I'm still working on this chapter but to get the most accurate reviews I feel you all should be able to read this for what it is so far. Thanks for anything you can give me!
Chapter 2: Adult slash strong inner child
Things in the Underground are much different than the Aboveground. Though a person can live for eternity there, their bodies are allowed to age into adult forms. A person can grow to look like they were in their youthful late twenties for the rest of their life. The only thing that gets old here in the underground is the mind, aging with experience and gaining wisdom. It doesn't die however. That is the curse of the underground. Physical damaged could cause a sort of fading away, but until that happens a person will live on and on.
This was one of the things that came as a shock to Sarah during the next few years of living in the underground. Another thing that came to her as a shock was that the Goblin King never asked her of any service of any kind. In fact, he never sought her out in any way. His castle was a pretty large and confusing place and most of the time that Sarah was exploring, she was also looking for her way back. It was by sheer luck and not knowing where she was going that she would catch glimpses of the Goblin King. And he never stayed around to talk. It had always struck her as peculiar.
After her anger at him for being forced to live in this magical world had worn off, she started to try to follow him to see if she could catch him and ask questions. The questions most prominent were about Toby and the going ons of her family... if she could at least see them from afar somehow. But before she could even round the first corner, he always seemed to vanish into thin air.
It did bother her, but she was easily distracted. Sarah was free to roam around, visit her friends. There was plenty of nights she wouldn't even return to the castle. Her friends had pretty cozy homes to sleep in and she had no obligations to the castle.
Her favorite place to stay was at Hoggle's little underground house. It wasn't the nicest, but the company was good. It distinctly looked like a furnished oubliette with furniture that was created using fallen limbs from trees. It was near the beginning of the Labyrinth and Sarah enjoyed waking up and going out to see the fairies outside the gates. They had taken a liking to her and always delighted her when they swirled around her in greeting. Hoggle never joined in for this and would simply start making breakfast.
Then the little Yorkshire Terrier knight, Sir Didymus along with his trusty steed Ambrocious , would come over with enough energy to wake up the dead, yipping away at all of the things he had planned during the night that they were going to do for the day. Most of these things were turned away by the friends due to elaborate tasks of finding damsels in distress that he was sure was hidden in some undiscovered maze or oubliette.
Some time later Ludo would come about to see what they were going to do. He never had much to say, for he was not very intelligent. But Ludo had a heart of gold and almost more loyalty than his big hairy body could hold. He was always happy to join in whatever games the other three had planned.
With these three friends Sarah had learned all the twists and turns of the Labyrinth along with how it changed. There were some parts that never changed and some that could be a thick, smelly swamp one hour and the next be as barren as a desert. Some of the mazes had doors that could only be accessed by answering riddles and these riddles always changed.
The Labyrinth was a source of endless fun for the friends. Any game Sarah had ever played as a child, they played. With such a crazy terrain, games like hide and seek took on a whole different perspective.
They also were thinking and scheming up new games. Sometimes they would get wind of some unique flower or creature that appeared in one of the mazes from word of a worm or fairy and they would race to see who could get to it the fastest.
Their most favorite past time consisted of sneaking up on the fieries and grabbing any limb they could get their hands on and seeing how long they could keep that limb out of that fiery's reach. This was not an easy task as it was four against usually seven or eight, and to be honest, Ludo wasn't that fastest creature on two legs. The fieries were magical creatures so catching up with the friends wasn't a problem. This game was something that had upset them at first, for they had always played their own games with their own limbs. But soon they grew to absolutely love the game and would many times play practical jokes on the friends to trick them into giving the limb back. The three friends would often find themselves running down corridors they knew ran along side each other in some of the mazes, strategically throwing the limb over the wall to keep it out of reach of the devious fieries, obviously following out some carefully laid plan on where to run, when to throw. It was pretty similar to football, but violence was not used and there were no rules. This was a game of sheer fun and trickery that one could never tire of.
Such games could turn very dangerous however. The most important part of these games was knowing were not to go. This wasn't too hard. The Labyrinth contained mostly puzzles that would constantly switch up and, yes, one could get stuck in a place for quite a while until either they figured out how to get out and the others would have to come back and get them out of whatever trouble they found. One such time Hoggle had gotten stuck in an oubliette and they searched the area for hours before Sir Didymus tripped on a stone in the middle of the path and the ground opened up. After Sarah found a rope and got Hoggle out of the dark oubliette they decided to move a huge rock with the help of Ludo to mark it in hopes that they could avoid it the next time they came to that area.
As long as the friends stuck together, they were able to take care of each other.
Those things were minor things though. There were two areas that should never be entered. If you are familiar with Sarah's adventure when her brother was a stake then you would be familiar with the bog of eternal stench. This place was the Goblin King's favorite threat to people who angered or really annoyed him.
Terrible as the smell of the bog of eternal stench was, it wasn't as horrible as the other place in the Labyrinth that was completely off-limits. The most dangerous place was to be found in the very southwest corner of the Labyrinth. It was a place that could only be found when the unfortunate soul was in the wrong place at the wrong time when the only door into the place appeared before them. This place chose who it wanted to temp into it's doors also, usually picking the most hopeless and confused person that neared it's premises.
