CHAPTER TEN: The mirror does not lie

I have decided to write this chapter in third person as well for no apparent reason. Sorry for the late update! (again) My brain just refuses to give me any ideas once in a while.

3rd person POV

During the entire time that Hoggle spoke about the events since she solved the Labyrinth, Sarah listened intently to every piece of information. She felt like even the smallest part, was of the upmost importance. And now that Hoggle has finished his story, she still remains quiet, almost in a trance. She opens her mouth two times before finally speaking.

"Did you know about this Sir Didymus?" Sarah asks Sir Didymus, because he had said nothing of the sort while they were on their own.

Sir Didymus shook his head. "No, I did not Milady." True to his word, Sir Didymus had no idea of what had happened outside his precious bog. It's not that he never visited his friends Ludo and Hoggle, but time passes different for him. A year could seem like only a month to him. And it was all due to the Bog of Eternal Stench. The place where he was born and bred. The toxics had made his sense of time to what it is right now.

The only change he had seen, was the increasing amount of 'intruders' in the Bog of Eternal Stench. But this fact pleased him immensely, because he could do what he had sworn to do more frequently than before.

Sarah moves her head to look at Hoggle. "Why didn't you tell me all of this sooner?" Sarah asks her friend with a sad frown.

Hoggle shifts nervously on his spot. "I did try once when you were at college, but….It didn't work out to well."

Sarah thinks about Hoggle's answer. She didn't remember seeing her friend in the mirror when she was at college. But it wasn't Sarah that received Hoggle's call.

"Wait a minute." Sarah starts when the penny drops. "So that's why my roommate left college all of a sudden one day."

"It's not my fault that she was looking through your stuff, just as I appeared in the mirror." Hoggle defends himself. "I was too scared to try it again."

Sarah looks at him while remembering the event. Not really the event, because she was most likely in the library when Hoggle tried to contact her. But someone did come to her to say that Maurene, her roommate, went home due to a breakdown. No one wanted to be Sarah's new roommate because they all thought that she was the cause of it for some reason, even though she wasn't even there when it happened.

"All right, but why didn't you tell me about what happened after I got Toby back?!" She asks, disappointed in her friend for being left out on something as important as this.

"I didn't wanted you to feel guilty for something that you couldn't help. You had to save Toby, but what happened after that was out of your hands." Hoggle explained. He was right. Sarah would have felt quite guilty for the damage she had caused. But she would never feel guilty for saving Toby, no matter what the cost might be.

She sighs and closes her eyes for a moment before addressing Hoggle. "Thanks Hoggle and sorry I raised my voice at you like that. I know you meant well."

"But it's in the past. I have to focus on getting Toby back. And I don't even know where the heck he is!" Sarah says with a desperate tone in her voice at the end. "It's a pity that the Wiseman isn't here now. He did sort of help the last time I was stuck." Sarah says remembering her encounter with the strange man and the talking birdhat.

"I wish I had a fortune cookie." Sarah says absentmindedly, but she looks around to see if anything would happen after saying the 'magic words.' Unfortunately for her, nothing happened. "I guess that only works with babies, lucky me." Sarah tells Hoggle and Sir Didymus.

"The way forwards is sometimes the way back." She repeats the Wiseman's advice out loud.

Sarah starts to pace in front of Hoggle and Sir Didymus. "Forward, back, Toby, forward, back, Toby, forward, back, Toby." Her companions look at each other, both unsure if they should say anything.

"Guys, I'm going to the castle. It's a step back into history! Well, not really but it's close enough." Sarah says, making Hoggle look at her in utter shock. "What? I'm desperate Hoggle. I have no idea where to go except the place where they took him last time."

But Hoggle doesn't want to hear it. His eyes are wide open and he shakes his head violently. "No, no, no, no, no, no! You don't know what you're talking about!" The fear on his face makes way for a stern look. "Do you think you can just march into the city after what happened last time?" He asks seriously while pointing his finger at Sarah. "You would be spotted in an instant."

Understanding comes across Sarah's face. The last time she visited the Goblin City was not something you could call touristic sightseeing. She suspects that she cannot enter the village, where every goblin must remember her. But her worries are in vain when a simple, yet effective solution is presented by none other than Hoggle.

"You would have to disguise yourself to even have the slightest chance of getting in and out of there." He finishes with a smirk like the idea itself is nothing more a stupid joke.

