Can you believe I forgot a disclaimer? So here it is, the depressing
disclaimer: I no own the Labyrinth, or the Terry Prattchet and David
Eddings plot stealing I've done. *Looks innocent.*
***
David looked about in fear. He was in a damp, black hole. He cautiously felt about the hole, and felt the concave walls close ominously around him. He was trapped somewhere, /in the Labyrinth/. What had Jareth done to Sarah? What was he going to do? David sucked in a breath of stale air.
/Oh Shadows, don't' let me suffocate. Don't let him hurt Sarah./
***
Jareth had to say that it was all going splendidly. The one that the accident in reality had caused to exist was ignorant to the true meaning of his actions, meaning he got away with it.
If it knew the true significance of his manoeuvring, well, the game would be up. But Jareth had such confidence in Sarah. She was a pro at this after all.
***
The walls of the Labyrinth weren't as she remembered them. They where smooth, polished black stones that fitted together seamlessly. The red sand was barren, giving Sarah the illusion of solitude. Gradually she could see a black beetle here, a fly here, and there where the fairies.
Different fairies. Very different. In fact they where like modernism sculptures of futuristic fairies, or aliens, in steel and sharp edges. No one could mistake them for what they where. Dangerous. She skirted them and asked the air, "how do I get into the Labyrinth?"
In answer the panel slid up, letting smoke curl out, with impending chill. At least inside the floor was smooth to walk on, even if her bare feet seemed to be going blue in the harsh fluorescent lighting of the corridor. It looked like a hospital ward, only sterile and desolate, her padding footsteps amplifying into gunshots.
She shuddered and hugged herself. /Oh David/, she thought, /I'm so sorry. I'll save you/.
With a sigh she began trying to walk through walls. "Nothing is what it seems..." she murmured to herself.
***
Haley, with practised ease applied her make up. She glanced approvingly in the mirror, shook her ice blond hair to fluff it and stalked out of the door, slamming it shut behind her. She was having a problem and Sarah was going to /pay/ for not helping her! The little scheming bitch.
With a snort Haley stormed to her car. Suddenly she couldn't breathe. She struggled against it and it's clammy, death bringing grip.
This is the penalty for failure, it said. Haley's' eyes widened in fear and recognition. You failed to keep her beliefs dead, so you die. The scream froze in Haley's throat, as her life was sucked out.
Sure, if any of them died, they'd be avenged, but they could only afford to keep the fittest, strongest ones. Maybe a rumour of how the Goblin King had raped and killed Haley would go down well.
If the shadow could have laughed, it would have. If it could have killed that Jareth straight out right it would have. But in consideration, this way would be so much more fun.
***
Sarah banged her fist on the wall in frustration. She had double-checked every damned wall had there wasn't' a thing! Not even an optical illusion! She looked down distantly at her throbbing hand then back at the wall.
There was a door, well more of a sliding, futuristic garage door that was trying to pull the space ship thing off. /Still the same tacky Labyrinth, despite its new look/, Sarah thought. She didn't question the doors appearance but she dived through before it changed its' mind.
Inside it was different again. A mirror maze. A saying of the past came back to haunt her. /I am the Mirror Master/. As she jogged painfully through the latest variation she ran towards and away from Sarah's' that scattered around her, acting separately to how reflections where supposed to.
She chose left since it was 'widdershins'. An old fairy term for luck. She had to so do this, she /had/ to.
She cursed as she ran into a mirror. The tears flowing as her nose spilled blood and snot in a disgusting river down her face and neck. She stared dumbly at her reflection, as in her mirror image her eyes started to melt, and run in a sticky trickle, like candle wax or treacle.
All of her self the images where, but duller, and twisted, like the Masquerade Ball that Jareth threw her.
She turned away from the dead end to nearly walk into a black curtain of black fabric hanging off an extremely tall being. It's face was shrouded by it's hood, from out of which rumbled a voice, "to pass on," the soft voice was grating, like t he threat of nails being scrapped down a board, "you must chose the correct image."
"You mean choose the one of all these images that is real?" she asked, panicked. The strangers' head rising in a slow, precise nod did nothing to calm her. There where thousands of mirrors, each with a erroneous Sarah within. How could she hope to find the correct image?
/Think, Sarah,/ she told herself /there has to be a way, there has to be some logic behind this/.
She walked round the mirrors, each one showing her. It made her feel sick and dizzy. Sarah rotting, Sarah ageing, Sarah crying, Sarah despairing, Sarah getting younger, Sarah being cruel. Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. Her, her, her... Her.
She turned to the person that was gliding behind her and pointed to herself. "I choose this one."
