That afternoon, a very annoyed -and disappointed- Jareth was in his study, seated behind his desk.  He had a few papers in his hands that he was supposed to be reading, but he just could not concentrate.  Puck had recently informed him that he had not been able to locate Lili Williams.  The Goblin King angrily slammed his desk and, outside, thunder roared.  That stupid faery had not located Sarah's sister!  Jareth sighed tiredly.  If things continued like this he would have to forget about his... revenge... "NO!" he yelled.  "I shall not forget!" In that very moment, someone knocked the door. He blinked and took a deep breath to calm himself.  "Come in, Lucy," he managed to say in a decent tone, knowing that only his maid would knock before entering.  He left the papers over the table and looked at the wall clock.  It was four o'clock.  In spite of his previous anger, he smiled.  Lucy always brought him a snack -as she called it- at this time. "I thought you would like a piece of cake," she said, as she entered.  She left a tray with an unusually big slice of cake and a cup of milk over the desk. Jareth eyed the cake and then looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. She smiled at him and shrugged.  "I also thought chocolate cake would... help to..." "Improve my bad mood?" he finished for her, folding his arms across his chest. She blushed and bit her lip.  "Well... yes, your Majesty.  It’s been thundering all afternoon," she admitted. Jareth rolled his eyes, but had to admit she was right.  He took a piece and, as always, it was delicious.  A grin played on his face. "I am glad you liked it," she said. "Yes," he admitted, amazed of how easily she seemed to read him...  And of how soothing her presence was.  "You may leave," he quickly added. Lili nodded and turned.  She had walked a couple of steps when she stopped and faced Jareth again.  There was something that she needed to ask him especially after her conversation with Puck.  She bit her lip and placed a strand of hair behind her ear.  Jareth looked questioningly at her.  "Yes, Lucy?" he asked, realizing by her gaze that it was something important for her. She took a deep breath.  "I was wondering...  May I take a walk through your Labyrinth?"  she asked shyly, but with a childish glow in her eyes. Jareth stared at her in disbelief.  "Do you want to take a walk through my labyrinth?"  He repeated seriously, sitting straight on his chair. "Yes.  Just a short walk," she insisted with a hopeful expression on her face. "Just a short walk?" he said in a tone that Lili had always associated with her teachers.  "Do you not remember what I told you the day of your arrival?  My labyrinth is full of traps.  It is a dangerous place for the ones who dare to defy me, child.  Definitely not the best choice of places to take a walk." Lili lowered her gaze, disappointed, but then she looked at him again, determined.   "Oh... but it has never been my intention to defy you, your Majesty.  Please, I will not... break anything," she almost begged with shining eyes. Jareth blinked and tilted his blond head.  On one level, she was right.  She had never defied him and, if he gave her permission, his labyrinth might not try to stop her, but still...  It was dangerous and she did not seem to be strong enough to face the traps... not as Sarah had been, anyway-- Surprised by his own thoughts, the Goblin King stiffened slightly.  Now, where did that comparison had come from?  Lucy was nothing like Sarah!  He shook his head.  Yes.  It would be dangerous for Lucy to go alone... and he did not wish to lose her--  Jareth's eyes widened at that.  Had he just admitted that he did not wish to... lose her?  No he quickly corrected himself.  What he had meant was that he did not wish to lose such an efficient maid.  He relaxed and continued with his musings.  He could not let her go... unless— A strange idea suddenly occurred to him.  Why not?  He rose from his seat and walked to the window.  The awesome sight of the maze greeted his eyes.  He smiled.  He could not blame her for wanting to take a walk through his labyrinth after all... and, besides, he needed the exercise and the distraction. He turned to her. "I have to inspect the northern section.  You may come with me, but I warn you, I shall not move a finger to help you if you disobey me and you fall into an oubliette. Understood?" he said, secretly enjoying her startled expression. Lili looked at him in surprise, but recovered quickly.  "Yes, your Majesty," she replied with a grin.  "Oubliette?" she asked then.  "Something to do with the French oublier?" Jareth smiled sinisterly.  "Yes.  That is where I put the people I want to forget about," he explained, walking to the door. "I... thought you have the... Bog of Eternal Stench for that purpose," she noted timidly. "Oh, no.  There is where I send people I want to get rid of," he answered, morbidly amused.  "Well, are you coming or not?" he said, without turning. Shaking herself, a curious -and excited- Lili followed him. Once they were gone, certain mischievous faery materialized in the room.  He smiled and cocked his head.  "A walk through the labyrinth?"  He said to himself.  "Very promising!" "Indeed," a soft voice agreed, as a beautiful blue headed woman appeared by his side. "May I assume you liked the story I told you, your Majesty?" he asked with a respectful bow. She smiled gently and nodded.  "Yes and I do like the human child.  I wish to meet her.  She is exactly what Jareth needs.  She can defeat his ruthlessness with her kindness."  She paused for a moment and rubbed her chin in a thoughtful mode.  "I only hope he can defeat his own pride." "And his bad temper," Puck added, earning a chuckle from her. She became serious.  "Your solution is risky, but I too believe it is the only way for her... and for him.  I do not want her to be harmed, though." Puck nodded and rubbed his hands.  "Neither do I.  I do have a plan." "Very well, but you must be extremely careful." "Am I not always, my queen?" he asked innocently. Titania rolled her violet eyes and with a final - and slightly mischievous- grin, she disappeared. "Now, to my plan," Puck said, his eyes twinkling merrily.  He sat on Jareth's desk and materialized the finest paper he could manage and a blue glowing feather.  "Let us see..." he muttered, as he closed his eyes.  A couple of minutes later, he opened them and an impish grin dawned on his handsome face.  He began to write in an elegant hand... "Jareth, Goblin King and High Lord of the Underground, has the honor to invite you to a Masquerade Ball that would be taking place in the castle beyond the Goblin City..." Puck chuckled as he wrote.  He knew these sorts of invitations should be sent out well in advanced, but he seriously doubted that anyone would reject an invitation from the all mighty Goblin King himself.  "He will love it!" Ten minutes later, Jareth and Lili stood before the great gates of the Goblin City.  At their king's order, the goblins in charge of the doors immediately opened them. "Thank you, guys," Lili shouted, waving a hand.  The goblins waved their hands in return. "Over here, Lucy," Jareth called her. She nodded and was about to ask him about the door's mechanism, when an enormous junkyard caught her attention.  To her surprise, she realized that odd -and old- looking creatures lived amongst it.  They all carried huge bags on their back.  One of the creatures suddenly fell and, instinctively, Lili started to walk toward him, but a gloved hand on her shoulder stopped her.  "Do not go," the king ordered her, withdrawing his hand. "I only want to help," she protested. Jareth just rolled his eyes.  Why did she have to be so kind to everyone?  "These are the junk people.  It is their duty to carry that burden and keep the garbage in its place.  However, if they are lucky enough to deceive a foolish mortal, said mortal has to take the junk man's place," he explained, emphasizing the word foolish. Lili paled.  "That... could have been... me..." she whispered, feeling like an idiot. "You must never take anything for granted here in my world," he said in a solemn tone, but he did not bother to tell her that he would have never allowed her to take the creature's place.  He then walked in the opposite direction.  "We shall go this way.  The junk-yard would only lead us to the Bog of Eternal Stench," he said.  "And I do not think you are interested in visiting that particular place." "Of course not, your Majesty," Lili quickly answered, going after him. "That was what I have thought," he noted, amused. He stopped by a wall and carefully began to slide his right hand over its surface.  "Ah, here it is!" he exclaimed.  