Disclaimer: Labyrinth belongs to Jim Henson. Any characters within my story that you do not recognise are mine. Any resemblances to characters in another persons story is purely coincidental and not intentional.
When Annwynn McGowan wishes away her seven year old cousin in a moment of anger, she finds herself in a world that she thought only existed in her favourite movie. She is forced to run the Labyrinth, finding it to not be the same as what she thought. Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, she fights her way through the Labyrinth to reach the Castle Beyond the Goblin City to save the child that the Goblin King had taken. But when it comes down to it, will she be able to defeat the Goblin King Jareth and win?
The Labyrinth: A New Journey
Chapter One: I wish!
"Nuuuu! BOOM! Smash! Aaaahhhhh!".
"Jordan, shut it!".
Annwynn glared at her cousin, Jordan, who was making "war noises" as her parents put it. Gods above he was annoying.
Annwynn was sat on the couch, tapping her pen against her notepad, trying to focus. But it was so damn difficult with Jordan making all those noises, and being quite insistent about re-creating World War II in the living room.
Her blue eyes were narrowed with frustration as she tried to write the essay she'd been given as homework from college.
"BOOM! Pow pow pow!".
"Jordan! Would you be quiet already? I am trying to write my essay!" She snarled at him. He stuck his tongue out at her. She bristled. For a seven year old, he was pretty damn annoying.
"Jordan, do you know what happens to little boys who annoy their cousins?" She asked, her voice deadly now. She was intent on scaring him into silence now. She'd had enough of him. He shook his head. Her eyes narrowed again.
"They get wished away to the Goblin King, where they get turned into horrible green goblins for ever and ever and ever" She said, her voice low and threatening. Jordan visibly paled."Th-That's not true! Goblins don't exist!" He insisted. Annwynn smirked.
"Oh but they do, Jordan. Havn't you ever wondered what those noises in your room at night were? They're the goblins, running around, doing their Kings bidding, just waiting for a child to be wished away to the Underground" She said, weaving her tale. She could see that her cousin by now was for lack of a better word, bricking it. She sat back, having leaned closer to him to add emphasis on her words.
She looked at the clock. 9 O'clock.
"Right. Time for bed. You gonna go quietly or do I have to call forth the goblins?" She asked, standing and placing her notepad and pen on the couch next to where she had been sitting. Brushing her dark hair out of her eyes and tucking the thick strands behind her ears, she looked at Jordan expectantly. He gave her a nasty look, to which she just glared. The he did the unexpected. He threw one of his toys at her. It hit her on the side of the head.
"Ow!" She growled, rubbing the spot where the toy had hit her. Jordan was now howling with laughter, until he saw the look of pure evil that Annwynn was giving him. A look that would have killed him a thousand times over.
"You're a little toerag Jordan! I have had enough of you! I wish the Goblins would come and take you away, right now!" She cried, pointing her finger at him. The lights went out suddenly. Annwynn gasped. Oh Gods, what had she done? No no no no! She heard giggles all around her, manic giggles that sent shivers down her the light of the moon, she only saw shadows running around.
"Jordan? Jordan, are you there?" No answer. Annwynn looked around the room in despair, hoping that her cousin was just hiding and that the laughter she heard was just her imagination playing tricks on her.
"You won't find him" Came an authoritative English voice. Annwynn froze. Oh no. He was real. He was actually real. She turned, slowly, coming to face the tall Fae that stood before her, looking down at her with mismatched eyes.
"My Gods. You're real. You're the Goblin King…" She whispered, afraid now. The Goblin King Jareth smirked down at her.
"Hello, Annwynn" He said.
"Give me back my cousin" She demanded, trying to appear brave, but her voice betrayed her, quivering slightly with fear. Jareth gave her a patronizing look.
"What's said is said" He said in an equally as patronizing voice.
"But I didn't mean it! I was angry and he was annoying me and it just came out! I didn't think it would happen, I thought it was just a faerietale!" She objected. Jareth laughed.
