Urgh, I hate my summer job so much, but I have till 6 this evening to finish this chapter and post it up so you lot can enjoy while I'm taking food to ungrateful sods(waitress) :P Thankyou to all those of you that reviewed the last chapter ;)

Knowing people actually read the word vomit I write just makes me want to write more! Lol.

Who know, at this rate it might be one update a day! The words seem to be flowing at the moment.

Btw- I didn't mean to create quite so many OC :S it just kind of happened!

So here goes…

Marianna was lounging outside the tent again, Jareth didn't need to go outside to see, her high giggles irritated him even over the chatter of the champions around him as they discussed the coming together of all the defensive movements, attacking formations and emergency evacuation and retreat plans that they had been discussing the previous day.

Glancing up as another peal of girlish laughter rang outside he saw Sarah twitch as if she too was irritated by the distracting noise.

Well Jareth though vaguely you did rather publicly take her to you bed, and she is one of Sarah's Riders… Allowing a brief moment of regret over letting his need for some feeling of power and control, need to satisfy his libido making him act in a less than kingly manner he returned his eyes to the parchment that Robin was nervously explaining to him as Sarah stood swiftly and exited the tent.

Well why shouldn't I seduce a willing girl? I'm a man after all, just because Sarah is here doesn't mean I should act like some kind of virgin maid untouched! Jareth snorted and waved away the centaurs concerned look, trying to focus on canter formations as a curt voice issued from outside the tent.

"Excuse me Marianna, Viven. May I ask what duties you have that require you to gossip all day long distracting those who need to focus?" Sarah asked in a cool voice, noticing with satisfaction that Viven, a relatively plain Rider woman with a short shock of black hair gulped and diverted her eyes.

"Well actually…" Marianna drawled, placing her hands on her hips and tossing her hair "I was waiting for Jareth to finish up in there…"

"Have you been asked to attend by his majesty?" Sarah asked quietly, her voice dark.

"Well no buy I know he'll…"

"Go to your duties" Sarah snapped "And if you have find you have few and feel the need to return here I'll be more than happy to ask Horace to let you help him muck out the caves" she sneered.

Marianna turned and flounced off, Viven trailing in her wake. Sarah rolled her eyes, the girl had been hanging around the periphery of the Goblin King for days, he seemed not to notice but it irritated Sarah that one of her Riders was mooning after him in such a stupid manner. Raising her voice and laughing and hair flicking all in the hopes of a glance, pathetic! Sarah huffed back into the tent and returned to her conversation with the Faerie Elise who was smiling knowingly.

"Misbehaving students?" she smiled "You are quite the strict schoolmistress nowadays Sarah!"

Sarah heaved a sigh "Surely the girls in camp have more important things to worry about than the Goblin King for God's sake!"

"Yes…" mused the stunningly pretty faerie "You would think so but I'm afraid a young, unattached king is a very attractive prospect!"

Sarah laughed and looked over at Jareth who was bent over a scroll, brow furrowed in concentration "You'd think he'd have more important things to worry about himself than taking that girl to bed every night!"

"Every night? Elise laughed "She wishes! I know Jareth, its only ever one night, to him it's only business, a way to relieve stress, but the girls always go and fall in love with him." She sighed deeply "The whole Kingdom knows of this but still each girl thinks she can get through to him. Only fools go for him now, which he can tolerate for an even shorter period of time. Such a pity."

"Yes…" Sarah mused and looked away

-JS-

That evening Sarah spent some much anticipated time with Isa, chatting and rubbing the spot between his eyes that he so loved. Despite the heavy, intimidating black armour which emphasised his ferocious features, underneath he was still her lovable grey friend.

You seem calmer dear one Isa observed as Sarah reclined beside him so much less conflicted than before

Sarah smiled and fiddled with a lock of hair Just going with the flow I suppose, settling into life here.

The dragon seemed pleased It is good to have you so Sarah. And the benefits can already be seen throughout the Riders, I'm sure many of them would follow you anywhere.

I hope so Sarah closed her eyes.

At that moment a screeching, eerie wail filled the air and Sarah jumped to her feet in panic.

"An attack!?" She exclaimed "Isa!" But the dragon was already on its feet, leathery wings spread, and Sarah jumped into the saddle and took off into the air. Isa hovered for a moment as Sarah shouted to the other Riders who had been milling around.

