Title: When Words Aren't Enough (Chapter 3 - We've Got A Plan)
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: This writer's block is killing me! I don't think this part is as long as the others (though I could be wrong), but I just finished it, and I figured you might be waiting for it! Hope you enjoy it!



Chapter Three: We've Got A Plan


"Your goblins are no match to these creatures in strength," Sarah began, the visions of her first nightmare coming back to her. "Even with their armor, they don't stand a chance. But how smart are the monsters?"

If they came from your mind, Sarah, I'm sure they're brilliant, Jareth thought dourly. "Are you suggesting that my goblins outwit them?"

"I don't think I'd go that far. But all the creatures in the Labyrinth are good at tricking people, right? And most of them are pretty quick on their feet…so why don't we try to trick all these invaders? We're in your territory, after all; no one can know this kingdom better than the people who live in it! And even if those things are from my own nightmares, they can't possibly know the Labyrinth any better than I do, which isn't saying a lot. So why can't the goblins use their surroundings to their advantage?"

Jareth was quickly catching on to her plan, and he liked the sound of it. "There are oubliettes all over the Labyrinth," he said, warming quickly to her idea. "Most of my goblins know where they are, so we could try tricking some of the creatures into them…"

"Exactly! And as for the rest, maybe they could get lost in some of those passages that turn into dead ends?"

She was becoming more animated the more they discussed the plan. Suddenly, Jareth could see the vivacious young woman she'd once been, with her bright eyes and flushed cheeks. When she's not trying so hard to be an 'adult', I can't see any difference in her from the way she used to be…

"You realize this won't defeat them," he told her. He didn't want her to get her hopes up too high!

"I know. Like I said before, this is just to give me some more time to think of a better plan. If I let things go like they're going now, those monsters will be here within days! Hopefully I'll get at least a week to think…possibly more. But how can we get the message to your goblins?"

"I'll do it!" cried a voice from the doorway. Sarah turned to see Rilum running toward her. "Please? I'm their mes…mes…I tell people stuff!"

"Rilum, absolutely not," Hetta said. "You're not going back out there!"

"But Ma! They told me it was my job!" the young goblin boy protested. "I can do it!"

"Let me go with 'im." Hoggle stepped in the room, smiling first at his sister and then at Sarah, who squealed delightedly.

"Hoggle!" she exclaimed, running toward him. "I'm so glad you're okay! Where are Ludo and Sir Didymus?"

"Downstairs," he replied. "You'll see them later." Turning toward Jareth, he squared his shoulders and acquired the most determined expression that Sarah had seen from the dwarf when facing the Goblin King. "Jareth, I want to go with the boy. Nobody knows the Labyrinth better'n I do--except you, of course--and I want to help."

"Help, eh? And just how can you help us, when you don't even know our plan?"

"Jareth, stop being stubborn," Sarah scolded, placing her hands on her hips. "I think it's a good idea, and I think he should help."

"Sarah, dear, I've placed your friends inside my castle so that they don't come to any harm. I know you'd be beside yourself if anything happened to them. So I hope you understand my reluctance to let any of them go…especially Hogwart."

"You still can't remember his name?"

"Don't change the subject."

"Fine, then. But I'm the one who wants him to go, and I am the only one who can save your kingdom, right?"

She could tell by Jareth's expression that he didn't like the fact that he was depending on a young mortal woman…especially when that young mortal woman was none other than Sarah Williams. When he at last uncrossed his arms and nodded in concession, Sarah grinned and sat down next to Hoggle. He listened attentively as she told him her idea, and when she was finished, he assured her that he could help.

"I got you lost, didn't I?" he said proudly. She frowned at him. "Well, it wasn't like I had any choice! He"--a thumb was pointed at Jareth--"made me do it!"

"Hoggle, if you could please refrain from placing the blame on me, I'd be quite grateful," Jareth drawled. "Sarah and I have been getting along rather well, and I don't want that to change." Sarah chuckled and shook her head slowly, which the Goblin King took as a good sign. At least she didn't try to contradict me…

"So will you let him go?" Sarah asked. Jareth shrugged.

"It's your decision. If you want him to go, then I won't argue."

