Title: The Unexpected (Chapter Ten)
Fandom: Labyrinth
Spoilers: The movie
Rating: Pg-15 (-ish, since Toby has to deal with a bit of violence)
Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth or anything related to it. I'm not making any money off this story
Timeline: Takes place approximately twenty-two years after the movie
Summary: Toby's always lived his life by the natural laws—laws of science and reason. The sudden disappearance of his newborn nephew, however, brings to light a whole new meaning of reality…
Sarah's fingers drummed against the steering wheel as she waited for the light to turn green. She'd never been a patient woman. Never...but she hid her edginess considerably well since her childhood days. Admittedly, she was something of an imp when she was younger.
Looking to her right, she glanced at the weary figure of her husband as he leaned his head against the passenger-side window, eyes drooping as he succumbed to a kip. Sporting a shiny new cast on his left leg, he shifted in his seat before relaxing his shoulders completely.
Samuel liked to think he was an 'average Joe', sporting plain brown hair and plain brown eyes. He was handsome; quiet...he talked very little.
Which was probably why they made such a compatible duo. Samuel wasn't in the habit of letting people push him around but he always took on the role of the listener in any conversation. He could sit for hours, watching as she paced back and forth across the room, raving mad, and simple absorb everything she told him. It was miraculous.
Sarah thought he was brilliant.
She wanted to slug the drunken bloke responsible for his damn injury.
The light flashed green and Sarah hit the gas—correcting her speed almost immediately as her father stirred in the back seat. Something was off...it was ticking in the back of her head. Repeatedly. Gaining momentum...
Reflexively, she scratched behind her left ear and scrunched her shoulders up—releasing the tension after a moment in a vain attempt to relax.
Her eyes darted to the clock on the dashboard: 9:05. They were at least twenty minutes away from home—hopefully the kids hadn't caused Toby too much trouble. She called him an hour earlier and Kimberly was in one of her moods...Sarah knew how long those could last.
Toby would have his hands full.
Toby...
"I don't understand it."
Samuel shifted in his seat, half-listening, "...Nuh?"
"Do you believe in a woman's intuition?"
"Sometimes...why do you ask?"
"It's Toby."
"...You're not making any sense."
"I know. I don't understand it either."
Samuel sighed out loud, though not intentionally, "...What does it feel like?"
"Impending doom."
"That bad, huh?"
"No...It's just, when Toby—" She almost said 'when Toby was kidnapped' but somehow managed to stop herself in time "—fell out of that tree, I knew something was wrong. I've always been able to do that—with Toby, that is. Kimberly escapes me entirely sometimes..."
"What about Toby?"
"Everything—I knew he was going to give up playing the piano before he did. I knew he wanted to do something in the Arts even though he applied for an Honours Specialization in Immunology."
"But Toby always enjoyed the sciences. He loves his job."
"But he's so quiet in his job. He works with some wonderful people—people that don't know a damn thing about him! He needs to open up...he needs a hobby..."
"...And why do you think you're worried about Toby right now?"
"I..."
The book.
She couldn't say what drew her mind to that topic, but there it was...She'd always been worried something bad would happen with that book. That didn't stop her from reading it to Toby, though. After all, it was just a book—Jareth's decision to mess with her affairs was just a bit of bad luck on her part. He was safe. She challenged Jareth and beat him at his own game—Toby wasn't going anywhere.
...Then why did it feel as though he was slipping through her fingers?
"...Sarah?"
"I left him with the children. That's all."
"You're not making any sense."
"That's the medicine, dear."
Samuel made a small huffing noise and relaxed again.
Her father snored gently behind her.
Twenty-minutes...she could last that long...
Couldn't she?
-1-Toby Williams-1-
"...Who's sitting on my chest?"
"Tom! Thank God—we thought you were a goner! You were dead and cold and—"
Toby opened his eyes just in time to catch Smorf as he knelt down and swept Elliott off his chest. The rock wobbled excitedly in the goblin's arm, rambling on about flickering lights and a great black dog as Toby blinked away the dust in his eyes, pushing himself into a sitting position and taking a deep, much-needed breath.
It was dark.
Blue bled to azure as the oncoming dusk descended behind the treetops, the dawning of the night hot on its heels as the third day drew to an end.
Toby felt a pang of disappointment in his chest. As close as he was to the goblin city, he'd spent most of his adventure fast asleep. Injuries aside, he was more than capable of getting to the goblin city within his allotted time limit.
His eyes lingered on the sky a moment longer, gaze quickly averting to a small sphere of light that drifted languidly past his face. There were more, he realized, gliding through the forest.
"What's up with all the lights?"
"...Weren't you listening to me?"
Smorf gave the talking rock a gentle shake and clicked his teeth together in disappointment. "Go easy on him. He just woke up."
"Well then...the lights are just pockets of unused energy—energy that's been lent to you by the Labyrinth."
