Comments: Hi everyone! Here is Chapter Three. Absolutely new and never read
before. :) I'm
sorry that the Chapter is a LITTLE short, but I've been away from Labyrinth for
five years now and
am a little rusty. *Giggles*

Enjoy the Fanfic!

Hugs,
Princess Destiny


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DARK GAMES
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By Princess Destiny
[ princessdestiny@... ]







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Chapter Three
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Truer words were never said.

And so it was that Sarah kept busy in every way possible. She went to school,
did after-school
group studies, went out to nightclubs with friends at night and came home in the
early hours of the
morning almost numb with exhaustion.

For a while, Karen had slept in her room on a small portable bed, but when
Jareth showed no further
sign that he was going to turn up early after a few weeks, her step-mother
stopped. Sarah couldn't
help but feel that this was just what the Goblin King had been waiting for...


Sarah sighed deeply and then took a mouthful of her peanut-butter and jelly
sandwich. She had just
returned from a very gruelling lesson from Ron, her father's martial-arts
friend. Every muscle in
her body ached, despite having had years of training. After the roses incident,
she and her family
felt keenly that she would be taken sooner than Jareth had promised and they
were determined to
have her as ready as possible. In other words, as her father had often said,
'beat the living hell
out of that damned poufy-haired monster that took our baby!'.

The dark-haired girl snickered, her long ponytail switching softly against the
bare skin of her
waist. She turned from the counter, and went into the lounge, plonking wearily
down onto the couch
in her still-damp and sweaty gym clothes. Sarah picked up the control and began
to switch stations
randomly, not really paying any attention. Even as she took small bites of her
sandwich, her mind
was elseware. On a certain handsome man who have called her HIS so many years
ago. And poor
Toby...had he really been a goblin all this time. Karen and her husband had
been sure, but Sarah
had her doubts. Jareth had wanted Toby, perhaps as an heir. What real proof
did they have that
the goblin Jareth showed them that day had been her little brother?

"Sarah?"

The voice of her step-mother made her jump. Sarah almost chocked on the last
piece of bread and
then turned to look over her shoulder. "You scared the hell out of me, Karen"
She accused.

"Sorry dear." Karen frowned, marring her perfectly made-up face slightly. "And
don't swear,
Sarah. You know how much I hate profanity"

"Right, right" The girl nodded and hid a grin. Who would have thought, a few
years ago, that she
and Karen would be acting like a real mother and daughter.

"I saw you lost in your thoughts-Toby?" The woman asked tentatively. Toby was
never spoken of
aloud. It wasn't that they had forgotten him, or that they didn't miss him, but
rather that they
missed him TOO MUCH. It hurt to even say his name sometimes.

"Yeah-and HIM" Sarah replied darkly. That damned man! He haunted her dreams
and waking thoughts
alike! She could remember his gorgeous face acutely, his gestures, his mocking
expressions.
Sometimes it made her think that she was going mad. And now, being older and
wiser, she could very
well recall the fleeting looks of lust and desire that had been in his eyes when
he spoke to her
during her soigné through the Labyrinth. How very close to giving into him she
had been in the
ballroom.

"The Goblin King?" Karen's face twisted with hate. "Sarah, I want you to do
your best to get Toby
back when that man takes you..." She trailed off, looking troubled. "But
darling...if Toby is
still a goblin and Jareth tries to hurt you-please leave without our son"

Sarah gazed at her in some shock. Leave Toby? Was this really his own mother
talking? "Karen"
She began in a hushed voice.

"No! PLEASE" The woman said in agitation, hands fluttering as if she didn't
know what to do with
them. "If Toby has been a creature for that long, he probably won't even
remember us" Karen
looked at the ground. "We would never want him to become a boy again and not
remember how to even
be human...or remember US"

She suddenly knew why Karen had been acting this way. She loved her son
desperately, but could not
bare the thought of him having lost his humanity. "If he's still a goblin, I
won't try" Sarah
replied, eyes filling. She too, could not bare to see her little brother as
some mindless parody
of a little boy.

Sarah leapt from the couch and the two came together in a fierce hug, both
sobbing in anguish.


******************************************

The ballroom had never looked so resplendent. The silver candelabras polished
till they gleamed.
The candles throwing a glowing ethereal look over the room, as if contained in a
dream. In corners,
long highly decorated tables were filled with the finest of foods. The white
marble columns draped
with cream and white silken cloths. The dancers were similarly clothed in silk
and jewels, moving
with a lethargic quality. The most magnificent of all was the tall blonde man in
courtiers clothes.
Blue overcoat, with cream silk vest and shirt. His breaches black, but of the
finest material.
His knee-boots polished till they gleamed, reflecting as much as the floor of
the ballroom, which
was of white marble. He looked down knowingly at his companion, a small blonde
girl of 12. She
was clothed in a dress of red damask, with black pearls threaded through her
hair.

"This feels so strange" She murmured to him, raising her head from his chest.
Her eyes were wide
and innocent, a bewildering mixture of grey and blue. Much like his own eyes.

