Disclaimer: I still do not, nor have I ever, owned Labyrinth or its characters.

Chapter Title: from "The Monster" by Eminem feat. Rhianna

Blisters had formed on the bottoms of her feet, her hands were numb with cold, and Jareth's face refused to leave her mind. The razor's edge of his smile slashed through her with every breath, riveting her with a constant buzz of sensation. He was everywhere she looked and never where she expected him. A glint off the snow sent her heart racing as she again remembered the particular brightness of his gaze. She grit her teeth at it as she slogged her way through the snow. No one should be able to make such a striking impression so quickly. It was as though he had not left her at all, but rather retreated to a far corner of her brain and made a permanent home there. Like the worst of all habits. And no matter what she did, she carried him along with her.

Not that that was so different from the first time. Even her self-absorbed teenage mind had had a hard time ridding itself of the Goblin King. He was simply too prominent a figure. For months he had lingered in her dreams, sometimes as a villain, but more often as an ally. In her dreams he could be whatever she wanted him to be, and it had long been her desire to place him amongst her friends. In the context of her imagination, she found that she liked him, that his devious nature could even be amusing. On particularly dark occasions, she even found herself wondering if she had made the wrong decision in rejecting his offer. He had held her dreams at his fingertips, had promised that he would give her whatever she desired. Had she been foolish to refuse? It was just one of a thousand repeated questions she had been asking herself since she had returned.

Luckily, there was not too much time to dwell on any of them, as the direction of their travels had taken them between rocky mountain passes that were tricky to navigate. Sarah had come close to spraining an ankle on one of the ice slicked rocks before they'd learned to crawl over them on hands and knees. And where there were no rocks, the snow was as deep and treacherous as a river. In many places, it sank her all the way to the hip with no indication that she had actually reached the bottom. She wondered if, given the proper density, she could disappear beneath the powder and go on falling forever.

But no matter how difficult the trek was for her, it was much worse for Hoggle. The unfortunate dwarf often found himself up to the nose in the stuff, his clothes completely drenched from his repeated submersions. Sarah did her best to help and comfort him, but he grew more frustrated by the hour. It did not help that they were being followed by a small gaggle of Brownies, the mischievous creatures more than eager to laugh at their every misfortune. She could hear them snickering as Hoggle once again removed his shoe to dislodged a cluster of ice.

"Cheeky gremlins," Hoggle grumbled, taking a menacing step towards them so that they scattered.

"I know this is hard for you," Sarah replied, waiting beside him, "Thank you for being here."

"Oh, it's no trouble really," he said, bashful. "Someone's gotta make sure you stay out of trouble."

She smiled. "Always so concerned about me."

"Well, that's my job. We're friends, right?"

"Right," she confirmed. Though he did not know it, his words were exactly what she needed. It was comforting for her to know that, even as the world felt like it was being turned upside down, some things remained the same.

"Good. And, ah, Sarah?" continued Hoggle, looking a bit more than bashful now.

Her brows lowered in concern. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I uh—I just wanted to make sure that, what with Jareth coming back around and all…" he trailed off, glancing at his feet.

"Hoggle, whatever it is, I wish you'd say it," she pressed, both eager and anxious to hear what he had to say.

"I just want to make sure you're careful about him," the dwarf spoke in a rush.

"Oh," was her uncertain reply. She could not say this turn of conversation came as a surprise, but she was unaccustomed to such directness from Hoggle. He tended to draw out his speeches a bit more, disguising his true meaning under layers of gibberish. She had to remind herself that the cowardly dwarf she had met on her first trip really was no more.

"I know you're here to rescue him," he continued on, "And I'm not gonna be the one to stop ya. But remember: he's still a tricky little rat who'll pull the wool over yer eyes if ya let him."

