Disclaimer: I don;t won Labyrinth, or any of it's characters. I do own my own characters which I've created in this fic. And blah blah blah boloney sandwiches!
Chapter 3: Fated Meeting
"You say that so often," He said. "I wonder what your basis for comparison is."
For one brief, fleeting moment all that existed in the entire world were just the two of them. Two lost souls, entwined together in a delicate balance of good and evil, of life and death. As soon as their eyes met, they began this twisted dance. They became more than just each other, more than two lost souls set adrift, as they once were. They became one single being, an entity older than time itself; the very embodiment of love. They were love itself, but not love as we know it. A kind of sad love, deep in their eyes, a kind of pale jewel….
They blinked together, as the moment passed. It was over, the brief moment of respectful awe they had shared. And Sarah felt hollow again, as she was reminded that she was only half a person. A feeling of primal guilt crept up her spine, and continued slowly eating away at her, draining what was left of her heart. She shook her head violently, as though trying to free herself from some unseen force.
"Y-you!" She stared in awe. "But you're not real."
"Not real?" He sneered, looking down at her. "Not real?! My dear Sarah, you really are too funny! Am I not here, standing right in front of you? And are you also not standing before my Labyrinth, soon to be racing towards my castle?"
"No, I'm not, we're"— Sarah turned away from him, only to view the same old Labyrinth she had faced nearly two years ago.
Realizing that she was no longer in her kitchen, her legs faltered and she stumbled backwards, losing her balance. Jareth placed a cold hand on her shoulder to steady her. The closeness of it, and the fact that he had actually had the audacity to touch her, startled her a bit, and she jumped slightly. She looked at the hand in awe. 'That's the first time he's done that.' Sarah thought, nervously. Her legs, now somewhat stable, seemed to turn to mush. It was as if they threatened to buckle under the weight of his grip, even though he only pressed gently on her shoulder.
"You were saying?" He raised an eyebrow.
"That's not fair! You- you can't! Why am I here?! We were in the"—
"Sssshh…" Jareth moved his hand from her shoulder, letting it skim across the pale surface of her neck, and ever-so-lightly brush against her lips.
"You have, as always, thirteen hours to complete the Labyrinth, and reach my castle," He fabricated a small round crystal, seemingly pulling it from the very air itself, with a gloved hand. "Here. This may help you on your quest."
"I'm not supposed to be here," Sarah said quietly, while taking the crystal from him cautiously.
"Oh come now, Sarah. Didn't you miss me?"
"That's not what I mean, and you know it. I didn't wish anyone away, and they certainly didn't do it to me. So you made a mistake."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you. The boy you gave the book to wished me to take you away. And as you can see, I did. Now, let me explain. If you make it through the Labyrinth a second time, if you can, I'll give you the one you truly desire."
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, dear sweet Sarah," Jareth appeared behind her, breathing down her neck, and making her hair stand on end, as well as causing her other unwanted effects. "Don't play coy with me. I know of your affections for this…. 'Trystan' person," A touch of seriousness returned to his lecherous face. "If you do not complete the Labyrinth within the thirteen hours, then you must stay here forever…. As a Goblin."
"But I don't"— She turned to face him, but he had already vanished and was nowhere to be seen. "Like Trystan." She finished in vain, realizing that she was speaking to no one.
'I hate it when he does that.'
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Sarah had been wandering the Labyrinth for what had to be at least two hours by now. Her feet were already throbbing with pain.
'At least I don't have to walk a straight line for long this time,' She thought glumly. 'I knew where the entrance was, and where some of the traps are. So this time it should be much easier.'
Just as she turned a corner, she heard the sound of Goblin voices, that were somewhat incoherent. But she definitely heard snickering. And Sarah knew that snickering Goblins meant they were up to no good.
She carefully peeked around the corner. Sarah could feel the delicate fleshy muscles of her stomach tighten up with fear. It was as if someone were pulling at an invisible rope that had been wrapped around her tiny frame. The two Goblins were much too obsessed with their "prey" to pay her any mind, anyhow. A tiny grayish looking furry creature was wandering about, it's path near the feet of the two Goblins, as it chased a yellow and silver butterfly.
Sarah smiled with delight when she recognized it as a kitten! And a very young one, by the looks of it. It had black and gray stripes, which closely resembled a tabby, but there was something different about it. By the sinister looks on the Goblins' faces, it was obvious as to what their intentions were. They snickered and growled in delight, as they chased the tiny animal.