Jareth's mouth curved in a smile, lashes coming down to cover his mocking stare.
He looked at her
assessingly from beneath his lashes. "Don't you feel good though?" He
countered.

"Is this a dream?" She whispered, looking away from him. The blonde girl
blinked, eyes abruptly
more coherent. She glanced around the room at the other dancers. "Their masks
are scary"

The Goblin King frowned, wondering why he had begun to loose his control over
the mortal girl.
"What do you think?" He tightened his grip on her, looking around also. The
hair on the back of
his neck rose suddenly, making every nerve-end come alive.

"You're hurting me!" The girl gasped. She struggled in his arms, fighting his
hold. Her eyes
were a wild blue as she caught sight of the thirteen handed clock on a column.
"You tricked me! I
have to rescue Ann!"

Jareth let her go abruptly, his gloved fingers opening wide. The girl fell
backwards, landing
hard. She wasted no time though, scrambling to her feet and running away from
him. He watched as
she tripped over the long skirt of her dress, a cynical smile playing about his
lips. She could
run, but she wouldn't find a way out. No one did. *I'll let the little brat
spend her time in
here* He thought to himself, letting a satisfied smile curve his lips. Lysette
was a fool. He was
frankly amazed that she had gotten as far as she had. With the help of Hoggle
and the others.
["Traitors!"]

Jareth stiffened as a breeze blew through the room. The dancers faltered, then
came to a stop.
All conversation in the room died. The Goblin King's smile faded entirely. He
looked around at
his court, but their eyes weren't on him. They were on something behind him.
The Goblin King spun
around, the tails of his coat swinging out with the speed. At first, he didn't
see anything. The
dancers were as still as statues, but someone was moving. A graceful figure,
moving through the
crowd of people. Jareth stood still as a statue himself as the figure came
closer. Just a few
meters away. The figure stepped around a man and woman, the long white dress
brushing against
their legs. Finally, there was nothing between the figure and the Goblin King
but a cleared space
in the floor, a meter wide.

"Jareth,"

His mouth came open, but nothing emerged. Jareth's eyes were wide. Stunned. He
regained control
of himself a moment later, eyes drinking in the figure before him. From the
dainty silk silvers,
to the white silken and lace dress, pearls sewn into the bodice, sleaves and
hem. Over the creamy
skin of her chest and shoulder. The long curve of her neck and finally her
face.

"Sarah? How did you get here" He whispered incredulously.

She smiled coldly, a real yet faint curve of her red lips. The woman moved
closer, her slippers
making no noise on the smooth marble of the floor. Her dress made a faint
swishing noise in the
dead-quite of the ballroom. Not a whisper could be heard from the dancers. She
stopped a foot
from him and Jareth had to use all his will power not to flee. "You brought me
here," She said,
voice like ice.

"What do you mean?" Jareth flinched as she raised her hand slowly. His hands
clenched at his
sides as her fingers drew near, expecting them to pass right through him. A
shock went through his
body as her index finger stroked his cheek lightly with her nails. The touch
sent a thousand
needles though his skin, like a bolt of electricity. Involuntarily, his hand
came up, closing over
hers and trapping her hand against the side of his face. Sarah's eyes
lightened, seeming to burn
like amber. An inner fire of will. Something he'd never seen the like of. The
chilling smile
that had begun to curve her lips faded as she glanced past him. An almost
imperceptible gleam on
fury entered the brown depths of her eyes.

"You don't change, Jareth" She wrenched her hand away, stepping back. "Isn't
it enough, what
you've done to MY family?"

Jareth stared at the girl, Lysette. She'd moved back through the crowd until
she was at the edge,
clinging to a column. Her blue eyes were filled with tears. The Goblin King's
eyes narrowed with
fury. He glared at Lysette, eyes filled with promise of retribution. Sarah was
going to be his
and this damned tramp of a girl had ruined the moment. He turned back towards
Sarah, who had
withdrawn a few feet. On her face was accusation and sadness. A deep sadness
that he thought he
understood, for a moment. And then the anger took over. "What did you
expect, Sarah. I am the
Goblin King" He mocked. "This girl is mine and soon you will be too"

"Yes, you are," Sarah murmured, form becoming indistinct. Her eyes met his a
moment before she
faded. "We'll just SEE about that, won't we you bastard?"

"Sarah!" Jareth roared after her. But she was gone. The dancer shivered with
fear beneath his
infuriated look.

Lysette tried to shrink back as the Goblin King strode towards her, fury in
every line of his body.
He reached out and took her chin in hard fingers. "You will find, my dear
Lysette" He purred,
eyes as hard as agates. "That I have been easy on you up till now. No more
playing"

"But my sister" Lysette protested, trying to pull away frantically. Her blue
eyes grew wide as
the dancers on all sides began to close in on her and the Goblin King. Their
eyes were hard
beneath their frightening masks, cold and cruel. "You promised me five hours!"
She cried out.

Jareth released her chin, stepping back into the circle of dancers. "So I did"
He mused.

