Consciousness found Sarah, and with it a large headache. She left her eyes closed and tried to organize her scattered thoughts. The last thing she remembered was calling out for help. And Jareth. Had Jareth taken her? Her thoughts alarmed her, but then the scene of Robert squeezing her breath out resurfaced from her cloudy memory. She had called out to Jareth for help, and he had heard, that was for sure. She mentally groaned, and kicked herself. ‘What did I get myself into? And damn Jareth, its probably his fault.’ Her emotions were intertwined with anger and fear, but it faded swiftly and normal thought took over. It was unfair to blame Jareth; he hadn’t forced her to get involved with a psychotic boyfriend. A strange clicking sound made Sarah open her eyes to see two black boots walking, or rather pacing in front of her. From her sideways point-of-view, she saw many trees that reached up into the dark sky. Sporadic lights pushed back night’s blackness. There were benches too. ‘Where am I?’ She asked silently.

She tried to sit up, but her head throbbed and she lay it back down. “Where am I?” She demanded.

“I told you she’d wake up!” Sarah recognized Robert’s voice, but she couldn’t see him.

“Shut up. I did not ask you, and it does not matter.” Came the cruel, yet cultured voice of Nicolae’s.

Sarah cried out as a hand grasped her shoulder and forced her to sit up. The clasping hand belonged to Nicolae, and a sickening cold sunk through her where he was touching her arm. A sudden hatred towards him surged through her. Her emotions must have shown, for he released her and laughed.

“You don’t like me, why?” He ran a hand down her cheek and she jerked away, causing more laughter. “You think me a monster?” He got up close to Sarah’s face. She could hear him breathe and feel his breath. His eyes swirled with darkness and Sarah didn’t want to look into those eyes. Nicolae sat back and regarded her. “You don’t really know anything about him, you know. He’s cruel.”

Sarah shook her head. Out of everyone she should know about his cruelty the most, yet Jareth wasn’t the only one who was cruel, and she said bitterly, “We’re all cruel.”

A tight smile spread on Nicolae’s face. “Too true, Sarah. Too true.” She watched as he walked away, his black coat swishing against the path.

Sarah closed her eyes and leaned against the tree she was on. Was that what Jareth had always tried to tell her? She was just as cruel as he was, or perhaps more cruel because she never knew she was cruel. It was a discomforting thought. A curse from Nicolae made her open her eyes. Nicolae was a bad villain; Jareth had never cursed in front of her. It was an silly thought, but it brought a smile to her face.

A quiet voice startled her, “What are you smiling at?”

Sarah focused her eyes and for the first time saw Robert. His hair was messy and his face was scrubby. He looked down at her with curios caring, a fact she thought quiet ironic since he had tried to kill her. She decided to be cruel and taunted him. “I was thinking of the differences between Nicolae and Jareth, if you must know.”

Robert’s face turned red, “What were you thinking of him for?”

“Someone has to save me!”

“Why you little--” His voice rose dramatically, but Nicolae’s sharp “Shut Up!” had silenced him.

The slender, silver haired man dressed in black approached Robert and threatened. “Keep quiet. They have found this place, Robert, like I knew he would, but I have enough on my mind without babysitting a quarrel.”

Robert lowered his head and walked away from Sarah, who was actually sad. He had left her alone with Nicolae, something she feared greatly. Instead of showing her fear, she asked, “They?”

Nicolae turned to her and smiled. “Yes. Jareth and your other friend. Though neither of them shall reach here.” Nicolae raised his arms and a sparkling blue-white light danced around him, stirring the wind. He uttered a few words and light dispersed into the air, leaving him with a gratifying smile.

Sarah shivered at the cold, murderous smile. “What did you do?”

“I sent them a present.” His cold eyes locked with hers and Sarah felt a deep fear; not herself, but Jareth.

Once inside the park, Jareth felt oddly at home. The silence had a soothing affect on his soul. A cool breeze stirred the tree leaves and they whispered to him a warning. He stopped walking and glanced expectantly at the tree branches. The wood creaked and Jareth narrowed his eyes.

Anderson stepped beside him and whispered, “Jareth?”

“Wait.” He said, not removing his eyes from the whispering leaves, but then the sound stopped and the uneasy feeling that he had lessoned. But it had passed too quickly. Jareth reluctantly lowered his eyes and glanced down at Anderson. “Stay alert.” He said quietly and began walking again.

