Disclaimer: Labyrinth characters may not be mine, but everything else is.
Chapter 2: Welcome To My Dungeon
As soon as Sarah took Julian's hand she felt something wrap around her. Magic, she guessed. It was like a welcoming embrace. The sensation stopped and Sarah felt it was safe to open her eyes.
She wrinkled her nose. A dank, musty smell permeated her surroundings. It was dark, she could see nothing - and cold; she could feel little wisps of wind brush across her skin. "Where are we?" she complained, what the hell did she get herself into? She shook Julian's hand when he didn't answer.
"We're in my castle," he said. "Welcome."
"Castle? Are you royalty or something?" He didn't seem like it; though his speech was educated, his accent seemed coarse and street-like. Julian laughed, squeezing her fingers playfully.
"Or something," he replied, "not royalty. Merely a wealthy lord."
"Come," he said shortly, pulling her into the darkness.
"Hey! Wait, I can't see!" Sarah shut her eyes as she tried not to stumble. Her mind sighed at her, don't close your eyes, idiot. She opened them when Julian slowed down and carefully led her through. Sarah could feel a change as the breezes stopped and she felt a wall along her toes. She looked up and saw an outline of a door some distance up the wall, light shining dully through the cracks. "How do we get up?"
"Magic." She started, they were facing a hallway with burning wall sconces.
"Is this your dungeon?" She gestured to the door behind them. Maybe this wasn't some side-effect of the drugs they gave her. Maybe it was real.
"Well, yes. Every castle must have one, don't you agree?"
"Um, sure." She remembered the oubliettes, were those dungeons too? No, they had doors to get out of. So did Julian's her mind told her. But you couldn't reach Julian's door.
Julian steered her towards the shadowed, yawning mouth at the end of the hallway. Sarah followed staring at the rough stone walls, the brass sconces and the shadows from the flames. Listening to the cracking of the fire and the moans and sobs of prisoners as they passed their doors unnerved her and Sarah pulled her hand out of Julian's grasp. They eventually came to another set of stairs, winding up this time in a circular fashion. Julian nudged her forward, and Sarah climbed up.
"Why are you helping me?" She asked, looking over her shoulder. Julian smiled, a bit too maliciously.
"Why ask when luck comes your way?" Sarah threw him an annoyed look.
"Well, if I'm going to be here, I might as well know."
"In due time, Sarah. In due time." They came to a wall.
"What, magic again?"
He smirked, "You're very quick, my dear."
"Well, I have to be." Sarah remembered how her therapist had tried to trap her during their sessions, how she had to think and speak quickly to keep herself from being assigned to a more secure ward.
They were transported through the wall and Sarah found herself in the back of some sort of laboratory. It was almost comically medieval; glass vials filled with colored liquids, some of them misting over the rims. A fireplace with a giant cauldron suspended over the flames, tables with beakers, bowls and bottles as dried plants hung above. Books lined the granite walls along with more supplies. A large tome lay open on a small podium, ink splattered on a blank page.
She heard muttering in the corner and with a start she saw a wrinkled old man, dressed in brown robes.
"Ignore him," Julian said. "Let's take you to your room. You must feel tired."
As Sarah climbed stairs and walked through hallways she tried not to stare at her ever changing surroundings. Doorways led to rooms filled with a hundred things she wanted to touch and examine. In contrast to the laboratory, hallway and dungeon the rest of the castle was magnificent. Portraits of beautiful people hung on the vividly painted walls, large windows with heavy curtains pulled back showing the night sky outside and lush carpets with fantastical designs woven through covered the stone and wooden floors. Each room was like a strange museum; heavy, old fashioned furniture, fireplaces and candelabras. They stopped at a door that was heavily carved with flowers and trees.
"Geez, what's with all the stairs, huh?"
Julian ignored her question and gestured to the door, "This is your room, get rested and we shall talk in the morning."
Sarah looked at it uncertainly, her heart beating fast from her long walk. She focused her mind on the present: how exactly was she going to get her vengeance on Jareth? The mere thought of his name made her blood boil. It was his fault that this all happened! Because of him she was no longer what she used to be. Yes, she had matured, but after being rejected too many times by her loved ones Sarah changed. At 18 she was bitter, a devil-child wanting to break the one who caused her pain. She closed her eyes. Pain was all she knew now, the memories of the good feelings were like thin vapors in her heart sometimes reaching out to her, but never allowing her feel without reminding her of what once was.