The robes dropped insubstantial to the floor. As if it was a sign, the mirrors started cracking, shattering as they fell like a grownup domino chain. Dust rose in choking clouds making her eyes water and her body to jerk painfully with sneezes.
Blinking she saw an enormous dirty room. This was the Labyrinth as she remembered it. Dirty and cute. She took one step, to the ladder she could see, but winced as glass slit her foot.
Perhaps not so cute. It seemed that the Labyrinth had grown up.
She cast about, looking desperately for anything to bind her feet with she didn't' want to use the tattered remains of her dress, ruined though it was, it was skimpy, and she didn't have anything else to run around in the Labyrinth in. Particularly as a certain Goblin King was running around here somewhere. The other factor was that the material of the dress was thin, and though it hugged Sarah's curves beautifully, it wouldn't stand up any amount of walking, let alone glass.
Her searching eyes fell to rest on the robe, discarded on the floor, just out of her reach. With minimal cuts she managed to grab it and hastily dropped it as a rat ran out, squeaking in terror. With disgust she struggled to tear the course material into strips to bind her feet.
When she was done, to the best of her ability she straightened, locating the ladder again, that climbed to a skylight, stories above the ground. Grimly Sarah hotfooted it amongst the broken glass to start climbing vigorously.
Below her, unheeded, the glass rippled to watch her climb.
***
David frantically ran about his smooth walled prison. He /had/ to get out of here, if not to just save Sarah, but to save the world for the way the /Goblin King/ would order it.
***
Sarah screamed in fear as the floor dropped out from beneath her. Her throat carried on screaming as she fell and fell, continuously with nothing to catch her descent.
***
Ah, Sarah was making her way to the oubliette. Clever girl, Jareth couldn't suppress the mirth that bubbled out of him, like a merry spring founting clean, crystal, toxic water onto the land. Yes, a visit was in order here.
The spy crystal went blank and with a sloshing plop sank into the remodelled floor of his Throne Room.
***
As she fell she looked at the black ceiling thinking, /this is gonna hurt/. With another startled cry she felt herself be caught in strong leather clad arms. Automatically she grasped the neck and shut her eyes.
She knew who was laughing at her, looking down at her bloodied body. He could feel the rumble in his chest.
***
Okay, I have practically all the end written except for whom she chooses, so vote know or forever hold your peace! (I.e., review. ;)) And you could also tell me if yon think I'm loosing the plot and if I should continue.
***
David looked about in fear. He was in a damp, black hole. He cautiously felt about the hole, and felt the concave walls close ominously around him. He was trapped somewhere, /in the Labyrinth/. What had Jareth done to Sarah? What was he going to do? David sucked in a breath of stale air.
/Oh Shadows, don't' let me suffocate. Don't let him hurt Sarah./
***
Jareth had to say that it was all going splendidly. The one that the accident in reality had caused to exist was ignorant to the true meaning of his actions, meaning he got away with it.
If it knew the true significance of his manoeuvring, well, the game would be up. But Jareth had such confidence in Sarah. She was a pro at this after all.
***
The walls of the Labyrinth weren't as she remembered them. They where smooth, polished black stones that fitted together seamlessly. The red sand was barren, giving Sarah the illusion of solitude. Gradually she could see a black beetle here, a fly here, and there where the fairies.
Different fairies. Very different. In fact they where like modernism sculptures of futuristic fairies, or aliens, in steel and sharp edges. No one could mistake them for what they where. Dangerous. She skirted them and asked the air, "how do I get into the Labyrinth?"
In answer the panel slid up, letting smoke curl out, with impending chill. At least inside the floor was smooth to walk on, even if her bare feet seemed to be going blue in the harsh fluorescent lighting of the corridor. It looked like a hospital ward, only sterile and desolate, her padding footsteps amplifying into gunshots.
She shuddered and hugged herself. /Oh David/, she thought, /I'm so sorry. I'll save you/.
With a sigh she began trying to walk through walls. "Nothing is what it seems..." she murmured to herself.
***
Haley, with practised ease applied her make up. She glanced approvingly in the mirror, shook her ice blond hair to fluff it and stalked out of the door, slamming it shut behind her. She was having a problem and Sarah was going to /pay/ for not helping her! The little scheming bitch.
With a snort Haley stormed to her car. Suddenly she couldn't breathe. She struggled against it and it's clammy, death bringing grip.
This is the penalty for failure, it said. Haley's' eyes widened in fear and recognition. You failed to keep her beliefs dead, so you die. The scream froze in Haley's throat, as her life was sucked out.