For a moment, all she could do was nod uncertainly. What Hoggle was saying was all too true. Before anything else, Jareth was a trickster. A masterful one at that. She would not easily forget the way he had manipulated her dreams to make her forget about Toby. If she tried hard enough, she could still remember the feeling of his fingers working through the coils of her brain, filling it with fantasies and blocking out all memory of her bouncing baby brother.

In her years away, she seemed to have forgotten that fact. The Jareth of her dreams had taken precedence over the real thing. It would be unwise of her to forget that—hidden beneath the chrysalis of outer beauty—the Goblin King could be quite nasty.

But then, so can you. The thought rose, unbidden, and with a strike of such potency that she almost spoke it aloud. What was going on with her head today? It was as though her thoughts were being conjured up by their own accord with no consultation from her. And at that moment, another memory began itching its way to the surface. Something Jareth had said… "You and I are two sides of the same coin."

Why had he said that? As unfavorable a comparison as it was to her, it would be even worse for him. He was not the type to lower himself to the standards of a mortal. No, he could not truly have meant what he said. But still…There was a part of her that wondered. Wondered if maybe he wasn't so wrong after all.

Stop it, Sarah, she scolded, You can't seriously believe you have anything in common with the Goblin King.

But she did, and the more she thought on it, the more it made sense. Their mutual stubborness…that she had no problem accepting. It was only the more subtle things that gave her pause. Like the way they both sought to present themselves as proud and self-assured even in dire circumstances. As if they would rather die than let the other see them in a state of humility. And their tempers. That was certainly a terrible thing when roused. They could both be a fearsome opponent when the situation called for it. Matched, perhaps, in the standards of immorality they were willing to sink to when faced with an obstacle.

It bothered her that so many similarities were at her fingertips, but not nearly as much as it should have. Instead, it made everything seem very possible. What was a great and terrible labyrinth to two people whose determination was just as strong? There was nothing that could daunt her so much that she gave up, nothing that could make her cower like a child under the covers at night. She could charge ahead, claw her way through sleet and snow even as the ice splintered under her fingernails, and make it to the castle by dawn. The only thing stopping her was the one thing that separated her from Jareth, the one thing that he would never have.

Her friends. She could not leave her friends behind even if it meant a swift victory. Will, who had not wanted to stay, who had denied her nothing, and who'd had all of his armor stripped from him. The cold air around them must have clung to him with even more bite, frayed and raw as he was. And Hoggle. The grumpy old dwarf was her childhood come alive again. She could never abandon him when he wanted so much to be at her side. But neither could she delude herself that she might be better off without them. They had come to a dangerous place, a place that was as far from a childhood kingdom as could be. Here there were things that, in spite of conscience, in spite of sympathy, needed to be done.

She looked to Arden then, knowing that he too had recognized this plain fact. He had probably accepted it from the very beginning. Arden could be counted upon to do the hard thing even if it was not easy, even if it was not kind. He would still do what needed to be done for the sole reason that it was necessary. As she watched him, she caught his cool gray eyes and read the hard resolve there, the pitiless drive that propelled him forward. And she knew that, even as he could be counted upon, he could not really be trusted. No more than Jareth could.

"Thank you, Hoggle, I'll remember that," she responded finally. She reached down to place a hand on his shoulder. The gesture felt oddly empty to here; as though she were touching nothing more than a marble statue of someone she once knew.

Her confirmation made him perk up a bit more. "Good. And don't you worry, Sarah, we'll get ya to the castle in no time."

"Of course we will," she said with more assurance than she felt, "Piece of cake."

A scream broke through their conversation, causing both of their heads to snap up. Birds exploded from the heavens in fright as a pile of snow transformed into a moving creature of fanged tooth and nail. For a moment, all Sarah could do was marvel at it. It was at least the size of a grizzly bear with a lumbering gate and hulking shoulders. Pale as the snow itself, it blended in perfectly with its surroundings, allowing it to lie in wait for the opportune moment of attack. And now that time had come. With a wide sweep of its arm, it had knocked Will and Arden to the ground as though they were no more than a pair of dolls with sawdust joints. In an instant, it had will pinned to the ground, flecks of drool falling into his face as the beast snarled its fury. Shouting madly for help, Will tried to shove its massive head away from his throat.

