Disclaimer: Labyrinth is owned by Jim Henson. Return to Labyrinth is owned by Jake T. Forbes and Tokyopop. I do not own any of the original characters.
Author's Note: Hello everyone, Ember2010 here. Just wanted to say a few things about the story. This is a spin-off of Labyrinth and Return to Labyrinth. And as such, the main characters are not the same as in the film or the manga. This story focuses more on Viki and Zenith, but the characters that we know and love from the movie are still here and play an important role. Also, this is my first story, so tell me what you think. ^_^ One more thing, I will try to post new chapters once or twice a week depending on what I have written and what you, the readers, demand.
Prologue: The defeat of Mizumi, Queen of cups
Zenith approached the castle where the where Mizumi, the Queen of Cups, ruler of the Land of Moraine lived. He smirked to himself, 'the current ruler of Moraine, but not for long.' He thought. Climbing the steps made of rocks on top of geysers, he could already hear his army of goblins fighting Mizumi's forces in a futile attempt to stop his invasion. Smirking to himself as he thought of his impending victory over the queen of Moraine, Zenith walked through the carnage to the throne, where Mizumi would be. A soldier swung at Zenith with a bloodstained ax, but Zenith merely held up his arm to block the attack. Steel met steel as the soldier tried to defeat the armored invader. But Zenith was too strong for the soldier and easily sent him flying back into the wall.
The squad of soldiers guarding the door to the throne room was just as easy to defeat. Zenith smirked as he sent a ball of fire at the door, killing the soldiers guarding it in the process. The doors exploded in a shower of splintered wood and Zenith created a walkway over the smoldering corpses of his fallen foes. He strutted across the walkway into the throne room, kicking a body out of the way, he admired his handiwork. The hallway was in chaos, cups were overturned and broken. Mizumi's soldiers were fighting a losing battle against his goblin hordes. From behind him, Mizumi attempted to sneak up from behind and attack him with a killing blow, but Zenith knew her plan and with a wave of his hand the Queen of Cups was sent flying through the air into the wall where the stone held her, her shoes a good 6 feet above the floor. She let out a small shriek as the stone encasing her body tightened.
Zenith removed his horned helmet and shook his sandy blonde hair, surveying the room. His cold blue eyes had a dark look in them that only added to his already handsome features. He truly did look like a younger and crueler version of Jareth, the former Goblin King that Mizumi had once loved.
"How did you defeat Jareth?" Mizumi squeaked out as the rocks slowly began to crush her chest.
Zenith turned to the defeated queen and willed the rocks killing Mizumi to expand enough for her to breathe. Mizumi gasped as oxygen filled her lungs. The rocks beneath Zenith's feet rose up so that he was eye level with his newest prisoner.
"simple." He said, "I gave him a choice."
Mizumi chose her words wisely. Zenith was not known for his mercy. Still, she would not let him think she was giving up just yet. "And what choice was that?" she asked to keep the conversation going and give her time to cast a spell on the ungrateful Young man before her.
Zenith gave her a cruel smile. "Leave or die."
Mizumi could not hide her surprise at this. Jareth was the most powerful man she knew. How could this… thing before her have been able to scare him of, let alone kill him? Then Mizumi realized exactly why Jareth was forced to flee to the World of Humans.
"You stole his power." she said, unable to hide her amazement.
Zenith smirked, "yes." He said as he stopped her spell cold and the water she was summoning up to drown him fell harmlessly to the floor.
Mizumi then realized that there was nothing she could do. If he wanted to kill her, Zenith would do it no matter what she did. "What will you do with me?" she asked.
Zenith shrugged. "The same thing." He said as if he was commenting on the day's weather.
Mizumi couldn't bear to leave her home and live among the pathetic beings that were humans. So she did the only thing she felt she could.
Mizumi's face returned to that of her usual arrogance and vanity and she laughed. Zenith shot her a vicious glare. "What are you chuckling at?" he asked, quickly losing patience with the woman.
Mizumi gave him a coy look. "You may have my kingdom and my power, but if you let me remain here I will tell you how to truly control the labyrinth."
Zenith's look changed to one of curiosity. "And how is that?" he asked
Mizumi then knew that she had him. "Oh you don't know?" she said, feigning surprise, "you need the Heart of the Labyrinth."
Zenith narrowed his eyes at the queen. "Which is?" he asked, unsure of the game she was playing.
"Why, its Jareth's true power of course." Mizumi said with a smirk.
"And where is it?"
"He hid it in the labyrinth."
Zenith was losing his patience with the woman, again, which was putting him in a foul mood. He tightened the grip of the rocks on Mizumi. "Where?" he demanded.
Mizumi gasped in panic. "I don't know. I never found it. Only Jareth knows."
Zenith smiled a devious yet handsome smile that made Mizumi's blood run cold in a mixture of lust and horror. "I see," he said, "thank you for that information."
Mizumi could only look at him, unsure of what he was planning to do with her. "You're welcome, your majesty." She said, a spark of hope ignited within her.
Zenith released Mizumi from the wall and fell into his arms and he brought them both back down to the ground. Mizumi could feel her heart race as he touched her arms and held her close. 'Maybe he will show mercy' she thought as they reached the ground.
When they reached the floor, Zenith released the former queen. "And as promised, I won't kill you." He said. Mizumi was about to thank him when he said, "But I can't say anything about them." He gestured to the hordes of goblins where smiling viciously at the former queen. The goblins rushed at her and she screamed in horror. She tried to use a spell to find that she had no magic left. The goblins gagged her mouth and bound her limbs to hold her still. Unable to scream she could only watch the retreating form of the back of the armored Goblin King.
Zenith smiled to himself as he strolled over the bodies of the fallen warriors that littered the hall. 'Looks like it's time to pay my predecessor a visit.' He thought to himself as he got in his palanquin. The chair sprouted 8 legs and carried him back to his castle beyond the Goblin City at the center of the ever-changing labyrinth.