A/N: Um… Bad news, guys. My computer wouldn't start the other day, and when I took it in to the Apple store, they said my hard drive was failing. It's working now, but it's only a matter of time before it completely dies. I'm trying to look for a new one, but things are a bit busy since I leave for college this week. Also, I made some minor changes to chapter three. Unless you've read it more than once, you probably won't notice anything.

But enough with my complaining. On with the story!

Chihiro shivered and waited.

And waited.

She glanced at Iroko as he glanced back up at her. Both of them were extremely uneasy. They started to say something, interrupted one another, and both fell silent again. Iroko bent his leg and stretched it out.

"I don't think it worked," Chihiro said, checking the clock on the wall after a few minutes. She double-checked the room with Iroko to make sure there were no goblins before she made up her mind. There weren't any. "Williams! You can come out now."

Chihiro watched her roommate cautiously creep out of her room, as if this goblin delay was on purpose to trick them. After glancing around underneath the couch and behind the desk, Williams sat down on the floor and clenched her hands together.

"What did we do wrong? Do you think he suspects?" Williams asked.

Chihiro thought about it, and then shook her head. "I don't think so. Unless your friend Hoggle told the king…"

Williams glared at her. "He wouldn't."

"Then we must have done something wrong, or Hoggle must have forgotten to tell us something," Chihiro said. She bit her lip. "If only we knew what. It could be anything though. I don't suppose you can call him back on the mirror, could you?"

"If Hoggle didn't mention it, then I don't think he knows. Besides, now that you've said the words, who knows who could be watching? I wouldn't be surprised if they already know I'm involved."

Chihiro shivered at the thought of many little lumpy men staring at her from beyond another dimension. "You don't see anything though?" Chihiro asked. Williams shook her head. "And you don't smell anything?" Iroko shook his head. "Well, then there's no one here so far. Hopefully, no one's watching…" Yet. Chihiro frowned. "There must be something that we missed. Iroko, what else did Yubaba say about the Goblin King? And Williams? Listen to everything he says; maybe you'll get an idea."

"Why's she coming up with all the plans anyway?" Iroko muttered.

"Have you forgotten already that I'm the only one who's beaten him? I'm probably your number one human expert on the Labyrinth. And you can't even set one foot in it," she said with a grin. Iroko scowled.

"All Zeniba told me was that he likes to gamble. He shows no mercy. He likes playing games," Iroko said. He crossed his arms. "And I don't know how any of that will help."

Chihiro agreed with him. She knew plenty of people that fit that description. It he was a normal person, maybe they could bribe him with tickets to Las Vegas, but this was an immortal spirit they were dealing with. Chihiro looked at Iroko and shrugged. Williams however was racking her brains for something. She scrunched up her face and whacked her palm against her head. She drummed her fingers on the floor.

"I got it!" she cried out. "He likes playing games, right?" Chihiro and Iroko slowly nodded their heads. Hopefully her idea was better than Vegas. "So… all we have to do is summon him with a game." Williams laughed. "I think I'm getting back in the hang of this."

It sounded good in theory, but Chihiro imagined trying to summon the Goblin King while playing Monopoly or shogi. Do not pass 'GO;' for 200 I challenge the Goblin King, right now. She sighed. "Ah… Williams? I don't think that's going to work. I can't think of a game where-"

Williams was still smiling. "Oh, don't worry. I know the perfect one. And I've still kept it in tiptop condition after all these years." She stood up and went over to her room again. Iroko looked at Chihiro as if he was thinking the same thing she was. Chihiro took the time to grab Williams's old water glass and refill it.

Williams came out again with a large maroon box. She turned it sideways to avoid hitting a lamp, and Chihiro glimpsed the word on the side.

Scrabble.

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

"No," Williams said. She laughed at Chihiro's dismayed expression. "But we won't get anywhere unless we try. And it's easy, really." She opened up the box and laid out the board on the floor. "Or at least the game is easy. You just start in the middle, and make words out of these little tiles." She held up a little red velvet bag and tossed it to Chihiro.

