In
Love With the Girl Disclaimer:
I don't own Labyrinth, or any of the characters or settings from
it. It belongs to the Jim Henson company. ;) I also don't own the
character of Lila Uriel, she belongs to Miru88. WARNINGS:
This story will contain graphic adult content, at some point. The
pairings are JarethXOC and later JarethXSarah. This fic is
written for Miru88 b/c she is awesome! :D Chapter 3:
Story # 0235
by Kaline Reine
She was supposed to find her way into the city. The Goblin King told her to look for a dress, but she was planning to try to escape, since he was letting her go free to do what she wanted. Lila thought she would feel like a prisoner here, but so far she didn't. Though she was feeling a little trapped, since she had learned that the inner workings of the castle were very much like a Labyrinth as well.
There was a light up ahead, and finally she was starting to get away from the dim lights of the torches that lined the cold stone walls. Lila smiled, knowing that she was almost out of the castle.
"Where are you going?" A short and tiny Goblin asked.
She looked down, and saw there were two of them guarding the gate. The other one was slightly larger, but even shorter than the first.
"Oh, um… The Goblin King told me I was to go into the Goblin city, to find a dress for the ball."
"There isn't any ball," It said. "If there was, I would know. Why wasn't I informed about it?"
Lila was surprised that it could speak so well… She'd always thought of goblins as being somewhat dim-witted creatures, but… She was pretty open-minded. "I'm not sure why. That's what he told me."
"Right well why are you wasting time here?"
"Go on, then." The one guarding the exit on the left added. "Girl can pass."
Ah, so he was smarted than the other one. Just like how people were.
The girl didn't wait around to be told twice. She was learning things she never knew before, that much was true. But it would all be useless knowledge once she made it back to her own world. She wasn't sure how, but if there was a way in, there had to be a way out, right?
"Excuse me…" She asked what looked like a female goblin. "Can you tell me how to get to the goblin city?"
"Past that wall," She mumbled, and pointed a gnarled finger toward a huge iron gate. "Guards should let you in…"
"Thanks."
Lila went up to the guard, who asked what her business was. The ones who worked here seemed to be of average intelligence. Maybe that was why Jareth had picked them? If he got to choose them at all. He was the King, but… Lila had no idea how any of that worked.
"Your King told me I was to go shopping for a new dress."
"Right…" The guard turned to a small group of miniature goblins. They all had vacant expressions on their tiny faces. "Escort!"
They seemed to squabble amongst themselves for a minute, until one of them stepped forward. It was pushed forward by the rest of them. It was small, with beady little black eyes and really long brown hair that cascaded down most of it's body. To Lila, it looked really cute.
"He can go with you. Make sure you don't try anything funny…" The guard explained, and opened the huge metal door. The hinges creaked.
"Thank you," Lila managed, picking up the small creature and carrying it.
It made no protest, but didn't say anything else either. Finally, she heard a small squeak out of it. But nothing else. It seemed to want to be let go, and as soon as she did, it climbed onto her shoulder, where it sat.
Lila felt a little bit silly walking around with this thing on her shoulder. But those were apparently the rules for walking through the city. …Unless of course, she were a goblin. There went her plans for an easy escape. There might be a way that she still could get away, though. For now, she put those plans on hold until she could figure out a way.
As she was walking, there were a lot of goblins and other creatures that tried to sell her things, or talk to her about random nonsense. Lila just kept walking, until she noticed something quite strange.
Out of place in the Labyrinth, there was a human child of about Seven or Eight years old, most likely. She was small, thing and covered in dirt. She looked very poor, or maybe even homeless…
Lila, having such a kind heart, walked over to her. She didn't have anything to give the girl, as she had nothing herself.
"Little girl?"
The child looked up at her, but didn't say anything. She just looked panicked and ran inside a small building. Lila decided to follow her. She wanted to know why a human child would be living among goblins in the first place. She knew it wasn't really her business but, this had her really curious!
