Hi!

Sorry for the long wait, things have been very hectic here with family problems and me not having a laptop anymore, but the latest chapter is here now so no worries! I would like to thank all of those who have read and reviewed this story; they have brightened up my day!

Please let me know what you think of this story and if I need to make corrections to it; such as grammar, spelling mistakes, or not keeping anyone in character. Please let me know.

Please Read and Review!

Thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Labyrinth.

Enjoy!


Once upon a time, there was a vast Kingdom in a far off world. The people of this kingdom lived here in peace and harmony. There were fields of flowers; giant trees that grew to enormous size, that blossomed the most beautiful blossoms or the delicious fruits that you ever saw or tasted. There were farms that planted crops that fed everyone and a grand city that had homes and shops and trades. On the highest hill, was a wonderful castle that looked out on to the lands. This place was known as the High Kingdom.

A Prince lived here in the palace. He was handsome, strong, but very arrogant. He also had a temper and wanted everything his own way. The reason he was so selfish was that his parents the High King and High Queen had passed away, leaving him to be raised by the royal court. The people of the Kingdom feared the day when he would inherit the Throne when he became King.

Now there was an extraordinary wizard who lived here too. His name was Magnus, and he was the most powerful wizard known throughout the land. He was very old, but very wise. The royal court did not approve of him, when he tried to teach the young Prince about kindness and fairness. Magnus dislike the court with a passion, hoping the Prince would learn from their bad ways. He didn't and kept on getting worse by the passing day.

Magnus had an apprentice by the name of Sarah. She was training to be a powerful magic wielder like her master. She was kind, very pretty, but she had a bit of a temper. She hated the way the Prince and his royal court were always treating her master very unkindly.

"Why do you put up with them, Master?" she asked him one day. The old sage looked at her. "You are the most powerful wielder of magic. You could turn them into goblins if you wanted too!" she said very fiercely.

Magnus gave a laugh. "My dear Sarah, you are such a strong little mage. You could be so great if you only control that temper of yours. Yes I could leave and go to where I could be recognized for my talents. But if I did that, this entire Kingdom would fall apart. The royal court could convince the Prince to rein wars against different Kingdoms in search for power. The land would be surrounded in utter chaos. There will never be peace in these lands ever again!"

Sarah looked at him in shock. "Would he really do that?"

"If they gave him that notion, he would do it in a heartbeat. Now you see why I can't leave? Even if I wanted to leave?"

"I do see." She said, looking out the window in sadness. "He never used to be this way. When we were younger we would play together out in the Queens Garden. Now no one dares enter it, because they are too afraid to face his wrath."

"I remember." Magnus Said, "And there is somebody that dares enter the Garden, but only in the middle of the night."

"Really?" she said very nervously. "Who?"

"You. You always sneak in there to practice your magic." laughed the wizard.

"You caught me." She said laughing with him as well.

"Just be careful. I don't want to see you in the dungeon or worse: beheaded."

"Don't fret, Master. If they catch me I will turn them into birds!"

Sarah's master laughed even harder, "My cheeky mage."

One night, the Prince was in such a rage. One of the advisers had made the wrong choice by telling the Prince he was wrong about such a small matter. The Prince sent him to the dungeon, and stormed right out of the throne room. He needed to calm down, so he decided to enter his mother's garden without any noticing him. It was the only place that he could be at peace, with many precious memories of his family that he kept all to himself, never wanting to forget them.

As the Prince entered the Garden he was shock to find someone else in it! There standing by one of the benches, casting growing spells to the flowers was Sarah! The Prince sneakily walked over to where she was standing. A smirk could be seen on his face.

"Well well." He said, making the mage jump. "Some foolish little girl has entered my Garden. What shall I do with her?"

"If you do anything to this foolish little girl," Sarah warned as she stared right at the Prince, "I will turn you into a bird."

"If you do I'll send you to the dungeon."

"Go right ahead. Why I even dare you to do it!"

The Prince was taken aback by this. Never had someone stood up to him like this before! He was angry, but yet very intrigued by Sarah's courage. "Well I dare you to turn me into a bird!"

"Send me to the dungeon first then I will turn you into bird." She replied back.

For some unknown reason, the Prince's heart skipped a beat. He had never felt like this before and he couldn't explain why he felt the way he did now. He decided to ignore it. "Well, I will let you off with a warning this time. But if I or anyone else catches you in here again, you will be thrown into the dungeons or the oubliettes." The Prince threatened.

"That is fine by me, your majesty." Sarah said as she headed back inside the palace. She too was beginning to feel something that she didn't even understand either. She too ignored it. "But I will come in here when it pleases me. The Queen, may she rest in peace, always said I could come into her garden whenever I wanted. She gave her orders first, not you." Walking off with a smile on her face, as the Prince just looked at her.

