Sarah woke up very slowly. The first thing she noticed was the texture of the sheets. Instead of her satin sheets, she felt the cotton-like material underneath her. Then she heard the gentle, dancing sounds of a forest, and finally the telltale sounds of someone making breakfast. This made her smile with the memories of the night before. She was glad to be home despite the price she must pay in the coming hours.
She pulled herself out of the cot and began to rearrange her hair as best she could. With an optimistic heart and a smile on her face, Sarah began her descent down the ladder to welcome the day.
"Good morning Mael," she said over her shoulder. "How are you this morning?"
Mael turned from the oven and smiled at Sarah. "I'm well. I trust you slept well. You look less worried than last night."
"It's amazing how a bit of sleep can affect my mood! I feel ready to conquer the Labyrinth!" Sarah responded. "Where's Hoggle? He isn't still sleeping, is he?"
Mael turned her back to the little oven. "He's outside preparing a bag for you, my dear. Thankfully, you've only slept about five hours, so you should have plenty of time to get to the Castle."
The time restraint suddenly hit Sarah like a ton of bricks. If she only had thirteen hours in the Underground before she died, then she had just wasted five hours. "Whoa – wait a minute! Last time it took me at least ten hours! How do you expect me to get there in less than eight?"
"Well, a map of course!" came a voice from the doorway. Hoggle was the one who spoke, but next to him was a silver fox-man wearing a blue velvet buccaneer hat, a red velvet overcoat with a white shift underneath, black pants, and black Wellington boots.
The fox-man spoke. "And of course, a little guidance, my lady." He let out a beautiful, dignified bow, and looked up. "If you'll be so kind as to accept the services of this knight."
Sarah couldn't contain herself. She ran over to Sir Didymus and pulled him into a hug. He was taller than she remembered, but with the knowledge Hoggle had given her, she understood that Sir Didymus would no longer resemble a plush toy, but a fox/man/knight.
"It's so good to see you again!" she exclaimed while releasing him from her hug.
The good knight regained his composure after the obvious breach in protocol, and gave her a fox smile (which was quite sly and charming). "Lady Sarah, it is a great honor to see you again! Like Sir Hoggle said, you will get through our lands with the help of a map and a few shortcuts I will be able to provide."
"Wouldn't that be cheating?" Sarah asked.
"Oh, no my lady! It would be a far greater dishonor to allow you to perish under the time restraint than it would be to let you go through the Goblin's Path."
Then Hoggle took over. "Besides, Sarah, you are not running the Labyrinth in competition. You are going to the castle to gain an audience with the King. You are not a challenger; you are an immigrant. Therefore, the same rules don't apply to you."
"Well," Mael interrupted, "before the lot of you take off, at least eat a bit. You'll need the energy." Mael looked at the two men and Sarah with healthy concern and gestured them to sit at the table.
The four comrades sat together, taking their portion of breakfast. Sarah noticed that he plate in front of her was nothing like her breakfast sampler in the Aboveworld. In place of toasted bread, there were toasted mushroom heads; instead of eggs, there was some combination of chopped apple and peach; and replacing her beloved bacon was boiled spinach. Sarah eyed the plate suspiciously as she reminded herself of the last time she had Underground peaches.
The men ate greedily at their plates, but Mael with her motherly-intuition noticed Sarah's hesitance.
"What's wrong Sarah? Is there something the matter with how I made your breakfast? It's the typical breakfast for our people."
"There isn't anything wrong," Sarah said politely. "I'm just concerned how I will react to eating peaches. Last time I was in this world I had an adverse reaction."
Hoggle had a bit of a choking laugh at this. Sir Didymus, not allowing Sarah to be dishonored by an inside joke, slapped Hoggle on the back to make it look as if his friend were choking.
"No Sarah- these aren't 'enchanted' peaches. The last time you had our peaches you were not mature enough to see what needed to be seen," Mael explained. "Peaches here have a medicinal property. When you eat peaches you are able to see the possibilities. They open your mind to things you might otherwise bock out."
"You mean they are hallucinogenic?" Sarah said with a bit of fear.