The thing that made this place somewhere you did not want to be in was simple. Upon entering you are in a maze and the door automatically seals itself. There are three holes in which three keys are needed. Two are in each of the furthest corners from you and one is in the center. This wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for the Minotaur who guarded the treasures at all costs.
Imagine the head of a bull with think bulging scars all over the face and body. Large sagging bags under the red rimmed, deep brown eyes. It's body had the chest and arms of a large muscular man and the legs of a bull with rippling muscles. It's hooves were massive and would crush a bone the instant a one was in it's way to the ground.. It had a smell of rotting flesh that could be easily detected when it twas getting near.
This was a horrible way to end, and the Goblin King did not like going to these means to punish anyone. The bog of stench always served to get his message across just fine. He was a man who enjoyed giving a fair chance to get out of whatever predicament that he could put a person in... if they had the brains of course. If not, then that was not his fault. This was the essential concept of the whole Labyrinth that he carefully designed.
It bothered him that about this part of the Labyrinth had crept into his thoughts today. It was something that he had wanted to put in upon creating the Labyrinth, but later in years, after seeing how much he hated seeing the works of the trap, he vowed never to intentionally use it. Especially after the incident...
The Goblin King had a headache today. It wasn't like him to have such dark thoughts. But everyone has those days once in a while. His memories tormented his mind but he just had to keep reminding himself that there was nothing else he could have done...
"Lets see what she's up to today." The Goblin King said to himself.
With a slight motion of his hand, a crystal ball appeared out of thin air. An image of Sarah came into view. She looked as though she was hiding behind a statue in the northwest maze.
Nothing too interesting at the moment.
He threw the crystal back up into the air and it disappeared as easily as it came to be. Rubbing his temples, he was back in deep thought again.
For the last five years the adventures that this girl had throughout his Labyrinth had been a source of entertainment for the Goblin king. His initial intentions had been to just use her as a slave, but then he found he didn't have anything for her to do because his goblins already took care of everything. It took a long time for him to realize the perfect role for her to play in his kingdom. So, he just let her roam about freely to have fun with her friends and go on as many adventures as her heart desired. Her happiness was his enjoyment. He loved to switch things up and test out her brains to see how she reacted. Such an interesting creature...
Watching her grow and become in tune with the Labyrinth was fulfilling to him. She always seemed on the verge of mastering the elements so he needed to be on his toes as well. Like challenging a child to grow and become an adult, he began to desire her to become all that she could be at mastering his kingdom. This is how he would teach her: by always giving her a challenge with the Labyrinth each and every day she ran it. The Labyrinth was as wild and untamable as the Goblin King himself. Essentially they were of the same being.
"Well lets just see how Sarah likes a challenge today" he mused to himself.
The Goblin King walked through his castle and up to the twelfth floor. This floor held his most prized possession of all. There was a balcony that overlooked the whole of the Labyrinth. It was a wide balcony with a round edge with no railings to cover any of the view of the twisting and turning Labyrinth. There were four gargoyles who stood guard around the edge of the balcony, spread out evenly, except the two middle ones had a larger gap between them. There were dark green vines that hugged and crawled around the edge that went all the way down the side of the castle to the ground. These vines had flowers with black pedals all over them and jagged-edged leave jutting out at random places. The stone of the balcony was almost pure white, except a tinge of cream to it. It stood out from all the rest of the orange-tan castle like the sun setting at dusk.
This was an exquisitely beautiful balcony, but that was not what made it such a treasure to the king. Seated in the middle of this balcony was a large table with an exact replica of the Labyrinth that covered the entire surface. This was were he could get in close with all the details of the changes he made to the Labyrinth. Everything that happened inside the Labyrinth was because of this little replica right here. Many times if the Goblin King didn't feel like toying with it, he would just cast a spell to make the Labyrinth adjust to how events occur inside of it. For instance, if someone were to say something that did not please the king, the Labyrinth would automatically transport them to the bog of eternal stench. He use to do this quite often, having lost interest in taking time to change the Labyrinth to torment somebody with endless mazes and impossible riddles. Sometimes he would just prefer to do it all in person. But ever since Sarah had come along and defeated the Labyrinth (she won the battle but not the war), he was out here every day making adjustments and then retreating to his throne room to watch it all. He enjoyed being the manipulator, but no longer did anything in person.
Standing over his replica, he found the area where Sarah was hiding behind a statue. It was a maze of light grey stone and statues everywhere. These statues were made in tribute to all who had come through the Labyrinth and failed. There were some hundreds of years old and some thousands of years old, and some he could not remember even coming through anymore. Some perished in the Labyrinth, some gave up and left, never to return. None had succeeded because those that had, the Goblin did not like to remember. He was a man of pride after all. Either way this maze was essentially these statues with walls connecting them to make the maze. There were many dead ends, and only one path out. If one know the path then this maze would not be a problem. The Goblin King could already tell by the girl's calm of being in the middle of such a maze that she had already the way out by heart.
