A/N: Mucho gracias to all my reviewers! Love em all and they give me inspiration and motivation – some of the most important tools needed to write! Please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think! Thxs!
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Disclaimer: Labyrinth is not mine, but everything that you do not recognize is mine! So don't touch!
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And a special thanks to my beta, whobleyh!
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Labyrinth: The Dream Never Ends
By: Eriksleadinglady
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Chapter 9: And though going young, so much undone
"Hello, Sarah," a voice called from behind her.
Instantly, Sarah spun around to face the newcomer, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw him standing there. It was Jouegh, Sarah could tell by his eyes, standing there in a simple black button up shirt and black dress pants. For a moment, Sarah was at a loss of what to do. Not only did he surprise her by being there, but he frightened her as well, for she knew what he was up to. Gathering all her courage, she finally spoke.
"Jouegh," she addressed simply.
He smirked. "Oh good, you can tell us apart, like so many others seem to be able to do as well. Perhaps humans are not as dimwitted as I have previously believed them to be."
Sarah showed no expression. "Perhaps." She would not give him the pleasure of seeing how angry and afraid she really was. In a time like this, she needed to keep her calm, if not on the inside, then at least on the outside.
Jouegh cocked his head to the side. "I thought you were a feisty little thing, Sarah. It is quite a disappointment, not being able to see that fire that lies deep within you. It is quite fascinating, meeting a mortal such as yourself; it is no wonder that so many have been taken with you."
Sarah scoffed. "So many? I don't know of a single one."
"Now, now, Sarah. No need to play dumb with me. I already know just how smart you are, even if you do let your curiosity get the better of you. You have a great mind, no doubt about it, as well as great power. You need only to learn how to use it."
Sarah raised her eyebrows in question. "And I suppose you are the one to teach me these things?"
Jouegh let a slight chuckle escape his lips. "I never said that you were going to learn how to use it, just that you could. However, I do not think it wise on my part to do such a nice thing for you. After all, if you learned how you were going to be used, then you would be of no use to me. You have no clue just how much of an important rule you will play in helping me."
"I won't help you. You no I won't," defied Sarah.
Jouegh began to take steps towards her. "You don't have a choice in the matter, I'm afraid. Against me, you are helpless."
As Jouegh began to advance on her, Sarah slowly backed herself up, trying to keep as much distance between them as she could. She looked over her shoulder, discerning whether or not she would make it if she made a run for it. Behind her was the Labyrinth, it's winding hedges and traps didn't seem to appealing, but compared to Jouegh, it seemed to be the better of the two. Giving one last glance at Jouegh, who had a knowing smile on his face, Sarah turned her back to him and began to run as fast as she could.
Behind her, she could hear Jouegh's laugh of amusement, but she paid it no mind, continuing to run. However, after only going perhaps a hundred feet, Sarah found that she had stopped moving. Her legs were moving, yes, but she was not going anywhere. Looking behind her, she saw Jouegh walking towards her, taking his time. Then, the vision of the outside, she noticed, had become slightly fuzzed and altered. But when she looked down at herself, she was perfectly clear. But then when she looked outside once more, the land and things had become slightly blurred.
"Sarah, Sarah, Sarah," she heard Jouegh say when he had caught up to her and was standing in front of her. "When will you ever learn?"
Sarah glared at him. "What did you do to me?" she asked through clenched teeth.
"Don't worry, you are perfectly safe," assured Jouegh. "You are just placed within a little force field, which prohibits your movements as well as touching anything. You see, it is a bubble: a bubble that is holding you to the spot and won't allow anything to touch you. Quite a helpful little thing, isn't it? Now I can keep you without so much as laying a finger on you, which, in turn, saves my energy and time."
Sarah placed her hands out in front of her slowly, feeling the area there. Just as Jouegh had said, there was a somewhat of a wall around her, keeping her enclosed and unable to move. Sarah eyes widened in horror as she realized just what kind of situation she had gotten herself into. She was stuck in here, and she couldn't do anything about it. Jouegh had easily taken the upper hand, and now she was stuck at his mercy; a place that she had never wanted to be. Taking a shaky breath, Sarah looked at Jouegh.
