Labyrinth: The Second Journey, Part 4
Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth. Everyone knows that, and we're all okay with it,
right?
Rating: PG
A/N: Okay, this is where some of the new Labyrinth stuff comes in. I might skip a few
things in the process, but that's okay, right?
Jareth pulled out another crystal from under his black cape and held it out for
Sarah to look at it. She saw Toby walking through the maze, often going around in
circles. "He's like a lab rat."
Jareth remained silent. The two of them watched as the Labyrinth shifted around
him, and he was eventually caught in a dead end. Toby sulked and looked up at the
walls. The rusty wheels in his head began to turn a little, and he started to climb up them.
A yellow ooze flowed out from the mortar, which made his hands slippery. He fell on
him bum with a thud, and angrily started cursing the wall. He tried another one, but the
same thing happened, and all he got out of it was a bruised bum.
Then he turned around, and there were a series of stepping stones going across a
chasm. The stones just floated there, as if they defied gravity. He studied them carefully
and discovered that there were letters on them. He heard the sound of stone grating
against stone, and he whirled around to find a stone engraving on the wall of the dead
end. It read:
Is the cruelest person,
Is the kindest person,
Harsh words sprout good intentions,
She, who this puzzle mentions.
"What?" Toby was never good at riddles. The description did seem a little
familiar, though. Who was it?
"It's me, isn't it?" said Sarah to Jareth.
"Yes, but it is from his original point of view, as well as yours. I know that you
are really kind at heart, but you can be cruel."
"Am I really that bad?" Sarah looked away from the crystal and into Jareth's
eyes.
"Sometimes," he said, putting an arm around her shoulder. She flinched, but then
relaxed. "Sometimes." They both stared at the crystal again. "Don't be too hard on
yourself. The opinions of others don't dictate who you really are. Remember that."
He lifted a gloved hand to stroke her hair, but then changed his mind and took his
glove off first. Again, Sarah tensed under his touch, but she wasn't used to Jareth being
that caring. She rested her head against his shoulder, and they continued to watch Toby's
struggles.
/Cruel and kind./ It wasn't quite ringing a bell. /Oh, just forget it./ He turned to
the chasm and took a jump towards a stone with an "N" on it. Suddenly, the stone gave
way and began to drop. Toby reacted quickly by pushing off and grabbing onto the next
stepping stone, which happened to have an "S" on it. He managed to climb up on it. The
rest was pure luck. He jumped from the "S" to the "A", "R", "A", and "H".
"You helped him didn't you? You cheated!"
"No! I'm just as amazed as you are. His luck is unbelievable."
"Are you sure it was luck?" Sarah turned to face him again.
"What do you mean?"
"When he was younger… when I first told him about the Labyrinth…"
"Yes?" Jareth looked intently into her eyes. "Keep going."
"He thought that… maybe… he still had the Goblin Magic, or a trace of it."
Jareth's face reflected shock and disbelief. "That's impossible. The Magic is
supposed to leave if the person who sent them in solves the Labyrinth. Have you seen
any evidence of it?"
"Come to think of it, he's always had a lot of agility. Once, he tried to climb up
his bedroom wall, and I swear that he almost stuck for a while."
"Well, maybe it's because you're the only one who actually made it through the
Labyrinth. I suppose that it didn't work."
"You've made mistakes in your magic?"
"Sarah," said the soft, accented voice. "Just because I'm king of a whole race of
people and have Magical powers, I make mistakes. I know you've made some."
"Yes, I have, and I want to make at least one of them right. Now." She caught
him off balance by giving him a hug. No one would have ever expected her to do
something so spontaneous, least of all Jareth. He was so surprised that he dropped the
crystal. It bounced lightly and rolled off to one side. Jareth simply blinked and hugged
her back.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth. Everyone knows that, and we're all okay with it,
right?
Rating: PG
A/N: Okay, this is where some of the new Labyrinth stuff comes in. I might skip a few
things in the process, but that's okay, right?
Jareth pulled out another crystal from under his black cape and held it out for
Sarah to look at it. She saw Toby walking through the maze, often going around in
circles. "He's like a lab rat."
Jareth remained silent. The two of them watched as the Labyrinth shifted around
him, and he was eventually caught in a dead end. Toby sulked and looked up at the
walls. The rusty wheels in his head began to turn a little, and he started to climb up them.
A yellow ooze flowed out from the mortar, which made his hands slippery. He fell on
him bum with a thud, and angrily started cursing the wall. He tried another one, but the
same thing happened, and all he got out of it was a bruised bum.
Then he turned around, and there were a series of stepping stones going across a
chasm. The stones just floated there, as if they defied gravity. He studied them carefully
and discovered that there were letters on them. He heard the sound of stone grating
against stone, and he whirled around to find a stone engraving on the wall of the dead
end. It read:
Is the cruelest person,
Is the kindest person,
Harsh words sprout good intentions,
She, who this puzzle mentions.
"What?" Toby was never good at riddles. The description did seem a little
familiar, though. Who was it?
"It's me, isn't it?" said Sarah to Jareth.
"Yes, but it is from his original point of view, as well as yours. I know that you
are really kind at heart, but you can be cruel."
"Am I really that bad?" Sarah looked away from the crystal and into Jareth's
eyes.
"Sometimes," he said, putting an arm around her shoulder. She flinched, but then
relaxed. "Sometimes." They both stared at the crystal again. "Don't be too hard on
yourself. The opinions of others don't dictate who you really are. Remember that."
He lifted a gloved hand to stroke her hair, but then changed his mind and took his
glove off first. Again, Sarah tensed under his touch, but she wasn't used to Jareth being
that caring. She rested her head against his shoulder, and they continued to watch Toby's
struggles.
/Cruel and kind./ It wasn't quite ringing a bell. /Oh, just forget it./ He turned to
the chasm and took a jump towards a stone with an "N" on it. Suddenly, the stone gave
way and began to drop. Toby reacted quickly by pushing off and grabbing onto the next
stepping stone, which happened to have an "S" on it. He managed to climb up on it. The
rest was pure luck. He jumped from the "S" to the "A", "R", "A", and "H".
"You helped him didn't you? You cheated!"
"No! I'm just as amazed as you are. His luck is unbelievable."
"Are you sure it was luck?" Sarah turned to face him again.
"What do you mean?"
"When he was younger… when I first told him about the Labyrinth…"
"Yes?" Jareth looked intently into her eyes. "Keep going."
"He thought that… maybe… he still had the Goblin Magic, or a trace of it."
Jareth's face reflected shock and disbelief. "That's impossible. The Magic is
supposed to leave if the person who sent them in solves the Labyrinth. Have you seen
any evidence of it?"
"Come to think of it, he's always had a lot of agility. Once, he tried to climb up
his bedroom wall, and I swear that he almost stuck for a while."
"Well, maybe it's because you're the only one who actually made it through the
Labyrinth. I suppose that it didn't work."
"You've made mistakes in your magic?"
"Sarah," said the soft, accented voice. "Just because I'm king of a whole race of
people and have Magical powers, I make mistakes. I know you've made some."
"Yes, I have, and I want to make at least one of them right. Now." She caught
him off balance by giving him a hug. No one would have ever expected her to do
something so spontaneous, least of all Jareth. He was so surprised that he dropped the
crystal. It bounced lightly and rolled off to one side. Jareth simply blinked and hugged
her back.