Hello everyone! Here's the next chapter! I hope you're all enjoying the story so far! Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Chapter Twenty-One: To the Castle Beyond the Goblin City

"Argh!" Sarah sighed as she lifted herself off the trash heap, once again dressed in her poet shirt and pants. "This is all so confusing! I thought the Labyrinth was a beautiful place, full of meadows and a gleaming white castle, but I'm back where I was before! I don't even know what time it is!"

She stumbled over a pile of garbage, moving towards the gates to the Goblin City in the distance.

There were hundreds of trash heaps surrounding her, and Sarah tiredly climbed over all the ones that were in her way, taking caution not to land on some unsuspecting garbage-carrying person. That old lady had been way too frightening the last time she was in the Labyrinth.

Sarah's legs were tired, and she was confused as she climbed over pile after pile of junk. It was dark, and she tripped and fell several times, rolling down the piles of rubbish and getting numerous scrapes on her fair skin. Every time she fell, she got back up and continued walking.

By the time Sarah reached the gates to the Goblin City, she was a complete mess. Her long hair was knotted and dirty, scrapes and dirt lined her body, her pants were ripped, and her shirt was loose and wrinkled. She was exhausted, and she put her hands tiredly against one of the gates and pushed it in weakly. She stumbled into the city, finding that it, as well as every other place, was vacant.

The poor heroine of "The Labyrinth" was in no state to travel as she stumbled through the empty city. Her body ached with every step, and she was almost asleep. The evening shadows played tricks on her, dancing against the houses and looking very much like they wanted to reach out and grab her.

Sarah didn't care. As far as she was concerned, her time was up, and she had lost Jareth. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she walked wearily from one street to another.

She was hardly awake when she reached the stairs leading up to the castle. She took one step and then collapsed, her long hair draping about her arms and back. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she closed her eyes, trying to relieve some of the pain from her body.

"I can't do it!" she sobbed, body trembling from her crying. "I've tried, and I just can't! I'm only human! I'm just a little girl again, trapped in a world that I can't get out of! I've lost this time! You won, Labyrinth! You won!"

Lyrics from a song she had recently heard played through her mind, taunting her and mocking her failure.

"But down in the Underground, you'll find someone true.

Down, in the Underground, a land serene, of crystal blue.

It's only forever, not long at all…

Lost and lonely.

That's Underground…Underground!"

"Oh stop it!" Sarah hissed, pounding her fist on the step. "It is not a land serene of crystal blue! Whoever thought of that ridiculous song had no idea what they were talking about!"

She turned over onto her back and gazed up at the night sky. Clouds covered the sky, hiding the moon from view. It was gloomy and dark, matching Sarah's attitude.

Sarah thought back on all the trouble she had been through in her life. First there had been the loss of her birthmother. The young woman had been reckless and had left Sarah and her father to themselves many, many years ago. Sarah had always tried to believe she would come back. She never did.

Then there was Karen, who had originally been impossible to get along with, but once Sarah realized that not everything in life was fair and she had submitted herself, her stepmother had turned out to be quite a loving person.

Sarah's teenage years had been difficult. She had never been much of a social butterfly, making her high school years uncomfortable and troublesome. Boys had constantly shown interest in her, occasionally mocking her for keeping to herself and staying out of trouble. Sarah had never cared for any of them. They were rude, brash, and wild. She had always preferred men who behaved like gentlemen, not wild animals.

The social work had been hard, very hard. Sarah had barely made it through college, and social work was a great burden. She had loved all the children she worked with, and with determination, had always somehow managed to make things right.

What was it that had kept her going, had made her persevere through so many long, troublesome years? There was only one answer, and upon admitting it to herself, Sarah sat up and her eyes darkened.

"Jareth. Jareth got me through everything," she said, standing up slowly and facing the castle doors. "He made me believe that there was something beautiful about life, something worth going through the adventures for. There isn't a reason in the world why I should give up on him when he never, never gave up on me. Even now, he's probably watching and waiting, pleading with those eyes of his for me not to give up. I won't give up. I've come too far!"

She stamped her foot on the step and then shouted, gazing up at the sky as though someone could actually hear her.

"You hear me? I've come too far! I'm not giving up now! Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered I've fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City, and I am not going to surrender myself now!"

With firm steps and a set jaw, Sarah marched up the steps and flung the doors of the castle open. She could feel that the whole world was watching her, waiting to see if she would keep her resolution or not.

Sarah stopped for a moment, held her head high, straightened her shoulders, and walked into the castle.

The doors immediately slammed shut behind her, and Sarah jumped. She gazed about the room she was in, a dark room with great cloisters and hard tile floors. The only light in the room was coming from one large open window at the far end of the great entrance room. There were stairs beneath the window, and Sarah walked over to them, looking about cautiously. She then climbed up the staircase and stepped into the throne room.

There was something disturbing about how the room was completely empty. There were several candles glowing, making the room seem as though it had come right out of a horror movie. The throne, curved and wicked looking in the light, made Sarah shutter.