"How can I help you?" An elderly goblin woman with lots of wrinkles and long, wirey gray hair walked out from the back, wiping her hands on a dishcloth.
"Hi…" Lila began awkwardly. "I'm sorry if I upset her, I just… I thought… Well, er…"
"Would you like something to eat?"
The girl shook her head. "No, thank you. I don't have any money. I was curious why a human child was-"
The woman smiled. "That's my daughter," She gestured to the small blonde girl, who was hiding behind her, clutching onto her threadbare skirt. "Adopted, of course."
"Oh, I didn't know…"
"That's alright. You haven't any money, you say, dearie?"
Lila felt really lost. The being on her shoulder squeaked, urging her to answer. "No, I don't… I was told by your King to shop for a new dress in the city. But he didn't give me any money or anything. I'm sorry."
"We're looking to hire some help. This is a restaurant, and we're not usually very busy but I'm sure you might be able to make something if you worked here for a few weeks or so…"
"The ball is on two days."
The woman gave her a look of sadness and… maybe pity? She didn't know. Just as the elderly goblin was about to say something, another goblin rushed in.
"I couldn't help but overhear your situation," A male voice told Lila. He took her by the arm, and dragged her to the doorway of the quaint little restaurant. "See that place across the street? I own that. If you worked there for just one day, I can guarantee you'll have enough to buy any dress you want."
Lila thought about for a minute. She really needed that dress. But then she looked back at the young girl and her aging mother. No, that wouldn't be right. They had asked for her help first. And it was obvious they needed it. Even if it was just for a day.
"No, I'm sorry but I can't," She told the man firmly. "I appreciate the offer… But I'd rather work here."
"Whatever," He shrugged it off, leaving immediately after he was turned down. "It's your loss if you don't want to make a lot of money working in a much fancier restaurant…"
The old woman looks surprised. "You don't have to do that, dearie."
Lila didn't regret her decision. "No… You asked me first. And besides, I can tell that you need my help more. If I don't have enough to buy a dress, then I won't have one. It's alright."
"I don't think the King would like that…"
"I don't care what the King likes. He plans to turn me into a goblin anyway. So what does he care if I attend some ball or not?"
The woman smiled knowingly, and went to back to get an apron for the girl. She gave it to Lila, and instructed her to put it on. Within no time, she was working at the woman's restaurant, and helping her keep an eye on her daughter too.
The customers weren't mean to her because she was human, as she'd expected… But it was just the opposite. They were overly nice to her, and many of them even left her tips. Lila found that working here was pretty pleasant, and not as difficult as she had imagined it to be. The old woman only had to show her how things were done once, and after that, she had the hang of it.
It was sundown before she knew it, and Lila took a look at the day's earnings. The money was very different from what she was used to where she lived. They had coins, but no paper money, and they just called it "money" with no other meaning attached. The coins were fairly simple, and most had small strange designs carved into them. But to Lila most of them were unrecognizable.
"Looks like you make quite a bit there, dearie," The woman smiled, and so did her silent daughter. Lila had already worked out that the girl was a mute, or maybe even deaf. "Perhaps enough to get that dress after all. I can recommend a good dress-maker for you, if you'd like. He lives on the other side of the city…"
"I'm sure I can find it. And if not, it's no big deal. I'm not sure how much all of this is worth," Lila looked at all the money that was in the small bag the woman had given her to carry it all.
"Here is your pay for the day, dearie…"
The lady gave her money from the cash register, and Lila smiled brightly. "I'm sure you need it more than I do. I think I'll be alright."
"You kindness knows no limits," The woman poured the handful of coins into her open bag, and closed the drawer.
Lila left the goblin city with a self-satisfied smile. The creature she'd taken from the city gates hadn't hindered or hurt her at all. He'd only helped her a bit with her work and things seemed to be working out… Even though she was still lost and out of place here. No one paid much attention to her. She returned to the gate, told them she was leaving, and gave back the smaller goblin to the gatekeeper.
