(AN) Author's Notes: Hi there everyone. I know it's a little bit early maybe to some that I'm updating again so soon I'm trying to be as patient as I can I was hoping to hear more feedback on this story but it's still new in its infancy. I'm happy that I am at least getting some favourites and add-on alerts since there have been many watchers who have been watching my account for the past few years and have been wondering if I've been permanently MIA/inactive which is not the case. But I do hope more comments and criticism will be posted me and my co-partner do want to hear your thoughts on the story thus far. Trust me I have quite a number of chapters left to update that have been completed since the first two were posted. Both I and my co-partner would very much like to see how the activity is going with this story so far and get your responses back on whether there's something we're looking forward to. We are open and tolerant to constructive criticism from the readers/commenters. So as promised here is chapter three enjoy!

Disclaimer: All copyright rights to Labyrinth 1986 musical fantasy film directed/created by Jim Henson, Dennis Lee with George Lucas as executive producer. Based on conceptual designs by Brian Froud, the film was written by Terry Jones. I also need to give credit and thanks to my new co-partner ElauraGrave who is helping me get this story off the ground so soon. All original characters AKA (OC's) belong to me © authoress smcandy I don't want to see anyone rip off/steal or take any of my original characters major to minor without my exclusive permission otherwise there will be consequences.

Warning: The reading of this story will go probably up from rated T to rated M later for mature scenes and scenarios and for mature audiences. This story is not meant for adolescents or children under the specific age of 16. To all parents out there who are not monitoring their children what they read or do not have certain child block programs put up on their computer use publicly do not hold me accountable for what they find or read on the internet if they lie about their age. They should not be reading stories or content that are not in their proper age group. Do not seek to point blame at me when I give a warning of what the rating of the story is for the age group of readers. Readers you have been warned I do not want to be flamed or reported by your parents for your actions of reading material that was not meant for your eyes until you are appropriate to age!

Chapter 3: You are cordially invited.

The envelope in Sarah's hand felt heavy with the weight of what it could contain. Were her friends alright? Why were they contacting her this way rather than just talking to her? She had never received a letter from them before. Could Ludo even write?

The paper was thick and weathered parchment. On the front of the envelope, her name was penned in a beautiful script that could've been straight out of one of Professor Matherton medieval texts. She ran her fingers over the fine, cursive print. Delicately and ever so gently, she pried the thick, wax seal away from the paper. Her heart was racing. The expectation of Hoggle's sweet chiding or Didymus' elaborate, tall tales was almost too much to bear. She quickly but carefully extracted the enclosed letter. The look of worry and anticipation she wore quickly turned into disgust.

In the same, neat penmanship, read,

"Dearest Sarah,

You are cordially invited…"

The disgust on her face turned to anger. The lovely, medieval cursive hid the darkness behind the identity of the writer. Her eyes skimmed most of the remaining contents of what was written, but she was too angry to finish reading it; this was not from her friends. Only one person she knew would speak so pompously, write so patronizingly. She threw the letter down on her vanity and slipped her backpack onto her shoulder. Sarah dashed out of her bedroom, scrambled down the stairs, and burst through the front door like a flash of lightning tearing itself through the sky. She grabbed her bike and headed towards the library; she knew what she had to do, she just had to figure out how. Her disgust and rage-fueled her as she pedalled at a reckless speed along the main road. The cars whizzed past in a blur of light and colour. When she arrived at the library, she ran inside without even chaining up her bike. She had enough control to regain some composure as she approached the front desk.

"Could you please direct me to the oldest texts on faery realms and accounts of traveling between their realm and ours," she asked, still panting from her bike-ride. "Please," she quickly added, remembering her manners. The kindly, old librarian pulled her reading glasses down her beak-like nose to get a better look at Sarah. "That reading's a bit heavy for a young girl like you, isn't it?"

Sarah had no time for this, but she wouldn't let her impatience get the best of her. "Yep," she answered, worrying her frustration would show if she spoke too much. "It's all the way in the back. Not many folks besides your professor friend go back there." The librarian finished directing Sarah to the shelves that held the information she needed, and Sarah briskly shuffled off to do her research.

