Disclaimer: I still do not own Labyrinth or any of its characters. I do, however, have a fair amount of merchandise from the franchise. What? That doesn't count? *le sigh* Oh well. That being said, I do claim full rights to Thanatos. *turns into a chibi and jumps on Thanatos' shoulder* This one is all mine, so please don't try to steal him away. Now, enough with the legal disclaimers. I hope that you enjoy chapter three!
Note: I realized, thanks to a wonderful reader, that I had made a mistake with a name. I tried to go back and edit it, but for some reason the edit wouldn't post. I tried doing what I could to replace it, but in the end all I could do successfully was delete the chapter and post a new one. I apologize if this ended up spamming anyone's inboxes with updates or inconveniencing anyone in the slightest. I'll try to make sure this doesn't happen again in teh future.
…
Sarah awoke at the sound of a small thud. Startled she felt her pulse race as she looked around desperate to figure out what was wrong. Gazing down she saw a red tome on the floor and suddenly it all clicked. "I guess I fell asleep while reading," she murmured as she began to try to relax the fists she hadn't realized she'd made.
Still looking down at the book, she wondered what it had been that drove her toward it. Reaching down she picked it up and noted how soft it still was to the touch. There were certain things that one needed in order to feel home. She'd never admit it, but this was a piece of that for her. After a few moments she placed the volume on a table before standing and walking toward her dresser mirror with purpose. Standing in front of it she noted her appearance and made a quick attempt to fix her hair. It seemed that her night's excursions had caused her otherwise sleek tresses to rebel. Somewhat satisfied, she sat down and peered into the depths of the mirror. At first nothing happened. The longer she looked, however, the more she could begin to see the edges of the mirror begin to waver. Within the minute the entire reflection seemed to be waving until it finally gave way to the steady image of a wall of mounted weaponry. One could easily tell that the numerous swords, spears, and bows were aged and fallen into general disrepair. Not a single one of them, however, had a speck of dust on them. It seemed her friend still took as much pride in his collection as ever.
"Sir Didymus?" she called before waiting for a reply. After a few moments passed she parted her lips to call again, but was cut off by a loud crash of what sounded to be metal against stone. All that was heard then was a small growl and a yip before Sir Didymus appeared in front of the mirror wearing a slightly askew, silver war helmet with a half closed visor. He reached up and struggled with it for a few seconds before it finally popped off.
Helmet now under control, the small soldier tucked it under his arm and bowed to the reflection in front of him. "Ah, M'Lady. It is an honor to be in your presence once again. To what do I owe the honor?"
The brunette had to work hard to contain her laughter. Her friend's hat was now entirely awry and his signature yellow feather seemed the worse for wear. She knew better than to say anything, however, as her friend was quite sensitive about appearances and always strove to be the example of all a true Knight of the Labyrinth should be. "You know you don't have to call me that, Sir Didymus, and it's hardly an honor. I just missed you and the others. Tell me, how are you all doing?"
The small knight seemed to grow in size as he took in her words. To be missed by someone he held in such regard, and the only champion of the Labyrinth, was indeed something to be proud of. "We are all doing quite well, Lady Sarah. My brother, Sir Ludo, has been singing and communing with the rocks as of late. We've nearly restored the bridge over the bog to its previous grandeur. If he could but cease to complain of the stench, which I assure you is nonexistent, it would already be complete. As for Hoggle, he has been out tirelessly protecting the Labyrinth from those foul fairies."
"I'm glad to hear it," she answered with a wide grin. It was funny, she noted, how you never realize how much you miss someone until you are speaking with them again. They continued on with their conversation going back and forth for nearly an hour. It was only when the conversation was ready to wrap up that she was caught off guard by a simple question.
"Forgive my intrusion, Lady Sarah, but has some tragedy befallen you? If something troublest thou, then know that myself and the rest of our brave troupe will be there to aid you with all the swiftness of Ambrosius' paws."
Sarah was somewhat shocked by his sudden question and declaration. "What do you mean, Sir Didymus?"
He hesitated for a second, but then replied, "Sir Hoggle said he saw you… crying, Lady Sarah. But," for a rare moment it seemed even her wordy friend was at a loss for what to say.
