Author's Note: A fair warning to readers...much of the beginning of this tale is CONSUMED with OC characters...so much so that your head will be spinning with that pivotal accusation...WTF...you call THIS a Labyrinth Fanfiction?! Where in the WORLD are J and S? Ah yes...our loves...doesn't distance make the heart grow fonder? Isn't delayed gratification a good thing? Maybe...if you can hold your breath long enough to endure...regardless...it is a story... take a chance if you dare...I can guarantee that you will not get those hours back if you choose to read...so pick wisely!

Epilogue: Let's begin...

and so...and so...AH!

and the girl questioned, "What big teeth you have?". And the Goblin King replied in a questioning tone, "All the better to eat you with?"

...no, no, no...that didn't seem right.

What about...and the clock struck twelve, but the Goblin King continued to dance the night away with the dark-haired servant girl that had knocked out Cinderella, stole her dress and went to the ball in her place!

No, no, no...that isn't right either!

It isn't fair! Sigh! It's just that I need...something...like but not...similar but different...

Something NEW...something original...something creative...it couldn't just be a repeat of the same fairy tales...that wouldn't do at all...

and saying HIS name is completely NOT ALLOWED!

The Painted Door

The painted door burst open. Jackson nearly threw himself through the opening of the doorway into the large parlor room beyond it, landing upon the floor in a heap. He instantly scrambled to his feet turning to face the ethereal realm beyond the door in order to help the young maiden that was following closely behind him. She was halfway through the painted door when a blackened mist swirled up behind the girl and quickly took shape into a tall and imposing form of a man. But this was no ordinary man, for it was the Goblin King. He was dressed in black hunter's leather with a sword at his side and a sheathed dagger at his calf. His physical presence radiated that of a skilled predator with agility and grace and he was much taller than Lela and Jackson. Jackson lunged towards Lela's hand, tightly clasping onto her wrist to pull her through the door and away from the entrapment of the Goblin King.

But Erlkin was just as quick, if not quicker, than Jackson and grabbed Lela's other arm in a fierce grip just at the base of her arm above her elbow, preventing her from completing the passage through the door.

"Stop!" He commanded in a loud voice, "You must not go through the door." He snapped her body back in his direction partially toward him and her face whipped back to look into his dark elf-like features as she let out a small scream.

With two opposing forces both latched onto her, Lela was trapped between the two worlds. She looked over to Jackson with his boyish features and wavy brown hair. His eyes were light blue and they were pleading with her to come with him. He was the man that came to her rescue. He promised her freedom and love. But there was a pull within her being that caused her head to turn away from him. It was like a call to her soul that she could not ignore and it was coming from the opposite direction. His direction! She couldn't help herself, no matter how much she willed her mind to keep looking at Jackson, she just could not resist Erlkin's lure as he beckoned to her with his will. Lela continued to turn until she faced the Goblin King with his jet black hair, his dark and mysterious golden-green eyes, high cheekbones and smooth pale skin like alabaster. The often mischievously lifted brows and twinkling eyes were replaced with the angriest look she had ever seen upon his face.

"You cannot leave!" He demanded sharply, biting his hand even deeper into the flesh of her arm, causing her to wince. "For you will surely die." She closed her eyes from the pain, but also kept them closed to avoid his penetrating stare. The stare that could woo her soul and enchant her back to him. Upon hearing his heated words, she donned her best courage against him, turning her defiant blue eyes set in a beautiful heart-shaped face toward him.

"Better to die with love than to remain here as your prisoner. Your slave!"

"Love?" Erlkin roared with mockery. "You know nothing of the love of men. Whatever that young rouge has told you, it is a lie, my dearest little lark."

The hazy voice of Jackson lifted above the fog that had enveloped Lela's mind as she heard him shouting. "Don't listen to him. Don't give in to him!" As if in a dream, she turned and saw Jackson standing there, pulling on her wrist, but it was as if she was standing outside of herself in a separate room with Erlkin. Jackson was poised by the door and had repositioned himself with both hands upon her thin delicate wrist and had propped a leg up against the frame of the doorway to give himself leverage against the strength of Erlkin.

In that moment, Erlkin passed his gloved hand by her face, close enough to caress her cheek but she did not feel his touch. The movement broke her concentration from Jackson's pleading face. The words he spoke slowed down to a blurred mumble and the tone became eerily low. It was as if Erlkin had slowed down time and it was just the two of them standing there. She stared up into the beautiful face of the Goblin King, whose features had softened from anger to something quite different; concern? And at this moment he looked more man than elf or King. His golden-green eyes were piercing and intense as he leaned in closer to her. Under his current spell, she could hear his voice echo in her mind, but he said nothing with his lips.

"You cannot leave me sweet Lark, for we are bonded together. You have not forgotten."

"No longer!" She whispered, closing her eyes and shaking her head. Her head was a cascade of long golden-colored curls that moved like the waves of the ocean all the way down her back to just above her hips, nearly cloaking her modest white dress.

