Through a sea of masks, and a whirling ballroom, the Goblin King finds himself trapped.

The masked dancers close around him, pulling him away from the girl he sought for.The girl with the mismatched eyes.

Jareth awoke with a start, annoyed at how light it was already. He could hear the goblins shuffling about in the street below his bedroom window.He looked at the 13-hour clock beside his bed.10:24:71.How could he have slept this late?His short temper was shortened even still by his lack of sleep. Not just after that one. He hadn't been sleeping well since that…girl rescued her brother.

A girl! How could the Goblin King be outwitted by a mere child? Because that was all she was.

Nothing helped. Not even the thought of his latest masquerade, later in the week, could settle him. Jareth was plagued by nightmares. Not nightmares, just the one about her. The girl in the ballroom.

Everything annoyed him today.Later in the afternoon, Jareth was alone in his study, reading a thick book written in a language consisting of swirls and circles.He salmmed the book down and sighed, conjuring one of his crystals to watch his castle. Some servants in the kitchens. Nobody in the main hall. Nobod-… wait a minute. Who was that?

A figure, barely visible, in one corner of the ballroom. Small, yet human. It was stood still, as if watching something on the floor and it made no sound whatsoever.Putting the crystal away and pulling on his cloak, Jareth went to investigate the figure.

It was a strange thing, watching a scene played in front of you. Escpecially when you're in it.

When Jareth had opened its doors, the ballroom was filled with dancers, a masquerade. The only masquerade that…the girl had ever attended.Jareth couldn't say her name, because he would only be reminded of how she slipped through her fingers.He had never wanted her brother, just her.

He could see, her, himself. It was funny how much he had changed. His face had become thinner, his shoulders not so much held high as they were then.The alternate Jareth watched her intently, the girl turning and confused in a sea of colour and masks.

Everyone was laughing, flirting and chatting. Much like one of his normal masquerades, except here there was a Jareth stood in the middle of it. Showing off this girl, the girl who was under his thumb, his power, his control.He remembered how easy it was then, nobody opposed him, the goblins didn't run off with a girl, which was certain.But he had felt something different about her. She had opposed him and won. That was simply not done, but she had left and taken the baby with her.

Jareth's mind was distracted by his thoughts, when he noticed the other girl. In the corner. Watching.He didn't recognise her as someone he had invited to that masquerade.Even in this vision, she turned to face him. They stared at each other, his eyes boring into hers. But it still felt like a vision. Until she took off her mask and Jareth saw her eyes.

Staring at him. Mismatched eyes.

Suddenly, a knock on the study door. Jareth was sat back in his seat, no crystal, no girls with different eyes, just him and his study. And the knock at the door.

"Yes, what is it?" he snapped at the knock impatiently. It had seemed so real, yet not real at the same time.A female goblin opened the door. She said to him a rushed, high tone,

"Master, I don't mean- I mean, I don't want to intrude but…"

Jareth treated the gobliness to one of his stares, one of his annoyed stares.The goblin gulped, she didn't want to risk the Master's temper.

"Sir, there's someone for you. A girl ,sir. She's asking for Jareth, sir!" she squeaked.

His eyes widened, was it her?Standing up from the chair,he reached for the owl feathered cloak.

"I will be down shortly. Tell out…guest to wait. That is all"

She bowed and hurried out of the room.The Goblin King checked the clock, 13 o'clock.What a fateful hour 13 is, he thought.

The guest was waiting for him in the first hall. Light brown hair, slightly taller than he had expected, and she stared at him with a force equal to his own.It wasn't the ballroom girl,it was...

"Jareth. The mighty Goblin King. Still with no power of his own."

He said nothing to her, but muttered one word under his breath.

"Sarah."