Okay, so I promised some romancy stuff this time around here it is (and just so you know, it WILL get more involved as the story continues, just you wait!). Enjoy!
After leaving the wiseman and his comical hat behind, Sarah continued to make her way through the hedges at the center of the maze. Since she had avoided this stretch of the maze before—she and Hoggle had taken the tunnels after he freed her from the oubliette—she was in completely new territory. The path was less confusing because the hedges couldn't move like the walls, but it meandered all over the place. After an hour or so, she had convinced herself she was walking in circles but didn't know it. Then, she rounded a corner and caught her breath at what she saw.
It was a garden—the most beautiful garden Sarah had ever seen. At the junction of several different hedges that created a natural 'square' of space, someone had planted a small garden filled with the most glorious scent Sarah had ever experienced. It was a feast for the eyes as well as the nostrils and Sarah could hardly take it all in. An arched structure formed the roof of the garden, but it was barely discernible through the leaves of a trailing vine that covered the entire thing. The vine itself was decorated with the most beautiful silver-white and blue flowers. Sarah had never seen them before, but they looked like stars, a canopy of stars through which she could just make out hints of the golden sky. The view was breathtaking.
Carpeting the floor were more flowers of unknown origin, but all were equally beautiful. Lavender and white flowers similar to roses made a border around the perimeter of the garden and blossoms of every size, shape and grew in seemingly haphazard but ornate disarray. The ground was a carpet of soft, plush greens that gave off a heavenly scent when walked on. However, none of it seemed crushed or wilted when Sarah examined her footsteps. Moving forward, Sarah came to the center of the garden and again drew a breath.
In the center of the garden was a pool as still as glass and it reflected the canopy like a mirror. Flanking the pool on opposite sides was a pair of statues. They were facing each other and it looked to Sarah as if they were looking at each other from across the water. They were beautifully carved and quite realistic. In fact, Sarah had drawn her breath when she first saw them because she thought they were real. They were carved from the purest white marble (or what looked to her like marble) and were so beautifully carved that Sarah gazed at them for a long while from a distance before she decided to take a closer look.
The pair was of a male and female figure and since she was a bit closer to the male figure—who was on the left-hand side of the pond—she went to him first. The figure was tall and imposing. He stood erect, with a feathery cape billowing around him. The artist had so perfectly rendered the feathers that Sarah had to touch them to make sure that they weren't real. The breeches were, ahem, a bit too tight for dignity's sake and though it was just a statue Sarah felt herself go red in the face and quickly diverted her gaze upward. Around the neck of the male figure was carved an amulet in the shape of a triangle with curved corners, almost like a crescent moon. She couldn't quite make out the center design, but it looked regal. One arm, she noted was outstretched, as if it were offering something. Looking more closely she realize that the object in the figure's hand was not carved of the same stone, but was actually comprised of a crystal in the shape of a heart. The gesture and the proffered gift gave the figure a sense of vulnerability and tenderness, but not so much that it diminished the strength and power of the figure in general.
Turning to examine the features, Sarah was struck by a vague sense of familiarity. The hair was wild and exotic. The mouth was slightly open, as if eagerly expecting an answer to a question hanging in the air. The eyes—suddenly she knew why it looked so familiar. Those eyes. No one could mistake them for belonging to any one other than Jareth, the Goblin King. Gasping, she stepped back and looked again at the stone sculpture. She saw now what she had missed and why it had taken her so long to recognize the capricious king. It was his face. Instead of mockery and spite, there was a look of absolute adoration on his face. There was a softness about the mismatched eyes that looked completely foreign on what was usually a stern or smirking face.
"He looks….happy," Sarah whispered in awe. "I've never seen him look like that before. Strange. It almost makes him look…handsome."
Wondering what would possess a sculptor to create Jareth with such an uncharacteristic pose, she turned to examine the female figure across the pond. This figure was newer. She noted the clean lines of the pedestal and looked back to compare them to the one on which Jareth's statue was mounted. His pedestal was well-worn, showing the passage of time in rounded corners and a few chips and cracks here and there from the weather. They were minute and she only noticed them because this other statue's pedestal was devoid of any such marks. The stone seemed a shade or two lighter, as if it had been fresh cut only a small number of years ago rather than the seeming decades of the other.
