Disclaimer: All Labyrinth characters are copyrights of Jim Henson Productions and affiliates. I claim no ownership of copyright.
Chapter 1:
It was nearly dawn as most of the goblins returned to their world, having ended a wonderful night of fun and festivity in Sarah's bedroom. She had said goodbye to all of her friends, save one...
"Here you go little missy, nice and cozy..." Hoggle spoke softly as he tucked Sarah in to bed.
"Thanks Hoggle," Sarah smiled sleepily. With a yawn, she murmured to him, "You really are a true friend...goodnight." Leaving a brief kiss on his cheek, Sarah rested her head on the pillows, and instantly fell into a tranquil slumber.
"Goodnight Sarah," he whispered back, hesitantly reaching out to brush a few stray hairs away from her face. Hoggle just stood there a moment, for some reason unwilling to turn away from this girl who called him friend. Heaving a deep sigh, he turned away from her towards her mirror and faded away.
* * *
A white owl watched through the window as Hoggle returned to the realm of goblins. Though he had flown off earlier in a silent rage, somehow he had been compelled to come back once more. "So...Old Hoghead's falling for Sarah, is he?" Jareth thought to himself. "Well, I'll just have to see about that." Deftly flapping his wings, the pale owl shot through the sky and out of sight.
"Where am I? It's so dark...perhaps I should open my eyes..."
As Sarah did so, she found herself once again in the illustrious ballroom of her fantasies, but this time there was no one else...just her and the music playing in the background from some unknown source. She looked around, wondering aloud, "What am I doing here?" A voice echoed a response.
"I wanted to see you Sarah."
Jareth appeared behind her, dressed in the sparkling midnight garb he had worn before. Sarah turned around, startled as she faced him. "Jareth? I thought I defeated you..."
He laughed loudly, his cold eyes staring down at her, "Defeated me? My dear girl, you are quite mistaken." He continued to chuckle as he brushed past her, reaching for a pear from a nearby table.
"Then how do you explain what happened last night?" Sarah asked, a spark of anger showing on her face.
"That was merely a performance my dear...I gave you what you wanted..." Jareth replied, drawing closer to her, "You wanted to get away from your home, I gave you reason and purpose to do so. You wanted help, I let you receive it. You wanted adventure, you found it in my Labyrinth. You wanted romance, I gave you this dream. You wanted victory...I let you win." He stopped just inches away from her face, "I asked you before, and I'll ask you again...Isn't that generous?"
Sarah gazed at him, at a loss for words. Not even the lines from the play could help her. "I...I don't know..." she turned away from him, grinding her teeth at her inability to resist him. Even then, the first time in the ballroom, she had been hard pressed to pull away from Jareth. The closing in of the goblin dancers and the resonant chiming of the clock had made it easy. Now, she wasn't sure of how to escape...or if she wanted to.
Jareth touched her cheek delicately, his eyes staring deep into hers. Slowly, he leaned forward, touching his lips to hers...
* * *
"Sarah, it's time to get up!"
"Wha?" Sarah sat up, startled into consciousness from her dream. Her stepmother, Karen, was standing by the door.
"You've been asleep all morning Sarah. About time you got up and out of bed," she called as she turned and walked away.
"Alright...alright," Sarah yawned, starting to undo her blouse so she could clean herself up and put on some clean clothes.
* * *
"Damn!" Jareth cursed from the seat of his throne room. The goblins continued to scurry through the castle about their business as Jareth watched through one of his magic crystals. "I nearly had her." A smile returned to his lips as he stared thoughtfully at the crystal, "No matter. The battle has just begun. She won't be so lucky next time." His familiar cackle resounded through the hallways, sending shudders through some of the goblins' spines.
* * *
Hoggle sat down by the old fountain with a sigh, staring at the plastic bracelet Sarah had given him. "Sarah..." he murmured dreamily, moving the bracelet about his wrist. He wondered when he would see her again, tempted to try and visit her right then and there. He stood up with some determination in his stride, "Yes, I'll go see her...but...what will she think?" The argument led him to slump back down beside the fountain. "Oh, little lady...will you ever need me again?"
"Now why would she need you, Hoggle?" Jareth asked as he stepped up in front of him.
Hoggle jerked up to his feet as he recognized the voice, "Um, um, nothing, your Majesty, no reason at all! I was merely dreaming that she would...um, uh..."
Jareth crouched down, staring him straight in the face. "Oh Hogwort, don't play games with me. I saw what happened last night in your supposed 'victory' party, and I saw you when you left." He poked at his shoulder with his riding crop, "You're beginning to love her...aren't you?"
Hoggle could barely get the words out, "Well, I do care for the lady and, well, I, um...oh.."
Jareth shoved him to the ground, "You annoy me with your babblings, Hogbrain. Do you love her or don't you?"
Hoggle looked down at his fidgeting hands. "Yes...yes, I do..."
Jareth chuckled as he pulled Hoggle back to his feet. "Now you listen to me Hoggle. Sarah is mine, and if I so much as see her kiss you, I'll do more than send you to the Bog of Stench! I'll have your head! Understand?!"
Nodding slightly, Hoggle managed to say, "Y-y-yes, your majesty." As Hoggle looked up to face him, he realized that Jareth had disappeared. "Oh Sarah. What do I do? I thought he was gone for good..." Hoggle wandered off aimlessly along the outskirts of the Labyrinth, gazing sadly at his bracelet as he walked.
To be continued...
(Edit note: Thanks Danalas, I couldn't find a reference when I wrote this, I just chose the name Linda at random. Now I know better. Thanks!)
