In this chapter, we discover that this story does not centre around Sarah, but Sarah's Granddaughter, who also happens to be named Sarah O.o Yeah.
*Sexy new character*
Let me put it this way:
What is Jareth had a son?
A reaaaaaaaaally good-looking one?
A reaaaaaaaaally good-looking reaaaaaaaaally evil one?
That's what I thought too. ^_^
The action's gonna pick up in chapter 2.
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth or any of the characters from the movie, but I do own Sarah's Granddaughter (Sarah), and I own Jareth's son. But I own nothing else.
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~*Sarah swung around in the complete blackness as she heard the voice of a man behind her again. It spoke with silken assurance.
"Will you come away Sarah? Come away... come home... to the Labyrinth..."
"I- I don't know." she answered.
There was a rustling behind her and she turned again to see what it was. A brilliantly white snowy owl flew out of the dark and straight for her face. She backed away and covered her face with her arms, but then she tripped and fell backwards off of the cliff that had suddenly appeared behind her. She screamed as she fell into the shadowed void. All she could see was the owl sitting at the top of the cliff, staring sadly down at her with its startling blue eyes. Just as she was about to hit the bottom, everything went dark.*~
Sarah sat straight up in bed and bit down on her bottom lip to hold back the scream. Her light summer nightie was soaked through with beads of sweat. In all her seventeen years, she'd never had a dream repeated so many times or so realistically.
"That stupid dream again." she whispered to herself while pushing a wayward strand of long brown hair away from her face. She over at the clock, it read 12:58. "I'll never get back to sleep now. I might as well read."
Sarah leaned over and picked up her old weathered copy of 'The Labyrinth'. She treasured that little red book above all the other things she owned. It had belonged to her Granny Sarah, the woman she had been named for. She changed her mind and then set the book back down next to the picture of her Grandmother, Mother, and herself. It wouldn't do her much good to read the book that had probably caused the dream.
She picked the picture up and sighed. There were only two people left in this picture now. Her Mother wasn't one of them. She lived with her Granny Sarah. It broke her Grandmother's heart that her Granddaughter had to go through the same pain she had when she was younger. Granny Sarah's mother had also died leaving her with only her Father and Stepmother.
Her own parents had gone out one night, leaving her with her Grandmother. There was a phone call around midnight letting the elder Sarah know that her daughter and son-in-law had been killed in a car crash.
She put the picture back down and a shiver ran up her spine as she remembered the voice from her dream.
"Will you come away Sarah? Come away, come home, to the Labyrinth." she whispered to herself. She began sifting through the contents of her bedside table drawer for her diary. On the cover was pictures of the knights of the round table and a great castle in the distance. She opened the diary and wrote down the line from her dream. She re-locked the diary and replaced it in the drawer. She thought of going back to sleep, but there was no way she could now, she was far too awake from the dream. Sarah got out of bed and pulled on her housecoat. She walked over to the balcony of her room. Granny Sarah told her this is the room where Great-uncle Toby had slept in his crib as a baby. She opened the windowed doors to the balcony and strode out into the humid summer night air. A voice called up from the front porch.
"So you couldn't sleep either little one?" Sarah smiled.
"That's right Granny." Sarah ran down the stairs and out onto the porch where she sat down in one of the wicker chairs with her Grandmother. "I've been having the strangest dream lately. It's been keeping me awake at night."
"Tell me about it dear."
"Well it stars when I'm in the dark. There's complete blackness all around me and then there's this voice. It's asking: Will you come away Sarah? Come away, come home, to the Labyrinth. And then this white owl flies out of the dark and I fall off a cliff and the owl is watching me fall with the saddest eyes. And then I wake up." The elder Sarah looked very shocked by the recounting of the dream.
"What's the matter Granny?" Granny Sarah swallowed almost nervously.
"What colour were his eyes dear?" she then asked softly.
"They were bright blue." Granny Sarah frowned and began to mutter to herself.
"Then it can't be him. One was brown. But then who is it?"
"Pardon Granny? How do you know it's a him?"
"Nothing darling." The younger Sarah frowned, but then ignored the odd comment.
"It's just like the Goblin King Grandma. Isn't that the coolest? I wish I could go to the Labyrinth and meet the Goblin King." she grinned. "I bet he's sexy."
A look of alarm came onto the Grandmother's face.
"No you don't!" Sarah was a bit surprised by her Grandma's outburst. She was usually quiet calm. She hadn't seen her looking this distraught since the night she heard about her parent's death. "You do not want to meet the Goblin King dear. Trust me. He is handsome, but-" she stopped herself when she noticed where the conversation was going. "Just be careful what you wish for young one. It may come true." Sarah stared in quiet puzzlement.