"You cannot break the bond between us little Lark. For I gave you the kiss of death and chose to spare your life. You belong to me and no other."

Jackson stared in bewilderment as he watched the Goblin King leaning into Lela, with a menacing stare. He said nothing, but Jackson knew that the Goblin King was trying to lure her back to him, with his faerie magic. Jackson gripped harder on Lela's arm just as she began to twist and turn from him as if to head back to Erlkin. He heaved harder and pushed his leg against the frame even more to try to gain additional leeway.

"I love you! Please, come with me. You must fight him," he screamed in her direction as Erlkin moved his head to give him a mocking and sinister sneer. But Lela was still caught in Erlkin's mind spell and could only hear a mere echo of Jackson's voice calling in the background. She didn't even turn to acknowledge Jackson's call but continued to stare into the gelid green pools of Erlkin's eyes. The smell of autumn leaves, fresh rain and the tangy-sweet smell of mushrooms danced about her head. The black of his irises called to her and the frostiness of his eyes softened as if the summer sun was shining upon them. It was as if there were slivers of sunshine reflecting in them now, like long wheat grasses in a meadow.

"Lies, Lark." He lowered his voice to a husky and enchanting whisper, velvety and smooth. "He is weaving lies and only seeks to steal you from me, along with my gold. He only told you he loved you to get the key to the gold. What do you think he is going to rescue you from? My little lark! You have no idea the world he wants to take you to. He promises you freedom, but there you will experience merely a different kind of slavery. A different gilded cage awaits you there, the slavery of men. Come back with me! Come back to me little lark!"

Lela's lips parted as if to speak and her eyes were large glimmering pools that looked as if they would spill over at any minute. She could not muster a defense against him and she only managed to let out a small panicked gasp that could have been a half-sob. Her body could hear the call of the Goblin King. She could feel it like a heat beginning to spread through her whole person; like an intoxicating drug that made everything she knew fuzzy and foggy that she could not reason through. Erlkin's voice caressed her mind like a snake coiling around its prey. "You will die if you leave my realm. You will be mortal once again. I offer you eternal youth and beauty. I can give you all kinds of hopes and desires. All that I ask of you is so little! Do not force me to be cruel!"

His face pierced through the fog of her mind and his gaze hovered above her own. His silky voice echoed around her, threatening to envelope her in its warmth. She could hear the rise of songbirds singing to her and smell the musky scent of leaves and wood. He leaned in over her just above her ear, so close that she could feel the warmth of his breath, causing her to shiver with fear and something else. "Believe….believe in me. Obey me. Worship me. Love me." The words were laced with fairy enchantment and magic, like rocks that tied her down and rendered her powerless to move. Powerless to fight or respond. He had begun to move his arm from her wrist to around her small waist. With his other hand, he was making a move to unsheathe his small dagger. If he got it into his hand, she knew what her fate would be.

Lela's mind tried to fight against him. It was an internal battle between the magical words of the Goblin King and those of Jackson. It was clear that the Goblin King's intent was to demonstrate his power over her will and all in front of Jackson. The closer he came to her, the greater the desire to be closer to him and to be near to him; touch him. But a small voice in her head reminded her of Jackson. The boyish face of her young rescuer. He did say he would save her from the Goblin King. But Jackson also stole the king's gold, and only with her help. Could it be a trap? A mere lie? She was the only one with the key to the last door that contained his gold. Did he really love the gold more than her? He did say he loved her; that he would marry her. It was more than the Goblin King had ever offered or promised her. These few thoughts ignited a small fire of courage and hope within her.

The Goblin King's features grew dark and sinister like night descending upon an already dark and menacing forest. "If he steals you from me, he has stolen everything!" Erlkin finally whispered in a low voice; a shaky and unnerving tone that hinted toward something. Fear?

"Remember what I told you?" Jackson was now shouting at the top of his lungs in an effort to get Lela's attention and to draw her away from the power of the king. The Goblin King's head reared up and he gave an ominous look to Jackson, unsure of the poison that he could have told to Lela to use against him. Once Erlkin broke his gaze with Lela, it gave her mind just enough freedom to hear the words that Jackson began to yell.

"I have conquered the Goblin King's labyrinth and stolen your gold. My will is now as strong as yours. You, Erlkin, have no power over me, Lela!"

"I am Lela, not Lark and you no longer have power over me." She managed to say her true name and not her slave name that Erlkin had given her, thus gaining mastery once again over her own life. A single tear streaked down her cheek. "You have no power over me Erlkin."

"No!" The Goblin King said as he raised a protective hand up, as if to stop her words. "Stop!"

This time she mustered all the power and strength that she had to shout out loudly. "You have no power over me for I have bested your labyrinth, stolen your gold and remembered my true name. You have no power over me any longer! No longer your caged lark will I be." She leaned toward him with a new secret confidence. "No longer do I believe in you! No longer do I believe!"

