Help...

The crystal showed nothing as he gazed into it's depths. Nothing but a pale swirling mist. There was no image of Sarah or where she was being held.

"Show me Sarah." He asked again, holding the crystal in front of his eyes. He was met with the same response. No image of Sarah for his eyes to focus on. Frustrated, he threw the crystal across the room where it shattered into thousands of tiny fragments when it came into contact with a wall. He reached for the second crystal and asked of it the same as he had asked the first. This crystal was empty as well. He reached for the third and final crystal. Empty.

"Perhapsss he hass taken her where magic can not reach." Jareth whirled around to see Megmora standing in the doorway.

'I thought that you were watching Ary?" He practically barked at her.

"The child hass fallen assleep." Ssshe tired herssself out by crying for her mother."

"You should not have left her alone. In fact I want her to be watched at all times of the day and while she sleeps, a guard will be posted at her door. I'm not taking any chances with Gorgin!"

Megmora nodded and turned to leave the room.

Jareth sighed, trying to rein in his over active temper. "What were you saying about magic?" He asked quietly.

Megmora turned to face him. "Isssuggessted that he took Lady Sssarah where magic can not go. He hasss no magic of hiss own, after hiss betrayal. He will want to face you on even ground."

"I know of no such place. Magic can travel anywhere, even to the mortal world."

"Think carefully. There isss a place. You were probably told sstoriess about it in your youth."

Jareth was silent for a moment as he thought. "The heart of the Underground. It's protected by ancient magic that will not allow magic to be used while within." He slumped back into his throne. "Which means he must have taken her to the dungeons there. I've never been, but I have heard the stories. Horrible place, dark, damp, incredibly depressing.

Megmora nodded sadly. She had heard the tales as well.

"How am I going to find her? There are rumored to be hundreds of tunnels."

"There isss one who can help you. He hass traveled through the tunnels before." "Anyone that I know of?" He prayed it was an ally.

"Oh yesss. You know him. The dwarf Hoggle." Megmora smiled showing her sharp white teeth.

Jareth nearly laughed out loud. "Hoghead? That little coward? He is the one who can save Sarah? I highly doubt that."

"He can do it. He iss the only one. I know that you dissslike him. But he can sssave her."

Jareth sighed. He could attempt the to find Sarah himself and get hopelessly lost within the tunnels or have someone who he disliked but who knew the way find her.

"I'll search him out immediately."

Hoggle was searching through the debris on the edge of Goblin City. "Nuthin" he muttered and walked towards the forest. He was hungry and some fruit sounded particularly nice right about now."

"Taking a trip somewhere Hoghead?" The voice was cool, arrogant.

Hoggle spun around to see the Goblin King leaning casually against a tree. "I don't hafta answer any of yer questions. Go bother a goblin or somethin."

The Goblin King walked towards him. "I don't have time for foolish games Hoggle." The dwarf's eyes focused on the King when he realized he has pronounced his name properly.

"Games is all ya knows."

'I don't play games when the life of someone I care about is at stake." The Goblin King looked deflated for a moment. There was no sign of his arrogance or his flaring ego. "I...I need your help." He admitted quietly.

Hoggle put a hand to one of his large ears. "I didn't quite hear that."

"I said that I need your help. I won't repeat it again." He snapped.

"YOU need MY help?" Jareth nodded. "Gimme one good reason why I should help ya."

"Sarah." Hoggle's bushy brows rose over his eyes and Jareth continued. "She's been kidnapped by Gorgin."

"What!!!" Hoggle rushed at the King, his hands balled into tight fists. "How could ya? How could ya let him take her!?"

Jareth's brows lowered over his mismatched eyes. "You think that I would just let him take her? Do you think me that cruel? Gorgin cleverly tricked me. Used himself as a diversion so his henchmen could take Sarah! I have a terrible feeling that he plans to use her as bait. She'll be a bargaining tool so that he can take my Kingdom!"

"Why should I help ya keep your kingdom? We don't needs ya as King!"

Jareth put his hands on his hips. "If you don't help me, he will kill Sarah. I know Gorgin well enough to know that he will keep his word when it comes to killing someone. I refuse to lose Sarah because of your foolishness to rebel against me. Rebel all you wish, AFTER Sarah is safe."

Hoggle regarded him thoughtfully. "What do ya need me to do that you can't do ya self. You're the one with all the magic."

"She is being held in a place where my magic will do little good. I have reason to believe that she is being held in the heart of the Underground." Hoggle's eyes widened. "I can not use my magic and I have never traveled the tunnels before. I could be there for weeks searching for her and we don't have weeks. She will not survive in the tunnels for very long." An image of Sarah lying in a dirty cot, rats scurrying around her, tear stained cheeks, and a slight swell to her belly where his child grew within her as the weeks passed, entered his mind. He shook his head furiously trying to make the image fade.

