The forest crashed all around Sarah, although she paid little attention to the destruction in her effort to escape. The only sounds that registered were the dull beating of blood through her body, and her rapid breathing as she leaped over moving vines and ducked falling branches. Maneuvering through the tumultuous terrain would have been difficult no matter the circumstances, but in the dim light that broke the leafy canopy, there was added danger in what could not be seen. Felled trees provided pockets of orange sunlight, the only guidance she could rely on as she gave up on direction, intent instead on getting far away from whatever tore after her and her companions.

Sir Didymus shouted something over the din, as the white form of Ambrosius weaved and bounded deerlike in her periphery. He too seemed at a loss for an escape, trapped as they were in the never-ending monochrome. Hoggle was worryingly nowhere in sight, as far as she could tell. There was no time to search for him, not with thorns whizzing by on whip-like vines mere inches from her head. Eventually she knew there would be a slip-up, a stumble by her or her companions that would end the chase. They could not run forever, and the moment of impact grew closer by the second.

The weight of the pendant around her neck grounded her in the possibility of salvation, the promise of an end to the terror of the forest. She cast that thought aside as she ducked under another branch. Jareth had stipulated to use it if in danger, but he had never specified what exactly it would do. It felt like the trinket of a fairy-tale, where the hero would utilize it to conquer the greatest of dangers in exchange for the item crumbling to dust. What if there were more dangers untold ahead, where she would have no token to save her? She focused her attention instead upon The Labyrinth, gripped to the point of white knuckles in her hand. The tiny volume pressed to her chest acted more as a reassurance than the necklace, serving as a beacon of familiarity rather than the unease of the unknown. She had braved dangers untold before, it seemed to say. This would just be another to add to her story.

Her body shook with exhaustion, and she gritted her teeth as stray thorns scratched against her face and clothing. A flash of red caught at the edges of Sarah's vision. She turned her attention ever so briefly from her escape to see Hoggle on her left, having tripped and fallen over an exposed root some feet away. Her prediction moments ago bore fruit, as the encroaching thorns bore down upon him.

In the midst of the chaos, at this moment where time crawled, a stray thought took the opportunity to make itself known. Thorns and all, Maria had said, a comment so offhand Sarah would not had remembered had it not been for the thorns at her back. It may have been a coincidence, but in the span of a few seconds, she seized upon it with all the hope she had. There was no time to make another choice.

Sarah pivoted her direction, dirt flying under her feet as she skidded to a stop upon the fallen waxen leaves. She heard him cry out as she stood over him, heard him plead with her to flee and save herself. She ignored this call to action to stand in front of his prone form, staring down the oncoming vines with grim determination. This is ridiculous, she thought, as gasps of air punched through her lungs. I'm going to get skewered by a damn vine if I'm wrong about this.

She braced herself for an impact that never came.

The being ceased its momentum by curling vines around surrounding trees, the force of its inertia nearly jerking tree roots from the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust in the process. Sarah held back a wince at the sound of the thorns digging into the wood, but could not contain her surprise as the dust settled. She recognized this thing: it was a bush, although much more mobile than any bush she knew. Its leaves were a rich green, nearly the same shade as the ripped shirt she wore, but it looked as tangled and gnarled as the trees around it. While it had no eyes amid its leaves, she felt its attention upon her, as if her sudden stop caught it completely off guard.

Taking a breath and praying her words would not waver, Sarah called out to the bush. "Uh, hi. You wouldn't happen to be Tangle, would you?"

The vines stilled, twitching for a brief moment, then began to retreat back towards their host, who sank gently to the dirt. Two thick vines anchored it to the ground, like legs so it could stand. Leaves rustled gently, and a high, soft voice warbled from within the bush, cut through by the lightest of whispers. "You—oh hello—you recognize us?"

"No," she confessed, "but I heard about you from Maria."

The bush trembled, and to Sarah's shock, dozens of deep red roses bloomed in a blush across its leaves. "Oh! The lady—nice lady—she was kind to us—yes hmm so kind—we miss her very much. How do you know her?"

Before she could answer, she heard Hoggle stumble to his feet behind her. "We were sent by her, to find out where all the magic's gone," he wheezed, as out of breath as Sarah.

"Oh no, there's no magic here," said Tangle, as a few buds withered and snapped from their vines. They sounded wistful, lost in memory as the group looked at the surrounding forest. "Once these trees were beautiful—with silver boughs and golden leaves—but without magic they're—hmm, how do you say it—empty? Now there's nothing left."

A piece of orange sky could be seen through a break in the canopy, a welcoming sight amid the darkness of the woods. Sarah could almost imagine the sun reflecting off golden leaves, scattering light across the silver trunks of the forest. The mental image would never do the actual experience justice, however, although she longed to see it made real. "That must've been beautiful."