Chapter 1:
It was nearly dawn as most of the goblins returned to their world, having ended a wonderful night of fun and festivity in Sarah's bedroom. She had said goodbye to all of her friends, save one...
"Here you go little missy, nice and cozy..." Hoggle spoke softly as he tucked Sarah in to bed.
"Thanks Hoggle," Sarah smiled sleepily. With a yawn, she murmured to him, "You really are a true friend...goodnight." Leaving a brief kiss on his cheek, Sarah rested her head on the pillows, and instantly fell into a tranquil slumber.
"Goodnight Sarah," he whispered back, hesitantly reaching out to brush a few stray hairs away from her face. Hoggle just stood there a moment, for some reason unwilling to turn away from this girl who called him friend. Heaving a deep sigh, he turned away from her towards her mirror and faded away.
* * *
A white owl watched through the window as Hoggle returned to the realm of goblins. Though he had flown off earlier in a silent rage, somehow he had been compelled to come back once more. "So...Old Hoghead's falling for Sarah, is he?" Jareth thought to himself. "Well, I'll just have to see about that." Deftly flapping his wings, the pale owl shot through the sky and out of sight.
"Where am I? It's so dark...perhaps I should open my eyes..."
As Sarah did so, she found herself once again in the illustrious ballroom of her fantasies, but this time there was no one else...just her and the music playing in the background from some unknown source. She looked around, wondering aloud, "What am I doing here?" A voice echoed a response.
"I wanted to see you Sarah."
Jareth appeared behind her, dressed in the sparkling midnight garb he had worn before. Sarah turned around, startled as she faced him. "Jareth? I thought I defeated you..."
He laughed loudly, his cold eyes staring down at her, "Defeated me? My dear girl, you are quite mistaken." He continued to chuckle as he brushed past her, reaching for a pear from a nearby table.
"Then how do you explain what happened last night?" Sarah asked, a spark of anger showing on her face.
"That was merely a performance my dear...I gave you what you wanted..." Jareth replied, drawing closer to her, "You wanted to get away from your home, I gave you reason and purpose to do so. You wanted help, I let you receive it. You wanted adventure, you found it in my Labyrinth. You wanted romance, I gave you this dream. You wanted victory...I let you win." He stopped just inches away from her face, "I asked you before, and I'll ask you again...Isn't that generous?"
Sarah gazed at him, at a loss for words. Not even the lines from the play could help her. "I...I don't know..." she turned away from him, grinding her teeth at her inability to resist him. Even then, the first time in the ballroom, she had been hard pressed to pull away from Jareth. The closing in of the goblin dancers and the resonant chiming of the clock had made it easy. Now, she wasn't sure of how to escape...or if she wanted to.
Jareth touched her cheek delicately, his eyes staring deep into hers. Slowly, he leaned forward, touching his lips to hers...
* * *
"Sarah, it's time to get up!"
"Wha?" Sarah sat up, startled into consciousness from her dream. Her stepmother, Karen, was standing by the door.
"You've been asleep all morning Sarah. About time you got up and out of bed," she called as she turned and walked away.
"Alright...alright," Sarah yawned, starting to undo her blouse so she could clean herself up and put on some clean clothes.
* * *
"Damn!" Jareth cursed from the seat of his throne room. The goblins continued to scurry through the castle about their business as Jareth watched through one of his magic crystals. "I nearly had her." A smile returned to his lips as he stared thoughtfully at the crystal, "No matter. The battle has just begun. She won't be so lucky next time." His familiar cackle resounded through the hallways, sending shudders through some of the goblins' spines.
* * *
Hoggle sat down by the old fountain with a sigh, staring at the plastic bracelet Sarah had given him. "Sarah..." he murmured dreamily, moving the bracelet about his wrist. He wondered when he would see her again, tempted to try and visit her right then and there. He stood up with some determination in his stride, "Yes, I'll go see her...but...what will she think?" The argument led him to slump back down beside the fountain. "Oh, little lady...will you ever need me again?"
"Now why would she need you, Hoggle?" Jareth asked as he stepped up in front of him.
Hoggle jerked up to his feet as he recognized the voice, "Um, um, nothing, your Majesty, no reason at all! I was merely dreaming that she would...um, uh..."
Jareth crouched down, staring him straight in the face. "Oh Hogwort, don't play games with me. I saw what happened last night in your supposed 'victory' party, and I saw you when you left." He poked at his shoulder with his riding crop, "You're beginning to love her...aren't you?"
Hoggle could barely get the words out, "Well, I do care for the lady and, well, I, um...oh.."
Jareth shoved him to the ground, "You annoy me with your babblings, Hogbrain. Do you love her or don't you?"
Hoggle looked down at his fidgeting hands. "Yes...yes, I do..."
Jareth chuckled as he pulled Hoggle back to his feet. "Now you listen to me Hoggle. Sarah is mine, and if I so much as see her kiss you, I'll do more than send you to the Bog of Stench! I'll have your head! Understand?!"
Nodding slightly, Hoggle managed to say, "Y-y-yes, your majesty." As Hoggle looked up to face him, he realized that Jareth had disappeared. "Oh Sarah. What do I do? I thought he was gone for good..." Hoggle wandered off aimlessly along the outskirts of the Labyrinth, gazing sadly at his bracelet as he walked.
To be continued...
(Edit note: Thanks Danalas, I couldn't find a reference when I wrote this, I just chose the name Linda at random. Now I know better. Thanks!)