The Labyrinth Revisited

The Goblin King felt disturbance that morning like one he had never experienced. Perplexed, he had pulled out a crystal and stared into its depths until it showed him something he had never thought to see again. Lying as if unconscious before the gates of his Labyrinth was the girl who had defeated him three years ago. Next to her sat the dwarf, Higgle, Hogwart,….no Hoggle, he remembered the little twit dancing with Sarah the night she had returned home.

Sarah. He focused the crystal onto the unconscious girl and watched the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Why had she returned?

Jareth stood from his throne and tossed the crystal out of the window where it would find its way to Hoggle and bring the dwarf back to the castle. Immediately, Jareth pulled out another crystal and watched as Sarah began to wake, her green eyes fluttering open.

"Well, well, well, what have we here? Why have you come back to me Sarah?"

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"Hoggle, don't lie to me, tell me why you helped this human return?"

Hoggle had never been so frightened, not even when he was standing over the brink of the Bog. Jareth had him sitting a small wooden chair in the middle of the throne room, goblins pulled at Hoggle's shoes and at his clothing, muttering something about…dinner.

"I…I can't say nuthin' your Majesty…" his voice quavered with fear.

Jareth smiled warmly and knelt beside the dwarf, "Hoggle, if you don't speak up I'm afraid you definitely won't like what will happen." The Goblin King pulled out a crystal and toyed with it, giving Hoggle a meaningful glance.

Hoggle watched as several goblins lugged in a huge black kettle and set it next to a stack of wood they were lighting on fire.

"I'm too tough to eat Your Highness! You don't want to eat something like me!"

Jareth nodded, "Yes you're right, I wouldn't want to eat you but," he pointed at the goblins now putting water into the kettle, "they don't mind." He stood and began pacing, "Now just tell me what she is up to and I will let you go back to your little hovel...Hoggle." The King grinned as if he found that particularly amusing.

Shuddering, Hoggle began to speak.

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Sarah could think of no way to return home on her own so with a deep breath she had entered the Labyrinth once more. The beginning was not how she remembered, but instead of the uniform cobblestone walls there were walls of countless flowers of every color she could imagine, some were so small you had to really peer to see them, but others were probably about two or three feet in diameter.

"How pretty." She said and reached out to touch a small periwinkle flower. As her finger touched it, the delicate petals closed around her finger tightly. Sarah let out a small yell and pulled her finger out, bringing the flower still encasing the tip of her finger. She tore of the petals with her free hand and finally got it off. She examined her finger which was bleeding slightly. That thing had teeth. Sarah thought.

Staying as closely to the middle of the path as possible, Sarah began walking once more. She walked for what felt like countless hours in the maze but she didn't feel as though she were making any progress at all. She turned through several corners until she reached a wall of solid stone. Sarah reached out her fingers and gingerly touched it. The rocks were cold and smooth.

She felt a rush of air behind her and Sarah spun around. The flowers that had lined the walls were gone and now she was surrounded by four walls of stone that reached almost six feet above her head.

"Damn!" was all she could say as she attempted to reach her fingers into the small crevices the stone provided, but to no avail as she kept falling after getting a few feet up.

Finally, bruised and tired, Sarah sat on the smooth ground and put her head in her arms. What am I going to do?

Sarah felt something hit her foot and she raised her head. A small peach sat by her shoe, glistening with dew as if inviting her to pick it up and eat.

"No way!" she cried and kicked the fruit to the other side of the wall. It didn't move as though it had been kicked but as if it were being blown by some wind that only it could feel. Sarah stood and glanced at the peach as it stopped. She walked over to it and bent to pick it up. There was no harm in looking at it as long as she did not take a bite.

The peach was soft to the touch and for just a moment Sarah was tempted to eat some anyway. But instead she turned around.

"Goblin King! Where are you!?" her voice echoed inside the four walls and suddenly there was only dead silence. Sarah could only hear the raggedness of her own breath mingling with her heartbeat.