His look froze Lysette to the spot. Goosebumps sprung up on her arms at the
glittering look in the
Goblin King's eyes. He turned to the dancers, waving a gloved hand casually at
Lysette. She stared
around in panic, abruptly reminded of a pack of wolves she'd once seen on a
documentary on TV.
"She's yours"

Lysette shrieked as the dancers swiftly moved in. She felt her dress tearing,
the pearls being
torn from her hair. And then an unbearable burning pain everywhere. Soon, she
began to scream even
louder. Long after her voice was gone, she felt the agony, though her mind was
still alive. The
last thing she heard was the Goblin Kings mocking laughter.

*****************************************

Sarah shot up in bed, gasping for breath. Her long hair was plastered to her
face, sweat running
down her forehead. She realised vaguely that she'd sweat so much that her
nightdress was clinging
like a second skin, the sheets twisted around her legs and waist.

"Jareth" She whispered, eyes wide in the darkness. Fear and hate warred in her
heart, along with
some other emotion she did not want to name. Hesitantly, Sarah sank back,
ignoring the
uncomfortable wetness of her sweaty sheets. She was exhausted and frightened,
yet exhilarated
somehow. It had been years since she's dreamed of him. Jareth. ["So why
now?"] She questioned
silently. HAD he drawn her there without knowing? He had seemed surprised
enough.

"The girl!" She gasped, remembering. It had been the Ballroom. She was even
wearing the same
dress. All she's seen was the Goblin King, resplendent as she had seen him when
they had danced.
When she had sought nothing but him. Her body had moved of it's own accord
towards Jareth, who had
seemed equally stunned to see Sarah. Why? Because it had ruined his plans?
She was sure he was
planning to seduce her and when she had seen that other girl-

When she touched his face, electricity had shot through every nerve in her body,
despite the urge
to rake her nails down his cheek and draw blood. But then his hand had covered
hers and somehow,
the thought to harm him as disappeared. And then she had seen the blonde girl.
Someone who had
not belonged among the corrupt dancers of Jareth's court. Abruptly, Sarah had
come back to herself
and remembered the past. All feelings for the Goblin King turning to hate. No
matter WHAT senses
of thrilled excitement and attraction she had, she would always remember her
little brother. And
the fact that Jareth was coming for her next, and his intentions were less than
honourable.

Jareth would never be dissuaded from his promises. Never.

["Why can't you change?"] Sarah blinked sweat from her lashes and wondered why
she cared. It was
just that sometimes...she remembered his songs. The way he had professed to
love her and would be
her slave. Was there the tiniest part of the Goblin King that might genuinely
care for her? She
hated herself for thinking this, but it nagged at her senses incessantly!

Sarah lay still, pondering the dream. Had she really been there in the
Labyrinth? Or was it
merely something in her mind while she slept? But such a real dream. A dreamed
longed for and
feared. She knew more than many, just how dangerous the King of the Goblins
could be. But still,
she could never forget him. She needed him, just as he needed her.

NO! What was she thinking?! Sarah hated him with all her being for taking Toby
and turning him
into a creature. And when he came for her, she would be under his mercy... or
so he thought.

Not for the first time, she had to wonder if Jareth had been watching her
strenuous efforts to
learn martial arts. Would he be shocked when he received a hand to the bottom
of his jaw, meant to
knock him out? Or a roundhouse kick that was sure to break a few bones?

'You are cruel, Sarah. I need your cruelty. Just as you need mine'

"I won't make it easy for you, Goblin King" Sarah whispered into the dark.
"You won't win this
game"

"We'll see" Jareth voice whispered mockingly in her ear. Sarah gasped with
fright and frisson of
excitement, fumbling for the light. The white brilliance flooded the room,
leaving an image of the
ballroom. Then her furniture came into focus. She looked around wildly, but
there was no one
there. Her heart fluttered wildly, pulse racing.

"Jareth" she murmured uncertainly, eyes searching every corner of the room. He
wasn't there.
Perhaps he never had been. But his voice had-and his challenge.


















To Be Continued...

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Comments? Write me if you liked!

Hope that you enjoyed this one. I haven't written any Labyrinth, baring one,
for years! The next
Chapter, I'll try and get out next weekend when I can come online again.

This Fanfic was a Challenge from the 'One Hour List'. What you do is pick a
Challenge-which is
posted daily by me-then a 'Couple' from the 'Destiny's Gateway Romance
Fanfiction Archives', then
you have an hour to write as much Fanfic as you can!:

'Destiny's Gateway Archives': http://www.destinysgateway.com

*Grin* In this case, the 'Couple' I chose was 'Jareth And Sarah'. Here's URL
to join the 'One
Hour Challenge List'!:

'One Hour Challenge List':
http://lists.topica.com/lists/dga_one_hour_challenges/

Hugs,
Princess Destiny







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DESTINY'S GATEWAY ROMANCE FANFICTION ARCHIVES:

http://www.destinysgateway.com

PRINCESS DESTINY'S PERSONAL MAILING LIST:

http://lists.topica.com/lists/PrincessDestiny_Fics



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