Disclaimer: The Labyrinth, its characters, songs, and phrases are
unfortunately not mine. They belong to Jim Henson Productions. However,
Ione, Apollo, and Isis are my original characters as well as the story.
Please do not use my characters without my permission.
Chapter 3: Prince in the Labyrinth
Jareth was rather surprised at the amount of princes that responded. One in particular caught his attention. He was a centaur. His body was a deep ebony, and his muscular and tan human form was impressive. However, Jareth was most impressed with the intelligence of his gaze. The centaur had steely blue eyes under a sock of straight black hair. Jareth knew he was looking at the cream of the centaur crop.
"Princes of kingdoms near and far listen. You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth before your chance for the Princess is gone forever."
Jareth faded from view, and the princes began their quest. The centaur prince had noticed the Goblin King's eyes upon him and wondered why. Vulcan Chiron, as he was known to his people, was the crown prince of a neighboring fairy court known as the Great Hall. The kingdom of Achaia consisted of various mythic creatures from Greek and Roman legend. But now he had to find his way through the Labyrinth. He entered last of the princes when Hoggle opened the door. And looked around the magnificent maze with wonder.
"Cozy isn't it?" Hoggle said surprising him. Vulcan reared up a bit missing the dwarf's nose. Landing, Vulcan glared at the dwarf.
"Think twice before you startle centaurs, Dwarf! Are you trying to get killed?"
"The real question is would you go left or right?"
"They both look the same."
"Well, you're not going to get very far."
"Which way would you go?" Vulcan asked as he looked around again.
"Me? I wouldn't go either way."
"If that's all the help you're going to be, you can just leave!" Vulcan replied in exasperation.
"You know what your problem is? You take too many things for granted. Take this Labyrinth. Even if you get to the center, you'll never get out again!"
"That's your opinion!"
"Well it's a lot better than yours!"
Hoggle began to walk away as Vulcan turned towards him.
"Thanks for nothing Hogwart."
"Oh, it's Hoggle! And don't say I didn't warn you!"
Hoggle stormed out and shut the door behind him, but secretly he was smiling. Prince Vulcan had unknowingly already started in Queen Sarah's footsteps. His conversation with Hoggle had left him alone in the Labyrinth since the other princes had continued on ahead. He was fooled by the helpful worm and chose the right instead of the left passage. He continued for several minutes through the stone maze until he finally came to the doors of the twin guards. Again choosing the right, Prince Vulcan fell down the shaft of hands. He was amazed how strong they were since they managed to stop him.
"Hello, we're the helping hands. Now tell us which way?"
"Which way?" Vulcan asked in confusion.
"Up or down."
"Come on. Come on."
"We haven't got all day."
"Well, it's a big decision for him."
"Which way do you want to go hmm?"
"Yes, which way?"
Vulcan looked around then looked up and down. He didn't particularly like the looks of the dark bottom, but he didn't want to make the hands haul his equine weight to the top.
"Well, since I'm pointed that way, I guess I'll go down."
"He chose down!"
"He chose down? Ha!"
"Was that wrong?" Vulcan asked fearfully.
"To late now."
Vulcan found himself dumped into a black hole. The only light was the thin ray, which came through the lid of the hole he'd been dropped through.
Jareth sat looking into one of his crystals while surrounded by goblins. The goblins liked to hear reports on how the wanderers fared in their homeland. Jareth had already informed them that only one prince had taken the right path.
"He's in the oubliette." Sarah put a hand on his shoulder. "I will have to toy with him a little." Sarah smiled.
"You can't give him more advantages than you gave me."
"Ah, yes, but I'm not in love with him." Jareth said with a hearty laugh.
"But she is." Sarah said pointing over to the side of the throne room. Jareth looked and saw Isis holding a crystal of her own. "I've only seen a smile like that when her mother looks at you." Jareth smiled and kissed her to the delight of the goblins around them.
"You're so free of jealousy, it astounds me!"
"Well, not as much as you think, My Love, but I still like to hear the compliment." Jareth smiled again and kissed her cheek before leaving to toy with the prince.
True to form, Hoggle had been bribed into leading the prince towards the castle. They passed the false alarms and followed a crystal to where they found a crippled goblin.
"Ah, what have we here?"
"Uh, nothing!"
"Nothing? Nothing? Nothing tralala?"
