"-Meanwhile, storms continue to ravage the nation, leaving death and destruction in their wake. Earthquakes, tornados, tsunamis, and other natural disasters plague humanity worldwide. Leaders will be meeting this week in Geneva for an emergency conference, but who knows what they mean to accomplish? What do you think, Bob?"

"Well, Larry, Scientists are blaming this year's unusually bad weather on global warming, but many in the community think that there is some otherworldly force behind it-"

Sarah clicked off the TV, she needed to focus on finishing her piece before her deadline at midnight. She supposed, as a journalist, that she should be more concerned with the news, but it had been the same old song for months now, the monotonous morbid melody that most newscasters sang oh so well. Sarah wanted to provide something fresh, something that would make people smile.

With a dramatic flourish of her mouse, Sarah saved her article and emailed it to the editor, knowing that he would have no choice but to accept it, as it was now only two hours until the deadline. She glared at the monitor, as if attempting to psychically intimidate her editor through the dial-up with her impertinent mental vibes. She knew that her sunny articles were in sharp contrast to the usual doom and gloom pieces the local newspaper liked to publish, but she felt that that was a good thing, and that they should realize that and appreciate her more. People needed a bit of light and joy in these tumultuous times.

Today she had written about a new girl's school in Algeria, that had been funded by a rich old widow who had been killed in one of the recent storms, leaving her entire fortune to a local activist group. It was a modern day silver-lining-type fairy tale; Sarah loved those like a dieter loves chocolate muffins, and she did not regret in the least using the somewhat dubious tactic of waiting until the last minute to ensure that it would be in the morning's paper.

But she shouldn't let her mind rest on fairytales, nope. Or on the dangerous blonde men that haunted them. It had been six months now since her odd little detour to the castle beyond the Goblin City, six months since he had swooped in and proclaimed her as the part-time co-ruler of the Labyrinth, and she had heard nothing from said castle's enigmatic ruler since. She had begun to worry that something might be wrong; the other night, after a few glasses of port, she had even been on the verge of calling him to see what the deal was, but had caught herself in time. Queens did not drunk-dial.

She knew he was likely expecting her to call on him to come and take her away, but her pride just wouldn't allow it. She had made a deal with him, she knew she would have to go back eventually, but she'd be damned if she did anything that made it appear like she wanted to. On the other hand, she would have had to be a dusty old prune not to be at least a little curious about what was going on in her other world.

The clean night air drifting through the open window had an electric feeling to it, a crisp sense of simplicity and anticipation. Sarah breathed it in, reveling in the way it peeled away the layers of stress and worry from her mind, leaving her feeling clear-headed and wide awake. She became uncomfortably aware of how still and empty her little apartment was then; now that she had nothing to occupy herself with, the silence was abrasive and prickly. She grabbed her keys and headed out, the carnival was in town and open until one am, and she was craving some cotton candy and noise.

Sarah's feet crunched on the dry grass as she wandered aimlessly through the tents and booths, picking at her cotton candy as she took in the sights and sounds of the carnival. She felt strangely disillusioned and underwhelmed, like a cat that had been desperate to get inside the house, only to discover that inside was stuffy and boring. She forked over a few dollars to a carnie at one of the booths; maybe throwing darts at something would help her enjoy herself.

It was not to be, however. Just before she threw her first dart, she saw something out of the corner of her eye that made her heart skip a beat. Sarah spun around just as she released her dart, looking for the goblin that was no longer there.

"Jumpin' Germans, lady, watch where you're throwin' them things!" Yelped the carnie behind the booth, pulling the dart out of his thigh and limping around dramatically, glaring murder at her.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" Sarah said, horrified.

"No I'm not alright, you crazy woman, any higher and you'da stuck my-"

But Sarah was no longer listening, eyes widening as she realized that the stuffed animal prizes lined up just under the counter were no longer stuffed animals. They whispered at her as she backed away, enormous red eyes bulging and wide yellowed smiles leering like rows of slimy candy corn.

"Hi-ya, Queenie!"

"Why's ya goin', Queenie?"

"Maybe she wants to play tag?"

"Or hide and seek?"

"We's always wins that game, don'ts we?"

"Yes, we's always find what's ours, eheheh!"

The goblin's gleeful, manic laughter followed her as she walked briskly away, the wheezy, unnatural sound blending in with the various squealings and creakings of the carnival rides. It wasn't that Sarah was afraid of them, but she wasn't ready to go back, not yet, not when her life was finally becoming stable.

