A Dream Within a Dream
A/N: Woot, this is it people, the sequel to Chasing the Proverbial Dream, and the last forseeable story in this trilogy that began with King's Curse. This chapter took a while, mostly got caught up in some of the phrasing. This is also the first time I'd had such a long chapter, over three thousand words, and hopefully this will be the goal for every chapter to follow. I began finding that the two thousand word chapters were feeling a little short for me, although they feel a lot longer in Word prgrams than they do online. In any case, this chapter was mostly inspired by playing too much Psychonauts, an excellent game. I hope to wrap up any lose ends left by the very open ended Proverbial Dream, and the smaller mysteries left from King's Curse. The best thing to inspire me to continue writing faster is reviews, I'm pretty sure its the same way for anybody, but I felt I couldn't leave this story unposted to create buffer chapters so I'll be relying on your encouragement to get me trucking. So, review please.
Chapter One
Forward Motion
A soft jingling like Christmas bells filled the air, something was tickling Sarah Williams' nose. She opened her eyes, blinking a couple of times at the tiny child-like face that stared at her with a bright and innocent smile. Gasping Sarah sat up, sending the little fairy plummeting until the tiny glass-like wings caught enough wind to carry the fairy up again flying into Sarah's line of vision with an angry pout.
"Sorry," Sarah said gently, for a moment her mind swirled, she felt displaced, only after a minute once she had remembered the strange dance that included so many fairies, dancing, whirling, spinning around herself, and around Ludo. It had felt like her mind was peeling open, and so was Ludo's. "So this is Ludo's mind?" The fairy's head tinkled as she nodded vigourously, but Sarah still looked around dazed, what had happened before that? The last thing she could remember clearly was Ludo helping her through the window of the black facsimile of the goblin castle.
Ten tiny fingers wrapped around Sarah's index finger, the fairy tugging the girl along. Out of her internal struggle, it didn't really matter, what mattered was the here and now in Ludo's mind.
Sarah whirled around, trying to take in as much of her surroundings as she possibly could. It was Ludo's mind after all, his mind was technically the same age as Toby's, and it reflected it. Everything here was exaggerated; everything to Ludo was either a toy or a monster, the epitome of good or bad, right or wrong. So like a child.
The soft jingling of Christmas bells tickled Sarah's ears again, Sarah turned her attention to the little fairy and the direction that the miniature child pointed. On the ground was a map of the Labyrinth it what appeared to be crayon. The little fairy belt down prodding the doodle with some unknown purpose, almost frantically until with almost teary eyes she looked up towards Sarah.
"Please don't cry," Sarah said quickly before bending down over the maze, "What is it that you're trying to do?" She reached towards a piece of crayon outlining, and felt the waxy strip crumple in her hands, the diagram was like a giant carpet that the fairy simply wasn't strong enough to lift up. The fairy continued to try pulling it up, although Sarah did the actual lifting, until she'd revealed a large pitch black hole. Sarah dropped the picture of the labyrinth to one side and looked into the hole, dangling her fingers precariously into it. Then the fairy flew in, glowing softly in the darkness.
"I guess I have to," Sarah said, dangling one leg into the hole, then the other, she couldn't see her feet for the darkness, and couldn't feel any ground beneath her. Still, the little fairy tugged on her pant leg. With a quick breath to boost her confidence Sarah closed her eyes and dropped into the hole. It didn't feel like she was falling, but Sarah hadn't felt her feet land, but opening her eyes she found herself standing in front of a pair of very familiar doorknockers. The familiar pair, one with a ring in his ears, the other with a ring in his mouth, somehow it warmed Sarah's heart to see them, just as she remembered them.
"It's very rude to stare," the chubby one to the left pouted.
"It's good to see you again too," Sarah said with a laugh.
"What?"
"Mmf nnnin ffmmm h efffnn mmm," the other mumbled.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," the left chided.
"Mmm nnn hhhhlk iffff m mmmuffffu."
