the

Labyrinth

By Mara-DragonMaster

"Great play, Sarah. You did a great job."

"Thanks, Mr. Perry. Good night."

"Good night."

It was late. Sarah yawned as she unlocked her car and got in. As she drove home she thought back over the past nine years, since her 'adventure' with the Goblin King. Again she found herself puzzling over the last time they spoke; he had asked her to stay– no, begged her to stay, promising her riches and gifts and the fulfillment of her every dream. Why? The thought had occurred to her before that he could have loved her– but that idea was absurd, and she pushed it from her mind.

Since then Sarah had immersed herself in the world of fantasy. Once she graduated from high school she made a name for herself by writing, directing, and producing several plays that were instant hits. Often she was asked where she got her inspiration– how could she tell them it was a world of goblins, kings, and labyrinths?

Jareth stood on his balcony, gazing around at his palace and the goblin city. Both were in shambles. Both were nearly deserted except for himself and a few stray goblins that crept among the shadows. The rest of the goblins had fled into the Labyrinth. For how many years had it been like this? Too many. The power that had freed her baby brother had laid his kingdom and his life to ruins. If something was not done soon to fix it the kingdom would become a barren wasteland.

Jareth knew she would probably not help him; but he had to try.

Sarah let the chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream melt in her mouth, savoring every bit of it. On the t.v. screen Captain Jack Sparrow swam for his ship, the Black Pearl, while Will pulled Elizabeth close and kissed her. Sarah sighed; of all movie kisses, that one had to be her favorite.

The movie over she returned the carton of ice cream to the freezer, and shuffled to her bedroom. Tomorrow was her first day off in six months. The last play had occupied all of her time and energy; tomorrow she was going to sleep in till it was time for supper, and then she was going to sleep some more.

The night was dark and peaceful. Then she began to dream. She was in a long stone hallway; no– wait– there was no ceiling; she could see the stars. No, she couldn't– they were burning out, one by one, leaving the sky empty and black. Sarah frowned. This place was cold and silent, ruins long deserted. She ran down the passageway, searching for something, her hair streaming out behind her. Suddenly she came upon a town, and a palace. It was the same as the passage: cold, silent, deserted. Sarah ran up the steps of the palace and through the open doors into what had been the throne room. Someone was there, curled up on the throne, head bowed, face hidden by shadows.

"Who are you?" Sarah asked. "What happened here?"

"Everything's dead. My power was broken– she saved him– and left me here."

"Who did?"

For a moment there was no response. Then he turned his face into the moonlight.

"Help me."

Sarah woke up with a start, gasping for breath, sweat beaded on her forehead. It was the Labyrinth– That empty place was– or had been– the Goblin Kingdom. That was not what brought tears to her eyes, however. That huddled figure, so broken, so sad–

That was Jareth.

The next day Sarah woke up and heard the bongs of a clock. It was noon. Yawning she sat up and stretched. Then she stopped; she didn't have a clock that bonged-and this clock had bonged thirteen times. She looked around; she was no longer in her own room. She was in a large stone room, the walls covered with crawling vines that had long since died, and a single candle burned on the wall. It was the same place as her dream.

Sarah swung her feet to the cold stone floor and stood. Knowing Jareth, he would probably show up in less than a minute. She waited; and waited; and waited. He never arrived. Finally Sarah crossed the room to the door. She took the candle down from the wall, opened the door, and stepped out.

The hallway was long and dark and empty. Sarah followed it down till she reached the top of a long winding staircase. She went down, one step at a time, the silence making her uneasy. At the bottom the stairs opened up into the throne room. There, just like in her dream, was Jareth on his throne. Cautiously she approached him, holding her candle up so she could see his face.

"Jareth?"

He looked up, and he gave her a tired smile. "You are awake."

She stared at him. "What has happened here? Why did you bring me back?"

"I need your help." he looked so sad.

"Jareth, what has happened?"

"You." He gave a short laugh. "Everything– it's you. Where did you get such power?"

"I don't understand."

"You save him, and leave me in ruins. The Labyrinth is angry– you defeated it. No more kingdom, no more Goblin King." He stood abruptly and walked away from her. "I cannot fix it. My power is broken– you did that." He turned to her. "Fix it, Sarah. Only you can."

"I don't know how."

"Stay with me." Jareth drew close, so close she could feel the warmth of his breath. "Be my Queen."

"No!" Sarah backed away, staring at him in disbelief. "Is that all this is? A trick to try and get me to stay with you?"

"Sarah, please." He took a step towards her, pleading. "Restore my kingdom and my power. Let me rule you, and I will be your slave."

"I don't want a slave!!" Sarah shouted, spinning around. "And I won't be ruled!"

Jareth stared at her in shocked silence.

"If I stay, it will be because of love, and trust." She said in a quieter voice. "And so far, I can't tell if what you're feeling is love– or obsession. And you have given me no reason to trust you."

"I only took your baby brother because you asked me to."

Sarah shook her head. "And what about everything else you did? You did everything in your power to keep me from him! You even broke our deal of thirteen hours and took away some of my time!"

"I didn't try to keep you from him. Those are the laws of the Labyrinth. And I took away time because I knew you could make it in less time!" His eyes pleaded with her. "Please, Sarah. My kingdom will die if you do not help me."

Sarah contemplated for a moment. "Are you asking me because you love me, or because you want your power back?"

For a moment Jareth did not answer. "Both." he finally admitted. "But I would ask you to stay even if it would not bring back my power."

Sarah stood frozen, unable to breathe, unable to move. For years she had tried to convince herself that he couldn't love her, that she did not care for him. This confession– this was not the Jareth she remembered.

"You were cruel."

He lowered his eyes. "Yes."

"Goblins are also cruel." she said. "If I stay, is that what I would be saving? A kingdom of cruel creatures to plague humanity?"

He shook his head. "Do with it what you will; it is your decision. You are the one with the power. You wish it to be cruel, it will be cruel. You wish it to be good, and it will be good."

Sarah thought about that. That answered one of her questions; but she needed to know one thing more. She took a deep breath. "Do you love me?"

For a moment he did not speak. Then his eyes rose to meet hers, and there was no more Goblin King in them. He was simply Jareth. "Yes."

Something suddenly filled her heart to almost overflowing. Sarah smiled.

"I'll stay."

Over the next several weeks things began to change. The vines crawling the palace walls began to bloom. Flowers and trees began to grow everywhere; the Labyrinth became bright and alive. The goblins returned to the city, but they no longer wished for mischief, and they were not alone. Fairies, elves, and dwarves began to fill the streets. Unicorns, phoenix's, and centaurs took up residence in the Labyrinth. When Jareth and Sarah's wedding day finally arrived the streets were full, and the sun shone brightly.

And they lived happily ever after.

The End