She darted behind a thick purple drape between tents, taking a moment to calm her nerves and figure out how she wanted to handle this. She looked down as she realized that she still had several darts in her hand. She stuffed them in her pocket, they might come in handy later, besides, she was too embarrassed to return them now.

"'Ello, me dear, come and sit down, won't ya?" A small, reedy, feminine voice said from behind her.

Sarah turned around and took in her surroundings. The walls of the tiny area were plastered with blankets and thick canvas hangings, all in rich purples, reds and blues, muffling the sounds of the carnival outside, while the dry grass under her feet was hidden by thick, faded oriental rugs. A sheer drape separated the front of the narrow space from the back, and Sarah could see the outline of a squat figure near the ground on the other side, illuminated by a dim light. She marched forward and pulled aside the drape, meaning to order the goblin back to the Underground, but her words died in her throat.

Rather than a goblin, a tiny, dark, wrinkled old woman awaited her in the back of the space. Her short, well rounded frame was draped in tasseled shawls, and she wore a purple turban on her ancient head.

"I've been waiting for you, me dear. The spirits showed me you would be comin'. Come and sit down." She motioned with a toothless smile and a gnarled old hand to the pillows strewn on the carpet in front of her little table, which she sat behind cross-legged. Sarah raised her eyebrows, this evening was playing out like a really bad horror movie. Surely a chainsaw-wielding goblin would burst in at any moment, demanding a game of hide and seek.

"Um, sorry, I didn't realize anyone was in here. And I'm sorry, but I don't believe in all this fortune-telling stuff. Have a good night." Sarah smiled politely at the old woman and turned to leave.

"Wait! You cannot go! I must speak with you, it's very important! Besides, the little ones are just outside, you're the one they're lookin' for, aren't you? If I'm not mistaken, you're not wanting to be found just now."

Sarah spun around. "What do you mean 'the little ones'?"

"Well, I mean the goblins, of course." She gave Sarah a grandmotherly smile, one that almost disguised the spark of mischief in her small, dark eyes.

Sarah eyed the little woman critically, she appeared human, but that meant very little. "Are you fae?" It wouldn't hurt to ask, from what she had read, the fae could not lie, and even if she was just a little old lady, it's not like Sarah would ever see her again anyway.

The little woman burst into gales of creaky laughter at this. "Fae? Nay, child, my name is Madame Violca, and last I checked, I'm not counted among the fair folk." She continued chuckling for a moment, then waved at the pillows again, motioning for Sarah to sit.

"Come, sit with me for awhile, at least until them critters get bored and start looking elsewhere. They won't find you in here, I've got it charmed against such, you know." She nodded to several metal ornaments hanging from the ceiling.

Sarah was still skeptical, but approached and sat down slowly.

The old woman stared at her for a bit, as if not entirely sure how to proceed. Sarah sat awkwardly, wondering why this weird old woman was sitting in an unmarked space between tents. If all she was was a fortune teller, then why didn't she have any advertisement?

Finally, the old woman spoke. "Funny thing, that. You believe in the fair folk and their ilk, but you'll put no stock in other magics. Hmmm."

The awkward silence returned, and this time Sarah took the initiative to break it. "You said you needed to speak with me?" She figured it wouldn't hurt to indulge the batty old lady, she seemed nice enough, and clearly believed in the stuff she was spouting. Though on the other hand, she had known about the goblins, and didn't seem the least bit perturbed by them.

"Ah, yes, the spirits showed you to me, give me your hand, child, so that I can read for you."

Sarah held out her hand over the little table and tried not to roll her eyes. Madame Violca studied her palm for a moment, then tapped it triumphantly, before looking up at Sarah with excitement.

"You see this line here?" Sarah bent over and looked obediently at the little meaningless wrinkles in her palm. Madame Violca was jabbing one of her long, bony fingers at one in particular.

"Yes, I see it." Sarah said, feeling silly.

"It's your life line. They been changin' they have, started near a year ago." The old fortune teller paused for dramatic effect, then continued on after seeing Sarah's nonplussed expression.

"They're not supposed to do that, of course. It's natural for a line to change gradually as people grow and make different choices, but all the lines changed at once, as if overnight. Every hand I've looked at is the same, the lifeline fades away too soon."

"Um, okay. That's odd." Sarah said.

"Yours is special, though, it forks off in two different directions, one that fades away, like everyone else's is doin'. But the other stays strong and deep."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"Means the future's in your hands, me dear, quite literally."