Jareth had to admit he was a little bit excited after all, it had been a long time since he had actually walked through his labyrinth.  He pushed the brick and part of the wall slid to a side.  "This secret passage will lead us to the outer doors," he explained.  "From there I will start with the inspection," he finished, stepping into the darkness.  He snapped his fingers and a dim light illuminated the tunnel. "A direct way!"  Lili gasped.  "Has it ever been discovered by your victims... I mean, summoners?" Jareth chuckled.  "No.  Ironic, is it not?  Besides, that would be no fun... because my labyrinth tends to... fascinate people.  Do you not think so?" he replied, lowering his mismatched gaze to her. Lili reddened and smiled innocently, as if saying, who, me?  "How long do we take to the other side?" she asked, averting her eyes and looking around with curiosity.  To her surprise, there were huge faces sculptured on the stone, like the Easter Island's Moais. "Approximately thirty minutes," Jareth answered, not missing her awed expression. "Just thirty minutes!" Lili repeated in disbelief.  "But you give your vic-- summoners thirteen hours to solve it," she said, briefly wondering if Sarah had actually found one of those passages. "Yes," Jareth confirmed, chuckling again.  "And believe me, child, that is not near enough time," he added in his dark mode, clearly enjoying the idea of lost people... especially lost girls. Lili just rolled her eyes.  Why did he have to be so... sinister? Exactly thirty minutes later, they got to the end of the tunnel and stopped before a ladder.  To Lili's astonishment, he suddenly disappeared. "Climb through the ladder.  I shall be waiting outside," his voice echoed. Lili immediately did so, and soon she got to a closed door, but, to her relief, someone opened it from the outside.  Blinking in by the light, she stepped out... and gasped.  She had emerged from a fake tree and now she stood in the top of a hill, where a full view of the Labyrinth greeted her eyes. "Impressive, is it not?" Jareth suddenly whispered in her ear, causing her to jump and to stumble and fall at his feet.  He blinked and shook his head.  "My, my.  Of all the people I have brought here, you are the first one to fall before taking the first step," he said, amused.  He offered her a hand. "Thank you," Lili whispered, embarrassed, taking his hand. He effortlessly pulled her up.  "You must be thankful you do not need to solve my labyrinth," he added with a hint of mischief. Lili blushed.  "I guess... I wouldn't have a chance," she admitted, cleaning her clothes.  "But then, I would have never wished a child away," she finished, clearly shocked by the idea. "I know that," he replied, rolling his eyes as he walked toward the gates.  He just could not picture her losing her patience and wishing a child away.  She was simply too... sweet-- Jareth stopped dead in his tracks.  *Sweet?* he repeated in his mind, truly startled, not remembering when it had been the last time he had thought of a woman in that term.  He shook his head and continued walking. Lili finished to sweep the dust away from her jeans and was about to go after him, when she spotted a tiny winged being lying on the ground, near a stone.  It was a girl, with a short green dress and long blue hair.  She seemed hurt.  Without thinking of it twice -and forgetting Jareth's warning- Lili knelt to help the girl. Jareth reached the gates before he realized that his maid had not followed him.  Curious he turned and saw what she was doing.  He opened his mouth to tell her about the biting faeries, but then decided against it.  She needed to learn about his labyrinth's dangers... and that she should not be so kind to strangers.  He just remained quiet, looking intently at her. Unaware of being the focus of Jareth's interest, Lili carefully picked up the little creature.  "Are you all right?" she asked softly, rising from the ground.  "I-- Ouch!" Lili exclaimed as the faery suddenly bit her finger.  "Hey, there is not need to do that.  I won’t hurt you," Lili added, sucking on her finger. The faery stared at Lili with curiosity, beat her sparkling wings and flew around the young woman.  A minute later, she flew away. Lili turned her puzzled gaze to Jareth.  "What was that?" He blinked and tilted his head.  That was not what he had expected.  She should have thrown the nasty faery away, annoyed... not spoke to her in such a kind way.  "That was a biting faery.  They are a plague here," Jareth explained. "Well, she honors her name," Lili said, examining her finger and then looked up at him. "But... I am confused.  Puck is a faery too, right?" Jareth rolled his eyes at the mention of the Trickster's name.  "Yes.  He is one of the High Faeries or a Fae, if you want." Lili nodded and looked at him... with a hint of mischief.  "You told me you were Fae too, your Majesty," she noted.  "I mean... you are not a goblin." Jareth stared at her with a raised eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest.  "I am a Fae, but I have nothing to do with that flying annoyance,” he stated.  “Or with the Trickster!" Lili smiled.  "Oh, but they’re cute." "I thought my goblins were cute," Jareth said, giving her a sideways glance. "Yes, they are... in their unique goblin way," she replied innocently. Unable to stop himself, Jareth smiled back, but then he quickly recovered his kingly mode.  He indicated her the gates.  "Shall we proceed?"  With a wave of a hand, the doors opened.  They entered the labyrinth. Lili gasped in surprise, all that she could see was an endless corridor, no openings, and no turnings. Jareth gave her an amused glance.  "Follow me." They had walked a couple of steps, when Lili abruptly stopped and knelt before some weird plants.  "Eyed Lichen!" she exclaimed, looking up at him, her own eyes shining.  "They’re in the book you gave me--" she stopped for a moment and then a smile lit up her face.  "Its tears can cure... the common cold," she finished. Jareth nodded, oddly pleased by her child-like excitement and a little bit surprise that she had already learned about the plants.  "Very good.  You can always find them near the exterior wall," he said. "They give it a creepy touch," she noted, rising. Jareth rolled his eyes at her last comment and then he continued walking.  Lili followed him, always stopping every now and then to give a closer look at the lichen and, in one occasion, she could have sworn they winked at her.  Unexpectedly, they heard an "allo."  Lili looked around, but she didn't see anyone. "Allo," the odd voice spoke again. Puzzled, she turned to Jareth.  As an answer, he looked down.  Lili followed his gaze and her grin widened when she saw the owner of that voice: a pink worm with electric-blue hair and a purple scarf! "Hello," Lili said politely. "Allo," the worm repeated with a grin.  Then, he directed his gaze to the king.  "Your Majesty, what an honor.  Do you and the Lady wish to come inside and meet the missus?" he respectfully invited them. Jareth smiled and denied with a shake of his head.  "Maybe at another time," he replied. The worm seemed disappointed for a second, but then he smiled again.  "As you wish, Sire," he said, bowing his little head. With a nod, Jareth left. "Good bye," a smiling Lili added, hurrying after the king. "What is it that you find so amusing?" Jareth asked after a while, a bit annoyed. "Well... it's just that you were so... polite with him," she answered. Jareth sighed at her surprised tone.  "As you should know by now, Lucy, I can be generous too.  Besides, the worm is a loyal subject.  He is the guardian of the wall passage." "The wall passage?" Lili asked. "Another secret way to my castle," he explained.  "My labyrinth is full of them." "But... aren't you afraid that your vi-- summoners... may discover one of them?" At her question, Jareth chuckled and that wicked grin of his slowly spread on his face.  "No, Lucy.  It matters not if they find a secret way... because... I have another methods to stop them," he replied sinisterly.  "More... pleasant methods, if you know what I mean," he finished, leaning closer. Lili blushed and lowered her gaze as she could easily imagine his... methods.  "Shall we continue?" he said then, without taking his eyes from her, clearly enjoying her reaction.  Not for the first time he felt intrigued and amused by her shyness.  It was just that all the beautiful women he had known, were anything but shy... including Sarah-- Jareth slightly stiffened and blinked in surprise as he realized he had compared Lucy with Sarah for the second time that day.  Annoyed, he shook his head and balled his hands into fists.  This was ridiculous!  