There were, to Sarah's dismay, fewer books than she had hoped, but they were thick, dusty tomes that were saturated with knowledge and supposed accounts of wandering into the faery realm. She dug in, hoping she could find anything to help her navigate the realms. "Yet again I find you reading about the fair folk," came a voice from behind her. "What have you got your hands on now?"

Sarah turned to see Harold Matherton standing there, pocket protector and all. "Oh Professor Matherton, I'm so glad you're here!" Sarah restrained herself from hugging the man; maybe he could help her. She continued, "I was wondering if you knew…well, theoretically, if someone wanted to travel to fairyland, and one didn't want to get stuck there forever, do you know what I—someone—would have to do? Theoretically." Sarah could tell she wasn't making much sense, but she did her best to keep her voice from shaking and worrying the man.

Harold looked more amused than worried. "Theoretically, huh?" Sarah nodded.

"Well," the professor went on, "fairy rings are hard to find, but they're out there. They're said to be one-way journeys, though. 'One' could always fall into limpid pools deep within the forest over and over again until they find one that's a portal; that'd be a two-way journey, under the right circumstances. Of course, if you eat their food while you're there, it's said you'll be stuck there forever."

Sarah thought back to that awful peach and was glad that wasn't true—or at least, she was glad she had found a loophole. "And wishing would get you stuck there," Sarah added. Harold eyed her curiously.

"Yes…that much is true. Smart girl. But if one were to use a spell that would have no caveats for being a one-way trip."

"Great!" Sarah yelled.

"Sssssh," came a warning from behind the bookshelves. Sarah blushed. "I mean, that'd be good." "Theoretically," Harold added with a wink. Sarah forgot the seriousness of the moment and let out a chuckle. "Theoretically." The task at hand returned to her mind. She still had so many questions and not enough answers. As if reading her mind, Harold spoke.

"You're a bright girl, Sarah." He drew his wallet out of his pocket. "Take my business card. You'll see the department secretary's contact information there as well. Our departments can offer several degrees in history and literature—cryptozoology even. If you would like to major in, say, History of Faery and Faye Legends, or Seventeenth Century Fantasy Literature, as a few examples, I could see you studying at Harvard. Or Boston, if you like. Both are good schools with really fantastic environments. Think it over, and if you have any more questions, send our secretary an email or a call, and she'll pass your question along to the person who can best answer it."

"Thanks, Professor Matherton," Sarah said with a grateful handshake. After Harold left her to her research, Sarah scribbled as much information into her notebook as she could. Anything she found useful to a possible journey to and from the Underground was taken down in rushed yet direct scrawling. Sarah knew she couldn't spend all night at the library and left the building with purpose and determination in her gait. As she mounted her bike, she noticed the sky had darkened with thick, gray clouds. When she looked up, a gust of wind nearly knocked her off her bike. She hurried home, hoping she could beat any rain that might fall. Sarah was reminded of that fateful night she wished Toby away. The sky had been exactly the same as a storm that appeared out of nowhere. Even as the trees whipped back and forth, she ignored the possible danger and continued home, grateful to have the professor as a contact and grateful for the books she had read. When Sarah arrived home, she ran up the stairs without even taking her shoes off. She shut her bedroom door behind her and leaned back against it, the reality that she had another adventure ahead of her sinking in. Her breath caught in her throat as she slowly slid to sitting on the floor; what should she do next?

There was no time for indecision. She pulled her notebook out of her backpack and began to strategize, jotting down a quick list of things she might need. She had no clue how long she would be away, assuming her trip to the Labyrinth even worked. When she couldn't think of anything else, she knew she should take a shower; Sarah had never been to a proper bathroom in the Labyrinth, and didn't want to think about what a goblin shower might look like—if goblins even showered. As Sarah pulled her shirt over her head, she realized how tense her shoulders felt. The hot water was welcome and washed away some of the stress, if only briefly. Sarah didn't know if she would have such simple pleasures underground. She relished the soft, fluffy touch of their bath towels as she wiped water droplets from her skin; Sarah used to secretly make fun of Irene for having such frou-frou towels embroidered with "Williams," but now she was happy for plush cotton and good quality. Sarah had chosen a power outfit for her upcoming adventure; she layered a pastel one-piece pink dress (with roomy enough pockets) over a white, peasant-style blouse. She smirked to herself remembering her first trip to the Labyrinth; she had conveniently looked the part of a daring heroine—she was glad she hadn't been caught in her pyjamas. She hadn't been chilly or too hot last time in her jeans, so she decided to pull on a pair of black leggings. Sensible brown clogs were a perfect choice for running the Labyrinth—though this time, she wouldn't be running against the clock. She snapped a gold barrette into her hair as the final touch and returned to her bedroom.

