Once upon a time, in a far away magical land, deep underground, a young king lived in a magnificent castle. Although he had everything he wanted, and many subjects, the king was cold, selfish, and unkind. Why? Because one stormy night, a young girl of fifteen came to the castle to take back the child he had stolen. In love with the girl, he offered her the world and a place at his side. The girl, intent on getting her brother back, rejected his offer and won her brother back. Defeated by the girl and ashamed that he had fallen in love with her, the king sulked upon his throne. Out of nowhere, the spirit of the Labyrinth appeared before him. The spirit was the one that actually gave the king his powers over his subjects and kept his kingdom together. She offered him a second chance at getting the girl back. The king, thinking it demeaning to go crawling back to the girl a second time, sneered at the offered gift, and turned it away. Outraged at the king's cold and unfeeling dismissal, the apparition placed a powerful curse on the king and all who lived in the castle. Realizing his error in angering the being that gave him his control, the king tried to apologize, but the damage was done. The spirit told him that over time his magic would slowly fade away, and when he was" beastly" in action or word, his appearance would take on the hideousness of a beastly monster…after a while, the beastly differences would fade away until he looked himself again. However, each time that he changed, it would become harder and harder for him to change back to the way he was, until he would look on the outside what the spirit saw on the inside.

The spirit told him that the enchantment was able to be broken. On one condition, if he could learn to love the girl more than himself, and earn her love and respect in return, without forcing it, then the spell would disappear. If not, then the spirit would painfully strip the king of all his powers and the kingdoms he controlled, giving them to a person who was worthy of the title. In addition, the dethroned king would serve the next monarch as a beast servant, remembering nothing. As the next eleven years past, and the cursed king watched the girl grow into a beautiful woman from afar; he became colder and crueler. For who could ever, learn to love, the Goblin King?

XxXxXxX

"Toby, come back here!" twenty-six year old Sarah called, chasing after the sullen thirteen year old teenager. "What did I do this time?"

The boy-man stopped with his hand on his bedroom doorknob and swung around. "What did you do? Think about what you haven't done! Every time you plan to go on one of your "visits," I'm left behind! I want to go with you this time!" he complained, scowling at his older half sister.

Sarah sighed in exasperation, as she looked her brother over. Where had the giggling little boy gone? She wondered taking in the designer jeans, white American Eagle tee shirt, Nike's, and blue Brewers cap firmly placed on top of his unruly blond curls. In his place was a frowning man-child, wanting to be a man but still too immature to really realize what he was asking Sarah to do.

Toby saw her hesitate and said, "I can't believe you're still afraid of him! You beat him! So could I! All I want to do, Sarah, is visit! Is that really too much to ask?"

Sarah explained as patiently as she could. "Because you don't belong there! Toby, I had to run it to get you back. I can't take you a long; I do not want Jareth to get ideas! So no, you are not going with me, ever!" Sarah said grabbing Toby's arm before he could slam the door in her face, yet again. That is all that their fights really absolved too. Toby yelling at her, Sarah trying to reason with teenage hormones, then Toby stalking off to his room slamming the door in her face. However, this time fate had a different idea to vindicate itself from when Sarah beat it and the Labyrinth eleven years ago.

Toby yanked his arm out of Sarah grip. "Yeah, well you don't belong here, in my life! Go screw around with someone else's!" He sucked in a quivering breath. "I wish the Goblin King would take you away, right now." Toby said disregarding every promise, he had made to Sarah to never say those words.

Sarah stumbled back, clutching at a table edge to keep from falling over, feeling as if Toby sucker punched her right in the gut. "Toby, why?" she breathed, tingling all over.

Toby visibly paled as he realized that the words he had just uttered were completely true. Sarah was not pulling his leg when she told him bad things happened when that phrase was spoken. "Sarah!" Toby called, watching his sister dissipate before his very eyes.

XxXxXxXxX

Sarah landed on a marble floor in an ungraceful heap. Shaking the stars from her head, Sarah opened her eyes and they met with impeccably polished black boots. Tilting her head, Sarah looked the impossibly long length up past a pair of gray trousers, white dress shirt, minus the ruffles from last time, to a face she knew all to well. With high cheek bones, layered blond hair like spun gold, pale skin, and those intense mismatched eyes that had stared at her with such longing last time, now looked at her with scorching anger and something else, Sarah could not quite place.