Erlkin dropped her arm and stepped back away from her in horror, as if she had thrust a poisoned knife into his gut. His entire body shook from the words that she spoke, and he stepped back and dropped to one knee doubling with what seemed like pain. But he regained his composure and rose again to face them both, his pale face like a regal mask revealing no emotion now.

When the king fell at her attack, Jackson was able to pull her into the parlor with him and she collapsed into his arms, weak and unable to look up as Jackson and Erlkin remained in a silent standoff. Jackson knew that the Goblin King could not leave his faerie realm beyond the painted door. Jackson swung Lela's limp form up into his arms and cradled her into his chest, giving a triumphant look to the Goblin King. He cocked his eyebrows up in defiance, tempting the King to act or say something.

Only after several minutes of quiet standoff did the Goblin King finally speak. "You will be her death! For she does not know the hearts of men, as I do! She will not be able to survive without the magic that she has lived with here for so long, her health will give out on her. Your world will kill her! And I shall be waiting for her return, for as soon as she becomes aware of the greed that rules your heart, she will return to me!"

"I'm never giving her back to you!"

"We shall see!"

Jackson didn't wait any longer, as he swung around and kicked the door shut with the back of his heel right on the face of the Goblin King, thus sealing the gateway to his realm. He slowly walked across the darkened room, kneeling down to place Lela on the settee. He then reached toward her neckline for the black satin necklace at her collarbone and pulled out a blood-red crystal key. He lifted the key from her limp head and walked over to the painted door. Without hesitation, he thrust the key into the keyhole and promptly locked the door. As the door was locked, the magic of the painted door began to roll downward as if the wood and paint were melting upon the door itself leaving nothing behind but the walls of the parlor room. The door faded in color, turning into an invisible dust of sparkle till it was no longer.

"We'll see!" Jackson echoed. "Over my dead body!"

Power rose within him, stoked by his fury. He stared at the huge painted door for a long time. He then began to look at it deeper and study it. He took in the intricate carvings of the wide frame with the elfish patterns and paint. He took in the painted mosaic patterns that adorned the heavy wooden door creating a large circle labyrinth symbol. He lifted his finger and traced the pattern, circling his finger over it again and again. He stopped abruptly and took a step back from the door, looking to the elfish words secretly carved into parts of the door, hidden in the carvings of the oak leaves, acorns and other decorations. The door was massive in size, taller than his six and a half feet and made of the strongest wood of all the trees in the faerie realm. There was no penetrating the door or destroying it because of its enchantments. He placed his hand upon the door, as if he could feel her beyond it, but instead there was nothing.

He abruptly spun in a seething rage from the looming shape. Cast in its darkening shadow, he let out a howl of frustration so fierce and powerful that all the corners of his kingdom could hear him. Even the labyrinth shook in its sentient fear of his anger. With a mere snap of his fingers, his magic crackled to life bringing forth one of his most trusted goblins with a gust of wind that lifted his long black hair. It was Beezum that he had summoned. Beezum was the head steward from the castle and had been there for centuries. The instantaneous summoning left him groveling before his master with a perplexed look upon his gnarled face, especially after hearing the howl that echoed through the castle only moments ago.

"Majesty?" Beezum inquired as he dipped low in a respectful bow to his king.

His pale face showed no emotion save authority. The thought of tasking a guardian upon the door helped to quell the fiery embers of anger and hatred to a mere simmer, as opposed to unleashing it upon everything in his current path. It was not as if something of this magnitude had never happened to Erlkin before. On the contrary, many people find their way into the faerie realm and through the painted doors and attempt to steal his gold or even manage to get away with a few pieces, but they never steal his muses or his keys. He clenched his fist in renewed fury over the treachery and betrayal.

A slight cough drew his attention down to the goblin standing close to him. "Uh…master, how long am I to stand and wait, my lord?"

Erlkin lifted a dark brow in annoyance. "As long as it takes." He swept the long black cape about himself and then strode off toward the tall hedges of the labyrinth. As he approached them, the hedges uprooted and shifted backward in their places and began to bow as the king made a direct path through the labyrinth and to his castle. Beezum hung his head at this response and gave a quiet sigh. His position as the head steward at the castle would definitely be lost to him with this new request to guard the portal door. Great, he thought!

Erlkin paused and called over his shoulder with an evil and sinister laugh as if he had heard Beezum's thoughts, "Even if it takes all of time."

Author's note: Oh my gosh! WOW! You actually made it through the first chapter and didn't die of shock! Yes, I know, I can see the confusion on your lovely countenance right now...hush...hush! It will be okay, my precious thing. Who in the aboveground and belowground or universe ARE these characters? Geez! But you have to admit...it seems like an interesting start...do you dare to keep going? KNOWING that J/S will not see you for quite some time? Enter chapter two...if you dare!