Disclaimer: Alas, I still own nothing.

Chapter Title: from "Bedroom Hymns" by Florence + The Machine

"I just want to officially go on the record and say that this is not at all how I pictured this playing out." Will kicked at a stone on the dirt path sending it flying a few feet ahead of them.

Sarah gave him a side eye, somewhat pleased that he seemed to have forgotten his anger towards her, but still plenty annoyed that he was needling her thus. Still, his comment was accurate. To say that things had not gone according to plan was actually a hilarious understatement.

Her transportation spell was…not a complete disaster, but definitely unfulfilled. She was meant to have gotten them to the gates of the labyrinth so that they would not have to waste what little time they had. And that had been her intention. Only, somewhere along the line, her focus had slipped and their party ended up a little more than half way there. Which left them in the very position they had been trying to avoid: spending the better part of the day walking.

"It could have been worse," Sarah grumbled in her defense.

"Yeah," Will agreed, "You could have dropped us here piece by piece. I'm surprised I'm not missing any of my limbs."

"Ha-ha," she shot back. She aimed to make an unamused face at him, but a wave of exhaustion numbed her senses. The feat of magic she had performed—however unsuccessful—had still taken a toll on her. Drained to the point of collapse, her feet dragged causing her to stumble every few steps. Will had already offered to carry her piggy-back, but she refused. She had promised herself that she would try to appear strong for the goblins. Her pride would never allow her to submit to being carried.

Holding her head up as best she could, she continued down the path towards their goal. A heavy fog obstructed the view of the castle and the lands beyond, but Windle had assured her that their position on the map would lead them straight there. Okay, Sarah, you can do this. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. But that was easier said than done, and in a few more steps, she felt her knees beginning to buckle.

She tipped forward, her face intent upon smacking into the ground, when Arden caught her by the elbow. His grip was steadying, supportive, with none of the firmness she might have anticipated at his touch. Her head swam as she locked eyes with him, finding his gaze even more calming than his touch; an observation that confused her greatly.

"Lean on me as a crutch, but keep walking," he whispered to her without moving his lips. Looking around to see what was making him so secretive, she saw that the goblins had noticed her weakened state and were growing worried. She did as she was told, keeping her right arm on top of his and transferring some of her weight. As soon as she was mobile again, the goblins relaxed.

"Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden?" she asked. Her voice was quiet enough that not even Will, just a few paces ahead, would hear.

Arden chuckled—actually chuckled—at her question. "Do you consider assisting you in walking down the road with the grace of a newborn foal to be a kind gesture?"

"You know what I mean," she replied, not letting him off the hook.

When it became apparent that she was going to hold him to an answer, Arden looked down, considering. It was several steps before he finally answered. "Firstly," he began, "And probably most importantly, because you were slowing us down. We would not make it there by nightfall if we continued on at the speed you were going."

"This is punishment for calling you nice, isn't it?" she muttered, mostly to herself.

He smirked. "Secondly, because I find you infinitely more tolerable when you're too fatigued to run that sharp tongue of yours.

"And thirdly because…I understand how important it is appear in control when others are relying on you."

The last comment made her head snap up. Of all the things he could have said in response to her question, this was the least anticipated. How was it that he was able to put into words everything she had been feeling for the last few days?

She thought back to the first time she saw him, standing in the middle of her front yard, the gusty winds of magic swirling around him. He had been as frightening and as fascinating as a god. Just like the first time she had seen Jareth. But Arden was not the Goblin King, and his guise of supremacy had only lasted so long. When he found out who she was, his whole demeanor had changed in an instant. He leaned forward like she was the one who was a celestial being. The lines of his face had softened, and, for the only time in their short acquaintance, Sarah had seen hope in his eyes.

That expression had not made sense to her at the time, but after a day trying to control a hoard of goblins, she began to understand. For three years, Arden had been the sole keeper of the Goblin City. With Jareth locked away and Delicia in permanent absentia, it had fallen to him to keep things together. He too was the bearer of responsibilities he had not asked for, and, as snarky as he was, she had never heard him complain.

A stab of guilt tore through her. Had she misjudged him right from the start? Arden could be the only one to really know what she was going through, and she had spent most of their time together in a verbal sparring match. Maybe, if given a chance, he would actually help her through this. He was here after all; it would be stupid not to make use of him. She was already leaning on him physically. Perhaps he would not mind if she leaned on him mentally as well.

