Well, this is it. The Disclaimer. I just so happens to be an important part of this document; some might say the most important. Soooo: I do not claim ownership of The Labyrinth or Mirrormask movies; nor do I have ownership of any characters found in my story that are based on characters in either movie. I do claim ownership of my plot and the "real" name of David Tobias Williams: aka, Toby, Saras little brother.
Jaynesdingleberries Presents
Prologue Part OneNot Over Yet
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Sarah hugged the last of the goblins good-bye and waited until they were alone before she turned to again bid farewell to her friends. She sighed as she turned and then smiled at the three--four, if you counted Sir Didymus' faithful steed Ambrosias--figures that she faced.
Hoggle and Didymus sat on the end of her bed, their clothes, medieval and suited to the rigors of the labyrinth, looking dingy and sepia-stained against the brightness of her coverlet. Ludo, with Ambrosias the riding-dog drowsing beside him, sat on the floor at the foot of the bed, his enormous bulk preventing him from sitting on it for fear of destroying it completely; even sitting in this way his big red fur-covered head towered over everyone else in the room.
The picture they made in the princess-perfect room--which in truth seemed the place for her old selfish self, but not her now, not this Sara who has solved the labyrinth-- seemed so surreal to Sara at that moment. It was almost as if they would disappear if she blinked--and maybe they would once the goodbye's were said, like the goblins and the Firey's had--and she didn't want that to happen. She feared it and didn't want to admit the fear that, if this was still a dream, they would disappear from her life forever.
She needed to know that, more than anything else.
Hoggle must have seen it, the concern in her eyes, because he hopped off her bed awkwardly, walked over to her, and patted her arm. She could feel the way the calluses dragged on her billowy poet's shirt. After all the time she had spent in the labyrinth, through the tunnels and dungeons and through the goblin city, and it was still as clean as when she had first made that foolish wish.
"If you need us, for any reason…" he shrugged, his jewels jingling slightly as he moved, "all you need do is call. We'll hear you."
"Indeed fair maiden," Dydimus chimed in, ever-valiant. "If thou art in need just call upon us and we shall hasten to thee."
"Sara friend," Ludo said, his own voice a large rumble, the friend of earth and stones. She met his eyes over Hoggle's head; they were very small in comparison, but pretty for all that. She realized that was all he was going to say; it was all that he needed to say and that was more than comforting. She was his friend and to him there was no question of his coming to her if she needed him.
Thank you all, Sarah thought as she said goodbye to each of them; she didn't bother to hide the tears on her cheeks. Neither did they.
8 8 8 8
They were gone and she was alone. Well, not really. Sarah could hear her father and step-mother Katherine come home and settle in for bed. She heard the scuff of his shoes and the gentle click of her heels as they checked in on Toby; and, waiting under her covers incase they decided to look in on her, heard when they went back to their room down the hall.
They hadn't checked in on her. At one time that would have made her furious; but now it was simply the way it was.
Sara waited until the sounds died back down before she rolled down her coverlet. It shone almost bluish white in the dark, all the cartoon-ish figures dark as small bullet holes in the fabric; she vowed to get another one-- plain and darker in shade-- as soon as she could save up enough allowance. Katherine was always saying that she should act her age, stop surrounding herself with little girl things; well, she would. Sarah had already started that earlier, putting away her storybooks and make-up. Putting away the photo of her mother.
It had been so hard to deal with; first her father remarrying Katherine, then the car accident that had taken Lily Williams away from her ex-family. It had hurt all the more that Katherine had given birth to little Toby not long after; and Sara had been…well, a child. Selfish, willing to a fault, ready to blame anyone and everyone for something that no one had had caused. That was why she had never really tried to love Toby.
Quietly she opened her door and crept across the hall on tip-toe and into her brother's room. She didn't need a light to find his crib, the moon illuminated the room through the French doors which she eyed warily. When they showed no sign of bursting open and letting him in she looked down at her baby brother.
She thought of the Goblin King, his mismatched eyes flashing, and felt a chill of dread roll down her spine. She couldn't say why, but she felt that the battle wasn't over yet; she felt a creeping suspicion that Jareth was still interfering in her life. And Toby's too.
She didn't want him to wake, so she didn't touch his hair like she wanted to. Instead she whispered, so softly that even someone with the best hearing would never have known she had spoken. "I love you Toby; and I wont let anyone harm you."
8 8 8 8
Jareth paced in his empty throne room. He had sent the goblins away; while he still could. He shook his head in aggravation and kicked at a roosting chicken. It squawked as it bounced down into the little pit in front of his ragged throne. He continued on his way, in a circular path around the pit.
He looked like a white leopard pacing, graceful ad predatory; his long hair glinting in the moonlight. In the dark his crystal blue eyes were the same color for once, like black wounds in shadow.
The restless movements ended all of a sudden when he stopped in front of his throne, breathing heavily. With a flick of his wrist the room was bathed in light, every torch lapped with blinding red flame.
Jareth summoned a small silver-gilt hand mirror and held it up to see his face.
His reflection was the same as it had been for millennia; still fey and angular, still touched with the grace and the cruel aspects of the Sidhe. All the same. Save for his hair. It had lost its white-blond sheen; it was now darkening to…brown. Dark plain peasant brown.
The defeated Goblin King roared in fury and threw the mirror at his throne. As the delicate silver filigree smashed against the bronze and stone the torches flared blinding white--
--like his fury--
--and went out.
8 8 8 8
The next morning at breakfast Sara froze when she saw Katherine feeding Toby his soft cereal.
The dread in Sara's belly boiled until she thought she was going to throw up; Richard Williams, sitting down to read the morning paper before going to work, looked up and hastily helped her to a seat.
"Sara dear, are you okay?" he asked, concerned. But she didn't see him, she had only eyes for Toby.
For while he had lovely soft blond hair since his birth it was now almost pure white.
And neither her father or Katherine seemed to notice.