Title: When Words Aren't Enough (Chapter 2 - A Power Awakened)
Author: Amber
Distribution: Email me first (Arrilyn@hotmail.com), but other than that, all I ask is that my name and email addy be left attached!
Disclaimer: Labyrinth and all its characters belong to Jim Henson and Lucasfilm(s?).. I own nothing, and I'm not looking to get any profit from this story! The only characters that belong to me are Hetta and Rilum! Oh yeah, and those demon monsters. ;)
Summary: This story is a sequel to 'Say the Words'...it happens about seven years after Sarah left the Underground, and we see that Sarah has become quite a different person!
A/N: I know, it has taken me FOREVER to get this part out! Blame it on writer's block (that, and the fact that I'm a little peeved at the fact that stories with new chapters don't get scrolled back to the top of the list...now how is anyone supposed to know when a new part is added?



Chapter Two: A Power Awakened


How to stop them...

Sarah stared ahead into the darkness, her knees drawn up to her chin and her arms wrapped securely around her legs. She had decided to take refuge with Hetta for a little while until she could figure out a plan, but even after what seemed like an hour, she was no closer to an idea than she had been when she first started. The old Sarah would have been thrilled at this challenge; in fact, she probably would have already come up with a solution. But the new Sarah didn't even know where to begin.

"Oh, it's no use, Hetta!" she said in frustration. A tiny sound across from her was the only signal that the goblin woman was still there. "I don't know how I'm supposed to stop those things! Unless Jareth would let me go back to my world and get some different weapons…"

"What use are your weapons in a world of magic?" Hetta pointed out. "And keep your voice down; who knows what's lurking in this cavern."

The tunnel that Sarah had entered, she discovered, was actually a series of interlocking chambers, none of which were very big. However, each cavern housed a series of small creatures of the Underground, all of them hiding from this new terror stalking their land. None of them knew that Sarah was the only person who could save them, which both relieved and troubled her. On the one hand, she wasn't under any more pressure from all the creatures looking to her for protection; but on the other hand, not having any hopes to cling to was probably putting them in a worse state than they already were.

"Well, do you have any advice to give me?" Sarah's patience was coming to an end. If Hetta couldn't help her any more than she was helping herself, then there was no use in being here!

"No. I told you, this is up to you. You're an adult now, Sarah. You don't need people to make decisions for you."

Those words sounded so familiar that it was startling. I've grown up, Jareth… "I can't stay here, then. Maybe I'll think better on my feet." And I know right where I'm going, too. "Do you want to come with me, or are you going to stay here?"

"You think I'm going out there? I'm an old woman. What chance do I have if one of those…things comes after me?"

"Suit yourself. But if one of them comes in here, you won't have much of a chance, either." The lamp quickly flared to life, and Hetta scrambled to her feet, saying nonchalantly that Sarah was right. Sarah just smiled and turned to leave the cavern. "Hetta?" she asked suddenly, turning around again. "Where's Rilum?"

Hetta's frown held a measure of pain in it. "Went off with the other goblins to fight. He's only a little boy, and I tried to force him to come with me, but he wouldn't listen. And then that blasted sergeant came by and said that the boy would make a perfect messenger. Sometimes I think goblins are the most dull-witted creatures in the Underground!"

Sarah slipped an arm around the old woman's shoulders and squeezed delicately. "We'll get him back. I'm not sure how yet, but nothing will happen to him." Oh, I wish for him to be alright!…



Somewhere within the Labyrinth, a loud clap was heard, a sound similar to that of an object flying faster than sound. And where a young boy once stood receiving a message from a goblin officer, there was now only a small whirlwind of dust to mark his disappearance.

The goblin boy landed abruptly on the cold stone floor of a castle. Jareth turned from his seat at the window to look at the newcomer, and a pleased smile crossed his face. As he turned back to the window, his look became searching.

"Very good, Sarah. You're remembering…"



"I told you, Sarah! You can't get into the castle! He has it locked up tight! He wouldn't even let me inside! Told me I had to find you and tell you that you were the only one who could stop the army! Do you think he's going to let you hide in there?"

"Where's Hoggle? Why didn't Jareth make him tell me? He always made Hoggle do everything else for him…"

Hetta grunted. "My brother is hiding in that castle, along with your other friends. Not that the little one--Sir Didymus--wanted to hide from all the fighting, but Jareth won't let them out." She laughed sardonically. "Make the woman do all the work; just like a man."

"You don't sound as fond of the king as you used to be," Sarah remarked smugly. I wonder why he's keeping the rest of them in the castle…it must be because he wants me to go there!

"I'm not saying a word about that. Tease me all you want, but I'm finally seeing Jareth's true colors. And I still think it's a waste of time for you to be going to his castle when you should be trying to think of something to help!"

"I might get some ideas there that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise," Sarah explained, nearly stumbling as the tunnel suddenly started to slope upward. Daylight could be seen ahead, and even farther from that were the walls to the Goblin City. "Why, that horrid worm! He told me to go right the first time, and I ended up having to go through the entire Labyrinth! If I'd just gone left, I would have gotten to the castle in no time!"

