A Different Kind of Victory
A Labyrinth Fan Fiction
By, EmeraldRomance
Summary: When Sarah confronted the Goblin King after fighting her way through the Labyrinth, she was presented with a choice: accept him as her dream, or banish him from her life. Waking up the next day in the safety of her own home, Sarah thinks she achieved the same victory as the princess in the story, but what if her victory was of a different kind altogether? Now six years in the future, Sarah has long abandoned her fantasies of the Underground, completely unaware that she may not have been the winner after all, and that the real champion has only been biding his time…
Disclaimer: The Labyrinth and all its characters belong to the late and great Jim Henson, I am merely borrowing them for my own amusement and I make no profit from it. Any other resemblances are merely coincidental.
A/N: This is my first foray into Labyrinth fan fiction. While I realize my idea has likely already been covered before on this site, and probably in more capable hands, this is simply my take on one possible continuation of the story, and was essentially written for my enjoyment. I hope you like it too!
Prologue
The Way Forward is Sometimes the Way Back
The most frighteningly beautiful man stood before me, his once cruel but enchanting face was ashen and weary. In his glove-clad hand rested a shining crystal much like the one he had tried to offer me a little less than ten hours ago before I'd battled through his Labyrinth, and before I'd danced with him in one of my deepest, darkest fantasies. His very presence had haunted me through every turn of my trial, sometimes in fear, and sometimes in abject fascination. He was after all the Goblin King, a man I had safely admired within the confines of my childish imagination for years. But his reign over me was near its end. I had beaten his game, and he knew it.
"My kingdom is great," I spoke softly but clearly, forcing my feet to move closer to him, and keeping my head held high despite the rush of nerves warring within me.
"Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave," his silky voice promised. I felt my resolve falter, but the face of my baby brother stayed strong in my mind.
His haunting eyes bored straight into mine with a conflict of emotion. Somewhere, a part of my brain rallied to understand him while frantically seeking out the last line. "My kingdom is great…" My eyes flickered to the crystal suspended in his outstretched hand before connecting with his gaze once more.
The faintest hint of a smile appeared at the edges of his mouth. "Love me…let me rule you…" My pulse quickened as his final act of temptation played on repeat in my thoughts. My vision swam with the memory of our dance; of wild blonde hair streaked with blue and mismatched eyes shining only for me.
"It isn't real, Sarah! Quickly, before all is lost!" A small voice shouted frantically in my conscience.
"My kingdom is great," I repeated, steeling my spine despite the tremor of my voice, and trying desperately to ignore the stab of yearning swirling through my heart. His lips twitched and his eyes flickered hesitantly. It was impossible to concentrate. I noticed even the tiniest movements of his striking face, but I could not focus my thoughts to remember the final words.
Perhaps sensing my distraction, he moved the crystal even closer to my face. "All you ever dreamed of can be yours, Sarah."
Two figures danced gracefully within the crystal globe, one with wild blonde hair dressed in a sparkling blue coat, the other wearing a gown of shimmering silver with cascades of teased mahogany hair. A top her head sat a gleaming crown of gold. The image faded as the man bent his head to press his lips to hers.
I gasped. My trembling fingers stretched towards the shining sphere of their own volition.
Just as my skin slid over the cool surface of the crystal, a clock struck the first of what I knew would be thirteen chimes. In the distance, I could hear a baby crying, but all my eyes could see was the triumphant grin of the Goblin King.
*******
The smell of bacon frying coincided with rays of sunlight attacking my eyelids. With a small groan, I rolled over and buried my face into my pillow. My subconscious clung desperately to the last threads of my dream, now slipping away like vapor in the night.
My dream self had been positively beaming…giddy even. One hand clutched a crystal sphere while the other was held delicately by leather-clad fingers and lifted to meet a pair of soft lips. The most beautiful unmatched pair of eyes smiled tenderly at me from beneath a fringe of blonde hair. "Awaken now, precious thing. Our time has yet begun." His voice was as smooth as velvet and it seemed to seep through my body like warm water. My dream self never wanted the moment to end.
"Sarah Williams, if you're not down here in two minutes…"
My eyes cracked open to the familiar decorations of my bedroom: a stuffed fox with an eye-patch, a wooden labyrinth, the Escher poster, and a regal figurine dressed in dove-gray breeches. I rolled over, and my back hit something hard. I pulled out a red-covered book from beneath me with confusion. How did this get here? Was I reading it before I fell asleep?
Something was not right. I was forgetting something. An overwhelming surge of anxiety rioted through me. I had been looking for something…I'd been so afraid and felt so guilty about losing it…With a soft cry of alarm, I tossed back the covers and flew from the bedroom and across the hall. The door to my parents bedroom was open, the room empty. I ran down the stairs, nearly tripping on one of my stuffed teddy bears, before barreling wild-eyed into the kitchen.
"Toby!" I shrieked.
