"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my
way here to the castle beyond the goblin city to take back the child
that you have stolen, for my will is as strong as your's and my
kingdom is as great," Sarah said, as she tucked her sixteen year old
daughter in.
"Sarah, isn't she a little too old for these stories?" asked
Alexander, as he walked into the room.
Sarah looked up at him with a frown, "Alex... she's sick..."
Alex sighed and sat down beside his daughter, "You're not sick, are
ya?"
He started tickling her.
Orianna started giggling, "No... no... I'm not sick."
She started coughing.
Sarah playfully hit Alex on the arm, "Leave her alone brute."
Alex stood up and ruffled Orianna's waist length, black hair
playfully, "Goodnight, kiddo."
"G-night, dad," she said as she watched him walk out of the room.
She then returned her attention to her mother, "Then what happened?"
Sarah finished the story and then got up from the chair.
She did a sweeping bow, something she had not done since Ori was six,
and then smiled, "Goodnight mi'lady."
Orianna smiled, "Goodnight mother."
Sarah walked out of the room as Orianna laid her head on her pillow.
"I wish Jareth would come and take me to the labyrinth," she said as
she yawned, "Right... now..."
She then fell asleep.
Jareth looked out the window of his study, yawning.
A sudden pull of the magic surrounding him yanked him back to the
Aboveground.
He looked about the room, noticing several books that he recognized.
He looked past the sleeping form on the bed to the vanity. He saw a
familiar music box with a girl in a white dress.
He walked over to the dresser, a sense of wonder spreading through
his body at the familiar sight. "By the Gods," he whispered. "It is
her room."
He turned towards the bed, expecting to see her there, smiling up at
him with happy tears in her eyes. She had called him. She wanted to
leave with him.
But he was confronted with a view of a sleeping girl, her breathing
shallow and harsh with illness. A girl who looked almost exactly like
her mother had all those years ago...
He slowly approached the girl's bedside, looking down at her as she
slept.
She turned over in her sleep, turning to face him, and as her hair
fell in her face, he gently swept it back.
Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him, not daring to
believe her eyes.
"You're Jareth, aren`t you?… you're the goblin king," she said as she
sat up.
Taking one slight step backwards, Jareth stared at this young girl
who had summoned him. He took several seconds to examine her. Her
chocolate brown, slightly wavy hair was in disarray from her previous
position. Her gray-blue eyes stared at him, glazed over from her
illness. In the moonlight, her already pale skin appeared white,
iridescent-like. She stared at him in a curious mixture of
conflicting emotions: hope, amazement, fear, disbelief.

He straightened immediately, regaining his intimidating posture,
looming over the fragile angel.

"I am Jareth, the Goblin King."

She blinked, and it was obvious she was trying to stay awake,
fighting unconsciousness, but fighting a losing battle.

"Did...did you hear my wish?" She asked in a timid voice. Not afraid,
but not overly proud.

Jareth nodded his perfect head, his blonde-white hair falling from
its position, framing his perfect face. His haunting mismatched eyes
shone brilliant, like an emerald and lapis lazuli. His lips held
neither a frown nor a smile.

"So...what are you going to do?"

She clenched her eyes shut and opened them again, trying in vain to
ward off the sleep that threatened to claim her.

In response, Jareth smiled enigmatically, slightly smirking.

In a whisper, barely audible to her fading senses, he whispered, "You
shall soon see little one."

The last thing Orianna was aware of was a blinding flash of light,
before unconsciousness took her and she slipped into blessed darkness.
Orianna awoke to the sound of birds chirping in the morning.
Any other morning it would have been wonderful to be awoken by the
songs of birds, but on this morning however it just proved to be
annoying.
She turned over, covering her head with the pillow, and
groaned, "Someone close the window..."
A goblin woman hobbled over to her, "Come on mistress, it's time to
rise and shine."
Orianna turned away from her, "Mother... I'm really too tired for..."
She uncovered her head and gazed up at the goblin woman, becoming a
lighter shade of pale "Wait... you're not my mother..."
She sat up and looked around the room, becoming even more
pale, "Where am I?"
"Ah, the master din't tell ye?.....Mmm...usually he doen't take
people unless they ask em" the old woman croaked, "Ah, come here" she
jumped up on the bed and patted the spot next to her. Orianna
hesitated, "Come on now! i won't bite ye". Orianna moved over,
sitting next to the old shrunken woman. "look out that there windeh"
the Goblin woman pointed, "That be the Labyrinth" she jumped down off
the bed, "You, are in the castle in the center of it all...I ran ye a
bath.." she motioned towards the connecting bathroom, "Now, if ye
don't mind....I have got places to be"


"Wait!" Orianna yelled, "I need to-"

"Oh don't tell me...ye can't wash yerself?

"No I can, I just need to know why i am here"

"He'll tell ye...when ye be ready"

"Do you mean, when I've grown older?"

"No! When ye get up and wash yerself" with that, the woman left the
room, closing the door behind her.