"Goodnight." Julian bowed to her as he kissed her hand. Sarah stared at him, was he a guardian angel or some twisted changeling? He slowly stood up, "Sarah, you're our only chance to do what is right." He vanished.
Sarah rested her forehead on the door, wincing as the sharp etches dug into her skin. She breathed out, when had she become so awful? She stepped back to examine the door more closely and with a start she noticed the engravings. Really noticed. Interlaced with the flowers and trees was a battle of a war scene: mythical creatures engaged and entwined in a bloody battle that left many scattered, bleeding and missing limbs. She shuddered and pushed the offending sight out of her mind as she opened the door.
Suddenly exhausted, Sarah made her way to the enormous bed.
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"Was that the girl?" Oriel asked as he measured out the potion into the beakers.
"Hmm, yes." Julian's mind wandered to Sarah, turning the pages of the book on the table slowly. Thankfully the girl did not change much in appearance since she last traveled to the Underground. But she was still different, seemingly hard and cold. This might be difficult.
"……….letter. It shall take place in a month." Julian shook his mind clear and looked at the withered fae.
"I'm sorry Oriel, what did you say?"
The man sighed and rolled his eyes. Julian still had the wandering mind from his childhood. "I said that the Goblin King was holding a ball in a month. A sort of celebration for his latest victory in securing the exclusive trading rights with the dwarves. You received an invitation." He jumped at the sound of a book slamming shut.
"That's it!" Julian rose excitedly and threw the volume to the floor, ignoring Oriel's annoyed stare. "We shall prepare her for the ball, how perfect it will be to have His Highness see his precious love again."
Oriel smiled nastily, "Yes, he shall finally have his taste of agony, Jareth." His face darkened, "What if he asks about her? What shall she say?"
Julian waved dismissively, "I have it planned: Sarah will not be the Sarah Jareth knew. Jareth will have questions, but she can be trained to act. She is already too different from her former self, the one Jareth knew. She will be some lady that is visiting me, a cousin or some other relative. She will be from the Underground. Explaining it shall be simple; for all his bravado and coldness our king is a simpering, love-stricken fool - they say that he cries out her name in is sleep. He will be so besotted with a copy of his darling that once Sarah has him in her grasp, revenge will be hers." His mouth twisted and he closed his eyes, "Revenge will be ours."
Oriel nodded, "Finally."
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Sarah turned over in her bed, tears filling her eyes. Unwanted recollections flashed through her mind as she tried to go to sleep. Unable to stop - and hating herself for it, she relived her memories until she was sobbing into the pillows.
At first the memories were happy.
**Flashback**
"Hey Sarah," Pat playfully punched her shoulder as he sat next to her beneath the tree. "Watcha doin'?"
Sarah breathed in the crisp air and laid on her back. "Nothing…"
Pat smiled as he leaned over her, "Can I ask you something?"
***
Sarah and Pat dated until that fateful day when her father took her away. She smiled slightly at her memories: Pat driving her in his jeep to the beach even though it was still cold enough to wear pants outside. Having lunch together and joking with their friends. Having dramatic, petty fights and making up later. Him reassuring her of her worth when she cried on his shoulder after she told him about her relationship with her parents.
**Flashback**
"Sarah, no!" Karen screamed as Sarah turned the hose on her, drenching the woman until the dirt around her turned into mud.
"That's what you get for not watching your back! Ack!" Sarah turned around to find Toby laughing as he dropped a water balloon on her from his spot on the porch. "What noo!!!" Sarah ran away, laughing as Karen grabbed the hose from her fingers and gave her a bit of her own medicine.
***
Sarah missed Karen and Toby, missed them terribly. She wanted to baby-sit him again, and argue with Karen that her relationship with Pat was not all that serious. She remembered how protective Karen became after the labyrinth. How she scolded Sarah for days for not calling her when she stayed out too late, when she came home from a date with a secret smile and didn't share the details. She even reprimand her for not wearing her coat in the rain as she cooked her soup.
**Flashback**
Sarah opened the door to find her father quickly putting down the phone. "Hi!" She greeted cheerfully. It had been a good day at school.
