Despite being full of drunk, celebrating Goblins, the throne room felt empty. Well, empty except for an exhausted young woman and a sulking goblin king.

Sarah had taken to sitting in the corner of the room, using the wall to support her back. She watched as the goblins danced and sang about the victory of their king and the girl who ate the peach. She wasn't sure how she felt about that title, but it had stuck. She would occasionally look up at Jareth, but then quickly look away before he could notice. She hated that she was doing it- like a schoolgirl who couldn't approach her crush.

Jareth was on his throne, watching with disinterest at the ongoings. His elbow was propped against the arm of the throne, which in turn propped up his chin. He would occasionally switch arms, giving him an excuse to look towards Sarah. Once he caught her smiling at Ludo (who was wearing an empty beer barrel on his head. Otherwise, she seemed solem, brushing dirt from her clothing or sighing heavily. Nothing held her here now, and Jareth knew she would leave soon.

He went through the options in his mind: He could force her to stay, but she would hate him for it. Plus, she was clever; she would soon escape. He could plead with her, guilt her, and remind her of everything he had done. That would also be a miserable existence after, as she would grow to hate him. He briefly considered bribing her, offering the world to her, her every dream. But he knew that had failed in the past.

Shaking himself from his thoughts he looked for her, finding that Sarah was no longer at the party.

Sarah walked down the stone hallways, the sounds of inebriated goblins echoed but softened as she distanced herself from the throne room. She needed a few minutes to herself; she needed to escape Jareth's gaze as she figured something out.

She peered into open doorways as she walked, hoping to find an empty space. One was obviously the kitchen. An odd mix of smells wafted from it along with the voice of a large, woman goblin.

"Get it! Get the roast out before it burns, you nummits! The king'll have you 'eads!" Three other goblins scrambled around grabbing food, goblets, and barrels of mead.

Another room appeared to be a space completely devoted to Jareth's outfits. Sarah rolled her eyes, wondering if he had closets as well. The room was well organized, but completely crowded. Not a good space for her.

She finally came upon a moderately sized bedroom (for a castle). The majority of the room was taken up by a large bed, covered in a dark purple comforter. An arched window provided some light with the setting sun, creating long rays of orange through the room. Perfect.

Jareth didn't know what to do. Should he find her? If so, what would he even say? She he just let her go? That may be less painful. Maybe she would run into the Fountain of Forgetfulness. He mused for a minute about how he could rescue her and tell her the tales of his heroism. Remembering his promise to be truthful, he reluctantly chased the thought away.

Making a decision, he stood up. The goblins paused their festivities to see what their king had to say.

"Did any of you see which way the girl went?"

Several goblins echoed, "The girl who ate the peach?" or some variation of that.

Jareth pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Through clenched teeth he hissed, "Yes. That one."

Almost every goblin pointed down the east hall. A few confused ones, who simply wanted to be part of something, pointed in other directions. One small goblin with large ears was pointing at the ceiling.

Jareth managed a, "thank you," as he started towards the hall.

His journey down the hall was much the same as Sarah's- checking into each room as he went along. Oddly enough, the kitchen goblins grabbed at their necks as he walked by. He would have to ask about that later.

Noticing that the door to one of the guest chambers was closed, he approached it quietly. Opening the heavy wooden door revealed to him a sight that made eyes eyes widen and his heart quicken.

There on the bed was Sarah, sleeping peacefully. She had draped herself over the comforter, with one elbow angled out, as if she had propped herself up on it and let it slide as she dozed off. Her face was angelic, every line of concern and worry from the last few days was smoothed. Her hair had fallen around that face in a way that framed it perfectly. He was afraid to wake it, knowing that she may assume the worse if he was in the room with her. That face would not remain angelic for long.

He began to close the door slowly when the hinges creaked. Sarah sat up immediately, looking around for what had awoken her.

"My apologies, dear Sarah. Go back to sleep."

Visibly relaxing again, she shook her head. "No need to be sorry." She busied herself by smoothing out her clothing and the bed. Then, sitting up with her legs hanging over the side, she patted the spot next to her. "Can we talk?"

Jareth sat, causing the bed to droop slightly. Sarah did not resist the way it pulled her closer to the Goblin King.

"Jareth, I…"

"I know, Sarah," Jareth head hung, making his hair fall over his face. "Your life debt has been paid. I can return you to the Aboveground when you're ready."

Sarah gave a pitying smile towards the man who had so much frustration. He had changed so much in the short time In a burst of confidence and concern, she reached her hand out to his cheek.

At her touch, he looked at her and straightened. "Dear Sarah, don't be cruel. It's unbecoming."

She removed her hand. "You don't understand. I wish to stay here."

Jareth nearly fell off the bed. "You wish?"

"Yes."

"And your life in the Aboveground?"

"Can be left behind. My fiance...is no longer my fiance. I enjoy my job, but I can do it here. My dearest friends live here and you…"

"Yes, Sarah?"

"You and I have a lot to figure out."

Jareth pulled Sarah into a tight embrace. Sarah allowed herself to fall into it; she felt his words vibrate, "Well, it's only forever. We'll figure it out."