"Grandma... what do mean he is handsome?"
"I just, imagine he'd be quite handsome, that's all."
"Alright then. I'm going to try to go back sleep. See you in the morning Granny."
"Of course darling." Sarah went back inside and up to her bedroom. She crawled under the covers and fell finally into a dreamless sleep.
****
Sarah spent the next day dreading what she would see when she closed her eyes at night, but by the end of the day she almost longed to hear that soft voice speak to her again.
"Goodnight Grandma." she called down the stairs to where her Grandmother was reading.
"Goodnight darling. You tell me if you have any more dreams, alright?"
"Of course Grandma." she yelled back. Moments after she lay down, she fell asleep.
~*She stood in the dark. This time she was more aware then the other times she'd had the dream. This time she'd been expecting it. Then the voice spoke.
"Will you come away Sarah? Come away... come home... to the Labyrinth..." Sarah went to turn around.
"Don't you remember what happens when you turn around?"
"Who are you?" She asked. The owner of the voice paused.
"What if Jareth had a son?" now Sarah paused.
"Who is Jareth?"
"How can you not know?"
"Why do you answer my questions with questions?" Now the owner of the voice was so close to Sarah, she could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck.
"How can you speak in answers when you don't know them all?" Sarah exhaled loudly in frustration.
"So you can't answer my questions?"
"Did I say that?"
"So you won't?"
"Did I say that? Have you considered you're not asking the right questions?" That last sentence seemed vaguely familiar to Sarah somehow.
"Okay then. Can you answer my questions?"
"Can you walk? Can you breathe?" She felt the owner of the voice's lips brush softly against her right ear at the last word.
"This isn't a grammar lesson."
The man laughed softly and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Will you answer my questions then?" she asked. She was surprised at how familiar his arms seemed.
"As many as I know the answers to."
"Who are you?"
"Jareth's son, Garred."
"Who's Jareth?"
"You know him well. Try looking in your little red book." Sarah drew her brows together in confusion.
"Okay... why do you want me to go to the Labyrinth?"
"As you can see, I am quite taken with you Sarah."
"Is there any more to it then that?"
"What do you think?" he whispered in her ear. There was a break in the conversation while Sarah searched for her next question.
"Can I can I cross between the worlds if I want to?"
"At a price."
"Which would be?"
"That which you value above all else." Sarah assumed he meant her copy of 'The Labyrinth'.
"Hmm. Can I ever have it back?"
"If you can reach the centre of the Labyrinth within thirteen hours."
"That's not very creative." The man laughed.
"But that's how things are done." There was a long silence in which Sarah just grew comfortable in the stranger's arms. "Will you come away Sarah? Come home... to the Labyrinth." The man kissed Sarah softly on the cheek. She caught his wrists and spun around.
"Ha!" she cried in triumph. Surprise danced in the man's bright blue eyes as his lips began to curl into a seductive smile.
"So now you have seen me."
His blonde hair flew wildly about his face and into his icy blue eyes. His handsome features were sharp and defined as the owl he could become. He wore a loose black shirt as silky as his voice could be and black pants to match. A cloak with a raised collar was flung loosely over his shoulders. "Now I have to go." He turned away from her, and then suddenly, in his place was the owl. Sarah was no longer afraid of him though. She let the owl fly up and land on her arm.
"I'll think about it." she said gently while stroking the soft feathers. The owl lifted off into flight, scratching her arm, and leaving three parallel talon marks. Then the ground fell away beneath her and she watched as the owl flew away into the complete black.*~
Sarah awoke feeling quite rested even though the clock on her bedside table told her it was 12:59. She had to tell this to her Grandma. She walked quietly to her Grandmother's room and shook her awake.
"Granny, I had the dream again." Her Grandma opened her eyes quickly and asked her Granddaughter even faster;
"Was it the same?"
"No. I asked him who he was. Gramma, do you know who Jareth is?" the old woman paled.
"Why? Was it Jareth?"
"No. He said he was Jareth's son." The Grandma pushed herself into a sitting position.
"When did Jareth have a son?"
"I don't know Granny, I don't know who Jareth is. Who is he?"
"He's the Goblin King." Sarah laughed.
"No, really Granny, who's Jareth?"
"I told you." she said with a look of dire seriousness on her face. "He's the Goblin King." Sarah sank slowly to the floor.
"You're serious, aren't you?"
"Yes I am. Did he ask you again?"
"Yes."
"And you said no?"
"I didn't say yes." the older woman breathed a sigh of relief.
"If he ever comes back. Don't say yes. You don't know what he'll put you through. I went to the Labyrinth Sarah. I wished to Goblin King would take Toby, and he did. I barely made it, but I destroyed him."