“What can he do? I don’t even see him.” Anderson sulked behind Jareth, confusion in his voice.

Jareth would have laughed, but humor eluded him for once. He was tired of pretending to be a powerless human; a powerless king was still more important than a mortal was. “Are you imaginative?”

Anderson shrugged, “Sure, I guess.”

“Sarah is.” Jareth was shocked by his openness with the reporter. He had let much appreciation seep through his words, so he continued. “She has hidden much of it, and sadly that’s my fault.”

“How can you stop someone’s imagination?” Anderson asked more than slightly confused. But most of his conversations with Jareth resulted in him being confused.

“Fear, cruelty, intimidation.” Jareth paused and closed his eyes. Inner revelations truly do hurt, but it was part of the story. A story he did not even write.

“You did that to Sarah?” Anderson said disgusted.

Jareth looked at Anderson with a scoff. “Don’t think Sarah was innocent, and don’t think she is innocent. I was cruel because she thought she was not. I instilled fear because she was afraid. I intimidated her because she was strong.”

Anderson rolled his eyes. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Why not? We live in mirrored worlds. Sarah and I--” Jareth allowed his eyes to widen as his own words sunk in. Now it truly made since, and his chest sunk with the truth. “Sarah and I are opposites.” He said in a clipped tone.

Anderson decided it best not to push the subject after hearing the finality tone in Jareth’s voice. A few moments passed before Jareth spoke again.

“Do you believe in magic?” He spoke casually, as if to kill time while walking through the eerily empty park.

Shrugging Anderson answered in the same manner. “I hadn’t really thought of it. I guess. When I was younger I did, everyone did at one time.”

“Why does it die out here, do you think?”

Anderson pursed his lips. “I guess because the world is too busy to contemplate such a thing.”

Jareth rubbed his chin and nodded in agreement. He took a deep breath. No matter how much he appreciated secrecy, Jareth needed the reporter to be prepared for anything. So he sighed again and spoke quietly, “Magic rules the world I live in.”

The reporter had stopped and was staring at Jareth as if he were crazy. It was a look Jareth didn’t know if he found humorous or insulting. He saw the disbelief in Anderson’s eyes and decided to laugh, “Don’t believe me?”

“C’mon, a magical king? Isn’t that a stretch?”

The tree braches overhead began to creak again and Jareth looked up slowly. His eyesight was keen as an owl’s, but he saw nothing as he peered skyward. It was more intuition, which he had always followed. Except with Sarah, he reminded himself bitterly. A hiss forced him to focus on a shadowed branch. A flick of a talk, talon claws on four feet, a mass of black, liquid feathers all belonging to one creature caught his attention. The creature screeched and the birdlike face with a sharp beak showed itself from through the leaves. As a response, the trees around the unarmed figures shook and cries filled the air. Jareth cursed as Anderson walked next to him and followed his sky turned gaze.

As he saw the winged creatures, Anderson cried out. “What are those!?”

“Be quiet!” Jareth said with acidity. “Those are gryphons sent for us.” He whispered harshly.

Anderson walked closer to Jareth, feeling a strange sense of comfort that the man knew what he was talking about.

“Watch how they watch you.” Jareth’s mind was spinning with ridiculous plans. The largest gryphon began shifting from one foot to the other, a sure sign an attack was eminent. The pack quieted down and Jareth saw Anderson’s wide eyes.

“What do we do now?” He asked barely over whisper.

Jareth forced a swallow and placed one foot behind him in anticipation for the pivot. The lead gryphon shrieked and Jareth grabbed Anderson’s arm and turned them around yelling over the pack’s howls. “RUN!!”

Sarah’s head snapped upright as she heard the strange screaming in the not so far distance. She listened to a cruel laughter, accompanied with a shallow laugh devoid of comprehension. Sarah stood and glared at the happy silver haired Nicolae. “What have you done?” She demanded. Nicolae regarded her coolly, while Robert gave her a pathetic look. Nicolae walked to her and smiled a smile that showed he was pleased with himself, but it made her uneasy. She asked again, “What have you done?”

The cruel smile widened over his delicate skin, “I’ve sent gryphons after them.” He said smugly. Horror crossed her face and Nicolae laughed at her and he walked to Robert, who was now eyeing Sarah with concern.

“Why does she care so much about him if he ruined her like you say?” He asked Nicolae with suspicion.

