As The World Falls Up
Labyrinth Fanfic by: Chikyu
Chapter 1: Three Tales of the Beginning
Part 1: Sarah's Unknown Mistake
It wasn't like her mother had been married five times before this, it was just that Sarah found it odd sitting at her own mothers wedding more then she did when her father had been remarried all those years ago. She was glad that she had not been forced to be one of her mother's bridesmaids since those poor women looked like they had just walked out of a costume shop with all the ribbons and lace that had been sewn onto their outlandishly pink dresses. Her mother, however, did have the look that any bride would like on her wedding day – absolutely stunning.
Sarah shifted uncomfortably on the pew she was sitting on. She had come to realize that the weddings that they put on television where nothing like an actually wedding. On television weddings are shortened with only the things that seemed important actually included such as the "Dear we beloved", vows, and lastly the kiss. No, it was nothing like that. Sarah believed that she was sitting on the hard pew for at least forty minutes before the priest even got to the I-do's. She didn't think she would be able to stay awake long enough to watch her mother walk down the aisle to the outside of the church.
"Sarah!" her mother's voice rang out over the line of people in the church attempting to leave its confines. "Sarah, hurry over here and get your picture taken with me."
During that moment Sarah wished that the camera wasn't and actual invention. It wasn't that pictures bothered her; it was being shoved in between her mother, and her step-father she's never met. She squeezed through people to attempt to get out of the church to her mother that was awaiting her on the front steps.
When she got there her mother took her arm bringing her close to her side. "I'm so glad that you came today, and you look so beautiful. The dress you found is so flattering for you and this is just lovely" her mother said touching the small crystal charm that hung around her neck, "Where did you get it."
"I didn't get it anywhere," said Sarah "Someone sent it to me for my birthday, I have no idea who it came from though." The silly thing though had sat in a box on Sarah's desk underneath all the other liter that cluttered it up. She hadn't opened up since her birthday since the thing seemed too delicate and priceless to wear. In truth she didn't know who it was from, it had just been sent to her on her birthday, without a return address.
"And admirer then isn't it?" her mother said to her with a smile.
"No mother, I do not have any kind of secret admirer," said Sarah.
"All right then," her mother said smiling even more. "Did you say whether you where able to come to the reception or not?"
"I can't," said Sarah putting a sad look on her face, "It's really close to the end of the school year and I got a lot to do."
"Not even for a little?" her mother asked.
"I've procrastinated enough with all of this," said Sarah. Sarah knew the small lie would work. She in fact did have a lot of work to do, but all Sarah wanted to do at this moment was to go home and sleep without being worn out so much by a long reception.
"Well then, you go" her mother bent forward and kissed her on the cheek, "I will see you soon?"
"Of coarse, we will do somwthing after school is over," she said. Then Sarah walked down the steps of the church to reach her small car that was waiting for her in a parking lot across the street.
She made it home only to come upon the mess of work that had been waiting for her return. Sarah began to remove her dress that she had worn that day and changed into warm pajamas, and as she had planned skipped anything involving the horrid mess that she, in a truth, should deal with.
She crawled into bed and found that there was no more comfort than being in bed with the television glowing then anything else at the moment. Slowly but surely Sarah drifted off into her dreams. However, she didn't notice though that the necklace was still around her neck, and she didn't realize the mistake she had made.
Part 2: Jareth's Turmoil in the Underground
It was late in the afternoon and the setting sun was casting a warm glow over Goblin City and the vast labyrinth that surrounded it. The residents of the castle: the servants, jesters, cooks, and other odd sorts toiled away to please their king who ruled over the city, the labyrinth, and the vast lands around them.
He sat in a large window staring out in the distance looking past the many great walls that made up the twist and turns of his great maze. It was to him a marvelous sight to see, his whole kingdom, glowing orange in the setting sun.
However, this kings gaze was drawn from the bright colors of the Western sky to the stony ground of the city that lay before. At this point the king felt uneasy, something was wrong in his kingdom.
It was then in that short instence that this King had a fear hit him hard in his chest. Below his in the city below two large creatures dotted in and out of the network of allyways, and where coming toward his castle. "Impossible" the word exscaped him in a whisper, but the horrors of what could happen next where loud in his head.
He pushed off from the window's ledge and headed down the dark stairwell to his thrown room, where confusion reined supreme. The king did not want those beast knocking at his castle door, and he was prepared to do anything he could to stop it. If those two beast got in more would come, and those would bring more, and his Labyrinth might fall from his grasp into anothers.
Part 3: Bad Dreams and Old Memories
Sarah was in an empty circular room. All the small creatures, they where all sleeping and the large throne that sat above everything was empty, and everything was silent, almost peaceful.
She moved through the room, drawn almost by instinct through a doorway that she found to lead to stone steps.
When she arrived at the top of the stairway she found a large opened window looking over a small city. On the window ledge sat a man looking over the scenery.
A strong evening breeze whipped his wild fair hair back from a face that held a look that was two parts boredom, one part contemplation. One booted leg rested on the ledge, the other dangled over the side, and he twirled three large spherical crystals in his hand.
As she stood there watching him, he leaned forward, staring intently at something below. With a soundless oath, he pushed back from the window, with a flick the crystals in his hands disappeared, and then ran back down the passage towards her.
He went past her like he didn't see her.
Curiosity drawing her, she followed him down the stairs.
The throne room was awash with blood.
She looked towards the large stone throne that sat high in the circular room.
It was occupied by a by a dark haired man in a black cloak who looked slightly younger than the blonde man from before. Surrounding him where four of the largest creatures she had ever seen - at least six feet tall.
She looked for the blond man
Next to throne sat another man. He looked like the other with long pulled back braids. He was seated on the ground next to throne.
One of the creatures came through a doorway slowly. He was dragging the blonde man toward the dark haired man, throwing him down in front of him.
The dark haired man stood and pushed back the side of his cloak to reveal a sword.
He unsheathed it, pressing the blade to the blonde man's throat, saying something that Sarah couldn't understand. And Sarah could here bells chiming: nine, ten, eleven......
With a cry Sarah awoke.
There where tears in her eyes. She touched the pendent around her neck.
"What happened?" she said out loud to herself.
She looked around for a moment to understand where she was. She was in room which was where she was last night, with the old and shaggy Merlin at the end of her bed. She proceeded for a moment to put her mind where it belonged. She assumed it was a bad idea to eat food at a wedding, and that that had made a lasting impression on her pyche.
She decided more sleep was the best thing for her even though dawn had begun to break outside her bedroom curtians, nor was she aware of what her dreams had brought onto her.
A/N: I would like to thank Saturns Darkness for her help (go read her fics or I'll eat you). She's is my muse when my real one runs away.
This first part changed due to length issues. I will definitely come back to this chapter and redo it. Don't know when but I will. I need to. Second Chapter soon!!
[Update: November 4, 2008—This chapter has been revised, I hope you enjoy the revised version as much as you did the original.]