A/N: I don't own the Labyrinth. Still. And will continue to do so for a very long time. Especially as I don't really have any desire to own it. It's a bit too much responsibility for little old me to handle.
Chapter FourSarah froze in her tracks. Something wasn't right. She could feel it tingling at the back of her neck and prickling at the hairs on her arms. Behind her to the left, something was wrong. Very wrong. She clenched her fists and released them slowly, instructing herself to calm down. It was not unusual for her to get these feelings. But while she was in the Labyrinth, she knew they were her only defense against whatever surprise Jareth had lined up for her.
To keep pressing on? To turn back? To take the next right, instead of the next left? To run? To walk? There were so many options and while Sarah knew there was something there she did not know which way would be best to avoid it. The surprise, whatever it was, was not going to be a nice one. Sarah took a tentative step forward. A scream echoed in the maze as she took another forward. She cursed under her breath. Her heart told her to go back. She knew to whom the scream belonged. She'd forgotten Jareth had as much power over the wisher as he did the wish-ee, as it were. If it were a trap? Who was she kidding- it was a trap. She was stuck. She was unable to press forward knowing that Micah could be in trouble. She was unable to go back knowing that it was a trap designed to slow her down. And what if it was Micah? What if he was here in the Labyrinth? He'd just slow her down anyway. She hated herself for thinking such horrible things but it was true. He'd be afraid and he wasn't a child, he didn't over-indulge in fantasy and he didn't have an over-active imagination. There was nothing logical or understandable or accessible about the situation they were in and he'd just panic and be confused. And do dumb-ass things, convinced he was in a dream, like try to fly. He'd make her wish. Micah was dangerous to her while she was running the Labyrinth. She cursed once more as she realized how much time she was wasting, paralyzed with indecision. She'd never forgive herself if she left Micah.
Jareth laughed as Sarah turned back. He knew she wouldn't be able to help herself. It hadn't even needed to be someone she loved. Sarah, little good-hearted heroine, would even save ugly, scary, useless Ludo. She was so predictable. It almost took the fun out of it. Almost. Sarah found her way so quickly to where Micah was that he almost suspected her of having a map. But that was impossible. There were no maps to the Labyrinth – for it changed as often as it liked. He smiled as Sarah peered around the final bend. A satisfied glow spread throughout his body at the look of pure horror on her face.
Micah was half frozen in an ice wall. And about sixty little goblins with rather long and pointy spears were stabbing him. Sarah tried not to make any noise as Micah kept screaming in pain. She forced herself to stay rational. She'd rushed in to save Ludo when she was younger. She'd been exceptionally lucky that Ludo had been a Rock-Caller. She knew how ferocious the goblins could be. She knew how much those spears would hurt as they ripped into her flesh. She knew that if she failed to save Micah soon, he'd be dead. Or too hurt to move. And she'd lose. She would lose and she would lose everything. Jareth would not be lenient. Her life would be over. Knowing Jareth it would not be anything as merciful as death. She could not lose. And she could not leave Micah to die at the hands of a platoon of goblins. She looked around for a weapon and realized that she didn't have one. This wasn't the rock maze, it was ice. This wasn't one little gate-keeper – these goblins would probably stab her to shut her up. She felt her pockets for anything she might have. A letter opener. A pack of gum. A couple of tissues. Sarah narrowed her eyes and fumed inwardly. There had to be a way. But there wasn't, and she knew it. There was no way but rushing out there, yelling loudly and kicking as many of them as she could. And so, with a deep breath, that is exactly what she did.
Jareth watched in utter amazement as Sarah flung herself around the tiny ice yard – sending his soldiers left and right with flying kicks and the others running at the sound of her voice. Jareth winced at the noise she was making himself. He was transfixed with a horror bordering on amazement as all of his vicious, marauding goblins fled.
"Don't run away! Get back there and run her through with your spears," he shouted. "You useless pathetic sniveling morons! You cowardly frightened little idiots! You have spears – there are more of you! Why are you running away?" He continued to shout until one little goblin stopped, looked up at the sky and said:
"Please forgive us, Goblin King, sir, but if she can destroy your city, what will she do to us?" Jareth stared at his crystal in disbelief for a moment.
"I will not put up with this," he said dispassionately. With a wave of his hand the entire squadron dropped into the Bog of Eternal Stench. Jareth turned to the goblins in his throne room.
"One would hope their replacements are not so useless," he said conversationally, as a warning. And the goblins knew exactly how to take it.