"You know the drill! To your steeds and in the air within the next few minutes, make your way into the airspace above camp and wait there, in formation, for further orders! Now go!" and there was a flurry of activity as Sarah and Isa swept their way down towards camp.

Landing carefully near the main tent collection, watching where he put his wings Isa urged Sarah off Quickly little one, find out as much as you can and then return!

Sarah ran, dodging between furiously scampering members of the camp who were rushing to their own positions and reaching the strategy tent just as Elise, in full silver battle armour, did.

"What..?" Sarah gasped

"A relatively small number" The Faerie looked as if she too had just run from somewhere " I believe its not their whole force, has moved across the warning line that we and the Fae set up" the Faerie panted as they entered the tent "Think they're trying to skirt round our forces and infiltrate the Labyrinthian lands, they must be displeased we have them backed against a wall.

Sarah nodded and tuned to the large round table in the centre of the tent as Robin cantered in, all the champions were now present and gazing into the darkly purple swirling orb which Jareth had conjured there for this very purpose, as they watched, as if from above they could see dark shapes moving towards the camp, the silver wall of magic to warm of their attack not too far behind them, Sarah reckoned they had about twenty minutes and felt her heart pound.

"Be prepared" Jareth barked as he entered the tent adjusting a black glove and adjusting his armour which, Sarah tried not to notice, made him seem more ethereal and intimidating than ever before. "It seems they were doubtful of how high into the air we would have cast the spell and so hoped to pass without alerting us, as such they are airborne. This means as much, as I regret it, we're going to have to show our dragon hand sooner than we may have wished."

He shot a quick look at Sarah who tried to nod bravely and hide how fast her heart was racing inside her chest.

"However," Jareth continued stretching his hand towards the orb so that it shifted eye view and showed dark shapes moving across the ground "In preparation that this should fail a relatively smaller force is approaching from the ground, perhaps in an attempt to distract from the air, the Labyrinthians will meet them, a faster advance of the animals which can run faster, the Fieries and the big cats especially as well as the assorted canines, Sir Didymus you will be leading them. "

The small fox nodded, looking delighted.

"These creatures seem to be primarily bestial in form which is why at the moment Robin I ask your forces to hang back, better to save you against cavalry or some such sort, too often a centaur can be swamped in lower fights such as this." Robin nodded understanding.

"The rest of you I ask to stay at the boundaries of the camp, the Elves have already prepared themselves for healing magic, the Fae are ready to use their own magic to whatever use they can, distracting, confusing and the like but the range will not be good. I myself will be with the Fae."

Looking around to make sure everyone understood Jareth let his voice drop some of its steel and become warmer, "I have faith in you" he cast his eyes onto Sir Didymus "Be assured that should any slip through your lines of defense we will get them, though I am sure we will overcome this force with ease. This is a test to our strength and we must show the enemy that not only are we ready but ferocious and determined."

"We shall sire!" Sir Didymus growled.

"Those that fall from the sky will be directed from harming the inhabitants of the camp and other forces should the battle come overhead, that is the task of the Faeries" Elise nodded, their magic was stronger in protection and deflection than the other forces.

"Good luck, and Thank You. Wherever Oberon is at this moment I am sure he would be proud of each and every one of us" Jareth said and suddenly everyone was moving, Sarah included, rushing to the exit of the tent, glancing back at Jareth who reached out and seemed to absorb the orb into his fingertips before glancing up and meeting her eyes.

"Sarah" he called casually. Just as she was about to exit, she turned questioningly

"Try not to die." And he vanished.

-JS-

As Sarah waited at the head of about a hundred dragons, gently rising and falling as they stayed in the same position in the air, waiting for the signal from below Sarah suddenly started thinking about her safe, cosy life back home, the presentation she had never given… and laughed for sheer joy because she knew, finally, that she would rather be here, right now, facing imminent death in the world in which she had always belonged rather than settling down into a mundane existence in the mortal world.

A flare of light from below and Sarah pulled the sword from her belt and thrust it into the air, as one the dragons roared and leapt forewards, Sarah's voice joining the others in a heartfelt battle cry.

-JS-

Jareth watched within the purple orb as Sir Didymus lead the Labyrinthians towards the enemy, snarling and snapping the Firies were behind him their great grasping claws reaching forward and their fur smoking alarmingly, with them were the enourmous wolves of the far east of the Labyrinth, the size of bears but twice as fast and bloodthirsty, the actual bears were lolloping behind keeping up but slowed by their bulk. Jareth nodded satisfied at the essembled group of animalistic creatures and turned his reaching gaze to the enemy.

