"The Labyrinth" Chapter One

Jareth stared dismayed to see the days dawn not near close enough to its end today was the day. Today he would propose to his new found love Kagome.

It was true in many a circle that the Goblin King set out upon the mortal world seeking a head strong and foolish usually selfish child to fall in love with and set about turning their very worlds around a mixing them with wonder and fright and filling them with many a lives lesson. In fact he had been on a quest to do just that, it was ridiculous really, she had never read his book, she had never called upon his power, riches, fame or his minions. She had never asked for anything of him or of anyone really. In fact he had been called by another girl just doors away from her own. One that had read his book and had many a delusion of grandeur and the usual I-am-better-than-thou-oh-poor-me-I-am-treated-so-horribly-by-people-who-cannot-understand-that-I-am-the-center-of-the-entire-universe-revolve-around-me-now. His usual type.

There was nothing in the mortal world or his own that could have made him see her that day as he was flying past towards his callers home. It happened in a moment, he had looked down with no real reason to and spotted eyes blue-er than the brightest mornings sky, a beautiful smile had broken upon an ever enchanting face, an innocent expression in lit into the child's very aura, and then she was waving. She couldn't possibly see him could she? He turned his head in his own form, to the left to the right in a semi full circle. Why would she wave to a bird? He turned to look at her again more puzzled than ever and she was gone. He swooped around on the off chance he had missed a sighting with his ever keen eyes. Where had she-? A soft giggle distant from him but had him swooping another circle in the air to see who was making the ever bell like sound.

It was the same child he was sure hair so black it appeared to have a slightly blue tint to it bounced and swayed as she climbed many steps running on energy only a child could truly ever possess. Jareth surprising even himself followed the girl in her yellow flora sun dress and over sized beach sandals a straw sun hat hanging almost loosely in her fingers, she moved with a dancers grace fluid and graceful and Jareth found himself beating his wings twice as hard to beat her up the steps so that he may watch her expression when she reached the top.

It was in that expression, in the expression of that small eight year old child that Jareth lost his heart. While he seduced many a child he did have his own code of morals which kept him from approaching her at so young an age but it did not keep him from following her and from watching her. He saw many a thing her kindness, her strength, her selflessness, he saw her soul and he was spell bound. Yet all this came with a rather heavy price, for, for the first time the Goblin King had found something beyond his usual whimsy fancy, in fact he had found a girl that he had never encountered before and he wanted it for himself.

While this was not usually a bad thing for this was oft to happen around the world one falling in love that is and the Goblin King more so than most, there was the small matter containing the Goblin King's penchant for jealousy. All had been well as he had followed the girl and seen the kindness she bestowed upon those around her brightening their souls and touching many a heart along the way, it had all been good and well to see her so accepting of the responsibilities handed to her in the taking care of her new younger step brother in fact he was sure he had seen an opening into this humble abode, but a few years passed and his eye had never strayed, but then her resilience had never wavered. She took care of her younger brother and step brother and took all in hand there was no room for dramatics though her temper was quite something to see when she truly became upset, yet there was never a word of true cruelty, never wishing of a better lot in life, never wishing for more and better.

The Goblin King even saw fit to give her the gift of his book since it appeared she would not pick it up on her own as all of his previous loves had. It had been a gift on her birthday one year and he had strived to gain her attention as he could not truly make himself known to her as of yet the book was the first step as one needed to know the words to enter the world. For the first time that he could remember he was thanked for a gift he had given and though she did not give him a material gift the smile she blessed him with was worth more than any he had received before. She had read his book most dutifully but still she did not wish, nor pine, nor moon for more.

But even then he stayed with her still. However jealousy is an odd thing to strike at some of the oddest moments, for Jareth it struck when she was eleven years old. It would be the first and the very last time a boy would ask her out. It would also be the beginning of her isolation from all others of her world. Jareth's fury was so great that day he struck out with all the powers he was able to create in this world and what he had been unable to create his minions achieved for him. It had been a very awful thing to happen to that poor boy and many another who came upon her. Lightening striking, tripping, branches falling to crush many a person to come near her. Until finally Jareth was placated for no other reason than many boys and girls alike where afraid to come near her.

