Chapter 10
Disclaimer: I don't own Jareth (wish I did) or any other characters from Labyrinth. They belong to Jim Hensen and everyone responsible for making the wonderful movie. All songs used in this fic are the property of Disney and their writers and singers.
Just outside of the main gate to the Labyrinth, Oliver and his gnome servant were waiting. Alastair had insisted that his brother be present during this particular visit, though Oliver had no idea why. Alastair normally didn't want him around unless it was to pick on him or make him do something extremely embarrassing. Even knowing this, Oliver still wouldn't refuse his brother.
"Lord Oliver," The little gnome said.
"What is it?"
"Why are we just waiting here?"
"My cousin doesn't just let anyone enter his Kingdom. We have to wait for a guide to show us to the castle." Oliver explained.
"Who is the guide?" the gnome asked.
"That be me." a voice said behind them.
They both turned to see a tall green troll standing by an opening in the Labyrinth wall. Oliver smiled and walked over. "A troll? I was expecting the dwarf that usually leads us to the castle."
"Da dwarf be busy. I be taking ya to da castle." The troll grinned.
"Are you the troll that my brother told me about? Vol'sin I think he said was the name." Oliver asked as he looked the troll over.
"Vol'son." The troll bowed. "I be honnored ta meet ya. Now if ye be following me..."
"Wait!." The gnome cried as he ran after his master. "How do we know we can trust this troll?"
The troll glared at the gnome and knelt so he could look him in the eyes. "Don't ya be disrespectin' me, little man." His voice had an almost musical tone to it. "Don't ya derogate or deride." He led them into the Labyrinth and the wall closed behind them. He led them down the path, then another opening appeared, and he motioned for them to enter. "Ya be in my world now, not yer world. And I gots friends on da oder side."
As Oliver and his servant stepped into what appeared to be a small house, candles suddenly lit all around the room, and they heard voices echo around them. "He's got friends on the other side"
"That be an echo gentleman." The troll grinned. "Just a lil something we have 'ere in da Labyrinth. A lil parlor trick, don't ya worry." He sang. "Sit down at my table, put yer mind at ease. If ya relax it will enable me ta do anything I please. I can read yer future, I can change it 'round some too." He practically forced the two to sit at the able. The gnome could barely see over the table once he was seated in the chair.
"I look deep into yer heart and soul. Ya do have a soul, don't ya, Lawrence?"
"It's Oliver." the Fae corrected.
"Whatever." The troll muttered before going back to his song. "Make yer wildest dreams come true. I got voodoo, I got hoodoo, I got things I didn't even try. And I got friends on da oder side."
"He's got friends on the other side." the voices echoed again.
"Da cards, da cards, da cards will tell." He started shuffling a deck of cards. He tossed them in the air and caught them and made them move across the table so fast it was as if they were dancing. "Da past, da present and da future as well. Da cards, Da cards, just take three." He fanned the cards out in front of Oliver and waited for him to take three cards. He then held them out to the gnome and waited. "Take a lil trip into yer future wit me." The gnome was reluctant but finally took three cards.
The troll spread the cards out in front of the boys and flipped over the first one in front of Oliver. "Now ya, young man just came from across the sea. Ya come from two long lines of royalty. I be a royal me self on my mother's side. Your lifestyle's high but your funds are low. Ya hopin' ta make it big by hookin' up wit da dragon clan. Mom and Dad cut ya off, lil boy?"
"No, I'm just not like my brother..." Oliver started to explain, but the troll cut him off.
"Ya need ta make yer own way and show yer mom and dad. You just want to be free, hop from place to place. But freedom takes gold." He shuffled the cards and golden coins appeared and he tossed them in the air. "It's da gold, it's da gold, it's da gold you need. And when I look into yer future it's the gold that I see."
"Really?" Oliver's eye lit up.
Ignoring the Fae, the troll turned to the gnome. "On you little man, I don't want wanna waste much time." He flipped over the cards in front of the gnome. "Ya've been pushed 'round all your life. Ya've been pushed 'round by yer mother, and yer sister and yer brother. And if you was married ya'd be pushed 'round by yer wife." Scooping up the cards, he shuffled them, tossed them in the air and suddenly they vanished. "But in yer future the ya I see, is exactly the man ya always wanted to be."
"It is?" the gnome began to grin from ear to ear.
The troll stood and walked to stand between the two. "Shake my hand, come on boys. Won't you shake a poor sinner's hand?" He held his hands out to them both. They hesitated for a moment, then both took his hand. The troll grinned evilly. "Yes, are you ready?"
"Are you ready?" the voices echoed.
"Are you ready?" Suddenly vines appeared and tied Oliver and the gnome to their chairs. "Transformation central." The troll grabbed a wooden pendant from a box on a shelf. "Transformation central." He grabbed Oliver's hand, cut his palm, and let the blood drip on the pendant. "Transformation central." He tied the pendant around the gnome's neck. "Transformation central." Standing back he watched as the magic began to work. "Transformafication central, can ya feel it?" Oliver and the gnome began to change shapes and colors. "Ya're changing, ya're changing, ya're changing alright." He snapped his fingers when the change was done and the vines vanished. "I hope ya're satisfied, but if ya ain't don't blame me. Ya can blame my friends on the oder side."
"You got what you wanted." The voices echoed. "What you want's what you get." The room filled with evil laughter and the candles all extinguished at once.