Chihiro reached inside and examined an 'A' as Williams explained the rest of the rules. The wood tile felt nice and smooth in her hands. The edges were worn down from lots of use.

"Why Scrabble?" Chihiro asked when Williams was done explaining.

"No reason." She smiled once more and withdrew back into her room.

Chihiro and Iroko were left staring at the empty game board. Williams' aloofness was starting to get on her nerves.

"Well," Iroko said. "What are you waiting for? Start putting the pieces down. You already know what you're going to ask."

Chihiro shook the bag again and let the tiles spill out. "There don't seem to be that many of them," she said, staring at them. "We'll have to be careful of what words we use."

"That Western goblin said that we needed to use the word 'challenge,'" Iroko said. He picked through the tiles with a padded hand. "We should put the letters for that word over to the side, just to make sure that we don't accidentally use them." Chihiro nodded and let him sort the pieces.

Finding an 'I' piece, Chihiro took a deep breath and placed it down in the center of the board. At once a cold breeze rushed through the room, making the tiles clatter against each other. Something giggled out of the corner of her eye. Chihiro spun around, but there was nothing there. She shivered.

Something nudged her arm, and she quickly looked down to see Iroko handing her three tiles.

"Don't die on me already," Iroko said. Chihiro forced a smile and placed down a 'W,' 'S,' and 'H.' Two words finished. She looked at the board. The sentence Hoggle told them about was, 'I wish to challenge the Goblin King right now,' however…

Chihiro frowned. "We can't complete the sentence." She couldn't connect 'TO' to 'WISH.' Was it over before it had even really started?

Iroko shook his head. "All that goblin said we needed was the word 'challenge' somewhere. The rest of the sentence can be switched, I think."

"Then how about…" Chihiro paused as she thought the sentence through. Each word had to contain at least one letter of the words before it. "'I wish the Goblin King would… take this… ah… offer of challenge, right now?'"

"Sounds good," Iroko said. He glanced at the board on the ground. "Now all we have to do is spell it." He passed her the tiles for the next word. Chihiro attached them to the end of 'WISH.'

"This would be so much easier if this was in Japanese," Chihiro muttered, placing down 'GOBLIN' and 'KING' so that they both shared the same 'G.' Another thing giggled. It sounded like it came from behind the desk.

"Do they make this game in Japanese?" Iroko asked. He handed her the next four tiles, pausing slightly before looking back down to find the next ones.

"Probably." She looked at the board. So far, so good. "Hand me an 'A,' 'K,' and an 'E.' I'm going branch off right a bit."

"No more 'K' tiles."

"What? We only used one."

"There was only one to start with," Iroko said. "You'll have to use the 'K' in 'KING.'" He passed her the alternate tiles. Chihiro grumbled. It wasn't as easy as Williams had made it out to be. Not only did they have to watch what words they used, but they also had to place them exactly right. The letters were limited indeed. Chihiro was glad that Iroko had thought to put the tiles for 'CHALLENGE' off to the side. If they were to finish the wish, they'd have to think ahead more often from now on.

She noticed that Iroko wasn't handing her any more tiles. "What's-"

"We have to use another word," he said. He was glancing back and forth from the board to the tiles. "We only have one more 'H' tile and that's for 'CHALLENGE.'"

"What? Can't we use it now and then connect 'CHALLENGE' to it?" This was starting to get way too complicated for her liking. Perhaps they should have taken their chances with monopoly.

"We're going to need another 'H' after that though," Iroko said. "Choose a different word for 'this.'"

Chihiro felt like smacking all of the tiles off the board, but that wasn't going to help her. Or Boh. Neither was the omnipresent giggling that seemed to be getting louder, but she could ignore that for now. What other words were there for 'this?' 'The' and 'that' both needed an 'H' tile too…

"Give me an 'A' tile," Chihiro eventually said. She placed it above the 'N' in 'KING.' "My offer might not be as specific as it used to be, but it works." Iroko nodded in approval. Chihiro was just thankful that 'offer' started with a vowel and 'AN' worked.