"You also wouldn't have met your friends, and you never would have made it to your brother. Now stop complaining and hurry up! I feel nervous out in the open like this. Horrible, having to hide in shadows like a thief…"

Sarah tuned out Hetta's grumblings and strode purposefully toward the gates to the Goblin City. The doors were closed and locked, and several guards were standing alert with their spears pointed toward the strangers. "Who goes there?" one of them called out.

"Sarah. I think the king is expecting me."

"Hey, it's the girl!" drawled another one of the guards. Beneath his helmet, Sarah could see that he had a thick snout and two worn tusks curving upward out of his mouth. Small eyes glittered within the shadows created by the dented metal helmet.

"It is!" echoed the others. The first goblin stepped forward and lifted his spear as if to smack Sarah with it. She grabbed it easily and glared at him.

"Don't even think about it," she growled, leaning forward. The necklace slid out from beneath her shirt, flashing brightly, and with a whimpered "The queen!" the guard dropped his spear and ran to open the doors. The others were quick to help him.

"Very good, Sarah," Hetta commended, a sly tone in her voice. "You almost looked like a queen."

"Don't start," Sarah replied, laughing ruefully. "I'm not here to be a queen. I'm here to be a hero." She shot the goblin woman an impudent grin and continued into the city. "You don't think those things have come inside here yet, do you?"

"Wouldn't those guards have said something?"

"If the creatures came in that door, those guards wouldn't even be there right now. But what if they came in from another way?"

"Jareth made this place so that there's only a couple of places to get in. And he has all of those places guarded. If someone came through that wasn't supposed to, I think there'd be a lot more going on."

For the first time, Sarah realized just how empty the streets were. The last time she'd been to the Underground, the streets were bustling with activity. This time, she could almost imagine a lonely tumbleweed rolling across the deserted dirt street they were walking on. Nothing was moving besides them. Where was everybody? They can't all be outside the walls! Are they hiding inside Jareth's castle? Cowards!

It wasn't long before the huge doors leading into Jareth's castle were looming before the two travelers, impassible and intimidating. Despite herself, Sarah hesitated for a brief moment, but quickly calmed down and pounded as hard as she could on the unrelenting door. Not even the huge chains rattled with her effort. "Jareth!" she shouted. "Let me in! I need to talk to you!"

Nothing. Hetta had a look on her face that clearly stated "I told you so," which infuriated Sarah even further. Whether or not she was the only person who could save the Labyrinth, it didn't mean that Jareth couldn't help in some way! Instead, he had holed himself up inside that castle like a scared child, and wouldn't even allow her inside! Maybe he was scared of her!

"Are you afraid of me, Jareth? Is that it? Open these doors!" When her shouts produced nothing, she screamed and kicked angrily at the doors. "I wish I could just kick these damn doors down!"

The last thing she expected was for it to actually happen. She kicked out one last time as the last of her frustration was drained from her, and with a loud groan, the door fell in and landed heavily on the ground, raising up a cloud of dust around it. Both Sarah and Hetta stared in awe at the newly opened passage. And then Hetta was grabbing for Sarah's necklace, a panicked look in her dark eyes. Sarah didn't even have time to ask what was wrong before her head was roughly jerked downward.

"You used that power again," the goblin woman said, almost accusingly. She held the pendant close to her face and stared into the tiny crystal. The faintest silvery blues were beginning to swirl within the icy depths. "Are you feeling alright, Sarah? You're not going to…forget about reality?"

"She's fine," stated a new voice. Sarah straightened so she could glare at the Goblin King. "Thank you for destroying my door, Sarah. I was on my way down to open it for you, but since you decided to let yourself in…"

"I'm not playing your games again, Jareth," Sarah snapped. She walked across the fallen door and into the castle's throne room, which was just as gloomy as it had always been. "You told me you needed my help, so here I am. What am I supposed to do?"

"Don't you think that if I knew, I'd have done it already?"

"Now don't the two of you start up again," Hetta interrupted impatiently. "Whenever you get together, you always start fighting. We've got other things to think about, remember?"

"She's right," Jareth agreed grudgingly. "I didn't call you back just to argue with you, Sarah. I need your help."

"So you've said, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do! Do you even know where these creatures are right now?"

"Follow me." He turned and walked toward the stairs, Sarah and Hetta close on his heels. They climbed high into the castle, ascending so many steps that Hetta's short legs were beginning to give out from beneath her. In the end, Sarah had to slow her own pace to help the goblin woman.

When they finally reached the room Jareth had designated as his lookout--no wonder it took him so long to get downstairs, Sarah thought--Hetta slumped tiredly against a wall while Sarah followed Jareth over to a window. The view afforded her was perfect; she could see for miles! Granted, everything was less detailed because of how far aboveground she was, but she could see exactly where the battle was taking place. And despite the extent of her view, it was obvious that the nightmare creatures were uncomfortably close to the castle.