With a scoff, Nicolae brushed the subject aside. “She doesn’t even know.” And in a quieter tone commanded Robert’s attention. “I have to go check on someone. Keep an eye on her.” As Robert nodded, Sarah watched in fascination while Nicolae disappeared in a blast of sprinkled glitter.

Without his taunting, the screeching echoed in her head. The gryphons would certainly kill them. She had to help; they had to get away. She repeated the phrase until her body and mind felt numb and all she could focus on was helping the reporter and the king.

Robert watched in awe curiosity while a faint glow appeared around the standing body of Sarah. It wrapped around her and moved her curled hair around her face, but she did not move. Nor did she open her eyes. She was an awesome sight to see.

Only once in his long existence had the Goblin King felt truly afraid; this feeling while running from the gryphons was worse. He imagined their claws searing his skin and the hooked beaks scratching and pecking at him with cruel efficiency. The horror was all that kept him moving. The wide-eyed reporter was struggling to keep up with him, he knew, but what could be done? Jareth threw Anderson a sympathetic glance. Anderson’s face turned with determination and they kept running.

A close shriek behind them caused Jareth to pause. The pause cost him greatly. A gryphon pummeled into his back and Jareth rolled on the park path, crying out when his shoulder impacted with the pavement. Anderson stopped and yelled, “Jareth! Get up!”

Calmness wrapped around Jareth as a large black and blue gryphon approached him stealthily. Jareth glanced at the reporter and with a voice with no room for negotiation shouted out. “Don’t stop, you fool. Keep running!” Anderson hesitated for a second, then continued running. It was a slight relief to see the reporter leave. At least one of them had a chance of rescuing Sarah. Jareth swiveled his eyes to the approaching gryphon. It spread its wings and leapt into the air, positioning itself for an attack on the fallen king. Seconds before the claws reached his face a strange sensation washed over Jareth’s body. It smothered him, and Jareth inhaled it. There was magic flowing to him, and though it wasn’t his, he swallowed it greedily. It felt like time had stopped around him, but as he looked closer, he realized time was just moving slowly. A faint voice touched his mind and Jareth concentrated on the alien, yet welcome magic. He followed the link until he saw Sarah’s sill figure in the park. She snapped her eyes open and focused on his. Jareth smiled. This was her magic! Yet he would use it. Compatible magic was not to be taken lightly.

He returned to his body and shut his eyes. The feathers of the gryphon’s face tickled his. Using Sarah’s wonderfully ironic powers, he dissolved the gryphon as time resumed its normal flow. As another and another gryphon approached him, he willed Sarah’s magic to destroy them, and the magic complied. It felt strange, for one who had all his life just commanded magic. Using Sarah’s felt like he was asking for permission. Once the pack around him was destroyed he ran, tracing the magical path back to Sarah. Around a bend he heard a yell and as he rounded the corner he saw Anderson sprawled out on the ground; a gryphon in mid air about to strike. Jareth flicked his wrist and the gryphon exploded in air as the magic agreed with his decision to destroy the creature.

Jareth offered Anderson a hand and the reporter accepted it readily, “How did you do that?”

“Wait.” Jareth focused the magic to his injured left shoulder and sighed with relief. A faint glow encircled him as the magic repaired the tendons and completely healed his wound.

Anderson jumped back. “You really have magic!”

Jareth continued walking briskly in the direction of Sarah. “This is Sarah’s.” He laughed painfully. “I’m beginning to think Sarah and I are cursed.” The confused look on the reporter’s face caused Jareth to sober. “Never mind.”

Nicolae returned from the Underground and his meeting with the wonderful wishing boy, only to be furious at what he saw. Sarah was standing still and she was emanating a powerful magic. He didn’t have to question where she was sending it. The ridiculous mortal man stared at her. Nicolae walked behind him and slapped the back of Robert’s head. “Imbecile!” She’s helping them, and you allow it?”

Before the human could respond, Nicolae walked away from him and stood before Sarah. He passed a hand in front of her, cutting the magic off. Her concentration broke, and she fell to her knees as a scream escaped her lips. Nicolae bent down to her eye level and frowned at her, “Very clever, very clever.”

Jareth dropped to the ground in shock as the magic flow was cut off. He mourned the loss and came to the conclusion that he could never live as a mortal. A slight fear for Sarah arose, but he pushed it down. Wondering about what he could not change would not help the situation.