"Really Sarah, there is no need to shout, I'm right here." The sardonic voice whispered in her ear. Sarah spun around to face him but there was no one there.

"Over here." He said softly and Sarah faced him for the first time in three years. He looked exactly as she remembered him, and she forced herself to keep her eyes on his face, ignoring the almost undeniable urge to drop her gaze to the ground.

"Where's Hoggle?" she asked.

"Is that any way to greet your gracious host?"

"Gracious host…What are you talking about?" she walked over to him and threw the peach she held at his chest. It bounced off like a rubber ball and he caught it in his hand. His eyes flashed with anger and Sarah took a step back into the wall behind her.

"Yes, Sarah gracious host. You have entered my Kingdom without my permission and I have accepted that. But my patience can only stretch so far." The peach turned into a crystal that he waved up and down his palm until it disappeared. He strode to where she stood and his eyes raked up and down her face. Suddenly his anger melted and he smiled once more.

"Sarah, you have wrongfully entered into the Underground and the penalty for that is high indeed." He raised an eyebrow , "However I am willing to overlook that slight if you would tell me why this is so important to you." He waved his hand and Sarah saw the other half of her ring held between his thumb and forefinger.

"You've got my ring!" She reached to grab it but with one swift motion the ring disappeared within his palm.

"On the contrary Sarah, my ring. You have entered my domain without my permission and for that I am entitled to keep you prisoner if I so wish, and in the meantime you're possessions are now my own."

Sarah felt like belting out a loud That's Not Fair! But thought better of it once she saw the look of pure triumph on his face.

"I don't care who you are, you can't keep me prisoner here!" she hit her fists against his shoulders, but he gripped her hands effortlessly and pinned them to the wall, above her head. He leaned in closer and Sarah felt her heart begin to race. He stared into her eyes for a few moments as if searching for something. Finally, he seemed satisfied and turned away.

"I have told you before not to defy me, and now I will tell you again. I am not a complete monster Sarah, and I will offer you something that I hope you will not refuse." He turned to face her, "I can see that you have matured these past few years and I am delighted at the changes you have undergone. So I would like to ask you to stay in my castle, " he pointed to where the spiraling towers ascended into the sky, "as my companion."

"As your companion? What, like a dog or something? What's my other option?" Sarah was furious with him, who did he think he was?

"No, you will be more than a common house animal Sarah. I have found that as the decades have passed that I require more engaging conversation than the goblins can provide. However, your other option is to remain in." He sidestepped as a large hole appeared in the ground, "my oubliette."

Sarah snorted, "What a decision. So basically you're saying to take your way or no way at all."

"I will not pretend to love you Sarah, as other men probably have and will. I will not lie to you as most men definitely will, and I will treat you as an honored guest in my castle."

"Why me? I'm sure there are plenty of women out…" she searched for a place, "…well wherever that would gladly be your companion."

The Goblin King rolled his eyes, "Those women simply want my title. They will simper and bow and agree with every idea I have. You on the other hand…" his eyes roved her body, and Sarah felt a slow heat rising to her face, "You don't even really like me. That would make for some engaging conversation."

"That's all you want, conversation?" Sarah felt shocked at the boldness of her question, but it seemed necessary to ask.

He smiled, "I will be a gentlemen."

Sarah nodded, "Okay, but on one condition."

"What is that?"

"I want my ring back."

"Hmm..oh," he looked as though he had entirely forgotten about the ring, "Yes, well I will give that back to you soon."

"Why not now?"

Jareth reached over and took Sarah's hand within his own gloved one, "The first thing you must remember as my companion is that I will do what I please, when I please." He led her to the wall behind her, which now had an immense iron door on it. The door swung open as they approached and inside was a long hallway with many torches lining the walls.

Jareth let go of Sarah's hand and motioned for her to enter, "After you."

With a single glance backward, Sarah entered the castle of the Goblin King.