"It was very pretty," conceded Tangle. "Maybe you'll see it again—Maria should see it too—when everything is right."

Far off in the woods came a bark, and suddenly Sir Didymus descended upon the group in all his chivalric glory. With his spear poised to strike, the knight exuded the same bravado Sarah had last seen within the goblin city. "Companions!" He cried out as he slowed Ambrosius to a halt, kicking up fallen twigs and leaves in his path. "Did this beast hurt you? Shall I tear it limb from leafy limb?"

There came a small gasp from Tangle, who snaked a vine gently to the surface of Sarah's cheek. She felt no thorns this time, but the soft velvet of new leaves against her skin, as they brushed against a scratch that had begun to throb. "Oh no," Tangle whispered, as they withdrew a leaf smattered with drops of blood. "I was never trying to hurt you!" I just wanted to see who was here, in case it was a friend. It's been a long time—too-long—since I saw visitors here."

"It's ok," she whispered in reply. "We should've thought it through before we started running."

They appeared to nod, then turned their attention to the knight. "Something—hmm, what is the word—woke me. They touched one of my roses—it tickled—while I rested."

Sir Didymus hung his head. "Apologies, 'tis I who disturbed thou."

"Please don't apologize! I'm happy to be awake—and meeting new friends—although I don't know any of you."

"Well," Sarah introduced, "This is Hoggle and Sir Didymus, and I'm Sarah."

Her name provoked an instantaneous change in Tangle, who shuddered as more roses sprouted along their makeshift arms. "Are you the Sarah—the real Girl who Ate the Peach—who beat the Labyrinth?"

Sarah opened her mouth to argue with the title, but the impetus died as quickly as it had come. "I...yes, that's me."

"I heard of you, before the magic faded. Now everything is sad—so very sad and alone—and it's not the same. Much more—oh, what's the word—scary now, especially with what's at the center."

Sir Didymus, Hoggle, and Sarah glanced at each other, before Hoggle asked, "What uh, what's at the center?"

Tangle's leaves rustled, akin to the bristling of feathers. "Something dark. Something not right. I hide from it—and nap, naps are very good—so it cannot see me, but it hides too. Maybe it's—oh, what do you call it—shy, like me." Vines thrashed anxiously around their thick roots. "It's very scary."

"But how," asked Sarah, "do you know it's at the center?"

This provoked a violent tremor in the bush, causing Sarah to step back in case more thorns went flying. "Because it's here—not now, but sometimes," Tangle whispered, pointing an errant vine off towards their right. "It always goes that way, towards the center. I feel it coming—like a uh, like a storm—and so I rest and wait for it to leave. I rest a lot these days."

"Art thou saying that the creature visits often?"

"Yes! It's scary!"

Sarah pursed her lips, looking off in the direction Tangle indicated. The broken trees and scattered sunlight did not extend that way, and shadows ensnared the tangled woods. Yet, if she squinted, she swore that off in the distance was a pinprick of light at what very well could be the end of the forest. "Well," she sighed, "looks like that's the way we want to head."

"You want to head towards the thing?" More flowers wilted, but some upon Tangle's vines were brave enough to bloom. "You must be very heroic then—oh yes—just like Maria was all those years ago. Maybe I should go visit her, see how she's doing."

"She did mention thee to us quite fondly," Didymus offered. "With all happening, thy visitation may bring some joy."

"Then it's time to stop hiding!" Once more the vines emerged from Tangle's branches, curling themselves around nearby trees. "I'll visit her at once—oh, she'll love this—and see what I can do! Good luck to you three—yes, good luck indeed—and be careful out there!"

The trio of adventurers bid the sentient rose bush farewell, watching in silence as they began to swing back through the forest and disappear into black and white. Once Tangle was lost in the trees, Hoggle let out a laugh. "Chased by a bush," he muttered in disbelief. "Maybe I'm getting too old for adventures after all."

Sunset brought with it shadow, as far-off mountains reached with jagged fingers to the ombre sky. Out from the tangle of trees hours later, the territory of the Labyrinth stretched without end, becoming a springy heath under Sarah's feet. Amid the sticklike shrubs, Sarah could almost imagine herself in a Victorian novel, with perhaps a brooding Goblin King upon the makeshift moor. "He'd fit right into a Bronte novel," she muttered to herself, wincing as her feet ached. "Or maybe Hardy. No, definitely Hardy." Teaching elementary school gave her little time to read for pleasure, and in a moment of selfishness she thought about the books in her apartment she had been looking forward to reading over the summer. Her reading list would now have to wait.

There's always the book, her conscience reminded.