"Well we're not getting anywhere like this," Sarah sighed and moved over, pulling the ring out of the skinny knocker's mouth.
"What were you saying?" the deaf one asked.
"Ah! Oh ugh umm umm oh," the knocker stretch his lips, "it is so good to get that thing out."
"Tell me something I don't know," Sarah chuckled.
"I said, it's no good asking him, he's deaf as a post."
"What?"
"Mumble, mumble, mumble, you're a wonderful conversational companion," the deaf one chided.
"You can talk, all you do is moan!"
"No good, can't hear ya."
The skinny one sighed.
"Wait a minute, this isn't real, you're just part of Ludo's memories," Sarah realized, stepping back.
"What?" the deaf on called.
"Search me, we're just the knockers," the normally mute one said with a laugh.
"So then," Sarah pointed to the one on the right, "Ludo and I passed through you, so if I did that then logically the memory would simply continue. But if I go through the other door."
"Huh?"
"Knock and the door will be opened."
Sarah grasped the deaf doorknocker's ring, swing it with a loud clang again the metal plate. Another black void, the fairy flew ahead jingling like Christmas bells and vanishing, Sarah followed, the voice of the knocker complaining fading away behind her.
Everything was dark, Sarah eyes taking their time to adjust to her new surroundings of rocks lit only by the faint light of the jingling fairy. "It's the oubliette," Sarah realized after a moment, with a sigh she flumped against the rocks. "Except that Ludo wasn't with me in the oubliette, so is this another memory or something else altogether?"
"Come now, what did Hoggle tell you about oubliettes," said the voice in Sarah's head.
"Oubliettes, there a place where you put people to forget about them."
"No, the other one."
"Oubliettes… the Labyrinth is full of them."
"Precisely," the silvery voice whispered into Sarah's ear.
Sarah squeaked, jumping away, she'd been certain that the voice was her own internalized. "Who are you?" Sarah asked, gazing up at the auburn haired woman with a cheeky smile and her hands on her hips.
"My, you are a cute one," she bent down slightly, smirking at Sarah, "I thought those three might have been overlooking your flaws, but it doesn't seem like they've idealized you beyond reason."
"What are you talking about?" Sarah asked, "Who are you?"
"Ludo was very good at landing you near the gateway to my mind, but then he always had the best instincts for Labyrinth magic," she stood again, the fairy immediately coming to land on her shoulder, "and my little one took you the rest of the way."
"Well now you just look like Peter Pan," Sarah said.
"Oh, come on Sarah Williams, you had it a moment ago," the woman teased.
"You're the labyrinth, aren't you?"
"That's a good girl, a sharp mind and you might just make it through this."
"How can I see you, aren't I in your mind?"
"I'm only a thing that exists in the mind, Sarah," the Labyrinth replied a little coldly, "most see me only as bricks and tunnels." She extended a hand and lifted Sarah to her feet, the same cocky smile across her lips.
"So then, what am I supposed to do now?" Sarah asked.
"We have to get you to Jareth's mind, his thoughts are scattered, and his mind in disrepair." The Labyrinth opened a passage in the stone.
"How did all this happen?"
"Nerzel, human magic and goblin magic don't mix well, Nerzel decided to seal Jareth's magic, instead he sealed a piece of Jareth's mind. The two remained balanced until Jareth divided himself again to create Ludo, now part of Jareth sleeps within the crystal. The other Jareth I have sent to sleep to avoid interference."
"So what can I do?"
"Wake the entrapped Jareth, if he recombines with Ludo then their strength can challenge the third."
"When did we get to the garden?" Sarah asked, they hadn't climbed any stairs, actually they'd barely moved at all.
"I move the corridors as I please, I thought, this would be a nicer place to stroll."
"Okay, just because I'm curious, I've been hearing a tone of rumours about you listening to the goblin king, you're probably the best source."
"It is a precarious relationship, I hear the requests of the people, but my memories are the thoughts of my king, and now I've three, I can't continue like this," the Labyrinth took Sarah's hand, "now when I'm fighting to preserve the dreams of all the goblins in order to revive them, I'm at my limits."
