Gretta herded a group of the stupider goblin servants out of the throne room in the general direction of the kitchens. She hobbled back over to the throne, where the King was seated, much as he had been for the last two days, staring deep into his crystal. He looked both amused and irritated and Gretta almost chuckled, wondering what the girl was up to this time.
'Miss-judged that one you did,' she said matter-of-factly.
'Yes.' he replied, not looking up. 'But how was I to know the threat of a kiss would be enough to make her avoid asking for help?'
'She is stubborn.' Gretta agreed. 'Perhaps, this time...'
'I will not go to her unless she calls my name!' he shouted, bearing his teeth in a frustrated grimace.
'What if this time she gets herself maimed? Killed?' She paused as her King roared and threw the crystal across the room where it shattered into a thousand fragments. A ghostly image of Sarah, wearing an ugly brown tunic and running frantically, materialised for a fraction of a second before dissipating.
Gretta huffed and looked around at the deserted room. Always before it had been typical for thirty or so goblins to be hanging around here at once, however, the other goblins hadn't dared to gather here since Sarah had run off. Knowing that the Kings usual joviality was replaced for the moment with a quick temper. She hadn't heard a strain of music in two days, let alone one of the King's songs. The hoards were unhappy and despondent, and as one of the Kings advisers, Gretta felt at least partly responsible. The King had already formed another crystal to gaze into, his mind really wasn't on the job at all.
'Ahh,' The King sighed, relaxing into his throne. 'The danger has past.'
'This time.' Gretta muttered.
Hoggle swatted a particularly annoying fairy with a satisfying thwap. He admired his new fly-swatter as the little blighter fell squealing to the dirt. It was lovely and shiny and best of all, it would save him a fortune in bug-spray. He was sick of the pests eating all of his flowers.
'Hey Hoggle,' a weary but unmistakable voice said from behind him.
Hoggle spun to face Sarah, gaping in disbelief. She was older, prettier, but unmistakably his old friend.
'Sarah! What you doing here?' He waved his fly-swatter nervously. 'Haven't bin wishin away that brother of yours again have you?' Sarah laughed softly and sat on a nearby rock, she looked exhausted.
'Of course not Hoggle. I live here now. In the Labyrinth that is.' She rubbed her eyes. 'Look, can we talk about this on the move, I need to get back inside before I get in trouble.'
'In trouble?'
'I don't think I'm supposed to leave the Labyrinth, but I really wanted to see you. Sir Didymus tried to contact you but got no reply when he sent a message bird. When the bird got back it said you were outside it's jurisdiction so I figured you were still here, outside.' She gestured at the dusty gardens he called home.
'Sir Didymus!' Hoggle exclaimed. He hadn't seen that little nut-case for months. 'Well where is he then? He didn't let you come alone!'
'No,' said Sarah. 'He didn't. We got separated on the way here. It took two days for us to find our way into the stone part of the maze. There were just so many obstacles, and creatures.' Her eyes were wide. 'I lost Sir Didymus and Ludo when the walls started shifting. Every time I turned around they were different. They just appeared between us and I couldn't find my way back to them. I shouted to them to go home if they could, and then I was alone. I lost track of how long I was looking for the exit.'
Hoggle eyed Sarahs plain brown tunic and black leggins. She wore heavy black boots that folded down at the ankle and a little black cap. However the one thing she wore that made him most uneasy was a pendant on a black thong around her neck. He would have recognised that symbol anywhere. That cad Jareth wore a pendant like that. The rat-bastard.
Taking a deep breath he braced himself for what he would have to do. Hoggle knew that whatever Jareth was up to with his Sarah, it was up to him to protect her from it.
'Well then,' he said patting Sarah's arm. 'Let's get inside and you can tell me the whole story.'
Sarah smiled in relief and then sheepishly held up an empty canvas bag. She felt bad for imposing on his hospitality but... 'Do you have any food for the journey?' she asked. 'We only packed for a days travel... My flask's empty too.' She patted the flask clipped to a belt resting on her hips. 'Sir Didymus filled it with tea and I managed to fill it with water a couple of times from fountains but I wouldn't like to risk assuming we'll find them again.'
As Hoggle took the flask and bag from her, Sarah smiled at her old friend. He was just as she remembered him, though he had more treasures than before clipped to his belt and he seemed happier. As he began to pump water from a nearby water fountain she eyed the child's tennis racket he had been waving and then followed the flight of a disorientated fairy as it wobbled through the air, one wing bent.
'New fairy-swatter Hoggle? Where on earth did you get a tennis racket?'
'Oh, you know...' Hoggle said, moving to open a trap door in the ground. Through the hatch she could see the top of a ladder. 'I likes to go to the Junkyard occasionally. Just got back a few days ago actually. You never know what you'll find.' Hoggle patted his dangling jewellery proudly and Sarah noticed it included several items which looked suspiciously like plastic. As the little man began to climb down the ladder and into the ground, Sarah snatched up her flask, clipped it back to her belt and knelt to peer down after him.
Below was a pantry lined with shelves full of rustic foods. She watched him fill the canvas bag with jars of jam and a large loaf of crusty bread. A few pouches followed along with a decent sized block of cheese. When he was finished Hoggle turned to peer up at Sarah and beckoned.
'Are you coming then?' he asked, making her frown in confusion.
He chuckled and swung forward a section of shelving to reveal a softly lit tunnel. It headed in the direction of the Labyrinth wall. Sarah scrambled down the ladder and hugged Hoggle hard.
'Oh thank you Hoggle!' she exclaimed happily. The thought of having to find her way back through the stone maze again had been like a stone in her stomach. Maybe this underground tunnel would cut a few hours off the slog back to the inner Labyrinth. She hoped so.
Thanks again for all the reviews and favourites! I apologise for the short chapter. More to come soon! x