"You Majesty! What a nice surprise!"
"Hello Hedgewart."
"Hogwart," Vulcan interceded. Hoggle winced.
"Hoggle!"
"Hoggle," Jareth continued. "Could it be that you're helping this prince?"
"H..h..helping? In what sense?"
"In the sense that you're leading him towards the castle?" Jareth replied with an angry toss of his cape.
"Oh, no, Your Majesty. I was leading him back to the beginning!"
"What!" Vulcan exclaimed.
"I told him I was going to help him solve the Labyrinth, a little trickery on my part."
"What is that plastic thing round your neck?" Jareth said cutting off his attempts. Vulcan, knowing the Labyrinth's fetish with sparkly and shiny things, had bribed hoggle with a plastic medallion.
"Oh! Oh this! My goodness where did this come from?"
"Higgle."
"Hoggle."
"Yes. If I thought for one second you were betraying me, I'd be forced to suspend you head first in the Bog of Eternal Stench!"
"No Your Majesty! Not the Eternal Stench!"
"Oh, yes, Hoggle!" Turning to Vulcan, he resumed a lordly pose. "And you, Prince Vulcan. How are you enjoying my Labyrinth?" Everyone watching in the castle held their breath.
"It's a piece of cake!" Vulcan replied with a defiant look into the King's eyes. There was a collective groan from all spectators and Hoggle prepared for a run.
"Really? Then how about upping the stakes, hmm?" Jareth turned and began moving forward the clock, which had appeared on cue.
"That's not fair!" Vulcan protested.
"Oh really? Neither is your estimation of the Labyrinth! So the Labyrinth's a piece of cake is it? Well lets see how you deal with this little slice." Jareth brought a crystal from the air as he was wont to do then flung it far down the tunnel behind him before he backed out into the tunnel leading toward the castle.
"You have to repair that gate so often!" Ione said as they watched the cleaners chase Vulcan and Hoggle down the tunnel.
"Well, as well that ends well."
Hoggle noticed changes in terrain that suited the prince. Instead of a ladder, Hoggle and Vulcan came upon a set of stairs the prince could climb. Instead of coming out of a vase, the two travelers came out of a trap door in the moat surrounding the shadow clock. Isis breathed a sigh of relief that Vulcan had escaped the cleaners. She watched him face his fears to rescue Ludo and watched her father coerce Hoggle into giving the prince a peach. She could tell Hoggle was beginning to respect Prince Vulcan because he once again questioned her father's judgement. Her father changed the conditions to commenting on friendship since the subject was male not female. Hoggle left the King to the sound of Jareth's laughter. Vulcan was under the siege of the Firies when Hoggle dropped him a rope. Vulcan reached the top unharmed and patted Hoggle on the back.
"You're a great friend Hoggle!"
Hoggle tried to stop him but the words were out. Both of them dropped down into the bog. Hoggle barely managed to save himself, but Vulcan was able to grab a tree root. Hoggle noticed yet another difference. The ledge was enough to make Vulcan nervous, but Hoggle could walk along it easily. Isis watched as Vulcan met up again with Ludo and met the valiant Sir Didymus. At long last Prince Vulcan was offered the enchanted peach. Never suspecting Hoggle, Vulcan bit into the peach with relish.
"This tastes strange." He said as his eyes began to glaze over. "Hoggle what have you done?"
Isis met her father at the window. Jareth winked to his daughter as she sped her own crystals toward the Prince. Prince Vulcan found himself in a grand ballroom not unlike that which had surrounded the young Queen Sarah. But the dancers were all of human form. He saw the ballroom centered around the King and Queen for he recognized Jareth behind the mask. The Prince had also been invited to the Goblin King's parties before. He gradually noticed that all the dancers were masked in grotesque goblin masks. Even the Queen had a mask made to look like the skull of a young fawn. It didn't seem to go with the beauty of the rest of her countenance. Then he saw her. A centauress of incomparable beauty. Her coat was a rich chocolate brown and her female form was the picture of perfection. She like the Queen wore a mask representing a fawn skull trimmed with ribbons and lace and held to their face by a handle carved to look like a smooth antler. But as she lowered her mask, their eyes met. All thoughts of the ballroom's contradictions fled. But then she was gone. He looked around for her, but a swirl of dancers hid her from view. She followed her father's example leading the Prince through a series of glimpses and near misses until she was finally presented before him in all her glory. Jareth watched on sure that the young Prince would choose the dream forgetting his quest, but it was not to be. The two danced only a moment it seemed before Jareth allowed the Prince to catch site of a clock. To his surprise, Prince Vulcan fought his way free of the dream.
