Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth.

LEGEND

The Othering

The corridors were dusty and moist. And above of all, empty.

"Praise the Labyrinth, 'ere's none of tho' false alarm," Hoggle muttered, glancing around while they kept on walking the desolate caves that run through the Underground.

"In here?" The Sphinx's head shifted to allow him catch a better sight of the dwarf. "His Majesty seldom sends…his guests here," a small curve of a smile appeared on his face, and Hoggle shivered at the flash of the thick sharp dens behind his thin humane lips. "For this, there's no need for such a thing as a false alarm."

"Nows, when ya mention," Hoggle peeked at the Sphinx from the cornet of his eye and pulled a deep breath before he dared to ask. "What exactly are ya doin' 'ere?"

He faltered backwards when the Sphinx stopped and turned to face him, but the beast only chuckled.

"Oh no…" He grinned, bending closer, and his face hovered inches away from Hoggle's chest. "I'm not liable in anyway to tell you that."

Giving the fairy a withering look, Hoggle noticed her thoughtful expression and crinkled eyes, while she inspected the beast. Sensing his attention, Cobweb glanced at the dwarf and quickly averted her gaze. Hoggle's brows creased, but the fairy didn't look up anymore.

The Sphinx said something.

"Wha?" Startled, he brought up his face.

"I'm curious to hear the story of your companion." The Sphinx repeated. He looked at the fairy. "You mentioned you're following a runner. Nevermind there would have been fairies accompanying runners before, lest I'd be interested. But little one. What did you think you could gain through her?"

An ugly frown plastered her face and she plugged out her tongue. Unnoticing, she covered her lacer wings behind her back at the same time and pulled back her shoulders. "You're rude to even ask, and I won't answer!"

At her tone, a deep rumbling resonated in his throat as he, eyes wrinkled, returned the gaze, and turned, continuing forward. The grey wings hissed scrubbing against his back, and flocks of silicoticus puffed around his paws as he slid through the corridors, the muscles of his hips trembling, moving beneath the minerals of his skin, in the rhythm of his steps. They followed.

The silent walk felt like eternity, and Hoggle nearly stumbled on his behind when the Sphinx unexpected stopped. He lifted his snout and dragged the air with long noisy breaths.

"What now?" The fairy whined.

"Silent, bug," the Sphinx didn't bother to turn, watching ahead his body tense. "Someone's coming…"

Only the loitering dusk of the underground and the surrounding opaque stonewalls surrounded them.

Hoggle heard a frightened gasp near his feet. He looked around and, at first, didn't see anything. The strength fleeted his body as the opposite dark wall started to shimmer and transformed transparent. Odd figures appeared there, swirled in its depths. He staggered backwards perceiving something approaching -- a dark figure. Terrified, imagining the black caped, haughty King emerging from the wall, Hoggle whimpered and retreated. He gasped, nearly turned to run at the sight of the slim polished fingers plunging out of the wall.

"Be still," gnarling, the Sphinx commanded and nailed Hoggle down with his gleaming stare. "I will take care of this."

Pale and slender arms followed the hands. Next a pair of dark legged trousers penetrated the whirling facet, merely a swirling liquid around her. But the legs were solid and true, and when stepping onto the ground, a loud thump echoed around. Last, the hips appeared, a stomach and the face. Only when she had totally emerged from the gleaming stone, Hoggle grasped he wasn't looking at the hated Goblin King.

But a young human girl.

Relieved, he nearly tripped while something gnawed his heart as he watched her striding relaxed towards them, arms swinging lazily by her side. Her dark hair curled softly around her face and her lips were slightly curved up in a smile. Somehow she appeared familiar, even when Hoggle knew he had never seen her.

"Master Sphinx," the girl greeted and glanced curiously at the dwarf. "Master Dwarf." Politely, she inclined her head to him too, and Hoggle returned the gesture, realizing then Cobweb was nowhere to be seen.

"Lady," the Sphinx rumbled in greeting. "You are in the forbidden zone. You should leave."

The half-smile didn't quiver. Hoggle shuddered. True, she looked like a human with her rosy cheeks and flickering bright eyes, but something was not right in her.

