Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth or Jareth or any other of Jim Henson's characters, but am eternally grateful for his vivid imagination.
Sarah awoke on the floor, her body stiff and sore, and the room around her was dim and unlit. Her mind felt foggy and slow, even more than usual, and she slowly pushed raise herself up on her arms, so she could sit up and look around. Her dark hair was tangled and hung limply across her forehead, and she weakly brushed it aside. She was in her own room and it must be late night, as the house was quiet and no light shone in the hallway behind the half-closed door. The television downstairs was off and only the ticking of the grandfather clock below was barely audible. Sarah shuddered as she suddenly felt chilled to the bone in the dark and cold room. She was only wearing an oversized t-shirt and some white leggings and the window was slightly ajar, allowing the frigid night breeze to drop the temperature to far below normal.
Why was she here and not in bed, she thought tiredly and dragged herself to her feet - every movement causing sharp pains to flash through her head. Her throat was dry and she coughed, wincing at the pain, and reached for the glass of water she always kept near her bed, grateful for the minimal relief even though the water tasted warm and stale. It helped clear her mind, and she began remembering as she rested against the bedpost, breathing raggedly. As her eyes fell on the mirror at the dressing table, or rather the remains of the mirror - a sudden rush of anger and pain made her drop the glass, the remaining water splashing her feet, as everything came back to her with blinding clarity.
She had had one of those days where she was feeling too poorly to go school, so Hoggle had been with her most of the afternoon, playing board games with her, as she rested on the bed. He came often, lately, through the mirror of her dressing table, where she could call him anytime she needed it. Kalaha and Monopoly was their favorite games, ever since they had stopped playing chess months ago because she couldn't focus for long enough anymore. They had a quiet reassuring friendship with mutual joy in the companionship, and as the twilight approached last night, Hoggle had hugged her goodbye and warned her with his sad concerned eyes to take it easy and get some more rest. He was so protective of her lately. She hugged him back and then… the goblins had suddenly been there. Six of them, clad all in black, with narrowed eyes and stern faces, five of them brandishing mismatched weapons and the last one holding a yellowed wrinkled scroll with a blood red seal at the bottom.
"Guardian Hoggle," he intoned formally, as Hoggle took a step back towards the bed, his gaze flickering nervously around. "Guardian Hoggle, by the order of His Majesty the Goblin King, you are hereby under arrest for treason and conspiracy against the crown."
"What?" Hoggle's eyes darted back and forth at the goblins and he crossed his arms protectively in front of him. "No, that's not true – I haven't done anything!"
"Seize him!" the goblin leader snarled and the other goblins had swarmed clumsily at Hoggle, but quickly overpowered him.
Sarah had jumped out of the bed, she remembered, and screamed for them to stop it, but to no avail – Hoggle was tied up with black ropes and dragged towards the leader, and in a blinding flash they were all gone, except him. He looked coolly at her with his yellow eyes and then with another flash and a sound of shattering glass, he too had disappeared. Sarah had taken a step toward the mirror, she used to call for Hoggle with, but only the empty frame looked back at her – splinters of glass were scattered everywhere on the table. And then she must have fallen and fainted.
"Oh, Hoggle, what happened?" But even as she whispered this, Sarah could feel the answer - Jareth must have discovered he still visited her and taken offense, she thought, she could see no other reason for him to send his goblins after Hoggle – especially not here. She slowly began to realize the full extent of her situation, and she sank to her knees with tears burning behind her eyes, threatening to start falling. Hoggle was gone to an uncertain fate at the mercy of the Goblin King. And the mirror was broken - her last link to the Underground had been lost. She curled up motionless and consumed by shock for a while, until the initial grief was replaced by fear, and then finally and much later – anger.
"How could you, Jareth," she hissed to the darkness, and with a sudden resolution, she got up and went to her closet, careful not to step on the mirror shards with her bare feet. She found a loose woolen gown that she pulled over her clothes and a rubber band to tie back her hair, as well as a pair of cotton sneakers. Properly dressed, she approached the dressing table and opened the top drawer in order to retrieve a slightly mussed envelope from furthest back, which had been carefully hidden under pencils, puzzle books and various art supplies. It had been there for well over a year, she realized, just waiting for a day like this – waiting for her to finally give up. Unfolding it, she re-read it one last time:
"Dear Dad, I'm going away to live with a friend. Don't worry about me, everything will be fine. I love you – tell Toby I love him, too. Yours, Sarah."
Yes, that would have to do, she thought and put it back in the envelope before placing it on the top of the dressing table– though the first part was a lie, the second part was at least all too true. She would really miss Toby. He was now four years old and had no memory of the adventures in the Labyrinth, but they still had a special bond and she often took care of him and played with him during the afternoons or evenings, when Karen was busy. How would he react when morning came, and she wasn't there, she thought? How long would it take for him to forget her? She had wanted to write a letter to him as well explaining everything – but there was nothing she could write that he would ever believe. She would have to trust her father to handle the situation, and they would never know the real truth. Maybe it was better that way.
Thinking of Toby reminded her of the other preparations she had made, and with an effort she pulled a chair next to her closet and climbed up to retrieve a faded green backpack from its usual place on the far back of the closet top. It was not heavy and contained only a few items – some apples, dried fruit and her old red copy of "The Labyrinth", but it could not be left here where Toby might find it by accident.
The clock chimed below – one o'clock and Sarah sighed – there was no way to postpone it anymore and the sooner she went the better chance of helping Hoggle. Gathering all her courage and still fuelled by her anger, she stepped off the chair, but immediately had to use it for support, the room spinning and her eyesight blurring. She groaned, never truly used to these dizzy spells her low blood sugar caused, even though it had been part of her reality for these past three years. But maybe not for so much longer – at least this reminded her, why she had to carry through with this. When her eyesight cleared, she let go slowly, steadying herself on the closet, and when she was sure she was alright again, she went to the large windows, which still stood slightly ajar.
"Are you there, Jareth?" she whispered into the night. "What will you do, I wonder? Did you plan this from the start?" There was no reply, only the soft howling of the wind in the trees.
Sarah straightened her hair and lifted arms in a wide dramatic gesture. If she had to do it, she might as well do it right.
"I wish…" she shouted into the darkness in a voice meant to be strong, but cracking slightly, "I wish the Goblin King would come and take me away right now!" A silent rumble of thunder answered her and a sudden gush of icy wind whipped around her, making her take a step back. She searched the sky for signs of him, waiting apprehensively for the sight of a familiar white owl, but seconds passed, turning into minutes and nothing happened, except for the cold seeping through her dress and making her shiver again. As hesitantly as she has been calling him, the thought of him NOT coming suddenly filled her with panic. He had to come. He was the last option, both for her and Hoggle. She backed into the room as in a daze, eyes still fixed on the night sky, and suddenly bumped into something hard. As a faint smell of spices and leather crept around her, she heard a very familiar voice whispering in her ear…
"My my, I thought it sounded like you, Sarah."