Hoggle didn't miss the look of desperation, of pain on the Goblin King's face. Something inside of him felt pity for the Goblin King. It was possible that he really did care about Sarah. But another part of him still didn't trust the King. He had said that Sarah was a bargaining tool for his kingdom. Perhaps he wished to save her due to the fact that he didn't wish for her death to be on his conscience.

Should he help Jareth find Sarah? He gazed at the King who stood regally, but there was something in his eyes, an expression that Hoggle had never seen before.

The dwarf sighed deeply. "All rights. I'll help ya."

The Goblin King nodded and pulled forth a crystal from thin air. "I can transport us as far as the entrance to the tunnels, but from there on out, my magic will be of no use to me."

"Oh so ya mean that you'll have to do things like a normal person? No popping in and out of thin air, no disguises, no crystals, no-"

"I get your point! I may not have my magic to fall back on, but that doesn't mean that I will be an invalid."

"We'll see about that."

Jareth rolled his eyes and moments later he and Hoggle were standing in front of the old metal gates that protected the stone stairs that led straight into the ground. Jareth walked quickly to the gate.

Hoggle took a deep breath and looked warily at the stairs that descended into the depths of the Underground. Jareth watched his actions.

"Afraid?"

Hoggle swallowed. "You have no idea of what lives down there, do ya?"

"Of course I don't. I've never been down there before. I have heard stories of the dungeons and of the tunnels that twist and turn in every direction and never seem to end. They make my labyrinth seem like child's play."

"The tunnels are easy enough to navigate if ya know what you're looking for. They ain't so different then the Labyrinth. But the creatures? Hideous, menacing beasts that have never seen sunlight. They're evil, some of 'em will eat ya if you don't watch out. You can't bargain with them or ask fer there permission to pass by. And there are guardians at all of the entrances to important tunnels."

"And the dungeons? What of the dungeons?"

"We're gonna need to be on out guard. The ones that guard the dungeons are said to be the worst."

"Said to be the worst. So you don't know for sure?"

"I ain't certain of everything. I ain't been heres in years and things can change in them years."

"Regardless if they have changed or not. We need to find Sarah."

"I don't need to do nuthin'. YOU need to find Sarah, otherwise Gorgin will kill her."

Jareth spun at him, his cape whipping around his slender form. "Do you care about Sarah or not? For someone who claims to be her friend, you sure don't act like one!"

"I ams her friend, but this ain't me problem. You was the one who let your guard down and he took her."

Jareth could feel his temper rising within him, but he pushed it away. "We're losing precious time by arguing." He told the dwarf and he moved toward the gate.

"Why ya doin this anyways? Why ya suddenly care so much bout helping someone other then yer self?"

"because I love her, you little fool." Jareth's cape whipped around him once more as he headed for the gates, leaving the dwarf to watch him go.

Sarah felt sick to her stomach. The smell that filled her nose was unbearable and to her it rivaled the Bog of Eternal Stench. After being kidnapped by a stinking beast and being dragged through what seemed like an endless maze of tunnels, she had been thrown into a very tiny room that could only serve one purpose. To be her place of imprisonment.

The room was lined with walls that reminded her of the walls within the tunnels of the Labyrinth that she and Hoggle had gone through so many years before. These walls were dark in color and the rocks looked like cobblestones. Mold and mildew grew from cracks in the rocks, water from an unknown source dripped down the walls. The floor was disgustingly dirty as was everything else in the room.

There was a small cot covered with some type of material that reminded her of burlap. The mattress was stuffed with feathers of some sort and it was so flat that she doubted it would support even a mouse from feeling the timber frame beneath it. There was a small metal pan that looked like it held food at one time. Her stomach turned just looking at it. At the end of the bed was a tin bucket with a handle that she realized to her disgust was what passed for a toilet.

For what felt like the 100th time, she glanced around the room that she had been in for what felt like days, but was probably only hours. She shivered in the darkness. They had not even left her with a candle. The only light that entered the room was the light of a torch that burned in the hallway outside her door. The door to the room was heavy old metal with small bars at the top. Her only chance of escape and everytime she tried to turn the knob it remained as it had upon her entrance. Locked.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she turned her thoughts away from her depressing surroundings and tried to think about her daughter. She prayed that Ary was safe. And she prayed that Jareth would find her and soon. She didn't know how much longer she could stay in this room without going insane.

Jareth growled as they met another dead end. "I thought that you knew where you were going!"

"I said I thought I knew where I was going. Didn't say I was sure."

Jareth growled and clenched his fists having every intention of knocking the annoying little dwarf flat on his behind. Realizing at the last second that this dwarf was his only chance to find Sarah he angrily took his frustrations out on the nearest wall.

Hoggle shook his head from side to side. "That temper ain't gonna get you no where but an early grave down here. You need patience and lots of it."