"Oh but you must have meant it, little one. Otherwise I would not have been able to come here. Half hearted wishes do not get answered" He said, looking at her, his brows furrowed in a serious manner.
"Now, I've brought you a gift" He said, changing the subject and conjuring a flawless crystal ball in his hand. It came to a rest on his fingertips, defying gravity. Annwynn stared at it, mesmerised. "What does it do?" She asked. Jareth moved it from hand to hand, it flowed gracefully as he did so, and Annwynn couldn't help but follow it's motions with her eyes.
"It shows you your dreams. But this is not a gift for a young woman who takes care of an annoying little brat. Do you want it?" He asked, stopping the crystal, holding it out as if to give it to her. She looked at it, seeing what she had always dreamed of reflected in the sphere, playing out to her. Her dreams of going to University, becoming an Earth scientist like she'd always dreamt of. She looked at Jareth, seeing right through his little façade.
"No" She said, frowning at him now. He became all serious again.
"Very well. You will find your cousin in the centre of my Labyrinth, in the Castle beyond the Goblin City" He said, pointing towards the patio doors that looked out over the garden. Annwynn looked, gasping when she saw not her garden, but an amazing scene before her. The Underground. It was beautiful, even more so than she imagined. It glittered in the rising sun. She felt a breeze caress her face. She looked around. Her living room was gone, and in it's place was the landscape of the Underground, the reddish sand moving slightly, being blown by the Underground breeze.
"Are you absolutely sure you wish to run my Labyrinth? It's a long way, filled with dangers untold and hardships unnumbered. You could simply say the word now and I will send you home, and you will forget this whole ordeal. Just say your right words…." Jareth whispered into her ear, making her jump. She whirled around and faced him, glaring up at him.
"I'll take my chances, Goblin King" She hissed. Jareth stood up straight. He pointed to a clock that had appeared out of nowhere.
"You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth before your cousin becomes one of us forever…." He said, as he faded, the clock fading with glared after him.
"The Hell he will, Goblin King" She said. She turned to face the Labyrinth. Letting out a breath, she started down the hill and towards the outer wall of the Labyrinth. Would it be the same as what she had seen in the movie? She doubted it. She only had to remember one thing. Nothing was as it seemed in the Labyrinth. She hoped that was true.
She soon reached the outer wall, only to find no door. Nor was there anyone else for as far as she could see.
Damn. She groaned inwardly. She'd have to do this alone. She faced the Labyrinth wall.
"How do I get into the Labyrinth?"
Nothing happened. She growled. Okay, so apparently that only worked if a creature than inhabited the Labyrinth was with her. Bugger.
"Alright, lets try this again" She muttered to herself. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, before exhaling and opening her eyes as she did so, a deadly serious look on her face, one of concentration.
"I wish the door into the Labyrinth would reveal itself to me" She said. Her voice seemed to echo. There was a moment when all was quiet, and the breeze lifted the ends of her hair. The air glittered and a door appeared in the wall in front of her, open. Annwynn smiled.
"Yes! It worked!" She squealed with glee. Composing herself, she walked forwards into the Labyrinth. As soon as she was clear of the doors, they swung shut with a loud "bang!" behind her, making her jump. Realising that it had just been the door, Annwynn looked both ways. Straight passage ways for as far as the eye could see. An optical illusion, or so she hoped.
She bent down, picking up two of the many smaller glitter-covered sticks, one for each hand, and proceeded to turn right, dragging the sticks along the inner and outer walls of the Labyrinth.
She felt like she had been walking for an absolute age. She was just about to give up before one of the sticks met air. She stopped, grinning. She turned to face the inner wall.
"Oh you beauty" She laughed, stepping through the gap in the wall, the optical illusion, and into the inner Labyrinth…..
That's the first chapter up. Please review. Comments and constructive critisism are much appreciated ^^