Sarah huffed angrily, glaring at the trees around her.

"There's got to be a path around here somewhere," she muttered to herself, "How can you have a carriage without a path?"

"A logical question," a voice replied.

Sarah gasped, whipping around to face the speaker. Her shoulders unconsciously slumped at the sight of Jareth grinning at her. She turned and kept walking, allowing the Goblin King to fall into step beside her.

"What do you want?" she grumbled.

"To make sure you're safe," Jareth answered readily.

"Yeah right. You just wanted to torment me, didn't you? Just like your friend. You certainly are two of a kind."

Jareth stopped in his tracks. Sarah let him fall a little ways behind before stopping as well and turning back to face him, her hands on her hips.

"What did I ever do to make you think so lowly of me?" Jareth demanded.

"What did you do?" Sarah echoed furiously, "I'll tell you what you did! You took Toby away from me!"

"You asked me to."

"But you knew it was a mistake! And you wouldn't give him back without making me solve your stupid labyrinth!"

"It's not my fault you didn't understand what consequences your words would have."

"Well, forgive me for thinking that some words from a silly little book were just that: some words from a silly little book!" Sarah shouted, sarcasm positively dripping from her voice, "How was I supposed to know all this existed?" She waved her arms at the surrounding forest. "How was I supposed to know you existed? How was I supposed to know any of it existed? But no! It wasn't enough for you to completely destroy what assurances I had of reality! You had to constantly interfere, trying to send me back to the beginning of the labyrinth, trying to stall me so I couldn't reach Toby in time, trying to seduce me when I was practically a child!"

Sarah stopped to catch her breath. Jareth was actually smiling at her, and she wished more than anything that she could just go up to him and slap it right off his stupid face.

"You're not a child anymore," Jareth said simply.

"No," Sarah agreed, "Which means I'm mature enough to know not to trust you."

"Alright, you don't have to trust me. But that doesn't change the fact that you need help. You can't possibly hope to get through this forest on your own when you don't know the way. Besides, there are dangerous creatures around."

Sarah blinked at him, "Dangerous creatures? You're saying that just to scare me."

"No, I'm not. These lands are wild. There's no telling what could be around."

Sarah sighed loudly, "Fine! But I have some questions."

"Very well. What are your questions?"

"First of all," Sarah began as she and Jareth started back to the camp, "You and Terra say that you're fairies—"

"Fae," Jareth corrected.

"Whatever. So are you all the same? I mean, are you all arrogant, selfish, cruel, scheming—"

"Must you be so unpleasant, Sarah?" Jareth sighed, "The answer is no. It's true that the Fae are a proud race but in character and looks and tastes we are as different as the people back in your own world."

"So if you're a Fae then why are you King of the Goblins?"

"Simple. They needed a wise and powerful ruler."

Sarah cocked an eyebrow at him just as they re-entered the glade where they'd camped, "Wise?"

"Yes, wise. I thought you would have known from your past visit to the goblin city that goblins are not the smartest of creatures. Without guidance they would be totally self-destructive."

"Oh...and what exactly is your relationship with Terra? I mean, how do you know each other?"

"Childhood friends. Whatever time my royal life allowed for my amusement I spent with her."

"Your royal life? So before you were the Goblin King you were a Fae prince?"

"Only royalty can ascend to any throne, Sarah."

"But what about the Fae kingdom? Who will rule after your parents are gone?"

"I have three older brothers in line to the throne, and they'll all be waiting a very long time before the throne is free. They'd be better off seeking kingdoms to rule elsewhere."

"And what is your parents' castle like?"

"Probably much nicer than mine by your standards. But I have no use for all their finery. Besides, you've already seen it."

"I have?" Sarah asked in puzzlement.

Jareth looked down at her, "Yes, when you ate the peach I had your friend give you."

Sarah frowned, "Oh, that. The castle may have been pretty but I couldn't say much for the company."

"Well, that is painfully harsh," Terra's voice rose above the tents as Sarah and Jareth came within hearing range, "I myself have been to the castle on a few occasions and I'd have to say quite the opposite. The company was exquisite. But speaking of peaches, don't you think we should eat something before starting our inevitably long and arduous journey?"

"Where are we supposed to find something to eat?" Sarah asked incredulously.

