever here. Right. Good.

"We need to burn everything," she blurted out. She leapt up, jumpstarting the process of searching every drawer for a box of matches.

"Begging your pardon, m'Lady?" Mable asked. The goblin woman had placed a worried hand over her heart as she looked at Sarah with a gaze of concern.

"I'm setting it all on fire, that's the only way." At Mable's aghast look, she amended the statement: "Maybe not everything, but at least the bed sheets." Definitely the sheets.

"Oh dear…Master Arden isn't going to be pleased to hear this."

"Arden can-" Sarah stopped. Arden. He was the one who had brought her here, had set her up in this room like it was the most natural thing in the world. He had done it knowingly, and intentionally, and probably as a joke. "I'm gonna kill him."

"What-"

"I don't care if he knows how to use magic better than me, I will find a way to imprison him in the Bog of Eternal Stench for the next decade."

"Please, m'Lady Sarah, don't do that," Mable entreated, "I'm sure Master Arden meant no harm."

"No harm? No harm?" she barked in response. "How can you even say that? He set me up in the Goblin King's room because he knew it would embarrass me!"

"I doubt that, dearie."

"Of course that's why! He lives to be clever, and this is the ultimate joke on me." Sarah folded her arms and collapsed back in her chair, looking every bit the petulant child. She would find a way to get back at him for this. If it took all the power in the Underground, she would find a way.

"Perhaps," Mable interrupted her thoughts, "He is just preparing for a regime change."

Sarah looked to the goblin, preparing to make a smart retort, when she saw what the small woman was holding. It was a beautiful dress of crushed velvet, its textured hues alternating between silver and sky blue. Mable offered it to her, placing one of the sleeves against her shoulder so that she could see how the color stood out against her dark hair. It made a pretty combination, Sarah had to admit.

"What is this for?" she asked. She was stroking the soft fabric without realizing it.

"Master Arden instructed that you should wear this. He said it'd be proper attire for a Lady such as yourself."

"Oh," Sarah muttered, one part of her flattered and another part disheartened. On the one hand, it was a lovely dress, and Sarah knew it would make her look stunning. But she could not help but read Arden's gift as another sort of insult. He had brought her to the king's chambers, sent her the head of household staff to assist her, and now sought to dress her as a lady of high standing. She knew he was not doing all of this as a kindness. He had gone to such lengths because he was acknowledging her as the future ruler of the Goblin Kingdom.

And I thought I had little faith in myself; Arden has even less, she thought with chagrin. A wave of nausea churned her stomach. Up until then, she had attributed her pessimism to her own insecurities. She was no longer as brave or hopeful as she had once been, and she no longer believed in herself. But now, knowing that Arden didn't believe in her either made the possibility of her failure feel very real.

She might not be able to rescue the Goblin King in time. Her birthday could come and go without her even finding an adequate place to start searching. He could die, and she would not be allowed to go home again. She would be left to wallow with a guilty conscious and a throne she did not want. Forever.

Forever…feels like a very long time.

"Excuse me, m'Lady, but you really should try the dress on. I wasn't sure of the size," Mable gently intruded.

"Of course," Sarah sniffled, unaware that her nose had begun to run. "Did you make it yourself?"

"Yes, dearie. Dress making's been a hobby of mine for a long time." She said it with such pride that Sarah had the sudden urge to push away all of her self-doubt, and hug the little woman and gush anew at how fine a garment it was. She settled for placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, I hope it looks as good on me as it does on the hangar."

Mable beamed up at her, flashing a toothless grin. "Don't you worry about that, now. We'll just make sure it fits in the shoulder, and you'll be pretty as a picture."

Sarah went into the bathroom—cringing all the while because this was where the Goblin King bathed, and dressed, and brushed his teeth—and pulled the dress on. She wasted no time getting back to Mable, who was waiting for her in front of a full length mirror, needle and thread in hand. Sarah stood stock still as the goblin woman set about adjusting the hem.

"So tell me more about this Queen of Beasts," Sarah prompted, distracting herself from the ache of stillness. "You seemed quite upset with her."

"Well why shouldn't I be? She placed a hex on me, didn't she now?" Mable's sewing become a frantic, frenzied affair, and Sarah feared getting pricked. "Took care of the girl from the time she was the size of a goblin babe without so much as a word of thanks, and now I get a hex."

"You took care of her when she was young?" Sarah wanted nothing more than to distract the woman from her bitterness and avoid getting the skirt stitched to her calf.

"Took care of, humph. I all but raised her. And her brother too. That's right: old Mable spent many nights in this room rocking a squealing babe to sleep."

"In this room?" Sarah spun around so fast she knocked over the spool of thread and succeeded in getting pricked in the leg. "Mable…does the Goblin King have children?"

