A/N: Ok, so I was watching the movie and I noticed that some of the dialogue made it seem like Sarah had been there before. And then I noticed that a lot of fics are about either Sarah returning to the Labyrinth or a descendant of hers going there. And then the idea to have a young Sarah journey to the Labyrinth hit me. This is the result.
A/N: I don't own anything, this was merely for fun.
Journey Underground
The girl could not sit still. Her mother was trying to braid her hair but it was proving to be a most difficult task.
"Sarah, quit squirming. I'm almost done."
The girl fell still, her hands folded in her lap, while her mother twisted the last of her dark locks into the braid.
"Alright, you're free to go."
Sarah jumped to her feet and raced outside, her mother's laughter following her. She ran across the yard to the play set where she plopped onto a swing. With a push off the ground, she set herself into motion, building up momentum until her feet touched the sky. She loved the weightless feeling but the swing soon lost her attention. She dragged her heels in the dirt to bring herself to a stop and then stood. A sudden breeze whipped a few strands of her hair loose from the braid. She wandered around the yard for awhile before coming to the edge of the property. Beyond the neatly trimmed grass lay towering trees and dense undergrowth. The quiet babble of a brook could be heard in the distance. Sarah smiled and plunged into the wood. She tromped through the undergrowth, tripping over logs and slipping in the mud as she followed the sound of the brook. There were leaves in her hair and her shirt was ruined by the time she found the shallow stream. Her eyes bright with excitement, she ran to the water's edge and knelt down to watch the water flow across the mossy rocks. She dipped her hands in and immediately squeaked at the icy temperature. A small frown on her face, she braved the water again, intent on securing the smooth pebbles resting on the bottom. She let out a triumphant laugh as she lifted her prize out of the stream. Setting them aside, she turned her gaze back to the brook. There was a flash of gold in the water and she looked up to see an owl gliding overhead. It landed in a tree on the other side of the stream.
"Hi!" Sarah called.
A wind blew through the wood, ruffling the owl's golden feathers and pulling more strands of hair from her braid. She watched the bird for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"You look lonely." She said suddenly.
The bird cocked its head at her before letting out a screech and throwing itself from the branch. She stared, eyes wide with wonder, as it soared away through the trees. She looked back at the tree it had previously occupied and smiled. Nestled among the tree roots was a gold feather.
- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -
She stumbled out of the woods into her backyard, her pockets stuffed with rocks, leaves, and other things she'd collected. Clutched in her fist was the feather. She walked into the house and found her mother on the phone in the living room.
"Look mom!" she said, holding up the feather.
"Sarah!" the woman exclaimed. To the person on the other end of the phone she said, "I have to call you back."
"What happened?" she asked after setting down the phone.
The girl's cheeks were caked in dirt, her shirt was torn and dirty, her legs were covered in mud and there was a whole manner of nature in her hair.
I found treasure in the woods." Sarah said, emptying her pockets and placing her collection on the table. Her mother sighed, exasperated, but there was laughter in her eyes.
"Upstairs with you. You need a bath."
The girl groaned but, at the look from her mother, trudged up the stairs. She went into the bathroom and stood out of the way as her mother drew the bath. Once the tub was filled, her mother peeled the dirty clothes off and set her in the water. The scrubbed her legs with a rag while her mother set to work unbraiding her hair and removing the twigs and leaves. She squealed whenever a knot was snagged. Finally her hair was clean of debris and her mother grabbed a rag to scour her face. Sarah whined but her mother paid no attention as she scrubbed her way down to her arms. When her skin was red and raw, her mother let the murky water out and filled the tub back up. She added bubble bath and Sarah's face lit up.
"Bubbles!" she shrieked as mountains of suds piled up in the tub. Her mother laughed and reached for the shampoo. Squeezing a large amount into her hand, she worked it into Sarah's hair while the girl played with the bubbles. She stayed in the water until she was pruny. When bath time was finally over, Sarah was clean, pink, and wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe and her mother was exhausted.
"Go get dressed. Your father will be home with dinner soon." She said, her voice echoing her fatigue, and walked down the stairs.