Toby almost laughed, "Why would it do a thing like that? I thought it was trying to stop me."
"It is, to a degree...Something's tipped the balance severely against you and now it's trying to make it up to you."
"You mean because of the whole life-and-death experience with Tearsa?"
"Yeah, maybe...but they should've disappeared by now. Personally, I don't know how you're supposed to use them. They usually vanish as soon as the equilibrium`s been restored."
"What do you think caused the imbalance?"
"Something that's been gaining momentum...since the beginning of this challenge, I think..." Elliott paused thoughtfully, "...This is odd—of course. In most cases, the Labyrinth sends a being to help the challenger if the odds are pitted against them, a spirit thingy that changes shape to suit the challenger's need."
Toby shivered internally and thought of his brief brush with death, "What if that someone was Tearsa? Her sudden attack could've put everything further out of whack."
"But the question remains—what, per se, was put out of whack?"
"I've been thinking about that..." Toby brushed his hands together, dispelling the bit of dirt on them, and stretched his arms out far in front of him. He was feeling good considering his near-death experience. "...I think I made a mistake, something that I can't correct..."
Smorf's ears perked up in an odd way and he tilted his head to one side curiously, "Like what?"
"I don't know how to describe. It's like...going to work and having a wonderful day, but with the feeling of impending doom hanging over your head. It's like..."
"...Like?"
Toby shrugged. "There was this one time I went to my car at the end of my shift and...I didn't realize at first, but I accidentally locked my keys inside it earlier that morning. I knew something was wrong—it just took me the whole day to figure it out."
"Cool—uber-sensitive intuition!"
"No, but do you understand what I'm talking about?"
"I don't have pockets and I'm pretty sure I don't have keys, but I get the just of it."
"Good, because unlike a misplaced car key I don't know if my mistake is reversible. What am I supposed to do if it isn't?"
"Then the Labyrinth would have to leave a loop hole for you as soon as the challenge is over, something that could lead you home."
"Immediately?"
"Heck no—it could take anywhere from a month to a millennium. The Labyrinth doesn't exactly have a thing for time, remember?"
"Right...but it makes sense, doesn't it? The king wouldn't have brought me so close to the city if he thought I was going to win."
"Could've been a gamble—the Hunter doesn't usually hang out this close to the castle. I think he was sent to bait Tearsa."
"But the king's been playing this game for ages. When was the last time he was beaten?"
"Wow...a couple of decades ago, I think. This girl beat him, hands down."
Smorf puffed his chest out and lifted his nose a little arrogantly, visibly insulted by Elliott's last remark, "That's only 'cause he went easy on her."
"If you ask me, I'd said he had a thing for her."
"She was—!"
"Can we discuss this young lady some other time?" Toby interrupted quietly, "I'm sure it's a fascinating story, but I'd like to make an attempt at infiltrating the castle, if you don't mind?"
Smorf scratched behind one ear in agitation and huffed a small 'yes'. Elliott muttered something about goblins and a bog but didn't press the matter any further.
Toby took a moment to gather his strength and then, with a little bit of effort, pulled himself up off the ground. Wobbling precariously to one side, he paused to gain his balance before grinning down at his companions and reaching out to take the talking rock from Smorf.
"Alright, Elliott—which way to the goblin castle?"
"To your right. We should see it as soon as we hit the edge of the forest."
Toby hoisted the rock under his arm and trekked through the bushes, smacking branches away until he came to a small dirt path. It took Smorf a moment to catch up behind him, bits of twigs and leaves sticking to his fur, but with a quick shake and a small sneeze he was ready to go again.
Elliott instructed him to follow the path and he did just that—glancing up at the sky as the last of colour drained from its canvas. The night's veil had been drawn across the heavens, a few stars twinkling above his head in place of the moon. It was 'New' tonight. They'd have to work without it.
He was really starting to miss the worm's enchanted candle.
Despite the darkness, they marched onwards, Smorf eventually taking the lead since his eyes were better adjusted to the lack of illumination. Elliott corrected him every once in a while if he felt they were drifting off track but the overall journey was uneventful in comparison to some of the other ordeals they'd been forced to endure so far. The trek was a bit of a peaceful one.
Then the lights returned.
"As nice as this looks, it never means anything good."
Toby shook his head slowly and suppressed a sigh, "Now what? Are we about to be attacked?"
Smorf sniffed the air and laughed, "No—I smell more than just goblins."
More than just goblins?
Toby picked up his pace as Smorf darted toward the end of the path. Something was glowing up ahead, either a congregation of all the glowing spheres or something else entirely.
It turned out to be a little of both.
What he saw reminded him of the chasm.
