I apologise for the length of this if anyone is getting annoyed. I didn't think it would turn out this long but the ending comes when it comes! Thanks to lovesjareth for the constant feedback. I have two endings in mind and am still debating over which one to use. I don't have PM enabled but feel free to leave comments in the reviews section
10
Almost a week had passed, and Sarah was exhausted.
"No no no no no NO NO!" Jeeves shouted. "It simply can not be done!"
"Jeeves, would you like to be the Queen?"
"No. I would like you to start acting like one. You simply can not..." Sarah waved a hand at him and turned away.
"I will not meet with the southern ambassador again until he apologises."
"It's all about diplomacy. He said it was an accident."
"He dropped an oyster down my dress and then tried to retrieve it. Send him an official notice from the Office of the Queen entitled..."
"Your Majesty!" Jeeves shouted over her.
"...and the horse he rode in on!" Jeeves shook his head.
"I think I preferred King Jareth." He sighed.
"Do not mention that name in my presence again or I'll find you a nice cosy Oubliette to spend eternity in!" Sarah snapped.
"Now you sound like the Queen."
"Shut up Jeeves." Sarah threw herself down on the huge, four-poster bed and shut her eyes. "Since I've just cancelled lunch with the ambassador, and it's a Saturday, I believe this conversation is eating into my time off. Goodbye."
"Yes, your Majesty. I'll see you first thing Monday morning."
"No. You'll be seeing the King Monday morning. Goodbye Jeeves." He left the room muttering as he went. Sarah lay there wishing she could sleep. In addition to her full-time job smiling, waving, meeting with various creatures and overseeing the administration of the entire kingdom she had been having magic lessons from an ancient Goblin woman. That part of the job was very enjoyable. She had been a fast learner and found herself experimenting for hours once her teacher had left. Which of course left her about four hours sleep until Jeeves and Mummy (as the goblin maid had insisted, tearfully, Sarah call her) came in to wake her up with breakfast. After the first morning they had thoughtfully included a pot of the strongest coffee Sarah had ever tasted. It was delicious, but caffeine could only keep her going for so long.
There was no time for Sarah to sleep now. She had to start looking for a way home.
She had tried using her newfound abilities to teleport herself home. She could appear randomly anywhere in Underground (and had surprised Hoggle and his 'missus' one afternoon with a visit) but, as Jareth had once told her, there were rules here. Even as she tried to appear in her living room the entire land seemed to growl with disapproval. She was not allowed to leave. Underworld had gotten used to having a King, and until he returned she would NOT be allowed to leave.
Her only hope, she theorised, was to find one of the objects Jareth had mentioned. Ones that could transport certain people between worlds. She had to find one that was unique to her and hope that her connection to her own world would pull her home.
But her eyelids were falling shut even as she tried to summon up the motivation to go. She held out her hand and produced a perfect, luminous crystal bubble. She never got over how pretty they were and hoped that when she got home she could still do this. It hovered above her, waiting for her command.
"This is a message for Ludo. Ludo, please wake me up in two hours? Thank you." The crystal floated away and out the window. This was way cooler than e-mail, Sarah decided. She let her eyes close and dreamed of her peaceful house.
"Sawah?" a gravelly voice growled. A huge, hairy hand shook Sarah awake.
"What? Oh, thanks Ludo!" She sat up and yawned.
"Here's food." He said and gestured to her dining room. She followed him out and found the table laid out with cold meats, cheeses, breads and fruit. She sat down to eat what hopefully would be her last meal here. She would miss the food, although she was certain she'd gained a pound or two over the last week. She had taken to wandering the castle in Jareth-style pants and shirt, although some thoughtful angel (Mummy, probably) had provided a nice collection of shoes and boots that she'd happily taken possession of. She had a wardrobe full of gowns that Jeeves had subtly suggested suited her better but only wore those to official functions. She would miss the clothes. Her quarter-heeled black-leather boots were coming home with her. And dressing like a gothic-pirate was surprisingly comfortable.
As she downed the food and ignored the wine (regretfully) she watched her friend Ludo. He knew what she was about to say.