Tripping over the folds of the much-too-large robe, Sarah padded into her room. Her bed was over run by stuffed animals and plastered to her walls were drawings of castles and fairies. She went to her dresser and, pulling out her pajamas, got dressed. Lightning flashed outside her window as she reached for a stuffed animal buried beneath the rest. She tugged the animal free, setting off an avalanche that left her surrounded by plushies. Casting a slightly guilty glance around, she tiptoed over the toys and out into the hall, a teddy bear clutched in her grasp. The sound of the front door opening and closing reached her ears and she took off at a run down the stairs.
"Daddy!" she shrieked, latching onto his legs as he put a pizza down on the table.
"Hey there little monster!" he said, reaching down and picking her up. "You hungry?"
"Yeah!"
Her mother's laughter filtered into the room from the doorway and she said, "Let me brush her hair and then we can eat."
Sarah's father set her down and her mother led her into the living room. The collection of leaves and rocks still sat on the table along with the feather. Her mother produced a hair brush and started to comb out her hair. She took her time, carefully pulling the brush through knots and tangles. Sarah was finding it difficult to sit still, especially with the smell of pizza wafting in from the kitchen. Her eyes fell on the feather and she stilled. When her mother was done brushing her hair, Sarah reached forward for the feather and tucked it into her dark locks.
Laughing, her mother asked, "Hungry?"
With a vigorous nod of her head, Sarah ran into the kitchen where her father was waiting with a plate of pizza. She wolfed her dinner down while she told of her adventure in the woods. Her father laughed and praised her bravery but it didn't go unnoticed that his wife hadn't said a word. When dinner was finished, he was clearing the dishes when she said suddenly,
"Did you bring in the mail?"
"Yes, it's in the hall."
His brows furrowed as she dashed from the room.
"Sarah, why don't you go on up to bed? Be sure to brush your teeth." He said.
Sarah nodded and hopped off her chair. She passed by her mother on her way upstairs. She was flipping rapidly through the mail, an unusual expression on her face. The girl wandered into the bathroom to brush her teeth and then to her room. Setting the feather on the nightstand, she piled her stuffed animals on the bed before crawling in after them. She didn't notice the owl perched in the window as she drifted to sleep.
- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -
Sarah woke to the sound of shouting. She sat up and looked around, sleepily. Her room was black as pitch and, outside, the moon was high in the sky. She rolled to the edge of the bed and stood on unsteady legs. Shuffling across the room, he stepped out into the hall and peeked into her parents' bedroom. There were clothes and letters strewn all across the floor.
"You don't understand anything, do you?" her mother was sneering. "I don't know why I married an idiot like you."
She took a swig from the bottle in her hand.
"Linda . . ."
"Shut up!" she snapped, hurling the bottle at him. It flew right passed him and smashed against the wall, spraying the room with alcohol.
"You're worthless. Gone all day at that stupid job while I stay home and take care of that brat! I clean up after her and cook her food and listen to her stupid stories just so those pigs can tell me I'm not what they're looking for!"
She brought her hand to her mouth only to find that her bottle was gone.
"Mommy?" Sarah asked, wide-eyed, from the doorway.
Two sets of eyes turned her way, one strained with fatigue and worry, the other muddled with anger and alcohol.
"Sarah-", her father began but he was cut off.
"What do you want?" her mother spat. "Don't you know that no one wants you here? I wish the goblins would come and take you away-"
It was her father's turn to cut her off. In a harsh voice, he said, "That's enough Linda."
He went to his daughter and picked her up. Tears were beginning to glisten in her eyes. He carried her back to her room and tucked her back into bed.
"Don't worry about your mother. She's just upset that she didn't get the part in her play."
Sarah nodded but it did nothing for the tears sliding down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry sweetheart." He murmured, kissing her forehead. "Try to get some sleep; it'll be better in the morning."
He wiped away the tears as she closed her eyes and waited for sleep to come. She felt him move away and she cracked her eyes opened to see her mother standing in the doorway. The angry expression was gone, replaced by a look of muddied confusion. Linda looked to her husband but all he gave her was a cold glare as he pushed passed her into the hall. She looked toward her daughter, the confusion growing more prominent in her face. Taking a step forward, she stumbled into the room, trying to regain the balance she had just suddenly lost. She clutched the dresser as the urge to vomit swept over her intoxicated frame. She was about to run down the hall to the bathroom when the windows burst open. Linda reeled; her drunken mind unable to process what lay before her. Sarah shot up in bed, the shimmering air swirling around her. There, perched in the window, was the Goblin King.