Lost And Lonely - A Labyrinth Fanfic [UPDATED VERSION]

7) Deal Struck

Jareth gazed over the kingdom, watching the girl make her way past the giant broken machine- which he neglected to clear away himself.

Each step she took, he felt his heart pounding harder and harder. The selfish and lonely Fae wanted her to win, but the king inside him told him no. He'd already lost once before decades ago, and he felt this would be no different.

His goblins left him to take their positions outside the castle, leaving Jareth to guard the child himself. He debated whether he should allow his goblins to hold the girl back, but he wanted to see what she could do.

The child behind him stirred in her nap, totally oblivious to what could happen.

The Goblin King looked back out, spotting Raven sneaking behind houses, completely avoiding the Goblin Army. Jareth scrunched his nose at how dull the goblins could be.

She was quick, looking behind every corner before she ran to the backside of the next house. Jareth admired her quick thinking.

---

Making sure the goblins weren't on her trail, Raven threw a rock across the road as a decoy. Just as she predicted, the goblins rushed to the sound, leaving her to rush up the pathway to the castle.

Slipping through the crack in the set of metal doors, she found herself stuck. There were three ways she could go. Going with her gut feeling she went right, and dashed up the stone staircase.

Raven entered a dark room, only lit by the light coming through a window. And by that window, was the Goblin King; hands on the sill and head hung low while he looked outside.

She looked to where a faint ticking sound was, her eyes finding the thirteen-hour clock; which then struck the thirteenth hour and started chiming.

"I've made it." She rushed.

"So you have..." The Goblin King sighed. He turned to face her, standing tall.

"Give me the child." Raven ordered.

Jareth stood frozen, almost reliving his past defeat. It all replayed in his head as his eyes widened. He snapped himself out of the trance and stepped toward the girl.

"I could do that, but you seem to have caught me at a crossroad. The clock struck thirteen as you arrived, you see. That spells a tie." He grinned sinisterly.

"What does this mean then? Compromise?"

"Either the child stays with me and you leave, or, you stay and the child gets sent back." The Goblin King smirked. "Your choice, buttercup."

Raven stood motionless, her breath wavering. She swallowed and made her decision.

"I'll stay... she goes back, unharmed with no memory of this event. Deal?" Her voice cracked.

Jareth picked up the sleeping child from the pit, sending her back to the mortal world in a cloud of glitter. Raven's face held a defeated look, and Jareth simply cocked his head with a serious face,

"Deal."