Author's Notes:

Labyrinth belongs to Jim Henson, etc. etc. etc.

Part One

She yawned and stretched herself out, her foot bopping a goblin on the head, no, his helmet, it made a faint ringing noise, but there was no thwap back by a spidery fingered hand, making it alright. She pushed herself to a sitting position and tilted her head first to the left, then to the right, her spine already starting the cracking noises it took to get it going. Another stretch and a push to her feet, a twist, a bend, more snaps and pops. She sounded older than old Ganny Bog, but it was probably more from being a human in a goblin's world.

She yawned again and shoving her fingers through her hair she found her skull, giving it a scratch as she picked her way out of the barracks area. She couldn't fit on any of the hammocks nor the cots, so it was the floor, with some lumpy straw and a few goblin sized blankets for her. She picked at her shift, it was getting exceptionally ratty again. She would have to see about getting something to patch it over with, with each repair it lost more and more of the original dress shape it had been, and it now dangled just above her knees. Maybe she would get lucky and find something to make it longer, that would be nice.

She picked up her basket and opened the door to the chicken coop. "Hey chickie chickies, chickie chick chick..." she repeated the calls over and over as she worked around the nesting boxes, gently putting a hand under each sleepy-eyed chicken and collecting her eggs. These were the ones it was safe to take eggs from. She couldn't bear breaking an egg and finding a chick in it, she stayed away from the roosters' rounds as much as possible, not to mention the chicks were quite cute.

She slung the basket over her arm, settling it in the crook of her elbow and headed out to the garden area. It was summerish and that meant a chance of vegetables and such to be growing. Despite her best efforts there was only so much she could do, what with her master's mood influencing the place so much. Last week the ground had grown so soggy she'd been inches from storming into his room and telling him to grow up and stop sobbing about whatever it was. Today the weather was rather pleasant, he must have another tot in residence. A blessing and curse, she hoped he was a quiet one, otherwise she and Ganny were going to have their hands full, there just weren't enough girls around the place and the male goblins were just useless when it came to children. It was all fine and dandy when they were laughing and amused by chicken feathers, but one sqwak and it was "Ganny! Ganny! CeCe! CeCe!" And they were faced with amusing a child while trying to keep things together.

CeCe shook her head as she gathered up what she could, she still had to come up with a breakfast for her master, and the old cow was being cranky again. She secretly hoped she wouldn't need the milk today, when she was that fussy it only meant a kick to the head was coming her way. On the upside a kick to the head usually got her an afternoon off and a sweet, maybe even a pat on the arm and a 'There, there.' And all of that was far better than what she got lately, a sneer and a 'Leave it on the table.'

"CeCe! CeCe! Baby cry, cry, cry, cry! Feiz get sleepy one, but he cry lots! King no happy 'bout it!" The little goblin was beside himself. "He not do nice singy to help, just yell. CeCe fix!"

She sighed and handed him her basket. "Wash the carrots and potatoes up for me, I'll see about the baby."

"CeCe nice."

"Yes, CeCe nice." She muttered under her breath. "CeCe fix it, CeCe milk grouchy cow, CeCe clean up king's mess, CeCe cook for all the goblins. CeCe know what she is, a slave, that's what." She muttered under her breath, all because girl babies didn't turn into goblins, at least not easily, Ganny Bog had been a girl once, and she'd turned, but not until she was five, and she'd stopped growing. CeCe was tall...ish, five foot was tall in the goblin world. The king still towered over her, but she towered over the goblins, even more than Ganny Bog.

"Give me the baby." She demanded, her hands out, her brown eyes staring right at the king's hair. She refused to look him in the eye, hair was close enough to be a facsimile of eye contact without having to give in.

"Ahh. Feiz said he would find you to take care of this..." He held the baby out in his gloved hands. CeCe took the baby, he needed to be changed. She rolled her eyes at him. It wasn't like he would do anything, he needed her around here. She could reach things the goblins couldn't, after all. That and his blue eyes reminded her of the past, of his personality. One eye darkened by a dilated pupil, his darkness, and one eye bright and clear, his playful side. She couldn't look into those eyes anymore, not since her life had been ripped from her. Ripped from her by another girl, one who turned her home upside down and never bothered to give so much as a 'by your leave.'