Her tears broke his heart and he did little that he could to soften the blow yet any time he tried to be kind to her and let those near to her again in the form of other students it was too late she was a freak by their standards and letting them close scared her all the more. Jareth strove to make this better but she never wished for anything, a bright and kind smile covered her hidden pain as easily as a vail, but Jareth took a greedy pleasure in being there at night when she felt safe to share her problems not thinking that to tell a bird that had no fear of seeking her out could bother it too much.

But as many children did Kagome grew and as Kagome grew her beauty expounded. There was no way a mortal child was ever to have been as beautiful as Kagome was for there was no God alive or existing that would have let her out upon the world with any intent but ill upon her with her kind soul, genital being, and pure spirit the only way the gods would have leased her down from the heavens was to ruin her, to corrupt her, and Jareth would have none of that. Yet as her beauty grew so grew less the threat of her bad luck her curse, and many approached her with less than innocent intent and though many a terrible and bad thing happened to those that came this time it did not deter the others it just seemed to attract more.

It was decided then that Kagome could no longer remain in her world, no in fact she would come to his. Yes she would come to the Goblin Kingdom with him and rule beside him as his Queen. There was but one problem for one to get into the Goblin Kingdom they had to have want to be there reason and purpose, and in order for Kagome to sit beside him and be his Queen his people would have to know her, she would have to be seen by them. What better way than to take her with him and introduce them to her himself? A ball, a ball would be the perfect place to have her meet everyone.

So just months before her sixteenth birthday Jareth lured her outside and made her an offer. He tempted her with most girls wildest fantasy's. He offered her power, money, clothing, a home, love, servants, people to rule and take care of her, a life of luxury, and even himself a given but he offered it anyway, for there was no one in this world or his own that could match Kagome and he would accept no one else, take no one else, keep no one else. But even with all that he offered Kagome just smiled kindly at him and refused. Jareth had at first not believed her, no doubt she was playing hard to get after all he just needed to show her he could give her all of these things. Yet even threw his sorcery magics and power she denied him.

She was kind in her refusal and even offered the better of the world out there that would jump at those things that he had offered but she had a home here and people who loved her and while times where not always kind what more did she need if these things made her content? What in turn for all these great things could she give him in return? Her refusal infuriated him, how dare she he was offering her his world and she refused him and so he threatened and he snarled and he raged at her to come with him. He even tried to forcefully take her there but she had no purpose there, she had not a reason in his world and she had not the desire to be there. So he raged and raged and then left. His words haunting her ears that she would come to him willing or no!

But it would be months that he would seemingly abandon her as he thought on how to bring her into his world. Yet just as many if not even ever more cruel things where happening to those that dared to come near her and yet none seemed deterred and the Goblins grew worried as their King grew ever angrier for this had never happened before was their King truly serious? Did this mortal girl truly possess something to make her different that the King would chose to forever bind himself to her to share his power with to grant her hold and power over even themselves. It was in this that a rival was found, Queen Mizumi and her daughters Moulin and Drulin it was the Queen that had many a high hope of Jareth giving up his mortal loving ways and officially betrothing himself to her and making her his queen.

The Queen had many a grandeur of becoming Jareth's queen for if there was one thing this queen loved it was power and she held no illusions that had Jareth not held that power as the Goblin King she would not have bothered with him and yet he was and that meant she was going to be his queen which meant she would have to see this newest mortal that had stolen his heart and destroy her. But how thought the princess how was she to get this wretched mortal girl into the Labyrinth when not even Jareth himself could?.. So the queen sent out her most trust worthy assassin and guard out to be rid of this girl or find her a way in. A month passed before he returned to her having failed the first of his mission which the queen suspected he might if Jareth was truly serious with his claim of making her his Queen or even if he was joking if he even suspected someone might check his story he would ensure all revenues to her to be covered.