"Why me?" Sarah asked.
"No goblin can, they are the inner being realized, they simply don't have the internal magic to walk this plane, besides, I believe Jareth will respond to your presence."
"Because he loves me," Sarah looked down at her shoes.
"Don't look so depressed, he does not expect anything from you, if you were to vanish from his life he would accept it well enough, it may be better if you think of it in the way you love your Toby."
"But he loves me," Sarah said stopping and facing the Labyrinth head on, "not like a family member, but like… I've seen it…"
"He will not act upon it in a way that will burden you," the Labyrinth said coldly, "after this, you will return home; he will stay and continue to rule, he is weak with you here, but that is all."
"How can you be so cold?" Sarah asked.
"What? You plan on staying?" the Labyrinth asked sharply, Sarah remained silent, "Don't pretend that you will ease his pain if you won't. This is it, the door we are looking for," the Labyrinth said smoothly.
Sarah stared at it in confusion, "The bog of eternal stench?" Sarah hadn't noticed when they'd reached it, not even by the smell, then she realized that she couldn't smell it, the bog had no scent here.
"This is as far as I can go," the Labyrinth said, "my little fairy friend will go with you, but she can only lead you back to me if you get lost, she can use her magic once, but only once, before she is extinguished, choose the moment wisely."
"If goblins are inner selves, what are the fairies?"
"Fairies are dreams in the human world, which is why their life-spans are so short, shorter still while time here moved at the same rate as your world. If the dark Jareth wins, if I am extinguished, so are they, and so is the human ability to perceive during sleep."
"That's a lot riding on Jareth's ability to respond to me."
"Go," the Labyrinth instructed, and the fairy flew down into the sick brownish waters. Sarah looked out into the mess with a grimace, stepping in, the water was disturbingly warm, filling even her socks as her feet pressed against something gooey at the bottom, which suddenly gave way.
There was that same jingling, the Christmas bells, Sarah's eyes fluttered open, and went wide, standing she turned around slowly. Everything was gorgous, radiant, and not what she'd been expecting, flowers of very color shape and scent. Then laughter, "Toby?" her chest tightened, more laughter, this time Sarah could tell that it wasn't Toby's, similar sounding, but not quite Toby. Moving towards the sound she swerved through bushes, "What is this, the hedge maze?" she asked arbitrarily and then froze.
Standing before her was a beautiful woman with long black curls, pale and perfect skin enhanced by a silver dress and a handful of the rainbow flowers, a silver flowered tiara, frozen like a statue. Sarah became painfully aware of her plain features; skin marked by regularly sun exposure. Then the woman started moving, not anything spectacular just breathing, brushing her hair from her face, and then the laughter, the silver haired boy, who looked about the same age as Toby came rushing forward.
"This one's a Fire Daisy right?"
"Why yes it is Jareth," the woman said with a smiled, and handed him the bright red flower, freezing again as the boy turned and ran away, laughing.
"Jareth," Sarah was still, that was Jareth? How could that be Jareth, Jareth was a full grown man, this was just a little boy. The woman started moving again, changing positions with a jump as the young Jareth ran towards her again.
"I brought you a Midnight Lily, those are your favourites," Jareth said as she had handed him the dark blue flower
"And which ones are your favourites?" the woman asked, bending down and putting her around Jareth's waist.
"I like Dragon blossoms," Jareth said happily, especially when they're breathing smoke.
"Do I get any Dragon blossoms in my bouquet?"
"No, they're stinky," he said and wiggled from her arm hold, dashing off again.
"Jareth!" Sarah called, "Jareth," she chased, following the boy brushing leaves with his fingertips, stopping only as he found placed the blue flower on a bush. "Jareth," Sarah said, as she placed her hand on the boy's shoulder, almost surprised that her fingers reached something solid.
He turned, his blue eyes widened, and he softly said, "Who are you?"