Sarah pulled an old but durable backpack from the back of her closet. It was worn from the many summers spent at day camp but reliable. Down in the kitchen, she grabbed as many non-perishables as would feed her for twenty-four hours; cans of beans, granola bars, plastic snack cups of fruits, and two water bottles. Her parents didn't question it when they saw her hurriedly schlep a full backpack upstairs. Irene gave Robert a doubtful look.

"What?" he asked, unworried. "A small camp outing could be good for her. It's probably just a phase anyway." Irene said nothing and they remained seated at the dinner table. Robert took another sip of his coffee and looked out the window. Dark clouds saturated the sky; maybe he should worry with a storm brewing. "I'm going to pull the car into the garage. Can't have that wind-blowing tree branches down onto it. We probably left some of Toby's toys out too."

Sarah had already locked her bedroom door behind her. Her notebook full of notes and some pencils were stuffed into the backpack along with a flashlight and some bandages. Would she need extra clothes? No, definitely not. She would make sure this trip was shorter than the last one; she didn't plan on spending thirteen hours there this time. She was happy she hadn't gotten rid of any of her costume jewelry; handfuls of plastic baubles and glass gems were quickly shoved into a little velvet pouch she hung over her neck; she figured she might need something with which to barter. Food, water, other stuff, notes, things to trade with—check, check, check, and double-check.

Sarah took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She had finished packing. All that was missing was one last thing…

She held up the letter, prepared to read it.

It was from him. The goblin king had made contact, and he gave her an ultimatum:

If you wish to see those insufferable "friends" of yours ever again, and if you wish to find out what is going on between my world and yours, you must follow the exact instructions included in this letter:

Before continuing, Sarah realized she still had another important task to complete. She sat down at her vanity, tore a blank page from her diary hidden in one of the drawers, and penned a letter to her father and Irene. She didn't know how she could ever explain herself to them, but if she told them the truth of where she was going—though she doubted they would believe it. She assured them she hadn't been kidnapped or run away; she would be back soon, and—above all—not to call the police. "I know you probably won't believe me," she finished the letter, "but I am safe and I will return as quickly as I can." She quickly added, "I love you both. Please give Toby extra hugs and kisses for me. Sarah." It seemed so unsatisfactory compared to the gravity of the situation. She had to return to the Labyrinth.

There was no way she would live the rest of her life with the goblin king interfering—she was almost a grown woman, and he would not be controlling her choices for the rest of eternity. And why had he decided to interfere now? Plus, her friends could be in danger; she tried not to let her imagination run away from her. Maybe he was just keeping them apart from each other rather than keeping them in an oubliette somewhere. Sarah taped the note onto the back of her door, happy that her father hadn't followed her upstairs to question her actions. She took the letter in hand again, prepared now to read what she had to do. The weather outside had grown fierce, and a torrential downpour, not unlike that fearful night one short year ago, rained down from the heavens. It was as if the sky and nature itself had acknowledged what was about to happen like it was preparing itself against the magic about to take place.

Jareth penned that the doorway between their worlds was open and that the enclosed spell would let her travel between the worlds without wishing. Sarah was glad she didn't have to say those dreaded words; she would not trap herself there again. This time, she was on her own, and she couldn't risk a wish-granting her a trip that didn't include a return. Sarah picked up her backpack and wore it like armour; she was ready. She stepped away from her vanity and turned towards the floor-length mirror on the other side of the room. With nothing but determination in her voice, she recited the spell written on the paper before her:

To the land of the Underground wonderful and vast, its crystal moon in the sky with bright glow cast.

In the wonderment of the Otherworld is where I want to be. Please send me there and hear my plea.

Send me to the realm of the Otherworld and of the fae, to the realm of wonder and magic which lay.

To where I want to be, to where I want to go. Send me there immediately to and fro.