"Granny... are you sure you didn't imagine all of it?" Granny Sarah looked insulted.
"I'm not a senile old woman. I know what happened. Have you even seen your arm?" Sarah looked down at her arm which bore three, shallow but bleeding, talon marks. She gasped.
"Was it real then?"
"In a way. Beware child, he's marked you as his own. But his powers are only so strong. He can't take you unless you say yes."
"But Gramma, he's willing to let me come home if I give him my copy of The Labyrinth. I'll only go for a day or two."
"No. I forbid you. It's for your own good darling."
"But Gramma-"
"No buts. You're not going."
"Fine then!" Sarah stormed off to her bedroom. "It's not fair!" Sarah heard Garred's gentle laugh echo throughout her bedroom. She cried herself to sleep.
****
The next night, it was the elder Sarah who could not sleep.
~*Granny Sarah stood in complete blackness.
"Sarah... Do you remember?"
"I remember everything Jareth. Let me see your face." Jareth's son appeared in front of Granny Sarah, dressed completely in black. "You're not Jareth." The man's features were reminiscent of his Father's, even though they weren't quite the same, he had the same laughing eyes and devilish smile. His perfect white teeth stood out against the dark of the surroundings.
"You're right. I'm Garred, his son."
"When did Jareth have a son?"
"About twenty of your years ago. It took him ages to be restored to his human form. You took away his immortality you know." Her eyebrows raised.
"I had no idea he was immortal."
"Well he's not anymore. Sarah, will you let your Granddaughter come to the Labyrinth?"
"No. I'll never forget what happened to me there." His eyes gleamed frosty blue.
"You fell in love." Granny Sarah blushed.
"No I didn't. I was young and foolish. I destroyed your father."
"Yes you did. If you will not allow your Granddaughter to come, I will have to take her."
"You can't without her permission." she spoke haughtily.
"What makes you think just because you told her not to come, she won't anyway?" Granny Sarah blanched.
"You can't be serious!"
"No I'm not." he said as he faded into nothing. Grandma Sarah tried to move, but found she could not. He feet were as though glued to the ground. "I can't have you interfering now, can I?" his voice spoke from the night.
"No! Let me out of here! I have to wake her up! I can't let you have her!"
"I'm really very sorry. I should be seeing you again shortly."*~
The younger Sarah tossed and turned in her sleep. She had resolved that day what she was going to do.
~*It was the black world again. Garred appeared in front of Sarah. She marvelled at how she could see him even though the dark of this empty space was so absolute. He reached out a black gloved hand.
"Will you come away Sarah?" he begged. "Come home, to the Labyrinth." It seemed more of a command this time.
"Yes. I'll go with you."
"Will you give me that which you value above all else so you can cross between worlds?"
"Yes."
Garred smiled as she took his hand.*~
She felt a sudden rush of wind as she found herself in an open plain with a single gnarled, dead tree. Suspended in its branches was a clock that read thirteen o'clock.
She heard his voice resound from the air around her.
"You want her back, do you not?"
"What do you mean, her?" Garred materialized behind her.
"Your Grandmother. That which you value above all else is your Grandmother." She turned around to face him, her eyes opened wide.
"Oh no. No, no, no, no. You can't be serious!"
"You both say that far too often."
"But it's-"
"Not fair? Life never seems to be." He pointed to the clock as it wound itself. "I also never mentioned that if you don't make it within the thirteen hours, you belong to me."
"You lied!"
"No. You just didn't ask the right questions." Sarah took a swing at him, but her fist passed right through. "Now, now. Don't lose your temper." he leaned over and kissed her before disappearing again.
"Why you-"
"You'd better hurry Sarah. You have only thirteen hours." she stood up straight and threw her hair over her shoulders.
"This'll be a piece of cake. I've read the book. I know what to expect." There was a loud crashing noise that came from the direction of the Labyrinth as smoke rose into the red sky. "What was that?" Garred's laughter filled the air once more.
"That was the sound of the Labyrinth changing."
"What do you mean, changing?"
"Nothing in it is the same as it was before. Enjoy. Remember, the clock is ticking."
"You... you asshole!!" There was no answer. Sarah marched off in her two piece pajamas, fuming, towards the bottom of the hill and the entrance of the Labyrinth.
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Hope you liked chapter 1. Thank-you for bearing with all the italics. ^^; Craziness.
Next chapter, Sarah wanders around and then has a run-in with Garred, and her Grandmother meets an enemy from the past, who could only be-
Well, you should know who it is.
See you soon.
Please Review. I'd really appreciate it.
Constructive criticism is also welcome.
~Planeswalker