His maid had nothing to do with his enemy! Without a word, he began to walk faster. Puzzled by his sudden change of mood and wondering what could have upset him now, Lili shrugged and followed him. "Are you all right, Your Majesty?" she asked after a long moment of silence. He stopped and, still confused by his previous thought, he spun around to tell her it was not her business, but seeing the genuine concern in her eyes, he relaxed.  “I am fine," he said and, in spite of himself, he smiled. Lili smiled back and, to her delight, the tour continued... She quietly walked by his side, feeling strangely close to him... as if they were... on a date-- Lili flushed and bit her lip at that insane thought.  Where did that had come from?  Nothing like that would ever happen.  It the best situation, he was the king and she was just the maid.  In the worst situation... she was Sarah's sister and he was her... executioner. Just great. She smiled sadly and just kept on walking, until something caught her attention... As strange as it was, Jareth soon had to admit he was enjoying the walk... and the company.  Lucy was so easy to impress; she appeared to have the curiosity of a child.  Well, compared to him, she was a child.  He chuckled inwardly; at least he would never have to reorder time or turn the world upside-down for her-- Jareth stiffened and his eyes widened.  Now, why in the world would he want to do that anyway?  She was not one of his summoners; he did not want to seduce her!  She was just... his maid. As focused on his thoughts as he was, he didn’t notice that she had stopped to look a small glowing flower.  He just continued his way... until he disappeared around the next turn... Lili admired the little sparkling flower in awe.  A grin played on her face as she remembered the drawing in her book.  It was a Shining Daisy and its petals made a powerful sleeping potion.  Lili raised her gaze to Jareth to ask him more about it and gasped when she realized that she was... alone!  Startled, she rose and looked around.  The king was nowhere to be seen. "Your Majesty!" she called him.  "Your Majesty," she repeated louder, but nobody answered.  Yes, he was gone.  Lili blinked and sighed.  Probably he had found more interesting things to do... than walk with his... maid.  But, what else had she expected?  Lili rolled her eyes at that and shook her head, banning that ridiculous thought. Annoyed with herself, she smoothed her T-shirt and cleared her throat.  "Enough of that...  It doesn't matter if he got bored and left," she admonished herself. "Okay, all I have to do is find one of those passages." She approached the wall and carefully began to push the bricks one by one.  Suddenly, one of them slid to a side and a door was revealed.  With a satisfied smirk on her face, Lili was about to enter, when a high-pitched voice spoke behind her. "I would not do that if I were you." Startled, Lili quickly spun around, only to find the same faery that had bitten her.  The tiny being flew in front of her, just like a humming bird. "Well, hello again," Lili said with a hint of annoyance, her finger still hurt a bit.  "And why wouldn't you go that way?" she asked then, taking her hands to her hips. The faery rolled her eyes.  "Because I would not want to end in the Bog of Eternal Stench,"  the little thing replied matter-of-factly. "So... this tunnel doesn't lead to the castle?" Lili asked disappointed, but then looked at the faery with a raised eyebrow.  And why should I believe you?  After all you bit me!" The sparkling creature seemed amused and shrugged apologetically.  "Sorry, it was just a reflex.  When you have my size, you bite first and ask questions later," she explained and, before that a curious Lili could reply, the faery grabbed the redhead's T-shirt -a very small part- and pulled her.  "Come with me!  I’ll take you to a safe place to wait." "I don't know... perhaps I should stay here and--  Besides, I don't even know your name!" Lili said, still a bit suspicious. The faery tilted her head and flew before Lili's eyes.  "Well, all faeries have flower names.  Since I am a Blue Bell faery, you can call me Bell.  And yes, you can stay here, but I know you will like my garden.  Come with me," Bell insisted, pulling Lili's T-shirt again.  "It will be fun!" Lili blinked and, seeing the little faery so determined, she finally smiled.  "Okay, let's go.  