As she had first surmised, this figure was female. Like Jareth's statue, her adornment was so lifelike Sarah had to look twice. She was dressed in simple, but stunning gown that fell off her shoulders and had long, bell sleeves hanging from her elbows. It was belted low on the waist and Sarah noted small jewels sparkling on the gown that glittered in the sunlight.
"She looks kind of like a medieval princess, I suppose," Sarah mused. "But not quite. Whoever she is, she's very beautiful."
Long flowing hair cascaded down the back of the figure and a few strands fell in front to frame her face. Upon her head was a crown. She must be a princess. Sarah concluded. One hand covered her heart and the other was outstretched, echoing the pose Jareth had been in. Again, Sarah noted the crystal heart in the outstretched woman's hand. Gazing up at the face, Sarah again noted the beauty and grace of the female figure. As it had with the other statue, something about it was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't pin down what it was. Glancing back at the King's statue, she noted that he was gazing directly at the female figure and she, in turn, was gazing at him.
"I get it," she wondered aloud. "They're offering each other their hearts." She found the scene profoundly beautiful and touching. "Whoever she is, he must love her very much, to look at her like that. There's no other reason Jareth could possibly have that look on his face. And she must love him too. I wonder who she is." Turning to look at the pond, she peered down into the reflective surface only to fall back in dismay.
What Sarah saw was so unbelievable, so shocking, that for almost a minute, she found it hard to breathe. She was dizzy and she almost blacked out.
"It…it…can't be. I…don't understand. What…is…going…on?" She struggle for breath and told herself that she must have been mistaken. Afraid she would black out if she tried to stand up, Sarah crawled back over to the pool, took a deep breath, and looked into it.
The sight that met her eyes hadn't changed. She wasn't dreaming and it wasn't an illusion. But she didn't understand it at all. Peering down into the water, with the statues reflected in the water, she recognized what she had been unable to see before. The face of the woman carved so poignantly across from the Goblin King was her own. Sarah Williams. It was her face. No, it was her!
Looking back at the statue she felt foolish for not recognizing her own image and likeness in the white stone. Her hair was longer on the figure, yes, but the rest of it was her. She couldn't believe her eyes. She turned back to the statue of Jareth and reeled at what she had missed before. That pose, she had seen him look like that before. She had looked at her with those eyes before, with his arm outstretched, pleading with her, begging her for an answer to his offer. Her mind went back…..
Sarah was facing down her enemy with fierce determination in her eyes. This was it, the reckoning. She had to get her brother back no matter how imposing the Goblin King made himself appear. She knew what she had to say; she'd memorized it. Now was the time to say them, to gain victory, save her brother and return home so that no one would have to know about her careless wish. She began, walking toward him as he backed away in fear: "Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City. My will is as strong as yours and my k—"
"Stop!" The Goblin King cut her off and raised his hand to prevent her encroaching upon him any further. "Wait. Look Sarah, look at what I'm offering you. Your dreams." A crystal materialized in his hands and he held it out to her expectantly.
Undeterred, she continued where she had left off. "And my kingdom as great."
"I ask for so little. Just let me rule you and you can have everything that you want."
"My kingdom as great…."she faltered, "Damn, I can never remember that line."
"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave," he beckoned gently to her, his arm outstretched with the crystal ball between them. He looked longingly at her, begging her with his eyes to take the proffered gift. She continued to stumble with her lines.
"My kingdom as great….my kingdom as great…." She looked up, triumphant, "You have no power over me!"
Her words echoed and as the bell tolled, the Goblin King sadly tossed the crystal he held into the air, only to have it shatter when it fell back again into his hand. In a swirl of robes and feathers, he shrank down to his owl form and flew away in defeat. The clock in her hallway chimed midnight and Sarah knew at once that she had won. Toby was home and she was safe.
Brought back to the present Sarah stared unseeingly at the stone statue of Jareth. Her memory showed her now what she had been too young to understand then. She saw the pain in his eyes and the sadness as he watched the crystal that held her dreams shatter in his outstretched hands. She also saw the longing in his face when he had stopped her from continuing her lines to offer her a gift. She looked back up at the statue across from her and saw a mirror image of what he had looked like when he had offered her the crystal, "Wait." His words echoed again in her ears, "Look Sarah, look at what I'm offering you. Your dreams."