"Great! I know you'll do fine, Hoggle."

"Can I go??" Rilum demanded impatiently. His wide golden eyes sparkled with excitement. Hetta wrapped her arms protectively around him.

"I already said you can't, and no one's gonna say otherwise," she stated in a tone that brooked no argument. Her glance to the others in the room clearly conveyed that if they tried to contradict her, she'd inflict physical harm upon them all.

"Rilum, we really need you here," Sarah told him. "Do you really want to help beat the bad guys?"

"Yeah!" he exclaimed.

"Then would you stay here and help me think of a way? I just can't think of anything to stop them! I'd really, really like it if you could stay and help me."

"Well…I really wanna go, though…but I guess since you need me, I'll stay here." The goblin boy's mother mouthed the words 'Thank you', and Sarah smiled.

"Thanks, Rilum. Now, Hoggle. Those things are closer than I like, so the sooner you can get out to the goblins, the better. How long do you think it would take you to get out there?"

"Not long," the dwarf replied. "There're tunnels and shortcuts all over the place. I'll start now."

"Terrific." Sarah reached over and briefly squeezed her friend's hand. "Thank you so much, Hoggle. You don't know how much this helps."

"I think I do," he replied with a smile. And with that, he turned around and left the room. Sarah pushed herself off the floor, dusted off the back of her black pants, and walked back to the window. Her posture indicated that she was feeling determined, and Jareth smiled to himself. With her mind working as quickly as it was, she would probably be her old self in no time. Wait…do I want that?

"Okay, now that we've won ourselves a few extra days, it's time to think of how to defeat our enemies for good," she stated. Rilum wriggled out of his mother's arms and joined Sarah at the window.

"What are those things, anyway?" he asked, trying to hoist himself up onto the wide stone windowsill. "Don't they have a name?"

"I don't know," Sarah admitted, wondering why she hadn't thought of that. Trust the mind of a child to ask the 'so obvious no one thought of it' questions. "What do you think they should be called?"

"Umm…well, they're really ugly, and they're scary, too. I have bad dreams about them. Could we call 'em Bad Dreams?"

"What about 'Nightmares'?" Sarah suggested, grimly aware of how well the name fit. Rilum nodded eagerly. "Okay, then, our enemies have a name! The Nightmares!"

"Can we beat 'em now?" Rilum demanded. Everyone in the room laughed.

"We're working on that," Jareth assured.



Once out of the castle, Hoggle felt both relieving freedom and undeniable fear. True, he'd been on edge ever since Jareth locked him up inside the castle, but at least there he was safe. Now, out here in a forbidding land that had once been his home, Hoggle was afraid of being attacked by demons at any time. However, he would do just about anything for Sarah, the girl who had somehow managed to see past his selfishness and call him a friend. Though you're not much of a friend, he thought with a chuckle, remembering when Sarah had told him that after leaving the 'Wise Man'.

Had it really been so long since she'd left the Underground? Nothing had really changed after she'd gone; Jareth went back to running his kingdom with as much efficiency as ever, and he'd even forgotten about Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo. At least, that's what Hoggle had thought. It was while going about his usual business of ridding the outer wall of faeries that he suddenly came face to face with the Goblin King. Before even getting a word past his lips, he'd been snatched up and whisked away to the castle, where Ludo and Didymus were already waiting.

"I'm keeping the three of you here now," Jareth had told them with all his usual regality. "If you try to leave the castle, I'll be forced to tie you up and hang you headfirst--"

"Into the Bog of Eternal Stench," Hoggle had finished sarcastically. A small amount of courage had somehow been instilled in the dwarf ever since Sarah stood up to the Goblin King and won her own freedom. And even when Jareth had flashed a heated glare, Hoggle didn't flinch. He just wasn't afraid of the king anymore.

But of course, in the true style of the Underground, when one fear was vanquished, another took its place. Hoggle might not have been frightened of Jareth any longer, but these demons scared the wits out of him. I can't believe I said I'd do this, he grumbled mentally, pushing aside a wide stone slab so he could slip into an underground passage. I'm no hero!

