DISCLAIMER: I don't own Labyrinth or any of the characters associated with the film. They are the property of the Jim Henson Company.
Sarah forced herself to pick up the wretched little book. Her fingers trembled in exhaustion and dread. She opened the book, reading the first few lines of the play. It was the same as it always had been. She still knew every line, and the final confrontation was forever etched into her memory. She thumbed through the pages to the end.
"You have no power over me," she whispered, breathlessly, trying to fight the tears that were inevitably on their way.
Sarah stared at the book. Something was wrong. Something was off. There was more to the story, beyond the girl finding the baby safe in bed. Her eyes began to skim over the unfamiliar portion of the story rapidly, her tiredness forcing the words to meld together in a black blur. She shook her head to read them. She read the stage notes and heart beat sped up.
(ATTIC: Boy enters stage right: He is a teenager: long, lithe, intelligent. He seems confused; he feels that he is not whole. He finds a box, and in it are several fantastic belongings: a ceramic figure of the Goblin King, a small, worn book, bookends resembling Hoggle. He whispers into the darkness as he flips open the book.)
Boy: Sister, why did you not tell me?
(He holds his hand to his mouth)
Boy: You wished me away? I trusted you! My whole life, I trusted you!
(He appears angry now)
Boy: This is not where I belong. I should just go back to where you sent me, you never wanted me anyway.
(He stares at the ceramic figure)
Boy: I wish the goblins would take me away…right now.
(The Goblin King appears stage left with flourish)
Goblin King: Ah, how interesting. This was certainly unexpected, my boy.
(Boy ignores the Goblin King and mumbles to himself)
Boy: She wished me away.
Sarah couldn't read anymore. She knew exactly where Toby was, and she knew precisely who was at fault for this. She was. She couldn't stop the tears anymore. Sarah gave herself a few minutes to cry, and then she started to think rationally. She was very tired, and the idea of running the Labyrinth again made her stomach churn. She knew that she was no match for the Goblin King in her current state; there was no way to outwit him if she couldn't keep her eyes open. Dealing with Toby would be very difficult and emotional; she wasn't sure she could handle it. Plus, she had her parents to worry about. They needed her, she couldn't just leave. She wasn't even sure that she would be able to come back again. In any sense, she was certain that the Goblin King would not be pleased to see her again.
She closed her weary eyes for a moment. How exactly did she plan to deal with her parents regarding this anyway? Oh, mom and dad, I know where Tobes went! I'll be back, don't worry! Oh, her poor parents. But, she was an adult and she could leave without explanation. The scenario played through her mind. She glanced at the addition to her play, making sure that it was actually there; that she had actually read it. The words were still there, but there was nothing legible following the last line. She watched as the blank pages of the book seemed to shift before her eyes. She wasn't sure if it was her exhaustion or the book that was making her see the shifting. She blinked a few times and stared at the page. The book was writing itself. Sarah frowned angrily. Why did the Goblin King have to mess with her brother? Why hadn't she burned the damn book? She knew why, of course, it was because she had some silly adolescent crush on the cruel Goblin King. She felt the remnants of attraction still clinging to her mind. Damn him!
Suddenly, a wild thought rose in her delirious mind. She flipped to the front of the book frantically, and skimmed the pages.
(PARENT'S ROOM, stage left: The girl appears enraged. She is beyond her limits with the baby. A wild thought rises to her mind. She changes the story for her brother.)
This wasn't the story that she had been obsessed with, this was her story. She had changed the story, but not by much. She'd simply made the Goblin King in love with her. After all, what teenaged girl doesn't love a little romance? Sarah stared at the words.
Girl: But, what no one knew was that the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers.
That wasn't how the story went, and Sarah knew it. The Goblin King was there to take away unwanted babies, it was what he did: like a boogeyman with an invitation. Sarah had romanticized the character. She had imagined him to be breathtakingly handsome and tinged with danger. After all, he was the villain of this piece. She had pitied him; she imagined that his life must be very lonely and dull, so if a beautiful young girl had called upon him, naturally he'd want to fall in love with her. She had wanted someone with such a tragic past to be in love with her. She wanted someone tinged with danger, and in many ways she still did. But, Sarah knew better. She knew that the Goblin King was exactly what he was supposed to be: A cunning, invited boogeyman.
When she'd called him the first time, accidentally, she had been both surprised and unsurprised by his appearance. He was even more breathtaking than even her lush imagination could have dreamed up. She shook her head, reading the lines. Her complete lack of shock at his presence, it was both bizarre and typical. She'd wanted him to take Toby; she'd wanted him to love her.
Girl: You're him, aren't you? You're the Goblin King.
Sarah couldn't believe her past selfishness. She couldn't believe it. But, she had a task right now, and it had nothing to do with beating herself up over the past. She flipped forward in the book, skimming the pages for the words.
(An opulent BALLROOM: The girl wanders the room, looking lost. She is looking for something, someone, but she can't remember who. Her eyes meet his and she believes that he is the one she is looking for.)
Sarah kept skimming. This wasn't what she wanted. She knew her own story, but what of the Goblin King. Doesn't he receive any stage direction?
(A ROOM of many stairs, going in all different directions: The girl runs up and down stairs looking for the baby, under the constant watch of the Goblin King.)
She kept skimming. There was more, there had to be. She knew there was because she knew that eyes don't lie: they are the windows to your soul. Sarah knew that the Goblin King had been pained by his defeat, but not with the usual sense of loss. There had been something more in his eyes.