"I never imagined being in charge would bring this much pressure," she started, coaxing him to see where the conversation might lead.

His eyebrows knitted together at her words, his mouth pinching in like lemon juice had just been squeezed into his every pore. "You didn't think running a kingdom would be hard work?"

"Well, that's not exactly what I meant," she backtracked, "I just didn't anticipate that it would be this hard. I mean, what with everyone always looking to you to fix everything…"

Arden shook his head as though he found her to be an amusing toy that he could not understand the mechanics of. "This is why you mortals would make terrible rulers. Too little comprehension of responsibility." He patted her shoulder with his freehand and laughed to himself.

"Excuse me," she jerked away from him, "But I happen to be very responsible."

"Oh? Is that the word you would use to describe a girl who wished away the infant brother she was meant to be caring for?"

"Okay, that was almost three years ago, and I totally made it up to him later!" Sarah was cursing herself for having tried to extend this olive branch. I should have set it on fire first.

"Tell me," Arden continued, "How will you make it up to the goblins if you fail to return their king to them?"

"I-" she began, but words failed her. Truthfully, she had no idea what she would tell the goblins if she failed to make good on her promise. Arden knew this, and was not afraid to call her on it.

"Let me guess: you hadn't thought that far ahead?" Sarah remained silent. Arden grinned. "There, you see? That is precisely the problem. You mortals live such fleeting lives that you lack the skills to adequately prepare for the future. Jareth has ruled the Goblin Kingdom for thousands of years. Whatever faults you may perceive in him, he had a plan that was to the betterment of goblin lives."

Sarah's pace slowed again, stung by his words. He was insulting and ridiculing her, and what was worse was that he was right. Her thoughts about the future did not extend beyond the next three days. She had failed to set up any kind of safety net, leaving success her only option. And it was just now that she realized how irresponsible that was.

Vexed, she gnawed the inside of her cheek. She had allowed Arden to wound her pride, but she would be damned before she let him know it. She spoke up again: "Well if the Goblin King was so great about planning for the future, then how did he let himself get captured, hmm?"

"You make a good point," the advisor calmly allowed, nowhere near as irked as she had hoped. "Perhaps I should amend my statement: King Jareth had excellent foresight into the well-being of his kingdom except when he was thinking about you."

Arden dropped her arm then, leaving her flat footed on the path. She stood stock still for a moment, cocking her head to the side. What did he mean by that? "Hey," she called after him. "What do you mean by that?"

But the advisor ignored her, continuing down the path at a brisk pace. Her sapped strength forgotten, Sarah jogged to catch up to him, repeating her question. He barely looked at her. "I'm sorry, but I think it would be best to store the rest of your questions for later. Considering we're here."

In her renewed annoyance with the advisor, she had failed to notice that, blooming out of the mist, was a solid wall of ice. It shone an electric, luminous blue underneath the clouded skies, bleak and boastful of its impenetrability. The tendrils of flowering vines were etched into the surface, as though someone had thought to make up for the utter lack of life in this frozen wasteland. Unfortunately for the innovative architect, the effect was the complete opposite. The tiny carvings—while intricate and beautiful—only drew attention to the fact that nothing so delicate had a hope of surviving in this labyrinth.

Squinting her eyes at one pattern in particular, Sarah reached out a hand to trace over it. It was familiar to her somehow, but the memory was a hazy one. As though she were looking at it through a series of blurred lenses that would only show her the truth when set to just the right angle. Her gaze narrowed further, almost to the point of going cross-eyed, when at last she caught it.

"Hey!" she exclaimed in a burst of realization. "This looks just like the leaves I wore in my hair in the peach dream." Her finger followed the lines of the carving, swirling around the silver stems.

"Peach dream?" Will quirked skeptically. Sarah looked back at him, blushing. In her various retellings of her time in the labyrinth, she had always left out that particular detour. Something about the dizzying, pulse-pounding dance she had shared with her should-be nemesis was not conducive to the image of the determined heroine that she had cast herself as. Even now, she struggled with how to describe the culmination of her adolescent fantasy.

