Disclaimer: Sadly, I can make no claim on the Labyrinth or any of its characters. Only in my dreams.

Life in the Labyrinth

by

Alira Dreamwalker

It is hard to remember how I first came to this place; I have been here for so long now. As the days turn into weeks, weeks into years, my memory slowly fades. Therefore, I think I should write what I can remember before its too late. I was not always part of the Labyrinth. No, I had a loving family that I left behind centuries ago.

I was raised on the family estate, which was located just outside a quaint little town on Earth. I was a rebellious child to put it lightly. Do not get me wrong, I loved my parents and my siblings. Sometimes I still miss them. Momma was like summer sunshine, loving and devoted to her family. Poppa was strong, firm in his beliefs and had no qualms about keeping the rest of us in line when he felt we needed it. My brother and sister, the bane of my existence, yet they were also my greatest of friends. The estate we lived on was bordered by a large forest that we were forbidden to enter.

Poppa always warned us to avoid entering the inner areas of the forest. He claimed that the forest was dark and evil, though as kids we thought there were other reasons that he wanted us to avoid entering the forest. Things like wild creatures since we could hear the coyotes howling at night. There were bears and wild cats that we had to watch out for as well.

It was my eighteenth birthday when I went against Poppa's orders and entered the forest. I was angry with him, having received some devastating news that day. He had called me to his study a few hours earlier to tell me that I was betrothed to the son of one of his friends. He said a business deal. Me, his daughter, sold to another like so much chattel. I was insulted and hurt by this. It is certainly one day that will always be with me, my Poppa had betrayed me.

I snuck out of the house after everyone else had gone to sleep. After retrieving my horse from the stables, I rode into the woods, not caring where I ended up. I just had to get away. You see, the man my father expected me to marry was known for being cruel and vindictive, thinking nothing of how others felt. There is no way I would willingly walk into a situation like that. Therefore, I did the only thing I could think of. I ran away.

Storm was not happy about entering the forest that night. Granted, he did not like entering the forest at any time of the day either. After a lot of comforting, he finally carried me into the depths of the blackened woods. I decided to ride straight through, difficult since I had never been this far into the forest. It did not dawn on me that something was wrong until I left the woods and found myself in a meadow. It was now daylight where a moment before it had been the middle of the night. I looked around, hopeful to see a familiar landmark.

It was then I saw a castle in the distance, dark and foreboding despite the sunlight. A shiver of fear rippled down my spine as I gazed at the massive structure. After some debating, I nudged Storm in the direction of the castle. It was not that I wanted to go to such a scary place; however, I had with little choice. There were no signs of civilization anywhere that I could see. No cattle grazing, no sheep bleating for their lambs. Nothing to signify that help from a fellow human. As I rode, I noticed the land changing from soft rich grasses, to fields laden with crops I had never seen before. Crops meant people, so my hope rose that I would find someone to tell me where I was. I was far from prepared to see what I did.

The closer I drew to the castle, the more signs of life I found. Here and there, little houses were scattered about. Chickens ran freely across my path, clucking and scratching at the dirt and grass. Storm would snort at the fowl, sending them fluttering away from his hooves in a flurry of feathers. During one session of his snorting, a door to one of the houses opened and out stepped the oddest-looking creature I had ever seen. Startled, I pulled my horse to a stop and stared in shock at the little man.

He was an oddly dressed little fellow, with patchwork britches and jacket in bright garish colors. His hair was green, like that of the grasses I had ridden through. His face drew my attention for it was wrinkled and gnarled, yet his eyes were of the clearest blue I had ever seen. "It's very rude to stare." His voice was gravelly, as if he had been eating sand for breakfast.

"My apologies good sir, I did not mean to stare." His gruffness took me by surprise. Despite my contrary nature, I had always been courteous towards others. Besides, I was lost and it would not do to irritate the local inhabitants. Not if I wanted to find my way to safety. "Might I beseech you sir for a bit of aid?"

The little man stared at me in surprise and I could not help but wonder why. Surely, I was not the first to come by his home. "What's yer name girl?"

"My name is Isandira Jennings and I am afraid that I am lost."

The little man nodded thoughtfully for a moment before turning his blue eyes back towards me. "Yer headed towards the castle. Not sure if'n that'd be the best place for you to go, but ye'll find help there fer sure."

"May I ask why it would not be wise to approach the castle sir?" My curiosity was piqued now; I had never been able to walk away from something unusual or mysterious. He snorted rudely at me.

"Ye ain't from around here are ye little missy?" I shook my head. "His majesty, King Jadir that's why. He ain't the nicest of people. Leastways, not to us common folk." I was stunned to say the least. A king? There were no kings here in the New World. He must have seen my stunned expression. "Where ye from little missy?"

Still recovering from my shock, I stammered, "Peachmoss."

"Ne'er heard of it.," he grumbled.

"Wh- where exactly am I?"

"Yer in the Goblin Kingdom missy." I stared at him with wide eyes thinking that surely I had misheard him.

"Goblin Kingdom? There's no such place." He laughed at my words, causing my horse to snort and paw the ground.

"That's where yer wrong little missy. This here is the outer edge of the Goblin Kingdom. Ye ain't Aboveground no more. This here's the Underground." He turned and pointed towards the castle. "Go on with ye then. Head to the Goblin City and see fer yerself." The gnarled little man turned his back on me and waddled off leaving me there in shock.