Terra screwed up her face and moaned exaggeratedly, "Are you a complete idiot? You were just talking about it!"

Sarah bit her tongue to keep from returning Terra's insults.

"So you mean you can create food with your magic?" she clued in.

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"Well, I can't," Terra replied, "But Jareth can."

"And why can't you?" Sarah asked curiously, "Don't you have magic? You said all Fae do."

"Jareth said that. And I do have magic, it's just...limited."

"Yes, you already told me that. It's because of how far you are from home right now."

Terra furrowed her brow in irritation, "No! I'm limited in my magic. Period."

Sarah stared at her, "Why?"

"I don't know why!" Terra snapped, "It's the way I've been my whole life. Will you stop being a pest for five seconds?"

Sarah ignored her, turning to Jareth, "Wait, if you can summon tents then why can't you just make another carriage?"

"Tents are sticks and fabric," Terra retorted, "Carriages are complicated, which means they fall under the complicated spells category."

"I wasn't asking you," Sarah said, casting Terra a side glance before focusing on Jareth again, "So can't you create any kind of transportation?"

Terra answered again, her tone derisive, "What do you want us to do? Pull you in a kid's wagon?"

Sarah whirled on her, uttering an exasperated noise, "I said I wasn't asking you! I don't even see why you're here! It's not like I need the both of you just to guide me!"

"An excellent idea!" Terra agreed all to readily, taking Sarah aback, "Why don't I just leave you in Jareth's capable hands and I'll just—"

"Wait!" Sarah protested, "Fine, you can stay!"

Terra blinked at her, "I don't recall being under your orders."

Sarah took a calming breath before speaking in a much more level tone, "I'm asking you to stay."

Terra took a moment to consider the request, then nodded, "Fine, I suppose you could entice me to stay. Jareth and I still have some catching up to do anyway."

"Catching up?" Sarah mimicked.

"Yes. We have been apart for a century until very recently."

Sarah gasped, "A century?"

"Yes," Jareth replied, "See, time here works very differently than it does in your world. And as Fae, we live much longer than humans."

"But still, you must have missed each other terribly! How did you manage to stay such good friends?"

Terra laughed, "Believe me, I have no idea. In fact, I'm not even sure how we became friends in the first place. I suppose fate intervened somewhat in our lives. Anyway, we were talking about eating something before heading off?"

~Time skip~

Jareth angrily kicked at a stone on the dirt path before them, muttering something under his breath.

"What's the matter, your highness? So unused to travelling by foot?" Terra teased.

Jareth huffed irritably, "Just because you enjoy it so much, Terra, doesn't mean everyone else has to as well."

"You enjoy walking?" Sarah said, turning to Terra.

Terra nodded, "It gives one a real appreciation for their surroundings. I'm so sorry you find such things beneath you, Jareth."

"Do you find it your sole purpose in life to torment people through your sarcastic comments?" Sarah scolded Terra.

Jareth laughed suddenly, surprising her, "Are you actually feeling sorry for me, Sarah?"

"No!" Sarah replied hotly, "What ever made you think such a thing?"

"Oh, I'm sure it wasn't the defensive comment you just made on his behalf," Terra interjected, grinning cheekily, "And in answer to that, do you find sarcasm so tasteless?"

"When it is at the expense of another, yes!"

Terra shook her head, "Goody two shoes."

"I suppose your stuck-up attitude comes from being catered to your whole life as a courtier," Sarah continued, letting her temper flare.

Something flashed briefly in Terra's eyes and her smile disappeared, "So you think I'm a spoiled pig."

Jareth, who held a slight lead over the two girls, stopped in his tracks and turned to look back with a concerned expression.

Sarah continued undaunted, "Yes, I do! Your attitude certainly shows it! So far you've been a tidal wave of misfortune for me! But you've been picking on Jareth too! I don't know if you two are putting on some sort of stupid act in order to trick me, but I think it's fair to say I've made up my mind about you! We may be allies for now, but we will never be friends!"

Terra's hands curled into fists.

"Fine by me, Miss Holier-Than-Thou," she muttered, striding away swiftly and passing Jareth.

"You think I'm arrogant?" Sarah shouted after the retreating figure.

Jareth sighed, "She's not as bad as she seems, Sarah."

Sarah's eyes flashed dangerously as she and Jareth resumed their tiresome trudging, "I happen to know from experience that first impressions are never wrong."