They got through the rest of the words with less difficulty, only pausing here and there to count out the spaces to the edge of the board or the remaining tiles. After the word 'CHALLENGE' was placed down across from 'WOULD," another slower breeze drifted in. It lazily wove around Chihiro and made the hair rise on the back of her neck. Iroko tapped her on the shoulder and passed her the last six tiles. She looked at what was on the board so far. Only two words remained. She took a deep breath and placed down the 'R.'

'R-I-G-H-T,' she spelled. 'N-O-W.'

At once the lights turned off, and the soft giggles turned into a shrieking cacophony.

Ruk was pretty intelligent for your average goblin, so as soon as he sensed the first tile clacking on the board in challenge, he stole up to the human realm and started to watch the whole show from behind the desk. With the recent spirit baby fiasco still fresh in the Underground, he could tell that this was going to be good. He giggled as the two figures struggled through the short wish.

When the human girl placed down the last tile, the lights went out and Ruk could feel his brothers coming up from the Underground. Goblin eyes adjusted quicker to the dark than human ones, so he was soon able to make out the various goblins in the room. Prat was over by the couch, taking advantage of its fluffy goodness. Klok was in the kitchen, nicking some human food while he still could. Mingo and Din were trying to scare the human. A few others joined them. They made it a game, to see who could get the closest without chickening out. One even darted forward enough to snag a tile. There was a crash as someone knocked over a glass, and half the goblins in the room burst out laughing. It was all good fun. But, Ruk felt the most comfortable behind his desk and didn't move to join them. He remembered what had happened the last time the goblins were summoned.

At last their king entered, carrying with him his own kind of light source. All the goblins immediately stopped what they were doing and scurried away for cover. Din tried to squeeze in beside Ruk, but the space behind the desk was his. Ruk didn't like having to share. After a quick silent scuffle, he managed to shoo Din away. His space properly defended, Ruk turned his attention back to the show in the center of the room.

The girl looked up at the king and gasped. Ruk almost let out another giggle, but clapped his hands over his mouth just in time. His Majesty didn't like interruptions whenever he was dealing with humans, especially challengers.

Suddenly, Ruk noticed the figure next to the girl, a strange toadish goblin. At least, Ruk thought it was a goblin. It certainly smelled like a goblin, even though it was dressed funny and seemed to be allying itself with a human.

"Are you the Goblin King?" the girl asked.

She was even shivering. This was too much fun. The king didn't say anything, but Ruk imagined that he was basking in the girl's fear like the rest of the Labyrinth residents.

"Please," the girl continued. "I wish to challenge you. I want Boh back." The two stared silently at each other for a few seconds. Ruk wished he had joined Klok in grabbing some food. This would be even more fun to watch with snacks.

"You weren't the person who wished him away," the king said at last, his face expressionless. He circled slowly around the girl and the weird goblin. "You have no right to run my labyrinth, and the price to do so is much higher than you can afford."

The girl bit her lip and wrung her hands together. Poor thing. "Well, just say… if for a second I did have something… If I had something equal to Boh's life, would you accept my challenge?"

The king laughed softly, and the girl tensed. Ruk clenched the side of the desk in excitement. The Labyrinth hadn't had a runner in ages. Not since her.

"How is it, by the way, that an Eastern girl and frog come to know so much about my Labyrinth?"

The frog goblin puffed out his cheeks. "Just because you're heartless doesn't mean that all spirits are. Zeniba and Yubaba both love Boh, and we want-"

"Ah, the Eastern Witch Sisters. That would explain," he said. "Well then, if we are indeed speaking in if's, of course you would be welcome to challenge me. But then, if you had something of equal worth, surely you would want to hold on to it rather than gamble it up for the sake of someone else's baby."

"Boh is my friend," the girl said. She took a step back. "And he probably misses his mother. Hokusen had no right to wish him away."

"You'd be surprised," he said smiling. "That witch had every right to wish him away, just like I have the every right to keep him." His smiled faded. "Now get to the point. I get tired of talking in if's. And before you get too dramatic or let your ideas run away with you, let me remind you that a human soul pales in comparison to a spirit's."

