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The Sorcerer

His plan to capture the children had started to set in motion. By capturing them, he could finally get his greatest wish, to destroy Jareth's well-being and his life forever. Originally, the sorcerer was after Jareth's great-great-great grandfather, but he had drained out much of the sorcerer's powers, leaving him basically defenseless. Then, Jareth's great-great-great grandfather exiled the sorcerer to the outskirts of the Underground. But now, most of his powers had returned, through regaining strength and practice of the dark arts. 

"Finally, after all these years, I will have my revenge!!", laughed the evil man from his castle of darkness, high above in the mountains. No one had heard him, due to the fact that they were planning for the ball. So, he created a dark shadow around himself, transporting himself to the castle gates. Meanwhile, the royal family was handling final preparations before entering the party. Hayley was fixing the hem to her dress, Arthur was tying his shoes, Sarah was putting on her protection necklace, and Jareth was making sure that he didn't forget his gloves. Everyone seemed content and unaware of the coming danger. The opening introductions of guests were being made, candles were being lit, and everyone was having a good time. Then, the royal family was announced. 

"Introducing their Majesties, King Jareth and Queen Sarah. And their Royal Highnesses, Prince Arthur and Princess Hayley." Everyone applauded with delight at their arrival. Then, to Jareth's surprise, he saw his brother's carriage arriving at the door. King Peter, Queen Lucy, along with  Prince Edmund and Princess Susan, they all stepped out of the carriage. 

"Ah, how nice to see you again, brother. It's been too long," Jareth said.  

Peter replied,"Yes, it has been too long. Ten years is a very long time. Edmund is nearly ready to take the throne. He just has to find a wife."  

"But he always wants to go off on adventures and go hunting with his friends. He doesn't want to settle down," Queen Lucy had said before going off to meet her niece and nephew for the first time. She hadn't seen them since they were infants. Susan was now eighteen years old, and she had grown into an exquisitely beautiful young woman. If Edmund hadn't decided to settle down within the next two years, her parents would abdicate the throne to her and she would become the new queen of the Fairies and Elves. 

"Jareth, I find myself in need of your help. You see, I've been hearing rumors of King Caius of the Dark Kingdom, located within the Mountains of Death is planning to kidnap my daughter and force her to marry him so that he can have more substantial power in the Underground . I will need yours and that of the Order of the Lion's to help me protect her."

"I'll help you. After all, what are brothers for, anyway?" Just as Jareth is about to give Peter a hug, a lightning bolt crashes through the ceiling of the ballroom. The fire from the candles turned green, and a dark figure in the shape of a man emerges in the center from the cloud of smoke. 

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the descendants of my worst enemy, King Edward the Seventh, standing before me," the strange man proclaims. "I've been waiting to see this day for a very long time."

"Who are you? What business do you have here?", said Jareth, before reaching his hand towards his side, where his sword was. 

" I am King Caius of Dark Kingdom. I'm sure that you've heard of me. Your great-great-great grandfather and I used to be the best of friends, before he had done the worst thing he could've ever done to me, well that is, before he drained most of my powers away."

"And what would that be?", Peter asked before also drawing his sword. 

"He took away the one person that I loved, your your great-great-great grandmother, away from me. I've waited  for over four thousand years to return the favor." 

"Four thousand years? That's impossible!! No one is able to live that long." 

"Unless they knew of the Elixir of Life. I've been taking it for the last few hundred years considering the fact that the average Underground person lives for at least 225 years." 

"What?" Sarah was completely confused. For all she knew, Jareth was about in his late thirties, early forties. What she didn't know was that he was actually one hundred and forty-five years old. So, after another eighty-five years, it would be likely that he could die. He had never told her how old he actually was. 

"What are you going to do to us? I doubt that your powers have much effect here. Our family is quite powerful ourselves. Sarah, Arthur, Hayley, please come here." Jareth said, turning to his family. Sarah and their two children walked towards the center of the ballroom floor. Peter said the same to his family. Lucy and her two children came towards the center of the ballroom also. They all stood bravely and were ready to fight. 

"I know that you are after Susan already. What could you possibly want with her? She's done nothing wrong," Lucy asked, clinging to her daughter.

"It's not what I want with just her alone. I know something that none of you know of, something that requires all of them. You think your family is so strong and unbreakable. Ha! I can make you all much weaker very easily. You have no idea what your children are capable of doing in their futures or who they really are. And now, you'll never have the chance to find out." And just as soon as those words were spoken, dark clouds of smoke had blanketed the ballroom like a horrible fog. When the smoke cleared, all of the children were gone. No sign of Arthur, Hayley, Edmund, or Susan anywhere. All that was left of them was their royal rings of protection, given to each of them when they were each born, to mark that they were of royal blood and to keep them safe.