"I've really got to stop saying that," Sarah muttered as she drew her sword, "Hey!" The beast immediately turned its attention towards her, its ivory fur standing on end. It let out a tremendous roar as it took sight of her, the reverberating sound enough to make her take a step back. It was a formidable creature, truly, with slanted yellow eyes and horns that curved back into a dangerous points. And in her hesitation, it stomped forward, feigning attack. She raised the sword overhead, ready to strike down, but the beast moved first. With surprising speed for its size, it lunged at her, tackling her to the ground and pinning her arms.

The sword slipped from her fingers, and she cursed under her breath. Many things seemed to happen at once then. She could hear someone shouting her name, though there was no time to bother with who it was. The thick tusks of the creature were intent on finding their way into her skull, and if she did not make a move soon she would be crushed as easily as a grape. With adrenaline coursing through her veins like battery acid, she began kicking at the beast's stomach, determined that she, if she were to die here, it would not be without a fight.

Though her attempts were feeble, they were enough of a distraction to keep her alive. For the moment. The beast growled at her ineffective blows. Keeping her firmly rooted to the ground, it raised its hind leg high above her own, the pad of its foot at least the length of her calf. She could see what it meant to do, how her toothpick legs would snap under such force, and she shut her eyes against the pain. But the blow never came. Her eyes peeled open.

Being flung back and forth as he struggled to secure his arms around the creature's neck was Hoggle. He had somehow managed to climb up its back and had provided a considerable enough of a nuisance to warrant attention. The beast was shaking its head furiously in an effort to throw him off, and the dwarf's saucer-sized eyes looked down at her, begging her to get out of the way. Recognizing his entreaty, she rolled over and over, having just enough time to pull herself out from under them before the beast succeeding in ridding itself of Hoggle, who, mercifully, landed in the soft pile of snow beside her.

Maddened by the resourcefulness of its prey, the beast turned its attention back to Will, who had only just managed to regain his footing. Even at a distance, Sarah could see how wide her friend's eyes as grown as he stood, frozen, as their attacker hurdled towards him. There was perhaps twenty feet of distance left between them, and Will showed no signs of movement. He only flinched as the beast raised a fist above its head.

Unaware of what entirely it was that she was doing, Sarah began to dig through the snow, searching for something to halt the onslaught. There were only seconds left, and she was on the brink of desperation, when at last her hand grazed what she was looking for. Her fingers were so numb she almost missed it. But she forced her knuckles to clamp around it, and pull the sizeable rock from the snow. Her movements were disjointed from the cold, but her aim did not falter. The rock struck the beast on the back of the neck, diverting its attention. Its yellow eyes blazed as though all the heat that was absent from the land instead resided in those baleful golden orbs. It was only when it lurched back towards her again that she realized she had failed to plan beyond her immediate counterattack.

"Sarah," Hoggle whined, frightened.

"Uhhh," she stuttered in response. A thousand useless things ran through her head then, each as unhelpful as the last.

Don't run away from an animal attack. Hold your ground, and make yourself big. Aim for sensitive spots if you get caught in a fight. Try to pluck out the eyeballs. Get down on your knees and pray that Jareth miraculously appears in a cloud of glitter bright enough to hide us all.

Sarah was on the point of damning all past advice to hell and telling Hoggle to turn tail and run when, in a flash of steel, Arden swept forward with the sword. A breath of relief burst from her chest; she had never been so happy to see the advisor. His advances were unskilled, the blade cumbersome in his hand, but a clear point of purpose drove him on. Every swipe had a fierce will behind it, and it was not long before it found its mark. The blade slashed across the beast's upper shoulder, a flower of red blooming from its pale coat.