Sarah shook her head. She should have known they'd find her out. Somehow they always did. They'd been there for her through every heartache. It seemed that they'd been there for her even through her most recent tragedy, even if she hadn't known it. A tear began its slow descent down her cheek. These tears, however, were due to happiness. She was simply so overwhelmed by how lucky she was to have such wonderful friends in her life. "I hope I didn't worry any of you," she began before telling him the entire story.
…
Thanatos' robes dragged the ground of the throne room's stone floor. This would not have normally bothered anyone, but the goblins in attendance seemed to resent even a minor trail of "cleanliness" in their otherwise perfectly filthy castle. Those who did not know him shot him glares, but when they felt his crimson gaze fall upon them they quickly shrunk back to hide behind the nearest chicken.
To his credit, the small soldier in front of Thanatos continued on with steady steps. There was the clear clak, clak, clak as his armored shoes ground against the stone floor. Apparently stealth was not a priority for one of the Goblin King's personal guard. This would not have irritated the cu sidhe nearly so much if his hearing weren't so keen. Thankfully, the clanging came to an abrupt stop. Looking down, Thanatos could see the soldier standing at attention before his King.
"You are dismissed," Jareth said as he nonchalantly waved the soldier away. Much to his guest's annoyance the guard did so by jogging out of the room. "You'll have to forgive them, Uncle. They are loyal to a fault, but I'm afraid that goblins aren't known for their silence."
Thanatos looked at the impetuous, blonde King while resisting the urge to twitch his ears. Jareth knew full well how sensitive his hearing was, and he was beginning to think that the small inconvenience had been intentionally planned. "I hardly noticed, Nephew."
Mismatched eyes bore into crimson as Jareth seemed to take stock of the sidhe in front of him. His gloved fingers tapped absentmindedly upon the arm of his throne before they stopped suddenly. "You came to me with a proposition earlier, Thanatos. What I am curious about is your motivation."
In spite of the accusing eyes that relentlessly met his own, the ebony haired fae answered cooly, "My 'motivation', as you call it, is simple. I wish for an official title within the Goblin Kingdom, as well as a recognized alliance."
"You do, of course, realize that the Goblin Kingdom is not held in the highest of esteem."
"I recognize that, Goblin King. It has hardly escaped my notice through the centuries."
Jareth began tapping his fingers yet again. Thanatos was plotting something, but what he didn't know. "Tell me, why would the Grim Reaper wish for a title within the Goblin Kingdom?"
"I do not believe that it is any of your concern, Jareth," he replied while intentionally dropping the formal title. For Jareth to have called him by that name was an insult in the most serious sense of the word. He could not deny that he was Death incarnate, but he was also one of the strongest fae in existence. After all, Death came for everyone and everything eventually… and even the courts were not safe from him.
The Goblin King arched an eyebrow. It seemed he was getting under his uncle's skin, but he knew better than to push any further. To do so would be dangerous in more ways than one. "Very well. Your motivation isn't my concern, but what is my concern is the safety of this Labyrinth. If I were…"
Thanatos quickly cut off any further argument, "But what no one knew is that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers."
Jareth remained silent for a moment and made no attempt to hide his anger. "What did you say?"
"I believe you heard me quite clearly. It's true then? I must say that it was quite reckless of you to give a mere human any powers over your kingdom. Tell me, if she were to be collected by the "Reaper", as you so crudely called me, what would happen to your kingdom and its inhabitants?"
Jareth clenched his hands into fists and fought to remain in control of himself. He had already known that Thanatos' offer involved Sarah, but to hear it put in such a way was quickly unraveling his patience. "You are implying that the kingdom cannot survive after such a loss?"
"No, Goblin King. I am stating that it cannot."
Jareth wished he could deny the claim, but in reality even he was unsure. It had been impetuous of him to have given Sarah such a gift, but he'd been as weak to love's charms as any other being who could truly feel would have been. "Then you mean to let her live indefinitely?"
Thanatos shook his head which made his long braid swing back and forth before it finally slid to a stop. "No one can live forever, Goblin King. Even the fae may live for thousands of years, but eventually their lives begin to flicker. What I mean to do is to delay the process."