A horse (at least, it looked like a horse from where he was standing) was cantering across a thin beam of light, one which was rapidly flickering in and out of sight. The creature had no trouble covering the vast distance between them and the city wall but Toby was hesitant to try crossing it on his own. Things were never quite as simple they appeared to be in this world.
They were so close...
Toby shuffled to the very end of the path where the trees parted, branches bowing forward, and stopped beside Smorf. Slowly, he leaned his head forward and stared down into the all-too familiar abyss...
"Oh, come on! Don't tell me you're still afraid of heights?!"
Smorf's ears perked up at the revelation and glanced up at Tom before averting his eyes to the problem at hand. "No worries, Thomas. We'll find a way across."
Toby shifted his weight from one foot to the other anxiously, "And how do you suppose we accomplish that? The last time I checked, none of us could fly."
"Oh, ye of little faith—we'll use magic, of course. Getting into the castle, on the other hand, will be another matter all together..."
"Easier said than done."
"Of course—hey, ninny-ninny! Could you lend us a hand?"
At first, Toby couldn't decide who it was Elliott was yelling at. And then he saw the horse. It stood, frozen, on the other end of the chasm and looked at their small party in clear bemusement. A few of the glowing lights drifted past its head and, after a moment of consideration, decided to follow those instead.
"Oh—come on! We're not a heavy bunch!"
The creature stopped and contemplated it for a moment...its head turned to take in the sea of glittering lights above its head and then, as though they had told it something interesting, began its journey back over the chasm.
The beam of light returned, flashing briefly before disappearing every time a hoof connected with the seemingly invisible bridge.
"Elliott...how is it doing that?"
"It's a horse-fly, silly. What else does it have to do all day but master the art of walking across chasms?"
Toby said nothing.
There really wasn't anything he could say...
The creature took its time getting to their side—which, strange as it may seem, Toby was glad for. He was afraid of heights (which was already a given) and he hadn't the slightest idea how a person would go about riding a horse bareback. He hadn't even tried it with a saddle before.
He truly was hopeless.
The 'horse-fly' slowed as it neared the edge of the abyss, carefully climbing a step of light to bring it level with the cliff. Toby took a moment to admire the gentle gleam of silver on its back, the fine sheen to its coat, and then carefully handed Elliott over to Smorf. Grabbing the goblin around the waist, he lifted him onto the creatures back.
It shook its head once, mane flipping from one side of its neck to the other, and turned to stare at Toby through one eye. A sphere drifted between them and Toby saw something there, something that was lost almost immediately.
"...Do you work for the king?"
It shook its head and turned its gaze on the goblin city.
"What's up, Tom?"
Nothing...it was nothing...
"Never mind," he murmured as he reached up—somehow managing to heft himself onto the creature's back without falling. Swinging one leg over onto the other side, he shifted up close behind Smorf and took at the creature's hair into a loose grip with both hands. "Alright. I'm ready."
The creature took that as its cue to leave and began a slow trek to the other side. Toby tried to avoid the urge to look 'down' but faltered at the midpoint and spared a glance at the chasm's soul.
It was surprisingly sad.
A chill rose up from the darkness, wind tickling face as it ghosted up past him. The silence was almost absolute and he wondered, vaguely, if there truly was a bottom to that gapping abyss.
"You know what Nietzsche said, Tom—'when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes into you'...or something like that."
Toby started, almost losing his grip on the horse-fly's mane. He didn't realize Elliott could see him with Smorf between them...Then again, Elliott didn't exactly have eyes...
"What's it like, Tommy?"
"What's 'what' like?"
"You know...being dead?"
Toby was about to say 'horrible' but the actual feeling of being dead wasn't all the bad. 'Dying' was certainly dreadful, and though he couldn't remember what had happened after he lost his grip on reality, the last moment before the end had been a relatively peaceful one.
He nodded, more to himself than anyone else, and took one last glance at the abyss before focusing on the city wall, "Peaceful, I suppose...I doubt I was in the right frame of mind to be taking mental notes."
"Are you still afraid to die?"
Toby wasn't sure what he was afraid of. The fear was still there—but that was natural, wasn't it?
"I think...I've still got a lot left to live for. What about you?"
Smorf shrugged, laughing a little at the thought of it, "It's a bit difficult to die when you're living here. I don't want to die but there's a time and a place for everything...I'll go when I'm supposed to go."
"I think Smorf said it the best. I don't want to die but I'm not afraid to go—I can't feel anything, really, so pain doesn't exactly exist for me, and I believe in life eternal. Our companions carry on beside us, even when they're gone."
Toby wondered if that's what his friends thought when Tearsa nearly ended it for him.
It was reassuring, in a sense, to know that someone would understand how and why you died when you were trapped in a place as strange and foreign as this...to know that you wouldn't be forgotten...
The horse-fly's figure shifted beneath him and Toby's grip tightened on the mane as the creature angled up toward the oncoming bank. A minute later and they were settled safely on a small cliff between the city wall and the abyss.