"Any patience I had has long since fled me."

"Well you had better finds more if you want to save Sarah. This way." Jareth groaned inwardly and had no choice but to follow.

They traveled down tunnel after tunnel. Water dripped from the ceilings, moss grew from the cracks between rocks. The deeper they traveled, the colder and darker it became. Jareth shivered and pulled his cape around him. He spotted a torch a short way down the wall and reached eagerly for it."

"No! Don't touch that!" Hoggle cried out at him.

Jareth spun around at him. "Why not? I can barely see two feet in front of me!"

"If you take that torch the creatures will notice. They've memorized where the flames should burn and if they see one movin they're gonna know that we're down here. There are torched placed throughout the tunnels. Should be a bunch more down the next level."

"How much further until the next level?"

"Not far."

Jareth growled.

Sarah jumped when she heard the lock to the door click. The door opened moments later and the mand she had seen on the porch in Goblin City entered, flanked by two of the creatures that had kidnapped her. He smiled devilishly.

"Enjoying your stay my dear?"

Sarah who had been leaning against the wall, straightened. "No I am not, if you must know. I demand that you release me." She told him, lifting her chin defiantly.

The man chuckled. "Who are you to be demanding anything of me?"

"Who are you?" She demanded further. She knew his name. Megmora told her it was Gorgin, but the name meant little to her. She wanted to know what she wanted her for, what his relationship to Jareth was.

"Wouldn't you like to know? Who I am bears no importance to you."

Sarah felt anger rise inside of her. He didn't want to answer her questions. "When Jareth rescues me and he gets his hands on you, he's going to rip you to shreds!" Her voice was strong and did not waver.

Gorgin laughed throatily. "Oh you put yourself up on such a high pedestal. I hope that you don't go crashing down off of it. You don't seriously believe that the Goblin King loves you, do you?" He watched her determined stare. She did believe that Jareth loved her. "Oh you are precious..." he purred. "How did the Goblin King get involved with someone so innocent?"

He moved towards her and Sarah backed away. He continued to move at her, like a predator stalked its prey and she felt her back touch the wall. Gorgin moved into her space, so close to her that she could feel his breath sweep across her face. He grinned at her uncomfortable expression.

"Here's a bit of information for you, lovey. The Goblin King doesn't love anyone. He never has and he never will. You're just another pretty face to add to his collection."

"That's not true!!" Sarah cried out angrily and she pushed Gorgin so hard that he stumbled backward and nearly fell.

He smirked at her. He had underestimated this mortal woman. She had spunk, spirit and fire. "Well, I'll guess that we'll just have to wait and see...won't we?" He turned on his heel and left her, his guards following him, locking the door behind them. Sarah could hear their laughter as they walked away down the hall.

She leaned against the wall farthest from the door, sliding down the cold, clammy stone until her bottom hit the floor. Her stomach was violently betraying her as she settled. She felt tears sting her eyes but she didn't cry. She wouldn't give into that horrible man. She knew Jareth...and he would save her.

Beware of empty entranceways...

Ary opened her eyes slowly, letting them focus on her surroundings. There was a sound in the room and she turned her head to see Megmora sitting in a chair beside her bed. The dragon gave her an odd toothy smile, which Ary attempted to return, but it just wasn't happening. She let out a deep sigh instead.

"Is my mommy back yet?" She asked with hope in her small voice.

Megmora sadly shook her head. "I'm afraid not child."

The little girl suddenly seemed angry. "How could he have let that mean man take my mommy? I thought Jareth loved her? Why didn't he protect her?"

Megmora was taken back at her anger. The child always seemed so fond of her King, but she had to realize that Ary was frightened. She was in a strange world, and her mother had been taken from her. The only other person who was familiar to her was off trying to save her mother and right now she needed to blame someone for her loss and she had chosen Jareth.

"King Jareth wasss taken by sssurprisse asss we all were. I would hardly sssay that he let Gorgin take her." The dragon gently rose from the chair and sat carefully beside the little mortal girl. The child looked lost, and as if she were going to break down and cry again at any given moment.

'I want to go home..." Ary whined. " I want to watch cartoons, and eat ice cream. I want to see my Uncle Toby and ride my bike. I don't want to be here anymore. I want my mommy and I want us to go home!"

Megmora frowned. "And what of King Jareth? You would leave him...jussst like that, after all he hass done for you and your mother?"

Ary opened her mouth to speak and suddenly began to cry. Megmora pulled her into her arms gently. "Let it out little one." She rocked the little girl in her arms and soon she was sleeping once again. Megmora hoped that her words had been in confusion, frustration, otherwise the Goblin King and a certain mortal woman were in for a great deal of heart ache.

"This can't be right." Hoggle said softly. He stopped and gazed at two empty tunnel entrances before them. One swerved to the left and the other to the right.