The creature's reaction was immediate. It halted its attack as though it had been mortally wounded, sitting back in the snow and cradling its arm to its chest. Such a low, melancholy, whimpering set about from its chest that Sarah had to fight the urge to reach out and try to comfort it. Arden did not share her sentiment. He was already moving forward for the fatal strike. And she would have allowed it, would have been content to secure some small measure of safety with a greater measure of violence. But as the sword rose above the beast's head, in a supreme moment of fear and anticipation, its eyes met hers.

Those two yellow orbs held her whole, rooting into her with surprising clarity. It was as if, in its suffering, it gained some beguiling humanity. The more she looked, the more those eyes softened, soon becoming the picture of endearing innocence. And then her brain cells were firing, and she stood, racing towards Arden.

"Stop!" she called, rushing to put herself in the way of the sword. Arden's eyes bulged from his skull when he saw her there, and he only just managed to shift the course of his blow away from her.

"What in the Underground—Get out of the way, you insolent girl." Arden had regain his grip on the hilt, and looked as though he were contemplating swinging it at her for real. Sarah ground her teeth at him.

"No, you get out of the way. And don't call me girl like it's an insult."

Caught somewhere between utter aggravation and awe, Arden allowed the sword to drop back to the ground, stomping away to curse at her in some unrecognizable tongue. Choosing to ignore him, she turned back to the source of the pained cries. The beast was still rocking back and forth, its breaths coming in ragged, frightened gasps. Sarah chanced another step forward, reaching out a comforting hand.

"Ludo?" she asked gently, approaching with caution. If she was wrong about this, the beast would tear her to shreds in seconds. The muscles in her neck tightened as it met her gaze once more, a defensive growl rumbling at the back of its throat. "Ludo, it's me, it's Sarah. Do you remember me?"

"Sawah?" he groaned, eyes alighting as she pressed her glowing palm to his wound. Sparks danced their way over his arm as the healing magic took hold.

"That's right, Ludo. Sarah. Sarah-friend," she said, releasing the breath she had been holding.

"SAWAH-FRIEND." Her magic had succeeded in healing the great beast, and as the last few sparks rolled off of him, the white hair bled away, replaced by soft fur the color of rust. As soon as the transformation was complete, he buried Sarah in an all-consuming hug. She could hear cries of surprise and complaint from Will, but she was sure Hoggle would be able to explain. Just then, all she wanted to focus on was the feeling of warmth that came with being pressed close to Ludo. His fur was impossibly soft against her cheek, the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest as comforting as the lull of a metronome. And she could not deny, even as she pulled away, that looking into Ludo's simple, gentle eyes was like coming home.

She held on to his hand as she faced the others once more. "Everyone, this is Ludo. Another old friend of mine."

Will spoke out of the corner of his mouth, "Some friend. He almost broke my arm."

"Sowwy," Ludo sighed, hanging his head. Sarah petted his arm to assure him that he was forgiven.

"Indeed, My Lady, you do have quite an interesting collection of acquaintances." Arden looked Ludo up and down, an almost bemused expression on his face. But still, Sarah did not miss the slight in his words.

"Ludo happens to be a very special friend. I wouldn't have made it through the labyrinth without him, and if he's willing to help again, we'd be lucky to have him." With a metaphoric stomp of her foot, she smiled back at the gentle beast. "So, Ludo, what do you say?"

He seemed to contemplate for a moment, looking warily between Arden and Will. Hoggle gave a small nod, though he was still rather hesitant when it came to their largest companion. The dwarf had not forgotten being nearly crushed in the Bog of Eternal Stench. But if Ludo picked up on this, he gave no sign, his ears beginning to flop happily.

"Ludo help Sawah-friend," he announced.

"Great," she beamed in response. "There's still plenty of daylight. We should be able to make up some time if we hurry."

"Then by all means, lead the way," Arden drawled, less than pleased with the continued growth of their group. Sarah only shook her head at him, knowing that, while he might have been annoyed, he was not truly angry this time.