"Where am I?" Micah asked. "What's going on? What were those things? Why are you here?" Sarah sighed as she chipped away at the ice with the letter opener.
"You are in the Labyrinth," Sarah replied.
"The what?" Micah asked.
"The Labyrinth," Sarah repeated. "It's the land that surrounds the Goblin City. You met Jareth, the Goblin King, earlier this evening in your offices. Traditionally, the Labyrinth is used to test the people who wish babies away. You have to run the Labyrinth in under thirteen hours successfully to get your child back. The Labyrinth is not located in the world as you know it. It is located 'Underground' – in a magical realm beneath the Earth as we know it."
"But… I didn't wish away a child. Did you?" Micah asked. Sarah sighed again.
"No. You wished me away for a nice weekend, remember? And Jareth had been holding a grudge against me because I ran the Labyrinth in under thirteen hours and won my baby brother back. So he twisted your words in order to get me back down here to run the Labyrinth again," Sarah explained, still chipping away. She almost wished the ice would melt faster and cursed herself silently. She couldn't afford any wishes, she was already so far behind schedule.
"You wished away Toby?" Micah asked incredulously. "But you love that kid."
"Yes, I do. I did then too. But I was feeling maligned and abused and well… I didn't know it was real. I was just a little girl reciting her favorite story," Sarah shrugged. "And then all this happened." She was nearly finished chipping away at the ice.
"Okay, so why am I here?" Micah asked.
"Because Jareth has as much power over the person who made the wish as the person who was wished away," Sarah explained, wishing he'd shut up and let her finish getting him out.
"So those things with the spears… what were they?" Micah asked.
"Goblins," Sarah replied.
"But Jareth is the king and he doesn't look like them," Micah pointed out. Sarah stopped chipping and looked up at Micah.
"Things are not always what they appear in the Labyrinth. And nothing is as you would expect. Those were warnings, not proverbs," Sarah said seriously before turning back to the ice. She only had one leg to go. This was taking so long!
"So you're running the Labyrinth?" Micah asked.
"I don't have a lot of choice in the matter," Sarah replied stonily.
"And now I'm running the Labyrinth too?" Micah asked. Sarah sighed.
"I imagine so. If you want to live, that is, you'd better stick with me. And even then, there are no guarantees. I mean, last time, I almost died so many times! If it wasn't for Hoggle and Ludo and Sir Didymus…," Sarah said, her voice trailing off.
"Who are those guys?" Micah asked. Sarah smiled at him gently.
"Just friends from my first run. But Jareth has forbidden me from getting their help," she said. Micah nodded slowly.
"Is he watching us?" Micah asked. Sarah stabbed at the ice extra hard, picturing it was Jareth.
"You can bet he is," Sarah spat. "You can bet that asshole is in his freaking castle, staring into a crystal ball, grinning like a Cheshire cat that I'm here letting myself be slowed down. And that he just dumped all those goblins in the Bog of Eternal Stench for running away."
"Bog of Eternal Stench?" Micah asked. Sarah winced at the memory.
"That is one place we will most certainly being trying to avoid on our tour of the Labyrinth," Sarah said as she finished freeing Micah. Micah stepped out of the ice and wriggled a little, trying to get circulation back through his body.
"You seem to know a lot about this Jareth character," Micah said. Sarah smiled ruefully.
"Character… now that's a good way to describe that loathsome beast. He's predictable. Just as predictable as I am. Which is what's going to make this run so very, very interesting," Sarah said, setting off in the direction which she had come from. Micah followed behind her, not knowing exactly what to say and not entirely sure that it was safe to follow her anyway. By her own admission, Jareth was out to get her. And she nearly died last time – would have without the help of friends she can't use this time. Maybe he was better off on his own? He decided to think about it. But for now, he didn't know enough not to follow Sarah. And her bum looked really good from this angle. Sarah paused just ahead of him and looked over her shoulder.
"Are you okay? I know you've just been stabbed, like, one hundred and twenty times, but I really need to keep moving," she said. Micah nodded.
"Yeah, it's cool. I'll let you know if I can't keep up," he said. Sarah smiled gratefully and kept moving. Micah followed silently, trying to figure out his next line of questioning.
Jareth glared at his crystal. That little upstart thought he was predictable? And she was heading in the right direction. He'd give her predictable. He flung a crystal ball out of the window of the throne room without the usual amount of care. It would find where it was going. And make a bang when it got there…