Once she came in to the Wizards tower, she told Magnus what had happened. He was a little upset, but mostly relieved.

"So he just let you go? Just like that, huh? Well, it seems that he still has a heart after all. It just chooses when to be seen."

"For a moment it felt like old times, but he didn't even recognize me." Sarah said, "I wonder if he will keep his word if I go back there tomorrow night?" she wondered out loud to herself. Magnus just shook his head, and chuckled silently to himself.

The Prince also thought the same thing. He wanted to know if Sarah would return breaking his command. He had retired early from the court and hid in the garden waiting for her. Sure enough he saw her come, practicing on how to conjure small spheres of light to float into the air. He was smirking as walked away from his hiding spot to approach her.

"It seems that you didn't heed my warning." He said to her.

"Why would I?" questioned the young apprentice.

"Because you would be sent to the dungeon." The Prince stated with his interest heightened by the way she acted towards him. "And stay in there until I say when you come out."

"Have fun then."

This little game went on for a while, as the two argued back and forth, sending out comebacks to one another. Though they appeared to be angry, they were actually enjoying themselves. As the night dragged on so did they with their sarcastic talk, but slowly they started to drift into calmer waters. The Prince's expression began to appear softer, with no harshness or scowls on his face. He looked quite handsome to Sarah.

"If you keep threatening me with the dungeon," Sarah said, "I will turn you into a goblin! For all eternity!"

"What?! No! I refuse to live like that! A goblin indeed. Where is your head? They are messy, noisy, messy, and they steal everything in sight. Did I mention messy?"

Then suddenly Sarah broke out into a laugh. A wonderful happy laugh that made her even look more beautiful. The Prince was taken aback by this and more so by her beauty. His heart began to pound hard in his chest. He regained back his composure.

"Did you know," he said quietly to her, "that you look pretty when you laugh?"

Sarah's cheeks started to turn pink, but then she tilted her head slightly, with a sly twinkle in her eyes. "Really now?"

"Yes."

"Good night, your majesty." Was all she said, walking to the Garden Gate to head back her master's tower, leaving the Prince.

"Will I see you tomorrow?"

She turned around, "Is that an invitation, from your royal majesty?"

"It is." said the Prince.

"Very well then. I will see you here tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night, Sarah."

As the young mage left, she felt her heart become light as a feather, filled with some unexplainable joy.

From then on, Sarah and the Prince would meet every day. They would talk of things that were happening in the Kingdom or make fun of each other. Sometimes Sarah would even show the Prince some of her magic. One time he had made her so angry that she actually turned him into a bird! A barn owl to be precise. She was laughing so hard at his confused expression when she changed him back. Magnus was very pleased to see a change in them. The Prince was slowly becoming kinder and treating every one fairly, while Sarah was getting better at controlling her temper and her magic improved so greatly that soon she would surpass her teacher!

Soon time passed, along with the Prince to become King. He had passed all the trials and passages, the only thing left before becoming King was for him to pick a Queen. The royal court arranged for a grand party, inviting all the royals or those of wealth to come so that the Prince may choose their daughters to be his Queen.

The Prince wasn't too happy about that.

"Why is he upset, Master?" Sarah asked as she and Magnus were getting ready for the ball. "He is to be crowned King tonight. Isn't he happy?"

Magnus looked at her. "He's worried about picking a bride, Sarah. The only way for him to pick his Queen, is by presenting all the young ladies with the Queen's Ring."

The Queen's Ring had always been a tradition in the kingdom. The story behind it was that when the first High King came into power he needed a way to find himself the perfect Queen worthy of him. He had consulted a great Wizard, who made a magical ring, one that knows who will be their soul mate if it fits their ring finger.

"The ring will pick him… a wonderful Queen." Sarah murmured, feeling a heavy pain in her heart. Not wanting to cry in front of her master, she excused herself from his presence and headed off to the ballroom. Magnus's eyes softened.

"My dear mage, he has already chosen his perfect Queen."

The ballroom was highly decorated for this great event. The servants had cleaned every nook and cranny, making sure that not one spot was covered in dirt. Candles were lit up in the grand room, magnifying it radiance. Musicians could be seen, playing their fiddles, their trumpets or horns, making every single guest giddy, and dancing around the room. The large table was filled with wonderful delicious food. From roasted turkeys, to tasteful glittering fruit, place on the best china that the castle had to offer.