"What do you want?" she asked quietly.
"Yes, Jouegh, what do you want?" a mocking female voice came from behind Sarah. Hastily, she turned around in her "bubble" and she saw a woman walking down the stairs of the castle. She was beautiful, having long, wavy brown her. Her eyes were a light blue and her lips a deep red.
When Jouegh saw her, his eyes sparkled as a faint twitch pulled at his lips. "Ah, Lila, how kind of you to join us."
Lila reached his side and placed hard kiss on his awaiting lips. When she pulled away, a smirk lit her face. "I just had a little run-in with a certain Goblin King that you had so kindly placed within my forest." She glanced at Sarah. "He was such a playful boy, very glad to see me, I believe."
"I am glad you enjoyed yourself, princess. I knew you would."
Lila waved her hand, dismissing the conversation. "Enough talking about him, I grow bored. But this new little catch of yours seems quite amusing." She paused. "She is the mortal, yes? The one that we need?"
Jouegh nodded his answer.
"Hmph," scoffed Lila. "She is not what I expected. So… fragile and plain. I don't see why you're both so fascinated by her; she is nothing compared to the immortals here."
Jouegh leaned in closer to Lila and whispered in her ear. "You haven't seen her when she's angry."
The princess' mouth formed an "oh." Then she looked over at Sarah through the corner of her eye. "So she is one of those kind…"
Sarah watched the two immortals carefully, getting more worried by the second of what they were going to do with her. Also, for a moment she wondered who this Lila was. Jouegh had called her a princess, perhaps she was the one he was going to marry; they did seem rather intimate for a second there. From her force field, Sarah spoke to the two.
"What are you planning to do with me?"
Jouegh was the one to respond, walking towards her slightly. "Now why would I tell you and ruin the surprise?"
Sarah fought hard to keep herself from yelling and becoming too angry and stubborn in front of them. "Well, it is going to happen to me whether I want it to or not. If it will happen in the future anyways, then why not disclose that information now instead of later?" She paused. "Like that saying, 'Why do tomorrow what you can do today?'"
He considered this for a moment, seeming to be weighing the pros and cons in his mind. Then he shrugged it off and nodded to Lila, who lifted Sarah in the air, keeping her in the force field.
"No, I think I shall wait, or at least until we get there. You never know what little creatures may be listening; they are such an annoyance, those little vermin. I don't really know why anyone would want to rule them... but to each his own, I believe..."
Jouegh gave one final nod to Lila, and then the two were gone, vanished into thin air. It was then that Jouegh noticed the group of goblins that were accumulating. They looked on at the scene before them with a growing interest. It looked as though they were very confused, wondering if this was their king or not. They looked alike, but something seemed to be off. None of the goblins could figure it out. One brave goblin began to step forward, but immediately when he did so, Jouegh froze him to the spot, and then with a snap of his fingers, shattered him into a million little bits. The observing goblins began to murmur amongst themselves, gasping at what they had just seen. They knew that their Goblin King had a temper, but to kill a goblin on the spot? It was unheard of. Still, seeing such a display was enough to frighten all of them away.
But as they began to move away, the king decided that he shouldn't let them. Thus, he began to take out goblins on the spot. Some, he shot with fireballs, others he strangled with an invisible hand, and others he just stopped their hearts. Even as the goblins tried to run away, Jouegh shot them down with ease, feeling not threatened in the least. But, they were annoying little vermin, and ugly short fellows; no one could stand the sight of them, or the smell. Overall, they were hideous little creatures that didn't even deserve to live. This in itself was enough reason for Jouegh to kill them all, without giving a second thought to a single one.
After the massacre, and Jouegh couldn't see a single goblin in sight, he turned his back on the castle and the mess that he had created. With a wave of his hand, he now held the letter that he had previously written for this occasion, and, without even glancing back, he placed it on the castles doorstep, and then he vanished from sight.
