Sigh Another chapter I'm not particularly happy with. But ahh well, I'm going to post it. Oik, Dislcaimer- I own no Labyrinth. That's Jareth's. SO anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, but I'm going to have to go do science homeowrk now, so only a short comment. Thanks for reviewing, anyone who has reviewed, and I hope u enjoy.
The doors both opened silently, something Sarah did not anticipate.
"Which way?" asked Toby, looking up at Sarah.
"I went right, but that leads to the Fierys, but I don't know what's to the left. With the other two doors, the ones with the playing cards, one lead to certain death...I don't know..."
"Why don't we ask them?" asked Toby, and ran forwards, halting at the other side of the door.
"Excuse me, err...Door, but could you tell me what leads past your doorway?"
"Bog of Eternal Stench" said the door, matter of factly.
"Thankyou" said Toby and turned to Sarah, who nodded.
"If we can pass the Fierys at all, then we should. Hoggle saved me from them last time...then we fell onto the edges of the Bog of Eternal Stench, "
"Well you did kiss him." Said Jareth petulantly. It was the first time in almost an hour that he had spoken.
"Let's go that way." Said Sarah, pointing to the left- ignoring Jareth.
"I don't think that's a good idea. But it's your choice."
"Why isn't it a good idea?"
Jareth smiled his almost sleepy, flirtatious smile that got so annoying,
"Knowing me I would have forced the door to tell you that the first time you asked."
"I don't care." Said Sarah, annoyed. "We'll just go where I went, it's safer." She said, moving through the door.
They passed into a strange woodland, completely different to the forest Sarah had awoken in. This was eerie, and the air seemed to spark...it was the territory of the Fierys. Sarah trod lightly, holding Toby's hand firmly, keeping a careful eye on Jareth. As fun as the Fierys were, she knew they could turn ugly.
"Careful where you put your feet..." she said, wishing that Ludo was with her. Everything seemed safer with him, he could always help her.
She could hear it. She knew she could hear it, Toby could too, from the way he tightened his grip on her hand.
The tapping.
The slight tapping, that sounded as though it was just behind your head, as though distance really didn't matter to it.
It was a tapping that followed you.
Nothing was said, until it grew louder, and Sarah's pace began to speed up, until she was almost dragging Toby behind her.
Jareth followed, frowning.
"What is that noise?" he asked finally, stopping, hands on hips, annoyed.
"That is the Fierys. Pleasant creations of yours. They're cute, but I don't want to meet them right now."
She spoke too soon, as (Jareth almost laughed at the timing, but thought better of it) a hand appeared around the trunk of the tree closest to and clicked, joining in the steadily growing rhythm of the clicking. She leapt back, stifling a scream and pulling Toby with her. But behind Jareth a hand burst out, a small flame flicked out onto the ground as it clicked, lighting several small camp fires.
The clicking continued as Sarah, Toby and Jareth were herded together as more, and more hand appeared, followed by heads...and eventually they realised that they were surrounded. Sarah held Toby's hand, she could feel him backing up against her leg. Instinctively she grabbed Jareth's hand. His head whipped round, to meet her eyes. Stillness, for a second, before Sarah dropped his hand, and turned her head away from him. What had he done?
The Fierys leered at the trio, strange flickers of firelight dancing across the clearing, across their faces, as they, too, danced.
Hey sister! They crowed, jumping and dancing.
Hey sister!
The little one's here too,
Hey sister!
Hey sister
What are you gonna do?
Chilly down with the wild gang (wooh)
Think small with the wild gang (ha ha ha ha ha)
Bang heads with the wild gang
They danced around, and Sarah could feel herself growing more and more panicky. She backed up, pulling Toby and Jareth with her.
One Fiery jumped out, in front of the ring of dancing Fierys. To Toby's amusment (he didn't really get the seriousness of the situation) he pulled off his head, and began rolling round his shoulders, balancing on his fingers and throwing it in the air. The head talked as it flew, to Sarah.
"Hey sister, lonog time since you chilly down! Whass wrong sister? You look glum! With your chin draggin' on the ground, huh? Hey sister, you hurt inside, huh? Well Chilly Down, sister, chilly down with the wild gang!"
Sarah turned to Jareth.
"Run." She said simply, and picked up Toby, pulling him into a piggy back. Jareth flicked out a crytal ball, and turned it in his fingers. The Fierys watched, mesmerised, until he flung it on the ground, and quickly follwoed Sarah. The ball emitted another strange white light. The Fierys danced around it, laughing, untiul the ball suddenly stopped. They frowned at it, poking at it, rolling it, until it, too, disappeared.