“You okay?” Anderson asked helping Jareth up.

“That is an absurd question to ask Anderson.”

Fear still ran in Anderson’s veins, and he responded by mocking Jareth. “Perhaps, perhaps not.”

They exchanged glares for a few moments before Jareth realized he was squabbling over something that had no meaning. He sighed in defeat and gestured for Anderson to follow as they continued down the path towards uncertainties.

Sarah smiled madly as she saw Jareth and Anderson walking briskly from out of the darkness. She had had her doubts about the king even caring enough to come for her at first, for Nicolae had kindly reminded her that it was Jareth’s magic he was seeking, not her. But nonetheless, he was there, and looking wickedly upset. Sarah suppressed her smile as Nicolae gave her a warning look.

Jareth walked to Nicolae and grinned. “There. I’ve beaten your pathetic maze.”

Nicolae wiped off imaginary dust from his black silk shirt and scoffed. “Not without help.”

“You made no rules to this, Nicolae.”

“Fool! This isn’t my game!”

Sarah slipped past Nicolae and joined Anderson and Jareth. So Jareth was right, someone had summoned Nicolae. But the list of people who wanted Jareth dead probably wasn’t a short one. ‘You must kill both,’ Jareth had said. Sarah turned her attention back to the men, each holding the other in their awful gazes of odd eyes.

Abruptly Jareth blinked. “Go get him, Nicolae. You need him to finish the job.”

Sarah was curious who Jareth was referring to and had began to ask the question, but he silenced her and she obeyed.

Nicolae studied them a few seconds and then laughed. “Alright, Goblin King. You’re right, I do need him, but you will be dying before I return. Robert! Come here!”

Sarah watched in morbid curiosity as Robert came sliding form the shadows, like he was propelled forward and he hadn’t really wanted to move. Nicolae whispered a few words and Jareth pushed them all away. Sarah allowed him to, for she hadn’t understood the words but knew Jareth had.

As the worded magic passed onto Robert, Nicolae dissolved in the black night that matched his eyes, his clothes, and his soul. Sarah watched in horror as Robert seemed to grow too large his clothes. They ripped off revealing a monstrous body covered with long, rusted colored hair. Robert grunted in pain as his arms extended and fell to the floor. Two large horns protruded from his head. More of the hair covered his body, yet as Sarah looked closely, it was more the body of Ludo’s, yet with Robert’s head. With a loud howl that changed as well. Robert’s face pushed back into his and remolded itself to look like Ludo’s. But none of Ludo’s kindness could be found in that face. Instead, two small glowing red eyes focused on them with a meaning all too clear. As the beast began walking towards them, Sarah felt something cold on her arm. She looked down to see Jareth’s gloved hand clutching her wrist.

The three of them began backing up slowly. Sarah had wanted to run, but Jareth had steadied her. She glared at him and snatched her arm away from his grasp. “This is your entire fault, Jareth.”

Not taking his eyes away from the beast/Robert, he allowed a smirk to grace his lips. “Elaborate on how you having a psychotic relationship is my fault.”

Sarah frowned. Hadn’t she said the same thing?

Anderson sighed at their childish behavior. “Perhaps this isn’t the best time for this.”

“Shut Up!” Sarah and Jareth shouted in unison, and they both glared at each other.

Sarah continued the rampage on Jareth’s character. “You’re so arrogant; you probably have people lined up to kill you.”

Jareth laughed out loud, and that further aggravated Sarah. “You’re right, but whoever is doing this hates you just as much as me, and has a wonderful since of irony.”

Scrunching her nose, she continued to back away form the now drooling beast. A certain realization hit her and she practically screamed at Jareth, “You know who called Nicolae! Tell me!”

“Sarah,” he warned with his voice that she was being too disrespectful, and Sarah found herself in fear of him again. He regarded her evenly and continued, “Who would be the only one who would have anything to gain from destroying both of us at once?”

Sarah couldn’t think and was irritated by the look Jareth was giving her. It made her feel pathetically inferior. Finally she shrugged, “I don’t know.”

“Oh really?” He said sarcastically. “You should, you share his blood.”

The realization of what he was saying spread over her and she tried to deny it. “Why? Toby never seemed to dislike me. Though hating you makes sense, you were going to turn him into a goblin.”