His second mission was more successful, Kagome had her favorite siblings whom the courtesy protection did not fall too, they could be lured into coming into the Labyrinth and Kagome would no doubt enter to rescue them and as she would be entering into the Labyrinth without Jareth's protection as though he would be aware of her travel into his world her guards would not be able to follow her threw the queen's portal without the queen's beckoning they would have to use their own and as the queen and her daughters where in banishment they would never be able to teliport in they would have no chance to find the girl before the princess killed her and as the Goblin Law decreed Jareth and his thrown by extent would be hers.

So the queen went to entrap the bait and though she lured and temped both children the eldest of the two resisted far too concerned with his life at the present and very much a realist, yet the youngest was a dreamer with a large imagination and so though she could not get both one was really all she needed anyway. So with temptations and promises that if he came into 'her' world she would make him a Goblin and strong and powerful Goblin, something to surprise his big sister. She'd be surprised all right the queen thought as she lured the boy into the Labyrinth In fact it was that simple mistake alone that alerted Jareth to her ploy but he did not interfere, after all not only did Kagome have reason to come to his world he now had way to make her stay.

So Jareth allowed a small break in his guards defenses enough to allow the queen's little guard to tell her of what the queen had done but instead of allowing the queen's portal to send Kagome straight to her he sent Kagome clear out of the Labyrinth to neither implicate himself nor have the queen thinking she'd been duped after all plays worked so much better when their actors thought that they where real.

Kagome looked about her the sky stained a near predominant orange as though the sun where always setting and looked at the grounds before her she was in a field of some type and ahead of her a ways was the largest labyrinth she had ever seen. But had not that Goblin from before said she would go straight to Jareth so that she may plead with him to return her naive little brother before he turned him into a Goblin forever. A lock of her hair was lifted but seconds before she felt the presence at her back and she turned with a jerk to see Jareth looking just as perfect as he had all those months ago when he had raged at her for refusing him.

Kagome's eyes watered as she watched him hold the captive lock in his hand and place it at his mouth to give it a kiss as if welcoming her.

"Where is my brother?" Kagome asked shakily his promise all those nights ago ringing heavily in her mind. He said nothing as he let the lock slip like water threw his fingers and crowding close to her uncomfortably even his cape brushing against her arms as she struggled against the immediate urge to retreat a safer distance and stared for but a minute at the front of his immaculate white shirt to compose herself before she looked up at him again and asked.

"Please give me back my brother." Still it appeared that she was ignored as Jareth stared down at her face with starving eyes a hand lifting up to softly caress a too pail cheek as Kagome went stiff beneath it but he did not seem to notice her reluctance or overly solid posture his cunningly starving eyes holding hers much as his hand was doing as it move to press rather intimately against the small of her back entrapping her against him.

"Jareth.." Her voice broke upon his name and she paused but a second and continued her voice more controlled.

"Please give Souta back to me." Jareth smiled at her then. It had been far too long since his name had crossed her lips. It had been far too long since he'd seen her, since he touched her. He was reluctant to let go now but to further his own means he must.

"Kagome I have not taken your brother from you, did I not promise you that you would come to me of your own free will? Much is in doubting that kidnapping your sibling would make you the more willing." Jareth released her and stepped back before deliberately reaching forward to grasp her wrist a lose shackle that he could not find the will to deny himself the small pleasure.

"But he-you-..If you do not have him who has taken him?" Blue eyes stared beseechingly into his own and he could not have stopped the answer from crossing his lips had he really had will to keep them repressed and for his pride he was thankful he didn't.

"That my dear would be Queen Mizumi, she has lured and tempted your brother into the Labyrinth in hopes of you coming to charge in to save the poor child just to kill you no doubt."

"To-to kill me?" Jareth pulled Kagome closer to himself as if to reassure her that he would never have let that happen and for the need to be close to her.

"Yes, after all the fastest way to the throne is to remove all those that block your way." A hand found its way into silky hair threading threw careful of the sharp nails that could pierce her skin if he was not to cup the back of her head and tilt it to his will as he let the meaning behind his words catch up with her overloaded mind. Hands feeling texture of another of the first time in centuries the the dirty gritty feel absent in this female as it had not in so many of the others.