Sarah walked boldly forward, trembling when she heard her own footsteps echoing throughout the empty room. She stepped over to the throne and placed her hands gently on the cape that was thrown over it. The cape was warm, and a light began to shine in Sarah's eyes.

"He's here," she whispered, looking up at the ceiling and turning in a circle to observe the whole room more carefully. "Goblin King," she spoke, her voice echoing throughout the room. "I know you are here!"

There was no answer, and Sarah let out a long sigh.

"Really, this game isn't fair," she spoke aloud. "I have had no one to help me, no one to show me what I'm supposed to do. I've made it all the way back to the castle, and yet what I am supposed to do is unclear. Would you please show me what to do?"

A clinking sound became audible, moving towards her from a flight of stairs. The sound was frightening in the stillness of the room, and Sarah stepped back behind the throne for more security.

A crystal orb dropped from an adjoining staircase and rolled across the floor towards the throne. Sarah knelt down and then looked into it without touching it. She couldn't see anything at first, but then she noticed that all across the floor was a small trail, illuminated and moving towards the stairs that the orb had come from. Sarah carefully picked the orb up and then yelped when it transformed into a candle, its tiny flame illuminating the whole room.

Sarah stood up and then began to follow the trail, warily stepping on the glowing line and always gazing ahead. She stepped up onto the stairs from whence the orb had come, and then slowly climbed the stairs.

When Sarah reached the top, she saw a lone door, and she opened it cautiously and stuck her head inside. She couldn't see anything, and so she stepped into the room and again, the door slammed shut behind her. Sarah turned quickly to see the door close, and then she turned back and squinted to see into the darkness.

There were stairs and doorways, hundreds of them, stretched throughout the large room.

"This room again," Sarah said quietly and then stepped forward. "Well, I don't know what I'm supposed to find, but I'll start looking."

Sarah began to walk, up, down, left, right, back ways, front ways, sideways, long ways, and short ways. Her head began to hurt as she traveled through the maze of doors and stairs, and she began to sing quietly, trying to ease the pressure in her head.

"How you've turned my world you precious thing.

You starve and near exhaust me.

Everything I've done, I've done for you.

I move the stars for no one.

You've run so long, you've run so far.

Your eyes can be so cruel, just as I can be so cruel…"

The candle began to vibrate, and Sarah gasped as it violently shook her hand. It turned back into an orb and then, without any warning whatsoever, dropped out of Sarah's hand and fell, possibly hundreds of feet, through the empty air.

It glowed as it fell, and Sarah had the sickening feeling that she was supposed to follow it.

"Oh no," she laughed nervously, shaking her head. "I've done this before. I thought for sure I was going to die. Forget it!"

Somewhere, a clock struck loudly, and Sarah jumped. She listened as it began to chime, loudly and slowly.

One…two…three…four…five…six…seven…

Sweat streamed down Sarah's forehead as she contemplated what the clock was saying. She had a matter of seconds before she lost.

"But I'm so scared," she whispered, looking over the edge of the stairs she was on.

Ten…eleven…

Sarah squeezed her eyes shut tightly, bit her lip, and then jumped off the edge.

Words, familiar sayings from old friends, began to fill Sarah's mind as she fell, arms and legs flailing wildly in the air.

"You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth…"

"You gets in there."

"That shows how much you know."

"Oh, there are plenty of openings, you just ain't seeing them!"

"Don't go that way! Never go that way!"

"So Sarah, what do you think of my Labyrinth?"

"Not everything is as it seems in this place."

"There's such a sad love, deep in your eyes…"

"Look at what I'm offering you, your dreams…"

"And should you need us…"

"You have no power over me! You have no power over me!"

Sarah opened her eyes and found that she was once again on solid ground. She was standing on cracked bricks in the middle of nowhere. A purple, red and orange sky surrounded her, and in the sky were great masses of stone and brick, parts of some ancient ruin, floating about effortlessly.

A loud tick from a clock caused Sarah to turn her head, and she saw it, the old clock of her dreams with thirteen numbers instead of twelve, floating before her. Both hands were pointing to a large thirteen, and Sarah gasped.

"No! I'm not too late! I made it here, wherever here is! Don't let me be too late! Please! I've fought so hard!"

She collapsed on her knees in front of the clock, tears spilling down her dirty cheeks.

"I've fought so long and hard to find Jareth! Don't let this be the end! I will never be able to dream again if this is where my battle ends! Oh please, Labyrinth, don't destroy me! Don't dash my hopes in two!"

She started sobbing and lay down on the floor, miserable beyond description.

This couldn't be the end of her journey, could it? Hadn't she worked too hard to get here? It would be so unfair if she lost! Even worse than that, she would never be able to see Jareth again, and that was unbearable.

"Oh Jareth," Sarah sniffed. "I tried. I really did. I love you, Jareth. Don't leave me! Don't let me be forced away from you! I couldn't bear it! You've always been there for me! If I lose you I lose everything!"