She glanced down at the cover, brushing a thumb against the worn leather. Up until that morning, she hadn't read the book in seven years. The story had all but faded from recent memory, in her most successful attempt to exorcise her past. As always, there came the urge to throw it as far as she could, followed closely by the resignation that it would only return to her side. As far as karma went, this one was shit.

"Sarah?"

"Hmm?" Sarah glanced up at the sound of her own name, to see Sir Didymus and Hoggle had stopped to stare at her. Even Ambrosius looked concerned, as he nudged her hand with his cold, wet nose. "Oh, sorry. I got a little lost in thought there. Are we stopping for the night?"

"Aye, rest will do us good," said Didymus as he dismounted the sheepdog. "I should have packed blankets and nourishment for us."

"Where?"

"Why, in here!" With a flourish, Sir Didymus reached into one of the pouches of his saddlebag, rooted around, and pulled a gray blanket much larger than both himself and the space it came from. Sarah, mouth agog, felt like she just saw a magician pull a rabbit out of a hat, especially when Didymus let out a laugh at her expression. "Thou art surprised by my gift. 'Twas imparted on me and enchanted by His Majesty a few years ago, for my dedication to knighthood."

Hoggle grumbled as he assisted Sir Didymus in pulling out further blankets from the seemingly bottomless compartment. "Yeah yeah, that rat rewarded all of us. Doesn't make up for all the shifty things he's done. Why you and Ludo still listen to him is beyond me."

"Wait, hold on a second." Sarah peered into the bag, but saw nothing but shadow. "You're saying that Jareth made this? I thought he hated you for helping me!"

The knight and dwarf gave each other a silent look. "Well, my lady," Didymus began with uncertainty, "he was certainly angry at first, but His Majesty...well..."

"He got over it," Hoggle finished. "He moved on, and so did we." He shrugged, and handed Sarah a metal tin from the pouch. "This is probably chicken. Never seen any meal come out from this thing that wasn't chicken."

It was in fact, as Sarah opened the tin to check, chicken. The warm meal offset the chill in the surrounding air, broken eventually by a fire Hoggle cobbled together as the three settled into their makeshift campsite. As they ate their chicken dinners, Sarah listened and laughed as her friends told her about the past seven years, years filled with adventures across the Underground to document the changes of the land. To her relief, their earlier bickering over roses and thorns smoothed over as they mentioned traveling with Ludo, both of them burying the hatchet to revel in their long-lasting friendship. Soon though, conversation died down as Didymus yawned, displaying a mouthful of pointed canine teeth. "Well, my friends," he sighed, "I am in need of rest after the day we had. Who knew that a rosebush could cause such exhaustion."

"I haven't run that hard since high school." Sarah stretched, feeling the ache in her muscles that rivaled her occasional post-workout ache. "Thank goodness it was Tangle, or else we might've been in real trouble."

"That reminds me—my lady, how didst thou know that they were friend, and not foe?"

She thought for a moment, recalling the scene of Hoggle prone on the forest floor. "Well, honestly, I wasn't sure. Something people keep telling me is that the Labyrinth is not what it seems—I learned that the hard way the last time I came here. But if I was right, then we were running from someone who could help us, and if I was wrong..."

Silence, if only for a moment. "Thou has a good heart, my lady," Didymus conceded. "Thy ability to befriend helped thee before, and I believe it will help thee once more." His dark eyes glowed in the light of the fire, as he gazed at the book in her hands. "We both rush to action, but perhaps I could learn from thee to find other answers than simply fight or flight. It may be valuable if we encounter that fiend mentioned by Tangle."

"That's what bothering me," Hoggle said. "You and I never came across any kind of creature on our travels, although we stayed away from most of the newer Labyrinth portions. I'm not sure what Tangle even saw, but it must've been something frightening."

Sarah spoke up from petting Ambrosius. "

The sun had long disappeared from the orange sky, and the Labyrinth became bathed in darkness. While Sir Didymus bid his companions goodnight, Sarah took the opportunity to wander a few feet from the campsite, gazing out at the heath beyond as she took a seat on the ground. The sky above held no stars within its dark embrace, nor a sliver of the moon she saw in her dream. Such a lack of heavenly bodies unnerved her, and at the sight, she yearned to just be home once more. Only the dim light of the fire lit her way, drawing her attention once again to the book in her arms. Sighing, she flipped through the pages halfheartedly, but paused once she reached the final words of the story to brush her fingers across the raised text. The girl returned home with her brother, and all was well once more.

But there were still more pages left in the book.

