Merlin took his last breath as his family around him watched on with wet eyes.

Sarah collapsed onto his chest sobbing loudly once she realised he had stopped breathing. The pain of loosing her beloved pet dog was almost too much for her to bear.

Sarah's father, Robert, rest a comforting hand on Sarah's back and encouraged her to lift herself off of Merlin's peacefully resting body "NO I CAN'T LEAVE HIM" she cried, refusing to lift herself.

Robert grabbed her arms gently to lift her off of Merlin, "Come on Sarah, the vet needs to take him now" he said trying to sound as comforting as possible in this moment "NO!" she shouted "HE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS ME" she wept.

"We understand you Sarah" Irene, her step mother, said softly attempting to comfort her, while holding Toby gently in her motherly arms, motherly arms which she had never extended towards Sarah, ever.

"NO YOU DON'T NOBODY UNDERSTANDS ME, NOBODY BUT MERLIN" she cried, "We can get you another dog Sarah" said Robert to try and provide a distraction, "I DON'T WANT ANOTHER DOG. I WANT MERLIN" she sobbed, wrenching from her fathers grip and running, tears flowing, out from the house, across the street, through the town to the park she frequented.

Robert had tried to call after her as she ran to the front door but Irene encouraged him to leave her be, she needed to let the emotion out.

Sarah went to her favourite spot in the park, where she had often played growing up, with Merlin as her companion, dressed in whatever silly get up she could muster together to help play out her fantastical games.

Based on the book she had learnt word for word. She had stumbled here and there with certain phrases and wording until her visit to the underground, in which she found herself studying the fantasy book more thoroughly and strictly.

The fantasy book.

The fantasy which she knew, in fact, to be a real place full of wonderful and beautiful things, as well as horrible and frightening things.

Oh how she wished she could escape the aboveground right this moment and be thrown once again into the underground, escape the reality of what had happened.

She thought of Ambrosius, how very like Merlin he was, and pined for him to be with her now.

She tried to snap herself out of her grief, but thinking of Merlin's last few months were too upsetting. His struggle with cancer had been unbearable to watch, but even more unbearable to watch and be unable to do a damn thing to help him.

Merlin had been so much more than a pet to her, he had been her keeper of all secrets, without judgement or ridicule, a playmate and companion.

When she had come back from the underground, he was the only person, or thing, she could be completely honest with and tell everything to. He had listened contently with pricked ears.

Of course she knew he didn't comprehend what she was saying, but he knew when to react, tilting his head to the side slightly, in all the right places.

She had talked about him, Jareth mostly, since her return. How he had tricked, manipulated and all but swept her off her feet.

She would often reminisce their dance in the ballroom within the castle. It had felt like a dream, but so much more real.

After that night she would often converse with Merlin about what it would be like to be the Goblin Queen, living in the Labyrinth, with him. He wasn't just a dog, he was a friend, a confidant.

As Sarah sat resting her back against a tree she regularly used to do her thinking, completely drained of emotion with tears drying up, she began to ponder.

She had never called on King Jareth since her visit, it had ended abruptly and she knew he had poured his heart to her in a desperate attempt to make her stay with him, like his life, and the Labyrinths existence depended on it 'Stop! Wait! Look, Sarah. Look what I'm offering you— Your dreams. I ask for so little. Just let me rule you and you can have everything that you want. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave".

His words penetrated in her mind like it had happened yesterday. In truth it had been a year to eighteen months since that fateful night.

Could she call on him now? If she said the right words? Could he come and take her away, so she could be with her friends, Hoggle, Sir Diddymus, Ludo and Ambrosius? She had no friends in the aboveground anyway, all thought her strange, weird, and it had prayed on her father and stepmothers mind often.

Especially when she had been spotted by herself in the park on more than one occasion, with her book and Merlin in her costumes and make believe world.

Rumours had spread around the school of her antics and the kids tended to keep a wide berth from her. But if she spoke the words now, would he come to her? Would he appear before her even though she wished herself away? Surely he must do should the right words be wished?

She stood and straightened herself up, raking her fingers through her hair a little and taking a deep breath while she thought of the words. She stood shifting her weight from one foot to the other, nervously.

She was scared if he would actually appear before her, but felt even more scared if he didn't.

She checked to make sure there was no one nearby the park around where she stood seemed clear. She took a deep breath, feeling her heart begin to pound inside her chest. She grounded herself, looked to the sky above her and spoke the words.

"Goblin King! Goblin King! Wherever you may be. I wish for you to take me away from from here!".

She stayed quiet after the words left her mouth, she widened her eyes to look for any changes, or movement around where she stood. She looked over to her right and behind some nearby trees were 3 heads poking from behind it, giggling at her, 3 kids she recognised from school sniggering at her after seeing her call out to the Goblin King.

Sarah ran to chase them and they grabbed their nearby bikes and took off. Laughing and shouting back words like "Weirdo" and "Freak" at her. She felt the tears form in her eyes again, feeling lost and hopeless. Missing Merlin.

She quickly realised she would never catch them on bikes, and even if she did catch up to them what would she even do? She slowed herself until she stopped and let her tears begin to fall.

Neither the Goblin King, or any goblins had appeared, she looked around the park again to make sure.

She wasn't entirely sure if she felt glad or further depressed.

She gasped when she heard a strange noise coming from the park bridge to her left, a raven had landed and was looking at her, blinking its beady eyes at her, as it squawked. Eyeing her carefully, almost as though it was trying to figure something out about her.

She looked cautiously towards it, feeling a little uncomfortable at its examining of her, as it twisted its head and neck, bobbing along the bridge wall trying to get a better view of her. She sighed heavily and decided it was probably best to go home and face her family.

She had been gone for a good hour now, and she didn't want them to worry, not with the upset this day had brought all of them. Merlin was a family dog after all.