"Hello." Her father had been abrupt.
She was at Rochelle's Treatment for Mental Health a week later. She didn't even say goodbye to anyone.
***
That was probably when he found out that there wasn't a play at school, she decided as she kicked off the covers. When he choose to send her away. She never received letters from her parents. Pat sent her dozens of letters, but in the end Sarah was the one who stopped writing. She wanted Pat to have a normal life and a normal girlfriend. She remembered the visits with Karen and Toby, her father never came.
**Flashback**
"We miss you so much Sarah. Toby keeps asking about you…."
***
Karen's voice faded when Sarah let out a heart-wrenching sob.
**Flashback**
"Why do you talk to yourself, Sarah? Why did you make up these 'friends' of yours?
"They're not made up, they're real!" She screamed, jumping up and facing her therapist.
"No, I don't think so. I believe you created them because you missed your mother and you were jealous of your stepbrother. Sarah, you made them up to pay attention to you."
***
That was the first time her therapist trapped her into saying something stupid. After that she had been transferred to another ward, one where bars were on the windows and everyone was chaperoned. She never made that mistake again, preferring to speak about "normal" things.
Sarah eventually slept, her crying jag had left her with a foggy mind and unhappy dreams.
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"Sarah!"
Jareth suddenly woke up, his heart beating erratically. Letting out an explosive breath he realized that he had that dream again. The masquerade.
It suddenly changed tonight, the ending was different, Sarah was different. He laid back down, ignoring the clammy sheets and stared listlessly at the canopy of his bed. Why did it change tonight?
~ ~Dream sequence~ ~
Jareth stood in the middle of the ballroom, waiting for a partner as he had dozens of nights before. He was dressed magnificently in his blue coat and knee high boots. He looked around, envying the partnered dancers that whirled mindlessly to the strains of music. A movement caught his eye. He looked towards it anxiously, waiting for Sarah to come out.
She was beautiful, her hair puffed to perfection with silver wires and leaves tucked into the strands. Her white, embellished dress made her the picture of innocence. Instead of waiting for her to search for a partner, Jareth stepped resolutely to her, keeping her in view. She spotted him, and her mouth twisted cruelly.
Jareth suddenly stopped. What was this? This dream did not have this small detail before…
"Sarah," he breathed as he reached towards her, wanting to invite her to dance. She viciously knocked his arm out of the way.
"Stay away from me, Goblin King," she hissed through clenched teeth. "I shall destroy you."
~ ~ ~
Jareth covered his face with his hands. What did it mean? Why did she reject him? Again. Maybe it was time to move on, it had been years since their last meeting. Maybe it was his mind warning him that his obsession over her would destroy his sanity - if it wasn't already ruined. Sighing, the king fell into a deep slumber, dreamless this time.
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"Shall I wake her, my lord?" The maid asked as she cleared Julian's breakfast plate.
Julian closed his eyes, savoring the sweet scent that came with the breeze from the window. It was springtime, the anniversary of….. Don't think about it, live in the present. "No Frieda, allow Sarah to sleep as long as she pleases. We will need her at her best in order to plan out what she will need to do." The old woman nodded, a smile playing over her lips.
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you find the girl?" Frieda questioned, pouring wine into a goblet.
Julian took the cup and swirled the contents, brooding. "It took about three years, Frieda. Three years of failed attempts and miscalculations." He dismissed the maid. "When she wakes, get Oriel and Bartten. We shall meet in the green parlor."
"Yes my lord," she curtsied before she left.
Julian was left alone. He looked around at the breakfast room; it was her favorite room. The walls were painted a subdued green with spidery patterns of cherry blossoms imprinted on the surface. A dark, wooden dining table grand enough to fit nearly 200 guests. Huge windows flanked by lacy white curtains showed the view of the river and gardens. Stop it. You cannot bring her back. No, he could not bring her back, she only lived within his thoughts. The glass goblet clenched in his fist broke as he re-lived that last fateful day. Ursula…
Author's Note: This story may seem a bit scattered and twisty, but I just wanted to write something where it was Sarah who wanted revenge instead of Jareth. So if you're confused, consider the words of Julian: "In due time, dear reader. In due time." I promise everything will make sense in the end.
Thanks to Cariah Delonne for reviewing!