Sarah stared at the old woman in momentary silence. What was she supposed to say to that? She pulled her hand away and stood, reaching in her pocket and pulling out a few dollars, which she set on the table.

"Well, I best be going, thanks for the reading." She started to walk away.

"Wait, don't you want me to finish? Your love line is a strange one, too-"

But Sarah was gone, stepping out of the stuffy tent and breathing in the fresh night air. She felt crowded and confused, and wanted some more air. The Ferris wheel looked like a welcome reprieve, and so she headed that way.

It was while she was in line that they found her; she shifted nervously from one foot to the other and tried to ignore the shining eyes and revolting smiles that peeked out at her expectantly from behind every tent and out of every shadow. The people around her seemed largely unaware of the goblins, some would turn their heads when they thought they saw something strange, then shrug their shoulders and shake their heads dismissively. That was a good thing, she supposed, at least they wouldn't cause a panic. The young man in charge of admittance let her into a green car painted with blue Chinese dragons, and the ride began.

She perched pensively in her makeshift throne as she planned out her next move, fiddling with a pair of darts that she had pulled out of her pocket as the ferris wheel went round and round. She would order the goblins to leave, now was not a good time for her to go back Underground. Per her deal with the Goblin King, she was only obligated to spend three months a year in the Underground, and she planned on waiting until the last minute before calling him. That would give her time to accumulate enough vacation pay to ensure that her life here wouldn't be messed up by her time there. She frowned, wondering if the goblins had missed her or not. Very unlikely, given the unpopular laws she had passed during her first stint as Queen. Maybe she would buy them all some carnival fare before she sent them home.

She was jarred out of her musings as the Ferris wheel came to an abrupt stop, all the lights flickering off and the various passengers shouting in surprise. Sarah clung tightly to her lap bar as the car swung back and forth, once it stilled a bit she peered over the edge to see what was going on. She was at the very top of the Ferris wheel, able to see for miles. All the rest of the carnival seemed to be working just fine, the Ferris wheel seemed to be the only thing that had lost power. A man with a megaphone called up that technicians were on their way, the ride should be moving again in no time, everyone was to remain calm, these things happened occasionally.

Sarah sighed in resignation and leaned back to wait. She slowly looked all around, enjoying the glorious starry sky and the sparkling lights of the distant city. She turned to her right to see if she could spot any boats on the ocean and nearly jumped out of her skin, letting out a short scream. The Goblin King sat next to her, reclining gracefully against the side of the car, a leg draped over the safety rail and a self-satisfied smirk on his moonlit face.

"Hello, precious." He said, voice deep with amusement at her reaction.

Sarah started to say something and then stopped, taking a closer look at him. Even in the moonlight, She could see that something was wrong. The Goblin King looked like he hadn't slept in weeks, dark shadows hung heavily under his eyes, his face was gaunt and sallow, even his hair seemed to lack its usual flamboyance.

Could he have missed me? She dismissed the thought as soon as it had appeared, the Goblin King may be many unpleasant things, but a pining sop was definitely not one of them.

"Speechless to see me? I can't decide whether to be flattered or disappointed." He said, his voice rich and smooth as European chocolate. Sarah huffed in annoyance. Whatever was wrong with him, his ego seemed to be perfectly intact.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, deciding not to bring up his appearance.

"Why, I've come to take you back to the Underground, of course." He said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I couldn't very well let you loose amongst all these unsuspecting people, what with you going around nearly mutilating the poor carnival workers." He nodded at the darts she still held in her hand, eyes shining with laughter and sharp teeth glinting in the starlight.

"No, you're not." She corrected him. "I still have a few months-"

"Actually precious, you don't. Ten months have passed in the Underground, you have to come right now."

"You never said we were going by Underground time!" She said, suddenly feeling that cotton candy on an empty stomach had been a bad idea.

"I never said we weren't." He answered with a smirk and a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Oh- you tricksy- urgh!" Sarah fumed. How could she have overlooked that detail? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Ah, the fair lady needs coaxing, I see. Perhaps I can offer you something more to sweeten the deal?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively, turning his body towards her so that his bulge was quite obviously, provocatively, on display through his tight pants. His eyes trailed over her body. "You know, I can't stop thinking about how you looked in my clothes…"

Sarah's face was on fire. "Do remember that I'm holding darts. What happened to the carnie was an accident, what happens to you won't be."

"Ooh, tetchy, aren't we?" The Goblin King answered, eyes flashing with mirth. Nevertheless, he crossed his legs in a subtle move to protect his royal assets.

