Zee had been catching a bit of a nap under the baby's crib when the thunder cracked, waking the child. One of the little Goblins (or Ughlánas as they were also called) assigned by the Goblin King to watch over Sarah, he'd developed a liking for the little boy and would spend quite a bit of time with him when no one was around to see it.

His primary mission was to keep an eye on children who had the potential to be wished away. The Labyrinth was always searching, always looking for children with the right types of qualities to be brought to the Underground. Not every child fit the standards. Zee wasn't sure what exactly the Labyrinth looked for, but in the centuries since the Goblins began taking wished-aways, the one common trait he'd noticed was that they all had rough home lives.

Once the Labyrinth had determined that the child was suitable to be brought to their world, it dispatched the Goblin King to assess the child himself and determine the best place for the youngster when the wish was made. If the child was best suited for the Goblin Kingdom, the King would mark him or her with a rune. Regardless of the child's ultimate destination, he would then leave a copy of the Labyrinth tale with the caregiver and assign a group of Ughlánas to watch over the child.

They were limited by the rules of the Labyrinth as to what they could do. Direct interference was forbidden, as the caregiver had to make the wish of their own free will. They also had to remain unseen, which made watching over the children somewhat difficult. The paramount rule was that the humans could never discover the existence of the Underground, instead they must think of it as a 'fairy tale' land, a place that was far away and out of reach of anything but their imagination.

There was good reason for this. Humans, while inventive and compassionate, were also savage and destructive, far more so than any resident of the Underground. In fact, it was that capacity for savagery that led the magical beings of Earth, countless thousands of years ago, to find another home and flee from the Humans. Zee didn't know how they did it (and he suspected that the Goblin King didn't know either) but they eventually found a world that was a mirror to Earth, in a universe that was somehow next to it… touching it… or something. A world full of magical power, magical creatures and wonders unlike anything they'd found on the original. After some initial exploration, the magical beings of Earth relocated from their homes to build new ones in this new world. The Fae named it Faoi Thalamh, which meant 'underground'… although just how they came up with that name, Zee couldn't fathom. No one even called it that anymore, referring to it as 'The Underground' or 'Below' and referring to Earth as 'Above'.

It was fear of the Humans that drove the magical beings to The Underground, and one of the most pervasive fears amongst its residents was that the Humans would find their world and move to conquer it, just as they'd conquered Earth. Thus, there were strict rules in place when dealing with the Humans in general.

The Ughlánas, while following the rules (in principle, at least) were always finding loopholes. While Zee could not directly interfere with Sarah, he could (and did) find ways to comfort her when she needed it, defend her when he could, and nudge her in the right direction. She didn't always get the clues he left her, but they at least provoked her to think about her circumstances and moved her closer to making the wish for herself.

She'd been marked by the King years ago, when her mother still lived with her. That woman had made Zee's teeth grind together (still did, really) and it was obvious that at some point, she was going to wish Sarah away to them. The King looked her over, knew she'd make a wonderful member of the Goblin Kingdom and put the rune on her. Zee was one of the Ughlánas that kept an eye on her until the wish could be made.

But then, the mother left the family. Left her child. Zee was disappointed, he really liked Sarah and was looking forward to actually meeting her when he didn't have to follow the rules. For some reason, the Labyrinth didn't withdraw the little red book that the King had given her mother. The King was puzzled too, but quickly realized that Sarah was likely to make the wish herself, thus the Labyrinth allowed her to keep the book. So, for the last few years, Zee had continued to watch over her, and when her little brother made his appearance in the world, he was so cute that Zee started watching over him, too.

It was perhaps a violation of the rules that Zee and the other Ughlánas would play with Toby when no one was around, but… he was such a happy baby, and such a cute one, that they could not resist. At any rate, neither the Labyrinth nor the Goblin King had scolded them for it thus far, and until they did, Zee was going to keep on doing it.

Which was why he was now sprawled out under Toby's crib. The storm had made the boy a bit scared, so Zee trilled a Goblin lullaby to him, softly sending him to sleep. Sarah was still up, sneaking back to her room to take his usual post was out of the question, so he figured he could just hang out here until she fell asleep as well.

Sarah was in a mood. He knew about the fight at her school (and that other girl was going to get a visit from the Ughlánas shortly, oh yes) and had been perched near the top of the stairs when she'd argued with her parents. He felt bad for her… could hear the pain and loneliness in her heart crying out as loudly as a lion's roar.