But it's not a stupid joke to Sarah, who is more than ready to do whatever it takes to get into the city.

"You know what Hoggle? I think you have a point there." Sarah answers innocently.

Hoggle sees the pleased look on Sarah's face and he knows that his words don't have the effect he was hoping for.

"Damn me and my stupid mouth." Hoggle grunts while he slaps himself across his face. "I will take you to my home and we will disguise you there. But I'm only doing this because I am your friend, it's my stupid idea and I know nothing will change your mind."

Sarah smiles at her friend. "I must say Hoggle, you know me very well." She answers.

Hoggle only grunts in acknowledgement and the four of them head towards Hoggle's humble abode.

Sarah stared at the person in the mirror. "I don't know guys. I just look so…."

"Completely unrecognizable, Milady!" Sir Didymus says in his usual cheerful mood.

"Laughable is the word I would prefer to use." Hoggle voices his opinion.

Sarah, Sir Didymus, Hoggle and Ambrosius are all standing in the small living room of Hoggle's house. Sarah looks once again at her reflection in the mirror. Her outfit consists of a mask that looks a lot like the ones she saw in the bubble ballroom, an old and ruffled high hat and a cape that she can wrap around her entire body.

Sarah can only wonder where Hoggle got all these things, but she feels like she would rather stay in the dark about that.

Hoggle frowns in thought while looking at Sarah in her costume. "I feel like I have seen this before." He says deep in thought.

"Yeah, me too." Sarah looks at Hoggle and then at her reflection.

And then a very familiar voice pops into her mind.

'Nothing? Nothing tralala?'

The beggar who turned into a king.

Sarah groans out loud. "When are these blasted déjà-vu's going to stop?!"

Hoggle and Sir Didymus regard Sarah with shock written all over their faces.

Sir Didymus recovers first from the shock. "Milady, language please!"

"Sarah, are you alright?" Hoggle asks worried.

Sarah takes a seat on the ground. The chairs in the room are not build to carry a person of her physique. "I'm fine Hoggle." She answers softly. "It's nothing." She groans again, because of her own choice of words. But she then turns towards Hoggle with a meaningful look, knowing that he will understand as soon as she says her right words.

"Nothing tralala, Hoggle." And her words do indeed hit their target, in order to activate Hoggle's memory.

"Ohw…." He manages to say.

"Yeah, good times." She answers sarcastically. They both remember what followed after that little visit from the Goblin King.

Sarah stands up and walks around the room. She has to bend over slightly so her head doesn't hit the ceiling.

"Well, it doesn't matter. This outfit fooled me once, so why not fool others with it right now?" Sarah asks, her spirit back in its place. "I'm off then. Thank you for all your help Sir Didymus. You too Hoggle. I hope we will meet in better circumstances next time." And with that, Sarah prepares to leave the house. It doesn't take very long for Hoggle and Sir Didymus to stop her.

"Are you bonkers? What the hell are you thinking by going out there all by yourself?" Hoggle asks bluntly. "We're going with you whether you like it or not."

"But…." Sarah begins confused. She doesn't want to involve her friends any further into her problems. And Hoggle's bravery reminds her that he has changed a lot in comparison to the grumpy pipsqueak she met four years ago.

"Who are you and what did you do to my friend Hoggle?" Sarah asks with fake suspicion.

Hoggle crosses his arms and looks at anything but Sarah. "Well, that Hoggle has gotten himself some friends. One of them just keeps looking for trouble, I might add."

Sarah looks endearingly at Hoggle and gets to her knees to hug him. Hoggle isn't so shocked this time by her display of affection and returns the hug almost immediately. It is when Sarah gave him a kiss on the cheek that he breaks the hug. He knows it probably won't happen again, but the last time he got a kiss from Sarah, it had bought him and her a ticket to the 'Land of Stench'.

"Yes, well no need to get too emotional." He says a little flustered. "Time to get moving."

"Good idea Hoggle." Sarah answers, suddenly remembering one tiny, little detail. "Hoggle, who's in charge of the Labyrinth now?"

I had trouble writing this chapter, as you may seem considering the previous update. As to the review about the need for an beta reader: Would be nice indeed, but I do hope that my writing skills aren't too bad all in all. Please do read and review. Comments are very appreciated and valuable!