"Why-how..?" Kagome trailed off unsure as to how to phrase her question and not be denied the answer as was suspected of him to deny the answer to the question for being impertinent or unimportant. But there was no need to rephrase as Jareth answered her barely spoken questions as if reading her mind her wrist held firmly and nearly uncomfortably tight in his grasp when she took a retreating step back to stare up at him.

"My dear, what better way to lure the unable to the Labyrinth than to give them reason and your brother was perfect reason enough after all did you not come running thinking that I would change your brother into a goblin? But if you truly wish to gain his release you can ask me Kagome and I will return you your brother and return him to the mortal world before he has a chance to become a goblin or..." Jareth paused dramatically already knowing her initial reason for refusal and already planning his own way round either her refusal or acceptance of his offer, he had been far too rash in his anger before in his own arrogance not a mistake he would make again with Kagome to treat her as he had all the others, she was nothing like the others it was far time he upped his stakes and stop treating her as the child he knew she wasn't.

"Or you can try and make it threw my Labyrinth to Queen Mizumi's place of banishment and gain back your brother," Jareth paused his eyes narrowed at her obvious relief at a second option no doubt aware of the price of his first offer.

"However keep in mind if you do take this option and your brother is not found and returned to the mortal world within the next thirteen hours, he will become a goblin and if you have not found him and returned him to the mortal world in thirteen hours you too my dear Kagome will remain here as a goblin yourself." Indecision warred in her too expressive eyes and Jareth amused himself watching them flicker in her eyes more than enjoying as she bit off much of her pride and gathered much of her courage to ask him.

"If..If I ask you to help me save him or if I..If I ask you to save him..what-what will..." She trailed off her eyes lowering to stare at where his hand still had yet to release her wrist but she need-n't finish as this was the most important part.

"Should you ask for me Kagome at any time regardless of which offer your take now I will come and when you call me know that in doing so you will never be able to leave my kingdom again and you shall be my bride, my Queen, to rule by my side until such a time that our own children may take the throne. You do not have long to think on this though my dear as for you can see..time grows short." A clock appeared at his wanting showing her the same thirteen hour-ed clock that now counted down twenty minutes of her time already gone and for that he was being generous as her brother had been here for over an hour now then again with the thought the clock forwarded itself an hour and Kagome looked at it shocked and for that Jareth explained.

"While you my dear have been here for no less than twenty minutes your brother has been here for far longer and if you wish to return him to the mortal world and complete your task here He is the one that needs to be out of my Labyrinth before thirteen hours is up. So Kagome chose, ask me now to save your brother.. or ask in which direction lies the place of exile, current home of the Queen, time is of the essence."Jareth smiled as he saw her decision pass threw her eyes before she answered him and startling her enough that she was brought straight from her thoughts he brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it sweetly intimately even at the center of her palm.

"The Queen lies in the darkest corner of the forest just past the Bog of Eternal Stench it has not a name for it is only a place rumored and whispered but you will know you are there when you reach a standing stone ruin of a corridor just before the forest. Beware the guard that lurks there." With that said he was gone returning to his castle to watch her progress and wait either the end of her time or her call. Already was word spread out his kingdom of her arrival and with that word was the warning to mislead her strand her or lose her, she was not to find her destination, the consequences for helping her grave and dire but enough to ensure that she would be lead by those true enough to help her and more than it should have to have many a goblin striking out to catch a look at the Goblin King's newest love interest to see for themselves the reasoning behind such harsh punishments.

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Kagome stared at the spot in which Jareth had vanished her other hand moving to rub her wrist free of the sensation of Jareth's own hand before she moved toward the rather daunting looking Labyrinth. Upon reaching the outer gates however Kagome was brought to an impasse for no matter how far she walked around there seemed to be no entrance into the Labyrinth and she moved forward to ask one of the many flying faeries.

"Excuse me, sorry to bother you but do you know how I can enter the Labyrinth?" Maybe it was just good luck on her part for this particular faerie had promised and swore up to the ground and down around he would do the most horrible thing he could think of to the next person that asked and while not many people would think that granting this young women's wish would be horrible the little faerie knew otherwise, so what more horrible thing could he do but send her on her way?