"No dear. When you are scared or have your mind closed as you did when you were younger, your mind doesn't allow you to see past your own perceptions of reality and allow you to see more of the actual reality," Mael said.
"Think of it as a way for your 'third eye' to work better," Hoggle added.
Sarah took a bite of the fruit medley. The taste was beyond delicious. Sarah felt like she tasted laughter and smiles in each bite. Worries gone, Sarah finished her breakfast. Mael put away the breakfast mess as Hoggle and Didymus put out the package for Sarah.
"Now Sarah, I can't go with you this time. This map is as much as I can give you. This time, I need to stay with my wife. With the fox with you, I know you'll get to the castle quickly, safely, and undetected," Hoggle explained as he started pushing Sarah towards the door.
"What if I need you? Will I be able to see you again?" Sarah said.
"Of course! Just get to the king, do what you must, and you'll see us sooner than you think," Mael cried. "Just keep your chin up dear, everything will work out." Mael's smile cheered Sarah's heart, and gave her the courage to get out of the door.
"Well, I guess that's 'goodbye' for now. Isn't it?" Sarah said. She gave Hoggle and Mael hugs and wished them goodbyes, and promised that she'd be careful and thoughtful.
"My lady, it's time we begin our journey. Time is the enemy now," Didymus explained.
"Okay. Let's go feet!" Sarah exclaimed. Then the pair, a fox-man and a human woman, began walking towards the forest.
"Sarah!" Mael exclaimed, her short legs carrying her toward Sarah. She pulled Sarah down to her and said, "Be sure to keep both your eyes, and your heart open this time, okay?"
Mael pulled her into another short hug, and dropped a peck on her cheek. While Sarah was reluctant to leave her new friend, she knew it was important to keep moving.
Sarah understood herself very well. If she stopped, they would have thought her plan out, and now was no time to over-analyze. Sir Didymus was at her side, so she walked onward and upward. She had no time for doubts.
The Goblin King sat in his chambers alone. His servants had kindly left him in peace, but he yearned for a distraction. The memories clouded his reason to a point that it pained him. Had there been many mistakes regarding Sarah so many years ago? Or just one slight miscalculation? It was hard to say – even with the gift of hindsight.
Thoughts of Sarah tortured him throughout the hours of the night until he finally saw the sun rise over the Labyrinth. Any way he looked at the situation, he would need to come face-to-face with the failure of his past. He failed at keeping her in the Underground, but now she was back in his kingdom and would request amnesty. Should he grant it, or should he send her back to her precious reality? Then there was the question of her health. While she was in the Underground her health would deteriorate until she was given an answer. Should he check on her progress, or just wait and see what would come? The ethics of the situation bothered him. The vindictive part of his personality wanted to just watch her struggle and feel the physical pain that echoed in his pride and heart, but the kind monarch in him realized how childish that behavior was.
He would watch her from a safe distance. He would do that for anyone seeking amnesty in his kingdom, or so he told himself.
It was time to act. He rose from his windowsill vigil and went to the throne room. If the woman wanted to be a part of his kingdom, then he would find ways to determine whether or not she was worthy. This exercise would let him play with some of his lesser-used skills: shape shifting, scrying, and the standby of trickery.
Once he reached the throne room he called to his servant, "Figwit! Figwit, where are you?"
"Here I am, your majesty," the regal goblin replied.
"Figwit, I need you to be on standby. I will be on errands throughout the Labyrinth and will not be at the immediate disposal of the court. Call me, should you need me. But understand that I may not be able to respond immediately. Do you understand?" the king asked.
"Yes, your highness. I will make sure your affairs are taken care of while you address your errands. Is there any way I can be of further assistance?" the goblin replied.
"No, Figwit. I shouldn't be gone long. That will be all," the Goblin King finished. Then, as seamless as the changing of winds, he changed into a beautiful snow-owl and flew out the closest window.
Figwit turned to the two closest guards, nodded curtly, and left the throne room. Personal matters of the king were of no concern to him, but he did hope that whatever the matter was, it would relieve his king of the sadness Figwit saw in his eyes.