The path stretched out wide before them, the snow thinning down to a pleasant crunch beneath their feet. Hoggle lumbered along much greater ease, grumbling out his complaints only when he thought she had gotten too complacent with their progress. Ludo was oblivious to this, pushing forward with joyous strides. He even offered to carry her on his back for part of the way. She accepted, partly because she really was that tired and partly because she knew Arden would have half an aneurism seeing the interim leader of the Goblin Kingdom slung across the back of a common beast.

The more they travelled, the more Sarah began to feel a sense of her old self coming back. Seeing her two friends brought with a spark of her inner child, a spark that—while never entirely gone—had been trampled over and compressed by all the things people had told her she should be doing instead. Now, with Hoggle and Ludo at her side, it was as if a small tear had been made in the fabric of time. Or perhaps not a tear. Perhaps a loop. One which allowed her to return to the very moment when she was most happy. When all of her dreams, however fantastical, had been there before her very eyes, more real than anything she had ever seen or touched before. In that moment, she really did believe that she could go back. That she could transcend space and time, and relieve her greatest moments over and over again in a continuous track.

She began to consider the effect that this world was having on her. She was a different person here, of that she was sure. And what was it she had come here to do if not to find a way back to her true self? Yes, the need to rescue Jareth was a strong motivator, and maybe he wasn't completely incorrect when he said that she was frightened of her future in the Aboveground. But looking around her now, she did not feel frightened. Or lost. Or daunted. She felt at one with herself.

For the first time in what felt like years, she allowed herself to smile. A genuine smile, one that arose simply because she was happy and content. It felt good to have her face stretch upward in such a light, carefree fashion. She looked around to share the expression with her friends, meeting Hoggle's eyes first. His eyebrows rose in surprise, and she imagined that he could be blushing. Ludo responded with equal joy, flopping his ears and cooing softly and making her grin all the wider. She even graced Arden with her newfound joy, though he responded with shades of vague confusion followed by utter resignation. This only made her laugh all the harder, and she looked to Will to join in her amusement. That was when she noticed.

"Where's Will?" she asked, only curious, not yet panicked. Probably there was no reason to panic. He could have just snuck off for a bathroom break.

But Arden stopped, his brow immediately furrowing. "He's not with you?"

"No, I thought he was walking ahead with you."

"Well, this is certainly not my fault if that is what you are suggesting," the advisor seethed back at her. But Sarah was not paying attention. Her heart was racing, her smile gone.

"Will-friend?" Ludo asked, his tone disheartened. Sarah's eyes met his, trying her best to comfort him, but the swell of fear rising within her prevented it.

Where was Will? Had he gotten lost? Or worse, taken? Her breath was coming in short, ragged gasps as she struggled to process. Of all the things she would never be able to forgive herself for, losing Will would be the worst. It would be her fault, and her fault alone. Truly. They had to find. Quickly, before anyone else could. And, thinking of no better plan than the first one that popped into her head, Sarah ran and began to shout.

"WILL!"

Will knew it was a stupid idea to wander off on his own. Knew it even as he took the first step off their path. He had seen first-hand the kind of dangers that lurked within these walls. Hell, not half an hour ago, he had nearly been devoured by a snow beast. But it was not logic that guided him away from the group. It was necessity.

He needed to be alone for a while. Just to think, to regroup. He would find his way back to them as soon as he could stop his head from spinning, his thoughts from racing in all manner of dark directions. A familiar sluggishness had worked its way into his bones, making his arms and legs drag rather than swing. It pressed against his ribcage with such ferocity that every breath was deep and heavy. It was the kind of dangerous tonic that spread through his bloodstream to every function part of his body and left him unable to get out of bed for days at a time. He could not afford to let that disease of mind and body overtake him here.