"Only one more thing," the girl said. She seemed to ignore the king's last statement. "If I do find something or someone equal to Boh, and you let me challenge you, well… These would be some pretty high things at stake. If this all happened, would you let someone run the labyrinth with me?"

There was a hushed mummer around the room. Ruk was mumbling to himself as well. A rare as runners were, partners were even scarcer. The only incident he could think of was with those Spanish girls a couple hundred years ago. Maria and Isabella? Not like having each other did them much good in the long run. Ruk giggled at his unintentional pun.

"If you mean the frog, then I cannot let you do that. Only humans can run my Labyrinth." The king looked at the Eastern goblin. "Though the fact that he knows so much about the Labyrinth is already astonishing."

"Zeniba, the swamp witch, told me-"

"You've told me before. As much as I don't care for dealing with Eastern spirits, I feel as though a imminent meeting is in order" he said, cutting the frog off with a wave of his hand. The king turned back to the girl. "A partner in the Labyrinth is worth more than you know. The price would be high, though not as high as the initial wager."

The girl nodded slowly. "Then, would this be okay?" she pulled a sparkly band off her wrist. Ruk heard the goblins around the room whisper in awe. He, himself, let out a sigh of contentment. For some reason the sight of the hair band glistening in the light made him feel happy. He wanted to wear it himself.

The king stared at the band for a few seconds before he snatched it out of the girl's hand. It quickly disappeared before Ruk was able to notice where.

"This is acceptable," the king said. "If you are able to find something equal to the challenge, then you will be able to have another human run the Labyrinth with you." He grinned and Ruk realized that the king intended to keep the band regardless of whether the girl was able to challenge him. The girl seemed to realize it to, but the king cut her off before she could protest. "However, it's not like anyone you could find will be of great help. My Labyrinth has never been beaten before."

"Oh really?" said a female's voice from another room. "I guess I must have just imagined beating your Labyrinth then. And it was so fulfilling too." The door by the lamp creaked open, and out walked THE girl. Ruk began to giggle madly. The king looked less than pleased, but Ruk couldn't remember the last time he had this much fun.

Sarah slouched against her doorframe and smiled at her great foe. To her extreme pleasure, he was looking less than his normal cocky composed self. She laughed.

"Now, now, Goblin King. What's said is said, and surely you wouldn't give up an opportunity like this, with something like me on the line?" she said, batting her eyelashes at him. Sarah couldn't remember if he had ever been off guard like this the last time she ran the Labyrinth. She had to do this more often, even if it meant risking her soul in the bargain.

"You say that you'd sacrifice yourself for the sake of this girl and her friend?" he asked. Something flashed in his eyes, something that Sarah didn't want to think about. Perhaps she wasn't as confident as she had thought. A soul was a lot to offer, especially when it was her own. He turned away from Ogino, and walked towards Sarah. She immediately straightened up and moved into a defensive position - legs braced, hands up. He shook his head. "Still so tense, Sarah."

Sarah glared at him. "You have no power over me."

"Oh, but surely that can change in thirteen hours," he said leaning forward. Sarah felt the heat from his body and unconsciously backed up a step. Oh God. He grinned, tilting his head ever so closer. "Better to get used to me while you still have the chance."

Ogino cleared her throat.

Sarah nearly jumped; she had forgotten that there were others in the room. It seemed like the Goblin King did too. His grin faded and he slowly glanced back at the intruders.

"Then I take it that you accept my offer of challenge with Sarah as my wager?" she asked. Her dark hair looked slightly wild without her hair band to keep it in place, but her jaw was firm. She wasn't someone to be ignored.

He looked at Sarah once more before stepping away. Sarah slowly let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. She started to close her eyes in relief, but quickly opened them again. It was better for him not to see anything. Any weakness at all could be used against her. She stood up straight and walked over to join Iroko and Ogino.

"I accept," he said finally. He raised his eyebrows at the three. "And I take it that you want Sarah to be your partner?"

Ogino nodded. Sarah saw her clutch the bottom of her shirt from the corner of her eye. Poor girl. Sure, Sarah was the one putting herself on the line, but at least she knew something about the Labyrinth. Before today, Ogino didn't remember anything about spirits and goblins, let alone an Underground maze and its twisted king.