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At Jouegh's castle, Sarah found herself in what appeared to be the throne room, still suck inside the force field that Jouegh had captured her in. Glancing all around her, she tried to think of some way that she could escape, or possibly just get out of this imprisonment. But she could think of no ways to cancel whatever spell Jouegh had put on her; she knew no magic and she had no friends that did either, or at least ones who would be nearby.
She looked to her left, noting that the girl Lila was leaning against the wall, fiddling with her hair. As if sensing her stare, Lila looked up and met Sarah's gaze. Immediately, Sarah looked away, feeling awkward at her current state. She heard Lila move away from the wall and walk towards her. Sarah stiffened noticeably, and was quite relieved when the woman stopped a couple of feet away from her, not coming any closer.
"Trying to think up a plan, are we?" accused Lila, who was staring at Sarah with a somewhat of an amused look, that and annoyed.
Sarah glanced at her quickly. "Well, if you were in my situation, wouldn't you?"
She laughed loudly as she replied, "If I was indeed in your situation, I would be able to get myself out. After all, I have magic. Too bad that you do not, otherwise, you could be out of here in a jiffy. But seeing as how you are just a lowly mortal, with no special powers of any sort, you are at a great disadvantage. If you weren't previously in the Labyrinthine castle, you would have been eaten alive. However, the King decided to take you in at any rate. How convenient, eh?"
Sarah nodded numbly. "Yes, I suppose it was kind of him…"
"Kind?" mocked Lila, as she walked around Sarah in a circle. "He was only using you for his own purposes. He knew what you were capable of, and if he held you in his power, you could be quite useful. He only wanted you so that he could advance his own personal power."
"Funny, that's exactly what he said about Jouegh."
"Well of course he would! That's how Jareth works! He's an evil, manipulative bastard! With his charm and sensuality, he can make you believe anything he wants you to. Did you truly think that he wanted you for you?" She took Sarah's silence for a yes, which was met by more laughter. "Oh you poor mortal thing! You actually thought that he could possibly love you? Even if only a little? That is precious... Listen, darling, immortals do not fall in love that often, especially with a mortal. To think that you were any different, is, well, selfish, among other things. Why would he choose you, when he could have a creature such as myself?" She shrugged indifferently. "Because he would never do such a preposterous thing in the first place. Get over it, sweetheart, you were nothing but his plaything to power."
Sarah was silent during Lila's entire little speech, not wanting to make any more of a spectacle of herself than she already had. At first, she was not taking anything this, immortal, said seriously, after all, she trusted Jareth, didn't she? At the end of the talk, however, Sarah wasn't so sure. Of course she didn't trust Lila, but… how could Jareth ever care for her? She was nothing compared to the creatures that he could have down here. She was plain and simple, not having any of the extravagance and beauty that the mistress' here held; she was just normal.
Slowly, Sarah felt the tears beginning to form, but she wouldn't dare let them fall. A part of her believed Lila but another part of her was screaming at her to stay strong and trust Jareth. She knew Jareth, he was familiar; at least as well as someone like him could be. She thought of all the conversations that she had held with him: at her house, at his castle, in the Labyrinth. It was then that she realized that everything that he had ever said to her was the truth. Jareth may be arrogant, selfish, and childish, but he certainly wasn't a liar to the extent that Lila was insinuating. He had done everything, everything, that she had ever wanted, and it all had gone beyond her expectations. He had been generous; she wished away Toby, and he gave her the chance to get him back; she was lost, and he sent her friends; she had wanted to be frightened, and he became the villain; he had offered her the world, and yet she had turned him down. Although the last thing was her fault, and she felt horrible for doing it to him, even back then, she knew that it was the right thing to do. She could never have traded a little brother for her dreams, no matter how wonderful the things were that the Goblin King had offered her. She had held a responsibility to her brother as his sister (even though now… now that was of little consequence), just as she held responsibility to Jareth now, just as a friend.
With newfound courage, Sarah faced Lila, who was staring at her with a very confused look on her face.