The purple blossomed faerie glared at her but a moment to see whither he might reconsider his decision to be absolutely horrible or to be nice but it was common enough knowledge to anyone who bothered to listen to a faerie when they started talking that it was indeed very hard for a faerie to make decisions on anything and much harder still to get a faerie to change its mind once it was made up just because it was so hard to make a choice to begin with. Now was one such a time as this faerie got tired of both glaring and squinting trying to gain a true sight of this woman's face the real reason that he had decided to be horrible to the next person that asked him was he had finally gotten tired of the nagging and bragging on when a goblin or even a faerie noticed that he couldn't see well on how much better their own sight was and how much better it made them, how they didn't want to be around him for fear of his problem being transferable.

It took remembering this to stop the blossom faerie from reconsidering but that in itself took no less than ten minutes Kagome mean while was considering either he didn't know, he was debating on telling her, or he needed prompting in order to tell her but before she could ask him again where there might be an entrance into the Labyrinth a tiny fore finger pointed to the wall to her left one she had just past and was sure did not contain and entrance into the Labyrinth but instead of questioning the little faerie she turned to look and was surprised to find a gate to lead into the Labyrinth.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" Kagome called back to the faerie as she raced to the entrance never did she see his shocked looking face nor see as he suddenly disappeared from the area and instead her glaze was captured looking down the seemingly endless pathways. A Labyrinth was meant to be secretive it was quiet possible that a turn was disguised to look like the straight and endless pathways. Kagome marched on ward her hand just barely meeting the expanse of the narrow pathways as she chose the left of the two ways. It was slow moving on the account that should an open space be available she would need to be able to feel it and running at any high speed would keep her from feeling out an opening if it was small, and in doing to she may pass it up all together unable to register the small difference of stone empty air and then immediately stone again. She continued this way for a ways before she finally came upon an open stop and her arms dropping like weights to her sides.

"Oh! 'ello there." Kagome's head whipped around at the sound of that voice but spotted nothing immediately until she looked down and spotted a caterpillar of sorts or at least she assumed it was a caterpillar.

"Um..Hello where you the one to greet me?" Kagome asked politely this one might be able to direct her on which way she needed to go.

"Yep-yep that was me what you doin' round here haven't seen you around here before I haven't nope! Oh! You should meet the wife she's just inside she is be pleased to meet you she would she ain't never seen you around here either I don't suspect nope I don't. She's just inside come on come on don't be shy now." Kagome tried to speak she really did but didn't want to interrupt him so instead she waited for a break in his sentence and not wanting to appear and thereby deny herself his knowledge if he found her so she spoke upon the break.

"I'm terribly sorry I am in a hurry to find the place just past the Bog of Eternal Stench could you help me?I do not think I would fit into your fine home as big as I am but I would not mind meeting your wife if she would like to come out and meet me here." Surprise flickered across his face shock more than like and Kagome wondered if she had managed to offend him with her questions but he spoke before she could fully drag to conclusions.

"You would!! Oh happy day! You got to be the first of deim to want to meet me wife be glad to see you she will," In a quieter voice he whispered to her a great secret no doubt. "Thinks me mad she does always talking of meeting people that aren't there that she never meets! Linda, Linda come out here a girls out here she is, a girl is out here!" A lavender caterpillar appeared by the blue her long eye and thick eye lashes nearly blocking her rather large eyes from view and her tan aperin giving Kagome the impression that she had been disturbed from either cooking or cleaning this judged by the some what large dark stain that tended to catch the eye when they spotted her.

"What-What a girl where's a girl. Oh! Oh! There's a girl a real girl look there see, you aren't crazy! Oh you horrible little caterpillar you are not bringing any of the others to meet me. Mean you are think you I not want to meet them, you did."

"No, no love I ask them I did but they not want to meet you, this one here asked to meet you she did, didn't you?" The caterpillar seemed to flounder for a moment faced again his wife's tears and Kagome hurriedly assured both that she had wished to meet the other.