Sure, if any of them died, they'd be avenged, but they could only afford to keep the fittest, strongest ones. Maybe a rumour of how the Goblin King had raped and killed Haley would go down well.
If the shadow could have laughed, it would have. If it could have killed that Jareth straight out right it would have. But in consideration, this way would be so much more fun.
***
Sarah banged her fist on the wall in frustration. She had double-checked every damned wall had there wasn't' a thing! Not even an optical illusion! She looked down distantly at her throbbing hand then back at the wall.
There was a door, well more of a sliding, futuristic garage door that was trying to pull the space ship thing off. /Still the same tacky Labyrinth, despite its new look/, Sarah thought. She didn't question the doors appearance but she dived through before it changed its' mind.
Inside it was different again. A mirror maze. A saying of the past came back to haunt her. /I am the Mirror Master/. As she jogged painfully through the latest variation she ran towards and away from Sarah's' that scattered around her, acting separately to how reflections where supposed to.
She chose left since it was 'widdershins'. An old fairy term for luck. She had to so do this, she /had/ to.
She cursed as she ran into a mirror. The tears flowing as her nose spilled blood and snot in a disgusting river down her face and neck. She stared dumbly at her reflection, as in her mirror image her eyes started to melt, and run in a sticky trickle, like candle wax or treacle.
All of her self the images where, but duller, and twisted, like the Masquerade Ball that Jareth threw her.
She turned away from the dead end to nearly walk into a black curtain of black fabric hanging off an extremely tall being. It's face was shrouded by it's hood, from out of which rumbled a voice, "to pass on," the soft voice was grating, like t he threat of nails being scrapped down a board, "you must chose the correct image."
"You mean choose the one of all these images that is real?" she asked, panicked. The strangers' head rising in a slow, precise nod did nothing to calm her. There where thousands of mirrors, each with a erroneous Sarah within. How could she hope to find the correct image?
/Think, Sarah,/ she told herself /there has to be a way, there has to be some logic behind this/.
She walked round the mirrors, each one showing her. It made her feel sick and dizzy. Sarah rotting, Sarah ageing, Sarah crying, Sarah despairing, Sarah getting younger, Sarah being cruel. Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. Her, her, her... Her.
She turned to the person that was gliding behind her and pointed to herself. "I choose this one."
The robes dropped insubstantial to the floor. As if it was a sign, the mirrors started cracking, shattering as they fell like a grownup domino chain. Dust rose in choking clouds making her eyes water and her body to jerk painfully with sneezes.
Blinking she saw an enormous dirty room. This was the Labyrinth as she remembered it. Dirty and cute. She took one step, to the ladder she could see, but winced as glass slit her foot.
Perhaps not so cute. It seemed that the Labyrinth had grown up.
She cast about, looking desperately for anything to bind her feet with she didn't' want to use the tattered remains of her dress, ruined though it was, it was skimpy, and she didn't have anything else to run around in the Labyrinth in. Particularly as a certain Goblin King was running around here somewhere. The other factor was that the material of the dress was thin, and though it hugged Sarah's curves beautifully, it wouldn't stand up any amount of walking, let alone glass.
Her searching eyes fell to rest on the robe, discarded on the floor, just out of her reach. With minimal cuts she managed to grab it and hastily dropped it as a rat ran out, squeaking in terror. With disgust she struggled to tear the course material into strips to bind her feet.
When she was done, to the best of her ability she straightened, locating the ladder again, that climbed to a skylight, stories above the ground. Grimly Sarah hotfooted it amongst the broken glass to start climbing vigorously.
Below her, unheeded, the glass rippled to watch her climb.
***
David frantically ran about his smooth walled prison. He /had/ to get out of here, if not to just save Sarah, but to save the world for the way the /Goblin King/ would order it.
***
Sarah screamed in fear as the floor dropped out from beneath her. Her throat carried on screaming as she fell and fell, continuously with nothing to catch her descent.
***
Ah, Sarah was making her way to the oubliette. Clever girl, Jareth couldn't suppress the mirth that bubbled out of him, like a merry spring founting clean, crystal, toxic water onto the land. Yes, a visit was in order here.
The spy crystal went blank and with a sloshing plop sank into the remodelled floor of his Throne Room.
***
As she fell she looked at the black ceiling thinking, /this is gonna hurt/. With another startled cry she felt herself be caught in strong leather clad arms. Automatically she grasped the neck and shut her eyes.
She knew who was laughing at her, looking down at her bloodied body. He could feel the rumble in his chest.
***
Okay, I have practically all the end written except for whom she chooses, so vote know or forever hold your peace! (I.e., review. ;)) And you could also tell me if yon think I'm loosing the plot and if I should continue.