Jareth's sarcastic voice crashed down on Sarah like a waterfall. "Well, well, well, whatever did the misguided sprite drag in?" he crouched down and picked a strand of Sarah's long dark hair out of her face, to look at her clearly.

"Y-you leave her alone!" a voice wobbled, making the command fall flat.

Jareth glanced up and spotted Toby standing in a corner next to his throne, visibly shaking.

"Ah, is this the little chap you wished away eleven years ago, Sarah?" Jareth smirked and leaned closer. "Did he decide to turn the tables when he was sick of you?" he hissed harshly.

He smoothly got up from his crouched position and moved toward Toby. "Do you think he's capable to run my Labyrinth?" Toby gulped and edged away from the angry Goblin King.

Sarah sat up, pulling her knees beneath her to sit on them. "You leave him the hell alone." she hissed back, eyes narrowed, like a lioness ready to protect her young at any given moment.

"What said is said…" Jareth shrugged nonchalantly and sat down in his throne, throwing one leg over the arm of the chair. He tilted his head, a razor edged smirk flashing across his thin face, and looked again at Toby, eyes hard. "And I did so enjoy what was said." He finished voice remorseless.

Toby scooted over to Sarah and helped her to a standing position. "Sarah, I didn't mean it. Honest, I thought you just told me those words were forbidden to scare me into doing what you wanted." Glancing over to Jareth, Sarah noticed that the Goblin was paying no attention to them.

Sarah hushed him. "It's alright Toby, I know you didn't mean it. Nevertheless, remember when I said that sometimes saying things without thinking had repercussions? Well, this is what I was talking about." She hugged him.

"What does he mean? Running his Labyrinth?" Toby questioned.

Sarah shook her head, "You are not going to do that, not if I can help it. You stay quiet and let me do the talking okay?" Toby nodded.

"Don't make him run the Labyrinth." Sarah pleaded, hoping some of that fascination Jareth had had with her last time was still lingering.

Her hopes were dashed when Jareth swung to lean back in his throne, clasping his gloved hands over his slim stomach, said snidely, "Or what? You stay with me forever? Even you, Sarah, I think, do not have the gall to stay as my prisoner. Besides, you cannot run the Labyrinth for him. Only the one that wished you away can run to get you back."

"If Toby doesn't have to run the Labyrinth…" Sarah hesitated then pushed on, "Then, yes, I'll stay. Willingly." She wrapped her arms around Toby who stood in front of her, to give her courage to say that she would give up her freedom for Toby's.

Silence reined as Jareth sat bolt up right and stared at the woman before him, chin out, eyes scared but willing to do anything for the brother she loved. Jareth mulled over it a minute before scoffing loudly and pushed himself out of his throne to pace before the pair. "You! Like I would bend that rule just for you, then everyone with a sob story would try that with me." A quick couple of steps brought Jareth back in front of Sarah and Toby. His eyes glinted dangerously. "Suppose I would bend the rule, and send him back without making him run the Labyrinth, you would take his place? You realize that this would be forever."

Sarah sighed, knowing she was throwing everything away, straightening her back, she replied calmly. "Yes." Eyes firm in her decision.

Toby, comprehending what Sarah was going to do for him, twisted around out of her arms to look at her and exclaimed, "Sarah, that's not fair!"

"I do so detest that phrase." Jareth glowered at the youth, making Sarah push Toby behind her.

Sarah gave a glared at Jareth herself then spun around to look Toby in the eyes to try to make him understand why she was doing this. "I have to sweetling, I can't have you run the Labyrinth because god knows what HE has done to it since I beat him." Sarah jerked a thumb over her shoulder at the glowering King. "Besides," she rushed on, sensing Toby's impending outburst. "Karen would have my head if I put you in any kind of danger. Just let me go okay? I'm sure after a while you-know-who might let me come visit."

"Unlikely." Said aforementioned Goblin King, very put out that Sarah was blatantly ignoring him.

"Don't listen to him." Sarah hugged him one last time. "Be good okay? Come up with something good to make Dad and Karen believe that I've gone off somewhere not the Goblin King's prisoner, otherwise they might think I might have gone crazy and killed myself or something stupid like that."

"You should have saved them the trouble years ago." Jareth mumbled under his breath.