It was a possibility Sarah had never encountered in her imaginings, though it was perfectly possible. He was some sort of ageless, magical being, after all. It was just strange to imagine him with children of his own. Kidnapped babies she could see, but little Goblin Princes and Princesses? It didn't seem quite right to her.

It struck her, then, how little she knew about him. He had figured so often in her dreams and nightmares that it had never occurred to her that he was a real person, living a life that she knew nothing about. He could have a whole family living here in this very castle; children down the hall, a wife pining away in a tower for her lost husband. The thought made Sarah clench her jaw.

Before she could get too worked up, though, Mable laughed. "The Goblin King? Children? Have you met him, dearie? No, that boy needs another century's maturity before he's ready for children."

Sarah pretended to inspect the lining of her sleeves to hide her relief. "Then who were you talking about?"

"I know this may be hard to believe, dearie," she said with a grin, "But King Jareth was a child himself once."

Sarah whirled again, this time nearly tripping on the extra length of the skirt. "You took care of him as a baby?"

"M'Lady, you must keep still!" Mable looked at her disapprovingly, refusing to revoke her glare until Sarah had calmed herself. "Happy little thing he was," she explained. "Always crawling about, looking for toys. Nothing like that sister of his. She only stopped screaming when it was time to eat. Her father said it meant she was strong. But he never had to stay up with her all through the night."

"He has a-" Sarah was stopped mid-turn by a stern look from Mable. "Sorry." She released the the tension in her face. "He has a sister?"

"Queen Delicia of the Kingdom of Beasts," the goblin woman confirmed.

"Does she take children away too?" Sarah tried to ask casually, but the words still left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Yes, I suppose she does now."

"Now? Why only now?"

"Haven't you heard the rumors, dearie? Everyone in the castle's saying she's the one that took the Goblin King." Sarah did not move, did not even flinch. It took a moment for the comprehension to click. When at last it did, her reaction was a sight to behold.

"He's with his sister?! And Arden knew?!" she seethed, wrenching the skirt from Mable's grip so she could pace the room. This was unbelieveable. Arden knew where his king was this whole time, and had not only failed to rescue him himself, but also failed to tip her off. Here she was losing her mind over how to go about finding the Goblin King when he was probably locked up in a castle the next kingdom over.

Mable watched the girl with a curious expression as she circled the room. The goblin woman had had little experience with humans, but the ones that she had encountered had seemed timid and rather dull. But this girl was nothing like her predecessors. There was a fieriness about her, one that struggled to be contained. It reminded her very much of someone else, but she thought the better of pointing it out.

It was several minutes before Sarah's annoyance waned to a manageable level. Okay, she reasoned with herself, there's nothing you can do to change what's already happened. Just use the information you have now to move forward.

She knelt down to the goblin's level so that they were eye to eye. "Mable, I need you to tell me everything you know about the Queen of Beasts."

Mable blinked at the girl. No, she was certainly not like the other humans. She was much more single-minded, more determined to reach her goals than anyone the goblin woman had met in all her years.

"There's a book just there on the shelf," Mable pointed out. "It'll tell you everything you need to know."

Sarah nodded and picked out the specified book. She opened it on the table by the window, the light from the pale sun warming its pages. Mable approached, kneeling down to finish her work on the hem as Sarah began to read.

"Arden!" Sarah rounded down the final flight of stairs into the throne room, her eyes fury ridden and her fists clenched. She made no effort to disguise her displeasure, knowing that she could be perfectly intimidating when she wanted to. And, at present, she definitely wanted to. The book had revealed plenty, and not much of it was good. Arden had set her up with an impossible task, and now he was going to answer for it.

Bursting into the throne room, she scanned for the person she was looking for, finding him standing behind the throne. She strode towards him with purpose, only faltering when she realized who he was standing with. Speaking to the haughty advisor in low, hushed tones was Will. Sarah cocked her head; she was interested to know what they were discussing, but her hopes were dashed when they ended the conversation as soon as she was within earshot.

Will stepped towards her, a bright grin plastered on his narrow face. "Wow, Sar, you look great!" he marveled, gesturing to her expertly tailored dress. Sarah knew from looking in the mirror that what he said was true. The dress was slimming, clinging to her upper body like an over-enthused lover before gracefully flowing out at the hips. The sleeves were long and elegant with a slight poof in the shoulders that was just prominent enough to remind her of a much remembered gown from long ago.

She looked good, even by her own standards, but still she received the compliment with some skepticism. For some reason, she had a feeling that Will had only said it in an effort to distract her. Which made her even more desperate to know what he had been discussing with Arden when she walked in.

"Thanks," she edged, giving him the side eye to let him know that he was not fooling her. "You do too." Will had been re-dressed in a simple brown doublet with black pants that were close fitting, but nowhere near as scandalous as certain other pairs that she had encountered.

