This is my first review and hopefully it does not come out as too clumsy.

Anyways

I am absolutely blown away by this oneshot. It is everything I love about fanfiction. It's short, it's beautifully written - without overly complex sentences, but oh so alluring...

Character-wise I believe this Jareth to be the truest to his self. I know, the original source (the Movie) does not depict him as such but honestly, I am convinced that this is exactly what he is like. Old as dirt, selfish, powerful and altogether above notions of good and evil. He is a force of nature that little Sarah tethered to herself. To her demise. I don't think there are other depictions of him in this fandom that managed to quite so perfectly pinpoint him with so little words. He rarely wants anything, but when he does, it is all that matters.

Sarah is also wonderful. Don't get me wrong - I love this whole notion of modern women (am a very modern one myself), but I do find it ridiculous to a degree that she is able to best the Goblin King. In the movie it happens very effortlessly, true, but I cannot help but think that that was not the whole story. With this snippet of fiction, however, it is. Of course Jareth would never play fair. This story impeccably manages to convey that strength, gallantry and will to fight that Sarah possesses. And employs, to fight that unfair adversary that is the Goblin King. She is not beguiled by Jareth. She is way smarter than that - she sees the arsenic under the violence of colour and is not tempted by the wings, knowing her flying is her sure path to death. But she loses anyway. Loses out of goodness of her heart and due to her inner strength and selflessness that she has. It was never, after all, about the babe.

I have read this countless times. The flow of words mesmerizes me, the cadence to them sounds like a melody in my head. With a crescendo hitting somewhere at section 12, slowly bleeding into the mellow epilogue with that "fade to black" effect...

Although I am familiar with British fairy tales, particularly the Welsh and Irish tales of changelings (as of Hansel and Gretel, though German, but still referenced), it did not help me to fully understand the sequence of titles to this oneshot. Maybe if you are ever feeling generous, you could give me a hint. I would love to know the story behind those.

"This is the legacy of man... to forget the names of gods and leave them to rot in their excess" - this line gives me literal shivers. I have no words to describe the notion behind it. But id does perfectly capture the true misery of Jareth - being alone in this oily rotten velvet castle of his. No wonder he wants Sarah. And feels entitled to her. It's the least that mankind could give him, for forgetting him in the Underground.

And he does get her in the end. Without any overt violence, yelling, hissing or other, so un-Jareth-y actions. It is the Devil's bargain, after all. And I do think that it is the worst case scenario out there for Sarah - magic has a price. Being punished by Jareth's love is quite an exquisite torture.

Thank you for this beautiful piece. It is perfect.

P.S. I am fully aware that, if your profile activity is of any indication, you are no longer part of this fandom. But even so, I had to get this review out. If you ever see it, do know that there are people out there who would kill for another story like this from you.

Soooo, did she got her brother back in the end? I didn't quite understood the ending.

Wow... your writing is so awesome, it was a trip, thanks for sharing it :)

The fair folk, thieves and tricksters all, and their king the greatest thief of them. (Those who eat their food can never leave, and there is power in a name.)

This was creepy and wonderful and I loved it.

That was amazing. Simply amazing. Eloquent, poetic, profound, scary and beautiful.

:)

Oh my...wow! I love the whole stream-of-consciousness feel. It's so dark and creepy and foreboding. I'm definitely going to creep on your author page for a while now. *Stalks off*

This is a wonderful, haunting piece- easily the best piece of Labyrinth fic I've encountered here. Your interpretation of Jareth is deliciously evil and completely awesome. I love how you wove in bits of traditional fae lore- changelings and the attention that one must cast to the exact wording of orders and contracts.

All in all this was a vastly enjoyable read, and I want you to know that you're awesome, as is your writing, and that I'll be thinking about this piece for a long while. Thanks for posting!

Oh my gosh, that was so poetic! Please tell me you'll be writing more sooner or later!

Sarah bound to the Goblin King in a trap that she can never get herself out from. Never.

... Wow. I can't pretend I understood all of this, but there's something about it that wraps around your thoughts and... twists them, if that makes any sense. Very haunting, and disturbing; permanently changes your view on just about everything, particularly those Labyrinth-related. I love it.

Wow. This is wonderful. So dark and so perfect.

This story was terrifying yet so Jareth-esque. You made him so evil and deceptive...I think this might be truer to him then his usual charming demeanor. He just uses that to real you in like the spider and the fly. Lovely writing and the tense atmosphere was great.

Beautiful use of the old fairy-tale feelings, I got the vibe of horror, romance, and mystery as well. Chilling, compelling and strangely fitting for the characters. Wonderful style as well.

*goes off to see other work*

O.O Rape...Wow. This fic officially fascinates me and scares the hell out of me at the same time. You're the first author here, or possibly anywhere/ever, to do that to me with a story. Congratulations. *hits fave story/author buttons with haunted eyes...*