Misjudged Whispers

Hi, it is I, the authoress, better known as Lady of the Labyrinth (note the spaces). This is the first time that I have put any of my stories concerning Sarah on fanfiction, and, to be honest, I'm a little nervous. This is only a short fic, with an abrupt ending, but if I get enough reviews I might take the story a bit further. I do enjoy getting your feedback, so do review. This is rated thus as it involves Sarah getting beaten to a bloody pulp- why do all my stories have someone getting the crap kicked out of them?

Disclaimer- I own not the Labyrinth, that is, until Jareth marries me, THEN I'll own it. I also don't own Wheel of Fortune. Geez, do I own anything?

Quote: "It's not over till you're Underground" Greenday, Letterbomb

Chapter One

Mysterious Lyrics

LLLLLLLLLLLL

'How you've turned my world, you precious thing!'

Sarah Williams started in fear and looked around wildly.

'You starve and near exhaust me!' the mysterious voice came again.

Sarah couldn't see anyone, least of all the person who was singing. She glanced down at her sheepdog, Merlin. He didn't look flustered. In actual fact, he was sleeping. He obviously couldn't hear what Sarah was hearing.

And that frightened Sarah.

The song had sent waves of intense panic through her system, travelling up and down her spine. Sarah looked around again, but she was alone, just watching Wheel of Fortune on T.V. in her father's living room.

Sarah began to calm down. Her breathing, which had sped up alarmingly, died down to its usual pace. Her body, stiff with shock and stress, relaxed. But she knew who had sung that song.

The Goblin King, she thought. It had been his, Jareth's, voice, that Sarah was sure of. But she hadn't thought about him (yeah, right, you think about him every day! said an unpleasant voice in Sarah's head), let alone heard his voice of seen him, in two years.

Sarah shuddered as long discarded memories unearthed themselves in her mind and were shoved, mercilessly, into the light.

Jareth, the Goblin King, had stolen (not STOLEN, the little voice corrected, you GAVE Toby to him, remember?) Sarah's half brother, Toby, and taken him to the Goblin City. Sarah had saved Toby and completely humiliated Jareth, ruining his castle and usurping his Labyrinth's undisputable reputation as 'unbeatable'.

Sarah had lived in dread of Jareth's swift, harsh vengeance for a month or two, then she had sat herself down and given herself a reality check; the Goblin King hasn't come to get you yet, and, in all likeliness, he probably never will.

Sarah had never called the Goblin King by his first name.

Perhaps, Sarah thought, this is it. Maybe he'll come for me and sentence me to a lifetime in his dungeon, or an oubliette, or put me on the rack, or (she shuddered, as this punishment seemed like the worst one) maybe he'll make me clean after his goblins! Yuck! Or, then again, maybe he'll just drive me insane. That seems more humane than the other options. And, besides, it's working already.

Sarah put her head her hands and tried to compose herself.

'Well, if he's gonna come, he'll come and there's no point worrying about it,' she muttered to herself. She got up and went to her room.

She put on her nightgown and turned out her light, stumbling into bed. She half-consciously reached for her teddy bear, Lancelot, then remembered that he belonged to Toby now.

As soon as it hit the pillow, Sarah's head was filled with whispers.

'Sarah, go back to…What a pity…Really?…Well, let's see..' strange and disjointed phrases chased themselves over and under in her mind.

Sarah wrapped her pillow around her head and groaned.

I suppose this is REALLY funny to him, she thought sardonically.

She sat up and said very clearly, 'Excuse me, but I have school in the morning, so if you don't mind COULD YOU PLEASE KEEP IT DOWN!'

The whispering stopped- for the moment.

Sarah lay back down and pulled the bedclothes up around her. 'Thanks,' she murmured.

She closed her eyes and was halfway to sleep when the whispers came again. They were soft this time, like delicate waves of silk sifting through Sarah's mind.

Sarah gave a little sigh then fell asleep to the gentle flow of the Goblin king's voice.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o