Have I ever been a bad girl. What with the Labyrinth on Ice RR and now the 
Spring RR, I haven't so much as *thought* about this story. Ahhh well. I'll 
live. This part is really short, but more will be forthcoming.  Plus it's 
late so this might suck. I really have no way of knowing. Comments, are, as 
usual, coveted and re-read until threadbare.

Disclaimer: Jareth is not mine. Amaltya, Xander, Silviet, Annag ect. are. 
Do not sue, no money is being made from this story.



The King's Labyrinth
Horizon 5.1/?

"Jareth?"

With a quick shake of the head, Jareth brought himself out of the daze the 
waking dream had left him in. "I'm sorry. I had....some sort of vision." 
His brow creased in puzzlement. "I don't know what it was." He watched as a 
worried look flitted across Annag's features. 

"What did you see?" Her voice had gone distant, her eyes glassy.

"A battle. Between my house and the house of d'Avennes.  No, it was more 
than a battle, it was savage, all out war. What does it mean?"

"Nothing." Came her curt reply. "There hasn't been a war here for almost a 
thousand years." She gave the stained glass window a sideways glance, the 
light casting strange patches of color on her face, which wore a 
perpetually grieved look. He realized suddenly that the appearance of youth 
had fled from her face. He could see her true age in her eyes, and with it 
something dark and ominous. A secret. 

"Why did you summon me, Annag?" He asked, suddenly suspicious of his 
friend's motives.

"You've brought a woman here...." Her voice trailed off uncertainly, as if 
she'd been caught off guard. She hadn't been expecting him to ask that, he 
thought.

"Yes, Amalthya."

"Your lover."

"Not the first."

"She is special, that one."

"She has magic. Her grandfather was one.....of us." He turned his gaze away 
from Annag, back out the window. He'd seen something, like a flash of the 
earlier vision. A group of men outside in the clearing, clad in armor. 
There was nothing there now.  

"Her mother was Sarah. The one that defeated you."

"This is true. It doesn't make any difference."

"You love her."

She had him there. "Is that so bad?" He realized he wanted her approval. 
Here he was, a grown mad, a king no less, and he still sought the approval 
of the woman he viewed as his sister.

"No, little brother. That is not a bad thing. I've wanted you to be happy 
for so long. I could see your loneliness. I longed to ease it for you. But 
even *my* magic has it's limits. Love is a magic that cannot be controlled 
or reproduced." She smiled and he saw some of her youthfulness seep back 
into her face. "Come now. I want to show you my new roses." She took his 
gloved hand in her own and led him out through the back door.