Jareth’s face expressed unbelievably, “I was NOT going to turn him into a goblin, Sarah. I have enough of the mind-numbing creatures as it is. And I wouldn’t have had him in my possession if you hadn’t wished him there in the first place.”

They were staring at each other now, face to face. Neither willing to conceive this battle. Sarah was angry with the Goblin King. She had never forgotten that he had stole her baby brother. Yet she was just as upset with herself for wishing him away. Jareth was upset because she was blaming him for everything, and she knew that wasn’t fair, but she felt like arguing. A loud roar brought their attention back to the beast and Sarah screamed as the Robert beast lunged for her.

Anderson watched them in slight shock. The threat of this strange creature was much more serious than a petty squabble. And he heard what they were talking about, and it made no sense to his reporter’s mind. He watched Sarah as she resumed her child-like manners from when she had first started acting. She was always willing to argue when she had started. Yet the beast always stopped him from paying too much attention to their argument about an event years ago that Anderson had yet to comprehend.

The beast lunged for them, and Anderson scurried away, relieved when he saw that Jareth had grabbed Sarah and pushed her out of the way. The beast raced past and circled around, gathering its thoughts. Anderson sighed as he heard Sarah chastising Jareth from across the path.

“Let go of me Jareth.” Anderson shook his head as he saw Sarah push herself away from Jareth. “You could have killed me!”

Anderson had spent enough time with Jareth to know the strain in his voice was from trying to control his anger. “Or you could have been impaled.”

“What do you care!” She screamed at him.

Anderson watched as the two continued their battle. Neither noticed the beast running towards Sarah. But Anderson did. He drew in a long breath and ran across the opening that divided Sarah and Jareth from him. The world slowed down. Anderson saw the beast raging towards the unsuspecting Sarah. He saw the look of pure terror on Jareth’s face when he realized he couldn’t stop it.

Anderson threw his body in front of Sarah's, saw Jareth grab her, and the felt the beast’s claws and horns sink deep into his back and then saw them protruding to the other side of his chest before sweet oblivion closed his eyes.

Jareth held tightly to Sarah’s arms as she cried out in hysterics. Anderson had sacrificed himself, and his body was still skewered onto Robert’s horns. Blood squirted and Sarah turned away from the beast as he struggled to get the heavy body off his horns. Sarah looked at Jareth with tears in her eyes.

“We have to do something. He needs help.” She was hard to understand through her sobbing and hyperventilating, but Jareth knew what she had said.

His response was not going to be the one she wanted to hear, but she needed to hear it the same, “He’s already gone Sarah.”

She dropped to her knees and Jareth watched in concern. She started babbling and Jareth strained to listen, but feared taking too much attention away from the struggling beast, which still hadn’t managed to free itself from the limp body on its head.

“I was so mean to him...I really did like him. He was a good reporter, never wrote anything bad about me. I never thanked him.” She wrapped her arms around her knees and began crying louder.

Jareth couldn’t help her, she wouldn’t let him. He had a sinking feeling that she would eventually turn all the blame on him. That angered him, and in a more cruel way than he meant he silence her wailings. “Get up Sarah. You are not a child, and this is not over yet. How can you sit there while the one that killed Anderson is right in front of us?”

She snapped her head up, stood, and slapped him before he had time to response. She slapped him again and that stinging sensation awoke him from the shock of the first attack. She attempted to strike him again, but he caught her wrist and held it tightly. She struggled and brought her other hand up. He grabbed that one as well.

Jareth looked down and saw pure hatred glowing in Sarah’s eyes. He didn’t even know if the hatred was for him, but assumed most could be traced to him. There was power in her eyes as well; he wasn’t going to delude himself any more. She held power because he had none. Jealousy flared in him, but he clamped down on it. She needs to use that power, for neither of them could kill the beast/Robert without it.

Sarah watched the king’s face and knew he was plotting something. “What is it?” She said acidly.

Jareth’s body tensed. He expected her to hate him, but the events that started this happened such a long time ago. Why not forgive and forget? Was it easier to hate if you were human? No, Jareth hates just like the rest of them. He stared at her glaring eyes, eyes that could burn through him, if they only knew how. Still holding her hands, he spun her around so that her arms were crossed and her hands were held behind her. Jareth felt her struggle to turn her gaze, so he tightened the grip. The horrible sight of Anderson’s body on the beast’s horns wasn’t something he was terribly anxious to see either, but she needed some convincing. “You can destroy that, Sarah.”