"Yeah," she floundered, "The Goblin King gave me this enchanted peach that brought me to this really fancy party. He was trying to distract me so that I would forget about Toby and waste all of my time."

"Among other things," Arden muttered off to the side, making Sarah wonder if he was being intentionally cryptic just to annoy her.

Will glanced between the two of them, disbelieving of how cavalier they were being about this. "No offense to his highness, but that sounds…kind of creepy."

Sarah shrugged. "How do you think I learned not to take random drinks offered at parties?"

"As scintillating as this sojourn into the past is, I suggest we focus on the matter at hand." Arden was looking at her expectantly, eyebrows raised as though he were inviting her to act.

"There's no way in," she said. She disliked being treated as though there were a door directly in front of her that she had failed to walk through. When, in fact, the wall was frustratingly firm.

"A groundbreaking observation," he snapped. "I was under the impression that we were here to rescue the Goblin King. A feat that will be decidedly impossible should we not make it through the gates."

"I'd be more than happy to lead the way, if I knew where the gates were."

Arden sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. When he spoke again, it was in the slow, enunciated form of a prince speaking to a pauper. "Since it appears that the labyrinth has chosen you as its muse, it would follow that you be the one to locate the door."

"Its muse?" Will asked. He said the word with some distaste, as though he were sucking on a piece of aluminum foil. Sarah too was curious about what the word meant, though she had a sinking suspicion.

Arden ground his teeth, seeming to force himself not to shout at them before answering. "It is a magical defense mechanism used by the labyrinth to hinder its runners. It selects a muse and draws material from that person's mind. Once it knows your strengths and weaknesses, it uses them to populate the labyrinth in the most trying ways possible."

"And it's chosen Sarah?"

"So it would seem. Though, with the attention to detail that the Queen of Beasts put into this labyrinth, I would not be surprised if it drew material from several different sources." He stopped then, turning to look at Sarah. "I assume you are familiar with this technique?"

She nodded, recalling each and every one of the bedroom trinkets that had shown up in Jareth's labyrinth.

"Well, then, since you seem to have found a reference to your time here carved in the ice, it would follow that you are the first muse."

"You're right," Sarah agreed, "But I still don't know how to open the door."

"How did you do it last time?" Will prompted, apparently back to his role as her staunch supporter.

"I had help last time," she said, her voice small. For the first time, she felt the full weight of her friends' absence. Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus…they had been so constant, so vital during her first trip. And she hadn't a clue as to what had become of them. They had promised to be there for her whenever she called and had always made good on that promise. But she had never bothered to return the favor.

When all of this is through, you'll find them, she told herself. Then she would make sure they knew how important they were to her.

"M'Lady, we can assist you with whatever you need," Windle piped up, puffing out his narrow chest. The goblin troops copied the gesture, showing that they were ready to do her will.

"Thank you," she smiled for them, "All of you have been nothing but helpful so far. But I don't think there's anything you can do here."

"Maybe there is," Will chimed in. Sarah looked at him quizzically; his gaze was far off in the distance, as though he could see an idea forming on the hillside. "Windle, let me borrow your axe."

"What?" she immediately burst out. Under no circumstances would she have expected a plan involving an axe.

Will gave her a knowing look. "It's just ice. It can't be that hard to chop our way through."

"Of course it can be that hard!" she blazed back at him. "It's probably magically enhanced."

"I must agree, Master William. Caterwauling our way through with a weapon is sure to attract undue attention." Arden's face was flushed from the very thought of such an undignified form of advance.

"Attention from who?" he asked as he pulled the axe back to make his first strike. But just as it was about to bite into the ice, Will gave a sharp grunt and fell to his knees.

"Ooo ha-ha hah," came a deep chortle. Sarah looked behind the place where Will had fallen, watching as a fat, hobbling beast revealed itself. It was only slightly larger than a goblin, standing upright on the hooved legs of a goat. It also had horns that curled towards the back of its head; the culprits behind Will's stumble.

"What was that for?" he griped, rubbing his back where he had been head-butted.

"Serves ya right," the creature quipped, blowing out a one note tune on a small flute. "What got in yer head to make you try that?" Will glared at the creature, finding no amusement in its display.