"Very well."

The Goblin King turned around, and suddenly they were no longer in their apartment.

Sarah shivered and looked around with dread. She hadn't expected him to send them here so soon, so abruptly. The air scratched her throat as she breathed, and the wind whipped at her face. Sarah wished she had remembered to bring a hair band. She doubted the Goblin King would let her borrow Ogino's. The sky itself was an unsettling shade of orange that made Sarah shiver even more. She glanced around, desperate to look at something else. Behind them the sun was just starting to rise. In front…

"Iroko!" Ogino cried. Sarah turned around to stare at her companions. True enough, the frog was gone. It was 'companion' now. She supposed that Iroko must have been left in the apartment, but one never exactly knew with the Goblin King. Sarah opened her mouth to ask him, but he was already talking.

"You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth before… well, I'll let you imagine that yourself, shall I?"

Sarah lunged forward to smack him, but he was already disappearing. By the time her fingers reached his face had been, there was nothing left to hit. She vented her anger by scuffing the ground with her foot, which was when she realized-

"He brought us here without shoes!" Sarah lifted her foot up and brushed the sand off the bottom of her sock. Not like it was going to help much. She'd just have to put her foot back down again if she ever wanted to make it to the center of the Labyrinth.

"It's so big…" Ogino whispered.

Sarah turned on one foot to see Ogino in same position she was in after she had noticed Iroko was gone. The girl simply stared forward, not even blinking. Sarah looked down at Ogino's feet; she didn't even have socks. This was definitely not going to be fun. The Goblin King was doing this on purpose to break them before they even started.

"Don't worry," Sarah said. She clapped Ogino on the shoulder and gazed at the stone walls that seemed to go on for miles and miles. "I've made it through before, so at least we know it's not impossible. And we have thirteen hours. The hardest thing is ignoring your stomach long enough to concentrate near the end." Sarah internally cursed herself for not thinking to shove any granola bars in her pockets earlier. They had plenty enough in the kitchen cabinets. "You'll be fine as long as you don't eat any peaches."

"Peaches?" Ogino snapped out of her trance and raised an eyebrow.

"I'll… um, tell you about it as we walk," Sarah said. She grabbed Ogino's hand and pulled her forward. "And remember to stick together. The Labyrinth likes to confuse and separate people. If we're lucky we'll meet one of my friends at the gate. You've already met Hoggle, and I think you'd like Ludo and Sir Didymus."

But even as she said it, Sarah had a feeling that Hoggle wouldn't be there. No. She knew the Goblin King too well, and he wouldn't let her friends fall as easily into her path this time. Not with what was at stake. She would have to rely on herself more this time, herself and Ogino. Sarah sighed as the sand started to seep into her socks.

The first hour was already ticking.

A/N: And that's the last of the prologue! Act One will start with the next chapter. I'm not exactly sure when it will be up for reasons stated in the other author's note, but I will be working on, so don't worry.

Did you like Ruk? I'm starting to build up a collection of OC's, aren't I? I was originally going to do the whole thing from Chihiro's POV, but it just wasn't working. Hopefully Ruk's view on things worked with everybody. He may or may not have another viewpoint in the future. Depends on where the story takes me. Oh, and Iroko probably won't be seen for awhile since Jareth just left him sitting in the apartment. After panicking for several seconds, he probably just relaxed and got a drink of water. Other things...

- Yes, Sarah and Chihiro call each other by their last names. They're not too close yet, but maybe that will change in the future.

- Jareth's name is not mentioned, mainly because Sarah tries to think of him as an "it," Chihiro doesn't know his name, and Ruk just refers to him as "the king" out of respect.

- The Scrabble game. Yes, you can write, "I wish the Goblin King would accept an offer of challenge, right now." It fits on the board and follows through with all the scrabble rules and tile limitations. I think… I actually don't have a Scrabble board anymore. And I had to ask my sister whether or not two-letter words are allowed since she's more of a Scrabble freak than I am.

- Oh, and to everyone who's reviewed so far, thank you very much. It's greatly appreciated. :D