"Ludo I'll be looking for a way home this afternoon. Will you help me?" He nodded but wouldn't meet her eyes.
"You look happy here. Why you go?"
"I can't do this Ludo. This isn't where I'm meant to be. This is Jareth's job, not mine." He nodded.
Sarah dressed in her jeans and sweater, put on her favourite boots, and took one last look around the palatial room. The respectable record collection. The book shelf containing volumes ranging from The Lord of the Rings to Bookkeeping for Dummies. The rolled up poster of Princess Leia from Return of the Jedi lying in a corner of the room (Sarah had removed it from the ceiling above the bed). She shook her head. The real world waited for her. She passed Mummy who was tidying up her lounge area.
"If I don't see you again, thankyou Mummy. You've been a tremendous help to me." Mummy looked mournful. She had since Sarah had met her.
"Please, yer Majesty. If yer not comin' back," she sniffed "if yer not comin' back, send 'im home. I...we need 'im. My little boy!" she howled. Ludo put his arms around the sobbing goblin and Sarah felt incredibly stupid. 'Mummy'. That must have been what Jareth called her when he was little.
"I'm so sorry Mummy. I'll do my best."
Sarah took Ludo by the arm and gently led him away.
They walked all over the castle. The hall of stairs, long corridors, the ball room, rooms housing collections of objects, some from her world and some from who knew where. It was late afternoon when a frustrated Sarah found a doorway with 'Library' written on a sign above it. It was plain wood but it burned into Sarah's eyes as though it were made of neon. She knew the answer would be there.
Ludo sat just inside the door of the empty library and patiently waited for her.
She searched. The cataloguing was similar to back home, although there were added sections on dreams, magic and sorcery that she instantly began searching in. She read titles such as A Beginner' Guide to Teleporting and was amused to find the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy had been placed in the section containing multi-world travel-guides. But nothing jumped out at her. Nothing like the 'Library' sign had. She was disappointed. The sunlight coming through the windows was a pinkish orange now. She sighed and wondered the library aimlessly looking at titles, noting the new Dark Tower book by Stephen King was there, the one she hadn't read yet. She was in the fiction section.
'A book? I've a library full of them. Every volume ever published, Under and Above.' Jareth had boasted. He hadn't been exaggerating. Every volume ever published...
Sarah felt her stomach drop and she almost tripped running to the authors beginning with 'W'. She searched all over and there, displayed on a pedestal next to the book shelf, was Labyrinth, by Sarah Williams. Published by Dartmouth University Press, after she had won first prize in a fiction-writing contest back in her second year of college.
The title burned bright. She picked it up and heard the low hum of power.
She felt the power of Underground around her. It wasn't happy. Suddenly she felt sleepy and had an unpleasant buzzing in the back of her head.
"Give me until Sunday at midnight. If I haven't sent the king home by then I'll return." She mumbled, almost falling to the floor. Then the pressure in her head was gone. She knew Underground would hold her to her agreement.
She went to Ludo holding her book. He saw it, nodded once, and looked at the ground.
"Ludo...I'm sorry. Either Jareth or I will be back by Monday morning." Sarah knew she had to succeed. Underground would not give her a second chance.
"Love Sawah." He hooted and wrapped her in a warm, gentle hug. Sarah felt a lump in her throat and tears were forming.
"I love you too Ludo." She pulled away and opened up the book. She had meant to ask it to send her home, but it had opened to Chapter 2: The Goblin King. She sighed. Hopefully he wasn't far from home. She drew in a deep breath.
"Take me to the Goblin King." She commanded.
Sarah woke on the filthy ground in a dark alley. It didn't smell good. There were high walls all around her and for a moment she panicked, thinking she was back in the Labyrinth. It wasn't night yet but the walls, or buildings, had blocked out most of the light. She got to her feet and walked, quickly, along the alley in search of an open space. Hunched, hooded figures sat in the shadows. As she got closer to the end of the alley she heard familiar sounds. Car horns. Bus brakes. Humans talking in multiple languages. Loud music.
She was in her world but this was nowhere near home.