Sarah spun around at that. "You stay out of this!"

Jareth replied, "I have every reason to be in on this conversation since it was your immature brother that wished you here in the first place!" He was not liking the backtalk at all. He tapped his foot impatiently on the floor. "Have we decided then? For you to, really, truly, stay?"

"Yes! God, what do I have to do? Sign my name in blood?" Sarah snapped, eyes flashing.

Jareth leaned forward so suddenly that his and Sarah's noses almost touched. "That could be arranged." He hissed. Sarah, suddenly aware that his front canine teeth were oddly longer than normal and very sharp looking; and, when she glared back at him, Jareth's eyes were feral looking. She also noticed that Jareth had sideburns when there had not been any sideburns at the beginning of this whole discussion and his hair seemed to bush out like an angered cat's tail.

Jareth seemed to read something in her eyes and he stepped back, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. Upon opening them again, Jareth spoke in a more controlled voice. "Then it is settled. The boy will return home and you will stay here indefinitely." Sarah nodded and Toby sniffled loudly, trying not to cry.

Jareth nodded sharply in return and snapping his fingers Toby began to disappear immediately.

"Hey! You're, Hey!" Sarah sputtered as Toby called out a tearful,

"Sarah!"

Then he was gone and Sarah and Jareth were the only two in the throne room. Sarah glared Jareth, to angry for words. Jareth ignored her, walking away from her and summoning a crystal, he spoke into it. "Hogwart," he spoke tersely, "we have a new and permanent resident to the Labyrinth and my castle. Come, collect her, and take her to her new room. Now." Jareth commanded coldly when the crotchety old dwarf tried to argue, and tossed the crystal away.

Jareth then glanced at Sarah, who by that time had bowed her head and her dark hair fell like a satin curtain around her face, shielding it from view. Barely resisting the urge to run his hands through her hair to actually see if it felt as soft as it looked, Jareth looked the young woman over carefully for the first time since she had landed unannounced, in a heap, on his throne room floor.

Her hair was long to her waist; she was slim and curved in just the places Jareth liked in a woman. She wore what Aboveground people called jeans, a dress shirt the color of roses, and the scent coming off of her skin smelled like juniper, violets, sun kissed berries, and mandarins. It suited her, Jareth conceded, and was irked to find that he liked her just as well, maybe even more, than the last time she had been in his presence.

Literally, as Sarah had swept Jareth off his high horse with her passion, loyalty, and sheer stubbornness, just as she breezed through his game, going onto win it, claiming the heart of the Goblin King as her prize. If anything, her allure was more irresistible, as she had grown up in those eleven years and was all woman now. Jareth quickly squashed any warm feelings reemerging, telling himself. 'I am supposed to despise the woman, not fall more in love with her because she appeared again in my life after eleven years!' After placing the Goblin King mask firmly on his face did Jareth dare to talk to her again.

Jareth walked back over to Sarah, boots quiet on the tan colored marble. "I will now lay out the ground rules for your new home." Jareth informed her.

From behind the mahogany curtain, a very unladylike snort sounded. Jareth ignored the sound. "You are permitted to go to the Goblin City or around the castle, accompanied of course by one of my servants. You may go anywhere you like, except my chambers, those are expressly off limits to everyone." Sarah muttered low under her breath. However, Jareth's excellent hearing still caught the words. He grabbed the hair at the nape of Sarah's neck and pulled harshly down, tilting Sarah's face to look at him. She whimpered at the pain of pulled hairs. Jareth leaned closer and Sarah was slightly afraid but oddly hopeful that he might kiss her; he was so close. His eyes dropped down to look at her ruby lips, slightly parted in surprise, and then flickered back to her eyes.

"IF, if you would have the sudden urge to visit my chambers," Jareth smiled showing more teeth than necessary, it was costing him dearly to not crush Sarah's inviting lips to his. He looked at her luscious lips parted in surprise, her breath coming out in heated huffs, then yanking his eyes back to her own fearful ones, and continued, "It would be in your own personal interest to never go there unless you have a death wish."

Sarah shivered openly as the temperature dropped ten degrees. "You great bully." She informed him coldly.

Jareth arched an eyebrow at her, letting go of her hair, and shrugging, he went back to his throne and sat down, reclining lazily as if nothing had happened. "You will join me for dinner at seven o'clock tonight." He informed her.