She sobbed, “I can’t, that’s Robert.”

Jareth closed his eyes; this was going to be painful. “Who’s more important Sarah? A man who killed himself for you, or a man who is dead trying to kill you?”

He felt her shaking. “That’s not fair!” She screamed. He kept quiet. She was angry enough at him without him commenting on her choice of words, but her old quote did bring a smile to his lips for a brief second.

Sarah’s body went limp in defeat and Jareth heard her whisper, “What do I do?”

An urgent glee caused him to speak quickly as he backed them away from the beast. “Concentrate, Sarah. Focus all your emotions into destroying the Beast. Not Robert. Robert is already dead; he died the minute he listened to Nicolae.”

Sarah craned her neck to face Jareth. “What protects me from you?”

Jareth released her arms and smiled genuinely at her. She turned around to face him entirely and dropped her mouth slightly when she saw his expression. He brought his hand up and briefly touched Sarah’s cheek. Taking a deep breath and releasing it in a sigh, Jareth spoke to her quietly, “What do I gain by hurting you? Truly, Sarah.”

Her face showed contemplation and Jareth watched semi-amused. He brought his eyes up and scanned the black shadows until he located the red haired beast. With amazing strength the beast finally pried the reporter’s lifeless body off his horns and threw it on the pathway, then the monster stomped on it. Jareth grimaced as the sound of bursting organs and crunching bones filled his head. He returned his gaze to Sarah. “Now Sarah. You’ve run out of time.”

Her face was still turned to him; “There’s no time limit in this game.”

Jareth spun her around and pointed to the charging beast. “There is when something like that is running towards you.”

He felt her body shaking. “What do I do? What do I do?”

“Concentrate.”

She searched through her emotions for anything usable. She always came up with hate. So the hatred burned within her, and she sucked in her air with ragged breaths. Concentrate, he told her. On what exactly? Her eyes widened as the bloody beast gained momentum towards them. She closed her eyes to block the awful sight and let all the hatred build up in her. She barely felt Jareth step in front of her, barely heard him yelling to her. She could only feel the power coursing through her body with such a unique feeling. It was like electric currents traveling in her veins. They grew in intensity until she thought she would explode with pent up energy.

Her eyes flew open and she was staring at a most frightening sight. Jareth was struggling with the beast; dodging its blows with his cat-like grace that he had never lost. Sarah turned to him in shock. “Now what do I do?”

“Release it!”

Sarah allowed the magic to flow out of her toward the beast/Robert form and watched in horrific awe as a bright light encircled it. She could hear the fur sizzling and smell the skin burning under the intense light. With a loud howl of pain from the fallen beast, the magic destroyed Robert and beast in a blast so strong it threw Jareth back against a tree.

Sarah gasped and ran towards Jareth’s limp form. He shook his head as she sat him up. She hadn’t meant to harm him. In fact; she didn’t want to harm anyone. Quietly the tears began to fall. Jareth opened and attempted to focus his eyes. Sarah saw them role and he placed his head back against the tree he was leaning on. Sarah was distraught and buried her head in her hands and cried. She didn’t notice Jareth recover his senses, and didn’t hear him calling out to her, but she felt his hand lightly touch her shoulder. Her head jerked up and she saw Jareth use the tree as leverage and stand up.

She stood and kept the tears and bay as she watched Jareth place his hand on his temple, “Well, did you destroy him?” He asked softly. She nodded, but said nothing. She didn’t want to think about it.

A strange sensation came over her. She wondered briefly what the cause was, but all she needed to do was look at Jareth’s eyes for the reason. She spun around, sure of what she was going to see. “Toby! Why are you doing this?”

Toby stood side by side with the tall, slender Nicolae. Though Toby was young, his face was hard and cruel. It wasn’t the boy Sarah remembered growing up with. The sixteen-year-old boy laughed at her and focused his eyes into a glare. “Sarah, did you think I would never find out what you did to me?”

Jareth felt her tense and she stepped towards her half-brother. “I never meant it Toby, why else would I have gone to get you?”

Nicolae spoke purposely-fueling Toby’s anger, “Sarah; you’ve always wanted to be the hero in the story. You sent Toby away out of selfishness, and returned him again for your own gain.”

Toby nodded and Sarah almost cried out, but Toby pointed a straight finger at Jareth at spat venom, “And you! How dare you try to turn me into a goblin? You don’t deserve to live either.”