Sarah, however, found that she was laughing quietly. "Excuse me, but, who are you?" There was something about its presence that put her at ease.

The creature turned, its blue eyes coming to life when it saw her. "Ahhh, is she the one yer trying to impress?" It loped over to her, circling her with a roving gaze. Sarah stepped away, suddenly finding she was not so comfortable with its proximity.

Will sensed her discomfort and came to her aide. "Leave her alone," he ordered as he dusted himself off.

"Now I sees what you were so excited about. Yeh he-he hah ho."

"Hey!" Sarah reeled away as it lunged forward to place a slobbering kiss on her hand.

"Don't touch her!" Will made to kick the creature, but misjudged its speed and cunning. He tripped over its hooved foot, landing in the dirt once more to peals of laughter from his tormentor. "Ugh, Arden, what is this thing?"

The advisor had been looking on at the proceedings with all the interest of a noble being subjected to a band of performing vagabonds. "A satyr. Set to guard the gates of the labyrinth. Drunken, lusty beasts at the best of times."

"I'll say," Sarah complained as the satyr continued to dance around her.

"We had best move on and try to find another means of entry. We won't get any help from this lot."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Will replied, more than content to walk away.

Sarah was the one who lingered. Something was pulling at her as she watched the ungainly movements of the satyr. It was familiar somehow, and again came the feeling that she was safe in its presence. And she was fixed on the color of its eyes. Blue, yes, but a dull, flat blue. Except for the moment when they had first fallen on her face. Then, for just an instant, she had seen them flood with warmth, faceted with all the colors of the sea on a sunny day. She knew those eyes, and she knew that voice. She was just accustomed to seeing them in a different body.

That was when she noticed it. The thin flecks of frost that tipped the satyr's fur and dulled its eyes. It was the same substance that had coated the goblins when they were under a spell. Can it be? She rubbed her hands together, summoning forth the magic she would need. It was more difficult now that she was distanced from the heart of her labyrinth, but not impossible. And as her palms began to warm, she passed them over the head of the satyr, allowing the magic to trickle over it.

"Sar?" Will was the first to look back, to see what she was doing, but Sarah ignored him for the moment. She needed to see, needed to know if it was possible…

The magic clustered around the creature, swirling and clinging and transforming. And when at last it was cleared away, she rushed forward, wrapping her arms around him in a hug that felt like the longest sigh of relief she had ever let forth.

"Hoggle!" she cried, crushing him with her embrace. She was on her knees now, clinging to his neck and weeping into the rough fabric of his shirt.

"Sa- Sarah?" he said with equal wonderment.

Sarah sniffled, trying to get ahold of herself. "I heard my friends needed me," she said simply, "So I came back."

"Oh, Sarah," Hoggle gushed in return, reaching out to prolong their hug. It was minutes before they broke apart, each satisfied that the other was really there.

"I'm so glad you're here," she told him, wiping the last stray tears from her eyes. "I don't think I could face another labyrinth without you."

The dwarf visibly tensed at that. "Labyrinth? Why would you want to go into the labyrinth?"

"Um, well, you see-" she tried to articulate.

"We're here to retrieve the Goblin King, of course." Arden stepped up, his plan to move on interrupted by what he saw as an unwelcome display of emotion.

Hoggle's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Jareth? What's that rat got to do with this?"

Glaring at Arden, she sat down to try to explain everything that had happened up until that point. Hoggle listened attentively, but it was more than apparent that he did not see the logic in any of this. Sarah found that it sounded unconvincing even to her. It was difficult for her to explain why she was so intent on saving Jareth. She just knew that it was something she had to do. And there would be no rest until she did.

"So will you help us?" she pleaded, showing him how plain her need for his assistance was.

Hoggle grumbled to himself a bit, unable to ignore that the plight in her green eyes stirred him deeply. "I don't think you should be doing this, Sarah," he advised. "If Jareth is a rat, then that sister o' his is a snake."

"Oh…Okay…" she coaxed, feigning disappointment.

"But…since ya need me," he took her hand, then, and pulled her to her feet.

"Thank you, Hoggle," she exclaimed and planted a kiss on the top of his head. Both were pleased when it did not land them in the Bog of Eternal Stench.

"As touching as all of this is, it does little to further our quest," Arden sighed.