"No. I refuse to believe it. I can't believe it. It's not true," tears started in her eyes and she fled blind from the center of the garden to the opening through which she had come. At the entrance, she collided into something unexpected, or make that, someone.
"Oof! Gerroff. No need to run me over!" A gruff and somewhat muffled accused. "Is that any way to greet an old friend?"
Standing up, Sarah immediately recognized the large ears and red hat of her old, beloved friend Hoggle.
"HOGGLE!! You found me! Oh Hoggle," Sarah crushed him with a huge hug.
"Now, now. No need for that," he demanded, but the twinkle in his eyes and smile on his face told Sarah that he was, indeed, pleased to see her.
"I've been looking all over for you, Sarah. You're not lost are you?"
"Lost? Me? Why Hoggle! You seem to forget that I've been here before. I know my way around, though I have to admit, I'd never seen this place before," she gestured to the garden with a pained expression on her face.
"Oh…this place? It's…nothing…really. Jareth used to come here a lot when it was still half-empty and stare at the empty side. But that was before the new statue was put in. Now, he either avoids it or comes out in a rage when he leaves."
"When did that happen?"
"Oooh, a few years ago. I don't remember anymore." Hoggle looked like he did, in fact, remember but didn't want to tell her. He was looking decidedly uncomfortable and though Sarah wanted to know more, she decided not to push the issue for fear that Hoggle might leave or clam up.
"So, Hoggle, you said you were looking for me. How did you know I was here?"
"Yer brother told me."
"Toby? Toby told you? Hoggle what happened? Tell me everything!"
So Hoggle told Sarah about how he, Ludo and Sir Didymus had felt a call coming from her room. Thinking she needed them, the three of them had shown up only to be faced with a tussled brown-haired, blue-eyed boy of eight. They explained how Toby had 'wished' to find a way to safe his sister, which was why the three friends had been summoned. Hoggle explained that Toby really wanted to help free Sarah, but without the book, he was at a loss as to what to do, so he had asked the three of them to find Sarah and, hopefully, the book.
"The book! I have it right here," she pulled out the book and handed it to Hoggle. "But Hoggle, where are Sir Didymus and Ludo? Aren't they with you?"
"Nah. I told them to wait for me outside the Labyrinth. I thought I could find you better on my own, seein' as I know the ins and outs of this place better than anyone."
"Oh Hoggle, I've missed you so much!" So saying, Sarah wrapped her arms around Hoggle and though he protested, he returned the hug with equal vigor.
Blushing, Hoggle mumbled, "I best be going back to the other two." Making a move to leave, Hoggle stopped, as if an idea had just come to his mind, "Say, Sarah, why don't you just come with us? Couldn't we try to get you out through the mirror?"
"I don't know Hoggle. Somehow, I feel that any attempt to get out of the labyrinth without Jareth's permission or by playing by his rules will get us thrown headlong into the Bog of Eternal Stench. There are rules here; his rules. He's plenty angry enough with me already and I'd rather not push my luck. Though, I suppose I could walk with you to meet Toby, then we could all make our way together to get the Goblin King to send me back."
She started to follow him, but a gaping hole opened up at Hoggle's feet and he was swallowed up immediately.
"Hoggle!! Oh no! I hope he didn't get sent to the bog! Ohhh, now what am I going to do?" Angered that her friend had been punished for trying to help her, Sarah kicked at a nearby hedge.
Outraged—and still conflicted and confused at what she had seen in the garden—Sarah was rational enough to see that lashing out at the topiaries was getting her nowhere. Sarah set her shoulders and walked on. There was nothing she could do for Hoggle. The only thing she could do was try to make it to the exit to find her other two friends. Hopefully, Hoggle would meet them all there and the four of them could join with Toby. What happened after that was uncertain, but she set her mind to finding a way out.
"I have to. For Hoggle's sake and Toby's."
Whew! The plot thickens! I hope that was enough romancy-ness to make you happy. I know it's not the real Jareth, but it's close enough for now. Sarah and Jareth have a LOT to work out and Sarah still doesn't understand everything about the labyrinth that there is to know. I'll update soon, but now, time for BED! Please R&R, I like it when you do. :)