Just like Kingy, he thought.

The baby's cries were getting louder. He was just about to climb up and soothe the boy when he heard heavy footfalls coming towards the room. Shrinking down under the crib, he noticed the bear on the floor.

Damn… forgot to put it back, he thought. He knew Sarah really loved this bear. Knew why. But the baby liked it too, and Zee saw no harm in letting him play with it now and then.

Before he could reach out and snatch it, the little Goblin saw Sarah storm in. She saw the bear on the floor, and Zee could swear that she was angry enough to practically burst into flames right in front of him.

"I hate you. I hate you!" she shrieked; her voice full of agony.

Zee wasn't sure if she was speaking of the baby, the bear, or herself. He had a feeling that she didn't know either. He listened as she cried out, begging someone… anyone… to take her away.

Oh, Sarah, he thought. All you gotta do is make the wish.

Thunder rolled again, and in its crash, Zee could sense more Ughlánas 'popping' in beside him, under the crib. He put his finger to his lips, cautioning them to be quiet.

Sarah sat on the bed across from the baby's crib. "You want a story? Okay."

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young girl, whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby. And the baby was a spoiled child, and he wanted everything for himself. And the young girl was practically a slave."

Zee frowned slightly. Poor Sarah… she's pretty hacked about that bear. He mentally kicked himself again for forgetting to put it back earlier.

"But what no one knew, was that the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl and had given her certain powers. So, one night, when the baby had been particularly cruel to her, she called on the Goblins for help."

At this, Zee felt the crowd of Ughlánas perking up all around him. His own heart tingled with anticipation.

Finally. Been waiting for years for her to wish herself to us.

"Say your right words, the Goblins said. And we'll take the baby to the Goblin City, and you will be free. But the girl knew that the King of the Goblins would keep the baby in his castle, forever and ever and ever, and turn it into a Goblin."

Deeg giggled softly next to him. Zee elbowed him in the stomach and turned back to watch Sarah. She was performing the story, all right… putting all the dramatic touches in the right places.

"And so, the girl suffered in silence. Until one night, when she was tired from a day of housework, and she was hurt by the harsh words of her stepmother, and she could no longer stand it…"

Zee and the others held their breath. Sarah had come to crouch by the crib, staring at her brother for a moment, before sighing in defeat and picking him up to soothe him. The disappointment between the Ughlánas was almost palpable. As one, they let out their collective breaths. Zee closed his eyes in frustration, then opened them and waved his hand at the others, to silence them. Sarah was walking back and forth, the baby in her arms. Despite her best efforts, the child refused to be soothed, which added to the already chaotic emotions boiling within the girl before them.

"I'll say the words…" she said in a half threat. The Ughlánas tensed, another breath held. "I wish… I wish…"

Luggs muttered something, but he was quickly hushed by the others. All of them waited with bated breath…

"I can bear it no longer," she cried in a loud, almost comically dramatic voice. "Goblin King! Goblin King! Wherever you may be, take this child of mine far away from me!"

What the hell? Zee thought to himself. She's supposed to wish herself away, not the kid…

"That's not it," whispered Luggs as the others muttered amongst themselves. Deeg whispered back, "I wish the Goblins would take me away, right now." Zee frowned severely and shushed them. He turned to look at Sarah, his mind whirling in confusion.

"I wish… I wish…"

The anticipation was thick.

Then Zee felt the mattress above them dip under the child's weight. Sarah had put him back in the crib. He heard her moving the blankets around, covering the still crying baby. She moved into the doorway, turning off the light. She paused before exiting the room to look back at the crying child.

"I wish the Goblins would take you away. Right now."

Zee's mouth dropped open in shock.

Author's Notes:

I like my little twist where it was Zee who had given Lancelot to Toby, and forgot to put him back, which is the catalyst for the events of the story. He also wasn't expecting her to wish Toby away, but herself.

I also needed to put a little explanation as to what the Underground was in relation to Earth. I wanted this story to be understood by those who hadn't seen the movie and make it clear that it was a real place.

And, if you've read the stories that preceded this one, you know that the Labyrinth has the ability to look to the future and see the most likely outcomes of the situation at hand. It already knew that Toby was going to join them at some point, which is why it never stopped Zee and the other Ughlánas from interacting with him. Jareth didn't even know they were doing it at the time.