"I must agree with Master William. You look much more becoming now that you're out of men's attire." Arden had managed to keep most of his condescending tone in check for once, but it still showed in his face, reminding Sarah that she had sought him out with a purpose.

"Well enjoy it while it lasts," she snapped, "I didn't come down here so that you could tell me how 'becoming' I look."

"Oh?"

"No. In fact, I think you owe me an explanation." She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her chin upwards in an attempt to duplicate Arden's self-assured countenance.

"Do I now? And what is it that you need explained?" Not to be outdone when it came to indifference, Arden made a grand show of fidgeting with his gloves. Sarah ground her teeth.

"Uh, maybe why you chose not to disclose that your king is being held prisoner by his sister who, I might add, is the ruler of a very large, very powerful kingdom," she yelled in a rush.

"Yes, she certainly is."

"And you didn't tell me any of this because…?" Sarah prompted. She was more than fed up with his misleading her.

Arden allowed several beats of silence before he answered. Then, with a sigh, he said:"Because I knew it wouldn't make a difference."

Sarah sucked in her bottom lip and nodded her head. She'd gotten the answer she expected. Arden had known from the start that she wouldn't stand a chance against such an opponent. The pretense of rescuing the Goblin King had been nothing more than a lure to get her back in the Underground without a fuss.

"Would someone explain what's going on here?" Will chirped in, glancing warily between the opposing forces of Sarah and Arden. The two were locked in a battle of eye contact, each daring the other to answer. It was Sarah who conceded first, flicking her eyes to her friend and putting him out of his misery.

"It turns out the Goblin King has a sister. The Queen of Beasts to be more specific. And in the Goblin King's moment of weakness, she stepped in and took over the labyrinth, gaining all of its resources." Sarah kept her attention on Arden as she explained, taking care that her words pried at him like barbed wire.

"Oh…" Will replied, scratching the back of his neck. "That's going to complicate things."

"She has an army, Will!" she snapped at him. "Fauns, griffons, centaurs; you name it, and she has one willing to fight for her. And since the labyrinth technically belongs to her, she has control of the Goblin Army too. Isn't that right, Arden?"

"Correct," he admitted, looking more uncomfortable than was his custom.

"Thank you," Sarah huffed. She was disappointed in this turn of events, but she still got some measure of satisfaction in humiliating the advisor.

The three of them stood in tense silence for a full minute. Arden fussed over himself, unused to a wounded pride; Will was contemplative as he review this new information; and Sarah was caught somewhere between the grasp of a fleeting triumph over Arden and a crushing despair brought on by the weight of impossibility at her situation.

It was Will who finally broke through the quiet. He spoke to Arden, his eyes fixed and intense. "Is there a way?" No one had to ask what he meant.

Arden did not respond right away; rather he allowed the silence to stretch. Sarah, annoyed by his contentment, bit out a response for him. "Of course there isn't a way."

"There is," Arden countered through the side of his mouth, "But I would not ask it of you."

Sarah's eyes widened at his response. He sounded…sincere. Nothing like the Arden she had come to anticipate. His reaction set her mind to work. What could be so dire that he would not even ask her to try? And how could it ever be possible for her to take on a Queen and all her forces alone?

You did it once before, a small, almost forgotten part of her subconscious reminded her.

That was different, she fought back, back then I had to do it to save Toby.

And now you have to do it to rescue the Goblin King.

That's different. It's not my fault he's been taken.

Isn't it?

"No, it isn't," she muttered to herself.

"Pardon?" Arden asked.

"Nothing." She was fighting with herself. This was not her responsibility. She had done enough by returning to the Underground when she thought saving the Goblin King was possible. Nothing more was required of her. But still, she could not help but ask the question that continued to bubble up in her mind: "What would I have to do to make rescuing him possible?"

Arden's face flustered like he thought he had misheard her. "My Lady?"

"If I wanted to rescue the Goblin King, how would I do it?" she asked, her voice more determined this time.

"Sarah, are you sure about this?" Will placed a hand on her arm, turning her so that she faced him. "Whatever it is, it sounds pretty serious."

She pulled away from him. "Tell me, Arden."

The advisor's brow scrunched as he answered her. "Well, based on the magic you performed on the goblins last night, I would say that the labyrinth recognizes you as its true leader." He paused, as though that information had not quite sunk in for him. Righting himself, he continued. "The trouble is, Queen Delicia has already made a claim to its magic when she seized control. That claim has allowed her to exert influence over the labyrinth and its creatures, but she cannot receive the full benefits of its power while there exists another claimant. You, specifically."

Sarah's head was spinning a bit as she tried to piece everything together. "So you're saying that Delicia has control of the labyrinth's magic but not its power?"

"Precisely."

"And there's a difference between those two things?" Will asked. He was struggling to keep up just as much as Sarah.