Jareth laughed and Toby blinked in surprise. Sarah also turned to look at him. Jareth just shook his head in amusement. “You have a warped sense of reality, Toby. How much do you remember and how much has Nicolae told you?”

“He didn’t tell me anything, I read the book.” Toby said proudly.

Nicolae patted Toby’s shoulder and glared at Jareth while Sarah lowered her eyes. It was her fault. She should have destroyed the book. It would be so simple to turn everything on Jareth, blame him for everything, but Sarah wouldn’t. Not this time. She focused her eyes on Toby and anger flared her wild magic, lighting her eyes with an unusual glow. “Alright, Toby. If this is how your story goes, I’ll play along.”

Toby backed up a pace as he saw the shimmer in his half-sister’s glare. He began to feel frightened, but Nicolae whispered in he ear, “Do not worry; I’ll take care of the Goblin King so you can focus on Sarah.”

Toby smiled cruelly at Sarah. “Fine.” Toby charged at her and Sarah forgot her reason and ran. The fear of this strange person in her brother’s body overpowered her senses. There wasn’t any trace of Toby left, not the Toby she knew. How long had that hate been burning in him? She focused on avoiding him as he raced after her, the gleam of murder in his eyes.

Jareth watched in shock and awe as Toby lunged at Sarah. He was equally surprised when she didn’t use her magic. He was about to call out to her, but a blow to his back left him dazed and sprawled on the park floor. He turned to see Nicolae laughing and holding a fallen tree branch in his gloved hands. Jareth stood and dusted off the black tuxedo jacket without uttering a sound. Nicolae stopped laughing while Jareth’s eyes clouded over as a storm fought within. Jareth stepped closer to Nicolae, purposely trying to intimidate the man with the weapon. When Nicolae stepped back, Jareth allowed a smile to show. It was a strange contrast to his dark eyes.

“Scared Nicolae? How much magic did you give to Toby? Hitting physically is usually below you.”

Nicolae tried to cover his nervousness as Jareth walked closer to him, but the branch shook in his grasp. “What are you talking about, Jareth? I just wanted the pleasure of destroying you personally.”

Jareth laughed and continued to walk towards the retreating Nicolae, who swung the branch. Jareth watched amused as the branch swept in front of him. He continued walking. “Oh, come now. I know the rules better than you.” He said slightly disappointed with Nicolae’s ability to be the villain. “Only one of the mirrored images can have magic at the same time. You gave yours away to Toby when you said you’d deal with me.” Jareth smiled his fang-like grin, but it wasn’t pleasant.

Nicolae’s eyes darted back and forth with apparent nervousness. “That’s not true. Stay away from me Jareth,” He said as Jareth took another step closer.

Laughing Jareth stalked closer just to unnerve his adversary, “What are you going to do Nicolae?” He asked tauntingly.

Nicolae began swinging the branch wildly, shutting his eyes at the same time and imagining the sound when the branch collided with Jareth’s skull. The blow never came.

Jareth moved around the swinging branch and came behind Nicolae. He placed his hands on both sides of Nicolae’s head and twisted it. With one fluid strike Nicolae’s neck snapped and the body fell limp to the floor. Jareth smirked, “You’re right, it is more rewarding.” He turned to seek Sarah, but an overwhelming amount of energy flowed to him. Falling to his knees, and fighting shock, he allowed his magic to return.

Sarah watched in curiosity as Toby abruptly spun towards Nicolae screaming. Sarah followed his gaze and gasped. Jareth twisted Nicolae’s neck and the body fell to the ground. Another scream escaped Toby’s mouth, but it was so inhuman. As Jareth sunk to the ground, Sarah felt the magic leave her, and she was greatly relieved. Jareth could have it! Toby began running towards Jareth’s fallen form. She ran after him and grabbed him before he could attack the fallen king. Toby spun around and slapped Sarah’s face. She cried out in shock and clasped her cheek. Roughly, and before she could regain her balance from the slap, Toby’s hands grabbed her by the shoulders and he pushed her backwards. She tumbled and lost sense of direction as her eyes graced the treetops. A falling sensation over came her and for a moment she felt weightless. She saw the clear moon and smiled at its simplicity. She continued to fall until the back of her head hit something hard and she cried out. Her cry and the moon’s glow were the last things she remembered before a heavy blackness wrapped her in silence.

