Disclaimer: I do not own the Labyrinth, I only own characters not originally in the movie.

Warning: You will hate me by the end of this chapter…but please bear with me.

Andros, the Chameleon King, sat at the head of the dais. Other dark arts Kings and Queens sat on either side with their Warriors. Manticores, minotaurs, trolls, ogres, harpies and dark Fae were among the creatures sitting in the main room of his castle. His new Warrior, Xavier, stood beside his chair, gazing at the people around him. Since his son's capture and trial, Andros had to find another Warrior. Luckily, the Labyrinth's brother Panoki was able to find him one. Xavier was cool and confident, rarely showing any emotions. Much like the Labyrinth's own Warrior and oddly enough, Xavier chose a form that was very similar to her with dark hair and gold eyes. The only difference was that his skin was pale, so he looked more like a vampire than a Chameleon. Panoki assured him that Xaviar was sure to be a match if ever he were to fight Kalina.

Kalina...The very thought of that woman brought very violent images to his mind. It would bring him great pleasure to see her bow down before him.

"What is taking their messenger so long?" demanded the Manticore Warrior. He swiped his spiked scorpion tail, earning him several curses about having to watch what he was doing. The Minotaur King replied, "He or she is probably scared of coming. I am surprised they are not sending the Labyrinth's Warrior. But then again, she has been gone these past five years with rare visits."

Andros smiled at that. He wondered if certain circumstances had made it near impossible for Kalina to stay in the Labyrinth.

There was a knock at the door and it swung open. A figured hooded in black walked in, dripping wet from the rain outside. Andros was disappointed, he was sure the messenger was male. He really was hoping for Kalina to be the messenger, that way Xavier would be able to show off his skills.

The messenger strode forward, leaving a long line of wet carpeting in his wake. When he was a few feet from the first of the kings, he stopped and waited. Andros smirked as the hooded head seemed to sweep from one side to the other taking in everyone who was there.

"So messenger," he called out, "I believe you have something for us." The messenger's head turned to face him, his features shadowed by hood. Slowly, he raised his hand and a scroll floated to Andros. He took it and read it, his hands gripping the edges tightly in anger.

"Who do they think they are?!" he roared. "Friends," he said, "it seems our good hearted neighbors feel like it would be a waste of time to fight. However I am tired of never having a say of what goes on in the Underground. We have every right to express our opinions."

" Do you really?"

Andros turned angry eyes on the messenger. "From what I understand," he was saying, "You don't believe in listening to every point of view. Rather, you would declare war on anyone who disagrees with you. That is not for the best of the Underground."

Xavier stepped forward and said, "Why should we listen to someone who hides their face? Or disguises their voice when they talk?"

The messenger was silent for a moment then lifted a gloved hand to remove his hood. Andros sucked in a breath as he realized who it was. Gold eyes stared at him and he gripped the arms of his chair.

"I had hoped to meet you," Xavier said smiling viciously, "I've heard you're quite the fighter."

Kalina didn't respond to him, instead she continued to look at Andros. "Am I to believe that you still wish to go through with war against us?"

Andros was trying to keep his anger in check but was failing miserably. Instead, he took another approach. "So," he asked, "how go the wedding plans?"

With no expression on her face, she shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I've been away for five years."

"So you haven't seen him then? I am surprised…I would have thought you would have at least helped him."

He was amused to see her press her lips together. "I have no time for these pleasantries. I need an answer."

The manticore warrior swung his tail forward and several spikes shot through the air. Kalina didn't move but batted all but one of the spikes away with her sword. The one she missed lodged into her shoulder. She didn't waver though. Instead, she leapt up and seemed to fly to a window. "In choosing this you have chosen death." And with that, she fell backward through the window out into the rain.

Jareth sighed inwardly. Not because of the answer about war but because of the way Kalina appeared to the several kings and himself. She stood there, proud and defiant, with a manticore spike lodged in her shoulder. It seemed like she was challenging someone to say something. The Griffin king, Farendorf, gazed at her with his great eagle head tilted to one side, studying her.

"If you'll excuse me," said Kalina, "I must-"

"Now you have done it Warrior!" cried out a voice. Zachary approached her with pursed lips. "A manticore spike?! Kalina, what am I going to do with you?" Zachary waved off her reply. "You're just as bad as your father was! It is amazing that I haven't suffered a stroke from all the stresses both of you have caused me so far!"

Kalina smiled at him and said, "Come on, fix me up. I promise I'll try to be more careful next time."

Zachary gave her a measuring look just as the doors opened and Behome, along with a petite blond, green-eyed beauty walked in. The woman pulled Behome closer as Kalina just stared at the both of them.

"I see you are back, Kalina," said Behome. Kalina bowed her head slightly and replied, "Yes. It has been such a long time. I am glad to be home."

"Will you be here for the wedding?" asked the woman. "We've finally decided on a color scheme. I'm rather fond of lavender and cream. Also, you must see the wedding dress-"

Behome looked down at her, " Natasha, lets not bother her right now. I am sure she must want medical help and rest after her time away."

Both of them left and Kalina turned back towards the Goblin King. " Jareth," she said, " we must start training the troops. I am sure Tromp and his friends will be more than willing to be the first to sign up."

Jareth nodded his assent and Kalina turned to leave, Zachary trailing behind her tsking at her wounds.

Farendorf looked at Jareth. "What an interesting young woman she is," he said. Several other Fae kings nodded in agreement. "Rather than tend to her wounds first, she comes to tell you all that has happened. Most Warriors would have gone to the infirmary first. I would very much like to speak with her when she is feeling better."

Jareth nodded. "I am sure she will want to talk to you in return. I worry about her though."

"Yes," said one of the other kings, "She seems so distant. I wonder how she will interact with other Warriors."

"She will be fine," replied Jareth, "don't let her aloofness fool you. Kalina is aware of everything around her."

After dismissing the meeting, Jareth made his way to Zachary's infirmary. When he got there he paused outside the door to collect his thoughts. Though she did visit over the five years she was gone, Kalina didn't stay for more than a few hours. She had been on Earth as well as traveling the Underground. To his understanding, she had been training though he didn't know what else she needed to train for. Sarah would be happy that she was back to stay though. He knew that Sarah had missed Kalina so much these years she was gone. Opening the door, he walked in to Zachary removing the spike. Kalina winced and asked how bad it was. "Just a flesh wound," Zachary replied and Kalina smiled at that.

"Welcome back," Jareth said, "I assume that you will live?"

"You know as well as I do that since I have been here for so long, my body has changed. I'm more Fae than human now. Wounds like this won't affect me…it's not like when I first arrived."

The silence that hung in the air was intense, everyone in the room remembering the battle that had taken place. In fact, Kalina still bore slight scars on her face, too faint to see if someone wasn't looking.