"I am here for the Goblin King," said she simply. "I look for an item he has lost."

The Sphinx laughed. "Many claim the same; fewer are to believed."

"Don't waste my precious time, beast," the girl commanded. "If you're unwilling to help, then make way." She tried to parade pass him.

"Nay," The Sphinx replied, blocking the corridor. "I guard the Night, and I'm not inclined to allow anyone through."

"Do you have wax in your ears?" she snarled. "I said I work for the Goblin King."

The deep purring of his laughter echoed and vibrated around them. "The Goblin King isn't my master." He stepped forward, whipping the air with his stone tail. "I take no commands from him, but I keep the uninvited away. That is my task. And you clearly are an unwanted one."

Backing away, she hissed. "Stupid beast! You have no idea with whom you are toying!"

"No," The beast agreed, hardly concealed amusement tilting his voice. "Nor do I care."

"For the last time, will you step aside," demanded she her eyes in ablaze, body rigid and stiff, staring at the Sphinx her smooth face twisted in an unrecognizable mask of contempt.

"No."

She was about to answer, when a terrifying shriek echoed throughout the caves. The girl jerked up her head, and darkness slid over her and her face. She listened to silence and when she looked at them again, she was smiling, but her smile was not a nice one.

"This," the girl hissed, "will not end here, Sphinx. You can be sure of that."

Like called, she turned on her heels and hurried towards the gleaming, transparent wall. The shadowy creatures moved away, creating her a path, and without hesitating she stepped through. A flash; and she was gone. The wall she had used as her gateway appeared as solid and obscure as before.

The Sphinx stared after her thoughtfully, his tale swooshing restlessly in the air. He stepped forward, and, turning, revealed the cowering fairy behind his legs.

"Alright, fairy," the Sphinx snarled. "Now is a good time to quit your games. How do you know that … that beast?" He grimaced as tasting something sour when mentioning the girl.

Ashen, Cobweb stared forward, shivering. "She's the one…" the whisper escaped her lips.

"The Runner?" His eyebrows arched, he sat down.

"No!" The fairy shouted. "She's the Othering. The mirror-beast."

"I know that," the Sphinx growled. "I have eyes in my head. But to allow her run loose in the Underground…" He shook his head and pinned her down with his stare. "Are you saying His Majesty has aligned himself with the Otherings?"

"Yes," The fairy muttered, "I heard them talking. They are using my runner for …to….something. I don't know their plans, but he said he would take the runner to the Shadow Sisters."

"To Sisters!" The bawling echoed brutally in the underground space, and he brought his face right to the fairy's chest. "He dared to do that?" Scraping, like grains of sand in the hourglass, the words fell from his mouth. "And you serve that foul-mouthed son-of-a-lying-snake?"

She didn't answer, only cast down her eyes. "Not anymore," she sighed. "He has forsaken his people." The fairy shivered. "The Labyrinth above is…different."

"How?"

"He has remodeled it. Ordered the old guards away and brought strange creatures behind the borders. He plots and he toys with the runners. Something is off…"

"I see," the Sphinx straightened his back, eyes flickering, and shivered "But to the Shadow Sisters…" Words barely audible, he mused out loud, his attention turned inwards.

"Umm." Hoggle hawked hesitantly. "Who are the Shadow Sisters?" The name tasted strange in his mouth.

"Something the King should have never allowed in his domain," the Sphinx growled. "The Owl Queen will not be happy when she learns about this."

"Who?" Hoggle and Cobweb exchanged glances, but the Sphinx didn't answer.

He sighed. "You're certain he took her to the Sisters?" He asked instead, looking down on the fairy.

She nodded.

Again, the Sphinx let out a loud sigh. "Oh my…" Unexpectedly, his lips started to quaver. "At least we don't have to worry where to find this Runner of yours," said he suddenly. "We just have to follow her to the Under's Ground…" He fell silent and, as an afterthought, added, "I can only hope she's alright."

His mood gloomy, Hoggle kicked the ground, certain he was going to regret he ever agreed to this deal.

"Stupid Runners," muttered he darkly, "always needing to be rescued."