I’m Lucy, by the way," she said, not too happy with the lie, but she just couldn’t risk telling Bell her real name. "I know," Bell said enigmatically, contently flying around the young woman. "You do?" Lili asked, surprised.  Bell ran a hand through her blue hair and nodded.  "Yes.  I have been following you since you entered the labyrinth and when Jareth left I decided to talk to you." Lili shrugged.  "Yeah... well... I suppose he got bored of my company," she said, unable to hide her disappointment. Bell grinned and shook her little head.  "Oh, no.  He didn't get bored, he just got lost." "But..." "What is your relation with him?" Bell asked, looking intently at her.  "You do not seem to be one of his... girls." " I’m not.  I’m his maid," Lili answered, feeling strangely embarrassed under Bell's stare. "Oh," the faery said mischievously, again that enigmatic look in her violet eyes.  Then, she smiled happily and flew in front of the young woman, leading the way.  "Come on, my garden is near." Shaking her head and having nothing else to do -and being curious- Lili followed her newfound friend. "So, Lucy, what do you think--" a proud Jareth began to ask, but abruptly stopped when he realized he was alone!  He shook his head, annoyed.  Where had that child gone?  Had she not heard his warnings?  He rolled his eyes and sighed, exasperate. Surely she had been distracted by a simple detail, maybe a plant or a bird... even a stone could have caught her attention! Jareth folded his arms across his chest, in full Goblin King mode, a serious expression on his face.  "Well, now you will have to find the way back alone!"  He stated, as if she were standing there. He smiled, sinisterly.  Yes, she deserved that punishment.  She dared to disobey him!  It did not matter if she fell to a oubliette... or if the night surprised her in the labyrinth... or if his most dangerous subjects took her for one of his summoners... or if she... His grin faded and concern began to rise within him.  With an annoyed growl, he turned into the owl and silently flew away... to look for his lost maid. Bell led Lili through an impressive forest.  The trees were so tall that she could not see the upper branches and the trunks had the most incredible colors: purple, light-blue, metallic pinks and even a shade of glowing cyan.  A soft and sweet music could be heard and a fresh scent filled the air.  Marveled, Lili stopped walking and leaned a hand on a tree.  She gasped in surprise.  The bark was unexpectedly soft and warm and incredibly alive.  She closed her eyes and smiled in delight; the music was so soothing... it touched her very soul... Suddenly, Lili stiffened and opened her eyes wide, as a vivid memory of her family and friend arose in her mind.  Every happy moment she had spent with them, reached to her.  As abruptly as it had started, it ended and Lili could not stop the tears.  Until that moment, she had done every thing in her power to forget how much she missed them, but now... Unexpectedly, the image changed and Lili saw the moment when Jareth had given her the book of medicine plants, his mischievous eyes and gentle smile and-- Lili blushed in a deep red and quickly withdrew her hand. "Are you all right, Lucy?"  Bell asked, interrupting the young woman's thoughts.  At the girl's nod, she continued.  "This is the Singing Forest," Bell explained softly.  "Its music makes us remember... but they should be happy memories.  Why are you crying, Lucy?" she asked, fixing her worried violet eyes upon the girl.  "Did you see something wrong?" Lili shook her head and smiled sadly.  "Oh, no, they were happy," she said, drying her eyes.  "It's just that... I miss my family..." Bell folded her arms across her chest.  "He should have not brought you here," she stated and then rolled her eyes.  "But he had always been so stubborn... and after his failed adventure with Sarah, he has gotten worse." Lili sighed and nodded.  Bell blinked and, seeing the human child so depressed -and a little bit flushed- she glowed brightly and flew around her several times, until Lili was covered with a sparkling glitter. "What is this?"  Lili asked, sneezing and staring at her now glittering hands. Bell chuckled.  "Just sparkling mist to cheer you up.  Does it work?" she asked, tilting her little head. Lili looked at her and, seeing Bell's interested expression, she could not help but smile. "Yes.  Can we go to your garden, now?" Bell nodded and glowed happily.  "Sure, follow me!"