Jareth stood in his private solar, one hand braced against the tall window frame as he gazed out toward the distant sounds of mayhem. Even from the heights of his castle, the commotion coming from the Ughlánas quarter was unmistakable… clattering metal, wild cheering, and the occasional crash that reverberated through the stone walls of the Goblin City.

The faintest smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, though it was tempered by a sense of disbelief.

"She made it to the gates," he murmured to himself, his voice low and contemplative. He turned slightly, almost as if expecting someone to answer, but the room was empty, the only response the muffled roar of chaos in the distance. His expression softened, just slightly, as he tilted his head. "Clever girl," he added, his tone laced with reluctant admiration.

The door creaked open behind him, and Zee stepped inside. He strolled across the room with his usual casual air, hands tucked behind his back, as though he hadn't a care in the world. "Quite the show, isn't it?" Zee remarked, coming to stand beside Jareth at the window. His sharp eyes glinted with amusement as he peered out toward the city gates.

Jareth didn't look at him, his attention fixed on the dark streets where torches now flickered, marking the path Sarah and her companions had taken. "They're in the Ughlánas quarter." His voice was calm, but a faint edge betrayed his unease. "I can hear it from here."

Zee smirked faintly, his tone light. "Oh, that? Just a bit of fun, I imagine. You know how the little ones get when they're excited."

Jareth turned his head sharply to give Zee a pointed look, his eyes narrowing. "Fun? Those streets are chaos." He straightened, his shoulders rigid, though his concern was masked behind his usual air of composed authority. "And Sarah is in the middle of it. I don't want her… or her friends… getting hurt."

Zee's grin softened into something more genuine, and he waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, come now, Kingy. You know better than that." He glanced out the window again, his voice dropping slightly, his tone assured. "The Ughlánas love her. Adore her, even. They'd never hurt her."

Jareth's gaze lingered on the city, his brow furrowing slightly. "And what exactly is your idea of 'fun'?"

Zee shrugged, his posture relaxed. "A bit of chaos. A lot of noise. Some harmless tricks. You know how we are." He turned his gaze fully on Jareth, his expression turning uncharacteristically sincere. "They won't let her come to harm, Kingy. Not even a scratch. The Ughlánas know better than anyone what she means to this place—and to you."

Jareth turned back to the window, falling silent as he watched the torchlight flicker and the shadows shift in the distance. He didn't answer immediately, but Zee could see the tension in his frame easing ever so slightly.

"They shouldn't have gotten this far," Jareth murmured, though there was no anger in his voice. If anything, it sounded faintly bemused, as though he couldn't quite believe it. "No one ever has."

"And yet, here we are," Zee replied, grinning. "A stubborn girl and her ragtag band of friends—defying the odds and turning the Labyrinth upside down."

Jareth's lips curved faintly into a smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. He tapped one gloved finger against the windowsill, his gaze never leaving the shadowed city. "She's remarkable." The words escaped him softly, as though spoken without thought.

Zee's grin widened. "That she is."

Jareth tilted his head, his expression clouding slightly. "I'm surprised that you should think so. You've seen almost as many Wishers as I have… you know what they're like. I'm surprised at how much… concern… there has been for her, here."

Zee's sharp eyes studied him, "Because they all know her… like I know her… and she's a good person. One with a bad situation, maybe… but a good person."

Jareth glanced down at him, his brow raised.

"I've seen it, Kingy," he said quietly. "I've seen what she goes through. Her heart…" here, he paused, shaking his head in what looked like pity. "Her heart is crying out for someone to care. Someone to love her. Her mom sure don't. And moms… they're the ones that should love the most, don't you think?"

"We both know that's not always the case," said Jareth sadly.

Zee nodded, "Yes. And sometimes they do bad things to their kids. But Kingy, not all bad things leave bruises. At least not the ones you can see. Sarah's got a lot of bruises that you can't see." He climbed up onto the windowsill and sat facing Jareth. "Her mom's got no love for her, only a twisted pride that sometimes turns into jealousy. And she takes it out on Sarah. Her dad… he loves her, but… he don't really know how to show it. Part of him is scared she's gonna turn out like her mom. She looks just like her, and it gives him the willies. He could get over that, maybe. He does love her a lot. But he don't know how to… I don't know…talk to her? See her as Sarah and not as her mom." He sighed and looked out the window. "His wife… she loves her too. Just as much as she loves Toby. But she don't know how to talk to Sarah either. And if I'm being fair… Sarah don't know how to talk to them. Her mom filled her head with all kinds of poison. Telling her that her dad doesn't love her… that her dad's wife hates her… that she just wants Sarah as a maid or a servant. It's not true… but they can't seem to talk to each other and clear it up."

Jareth thought about this. The family tumult that Zee described was so foreign to him. He remembered how loving his own parents were. The sort of discord that Sarah suffered would never have been allowed to grow in his own family.

Zee seemed to know what he was thinking, because his expression became a bit stern. "Her situation is a lot different than yours was, Kingy. Goblins don't abandon their kids. They don't leave their life-mates. Humans do. You're judging her based on what you know, not what she's gone through."