His majesty in the realm of the goblin kingdom is who I want to see. In all his wonder the mysterious ruler, his majesty.

He who rules the kingdom of the Underground is who I want to see. I beg for an audience to see his majesty."

Not even a second passed before Sarah's mirror started to glow with a bright, white light. Sarah braced herself; nothing happened. "Maybe I have to be like Alice…" she said out loud. She remembered how Alice returned to Wonderland in Alice through the Looking Glass, and wondered if, like the Labyrinth, Wonderland was also real. Sarah gulped. Her heart felt like it was in her throat as she held up her hand to the mirror.

Her hand fell through the light as if there had never been a mirror there as if it really were a doorway—only you couldn't see where this doorway led. Without a second thought, Sarah stepped through the mirror and was completely engulfed in white light.

"Sarah," came Irene's voice with a knock on the door. "Is everything all right?"

(AN) Author's Notes: The first version of the so-called made-up spell wasn't as good as the one that I created this had to be patented and revised by my co-partner ElauraGrave. My co-partner was able to tweak it and make it a little bit better. All in all the so-called made-up spell to call and go forth to the Goblin King was what I made up when it comes to spells Rhymes songs and poems they are not my strong point in literature and never have been. It's like if you're trying to become a songwriter you have to know what you're good at. A song the same way when you read a song or make a song usually has to rhyme. I wanted Sarah to have something different and more appropriate because she wants to go to the underground but doesn't want to say the words I wish she knows if she does it's a one-way ticket. There will be nobody to help or run the Labyrinth on her behalf and by the time the clock strikes thirteen it's quite obvious who would win this wager. Whether or not Sarah would have become a goblin I don't think the king would not have the heart to turn her into one if he's so in love with her as a lot of fans have said.

The point being is that I have seen too many stories here on that show Sarah saying the same iconic cliché words that were similar to the ones she said inadvertently when she wishes by accident her baby brother Toby away. Normally when Sarah accidentally wishes herself away in these other stories I read they usually go on like this the same old repeated cliché lines;

"I wish the Goblins would come and take me away right now" or" I wish the Goblin King would come and take me away right now"

Normally when Sarah does say these cliché but well-known fan fiction made-up words it's usually by accident under duress or influence or she is of not a right mind and body whether it's fatigue or alcohol you name it. Other times usually the Goblin King has more freedom going back and forth to the underground and the human world without even needing to transform into his barn owl form. In he sometimes kidnaps Sarah by force or was her away when she was asleep. I wanted to be more appropriate in accordance to the universe and laws of the movie more or less. This so far was the best I could come up with. As to whether or not I will say for the moment if Sarah can return back to her world I'm not ^^

When we get further into the story and its plot it'll be up to you guys whether or not to judge. Remember another key important thing that Sarah's ever learnt in the movie is the way of life is not always fair she needs not to take everything for granted and not everything is as it seems. So regardless of what might be happening or what might be expected of Sarah not be deceived by what is happening. I will not say whether or not for the time being whether Sarah will be allowed home she will get a temporary ticket but whether or not it will be permanent at the end of the story we haven't gotten that far yet but like I said I don't want to deny or confirm anything that hasn't been produced or made yet for the story and since we are only in the third chapter of this story there's still a long way to go before we get even 50% deep into the stories plot line itself.

The reason why Sarah is taking a backpack is quite obvious Sarah does not know how long she will be gone she hopes/expects to be gone not too long which will worry her family obviously given the time that went through the movie when Sarah was in The Labyrinth to when the Clock Struck midnight time does not apply the same to the human world. Sarah doesn't want to go hungry she hasn't forgotten the effects of when she ate that peach that was enchanted by Jareth. She wants to take some of her costume jewellery with her because she might need it to bargain or pay her way to somebody there. Remember what she did when she gave her plastic bracelet to Hoggle and her ring to the wise man for his advice? From what I can tell you this Sarah doesn't know what to expect but hopes she'll get some answers. That's why she had to do some homework or last-minute research homework before she went back to reread the spell at home.

That's all I'm going to say right now I hope everyone enjoys chapter three. Please look forward to another update coming soon the plot will thicken although quite slowly at the beginning.

TTFN.

Authoress smcandy