"Explain," came the sharp response.
His robes rustled again as Thanatos began to walk across the unfeeling stones of the room. "Her death is nearly at hand. That is inevitable and neither you nor I can change that. Even if I were to refuse to collect her, then her soul would be stuck rotting away in a hollow shell no longer capable of maintaining it."
Jareth stood suddenly and stalked over to the Cu Sidhe, "Then how can you even be of service?"
While Jareth stood mere inches from him in what could only be perceived as a threatening manner, Thanatos merely laced his arms together so both were hidden within his lustrous green robes. "You lack imagination, Goblin King. That is hardly something I would have expected. Very well then, if you must have it explained, then I shall oblige. Sarah will be collected, and she can no longer exist within her realm. The Underground, however, is an entirely different matter."
…
Time is a strange thing. It often can feel as if it is racing past you, but at other points each second seems to take forever. The truly curious thing about time was how it can choose to flow at dissimilar rates in different locations. Humans tend not to notice such shifts as they usually keep to their own realm. Save for the rare exceptions, that is. It had been weeks sense Sarah had spoken to Sir Didymus, but to him it had been only days.
"Ya mean ta tell me Sarah's alright?" Hoggle demanded while staring into the fox's one good eye.
In return Sir Didymus pounded his own puffed out chest. "Aye, M'Lady is quite well. She suffered the loss of a companion, but she has endeavored to…"
"What?" shouted Hoggle as he reached out to grab the knight's sleeve. "How da ya think that's alraht?"
Sir Didymus pulled his arm away with ease and moved out of reach within moments. "Sir Hoggle, I must insist that you restrain yourself until I have finished. As I was saying, Lady Sarah has lost a friend to the 'next world'. She was distraught at first, but since then M'Lady has much improved. "
"Sarah strong," added Ludo as he sat upon the ground and stared at several small pebbles in his hands.
"Precisely, Sir Ludo. M'Lady is strong, as my brother in arms can attest. Lady Sarah was even smiling when I bid her adieu."
Hoggle readjusted the leather piece atop his head. He couldn't argue with his friends. Sarah was strong. Even in the Labyrinth she had protected them as much as they had tried to protect her. "Them fairies ain't gonna spray themselves," he declared as he picked up his 'weapon of choice'. "Best be off ta work." With that he said goodbye to his friends before taking off. It wasn't home he was going to, though. No, instead he was going back to the mirror. It wasn't that he didn't trust Sir Didymus, but he had to see that Sarah was smiling again with his own eyes.
…
Sarah smiled as she stared at the suitcase and rolled up sleeping bag on her bed. It had been ages since she'd been camping, and with her latest novel completed and submitted she was free to enjoy it. When Toby had called and invited her on the family outing she hadn't hesitated, except to make sure that showers would still be available. She had grown to respect and appreciate her stepmother, but she'd be damned if she was going to listen to her complaining for an entire weekend about being covered in filth.
Grabbing her scant possessions, Sarah walked into the living room and gave Kim a smile. "Remember to take care of the place while I'm gone. Don't forget to water the plants like you did last time."
"For the record, I think that it was an improvement. Who keeps cacti in their house anyway?"
Sarah shook her head, "The real question is how anyone can kill 3 cacti within 2 weeks." Kim opened her mouth to answer, but Sarah interrupted, "No, don't answer that. I'm afraid to know. If I do then I might have to cancel this trip for fear of what you might do to my strawberry plant. " Smiling she gave a wink, "Thanks again, Kim." With that, Sarah swept out of her apartment and off toward her latest adventure with her family and the great outdoors.
…
Thank you for reading Chapter 3. I apologize for how long it took to complete, but having my wisdom teeth removed slowed me down a lot. I know that this was a little short, but I'm working hard to make sure that Chapter 4 will be longer and even better.
I'd also like to give special thanks to Lylabeth 1, LaurenvBelladonna, 7Scars, 15 for their reviews and input. They may not realize it, but what they've said is helping shape this story. Also, thank you to notwritten, the queen of water, emberlily and all of my readers. If it weren't for you, then I'd have no one to share this story with.