Jareth stopped beside him, planting his leather encased hands on his slender hips. "What can't be right? That you don't remember which tunnel to take?" He asked insolently.

"No...No… No... There used to be a guardian here. The tunnel that goes to the right, leads to the dungeons. There ain't no guardian here, unless I've gone blind and don't see it. Although it was a huge hairy thing, lots a legs and eyes."

"Let's not complain that it isn't here. Maybe he's out on a lunch break or something." Jareth suggested dryly.

"It's well past lunch time and the guardians don't leave their posts for such trivial things. I ain't likin this one bit. We haven't seen any guardians."

"Perhaps they were relieved of their posts. Perhaps there has been no one to guard for so many years that they were sent home."

"That ain't likely. The guardians have been heres for hundreds if not thousands of years."

"Well let's pass through and find Sarah before they decide to come back." Hoggle nodded and they entered the tunnel.

It was very quiet and quite dark, but they pressed on.

Sarah shivered and pulled her knees to her chin trying to stay warm. The stone was cold and being so deeply underground certainly didn't help. The torches were too far away to provide any true heat. She had not dressed in the best of clothes for a trip to the Underground. The day had been warm and she had chosen a simple sleeveless dress. It was tattered and so dirty now and provided no warmth. There was the burlap blanket draped carelessly over the bed, but it looked so dirty and she didn't want to touch it. She wished she didn't have to touch the wall or the floor either.

She had no idea how much time had passed but she knew she wanted out of this room. It felt like she was locked away in a tiny box with sides that were closing in on her. Sides that had every intention of crushing her and squeezing the life out of her.

She wanted a warm bed, particularly one with Jareth in it, so that she could fall asleep feeling safe in his arms. She wanted a hot bath, something good to eat. She sighed, letting her face fall into her knees and she curled into a ball, trying to remain warm, using her own body heat. The cold around her was damp and at times it crept through straight to her bones. She gazed at the door and let her eyes focus on the flickering flame of a distant torch.

"Jareth...where are you?"

"How much further to the dungeons?" Jareth asked for the 8th time.

Hoggle growled. "Oooh! Stop asking me that! I don't knows an exact measurement. We still have a ways to go. The dungeons ain't exactly small. In fact they are a maze in and of itself. Hundreds upon hundreds of cells."

"Oh how wonderful..." The Goblin King let out sarcastically. He tired of walking through these dark tunnels. He was cold and his feet and legs were starting to ache from so much walking. He wanted to find Sarah and hold her in his arms and see the love she felt for him shine back at him through her beautiful hazel eyes. But thinking of Sarah also brought a feeling of dread to him. How was he going to approach her about her being pregnant with his child? "You messed up royally this time didn't you?" He said softly to himself.

"What was that?" Hoggle asked stopping and turning to look at the King who walked a short distance behind him.

"Nothing." Jareth told him. "Absolutely nothing."

"There's the dungeons?" Hoggle told him. Jareth's tired expression lifted and he walked quickly to the dwarf's side as they appeared at the entrance to a new hallway.

"Sarah!!" Jareth called out. His voice echoed through the endless, empty hallways lined with dungeon cells.

"What are you, some kind of idiot? You want everyone to know that we's here?" Hoggle told him pointing an accusing finger.

"How else are we going to find her?" Jareth barked at him. His patience was slipping rapidly. Hoggle could see that the King was edgy.

"We look through all the cells till we find 'er."

"Are you mad? That could take days, even weeks. Look at all the cells!" Jareth gestured with his hand towards the maze of dungeon cells that spanned in every direction.

"We either look quietly or get eaten by a guardian because we started yelling for her."

"I think you are full of rubbish! There have been no damned guardians. The only creatures I have seen have been rats and mice, spiders and a few bats!" Jareth continued.

Hoggle suddenly shrank back in fear and Jareth regarded him strangely. Had his temper scared the dwarf that much? Hoggle was trembling, his lower lip quivering. "Look out!!" he suddenly cried.

Jareth looked up and jumped out of the way just in time to narrowly miss the crab like claw of a giant beast from flattening him. Jareth threw himself hard against one wall as the beast, who looked to be a mix between a spider and a beach crab reached out with it's sharp claws. The beast was relentless and didn't seem to tire from snapping at the King with his claws, while Jareth was beginning to tire easily.

"How do we get past it?" He looked desperately for Hoggle who suddenly seemed to be missing.

"You coward!!!" Jareth roared, his eyes finding the hallway empty except for himself and the beast. He was alone with this giant angry beast and he had no magic to protect him. His attention faltered for a moment and in that moment the beasts claws knocked into him. The Goblin King went sprawling to the ground. He fell unconscious onto his stomach, his blond hair spread out around him as the beast moved towards him, with the intention of turning the Goblin King into it's next meal....