"Hmmm, she does look a little lonely, doesn't she? Lets give her some...company" he said with a bemused smile on his face as the tiny little statues in the maze started to twitch and stretch.
Suddenly a tiny screechy voice came from the open door to the castle.
"Ohhh! Your majesty! What a brilliant idea! They will have so much to talk about! Finally the statues of failure get to meet someone who triumphed over what they though was impossible and; OH! We should bring them some tea and... uhhh... what's that food that they eat aboveground... bizzzcults? Or are they biscrots..."
Before the tiny greenish grey goblin could finish his little thought, he was interrupted by a smooth, calm, and slightly annoyed voice.
"Felgun..." The little goblin jumped in shock when he looked up from his gibber jabber to find the Goblin King towering over him. He felt like a bug about to be squashed
" You would do best plug that stream of idiocy running from your loose mouth." The Goblin King turned and walked back to the replica.
"I have no intention of throwing tea parties, or sleep overs, or skipping around singing 'fa la la'." he turned back towards the little goblin and walked back to crouch down and look him straight in the eye, "You goblins keep thinking I have other intentions as such. Tell me, why is that?"
Felgun knew his master wasn't extremely mad, but still he couldn't help but feel intimidated by his regal and commanding voice. This caused some difficulty in finding his voice and he almost opted to stay quite, but the eyes of the Goblin King burning into him pressed him to answer.
"Well your highness, sir... you see... I, I mean, a few of us goblins thought that..."
Once again the Goblin King interrupted the stammering goblin with a voice that tore the squeaky goblin's apart. His patience for this interruption was growing thin and he was eager to see what was happening inside the Labyrinth.
"Did I just hear right? You goblins were thinking? No, that can't be right because if you were thinking, then I would not have heard any of that tea party nonsense!"
"No of course not your magesty! It, uh, must have been just me being gassy! Who knows what sounds I make when I'm gassy!" Felgun finished this statement with a nervous chuckle. A disgusted look swept across the Goblin King's face and Felgun reacted by throwing his arms up in the air almost looking like he had let another one escape.
"Oh, my my, heh heh, you probably don't want such a gassy goblin hanging about so I'll just go and stink up some other place in the castle." Felgun looked at the Goblin King praying to be dismissed.
"Yes, please leave. Next time do not come out onto this balcony unless asked." Then the Goblin King nodded his dismissal.
"Yes of course your majesty!"
With that the little Felgun scurried away, not letting himself breath till he was out of site and earshot.
The goblin King, now left alone, shook his head. He probably could have handled that better... Still if these goblins thought that he was going soft for a girl then that could lead to trouble. They were very simple minded creatures. Life to them was either work or fun, awake or asleep, leader or follower. All of them were followers, but there are always those who wanted to be leaders. To all of the goblins, though, a leader is either a powerful man, or someone to be overthrown. The Goblin King was most defiantly a man of great power but he had found that he needed to be constantly reminding these goblins of such because such simple minds have such small memories. If they were to forget how powerful he was then they would try to overthrow him. Doing such would result in him easily defeating them. This was something he had no desire to do and he was constantly reminding them... just to make sure.
But, nevertheless, Felgun did have it wrong. There wasn't going to be any tea party for Sarah today... no piece of cake to be had. The statues were going to talk with her, but there was a seed of jealousy planted in them for the person who did what they were unable to do: defeat the Labyrinth. They did not know who defeated the Labyrinth, but these statues were of people who failed so they were also obsessed about defeating the Labyrinth. It was inevitable that they would challenge Sarah. She's going to have to be pretty clever to get out of this one.
The Goblin King walked inside his castle and to the throne room. He sat down in his throne, kicking one leg over the arm of the chair, produced a crystal, and sat back to finally enjoy the show.
Meanwhile the goblin named Felgun was conversing with his fellow close goblin friend Cobgrub, discussing the previous events down by the servent's quarters.
"I tell ya, I've watched our king toy with that small Labyrinth thing and watch that girl with a look in his eye that's been around for five years now. Never seen it there before though... I just don't understand how she keeps him so interested, and he'll never admit what it is." Felgun said, not holding back his frustration.
Cobgrub looked like he just got hit in the head, trying to make a though squeeze out and finally said, "Maybe he thinks she perty! I think she's perty!"
"Maybe... I think there is more to it but I don't understand what it is!" For a goblin, Felgun had been doing a lot of thinking and it was starting to hurt quite a lot. "Oh well. Lets get back to work Cobgrub. I told the king I was gassy so we should clean the dining hall before dinner time because he wouldn't like one bit to see me hanging about there!"
The two goblins walked away with Cobgrub saying "Why did you say that? You know he hates it when we can't keep it in..." echoing down the hall. Little did they know that unseen ears had taken great pleasure in what was just conversed between the two goblins.
"Could it be that the time has come?" the slimy voice whispered to itself. "Yes, yes I think it has..."