Sarah crossed her arms and sat tall and dignified, pointedly ignoring him and the arm that suddenly rested on the edge of the backrest behind her.

"As much as I love you being saucy like this, I warn you, if you try to attack my person, precious, I shall have to restrain you." He said, saying the last part in a lover's whisper right in her ear, his wicked smirk letting her know in no uncertain terms that he would definitely enjoy doing that.

"You are unbearable, you know that? I've just settled down here," She said, gesturing widely at the distant town and trying in vain push him away, but it was like shoving a wall. "I have a great job, a new apartment, everything is finally going well, and you just swoop in and ruin it all! Is that part of your evil plan? Make life so difficult for me up here that I'll just give up and stay in the Underground? Well, it won't work!"

My will is as strong as yours.

"Really, Sarah, you have so little faith in me. I did promise to smooth over any complications due to your absences, did I not?" He nodded to her left, where a large and particularly ugly goblin suddenly came into existence. Sarah nearly jumped out of her skin for the third time that night, unconsciously leaning back against Jareth in surprise. The goblin looked like it would be nearly as tall as her, it even had long hair that had been tamed and dyed dark brown, and green, pupiless eyes.

"Meet Brell," The Goblin King said, right in her ear again, causing Sarah to jerk away, head twisting to look back and forth between the goblin and Jareth. Brell the goblin gave Sarah a toothy grin and an awkward seated bow, oomfing as she hit the safety bar.

"She is the changeling that has been trained to take your place here in the Above while you are fulfilling your duties as Goblin Queen. To others, she will look and sound just like you." He said. He waved a hand in dismissal, and the changeling faded away, sent to who knows where.

Sarah felt a bit foolish for forgetting that part of the deal, after all, no one had worried while she had been in the Underground last time, her friends and family all seemed to be under the impression that she was working on some secretive documentary in Mongolia and didn't ask too many questions. But any remorse was overridden by her scepticism that the changeling would really be able to perform as advertised.

"I should stay for a while longer, just to make sure that Brell can pull it off-"

"It has been long enough. Have I not let you be all these months? Have I not kept my word? You try my patience." His melodious, playful tone had disintegrated into a dangerously quiet voice with a subtle sharp edge to it, and the laughter was gone from his eyes. He pulled back from her and scowled down at the bumper cars.

Sarah knew he was right. They had made a deal, and even though he had forced her into it, he had thus far honored it without harassing her or trying to find any loopholes. She was being stubborn, fighting him simply for the sake of fighting, knowing that it would get her nowhere. The next seven weeks were going to be very long indeed if this was the way they were going to treat each other.

"Can we start over?" She asked, not quite meeting his eyes.

"If you wish." He said noncommittally, fixing her with an emotionless stare and ignoring the awkward silence between them.

Sarah tried again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted that you would keep your word, or threatened to stab you in the... you know."

His smirk was back faster than a roadrunner on roller skates. "Indeed. You would have deeply regretted such an action, my dear, that would have drastically limited our options for entertainment."

Sarah took a deep, calming breath, trying ignore the effect his words were having on her traitorous body. "Don't make me regret being nice to you." She said, giving him a stern look.

"Wouldn't dream of it, precious. After all, all I've ever wanted was your platonic niceties." He said, voice dripping with amused sarcasm. "Now, are you all out of objections? We really must be going."

He held out his arm in a way that would have been chivalrous if it had been done by anyone else, giving her a challenging look. Underneath his confidence and peacocking though, Sarah could see that he was even more tired and worn looking than he had been a few minutes ago. She wondered if being Above was what was draining him so, but somehow that didn't feel like the right answer.

"Yes. But I'm bringing the darts with me." She said, taking his arm and shooting him a warning look.

His last words as they faded from sight were, "Good. I do appreciate a challenge."

Much to the surprise of the baffled workers below, the Ferris wheel suddenly started again at the stroke of midnight, seemingly of its own accord, lights flashing and gears turning as if they had never stopped. Letting off the passengers, the young man in charge of admittance scratched his head at the empty dragon car, he could have sworn a young woman had gotten in it. He shook his head and forgot all about her, thinking that it must have been an illusion of the night.

Gah! Finally! I have some excellent reasons, (and plenty of mediocre ones), for why this is so late, but I know nobody cares, so I'll spare you the speech. But hey, ominous foreshadowing, eh? Yummy stuff. Like literary Chinese food. Makes you want more.

LiveJournal prompt for this one was the open-ended theme 'Carnival', and to include the words 'dragon', 'revolting', and 'melody'. Blush champagne for inspiration.

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