My stepmother, Karen, was sipping from a mug of coffee while perusing her latest fashion magazine. She looked me over disparagingly. My dad was busily serving up platters of eggs and bacon. I sighed with relief at the sight of my baby brother, happily tossing Cheerios onto the floor from the little tray on his high chair. "He's alright," I murmured to myself before taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm my thundering heart.
"What in the world has gotten into you this morning?" Karen's voice snipped across the kitchen.
I trudged to my chair and sat down. "Nothing. Just had a strange dream is all," I mumbled before reaching for the orange juice. I wolfed down my breakfast as fast as I could, desperate to return to the sanctuary of my bedroom. I felt strangely conflicted. I should've been happy that Toby was alright, but I couldn't help feeling disappointed that everything was as normal as could be this morning.
"Are you sure you're alright, honey? You're awfully quiet this morning," my dad asked cheerfully.
"Yeah, just tired. Actually, my head kind of hurts, I think I should probably just go lay back down. Um, thanks for breakfast," I muttered before high-tailing it back up the stairs.
I flung myself face first onto the mattress as soon as the door slammed behind me, forgetting about the hard cover book awaiting me near my pillow. The bright red cover and gold lettering seemed to mock me now. I pulled it towards me and fought back a sudden rush of tears.
It had only been a dream after all, complete with all my favorite characters from the story, including my ideal version of the Goblin King. He was the perfect enigma. He had terrified me, but I'd never backed down; playing the part of the brave princess worthy to be his adversary. He had been so wickedly beautiful – cold, ethereal, and yet seductive – that every time he was near me my heart had raced. I'd never reacted to anyone like that before. Even now, my heart ached as if I had lost someone I loved, and I guessed in a way I did. Only, how could you lose something that wasn't real? My fingers caressed the cover of the book as an overwhelming flood of loneliness spread through me. My whole soul seemed to hurt at the loss of what could never be. It just wasn't fair.
"Sarah, your father and I are going - "
I looked up to meet the calculating gaze of the woman I had recently referred to as my evil stepmother. She frowned deeply as she took in the book I was holding, apparently so disgusted that it stopped her initial thought. "Not that book again. I should take it away from you after the stunt you pulled last night! Really, Sarah; coming home more than an hour late, then not being bothered to remember to close the window in our bedroom? Your brother could've taken ill!"
"What? I didn't open the window, I feel asleep after I put him down for the night," I defended.
Her eyes narrowed in response to my argument. "You are the most ridiculous girl! When are you going to put aside this silly fairy tale nonsense and grow up?" Her hands motioned wildly to the 'fairy tale nonsense' that decorated my room. "Get some real friends? Date some nice boys? You're nearly sixteen years old, Sarah; this obsession of yours is not healthy!"
I swallowed a lump in my throat and wiped hastily at the liquid leaking from my right eye. "What did you want to tell me…when you walked in?" I asked softly, completely ignoring her tirade. Maybe I was finally learning that the best way to deal with her was to get her to the point as quickly as possible.
She squared her shoulders, obviously as surprised by my acquiescence as I was. "We're going out. Since you said you're staying in for the day, could you please watch Toby? We should be back by dinner time."
I nodded my head quietly without looking at her. Taking that as a yes, she turned and closed the door behind her.
My eyes wandered around my room again, pausing on the figure beside my bed. I picked it up and let my fingers caress the delicate medallion around its neck and brush the strands of wild blonde hair. It looked so much like him. "Jareth…" I whispered longingly as I let the tears finally fall.
Of course it had all been a dream! I was so stupid! I was nothing but a ridiculous girl, and it shouldn't have surprised me that my pretend friends ended up in my dreams with the amount of time I invested in them while awake. For once, Karen was right. This wasn't healthy.
With a new sense of purpose, I stalked from my bed to retrieve an empty box from my closet. A variety of tears continued to trail across my cheeks as I packed up all of my childhood treasures – some angry, some determined, and many in mourning – not stopping until my room somewhat resembled that of a normal teenage girl. At the top of the box, I placed the worn copy of The Labyrinth before pushing the whole thing underneath my bed.
The Goblin King may hold court over my fantasies, but from now on, I would hold power over my reality. I would be the champion I always wanted to be. I would find real friends, I would fantasize about real boys, and I wouldn't waste another thought on the magical kingdom underground.
I smiled tentatively at my resolutions, trying desperately to ignore the stabbing in my heart. This was what I wanted. But why did my victory feel so empty?
A/N And there we have it! Thank you for taking a chance on my story. Future chapters will have both Sarah and Jareth POVs. As you can probably surmise, Jareth will be back to claim his prize, though as with any good story, it certainly will not go easily for him. I really hope you will keep reading.
I'd love to hear your thoughts! It seems a lot of people read this first part, but don't keep going. I admit to being a bit puzzled by that, because being just a prologue, you can't really judge the whole story...can you?