Even after seven years, she knew how it should end, with all well and only the back cover left to turn. There had never been pages after those final words, and as she thumbed through the dozen extra pages, Sarah found them to be utterly blank. No words graced the paper, no images illuminated what their function could possibly be. Confused, she flipped them until she arrived at the end of the volume, then went back to the first blank page and flipped through once more to the back. There was nothing different in this reading compared to the first, and she would have wondered what it meant had she not heard footsteps behind her and shut the book once more.

Hoggle came to sit beside her, groaning as his joints popped with the act of motion. "The chill in the air sure does wonders for my back," he muttered.

Sarah stifled a laugh. "Oh come on Hoggle, you're not that old. At least I don't think you are...how old are you anyway?"

"That's my secret to keep," came his sly reply, before the two gazed out into what little landscape could be seen in the firelight. The dwarf at her side cleared his throat. "I, uh, wanted to thank you for today. Was sure we were going to be toast there, especially when you swooped in. You got lucky this time, Sarah."

"Even if there had been danger, I would've done the same thing."

"Oh, I know that," Hoggle grunted, punctuating his words with a brief, hacking laugh. "Didymus is right about you having a good heart, but you gotta be careful. A big heart can be a weakness, just as much as me being a coward is a weakness."

"My therapist told me once that weaknesses are just stepping stones to strengths. You just need to learn how to change yourself for the better."

Hearing his scoff, Sarah frowned. "What? I thought it was good advice!"

"Sure, sure. But not everyone is able to change themselves as easily as you."

The fire crackled behind her, and a stray ember floated across her vision like a comet staining the sky. "It's not easy, but it was necessary. You can't go back to being the same teenager after going on a quest to rescue a sibling from some glittery son-of-a-bitch. I didn't want to be that person anymore, so I gave her up and moved on with my life. Sometimes you have to leave part of you behind to grow up."

"Change is hard," Hoggle said, his eyes fixed upon the expanse of gorse before them. "All my life I've done the same thing day after day. I've watched runners come and go, and I've watched them all fail. You're different, Sarah—knew it from the moment you handed me that bracelet. The others, they took their lumps and that was that, but you fought tooth and nail to turn everything upside down."

Sarah brought her knees up to her chin, curling into herself in the only form of retreat possible. "I just wanted to bring Toby home, but I think I left my childhood behind when...well, when I rejected what Jareth offered." She laughed softly, although she could not find her words funny. "If anything, this place changed me much more than I changed it."

"You've changed all of us, missy, not just yourself—but I think deep down, you're still the same old stubborn brat."

"You're still the same fairy-killing coward."

They chucked at that, remembering how they had first met all those years ago. A comfortable silence settled itself between them, until Hoggle murmured, "Can you promise me something, Sarah?"

"I can try."

His silence stretched out, to the point where Sarah looked over to watch him struggle for words. Hoggle kept his eyes on the distant shadows. "Promise me that...whatever happens, whatever we get into here, you don't end up like him."

There was no need for the dwarf to clarify who he meant, as he raised himself to his feet and padded back to their camp. Sarah let him, lost in the crevices of her mind, fixated on owls wings and mismatched eyes.

Was that the danger that awaited her here-a future as a glittery nightmare?

No, there's no way I'd end up like Jareth, she thought as she made her way back to the others, finding Hoggle and Sir Didymus curled up around Ambrosius in their blankets. All three were snoring softly as she settled in, but as the night wore on, sleep eluded her grasp. No matter how she tossed and turned, there was no escaping the echo of Hoggle's words, nor the promise of dreams to come. When the sun broke apart the darkness of the night, the only things she gained were the sharp pains of a headache, bags under her eyes, and the growing realization that she could once again be in over her head.

Tangle is probably my favorite character in Labyrinth: Coronation. They're so shy but feisty, so I just had to include a cameo at some point...the only issues is their dialogue is ridiculously hard to write in a non-visual setting. How am I supposed to convey that their speech is interlaced with gentle asides and whispered confusions? This was the best I could do, and I'm rolling with it. Plus, this chapter title gave me the chance to use part of one of my favorite quotes, which is always fun.

The good news is that I've finished my thesis! It's submitted to my committee, so now it's just a waiting game to see if they like it or not. The bad news, as of this lovely March 2020 update, is that I'm stuck inside due to the pandemic sweeping the globe, and all of my grad classes are online now! They also cancelled graduation...yay. It's a tough and stressful time right now, which is why I rushed this update a bit to get something out there in the midst of everyone being stuck in their homes. I had no time to get this to a beta reader, so I apologize for the lack of quality compared to my usual updates. Working under stress with a health condition that'll kill me if I get the virus is really detrimental to creativity. With my schedule being so uncertain, I'm not really sure when I'll get the next update out, but I'll aim to get it released no later than April, before I start writing final papers. May all my readers stay safe and healthy in these uncertain days.

Until next time.