Summary: It's been 25 long years since Sarah's run through the Labyrinth. Now, her 17 year old daughter faces a much more dangerous challenge in the Labyrinth. Can she get out…and will she even want to?
Disclaimer: I own nothing! Except the daughter… Codi is my creation…
Chapter 3: Reunited…
Hoggle hadn't seen the original Labyrinth is such a long time that he himself wasn't fully sure of the direction they needed to be going, but Codi trusted their combined efforts would amount up to something.
"Don't let what Jareth said bother you," Hoggle suddenly said, breaking the silence that had grown between the two.
Codi flinched and turned to Hoggle, "What makes you think it bothered me?"
"You didn't seem to like it."
"I don't care if he thinks I'm not as smart as my mom. I'm not her, and I want to make sure he understands that."
Hoggle paused for a moment, impressed with Codi's ability to keep going, and watched Codi press forward in the maze before suddenly disappearing into the ground. Her scream woke him from his brief memory of Sarah's venture and he rushed to her aid.
"Codi!" Hoggle reached where she'd fallen, "Are you alright?"
Codi stood up at the bottom of the slide-like hole she'd just come out of, hearing Hoggle call out to her, "Are you alright?"
"I'm okay!" Codi ignored the twinge of pain in her ankle from landing on it strangely, "I don't think I can get back up that way. Don't worry about me, keep going forward; I'm sure we'll meet up somewhere!"
Hoggle hesitated before agreeing, carefully avoiding anymore traps in the area.
Codi was prepared to continue when something crashed into her from behind. She landed on the ground, her arms barely responding in enough time to catch the fall. When the girl turned her head to see what had hit her she was surprised to see a sheep dog.
"A dog?" Codi asked as the fluffy creature sat up on her back, "A dog… Oh! You must be Ambrosius!"
The dog barked, almost like it was responding to Codi. The dog climbed off her back before trotting in front of Codi, barely giving her time to get up and follow.
Reluctant as she was to follow something that couldn't exactly tell her where they were going, Codi knew Ambrosius would be her best bet in maneuvering her way out of this tunnel.
After following Ambrosius for a little while, Codi paused, her brows furrowing as she realized something for the first time, "Ambrosius, where is Sir Didymus?"
The dog turned around and whined. Codi knelt down and scratched behind his ears, trying to comfort him, "I'm sure we'll find him. Is that where you're taking me? On a hunt for him?"
Ambrosius barked before he turned, leading the way again. Codi followed obediently, unsure of whether or not Ambrosius knew where he was going.
The duo traveled through the tunnels blindly, unknowledgeable of the eyes watching them.
Jareth sat on his throne, a crystal in front of him, showing Codi's progress. He wouldn't deny that having a runner run the original Labyrinth was rather intriguing, but Codi wasn't the runner who could take on anything no matter what. She wasn't Sarah.
Jareth sighed, "Is she really her child? I thought that taking the daughter would ensure me another interesting experience with Sarah, but I was counting on the fact she'd get through the labyrinth just like her mother had. Though, Sarah's old 'friends' still seem adamant on helping her."
One of the goblins who was also watching Codi couldn't help but speak up, "Why did you want her, then?"
Jareth remained silent. When he'd heard Sarah had had a child, he immediately spent more time in Aboveground, trying to find the illusive duo. He'd never thought they'd stay in Sarah's old house, but he could still remember the day he'd found them…
"They have to be somewhere near here," Jareth reasoned with himself as he sat perched on a tree.
"I'll be fine, Mom!" a girl called back to the house as she trotted down the steps.
"Codi! I've told you time and time again, take a jacket!" Jareth immediately recognized the now grown woman as Sarah. He was surprised by her change and then turned his focus back to the daughter; Codi.
Long black hair cut in a layered style to keep it somewhat shaggy looking which, as Jareth had observed, was a style nowadays. She had big hazel eyes, searching and curious. She stood taller than Sarah did which was something she undoubtedly inherited from her father.
Jareth was drawn to her, but he refused to admit it. He wanted some revenge on Sarah. He didn't have time to risk being enraptured by a young girl from Aboveground. No, he wouldn't risk his heart for another human girl. Especially not Sarah's daughter.
"Mi'lord?" the goblin tilted its head curiously.
"I want revenge of Sarah. Nothing more," Jareth stated firmly, ignoring how Codi's hazel eyes pierced his.
"Ambrosius!" a thickly accented and loud voice called out in the dark, "Where did you go?"
Ambrosius barked almost happily, Codi noticed, and bolted forward. Codi's eyes, having adjusted to the darkness allowed her to follow the white and grey dog without too much struggle. She used the walls around her to balance herself in the dark as she slowly stumbled her way after the dog.
"There you are Ambrosius! Where have you been?" the voice rang in the tunnels again, though much closer this time.
Ambrosius barked and guided his master to Codi. Upon seeing the shadowy figure, the accented voice gasped, "Sarah?"
"Ah, no, actually, I'm-!" Codi paused when she heard something behind them in the tunnels. She and the creature, now recognized as Sir Didymus, looked back to where she and Ambrosius had come from only to see silver blades glinting off a small crack in the roof of the tunnel.
Ambrosius whimpered and bolted forward, Sir Didymus on his back, "Ambrosius! What has gotten into you? Hurry along Sarah!"
Codi suddenly realized what was chasing them and immediately ran after Ambrosius and Sir Didymus. She could hear the machine behind her catching up and desperately tried to keep pace with the dog.
The Cleaners, far more terrifying than her mother had described, caught up to Codi who had to stop after exhausting herself. The girl looked at them fearfully as she panted, trying to muster enough to strength to continue running. However, just before she turned to continue running, a hand pulled her through the wall roughly.
