Saving a King

Chapter 1

Memories

Memories were what at times kept 24 year old Sarah Williams alive. Her income depended much on her retelling of a world filled with sock-stealing goblins and gentle giants. Ah, yes her childhood memories had become like a gold mine, but no one really appreciated them enough to her taste. The unfinished 3rd book of her Underground series was strewn about her cluttered desk collecting the specks of dust that were dragged in by the gentle breeze through her window. Toby would always remind her of someone who danced and sang for the blonde, blue eyed babe. Every time she would drive a few miles to visit her family, she would find the eight year old humming his melody. He always claimed the mighty Goblin King had made it just for him, he knew as much.

This particular weekend, on Saturday evening, after having some apple pie, Sarah stood in front of the chest at her old childhood bedroom. It had been years since she had seen it and what resided within. She knew that leather bound book would be winking up at her with coquettish eyes begging for a read. Deciding that the moment was too intense she sat in front of the vanity mirror her mother had left her with. The subtle layer of dust was a testament of how much time she had not looked upon herself in the mirror. The sheet resting upon the reflective glass taunted her to reveal its splendor in the light of the sun smiled as she uncovered it, feeling as if she were within one of her many epic and adventurous novels. The glass stared at her in trepidation, she stared back waiting for a ripple of the surface or Hoggle's wrinkled features to appear.

She still remembered when she had come back, the tremendous lonesome feeling she had inside of her chest.

The joy that came to her eyes was immeasurable as she heard Hoggle's voice call out to her. At first it was a quiet whisper of her name, it could've have been mistakenly taken for the gentle whisper of the wind through the cracks on the window sill. She called out a bit louder than her meek whisper:

"Hoggle …I need you"

She closed her eyes briefly as she felt a strange air sweep the room. The spicy smell and warm feeling…

Magic.

A shuffling noise and a gasp were heard behind her. As she turned her bright eyed face to see what it was, a small feather rippled through the mirror and fell upon her desk.

"Sarah, is that you?"

Oh she knew that voice anywhere! Turning, she fell upon her knees to embrace the small figure before her. "Hoggle, it's been so long, oh how I've missed you!"

Hoggle's small arms encircled Sarah as much as he could and a sigh of relief was heard. "My my! Sarah you have grown an awful lot! You didn' eat dose beans did ya? I sure told Jack not to give you any!"

Sarah laughed joyously as she remembered her many adventures after the Labyrinth ordeal. It had only been 6 years since she had last seen Hoggle. Her last adventure had been within her very room. It had been her goodbye, she was leaving for College and she couldn't take them along. Ludo had held onto her all through the night, never once thinking of letting go until Sir Didymus convinced him of such.

"No, no I just…grew…older I suppose"

"Yous gonna look as old as me if ye keep smilin' so much" he teased, "Oh Sarah we was worried you was never gonna come back to us."

"Oh Hoggle" she said softly, "I didn't forget about you I swear…time passes a lot quicker here, but enough about that! I'm here now and so are you!".

The evening soon turned to midnight as they spoke of their many adventures. How Sir Didymus had traveled far and wide spreading his own legend. Ludo kept guard of the Troll forests and helped him in the castle gardens at times. The fierys had caused more troubles than he'd like to mention and the goblins were as dirty as ever still. Sarah listened intently at the stories Hoggle had to tell, but a single question was burning her throat. Was the king alright? Did he forget about her? Was he still so menacingly beautiful? Until Sarah had grown up and gone out with a boy for the first time, she had understood the offer of the king. After numerous dates she had only felt like a piece of meat, and a couple of those dates ended with a stinging palm, taking a cab back home. Soon the ideal man had turned into a sensual Goblin King right before her mind's eye.

Hoggle smiled when he noticed the question lingering in her eyes and decided to be easy with her.

"You knows, if you really do wanna knows, that rat Jareth is doin' as best as he could" he sighed placidly "considerin' what yous did to him the last time ye saw 'im."

Hoggle smiled kindly when Sarah worried her lip and frowned. Hoggle patted her back softly "Although he ain't got a lot of time now, we even gotta start movin' if we wanna survive whatsa comin' to the Labyrinth." Sarah's face became stern, questions lingering in her gaze.

"What do you mean? Why do you have to leave the Labyrinth?"

"Jareth's gotten weak Sarah, and with him the Labyrinth. Nobody knows why or who or what but nothin' good is coming to that place if we stay for long."

"Why has it become dangerous all of a sudden? When I went back it seemed quite safe to me", she remarked, looking at her lap.

"Well I ain't stayin' to find out" said Hoggle "and soon enough other kings are going to notice it and take the land for themselves"

Sarah frowned and turned to him. "But, Jareth rules over it and well it's his, I can't imagine anyone taking anything from him, unless perhaps he may be thinking of giving up?" , the question sounded stupider now that she had voiced it and stood to pace around her bedroom.

Hoggle shook his head and fumbled with the edge of his tattered vest. "Sarah, in this case Jareth ain't givin' the throne to nobody…"

Sarah stared at Hoggle as the words struggled to come out of his throat.

"In gettin' the throne, to have the magic of the Labyrinth they have to …kill Jareth."