"Of course. But it is a rather complex dynamic. Once which I would rather discuss-"

"-Some other time," Sarah finished for him. There were more serious issues at hand. "If I have the labyrinth's power on my side, how do I get its magic?"

"You would have to usurp Queen Delicia's claim," Arden said, a note of despondency creeping into his tone.

"And how would I-oh for heaven's sake, Arden, stop beating around the bush! Just tell me what I need to do before I dismiss this whole train of thought for the bad idea that it is." She disliked the way he was treating her and this subject as if it were something fragile. She would only be able to make a decision once she had all the facts laid out before her.

The faint suggestion of a smile crept around the edges of Arden's lips. If Sarah didn't know better, she might have thought he looked pleased with her. "In order to remove the claim, you would need to venture into the heart of the labyrinth. There, Queen Delicia has placed a token that secures her reign over the kingdom. You would then have to remove that token and replace it with one of your own."

Sarah took a deep breath and nodded to herself. "It doesn't sound that hard."

Arden frowned. "It's harder than you think. Not only will you have to find a token of sufficient power to overtake that of the Queen of Beasts, but—what's more—is that whatever token she has placed there will try to kill you in order to stop you."

"Okay, that's it," Will cut in. "There's no way she's trying this. No. Way."

"I agree, it's far too great a risk."

But Sarah was not listening to either of them. She was, of all things, comparing her brother and the Goblin King.

Her success during her first trip through the labyrinth was based on the fact that she had no alternative. She could not see a way where she returned home without Toby coming along with her. And, painful though it was for her to admit, she had not truly rescued him out of moral obligation or sibling dutifulness. Her reasons at the time were more selfish than that. She'd agreed to run the labyrinth because she would not have been able to live with herself if she did not try.

Bearing this in mind, she accepted the Goblin King's challenge and the thirteen hours that he granted her. The labyrinth had tested her at every turn, and, despite her wish for things to be fair, she had seen that playing by the rules would get her nowhere. And so she did whatever it took, bending the rules to her liking. Anything to keep from having to spend the rest of her days with the shadow of Toby's absence hanging over her.

Though she did come to love and care for her brother throughout the process, the terrible truth was that love had little to do with her triumph. She had crafted her success out of guilt and necessity.

Now she faced a similar situation with the Goblin King. Like Toby, he had been spirited away by a scornful sibling and locked away in a castle. And Sarah felt sorry for him. She would never have wished this fate on him, be he her nemesis or not. But he was not Toby. If she failed to rescue him, there would be no unfavorable consequences to deal with, no concerned father and stepmother to worry over their baby boy. She could give up right now, let Delicia take over the kingdom, and return home to the Aboveground. That would be the smart decision. It would not do to get caught up in the political affairs of a world that she did not belong to or owe allegiance to. Giving up now was the smart thing to do.

But it was not what fifteen-year-old Sarah, Champion of the labyrinth, would have done. And regular, practical, almost-adult Sarah was desperate to convince herself that a part of her was still capable of taking on the impossible. She needed to know that she could still be stubborn, and determined, and undaunted by what lay ahead. That was what drove her now; that need to prove her worthiness to herself.

"Where is the heart of the labyrinth?" Arden and Will's attentions snapped towards her immediately, both sets of eyes wide.

"You can't be serious," Will told her, going slack-jawed with disbelief. He turned to Arden, "Tell me she isn't serious."

"My Lady," the king's advisor began to placate, "You do understand the implications of this task, don't you? It is very likely to get you killed."

"I understand. Where is the heart of the labyrinth?" She spoke without fear or any emotion at all. Just with a stone-cold resolve that she was proud of.

"Sarah, listen to me," Will said, grasping her by the shoulders. "I know I'm the one who told you to come back here, and I'm sorry if you regret it. But if you're doing all this to prove some kind of point just…stop. Please."

She gave him a gentle smile in return. "I am doing this to prove a point. But not to you." She paused, allowing Will to release her and nod his head sadly. "Arden, where is the heart of the labyrinth?"

"Are you certain this is something you wish to do?" he asked.

"I'm sure."

"Then Your Ladyship will require a token." A small frown played across his face. "It will need to be something rather small, but also powerful enough to overtake whatever Queen Delicia has placed there. And it should in some way connect you to the labyrinth."

"Don't worry," Sarah assured him, her voice full of confidence. "I know exactly what I need."

A/N: *agressively apologizes for lateness and for boring filler chapter* Okay, now that that's out of the way: I know, not much happens here. This whole chapter was basically a big information dump for Sarah, as well as a set up for what is to come. I had a hard time writing it, and I don't blame anyone who found it to be a dull read. I am, however, very excited for what is going to go down next chapter, so stay tuned!

Hope everyone has had a great start to 2015, and the next update should be out on Wednesday.