Jareth snapped himself out of the trance when he heard Sarah’s cry. His eyes scanned the view for her, and he closed his eyes slowly when he saw her. Her head lay impacted by a large rock that was dripping with red blood. Her blood. He opened his eyes and saw Toby laughing as he hovered over Sarah’s ruined life.

A furious anger overcame Jareth and he stood tall. With his magic back he felt normal again, and dangerous. “TOBY!!” Jareth used the magic to enhance the sound of his already harsh voice. Toby’s head snapped towards Jareth.

Jareth balled his hands in frustration and began walking briskly towards Toby. In mind-stride Jareth transformed back into his kingly glory. His silky blond-gold hair once more shaped his face and flowed past him as he continued his trek towards the boy. He wore pure black clothes with a transparent, midnight cloak that swirled angrily behind him. He saw Toby cowering and used it to his advantage. “This ends now Toby. Nicolae is destroyed; do you have enough power to destroy me?” He asked mockingly. Toby didn’t look into Jareth’s eyes and lowered them with a glare. Jareth stepped closer. “No?”

With desperation and fear Toby looked up and laughed. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve already killed Sarah. You don’t matter.”

Jareth allowed his well-practiced mask of indifference to cover his utter shock at Toby’s words. He materialized a perfect crystal, reveling in the returned ability, and twirled it with ease between his two hands. Toby watched in curious horror. The crystal glided through the air and stopped in front of Toby’s eyes. Jareth was fiercely trying not to release his anger. The days he spent as a powerless, ill, human returned much of his humanity. He could not bare to just destroy Toby. A small smile crept on his tightly closed lips. He’d just allow Toby to destroy himself.

Jareth watched as Toby observed the crystal with longing. “All you have to do is touch it Toby, and all this will fade.” He said persuasively.

Toby’s hands began to reach for the crystal, but he pulled back. “What does it do?”

Jareth folded his arms over his chest. “We haven’t all the time in the world, Toby. You’ve read the story; I shouldn’t have to tell you.” He said reprimanding.

Toby frowned. “It will show me my dreams, right?”

Jareth rose his eyebrows and taunted Toby with his silence. Toby shook his head and grasped the shining orb. Pain and darkness swept over Toby and he screamed as his body began to merge with the crystal. He continued to scream as he tried to pry his body away from the shining crystal, but his arms were already being sucked in.

Jareth watched with a detached amusement at Toby’s dilemma, but did nothing except call the crystal to his hand when Toby’s body had completely dissolved into the crystal’s depths. He peered into the crystal. He hadn’t lied to Toby, he just hadn’t informed the boy the true origins of the crystal. It imprisoned the holder in their nightmares. A perfect ending for Toby. Jareth let the smooth crystal roll off his hands and disappear in mid air.

Jareth sighed and walked slowly over to Sarah. The park was so quiet now without the screams of murder floating in the trees. He reached down and lifted Sarah’s head off the bloodstained rock and felt under her hair. Warm blood oozed out over his gloves and he was forced to acknowledge the fact that she was hurt severely. He had thought as much. Sighing, he placed his arms under her legs and shoulders and lifted her frail form from the floor. He could still hear her shallow breath and Jareth weighed his options with Sarah.

His faith in the mortal doctors was slim, even if Sarah had healed him. He could heal her. But the amount of magic used to cure such damage would forever force her to stay in the Underground. Her body would depend on the magic to sustain her; and there was another problem also. If he healed her, she would be connected to him too. Not like she wasn’t already. She was the mirrored side to him. Forever destined to be opposite of each other, forever cursed to stay together. And yet, what if he healed her and she resented him for it. Jareth was immortal, even if he didn’t heal Sarah, she wouldn’t die. She would stay in this comatose state forever, which suddenly did feel like a long time. Was that worst than living in the Underground. A breeze stirred in the air and Jareth longed for his home. He clutched Sarah and whispered to no one. “So what do I do?” It wasn’t like him to question himself, but his decision would affect more lives than just his, and for once he found himself caring about the outcome.

A swish of feather the color of snow in the form of an owl flew in front of Jareth’s eyes. That was his form; the snow-white owl. He decided to take the bird as a sign and carried Sarah to the Underground; forever to be tormented by a woman he hated to love and love to hate, yet at the same time craved her company. His form disappeared in the park shadows as his voice drifted in the breeze.

“Such a pity.”