"Bye!" She told the little thing, which squeaked back to her.
She didn't know if she would run into Jareth again, but she had a feeling that she might. Now, she was too close to the castle to risk escaping. But she resolved that she would try tomorrow. She would escape this place… somehow.
When she was walking, deep in thought, she passed by a small group of goblins. They were laughing and carrying on stupidly, as goblins did. Lila didn't mind it. But one of them followed her. She tried to ignore it, until she felt it push her from behind. When she fell down, all of the goblins in their group laughed. The one who had pushed her kicked her in the ribs.
"Looks!" One of them shouted happily. "We finds another one!"
"Goody!" A young naive one clapped.
"Get away!" Lila tried to get up.
One of the larger ones rushed over, and stood on her back, keeping her down. A smaller one began to pull her hair, all the while they laughed at her. She tried to hit them and throw them off of her, but the one goblin was surprisingly heavy and it was hard for her to even breath. Her struggles were futile.
"Haha! Looks her hair ish stringy!"
"Girl has funny clothes…" They all laughed.
"Kick!" The first one yelled then kicked her again. "Hahaha, kick!"
"Stop it!" Lila didn't mind being made fun of, but now they were hurting her. They were all yelling at once and attacking her. "Someone help!"
A tall shadow, aided by the fading sun, made it's way over her. It was dangerous, with an almost deadly aura. The goblins, sensing the pending danger, backed away fearfully.
"The five of you… Wouldn't dare to harm a guest of your King, would you?" Jareth flashed her a toothy grin, and extended his hand to her. "Let me help you, Lila."
Lila's fiery spirit wasn't harmed any… "As if." She stood up on her own and walked away from him and the goblins.
"No, we never does that!" The goblins said.
"Nuh-uh," The first one shook his head adamantly. "We no 'harm' her. Only kidding…"
"I'd suggest you find someone else to pester next time," The Goblin King circled around them like a predator, once he saw that the girl was alright. It was clear that he was very angry with them. "But then… There won't be a next time. Not for you."
He snapped his fingers, and two heavily armed guards came and dragged them off somewhere.
"Are you alright?" He turned to Lila, to find her glaring at him.
She turned and walked away at a rapid pace. "Yes, I'm fine. I'll be going now-"
"They'll be going to the dungeons," He informed her, as he fell in step next to her. "How did it go? Did you find a dress?"
Jareth was still wearing the same outfit from this morning, and Lila found herself giving him a once-over. She liked the way he looked… If it weren't for the fact that the man were so evil and despicable, she might have even found him- dare she think it- attractive. However, now was not the time for that.
"If you knew that I was in trouble, then you probably already know what happened. Why don't you ask your crystal ball?"
"I'll bet you're hungry," He smirked wickedly. "I also know you didn't eat anything today. That should pretty much answer your question, princess."
"Don't call me that…"
"Why not? You've got the figure for it… And that pretty face."
Was this his way of flirting with her. Lila wasn't quite sure how she should take it.
"Anyway," The King continued. "Dinner will be served soon. You should go clean up and then come down to the dining hall. I'll see you there."
Before she could answer, he had already vanished into this air. Lila was furious. Yet she knew that she would join him, out of necessity if nothing else. And he had gotten rid of those goblins that were hurting her… She didn't actually think that would happen. She began to realize that there were clear dangers here. Even if some of them seemed silly…
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
A/N:
This chapter was interesting but I seemed to get lost a lot. I wasn't
sure what to include since she is in a place where pretty much
anything could happen. Let me know how I did. I know this should have
been maybe a little longer, but the story is pretty long as it is.
This chapter took me longer than the others since I had to think of
some things to happen. I like the plot I have worked out, and you'll
see why all this happened later on. It all ties in together. Thanks
for reading! -Kaline Reine