(The Goblin King pleads with his eyes. Somewhere along the way, he had lost not only the game, but also his heart…)
There was more written, but that was all Sarah had needed. Her eyes became resolute and her weary exhaustion seemed to melt away. There was no point in telling her parents about this, they would never understand. She was certain that Toby did not understand either. But, one thing was very certain: he had no power over her. Sarah escaped down the stairs slowly and quietly. She carefully slid out of her backdoor and ran stealthily to the front of their house. She looked up at her parent's bedroom window, ensuring that the light was out. Sarah felt like a teenager again, escaping the house to engage in the disapproved act of underage drinking. But, that had never been the reason for Sarah to run off into the night. She had dabbled in something beyond her ability when she was fifteen, and now it had come back in just as many years to claim her brother.
Sarah turned and ran down the street, through familiar short cuts that hadn't really changed all that much in fifteen years. She would go to the park, and she would call him. She would call him, and he would come because he would not be able to resist it. He would not be able to resist her. What she planned to do once she had him here, she didn't know yet, but it would come. She slowed her pace, finally reaching a familiar bridge. It was dark and cold, but Sarah could barely feel it. She breathed in gasps; apparently she was not as prone to running as she had once been. Sarah still had the little red book clasped in her hands, as though she needed it, as if she would forget the words. She stared up into the black sky.
"Jareth," she said clearly, in little more than a whisper.
She knew he would hear her, and she knew he would come. He had to, he couldn't resist. That is, if she was right… She waited, her tired eyes skimming the perimeter of the park, searching as she had in the opulent ballroom so many years ago. Then she heard it, from above, the sleek sound of broad wings beating the air rapidly. She looked to her left and saw the tawny barn owl landing delicately on a stone monument. She smiled ironically.
"That's it? You can't fool me."
The owl ruffled its feathers almost in irritation. Sarah waited, and finally the owl lifted into the air again only to stretch out into the shape of a man. The Goblin King was clothed entirely in silver-grey formal attire. Sarah felt that perhaps she had pulled him from an important function. His face showed little emotion, besides a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. Good, Sarah thought, I hope I've ruined his night. He put his hands on his hips and leisurely strolled towards Sarah.
"Sarah," he said in a perfect, clipped tone. "What a surprise."
Sarah snorted in derision.
"I doubt that," she replied.
Jareth snorted in return, dropping his hands to his sides. He circled her, like a shark circling its prey. He stopped after a fashion, realizing that he could not rile Sarah. Her anger burned off of her like a fever.
"What do you want, Sarah?" he asked, absently pulling on the fingers of his gloves.
"My brother," she said flatly.
Jareth's eyes raced up to meet hers. He smirked.
"Oh? Haven't we played that game before?"
Sarah said nothing but remained still, glaring at him. Jareth frowned at her. She wasn't playing this game very well. Spoil sport.
"Have you ever considered that he doesn't want to come back?" he asked tightly.
Sarah flinched. She had considered it…all the way to the park, she'd considered it. Nevertheless, she could not give in.
"You've deceived him," she spat.
Jareth laughed now, giving her a sharp, but dazzling smile.
"Ah, Sarah, be careful," he warned, wagging a finger in his face. "Those who deceive cannot be deceived by another deceiver."
Sarah's brow furrowed, her tired mind tripping on his words. Was he calling her a deceiver? As though he had read her fuzzy mind, he answered her question.
"Deceiver, darling."
Sarah fought the urge to claw at his face.
"He's only a child!" she cried.
"He is as old as you were, Sarah," he answered matter-of-factly. "And, much wiser."
He grinned cruelly after his last addition. He'd finally managed to rile her.
"Please, Jareth," she said, her voice on the edge of begging. "Where is he?"
Jareth rolled his eyes and yawned.
"You know very well where he is," he said in a bored tone. With a flick of the wrist, they were on the outskirts of the Labyrinth.
"I thought you would have outgrown this, Sarah."
Disappointment was evident in his voice. Sarah turned to face him. She had outgrown this; she had no intention of running the Labyrinth again.
"Give Toby back," she said quietly, staring at the castle in the distance.
"No," he answered. "He chose his fate."
Jareth moved close to her.
"But, you," he said with malice. "You've called me out of dinner for no apparent reason."
He tilted his head to regard her. There was no fear on her face, just intense bemusement and exhaustion.
"I believe you owe me now," he said, his face moving towards hers.
A smirk played on her lips. So, this was how it was? He loved her, but he'd never say it, and still, she could use it to her advantage. He was so close that she could feel his breath against her skin. She tilted her lips towards his, hooding her eyes in the process, as though preparing for a kiss. Then, she whispered.
"You have no power over me."
She shot her eyes up to his face in time to catch his emotions: surprise, disappointment, and anger. He narrowed his eyes at her.
"I don't have time for this right now," he muttered angrily, and began to fade away. "You know what you must do to see Toby."
Sarah closed her eyes in irritation, mainly because she was so very tired. But, what no one knew was that the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers.
"I wish you wouldn't do that right now," she whispered.
Jareth immediately came back into a solid state. He was enraged, but tried with all his might to remain calm. Sarah smiled cruelly.
"What? You don't want to spend any more time with me?" she asked coldly.
Jareth glowered at her, a deep, seething rage building within him. He wanted to knock the smug grin off of her face, yet at the same time could not imagine raising a hand to her.
"I wish you'd take me to Toby," she started.
"Be careful what you wish for," he interjected.
Sarah peered at him icily.
"Right now."
AN: Oof. I am angsted out. Now I have to write a very dull proposal….ewww….Laters, my pets. ;)