"I think I can help ya there." Hoggle waved his arm at the wall of the labyrinth, causing a hiss of steam to seep out. And with it, the door to the labyrinth swung open.

"Does anyone in the royal family actually understand what the word 'labyrinth' actually means?"

Sarah's complaint was rhetorical, but it did not keep the question from nagging at her. To her, a labyrinth meant turns and dead ends—a deliberately confusing series of walls intended to trap its occupants. But they had been walking for more than an hour, and no such options had arisen. There were only a series of switchback turns that forced them to traverse back and forth while gaining very little ground. It was exhausting. Not to mention maddeningly futile. At the rate it was taking them to snake through the channels of the labyrinth, it would be years before they made it to the castle.

Adding to their troubles was the fact that passageways they were navigating were extremely narrow. At times to the point that she had to slide through going sideways, the frigid walls biting at her from both sides. This, combined with the fact that there were fifty plus members of their party, made for very slow going indeed. She wished over and over that, for once, things would turn out how she expected them. And then she would remind herself, once again, that things were never as they seemed in this place.

"Do we have any way of knowing how long this goes on for?" Will called forward. He was several places back, behind both Hoggle and Arden. The latter turned to answer.

"Regrettably, no."

Sarah exhaled through her teeth. Here she was, already a disappointment to the people following her. Something needed to change. She would do anything to get things moving, to regain their faith. And at that precise moment, something up ahead caught her eye.

It was white, blending in almost perfectly with the scenery. If not for the tiny flecks of black, she might never have noticed it. But it fluttered across her line of vision, sending her heart racing and blood pumping to her extremities. One hundred feet ahead, perched on a rivet in the labyrinth's wall, waited a beautiful snowy owl. As Sarah watched the bird, its head swiveled around to face her, revealing two golden eyes that stood out starkly against the plain background. It blinked at her twice, then twisted its head and took off in flight.

"Wait!" Sarah called, breaking into a sprint without warning. She heard Hoggle shout in surprise, but there was no time to explain. The bird was soaring away from her at a considerable speed, and she had a difficult time keeping track of it while she ran. But run she did, though why she could not say. There was no indication that this owl held any answers for her, or could help in any way. Again, Sarah had only a feeling, but for her it was enough to go on.

By the time they were approaching the next turn, she had gained a considerable distance on the bird. She would be able to catch up to it just around the corner…

Her heart sank. By the time she rounded the corner, the specter of a bird was gone, disappeared into the hazy snow where it belonged. She kicked at the ground, screaming to herself in frustration. She had been so close, so certain that the owl meant something. With slumped shoulders, she turned to back her way back to the group, there was a block of ice in her way. Coils of panic worked their way through her system as she remembered the proclivity labyrinthine walls had for spontaneously changing. If she could not make her way back to her friends, she would have truly failed them.

She pounded on the thick sheet with a fist. "Will, Arden, Hoggle?" she shouted, hoping that her voice carried through. It was another minute before they caught up to her, Will arriving at the front of the line.

"Sarah," he roared, beating at the ice. When he saw that it was pointless, he called out to her instead. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice distorted by the plane between them. As it was, she could only see a faint outline of his face.

"I'm fine," she answered. Just an idiot who left everyone behind so that she could chase an owl, said her bitter thoughts.

"Okay, we'll get through to you soon. Just hang in there."

She nodded her head, though she was certain he could not see it. Will was right; she just had to stay calm until they could figure a way out of this. There was no use in letting fear get to her head. She hugged herself, running her hands up and down her arms to keep warm. It felt colder now that she was alone. She tried not think about what would happen if she was trapped here until after dark. But still, the words 'frostbite' and 'hypothermia' were singed across her brain.

"Shit," she cursed under her breath.

"Yes, you do seem to have gotten yourself into quite an awkward situation."

Sarah spun around, pressing her back to the wall in an unavoidable reaction of alarm. Standing before her on the once empty path was a woman. She stood absolutely still, and for a moment Sarah believed that she might have been a marble statue. Her skin and features were flawless enough. But there were sparks of color at her lips, eyes, and cheeks that asserted her as being wholly alive.