Sarah decided to be stubborn. "I'm not hungry." She stated, like a sulky child.

Jareth sprang off his throne and was in front of Sarah so fast; she had no time to blink. "You will join me for dinner. That was not a request! As my prisoner, I do have power over you now. So you will do as I say!" He was so angry at her lack of respect; Jareth could literally feel the anger radiating off his body.

What Sarah did then was so stupid, so childish, that in later years, she still shook her head at the thought that Jareth could have been struck her down right then and there. However, what he did instead surprised them both.

Sarah stuck her tongue out at Jareth.

Quick as lightening, Jareth's hand snaked out and caught her tongue between his gloved thumb and middle finger. Sarah squeaked in surprise, eyes wide. Jareth stared at Sarah a moment, surprised at what he had done too. "You are now my subject, albeit a reluctant one, but a subject nonetheless. You will treat me as your rightful king. I do not stand for this kind of disrespect from my goblins and I will not stand for it from you. Or I will drop you into the deepest, darkest Oubliette I can find." He spoke softly, dangerously. "Do I make myself clear?"

A frantic nod punctuated that Jareth had made his point. With a sigh, he let go of Sarah's tongue. Sarah clapped a hand across her mouth, afraid that anything else that came out of her mouth might set Jareth off again.

Jareth dropped back into his throne with a tired sigh, and lounging across it, he placed a hand over his eyes. The only sounds in the room were the soft ticks from the clock in the corner that had thirteen hours on its face. A soft knock on the door made Sarah jump. The door creaked open and a worn face lined with wrinkles peered around the edge of the door. "Sire?" Hoggle inquired after a moment, as Jareth was silent.

Jareth sighed again, waving his hand nonchalantly, and not even glancing at Sarah, said, "Hogbrain, take her away from me to her room. I don't even care what room it is. Just get her out of my sight."

Sarah was concerned when the old dwarf nodded obediently and did not even protest at the mispronunciation of his name. "Come along miss." Hoggle said bowing low to let Sarah pass by him first. Sarah went out, quiet for the first time since she abruptly fell into Jareth's realm. Hoggle bowed again and closed the door quietly behind them.

Jareth placed his hand over his mouth, and looked out a window directly across from his throne. Inhaling deeply through his nose, Jareth took his hand away and felt gingerly around his pointed teeth with his tongue. 'Why does she infuriate me so?' Jareth wondered 'Yet at the same time she excites me with just a look.'

As he was just calming down enough to be able to be presentable, his breath hitched at the image of Sarah sticking her tongue out at him. Jareth still could not believe she had done something so childishly stupid. 'She gave me all the reasons why I should have carried out my threat of dropping her in the deepest Oubliette I could find, and yet, I still gave her a warning. Most of my goblins don't even get a warning. ' He had almost lost control then when she had refused to dine with him. Upon seeing the fear in Sarah's eyes, did he see the affects of the curse upon the one person he needed to break the spell.

Jareth was lost in thought, thinking about something else when Sarah's image was again thrust before his eyes. 'What do you want me to do?' Jareth howled silently to the ceiling. He know realized that the Labyrinth spirit was the one placing Sarah's image before him, so that his mind could not be released from the subject. So while Sarah was in front of him in his mind's eye, Jareth studied her. Long dark hair, dressed in jeans, dress shirt, and tennis shoes; defiant emerald eyes glared at him from a pale face while she tried to barter with him for her brother.

'Still, she gave herself up for Toby yet again.' Jareth noticed now, rather than at the time, that Sarah had acquired a tightly controlled wall around her heart that perhaps came from running the Labyrinth or, Jareth mused, it came from being burned in love herself. Whatever the case maybe, Sarah had learned cool control, except when she was around him. All her control seemed to fly out the window then. 'Then again, I lost the control I've kept quite tightly over myself these past years, when she was in my presence.' Jareth thought, brow wrinkling in concentration.

Then the image whisked away and Jareth heard Sarah say quite boldly and coolly, "You great bully."

"I am not a bully." Jareth stated through clenched teeth, sounding like a sulky child. He groaned suddenly and throwing his arm over his eyes, Jareth slunk down in his chair, head hanging over the armrest.

Then a quiet "Damn her." floated around in the empty room.

To Be Continued…