Title: Destiny Reborn
Fandom: Labyrinth
Stars: Along with the normal cast, there's a host of original characters.
Summary: Something is happening to Sarah and the Labyrinth... they are somehow connected.
Author: Queen Serenity
Disclaimer: Okay, listen. Anyone whom you recognize, they belong to Henson and Co., okay? But anybody else, ESPECIALLY my elven princess, Tah'rina Durinae, belong to ME. However, if you ask me nicely, then I would be happy to let you use her, or whoever else belongs to me. Okay? But if you do NOT ask first, then I will have Sailor Dark Dreams use her whip on you. (If you want to know who she is, check out durinae dot deviantart dot com) ;) :)
Title: Destiny Reborn
Author: Queen Serenity
Fandom: Labyrinth
Chapter: One – Tah'rina Durinae
Sarah Williams grimly stared at herself in the mirror. She had bags under her red-rimmed eyes and her skin had taken on a color rather sickly lately.
It had been a month since she had returned from the Labyrinth and her life had only taken a turn for the worst. She and her stepmother were always fighting now, and Sarah's father never took her side . . . and now Karen had just announced that she was pregnant AGAIN! That meant another child to care for! She and Toby got along well enough now, but that was her only relief.
And the dreams . . . the dreams confused her, and left her drained. When she dreamed, she saw through someone else's eyes, to what she felt was a long time ago.
Sarah's thoughts were interrupted by her splitting headache. She groaned and buried her head in her arms, willing it to go away.
Tah'rina Durinae, glaring, refused to give in to her enemy's will. She had made her decision, and wouldn't go down without a fight.
"Tah'rina, you are the princess of this kingdom, and as its king and your father, I decide what's best for you. My decision is FINAL!"
Tah'rina wanted to strangle her father. Instead, she put on a mask of serene calm and curtseyed gracefully. "As you wish, my lord father."
She left her father's study and went to her chambers. When she entered, the mask dropped and she choked back a sob of frustration. Why did her father have to be so STUBBORN?
Magick in the world was dying, and so were those creatures with it in their blood. People just didn't believe anymore in magick, and, because of this, many races were near extinction. The nymphs, the dryads, the fairies, and even Tah'rina's own race, the elves. They were all losing their magick and dying. The gods and the goddesses themselves seemed to have died, too, never showing themselves anymore.
Tah'rina couldn't just let her people die, nor could she allow the other races to fade out, either. There was a legend about a magickal labyrinth which appeared only to those whom were worthy. It moved from place to place, never staying in one location for very long. The legends said that if you were to make it to the center of this labyrinth, you would find ambrosia, the food of the gods. This would, of course, make you a god if you ate it. The labyrinth, however, held many dangerous traps, even if you did find it. You had to be very cunning to make it through. Many people had tried, but none had succeeded. Now, Tah'rina herself was determined to try. If she were able to become a goddess, she would have the power to save everyone. But no. Her father did not want to risk his precious daughter.
She opened her chest and a pile formed behind her as item after item was expelled from it. Well, she didn't care. She was going to save her people, whether her father liked it or not. She had to at least try, if nothing else. Finally, when the trunk was empty, she lifted out the false bottom, revealing a wrapped bundle. Unwrapping it, she revealed a pair of breeches, a loose-fitting shirt, a vest, a pair of soft leather boots, and a loose fitting cap. She cleaned her face of all make-up and, dressing in these clothes, she was pleased with the results. With her hair braided and up in the cap, she now looked like any other youth. Any other male youth.
This was a common disguise of hers, which had started as nothing more than a game when she was little. Then she had noticed that no one had noticed that the rather scruffy-looking elf boy, "Kah'rel", was truly the regal Princess Tah'rina, and she had become addicted to her disguise.
Only one person knew about it, and she had sworn him to absolute secrecy. This was Althor, her father's oldest and most loyal soldier. The poor old elf had been shocked when he'd uncovered the princess's secret, but he was very fond of her and she had been able to persuade him to help keep her secret safe.
He'd agreed, but tried to talk her out of it, pointing out that all the boys in the castle had to learn how to fight. If "Kah'rel" didn't, there'd be trouble, and she'd be found out anyway. Obviously, he'd hoped to scare the girl into quitting, but it had not worked. Tah'rina never gave up without trying.
"Fine," she had told him, "Then I shall learn to fight, too."
She had had to really push Althor to agree to that, and the only reason that he had in the end, most likely, was because he had thought that she would do so badly that she would give up and back off.
Everything had not gone according to his plan, however. She practiced with the elven boys and went on to become the best fighter of all the boys, proficient in everything clear from sword to bow and arrow.
She had overheard that Althor was being sent by her father to find the labyrinth from the legends, and had thought that she might be able to help in some way. And so she had gone to ask her father for permission to accompany Althor and his party. Well, we all know what his answer was to this.
Her plan was that she would follow Althor's party at a distance for a while, and then, when they were far enough from the castle, she would reveal herself to him. There would be no way he could himself go back, and he would not be able to send her back because it would be too dangerous for her to go alone.
However, she would have to prepare this evening, if she expected this to work. First thing was to gather her supplies.
She packed one more boy outfit first of all. She would need weapons, but that would be no problem. She reached under her mattress and pulled out the sword which she had convinced Althor to give her a year ago. Next, she took out her knife, which she slipped into the top of her right boot, and then wrote a note to pin to her door that stated that she wished to be left alone. Picking up her pack, she left her room and snuck into her father's study, which she knew would be empty at the moment. She looked in his desk until she found what it was that she was looking for; to save time, her father kept a sheaf of papers already signed with his seal on hand. Taking one, she wrote a note and stuck it into a pouch which she had tied to her waist.
Then she left the room, careful to leave no evidence that anyone had been there.
Next, she went to the armory and opened the door to it with a duplicate key which she had 'borrowed' from Althor. Slipping inside, she found a longbow and some arrows, which she slung across her back. She then took a water skin and a pouch of dried meat. With those, she would be able to follow Althor's party for a week before she would have to join up with them.
Having everything gathered, she went back to her room and hid all of her supplied in her wardrobe, slipping into her nightgown afterwards. It was early, but she would be going to sleep now, as she would need plenty of rest . . .
Queen Serenity: Well, I dunno how it is so far, but I'm working hard on this… I hope you guys like! Hey, I need a beta-reader for this fic. Any volunteers?
Sere G: *stares* So, when you said earlier that you own Tah'rina, you mean she's your slave?
QS: Ummm… No. I mean that I made her, so I own her.
SG: Uh huh. Slave owner.
*QS pounces on SG and they start strangling each other*