Zee brought his little legs up to the windowsill and wrapped his arms around his knees. "She had a mom who didn't want her, one who made sure she knew it. Then her mom up and leaves, and Sarah's dad has to do both jobs… Mom and Dad… and he didn't know what to do. He was hurting too. And he had to provide for her as best he could. So, he did what he thought would help… found Sarah a new mom… a better mom… but Sarah was loyal to the old one. The bad one. Because she thought she had to be. She's got that kind of heart… one that will stay loyal to the end. Even when it hurts her. That don't sound like a selfish person to me."

"I understand that," said Jareth slowly. "I suppose what I don't understand is why these things would lead her to make the wish."

"She's young," said Zee. "I think you forgot that time works different here than there. She's fifteen years old. Here, that's a toddler. There… she's near being a grown-up. Think about that. She's had to cram a century and a half of life experience into fifteen years. Makes sense that some stuff gets jumbled. Even so… she's figuring it out, and in a lot less time thanyouwould have had."

Jareth had no argument for that. Life Below proceeded at a much slower pace than Above, that was certain. It had never occurred to him that when he was her physical age, he'd had so many more years to process the emotions and lessons of growing up. The speed with which humans had to go from infant to adulthood was neck-snapping, and it was a wonder that they could even function at all.

But function, they did. To the point that they didn't even need magic anymore, and instead developed their creativity to wondrous heights. And Jareth, in his arrogance, had failed to recognize the fortitude it took to process in a few short years what it took him centuries to absorb.

Watching the thoughts playing out on Jareth's face, Zee continued. "Part of it also is that she sees Toby getting the love and care she never got. Her mom sure didn't wanna give it to her. Her dad was working too hard and didn't have time. His new wife might have been able to win her over, but she ended up having a baby. That took a lot of her time… too much time to help Sarah. And Sarah's hurt that she didn't seem to get anything from anyone, and what she does get is shared with her brother. Why should Toby be the one to get it when she didn't?" Zee gave him another stern look, "Maybe you had it different. Maybe you never had to share your parents' love. Oh, wait… yes you did. And not with a blood sister or brother… you had to share with a kid that was a stranger to you. Garthan. Who your parents decided to adopt. Randel too. How did that go over, back in the day?"

Jareth looked down at Zee with a grim countenance. "It didn't go over well at all. Not at first. I admit, I was hurt when I'd see my parents give their affection to another. In a way, I resented Garthan for it. And he… he'd lost his parents and had no one, and there I was, resentful of the care he received from mine." He shook his head. "I am forever grateful that my mother saw what was happening and set me straight."

"Yeah, but who does Sarah have to set her straight?" asked Zee. "She got no friends, they all think she's weird. Her mom is wicked and would never try to do good by her. Her dad and his wife try, but can't talk to her. Who does she have?"

Jareth looked out the window, his heart saddened by the picture that Zee was painting him. He had to admit, it made a lot more sense. How could he fault her for her feelings when he'd once shared them? Could he honestly say that he would have done differently if he'd been in her situation as a child? Wasn't there a moment in the past where he'd wished Garthan hadn't had to come into their home?

You did wish it. Even if it were only once. You did.

His ears burned in shame. He'd been so sanctimonious… so judgmental. He'd been so wrapped up in self-righteousness that he'd blithely ignored the echoes of his own childhood experience. Zee was right… Jareth had looked down on her because she'd made a mistake, not from a flaw in her character, but one born of her youth and circumstances. One that he himself might have made, once upon a time. A mistake that she was trying to atone for.

And the extraordinary thing was that she was seeking atonement of her own volition. Jareth's attitude toward Garthan was changed when his mother made him face his own selfishness. Sarah had no one to take her in hand and give her that lesson, yet she was learning it all the same. Jareth had the love and care of his parents, strong enough to be almost a physical thing, whereas Sarah didn't… or at least she couldn't recognize it as such. Jareth simply didn't want to share. Sarah… she watched as the affection she'd craved was denied her and given to another, at least from her point of view. How the hell could he blame her when he himself had once felt that same selfishness, even if only briefly?

And… wasn't that the whole reason for giving the wishers the opportunity to Run the Labyrinth? Wasn't he the one who insisted on that opportunity because people sometimes made wishes that they didn't really mean and didn't appreciate the consequences of? He'd understood that then. Why didn't he understand it now?

Because you wanted to feel good about yourself, even if it was at her expense.

"The good thing though, is that she's figuring it out on her own," said Zee. "She's got kindness in her, and she's starting to see that by using her kindness, she gets better results." He placed his little hand over Jareth's and squeezed it lightly. "She's a good one, Kingy. She's got a bigger heart than anyone knows, she just needs a chance to let it shine. Whatever happens from here on out, I think she's learned something."

"And so have I, Zee," Jareth whispered. "So have I."

Author's Notes:

I had to have Zee be the one to smack some sense into Jareth here. Zee had been watching over Sarah for years, long enough to understand the dynamics she dealt with. He was really the only one that had the knowledge of what Sarah had gone through, and the knowledge of Jareth's history, in order to shine a spotlight on the assumptions Jareth was making and get him to see Sarah more clearly.

Don't be too hard on Jareth… as we saw in 'Kingdom', he learned his lesson, eventually.