He did know the Labyrinth, though--better than just about anybody, as he bragged to Jareth--and because of that fact, he knew he was the only one who could help the other goblins get rid of the enemy. Sarah better have a good plan to kill 'em, though…

The passageway was completely dark, and Hoggle wasn't sure where he'd stashed the lantern he always kept by this entranceway. Normally, he kept it in a small niche just behind the ladder, but when his small hands reached out for the object, all he met was air. Either someone had taken the lantern, or he'd misplaced it. After several minutes of fruitless searching, the dwarf finally gave a soft curse and continued walking. It wasn't long before his soft leather shoes crunched on something that sounded like broken glass.

"What the…"

"I broke it," came a sniffling voice from the darkness. Hoggle cried out in surprise and leapt back against the wall, heart pounding loudly in his chest. "I lit it up, so I could see where I was, and I started walking, but I dropped it…"

"Who're you?" Hoggle rasped at last. Why didn't I leave a spare lantern down here?

"My name's T-Toby," was the response. "I just wanted to find my sister! I don't even know how I got here! Please, Mister, help me find my sister!"

Realization dawned on Hoggle. If the boy's name was Toby, and he was looking for his sister, then that meant…"You're Sarah's brother!"

"You know where she is?" His voice sounded suddenly hopeful.

"Yeah, she's in the castle. But I can't go back there, 'cause I promised I'd get a message to the goblins. You wanna come with me?"

There was silence for a few brief moments, and then a shuffling sound as though the boy was getting to his feet. "How do I get to the castle? Can you tell me? I wanna see Sarah…"

"Nobody's allowed in. Jareth's got everything locked up tight." I won't tell him that one of the doors is knocked down…by the time he got there, it'd probably be fixed anyway. "You'll see Sarah soon enough, but why don't you come with me? It'll be fun…" If fighting monsters is fun…

"Well…I did wanna see this place," the boy admitted reluctantly. "Okay, I guess I'll go with you. Who are you, anyway? I can't see you."

"I'm Hoggle. Sarah's friend. Don't tell me she never told you about me…"

"She never told me anything about this place, not even about the king!" Toby said animatedly. "I saw the Goblin King in my dreams…he's the one who told me to make Sarah come here. He was kinda cool, except he wears tights!"

Hoggle snorted amusedly, trying to imagine Jareth the Goblin King wearing 'tights'. He decided not to correct the boy, and instead reached out to grab his hand. "We'll have to stay close together. I know this tunnel, but I don't want you gettin' lost. So keep hold of my hand, got it?"

"Yup." A few more moments of silence, then, "How long 'til we get there?"

"Not sure. We gotta follow this tunnel for a little while, then climb up, walk a little bit, and go down into another tunnel. We could make it aboveground, but it's not as safe."

"Really? Why?"

"Don't you know about the monsters?"

"No…are they mean?"

"Very. So that's why we have to hide."

"Oh. Okay, then. Will we find another lamp in the other tunnel?"

"Yeah, I hide one at all the entrances. How'd you find the first one, anyway?"

"I was trying to find a way out of this place, and I accidentally found the lantern. And you kept the matches right next to it, so I lit it up. But I couldn't move that stone on the top of the ladder, so I tried to go down this way, but then I tripped…"

"I understand. Well, we should be safe down here. Nothing lives here except a few brownies, and they stay hidden."

"Brownies?" Toby's voice sounded excited. "I'm hungry! Where did ya hide 'em?"

It took Hoggle a minute before he realized what the young boy was talking about. Brownies in Toby's world were chocolate, cake-like treats. However, Brownies in the Underground were small, mischievous men. When he explained this, Toby sighed.

"But I am really hungry," he repeated. "Don't you have anything hidden down here that we could eat?"

"Sorry. We'll find something when we get to the goblin camp." That seemed to satisfy the young boy, because he fell silent once more. Hoggle prayed that the silence would remain at least until they left the first tunnel.




Told ya it wasn't as long as the other chapters! But I'm not sure what to write...I mean, I know what's going to happen, but I don't know how to get there, hehehe! *giggles* Anyway, I'll try to speed things up! :) I haven't forgotten about this story, don't worry!