Sarah felt like she'd been punched in the gut, "Jareth, it's Sarah," nothing, "Sarah Williams… You took my baby brother and made me run the Labyrinth!"
"Father is always busy with runners, he never gets a chance to play," for a moment he sunk, his eyes flickering from his sharp piercing blue to wide pupils that almost made them look brown, then they flickered back and h smiled, "I've gotta go, I'm bringing mother flowers."
He dashed past her, Sarah followed with uncertainty, this was probably just a memory, indeed the beautiful woman moved and stopped as Jareth saw her. He took another flower, a gold and pink one.
"It's a Goldenlover," he smiled, "How many more flowers do you want?"
"It a good bouquet already Jareth," she smiled, "You just bring me however many you want to."
"I'll bring you one of every flower in the Labyrinth," he laughed and started to run away with the last flower.
It didn't make sense nothing was in order, and if this was a memory, then it should have been like in Ludo's head. Memories shouldn't be able to interact outside of what's already happened, so then what happened when Jareth didn't recognize her was real. For a moment her chest tightened, Jareth had forgotten her, why did that idea seem so painful?
"Jareth," Sarah called as he ran back.
"Moon gardenia," he took the flower from his mother.
"Jareth, what are you doing?"
"I'm making mother a bouquet," he said as he put the flower back.
"How can you be making a bouquet if you're putting the flowers back?"
"I'm not putting them back silly, I just brought mom a spider rose," he ran back to the queen.
"Do you like the spider flower?" he asked, and the woman handed him the white rose with angular petals that made a spider web pattern.
"It's lovely Jareth," he laughed, carrying the flower away.
"No, Jareth, stop, you're moving backwards."
"Don't be silly," he replied, as he place it on the bush.
"No, Jareth," she grabbed him, "you know me, but you don't know me yet, so we have to move forward." Sarah plucked the flower from the bush and put it in his hands.
"Mother loves spider roses," he said and started carrying the rose off, with Sarah following in step. He reached the queen and handed her the flower. "Do you like the spider flower?" he asked.
"It's lovely Jareth," she replied, then she moved to hand it back to Jareth.
"A moon gardenia," Sarah said leaning over him, "go get your mother a moon gardenia."
"Okay," Jareth smiled, leaving the spider rose in the woman's hand and running through the Labyrinth to where he'd gotten it, and bringing it back to her.
"Moon gardenia," he said as he told his mother, running back to her, this time dashing away again without any flower, then he grabbed Sarah's sleeve playfully, "Come on, I have to get Mom a Goldenlover, she told me that father made it just for her."
It was a lot like Toby dragging her to and fro in the park, she found herself examining Jareth's face as the boy grabbed the biggest flower on the bush. It wasn't nearly as round as Toby's face, more slender, and his eyes had softness to them, despite being a shocking shade of blue, almost like his eyes were older than the rest of him, then again, they probably were.
"It's a Goldenlover," he smiled, handing his mother the flower, "how many more flowers do you want?"
"It's a good bouquet already Jareth, you just bring me as many flowers as you want to."
"I'll bring you one of every flower in the Labyrinth," Jareth assured her and grabbed Sarah's sleeve again.
"Let's get her a Midnight Lily next, they're mother's favourite," Jareth beamed, tugging on Sarah's sleeve.
"Why does your mother need all these flowers?"
"Mother says that flowers are fourth most favourite things in the whole Labyrinth, I'm first, father's second, fairies are third, and flowers are fourth."
"But why does she need flowers today?"
"Mother always puts flowers in the middle of the table, and today we're having an extra special dinner party," he said, and pulled Sarah into the dining room. There the bouquet that he'd been presumably gathering was sitting in three huge bouquets across the lengthy table, there must have been hundreds of them, each different and gorgeous.
Sarah stared, a little prompting and Jareth's memories had hopped forward, if getting Jareth to remember her might not be too hard. However even if she managed to do that, she had to hope that it was something that would help in the long run.