"Stop it!" Sarah yelled, stepping boldly from the corner of the Labyrinth's mighty stone wall.
"Why don't you come and make ussss!" One of them hissed, while the other closed in on the defenseless, harmless, kitten.
"I'm warning you! Stop it! Stop, or I'll"— She paused, and looked slightly puzzled as to what her threat would be, but then she eyed the crystal Jareth had given her earlier. It had such a glorious, powerful shiny glow. Sarah could see her reflection in it, as she gazed deeper and deeper, falling under the spell of it's beauty. Without thinking, she threw it at the two ugly Goblins. It landed with a crystalline "clink" directly between the pair. They tried to speak, but no words escaped their crusty lips. Sarah realized they were frozen solid, and she cautiously approached them.
'Is this all a joke?' She wondered. 'Maybe they're just playing dead, or pretending to be frozen. Goblins are stupid.'
Her hand lightly brushed against the first Goblin's arm and her eyes widened as she watched him crumble in a million tiny pieces, until there was nothing left but a chalky, stale-smelling, flaky gray dust. When she touched the other one, the same thing happened. She felt a twinge of remorse for having hurt them, but she was far more concerned for the safety of the kitten.
The kitten! What happened to him? Sarah's face twisted into a frightened, pale look of horror as she hoped it has not been affected by the crystal when she threw it. Yet it was nowhere to be seen. Thinking it must have been scared away, she turned the next corner. She spotted him, much to her delight. He was innocently swatting at the same yellow-silver butterfly, who managed to escape every swipe by flitting about on the light breeze. A feeling of sheer relief washed over her, as she scooped up the kitten in her arms.
"You sure seem to like butterflies," Sarah spoke in the softest possible tone, so as not to alarm him. "I think that's what I'll call you—Butterfly! You're so cute."
He merely looked at her, with wild bright blue eyes full of mischief and wonder. They were the liveliest, most brilliant shade of blue Sarah had ever seen. She gasped in amazement. Butterfly only let out a weak "mew" and did not struggle in her arms at all.
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After another hour or so, Sarah began to notice she was passing more of the—what was it Hoggle had called them?—false alarms! She strolled peacefully by each one, without bothering to answer them. Butterfly seemed to hop merrily behind her, trailing her footsteps in silence.
They had already passed by a certain little blue worm earlier, who Butterfly had tried to eat. Though Sarah had thought this to be particularly funny, the worm took it good-naturedly. He still insisted on inviting them both in for a "cuppa tea with the missus". Sarah really was very sad to turn him down for the second time. But she had to complete the Labyrinth in the same length of time as before, but this time she was certain it would be much more difficult.
As she wandered by the false alarms, they grew louder the closer she got to the castle in the not-so-distant distance. Strangely, Butterfly didn't even seem to mind the alarms as their loud voices sounded out like bass drums, booming across the Labyrinth. When he acted like he had to struggle a bit to catch up to her, Sarah stopped and decided it would be okay to carry Butterfly for a while. As they walked, she felt a bit nervous about having used Jareth's crystal already. What if she needed it again?
Jareth's charming face crossed her mind unexpectedly. Sarah remembered his dark eyes, one of ice, the other of fire, shining as he smirked when he handed her the crystal. If he truly wanted her to fail, why must he feel the desperate need to help here like he did? Was this all a game to him? She couldn't help but feel a bit like a chess pawn, being pushed this way and that, at his every whim. How was a pawn ever supposed to be a Queen anyway? She had dared not ask him that, or any other misleading questions, two years ago when he had poured his heart out to her.
Her mind kept going back to him as she and Butterfly continued on their way. She felt slight excitement as she knew that false alarms meant she must be close to the castle. Unless this was another of Jareth's illusions, meant to fool her. With each step, she became more and more cautious not to say this was "a piece of cake"….
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Author's Note: Yes, I know this was a somewhat boring chapter, and I appologize.
But I PROMISE the next one's gonna be WAY better! Just be patient, this was the
only way I could really move the story along without missing any important plot
points. If you are reading this, thank you so much, and I love you all bunches!
And I will love you even more if you post a review. I pay attention, and I always
reply to my readers and fans. Thank you (::hugs and kisses::)
-Kaline Reine
(PS: I think I am going to change the rating to an "M" rating b/c of later chapters. Sorry.)