"Of course I asked to meet you when he told me of you he said that you would want to meet me, but I also wanted to ask either of you if you could tell me how to get to the place just past the Bog of Eternal Stench?" Kagome interjected the thought unsure on how well it would be received but hoped that now with his wife here the first of the caterpillars would answer her original question.

"Oh dear why would you want to go there? Awful smelly place it is tell her it is." The female jabbed at the male when he didn't speak to confirm her statement for her.

"Oh! Oh yes! Awful smelly place it is dear couldn't possibly tell you where in good conciseness no, no definitely not, not a nice thing like you no."

"Oh please I must get there it is where my brother is being kept, please." Kagome watched as they debated with each other in distinctively before finally finishing rather loudly.

"Oh fine!" The male looked at her as if pleading for understanding.

"Are you sure you want to go, you can't no you can't it is a horrible place evil things lurk there they do evil terrible things!"

"Please I am sure I must go to save my brother he is being kept there." The caterpillar turned a particular look upon his wife before again looking at her.

"Take the left turn there dear take you to where your going it will..." He seemed to trail off.

"Are you sure?" Kagome asked uncertain his own answer bringing about her own uncertainty, the wife answered for him.

"Of course of course dear a nice thing like you find where your going no time take left and continue on can't miss it you can't no!"

"Well then thank you thank you very much for the help." Kagome stood up from her kneeling position steadied herself as the blood returned to her legs and took the left turn speeding along the way unaware of the conversation behind her.

"She should not have gone that way! It'll take her to that castle his castle! The Goblin Kings castle! Should have gone the other way she should if she wanted to get past the Bog yes."

"Oh hush dear, if she'd of gone the other way she would meet that Queen, you know the one the evil one she's the nasty sort my dear if she goes to the Goblin King he talk sense to her he will, stop her from going he will, nice girl like her cannot go to the other side of the bog! Terrible place, now come inside lunch is getting cold!" With that and one last mournful look at the way the girl left both male and female caterpillar left to trudge in side there home to have lunch.

End Chapter 1

Chapter 2 (preview)

Jareth watched Kagome as she continued on she would be here soon he knew maybe an hour or more unless she was redirected, gently he lifted his crystal of her image to his lips and kissed her, it was a horrible parody of the real thing he knew but he settle for this now, she had not realized he knew and had purposefully lead her to believe that if she rescued her brother she could leave. Yet being the Goblin King gave him one great asset he had never said she could leave. No one could leave nor enter his realm without his say so, the princess did not seem to understand this, but she would come to know it well soon enough.

A clock ticked away on the far wall and he wished he could speed up time eleven hours and thirteen minutes, whether she succeeded or failed didn't matter there was one way she could leave but-no she would never leave she would be his forever. To himself he said quietly his minions gone for the time to either see her this girl who had so captured his attention or to redirect her and trick her, he look forward to see which one's she would remember when she came to rule them, it was a loud whisper merely for the simple fact that he liked to hear his own voice nearly as often as he enjoyed hearing hers.

"In eleven hours and nine minutes you'll be mine."

(End preview)

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Hey me here this is my newest story I've been watching The Labyrinth a lot lately and this idea just sort of came to me, I got the queen and her guard from the graphic novel "Return to the Labyrinth,"(Unfortunately I never bought the novel and therefore can't remember their names, the ones I have in for them I took off the Internet so please for give me if they are wrong.)(Also I changed it's story around to suit my own if you can't tell) This is not part of that graphic novel however, in fact if Sarah or Toby are mentioned at all it is for past tense only I think..for now. Updates for my other stories are coming soon in fact I hope to have them up within the next two weeks however please don't take this quote seriously it takes longer than I had anticipated to type these stories, but the chapter's themselves are written and as soon as I finish typing them they will be posted! Don't give up on me I'm still trying in fact I have just finished the end of my Powerpuff Girls fanfiction I just have to type it now (another daunting task I'm afraid).

A Would-Be Faerie Tale is taking a little longer than I anticipated so as soon as I post chapter three I hope everyone will be kind enough to give this poor writers block of mine some consideration and give me idea's thank you for sticking with me and reading my stories. PB :)