"Thank you," Toby murmured as he stroked the creature's face. The horse-fly made a small humming noise beneath its breath, something Toby had never heard the likes of before, and pressed up against his hand encouragingly.
"So, Tom—what's the next plan of action?"
He patted the long face one last time and Toby watched as the horse-fly retreated slowly around the nearest bend. He wasn't sure if it continued on its merry way or disappeared altogether with many of the glistening lights. Several of them had faded by now.
It was probably a small favour from the Labyrinth.
"We'll walk along the wall, I suppose, until we find a way through. If worse comes to worse, we'll scale it."
Elliott piped cheerfully from his place in Smorf's arms and they began their newest trek around the goblin city. The wall, tall and white and perfect, towered over them, a deity made to withstand adversary and weather alike. There would be hell to pay if anyone made an attempt to climb it.
Surprisingly enough, he wasn't afraid to try.
It might even be fun.
-2-Jareth the Goblin King-2-
"The 'error of my ways'..." Jareth murmured, tasting the words as though they were a dull thing, something no one should pay much attention to, "I believe that's the way you phrased it, oh wise one..."
The elderly goblin hummed deep in his throat, eyes fixed outside the tower window at the bustling streets below. The city was alive again. Creatures from near and far had gathered for the celebration, beasts that no one had ever seen before—had ever dreamed of before. For once, the chaos was outside the castle and not crammed in Jareth's throne room.
The cocky bird perched on his head looked down at its master contemplatively before trying to pretend it was nothing more than a hat again. It was fooling no one but sometimes it wanted nothing more than to be left out of the elder's business.
"You don't approve of my methods?"
The goblin shook its head, "This is your kingdom, your majesty. I'm too old to play this game anymore."
"But it's very much not a game, sir. The competitors are playing for keeps this time."
"Weren't you playing for keeps the last time as well?"
"Sarah had a trump card," Jareth replied lazily, crossing his legs as he leaned back languorously in his throne. "I had no such allowance. The Labyrinth didn't think me deserving of one."
"She was a girl."
"She wanted him gone..." he paused, eyes averting to the window before darting back to the elderly being. Mystic eyes focused on the old fellow, attempting to read his mind...it was no use, really, but he liked to think he could try. He could read just about everyone else in the kingdom. "...and now he's returned...If that isn't fate I don't know what to call it."
"Chance, perhaps."
"No such thing exists in this place."
"Then what would you have me call it?"
"...Equilibrium," Jareth tasted this word; fortunately, it had a little flavour. "Distorted as it may appear, the Labyrinth is doing all that it can to maintain its balance."
"You still haven't told me how it shifted in the first place."
"Sarah..." he said. Quietly. Her name hadn't been mentioned in a long time...not since Toby returned to the kingdom. It was almost as though she only left yesterday...
"You went easy on her?"
"I faltered."
"You loved her."
"I wanted to be cruel."
"The Labyrinth serves only you, your majesty. It saw her victory as...unjust?"
"There is no justice in this universe."
"She broke your heart. That's never happened before."
Jareth waved his hand, almost as though dismissing the matter altogether. It was too painful to deal with at the moment. He should be celebrating, not suffering.
"Your majesty, the Labyrinth is like a child..."
"Precisely," Jareth sighed, "A child that aims to please...It opened a portal for the goblins when Toby found the book."
The elder paused, "...Did he say the words?"
"No...The goblin that joined his party sent his superior office a message—Toby made a statement. A request. The Labyrinth decided that that was all it needed to act..."
"But the lad's winning."
"He can't win."
"Why not?"
"The Labyrinth is not permitted to start the challenge until I sayit can. This time, it twisted the rules," Jareth's eyes flashed dangerously, though not at his guest. In a moment, the anger vanished, a brief lapse of control on his part. "But that matters little to me now...Toby will figure the problem out for himself. He's an intellect, after all."
"And then he'll find a way to escape."
"...Unless I act."
The old goblin opened his mouth to speak but Jareth raised his hand for silence.
"Say what you like. The boy is mine. What's fair is fair."
"I still don't understand."
"You will know soon enough."
"And what about Sarah? Doesn't she deserve to know what's happening?"
"I have no doubt Hoggle is waiting for her to call upon him. I think it's no secret that she would much rather hear the story from him than me."
The goblin shook his head and glanced up at his companion. The bird twitched, head tilting to the side as it waited for a sign from its master. It wasn't often that the old man argued with anyone other than it.
The elder paused, thought about pressing the matter further, and eventually gave up. Sighing aloud, he ambled to the door, old and crimpled, to leave the Goblin King in his peace.
The silence remained to keep him company.
A/N: The confrontation between Jareth and Toby is fast approaching. Though it signals the end of the challenge, it's not quite the end of the story. Nobody's won yet ;)