She snarled a bit as she took the child, "Will we have guests for supper?" Her voice was laden with the hatred she felt.

"No, we won't. The crystal worked."

"And the baby?"

"I shall deal with him later. Where is my breakfast?"

She glared at him coolly, from the corner of her eye, as she stalked from the room, settling the tot on her hip. Five years ago that hussy had come in here, stolen the king's heart, and ruined her home. Five years ago, this morning would have gone much differently. "Morning Ganny." She managed to give the hunched old she-goblin a smile.

"There's my Cecilia. Such a good little lass you is." She smiled a crooked toothed grin. Her speech was much better than the other goblins' and thankfully so, otherwise she would have picked up far worse speech habits from her nursemaid. "Just give ole Ganny that babe. I needs to warm my feets anyway."

"Thank you Ganny." She smiled gratefully at her, she was one of her few solaces anymore. One of the few that remembered her real name and still insisted on it. If it weren't for Ganny and Lork she wouldn't remember it at all, and her past might seem like a dream.

"Poor Missy Cecilia. Lork make Feiz leave. He stupid. Try to put carroties right into pot, no peal first." He smiled up at her as well. "Missy Cecilia have specialty day today!"

"Ruin 'prize! Dumb-dumb Lork!" A frying pan came flying from the other side of the kitchen, and it missed Lork, but struck CeCe right in the arm.

"Oowww..." She couldn't help the cry of pain, it hurt like a cow kick. She shook her arm out, she was going to have to deal with it. "I need to go milk the cow." She managed to force out amidst her tears and stumbled toward the leaning shed that the cow called home. Might as well get the kick out of the way as well.

She sat down her stool and the bucket, so far the crotchety old thing was actually showing signs of at least being tolerant. She rubbed her hands together to warm them up a bit and then set to milking. Today must be special. She blinked in surprise at the full bucket of milk. Not only was the bucket full, there hadn't been so much as a surly glance. "Thank you..." Before she could even finish thanking the cow, her hind legs lashed out with a frightening speed that was only displayed in a kick, otherwise the cow was a speedy as honey from a jar. CeCe squeaked and dropped her full bucket of milk, sloshing it all over the dusty bits of hay and straw, and herself. She squeezed her eyes shut, it was enough time to try to dodge, and she did. The cow's aim was thrown off, and her hooves landed squarely on CeCe's chest. She gasped and writhed on the ground, trying to suck some measure of air into her lungs, but the wind was knocked clean from her and refused to re-enter.

Something was in the shed with them, it was sending the cranky old grey cow into spasms. Her hooves danced on the ground, and on CeCe, but she couldn't manage to evade them, no matter which way she rolled, there was a hoof to meet her. She finally gave up moving, and tried to shut out the snapping sounds she could hear and the strange animalistic moans. It vaguely occurred to her that the moaning and cries of pain could be coming from her. She closed her eyes, maybe this existence was finally going to be over. She'd never thought it would be a death by cow, but it could certainly be worse, there were far more unpleasant mechanisms in the labyrinth, and that was only the ones she actually knew about. Who knew what lay within the depths of the place, especially considering the horrors that lurked in the light.

"Well, this is a lovely mess." An irritated voice snapped in the shed, sending the cow scurrying off. "I've told you, there is to be no stomping and kicking of Cecilia. Yet you continue to defy me."

She tried to force her eyes open, but only one managed the task, and the vision it offered was blurred and confusing. It looked as if the king himself were in there, but that was just ridiculous. Then again, it would certainly take several goblins to jerk her out of here. She clenched her teeth, she was going to have to get herself out of here, before the delusions got any worse, or the goblins pulled her broken body about. She tried to roll onto her side, but shifting her body in either direction sent whimpers of pain through her. She was at the mercy of this. "Just let death come...quickly..." She forced the prayer of sorts out between quivers of pain.

"There's no need for such melodrama." A silky voice whispered in her ear, sliding effortlessly against the growing velvet of darkness. She let it embrace her, and plunged herself into the comforting darkness.