"Follow the sister!" the cried, "Follow her, she'll chilly down!"
and they did, leaping through the tangled forest after Jareth and Sarah.
Sarah almost hit the wall before she saw it, she stopped carefully, and let down Toby. Jareth followed a minute after. He threw a crystal up over the wall. It landed exactly on the deged, and a rope trailed down after it. Sarah grabbed the rope, and hled Toby's hand. Luckily the rope did the work, pulling Sraha and Toby up, followed by Jareth.
They had just made it when the Fierys reached the wall, howling and whooping, dancing and singing. They threw their heads, and even a few arms after them, calling out to Sarah.
Sarah looked around.
"It looks like ti's getting dark again. We've been in this Labyrinth too long already, but we'd better make camp. Let's stay one more night, then make it to the Castle. She pointed to Jareth's castle, which again was just behind her left shoulder.
"Toby, can you find some wood?"
Toby nodded and ran off, as Sarah sat down.
She look around the strange clearing. There was a row of strange white rocks at the far end, the ground seemed flat enough and there was still that strange sparkle to everything, that glittered ominously in the twilight.
When Toby returned with some wood Jareth set it alight, and produced some food. Sarah was too hungry to refuse.
"Will this fruit make me forget, or anythng like that?"
"No."
Well, he can't answer with a lie she thought and bit into the peach. It was sweet and jiucy, as before. It was delicious. She passed one to Toby.
"Thankyou, I suppose."
"For what? I didn't know you made a habit of thanking someone for their pain." He said, almost bitterly.
"Oh shut up." She said, annoyed.
Toby yawned, though it was only dusk.
"How many times must you sleep?" asked Jareth, who took off his overcoat and lay it on the ground.
Toby crawled onto it, and made himself comfortable.
Sarah leaned back, looking at the stars.
'Are you alright Sarah?" asked Jareth.
"What? Yes, I'm fine? I'm not hurt or anything."
"I don't mean that."
There was silence.
"Sarah, I will say this once more. Once this is finished, once we have made it to the Castle, will you accept my gift?" He rolled down another crystal ball and turned it over, and over in the twilight, the reflected firelight flitting across Sarah's face.
"You know I won't, Jareth."
"Sarah, I would do anything for you. Anything. I am your slave, however much you seem not to like it."
"Then why did you bring us here? Why are you making us do this?"
"I had to, and I can't send you back. If you like you can stay here until I get too…"
"No, we're coming with you. But you have hurt me as much as you've helped me, Jareth."
"How have I hurt you?" he asked, leanign forwards, towards her.
Sarah felt herself get angry, and some of the pent up emotion, some of the stress she had been under slipped out.
"Because you promised me the world! " she yelled, startling Toby and Jareth. "You promised me anything, you promised me your love. But whe I needed you, when my world fell down, when I died, you wre not there. You left me, Jareth." With that she turned, her eyes full of tears, and lay down next to Toby.
She felt slightly ashamed of this tantrum, but she felt so angry, so alone that she didn't care. She let her tears fall upon the jacket she was lying on, silently. Sarah felt the fabric tug and pull. She froze for a second, but realised it was Jareth, lying ont the other side of Toby.
"I'm sorry."
"Sarah, I'm sorry. But I can't help you if you don't tell me what happened."
"I can't tell anyone."
"You can tell me"
"No I can't. I just…can't. " she said. It was even painful to think about, like her mind had ripped a bandaid off her memory. Rrrrriiiiippppp she could feel it still ripping. And it hurt.
"Sarah, why can't you tell me?"
"I can't. She said, but she felt differently.
"Sarah" he said, smiling slowly. He pulled himself up, and leant on his shoulder, to look at her. Slowly, quietly, he reached out one hand, and lifted the hair off her face. She shrank back.
"I'm sorry Jareth….just don't."
"Sarah, how old are you?"
Sarah was taken by surprise, and she narrowed her eyes I suspicion.
"What are you saying?"
He lay back.
"How old are you?"
"18."
"Time doesn't mean much to me. But for 18 years I have watched over you, and I have loved you. For I am nothing without you. But I have not seen this. You have been hurt Sarah, I can see the pain. But you're not alone. I can help you, Sarah. I know you don't trust me. But tell me."
"…"
"Can you show me?"
Sarah nodded slowly.
Ok, Sarah's secret coming up next, and some action! Yay! Anyways, please review, and make my day happy! Cookie to anyone who reviews! waves around cookie Baked em' today!
Thanks,
Stylus.