Sarah looked her straight in the eyes and smiled. "I think I'm going to go ith Jareth, on this one, Lila. After all, you are the one who lies and tries to manipulate people. Jareth is not the evil bastard that you say he is. He is generous and fair and a great king. Anyone who tries to take that away from him is a fool. Although he may not show it, he is a kind person, who tries to treat everyone equally, even though he views himself above everyone else, but… isn't that his right? I mean, after everything he does for everyone, and his position as king of such a powerful entity, doesn't he deserve the right to have the occasional splurges and indulgences of being superior? He is a great man, a real friend, and I have been a fool to think of him otherwise: as a villain, an evil man. But that ends now. He deserves much more credit for the things that he does, more than anyone else. And you, Lila, don't deserve to even say his name, to even think about him; he is a much better person than you could ever hope of becoming. You are the one is confused and corrupted, not me and most certainly not him; not ever him."
At the end of her speech applause had begun to arise from behind Sarah, a slow beating of congratulations.
"Bravo, Sarah, bravo," said Jouegh, who had just arrived. "I just got here and imagine my surprise when I hear you giving an oh so touching speech about a certain brother of mine. It is quite honorable that you should be so loyal to him after all that he has put you through. That is, indeed, very respectable on your part. And do I sense maturity has finally come along? Why yes, Sarah, you have certainly come a long way since the last time that you were here at fifteen; a very long way indeed."
Sarah raised her chin defiantly. "That's more than I could ever say for you."
"But, Sarah," countered Jouegh, "should you really be saying such things? After all, it is at my mercy that you rest now. A wrong move on your part could mean your death."
But Sarah still did not cower before him. "You said that you needed me; that I was to help you. It would be a shame for you to kill someone that you need in order for world domination, or whatever impossible feat you think yourself able of doing."
Jouegh pondered this for a moment before he replied, "You're right; I do not mean to kill you. But, that does not mean that you need both of your legs in order to help me."
Sarah took a sharp intake of breath, but she still remained strong and she decided to press her luck. "I can live without a leg, true, but I can bleed to death from the loss of blood."
Jouegh smirked knowingly. "You can't bleed to death; not if I just zap that thing right off." He moved forward with his hand in one quick motion, which cause Sarah to jump back slightly. However, nothing happened, only the erupting laughter of two evils.
"Jareth will come and stop you," Sarah said menacingly.
"Bah, that's nonsense. He's been detained."
"Is he alright?"
"Is he alright?" mocked Jouegh. "Of course he is; I don't need to kill him to defeat him."
"So what are you planning on doing?" questioned Sarah.
"Oh, you know, harness great magic and then use it to control the world. The usual," shrugged Jouegh.
"The Labyrinth will never let you rule it."
"No," agreed Jouegh, "nor will it let anybody."
Sarah was slightly confused by his statement and pondered over it for a moment. However, before she could reply, Jouegh continued on.
"But it will, however, give power to it's 'chosen one', I suppose you could call it. And seeing as how that is you, I believe that everything should go just fine," he said.
"Your plan won't work," considered Sarah. "I do not want it's power and I will not ask that of it."
"Ask?" repeated Jouegh. "Who said anything about asking it? All you have to do touch it and it will send its power to you."
Still Sarah shook her head. "But then I will have the power and not you."
Jouegh sighed his obvious annoyance with all her petty questions. "Wouldn't you think that I have this all figured out by now, since I have already obtained you? Honestly, why would I have taken you now, and attracted the attention of my brother, when I did not have everything worked out? Have a little faith here."
"Well then how do you plan to do it?"
Jouegh furrowed his brow as he looked around the room. "Do I have to explain myself to you?" he asked Sarah. Then he turned to Lila with a questioning gaze. "Do I have to explain myself to her?" Lila tried to hide her smile, as she shook her head no. Then Jouegh raised his hands in triumph. "Well then, it would appear to me that I do not have to answer any of your questions. I reserve that right." He paused. "And you forget, Sarah, that I have magic, which plays a major role in all happenings down here."
Then he clasped his hands together, taking a deep breath. "Now then, shall we be off?"
Please leave a little something for me to remember you by!