"Aren't they?" Jareth challenged, "What you may see is a cruel-hearted bully, but underneath she may be something entirely different."

Sarah fixed Jareth with a stubborn gaze, "Actions speak louder than words."

Jareth sighed again, looking ahead, "Terra had a difficult childhood. She was abandoned as a baby and taken in by a couple living in the palace. Her adoptive parents couldn't have children of their own so they had hoped that Terra would become everything they had wanted in a child. She wasn't, and as soon as they realized that, her parents grew to despise her. They continued to share a home with her but only because they didn't want to have to weather the scandal if they threw a child out onto the streets. They may have been seen as respectable people, but they were nothing of the sort. As Terra's mother grew more abusive, her father became more distant. Eventually her father altogether left his marriage to get away from his complaining wife and unwanted daughter. Terra's mother remained but they hardly looked at each other or talked to each other till it reached the point where they became totally estranged. Then one night, Terra's mother drank too much at a party. It consequently lead to her death. I do not wish to speak ill of the dead, but I do believe it was the best thing that ever happened to Terra."

Sarah ran her fingers through her raven-black hair, her eyes carrying a pained look, "That's...that's awful. I'm sorry I called her spoiled, but I didn't know. Why did her parents hate her so much?"

"They were both socialites who were more concerned about living quietly and comfortably and being liked by all than anything else. Terra just wasn't like them. She wasn't interested in being a high society lady; she was a total tomboy. She didn't want to have to wear fine clothes or mind her manners or be forced to socialize with...well, spoiled pigs. She just wanted to have a little fun with a genuine friend by her side."

"And that friend was you," Sarah pieced together.

"Yes. But Terra was very different back when I first met her. She was an incredibly shy and quiet person."

"Shy and quiet?" Sarah echoed in disbelief, "Are you sure you're talking about the same person?"

Jareth chuckled, "Quite sure. It took me a while to crack Terra's shell, but once we were friends, we were friends for life."

"Good thing she had you. I can't imagine what it'd be like growing up with abusive parents. And I used to think my mother was bad," Sarah said, feeling a little ashamed, "Now that I think about it, I realize I was the spoiled one. I always complained whenever I didn't get what I wanted. And it was all stupid things, like not having the latest accessories. My stepmother is strict but I know she loves me. More than anything, I think she was exactly what I needed in way of a mother. I'm so glad that I have her, and Toby too."

Sarah stopped as she realized that she was expressing some of her deepest feelings to the man who had very nearly destroyed her future happiness with her family. Her cheeks suddenly grew hot with embarrassment and she started nervously fidgeting with her sweater. Jareth, however, didn't seem to notice her discomfort in the slightest as he looked down at her fixedly, a strange light of fascination in his mismatched eyes.

"I confess," he said suddenly, "That I reacted rather poorly upon hearing the news of her mother's death from Terra. I actually argued with her over how she should feel about it. In all honesty, it made me think of you a little."

"You knew about my relationship with my stepmother?"

"Yes. Unlike your family, Terra's had no hope of ever piecing itself back together. They were broken almost from the start. There wasn't the least bit of understanding or sympathy to be found there."

Sarah couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she hadn't righted her relationship with her family, choosing instead to cling to her selfish ideas of how life should be. It was odd to admit, but in wishing away Toby she had learned a lesson. She had learned that her family hadn't been so horrible to her as she had thought, but rather the other way around, with her being an ungrateful and unappeasable daughter. She had come to see by inadvertently placing innocent little Toby in danger how much she really needed the loving support and companionship of her family, as well as the challenges they offered.

Even after the horrible things Terra had done, Sarah couldn't resist the urge to feel sorry for her.

"So...what did Terra do after her mother died?" Sarah asked, "Did she content herself to merely live the life of a courtier?"

"No. I mean, she had no choice but to adopt the ways of high society. But she finds ways to bring some excitement into her life when she's not attending tea parties. As a child, her hope was to be able to travel, so she explores the wild lands every so often. But her greatest dream, one she has achieved, was to be a protector."

"What's that?"

"She has taken an oath to serve one solitary person as a personal bodyguard until her dying day."

"And who is this person?"

"I never asked," Jareth said, "So I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that question. Shall we pick up the pace a little before Terra leaves us well behind?"