Terrifying hairless creatures, all leathery skin and long in limb galloping foreward on their hand like feet with long talon claws they slobbered and howled, panting, lolling tongues emerging from between alarmingly large teeth, the five red eyes protruding bulbously from their wrinkled skulls.

With a thump the two forces met each other, the Firies screamed an ungodly sound as they twisted and pulled, throwing the recently detatched heads at the still oncoming forces, Sir Didymus began to tear at throats but it was the wolves who did the most damage, not caring what body part they seized between their teeth they tore at each upcoming creature splattering blood and gore as they went. Jareth's face remained hard as a wolf screamed its agony and a bear fell with a great groan, swarmed by three of the creatures. He turned his gaze to the sky.

-JS-

Sarah didn't know what they were, but they looked vaguely like women. Women with wings. In fact if Sarah wasn't so disgusted by their oozing yellow skin and slobbering fanged mouth she would be inclined to call them Angels. As it was she was distracted by the cruel looking scythes that each one wielded with impressive fluidity. She had pulled her bow from the saddle as soon as they had come in sight but to be truthful was at this moment relying mostly on Isa to keep the bloodthirsty creatures from getting within slicing reach. Never had she so appreciated Isa's powerful bursts of flame as winged women blackened and fell before her.

As she let loose an arrow which embedded itself in a creatures eye with a nasty, liquid sound, accompanied by a spurt of some foul black liquid which Sarah though may be their blood she shuddered and continued firing. She had no trouble killing these creatures, they exuded evil from every pore. She watched horrified as a dragon fell wailing from the sky, it's wing ripped and tattered, the Rider barely visible clinging to its back and renewed the speed of her shooting, the set of her face grim.

-JS-

It had been hours, many of the Fae were exhausted with magical drain shooting spells far across the landscape to target the terrible five-eyed monsters and yet finally it seemed the last of them had be slain, those not yet too overcome to transport back wounded creatures of their own side to the Elves were doing so with the utmost care.

Jareth worriedly watched the sky. The Faeries had caught many a fallen dragon or Rider as they plummeted towards the earth, some were seriously injured, some were beyond help, some were already dead. The problem was they were so high that no magical assistance had been able to reach them so far, and it seemed that despite foul broken bodies of these female like creatures falling in their multitudes, there were still so many fighting.

Jareth turned to Mavek "We've got to get up there, even a simple freezing spell would be invaluable right now!"

Mavek nodded in agreement.

-JS-

Sarah narrowly missed a claw swipe at her head and screamed in pain as, whether blade or talon she couldn't tell, managed to rake her thigh before the creature found itself crushed between the teeth of Isa. Wiping black blood from an eye hurriedly Sarah released an arrow straight into a creatures skull, satisfied as she watched it fall.

This just goes on! I don't think we've lost too many but for hells sake! When will these creatures end!?

Thunk Thunk. Another two beasts met the end of an arrow.

Look brave heart! Isa replied sounding relieved and horrified The birds!

"What the holy fuck?" Sarah growled as she saw a sparrow hawk and an owl rocketing upwards "Do they want to be killed?"

The two birds of prey touched wingtips and in a flash of icy blue light dozens of the creatures were frozen, the Riders took full advantage of this, and as it happened again and again Sarah had to admit they were well on the way to clearing the air!

"Bloody bird brained show off" Sarah muttered as she released arrow after arrow as Isa breathed fire with renewed enthusiasm.

Sarah didn't see the moment that the creature grabbed the white owl out of the air, just as the two birds turned to rocket back down, nor did she hear the snap as the great clawed hand squeezed tight.

She did however hear Isa's exclamation in her mind and, as an arrow struck the creature in the back of the head, releasing its grip and letting the small white bundle of feathers fall, Sarah lunged to her feet.

Arms outstretched, like she too had wings, Sarah didn't think, didn't consider but dived after Jareth into the empty air and plummeted down wards, reaching him the only thing in her mind.

She barely heard Isa's anguished roar as she fell like a stone, fingers reaching…

desperately grasping…

-JS-

Right, I now have five minutes to get to work! Please review ;) I did try so hard to get this chapter up today! I deserve a reward!

Stay tuned X