"How long will it take them to reach the city?" she asked, frustration rising within her again. Why couldn't this have happened when she was younger…before she gave up on her imagination?!

"A few days…a week at most," Jareth replied. "I've tried everything in my power to stop them, but they're immune to my attacks. In the end, I sent my goblins after them, but as you saw in your dream, they don't stand much of a chance."

"Was that dream real?" Sarah looked up at him in confusion. "It felt so real, but when I came here, I found out that the battle hadn't even started inside the city yet! And you were running from those things…"

"I was not running," Jareth protested indignantly. "I was trying to outwit them."

"You're changing the subject. I want to know if any of that was real."

"Partly. Most of it was a warning to you, showing you what was going to happen if the creatures weren't stopped. I would have been trapped in that room, trying to outwit them. But at the same time, that was my present self."

"I don't understand."

"The old Sarah would have."

For several minutes after that, Sarah was rendered speechless. So few words, and yet they seemed to speak volumes to her. The old Sarah would have been a lot of things: aware of the intricacies of fantasy, clever enough to devise a plot to defeat these invaders…and able to believe something was real just because she willed it to be so. She'd known all of that for years, and had always been proud of the fact that she'd so completely 'grown up.' Now, however, she finally realized the extent of what she had lost. She hadn't just grown up; she'd stopped living! Still, she'd spent years with her new self, and it was going to be hard trying to give up some of her newfound habits and beliefs.

"They are close, aren't they?" Hetta spoke up. Sarah hadn't even realized that the goblin woman had moved to the window. "I hope my poor Rilum is alright…"

"Ah, yes. Your son." Jareth flicked his eyes briefly in Sarah's direction before completely focusing on Hetta. "You'll find him in one of the rooms downstairs. I can have someone show you the way, or I can summon him up here. The choice is yours."

Hetta's mouth worked silently for a few moments, her lips trying to utter words that her voice wouldn't allow. Finally, her eyes glittering with unnatural brightness, she whispered, "He's here?"

"Of course. You have Sarah to thank for that; she's the one who wished him here."

"Wish…? Don't be stupid, Jareth!" Sarah replied quickly…a little too quickly. "People wish for things all the time, but that doesn't mean the wishes come true!"

"Other people don't have the power you have," he replied casually.

"Power? I never had any power, Jareth! You told me that…how many years ago was it? Would you like me to go back and replay it all for you?"

"That won't be necessary, but thank you for the offer. But to get back to the point, you've always had power here, ever since you put that pendant around your neck. It's a different power from mine, but just as strong. You have the power of your dreams and wishes, Sarah. Virtually anything you want can be yours. You've used that power twice since coming back to my kingdom."

To save Rilum, and to kick that door down…

"Alright, then…I wish for the monsters to disappear, and for the Labyrinth to go back to the way it was before!"

Jareth sighed and shook his head. "That won't work, because you don't believe. You have grown up, Sarah. More than perhaps you should have…"

"I know," she murmured. "But there's no use whining about it! I've got to do something now, with or without the old Sarah, so let's start thinking!"

"Finally, you've decided to talk sensibly. Hetta, since I can see you're beside yourself with worry, I will show you to your son. Sarah, I will return momentarily, and we can start looking for a solution to this problem."

After Jareth and Hetta left the room, Sarah began to pace. Whether or not she had the power of her imagination at hand, she was going to defeat those monsters. There had to be a way to do it logically! Not everything in this place worked without reason, she hoped. If only she had watched more war movies, or played games like Battleship instead of dress-up…then she'd have a better idea of what she was doing! But she was no general, and she certainly wasn't a hero, though she had joked to Hetta that that was what she was here to do. For the first time, she realized that she wanted Jareth to be able to take care of the whole situation. She'd always been annoyed at his intervenings before, but now she'd give anything for him to be the one to save them all!

"What are you talking about, Sarah?" she asked herself disgustedly. "If he saved you from your own nightmares, that would just be another thing for him to hold over your head!" She continued to grumble as she paced back and forth within the confines of the small room.

By the time Jareth returned, the tiniest beginnings of a plan had begun to form in Sarah's mind. The Goblin King noticed the cunning twinkle in her hazel eyes, and was immediately curious. "I assume you've thought of something?" he asked casually. "The only other time I've seen you looking so devious was when you mocked me in my own Labyrinth. You don't plan to do that again, I hope."

"Not unless you do something to make me," she retorted off-handedly. "I have an idea of how we can at least stall those monsters until I can think of something better. Are you willing to listen?"

Jareth threw up his hands in surrender. "I've told you already, I've run out of options. I'm willing to listen to anything you have to say."

A smile to match that cunning gleam in her eyes curved Sarah's lips.




End of this chapter! I said that the last one was chapter 2, but I'm getting mixed up because I'm writing it in parts, so this was part 3, but since part 1 was the prologue, my numbers are mixed up! Not that you really wanted to know all that, but I had to mention it anyway as an excuse for any future mixups. ;) I'm still working on the next chapter!