Having been caught by surprise, Codi fell straight onto her hands and knees, the Cleaners passing by her. When Codi looked up, whatever had helped her was gone. Choosing not to waste the opportunity to continue on, Codi slowly trudged her way down the new tunnel. Her ankle radiated pain into her leg from being exerted so much after injuring it, forcing her to limp. However, that didn't stop her.
"I will not lose," Codi mumbled to herself, a sudden fire being lit somewhere inside her heart.
Codi's eyes filled with light as she reached the end of the tunnel-system, but she quickly doubled over when a terrible stench filled her senses. Her eyes watered as she tried to resist the urge to lose her lunch from before she wished herself away. (A/N: Remember, she didn't eat the dinner cause she and Sarah fought right then.)
"Bog of Stench," Codi struggled to breathe through her mouth only as the smell was so putrid, it put a horrible taste in even her mouth. In fact, the only sense not afflicted by the bog was her sense of hearing. The bog left the air thick making it uncomfortable to walk around in.
"Well, how the hell do I get out of here?" Codi asked, unable to find away across or around the horrible bog.
It was in the middle of her distress that Codi heard a loud roaring from across the bog. Stones suddenly rose up out of the disgusting liquid, creating a path for her.
"If stones are moving, that means…" Codi took a few moments to jump across the first stones, struggling to remember the tales she'd been told, "Ludo!"
Codi was relieved to reach the patch of land where the large furry creature stood. It greeted her warmly, "You Sarah's daughter."
Surprised by his knowledge of her existence, Codi nodded, "Yes, I'm Codi. It's nice to meet you, Ludo."
Ludo smiled and nodded his head before asking her why she was in the Labyrinth, even in its renewed glory.
"I wished myself away," Codi explained as they made their way toward the castle, "I didn't know it was real."
"Sarah told you about us?"
"Yes, she did. I loved her stories of Underground and of you and Sir Didymus and Hoggle and even…" Codi paused, a light blush shading her cheeks.
"Jareth?" Ludo asked, proving more insightful than Sarah had described.
"Yes, even Jareth," Codi admitted, disappointment showing up in her eyes at the thought that she was only here for him to get to her mother.
"You love him?" Ludo asked suddenly.
"What?" Codi's voice squeaked in surprise.
"You love Jareth?" Ludo repeated his question, much to Codi's dismay.
Codi's mouth hung open, her hazel eyes betraying her shock, "How could I love him? I don't know him!"
Ludo turned his head, ignoring the question, as Ambrosius and Sir Didymus trotted up to them, "There you are! Though, you're not Sarah."
Codi let out a forced laugh, "I'm her daughter, Codi."
Sir Didymus nodded, almost suspecting as much, before turning to Ludo, "How have you been my distinguished adversary?"
"Bog smells," Ludo summed up his punishment in a surprisingly simple and understandable manner.
Codi now knew what'd happened to Ludo and Hoggle, but what had Jareth done to Sir Didymus?
"Yes, these past years haven't treated me so well either, I'm afraid. I was locked up in the Oubliette without Ambrosius. I'm lucky he managed to find me, with the help of Sarah's lovely daughter it seems."
Codi actually laughed lightly before her ankle gave out, forcing her to fall to her knees.
"My lady!" Sir Didymus exclaimed, hopping off Ambrosius and putting a paw on Codi's shoulder.
"I'm fine, I just injured my ankle when I fell into the tunnels. Then running from the cleaners didn't help…"
Sir Didymus suddenly rememebered that Codi had fallen behind him and Ambrosius, "I must apologize to you, my lady! We left you behind! How did you manage to get out of there without further injury or…death?"
"I don't know, actually. Someone grabbed me and pulled me out of the way, but when I looked up I was alone."
The three, including Ambrosius, shared a look before Sir Didymus spoke up, "Are you certain?"
"Yes, why?" Codi didn't understand what the others were so confused about.
"Well, my lady, there wasn't a hole in the wall when Ambrosius and I ran by otherwise we would've taken it and waited for you to catch up. There is only one person in here with enough power to change the labyrinth."
She slowly put the pieces together, "Jareth… But why?"
"Perhaps he values you more than either of you realize. By the way, how much time do you have left?"
Codi gasped, "By now? I'm down to 5 hours, but I thought this was remotely close to the castle."
Sir Didymus and Ludo shared another look, "Not quite. There's still the 'lost memories' as well as the Goblin City on top of the rest of this forest and that's without Jareth's interference!"
Codi sighed, slightly hoping Jareth would interfere so she could ask him about the tunnels and if he saved her. Though deep down, Codi knew she was falling for the man who'd been the subject of her childhood stories. Her mother had tried to keep her from becoming entranced by the idea of the Goblin King, but she had really only aided Codi's curiosity.
"Lost Memories? I don't remember that from my mother's stories," Codi suddenly recalled no such place in her own memories.
"It has no name, really, but it's a large junk filled spot with things of the runner's past. Usually things that have been lost of forgotten. No matter the Labyrinth, it, like the Bog of Stench and the Goblin City, will always exist," Hoggle explained, suddenly joining their group from across the way.
"Hoggle!" Codi greeted happily, "how did you find us?"
"Well, the path I was on lead me here and I followed Ludo's howling. I was pretty far away so it took a little while."
Codi smiled, eying all three of her mother's old companions happily, "I see, well we should continue then, shouldn't we?"
Hoggle nodded and pointed the way to the Lost Memories. Codi wasn't sure if she was prepared for what awaited her there. She knew she had things that were forgotten, but perhaps they were that way for a reason… And perhaps they were meant to stay that way…
Reviews please! I love them, I need them!
Other than that, I hope you enjoyed! Sorry it was shorter than last chapter, but I took out a good page and a half that ends up starting the next chapter. I didn't want to put too much into this one and leave little story for the rest…