There was no doubt who it was that she was facing. The Queen of Beasts was just as enchantingly beautiful as her brother, but with all the polished mannerism that he lacked. She did not slouch and lean against the labyrinth's walls, but stood tall and statuesque. Pouring out from a gold embroidered bodice was a river of satin and silk in the deepest shade of emerald that Sarah had ever seen. She was radiant, and daunting, and sensual all at once, and though Sarah also schooled her features to hide her fear, she was more concerned about disguising her awe.

When the Fae woman realized that she was being inspected, her face lit up with a dazzling grin. "Hello, Sarah," she purred. Her voice was as honeyed and colored as a fairytale storyteller, with a wickedly velvet undertone that leant just the right amount of darkness.

Wasting no time in her response, Sarah inclined her head and said, "Delicia."

The smirk on the other woman's face grew. "It is truly a pleasure to meet you. A shame we didn't get a chance last time."

"It is," Sarah agreed, determined to hold her own. "Unfortunately, I was rather short on time."

"My darling brother's fault as usual. But it's no matter at all now that we've met." She moved forward then, the train of her dress bleeding emerald streams behind her, reaching out as though to pinch her cheek. Sarah flinched away.

"Is that the only reason you're here? To introduce yourself?" Much of this was not adding up. Delicia had not met her with threats, or time limits, or any other means of manipulation. In comparison to her first interaction with Jareth, she seemed like a ray of sunshine. But there was a devious chord being struck within all of this. Sarah intended to tread carefully until she could figure out what it was.

"What other reason might I have?" the Fae asked in return. She tilted her head to one side, her blonde curls tumbling, looking far too innocent.

Sarah's face stayed neutral, not buying in to the show she was putting on. "I don't know. Maybe to find out why I'm here."

"You're here to extract my brother, are you not?"

"…Yes," she answered carefully. She wary of Delicia's knowing tone. Now that she was sure of their mission, would she try to stop them?

"Moving on then." With easy confidence, she turned her back, running lithe fingertips over the ice walls. "There is one thing I want," she stopped, glancing over her shoulder, "And that is to help you."

"To help me?" Sarah edged. She was certain now that danger lurked beneath the waves of this placid conversation. She would have to tread carefully if she wanted to make it out unscathed.

"I can let you through to the next phase of the labyrinth…" Delicia expertly dangled her carrot, "But you have to send your goblin guards back to the beginning."

Sarah blinked in surprise. It was a tempting, if not risky offer, and more generous than she had been expecting. But could she take it? It would certainly save on time. Time that she had already wasted when she screwed up the transportation spell. She looked back towards her friends, still sealed off from her by the sheet of ice. Would they want her to take this chance? To gamble with their safety by sending their guards away? She wished that she could ask them. That she could talk it over with them if even for a minute. But she couldn't. This was a decision she had to make on her own.

She was on the point of saying no, of using some very colorful language to tell this woman exactly what she could do with her ridiculous offer, when her eyes detected something being tossed to her. Instinctively, she cupped her hands to catch it, finding that it was a crystal. And the image inside was of Jareth.

His eyes were shut, though she could tell that he was not asleep. His features were tensed, the lines of his face standing out. He was thin. Frighteningly thin. Thinner than could ever be healthy. Her throat clenched at the sight of him, and all she could think was: This is my fault. This is what my victory did to him. He is dying, and it will be on my conscience.

And, once again, the inexplicable need to save the Goblin King made her decision for her.

"Alright. I accept your deal."

Delicia gave a smile that narrowed her eyes—a particularly avian expression—and slipped the crystal from Sarah's grasp. "Excellent," she said as her image began to fade away.

Once she had disappeared completely, the ice wall melted away, revealing a very confused looking Will, Arden, and Hoggle. At that moment, Sarah could not bear to look at them, let alone tell them how and why she had allowed Delicia to influence her. Instead, she fixed her attention on the future as the next phase of the labyrinth spread out before her.

A/N: Okay, so basically I wrote all of this in a single day. Which, in retrospect, was probably a bad idea, as I feel that my writing really declined towards the end. But I wanted to get this chapter out, so here it is.

Jareth will be back for more fun next chapter, and we'll get to see our heroes tackle some interesting tasks in the labyrinth.

As always, thanks for the faves and reviews. You guys all rock (insert subtle Ludo pun.)