Toughen up, be a man. He could hear his father's voice as clearly as his own thoughts. The sound was not far away this time, as it sometimes was. Like he was hearing him speak through a straw. No, today it was present, close. Reverberating through him like an endless procession of echoes that got louder rather than quieter.

He never did have the courage to stand up to his father. Even when it was his mother taking the beatings rather than him. Before she had gotten the sense to leave in the dead of night, she had been his exclusive punching bag. And all Will had ever been able to do was watch, wide-eyed, frozen as he turned her rosy cheeks to swollen purple bags.

Nothing had changed since then. The beast had attacked, and all he did was stand there. Even when it was Sarah who was in danger. His best friend in the entire world, someone closer and more important to him than his mother had ever been, and he had done nothing to help. Coward, coward, coward.

He was nothing if not a constant disappointment to himself. Never good enough, never brave enough, never strong enough. And here he was running away again. His disgust should have been enough to drive him back towards the group, but as it was, all he wanted to do was curl up in the snow and not move for hours or days. To just sit somewhere and not have his thoughts scream at him or his reflexes betray him. To not have even to breathe.

It was looking to be finer and finer an option. There was a cluster of snow just ahead of him that was pristine and pillow soft. How easy it would be to fall asleep there. No muss, no fuss. Only numbness. Only emptiness. He stepped towards it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Will's head snapped up, surprised and embarrassed to find that he was being watched. Seated on top of the labyrinth's walls, her bare feet dangling over the side was a wraith-like woman. He noticed her beauty immediately, and she noticed him noticing and smiled. "You're not from around here are you?"

"Ugh, no," he admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "How could you tell?"

"If you were from here, you'd know better than to look a forest nymph in the eye. I could have put a spell on you." Will was fascinated by her mouth as she spoke, the rows of tiny white teeth seeming to glow brighter than the rest of her.

"Oh, well, um thanks for, you know…not." He made to walk away then. She was casting too great a spell on him, her words like molten honey melting through him. But as soon as he'd turned, she hopped down after him.

"And where…are you…going?" she challenged, stepping in front of him with ease. He could see her much better now, and he struggled to maintain indifference.

Beautiful she was, in the raw, ethereal way of the woods at twilight. Her white-blonde hair cascaded down her back in a mass of voluminous curls, pulled back from her face with a small set of deer antlers that exposed the blue flawlessness of her eyes. She leaned closer to him then, and she smelled of wet tree bark and nutmeg and magic. It made him dizzy, and he stumbled backwards, his gaze unable to keep from falling to the perfect swell of her breasts, covered only by a gathering of white owl feathers.

He averted his gaze once more, forcing himself to get a grip. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my friends now."

"Would you?" he eyes widened. "Funny. I thought you were trying to get away from them."

"I was, but I changed my mind." He backed away, raising his hands to show that she should not try to follow.

"Are you sure?" she purred, ignoring his disinterest. "I think what you really want is to go home."

He stopped, looking back with a questioning brow. "How do you know that?"

The flash of a grin. "I've been watching you, William. I know what you really want. And I'm more than willing to give it to you."

"You can send me home?" he asked, his ears perking.

"Of course. All you have to do…is take a bite of this." Out of nowhere she produced an apple the exact color of blood on snow. It was a stomach churning analogy for what was otherwise a delicious looking piece of fruit. Ripe, and polished, and unblemished as an apple could be. She balanced it on the tips of her fingers, holding it out to him, her hand just as delectable. And, all at once, Will knew how Eve fell.

He plucked the fruit from her palm, raising it to his face to savor the sweet aroma. Even with the skin unbroken, he caught the heady scent of sugar and spice. A distant part of him knew that this was wrong, that the smell was too strong, the desire to consume too overpowering. He hesitated a moment, but before his head could clear, his companion leant in to whisper hotly in his ear.

"Go on," she encouraged, "Bite."