The guests that had come to the celebration were even more spectacular. The men, wearing their best suits, tailored from different lands, at the most expensive price. The woman, from princess's to ladies, were dressed in the finest dresses, colorful than all the colors of the rainbow put together. Even the knights had polished up their suits of armor, so they could look their best for this night. Sarah could not help but feel shabby in her dress that she wore. It was a simple white dress, with bits of gold and jewels here and there. Her hair had silk ribbons in it stranding the hair into one large braid. Not wanting to be seen, Sarah had hid in the shadows along with her master, as they watched the goings on for the night.

Soon the Prince arrived in his grand splendor. Wearing black royal clothes, with silver body armor, along with a black cape. He walked gracefully to his throne, while the young maiden's squealed and awed in delight. They were waiting and hoping to try on the Queen's ring so they could marry the Prince. Sarah held her breath, as she looked at him. He looked so handsome and graceful in his manner. Her heart began to ache, knowing she would never be chosen. The Prince had to hide his amazement of Sarah, taking in her beauty and grace. He had to look away quickly, not wanting to show his emotions for her.

"Guests," began one of the advisors, "We welcome you to the High Palace. On this day, we hold the greatest honor of making our Prince become the new High King of the High Kingdom. He has passed every test and is worthy to be on the throne to rule over the land. The last thing needed to be done in order to become King is to pick a worthy lady to be the High Queen. The only way to do this is by passing the test of the Queen's ring. If the Ring can fit on your finger, than you shall be the next Queen. We shall call you by the name, and you must approach his Highness by his throne. He shall place the Ring on your finger." The advisor then called out. "Bring the Queen's Ring!"

One of the courtiers came forth to the throne, holding a handmade carved wooden box. He opened the box, revealing a golden ring, its design of twisted roses circling the ring. All the young maidens were disgusted by its homely appearance, being used to wearing diamonds or emerald rings, but did not say anything, wanting the ring to pick them. Sarah's breath was taken away as she saw the ring, amazed not only by its beauty but magical properties embedded in it. She felt a pain in her heart, as the advisors called all the young women born of royal blood to try on the ring.

The night could not have been longer as every maiden in every land was called to try on the ring. Some girls, who tried on the ring, could barely get it passed their nails, for it suddenly became too tight for them to wear. Others, the ring turned large, making the girls fingers so skinny in the comparison. One by one each girl was called, but still the ring did not fit any of the ladies fingers. The advisors became worried, but the Prince was relieved.

"This cannot be! There must be Queen to help rule these lands, and they need to be picked soon. Are all these the maidens that have come tonight? Have they all tried on the ring?" asked an advisor.

"Not all the ladies."

Everyone in the palace turned to the where the voice came from. Sarah was in shock, for the one who spoke up was her master. Magnus put his hand on his apprentices shoulder.

"She has not tried it." Replied Magnus taking her to where the Prince and the Queen's ring were. The court soon laughed, absurd at the idea of a young poor maiden, who had no family or came from any royal class could possible try the ring. They laughed even more so, if the ring did not fit the commoners finger.

"Silence! The rules clearly state that anyone can try on the ring, no matter what class they come from or their birthright." said the Prince. They all soon hushed down, watching as Sarah reached the throne. The advisor held out the box, while the Prince picked the ring up. He and Sarah looked deeply into each other's eyes, their love clearly shown in them. So intently were they looking at each other, that they didn't even notice that they had put on the ring.

They finally came back to reality when they heard gasps coming from everyone. They both looked at Sarah's hand; the ring had fit perfectly on her wedding finger. They both looked at each other again, ignoring the shouts coming from the crowd or noticing Magnus smiling at them for their happy future.

"Sarah…"

"Yes, my love?"

"Will you marry me?" The Prince whispered into her ear. She smiled.

"I thought you would never ask. Of course I will." And they both kissed, earning cheers and shouts from the Kingdom, both neither of them noticed, only concentrating on each other.

The wedding was a splendid event. All the church bells rang that day nonstop; flower petals of all shapes and colors were thrown into the air. Music and dancing mingled in the streets, with laughter in the air. The only time it was quiet throughout the entire day, was with the priest giving the sermon, and the two newlyweds exchanged vows, sealing it with a kiss. The festivities lasted all the way into the night till the early morning hours.

Everything was alright in the land.

Until that fateful day.


Oh no! It's another cliffhanger! What is wrong with me?! You are just going to have to wait to see what happens next in this story don't you? Sorry about that. Anywhoo… please let me know if I have to fix anything to this, because I will. Also the next chapter might take a while, I do apologize about that.

Please Review!

Thank you!

Dreamcreator

P.S. I have a tumblr page now, so check my profile to see about story updates or story ideas I might have planned in the future.