Disclaimer: I don't own anything Labyrinth-related (am I doing this right? Is there a format or something for this?)
Note: This is my first ever fanfic so please be nice! Goodness knows how this story idea popped into my head...
The walls stretched on for as far as the eye could see and though Sarah had been travelling in the same direction for quite some time, she seemed to be getting nowhere. Panic began to rise in Sarah's heart as she wondered how much time she had wasted seemingly not getting anywhere at all.
She slumped to the ground, not willing to give in just yet, but too tired and frustrated to continue.
Suddenly, there was a small voice behind her.
"allo!"
Sarah turned around startled, looking for a person, or perhaps another Dwarf. It was then that she spotted what looked to be a small blue worm with a red scarf and tufts of hair sticking out awkwardly. Doing a double take, Sarah addressed the odd-looking creature.
"…did you say 'hello'?" she asked tentatively, briefly wondering if she'd gone mad already.
"No, I said 'allo'!" replied the creature, "but that's close enough" it conceded with a shake of its head.
Sarah paused and peered intently.
"You're a worm aren't you?" she asked.
"Yeah, s'right!" the worm replied. If she thought he was a regular harmless worm, then he wasn't about to correct her. This was too good an opportunity to pass up.
If only Sarah had known the reputation of the infamous Labyrinth worms, if only she had not been so trusting of appearances, perhaps she wouldn't have fallen into his trap.
Once certain that the girl did not feel threatened by him, Worm invited her inside on the pretext of meeting 'the Missus'.
"Oh!" exclaimed Sarah, "That's very kind of you and I wish I could, bu-"
Her words were cut short.
Sarah realised with horror, and altogether too late, that she had used the dreaded 'W' word. Had the Goblin King not just proved to her that words held power? That one must be careful when it comes to wishes? Sarah cursed her carelessness and stupidity, and her heart wrenched as she realised that whatever was happening would only make it that much more difficult to rescue Toby in time.
It was with this thought that Sarah the 15-year-old girl ceased to be, and with a bright flash of light, became Sarah the Labyrinth Worm.
Once the light dimmed, Sarah tried opening her eyes. As they began to focus, she realised that directly across from her perched an interesting-looking blue fellow.
"Hello?" Sarah's voice came out as a tiny high-pitched squeak. She didn't know why this should startle her, it's not as if it had changed at all in her whole life.
"allo!" replied the blue fellow, "Are you alright? You hit your head pretty badly just a moment ago…"
"Oh, is that what happened?" Sarah wondered, "I can't remember a thing…all I remember was this bright flash of light an-"
The worm cut her off mid-sentence.
"Never mind that lass! You just come inside and I'll look after you. A spot of tea perhaps."
"Thank you Mr…errr" Sarah knew her own name, but that was about it.
"Worm. But you can call me Dave."
Dave turned and wiggled his way through a hole in what looked to be a gigantic wall. Sarah didn't know where she was or what the wall was for, but figured she might as well follow and maybe she'd start to remember more about how she came to be here. There was something niggling at the back of her mind that Sarah just couldn't shake. Something important…
"Are you coming?" called Dave from inside.
Sarah shook her head free of such bothersome thoughts and followed the voice.
Jareth paced the throne room, his brow knitted in a mix of concentration and worry (not that he'd ever admit to that). Barely any time had passed since the girl began her run, but already he had a headache.
The goblins around him were causing mayhem, which is nothing out of the ordinary really, particularly when they had a new baby to play with, but this wasn't what was bothering him. It was mere moments ago when Jareth felt the magic of the Labyrinth shift, but by who's will and for what purpose he did not know. If there was one thing that Jareth hated, it was not being in control.
It was then that a particularly foolish goblin decided to let the chickens in. As the chaos mounted, Jareth became more and more irate, unnoticed by most of his subjects, until finally he snapped.
"QUIET!"
The room immediately fell silent. Even the chickens knew what a fierce temper the big one with no feathers had. Poor ugly tall thing, they thought, how unfortunate to be born without feathers, it's no wonder he's upset.
Jareth glared about his throne room and goblin and chicken alike made the surprisingly wise decision to vacate the room. Even the eldest goblins had never seen their King quite like this. Ever since he was summoned by that girl, they knew something new was happening. For the first time in a long time, the King was unpredictable, and few dared his wrath.
As the chamber emptied, Jareth exhaled a frustrated sigh, a hand running through his wild mane as he plonked down onto the throne. The only one left in the room was Toby. Goodness knows how he slept through such a racket.
Once calm again, with a graceful flick of his wrist, Jareth summoned a crystal. He wanted to know if Sarah had anything to do with the magical disturbance he had just felt.
"Show me Sarah" Jareth commanded.
The crystal orb glowed briefly and showed a scene from what Jareth recognised as the never-ending corridor near the beginning of the labyrinth. He wasn't surprised that she had found her way inside already, but what he WAS surprised about was the distinct lack of Sarah in his field of view.
Jareth was hoping against hope that whatever was going on didn't involve the girl, but deep down he knew that the only one in the Labyrinth with any power, apart from himself of course, was Sarah. Certainly not for the first time today, Jareth cursed his foolishness for gifting her the small amount of magic that he did. He had assumed she would wish for small and frivolous things like shoes, or other such meaningless items, of which she would seemingly miraculously come into possession. He had NOT imagined that instead she would end up in his Labyrinth turning his world upside-down! 'What's done is done' thought Jareth ruefully, not completely unaware of the irony.
"Curse that girl. What has she done now? Why must she defy me at every turn!"
Toby stirred then and Jareth lowered his voice lest he have one more problem on his hands. Thankfully the baby slept on.
"Did I not warn her that words held power?" Jareth muttered angrily. It was far easier for him to be irritated than to admit to any feelings of concern for Sarah's well-being that may or may not be arising. Whilst certainly challenging, and occasionally alarming, Jareth had long since vowed that no serious harm would befall a Runner in the Labyrinth while he reigned as King.
It was with this thought in mind that Jareth sprang into action. Moments later, not a sound was heard as the beautiful but deadly barn owl swooped out of the castle window and up over the Labyrinth.
To any outsider, it would appear as though the King was very angry with the new Runner. While this was certainly true, there was something more to it than that. What nobody knew was that the King had fallen in love with the girl…