She punctuated the sentence by pressing her lips firmly to his cheek. Will had expected her lips would warm, possibly even burn him, but they did not. In fact, they were cold to the point of lifelessness. Shivers ran down his spine as this empty thing pulled him under her the icy waves of her spell. Will fought it, fought as hard as he could, but it was too much. He did not have the willpower to pull out of the poison embrace. He raised his hand again, his teeth scraping at the skin coating the apple, bringing forth a crisp explosion as they broke through at last.

"Will!" the voice cut through to him before he could take the bite he so desired. Glassy and unfocused, his eyes snapped open, falling on Hoggle as the dwarf stumbled his way through the snow.

"Hoggle?" he shook his head. "What's going on?"

"Ye best come quick, Will. Sarah's in trouble!"

He was awake now, torn away from whatever reverie he had fallen into. The woman was gone, the only evidence of her existence being the apple that he still held in his hand. He spared a glance around for her, but could not find even a trace. It would have been simple to let the apple fall, forgotten, into the snow, but something prevented him. Having not enough time to think it through, he tucked it into the front of his doublet and took off in the direction that Hoggle was pointing.

Unbeknownst to him, Will was still being watched. From around the wall, Delicia's eyes followed him as she pulled off the remnants of her disguise. She grinned as her prey disappeared from her line of sight. How easy it had been to fool him. She hadn't even needed to change her appearance. Only the context in which he saw her. He had even taken the apple with him. Tediously simple.

Still, a strange desire pulled at her. It was as if she wanted to stop him, to tell him to leave the accursed fruit behind. But that would have been ridiculous. She had come too far to let such a silly sentiment stop her. No, this was exactly what needed to happen. Exactly. And that was what she continued to tell herself, even as her fingers raised to brush against her lips, warm for the first time in centuries. Strange that a mortal boy should have such a power. Though she paid it little mind. It would be snuffed out soon enough.

She conjured a crystal, focusing her attention on her prey, sighing contentedly as he plowed his way through the snow. The image of him grew larger and larger, expanding until it showed nothing but a single, determined, hazel eye...

Will was running as he never had before, the snowfall blistering his face as it drove against him. Hoggle had been left behind long ago, but he did not have time to worry about the dwarf. He would catch up. Right now, it was Sarah that needed him. And he would not let her down this time.

He followed the last of Hoggle's footsteps around the bend, seeing Arden and Ludo standing together. They were gazing out at something. Will squinted. At Sarah! They were looking at Sarah.

Relief flooded through him. Whatever danger Hoggle had spoken of must have passed. Sarah was simply standing there, less than a hundred feet away, in the middle of a barren tundra. She did look strange though. She was facing away from them, her arms spread out as if for balance. And she stood as still as possible, almost like she was afraid to move.

Will took a step towards her, confused by Arden's call for him to stop. But as soon as he had placed his foot down, he understood. A groan arose from beneath him, the unsteady surface swaying under his weight. Even at a distance, he could hear the thin cracking of ice below Sarah's stationary form. The sound spurred her, causing her to risk a glimpse back at them. Her eyes latched on to his. Even at a distance, he could see that they were laced with fear. Wide and pleading in her round face and impossibly green. They cut through him as easily as a meat cleaver.

"Will," she breathed out, her lips trembling, and somehow he heard it. He reached a hand towards her, desperate to take another step. But the ice splintered again, and he was forced to withdraw.

He could only watch as a frozen tear stuck to her cheek.

A/N: Hey, guys, it's been a minute! I'm so sorry for the lack of updates over the last few weeks. Life happens, you know? Sigh. But here, at last, is the next chapter in the saga. This is the halfway point for this story, so things are about to get crazier, darker, and deeper than ever before. The characters are really going to start taking shape, so hold on tight.

On that note, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to upload every Sunday as I was before. I've still got school to worry about and what not. But have no fear, I have every intention of finishing this fic. I will continue to write as I have time, and I will post chapters as I finish them. Thank you all for your patience and for the continued support.