Disclaimer- I do not own Labyrinth or any of the characters, merely my own ideas of my corrupt, sullied mind.
A/N- A creepy story that wouldn't leave me alone, so I typed it up hopefully in time for Halloween.
Jareth paced the ruins of the castle, avoiding the biggest chunks of foundation while trying to keep from sliding on the smaller debris. Who the hell does she think she is? No one turns down a king! Revenge would only be too good for that petulant brat he thought to himself. Never having been rejected before, his ego was cut to the quick at the flippant dismissal of his offer. Everything had been offered to Sarah. She could have had anything she wanted…dresses, balls, friends, a kingdom to rule.
He clawed at his hair and attempted to conjure a crystal. DAMN! He did not even have the power to create his signature gadget. Kicking out at the closest piece of marble and mortar, he cried out in pain as he realized he did not even have the ability to ward off trivial physical discomforts. He trekked across the crowded floor to the throne room and carefully cleaned off his royal chair, ensuring all of the particles were removed.
As he elegantly draped his leg over the arm of his throne, he thought heard someone whispering. It was very faint and he wasn't even sure he had actually heard anything, and he wondered who would even be around to whisper anyways. All of his subjects were either reconstructing the Goblin City or attending Sarah's Royal Traitor Party in her bedroom Aboveground. Throwing himself back into his personal tirade, he wondered how he would ever get those worms to ever respect and fear him again without magic at his disposal.
Can you imagine…the Fieries and Goblins having no respect for ME? Heir to the High Throne of the Seelie?!
He cursed the day Sarah Williams was born and cursed himself for allowing his feelings to get the better of him. I should have sped up time at the end. I should have stolen seconds away from her to keep her here.
He jerked his head back toward the entrance to the Escher Room as he heard another disembodied voice whisper in the background. Soft and faint as it was, he could have sworn someone saying "King power gone?" Had a goblin stayed to try to clear up the castle? Figuring it was nothing to worry about, he immediately returned to his sulking and pushed everything else out of his mind.
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Sarah was having the time of her life with Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus and every other creature that returned with her. She said a silent prayer, hoping that when her friends returned Underground they would have a home to return to. They were, after all, traitors to the throne and there was probably a hefty reward for their capture.
As if reading her thoughts, Sir Didymus awkwardly moved next to her on the bed and attempted to comfort her. "Fear not, fair maiden! The three of us will come to no harm as long as we together we make a united force. It is you for whom we fear, as we are unable to come Aboveground without your summons." Ambrosius licked Sarah's hand and laid his head on her leg.
"Sarah, the King is prob'ly pretty mad, you should be careful and keep on the lookout fer any sign o' him. If you ev'r think yer in danger, you call us as soon as ya can," added Hoggle.
Ludo, seeming unusually agitated, yelled "Sawah danger!"
Gathering her friends together, Sarah gave them each a hug. "Thank you, all of you. Not only did you help me get my baby brother back but you have showed me the meaning of true friendship." She wiped tears of joy from her face. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to use the ladies room."
She went out of her bedroom and closed the door tightly behind her. Although the Goblins assured her a silencing spell had been placed on the hallway, Sarah didn't want to take any chances that her parents would discover her otherworldly friends…and she especially did not want the Fieries trying to take off her dad or stepmom's head.
After using the facilities and changing into more night-appropriate clothes, Sarah made her way back to her bedroom, trying to make as little noise as possible in her fuzzy slippers. She closed the door behind her as quickly and quietly as possible and sat down on the bed nearest the Wiseman and his annoying hat. She quickly got lost in conversation with him about philosophy and before she knew it, almost all of her other guests had already left for home. The Wiseman was more tired than usual so he crept back through the mirror to the Underground, leaving Sarah with her trio.
Except somebody was missing. "Hoggle?"
"Yes, Sarah?"
"Where is Ludo?"
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As he tapped a gloved finger to his chin, he heard it yet again. "King power gone?" This time it was closer, not nearly as faint, and there was a very sour odor attached to whomever was voicing this annoying sibilate. Jareth got into a crouching position on the chair to peer all around the throne room. There was no one behind his throne and in all appearances there was no one in the room.
Suddenly, Jareth was grabbed from behind by his head. He was pulled off his throne and tossed across the room. Pain shot through his body as he landed on a large chunk of ruined castle. Scrambling to his feet he tried to cast a repulsion spell but no power flowed through him.
Again the room appeared to be empty, but Jareth felt a tingling sensation and all the hairs on his body stood on end. In a single moment of clarity he realized he was dealing with a powerful creature who came straight out of the Earth; a creature that was using Earth magic to conceal its identity.
He sensed the blow before it fell upon him, but he was unable to avoid the hit. His legs were knocked out from under him and the creature grabbed his feathered cape and started dragging him around the floor, effectively giving him lacerations all over his face and chest because of all the shards of foundation on the ground. Jareth tried to grab hold of anything that seemed anchored but the creature was relentless in its assault.
Finally, the creature stopped pulling on Jareth's cape. He took the moment to stand up survey the room, which again seemed silent and empty. The momentary break of the attack was cut short when Jareth felt a looming presence behind him and he felt the hot, putrid breath of the creature down his back. He turned around and before him stood the orange beast he had seen helping Sarah through the Goblin City.
In a panic, Jareth transformed into an owl and attempted to claw at the beast's eyes. Ludo, however, simply grabbed the owl and tore off his wings. As if he were an overused toy, He tossed the screeching owl to the ground and tilted his head toward Jareth with a smile on his face.
"For Sawah," he growled.
He watched the bird writhe in pain as the blood poured from its wounds, coating the floor in the sticky red substance. When he filled his blood lust, Ludo howled a few times, causing some of the rocks to roll toward him. He sent the rocks through the thick red puddle on the ground and they settled themselves amidst a pile of feathers.
Satisfied the King was dead and Sarah would be safe, Ludo made his way back to the portal which led to Sarah's room and stepped through, rejoining the party.
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Sarah, Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ambrosius looked up as the fiery orange beast came through the mirror.
"Ludo!" cried Sarah, as she ran to him and gave him a hug. "I was afraid you left without saying goodbye. Where did you go?"
"Sawah safe," was all he said in reply, which caused Sarah to squeeze him even harder.
"Of course I'm safe Ludo, I have you guys here with me. You're the best friends a girl could ask for."
"Ya," he said, wagging his enormous tail and sending the Goblin King figure flying from her vanity and landing on the floor, shattering into tiny pieces. "King dead, Ludo's fault."
"Don't be silly Ludo, it's just a toy!" Sarah joked, scooping up the pieces of the figurine and tossing them into the waste bin. Red stains spotted with feathers on the vanity and carpet caught Sarah's attention. "Ludo, what did you get all over yourself?"
"Ludo protect Sawah," was all he would say.
Hoggle and Sir Didymus immediately noticed the feathers as those of a barn owl. Making up the excuse of being tired, they quickly grabbed Ludo and made their way through the mirror, making Sarah promise to call for them again whenever she wanted.
As they got through the mirror, they closed the portal to Sarah's world and packed up several small items and some satchels of food. Ludo killed the King and they would protect their best friend at all costs. With their bags shouldered, they meandered their way through the Labyrinth and into the Land Beyond, never to be seen by anyone in the Goblin Kingdom again.
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