"He's got the heart, Sarah. Lets see if he has the will."
Isis watched as Agnes tried to make the Prince forget by taking Vulcan into a fake of his own world,, but a picture on his dresser of his little sister reminded him of his quest for the Princess. Isis' heart lept when he made it past the second gate.
"Now he must show skill in conquering my army without weapons."
"He has Ludo, Father. He'll figure it out."
Just as Hoggle mentioned the ominous words, Jareth's Goblin army formed round the castle. Everyone was playing their part well, and Jareth watched the battle ensue from his window. Isis stood beside him and smiled when Vulcan came again to the steps of the castle. With party intact, Prince Vulcan headed into the castle.
"That's the only way he could've gone!" Vulcan said when they reached the throne room. "Come on!"
"Wait, Lord Prince! You must face the Goblin King on your own," Hoggle said.
"Yes," Sir Didymus agreed. "That is the way it is done so that is the way you must do it. But. Should you need us."
"Yes, should you need us." Hoggle added.
"I'll call," Vulcan said with a smile. "Thank you. All of you." With that the prince headed into the Escher room. He did a double take trying to make sense of it all when he saw the image of the King walking it seemed on the walls and ceilings. The King spoke to him taunting him. Finally the King brought forth on of his infamous crystals, and Vulcan prepared for something like the cleaners. Instead the King threw the crystal far into the room. Vulcan thought it would shatter on the stone stairs, but it bounced up a flight of stairs into the hands of a reclining centauress. Vulcan tried to get to her, but she moved through all dimensions like the King and always seemed just out of his reach. Then from a ledge he saw her poised at the edge of a seemingly bottomless pit. Taking a leap of faith, he hoped to be at her side. Instead he found himself falling at a controlled rate through the ruins of the Escher room. After what seemed like forever, Vulcan landed at the bottom of the illusion. However, there was no defeated Jareth here to meet him. Instead Jareth stepped out of the shadows in all his dark glory. Vulcan approached him.
"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City in answer to the quest you have given me. Am I not worthy?"
Jareth made a clock appear, and it had not yet chimed the thirteenth hour.
"Indeed you are!"
Vulcan looked around when he heard applause and saw that he'd been transported back to the throne room. The King was seated on his throne with the Queen to his right, but what caught Vulcan's attention was the vision of loveliness on the King's left. Jareth stood and addressed the gathered audience, which included Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus.
"Prince Vulcan Chiron of the Great Hall is the only prince to pass through the Labyrinth this day in the prescribed time." Turning to Isis he questioned her. "What do you say daughter?"
"This noble prince is the only one to survive your sifting, Father. I will accept one so courageous and strong as my husband."
The entire throne room resounded with applause and cheers. The Labyrinth inhabitants were not anxious to be rid of their Princess, but there was joy for her marriage.
Chapter 3: Prince in the Labyrinth
Jareth was rather surprised at the amount of princes that responded. One in particular caught his attention. He was a centaur. His body was a deep ebony, and his muscular and tan human form was impressive. However, Jareth was most impressed with the intelligence of his gaze. The centaur had steely blue eyes under a sock of straight black hair. Jareth knew he was looking at the cream of the centaur crop.
"Princes of kingdoms near and far listen. You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth before your chance for the Princess is gone forever."
Jareth faded from view, and the princes began their quest. The centaur prince had noticed the Goblin King's eyes upon him and wondered why. Vulcan Chiron, as he was known to his people, was the crown prince of a neighboring fairy court known as the Great Hall. The kingdom of Achaia consisted of various mythic creatures from Greek and Roman legend. But now he had to find his way through the Labyrinth. He entered last of the princes when Hoggle opened the door. And looked around the magnificent maze with wonder.
"Cozy isn't it?" Hoggle said surprising him. Vulcan reared up a bit missing the dwarf's nose. Landing, Vulcan glared at the dwarf.
"Think twice before you startle centaurs, Dwarf! Are you trying to get killed?"
"The real question is would you go left or right?"
"They both look the same."
"Well, you're not going to get very far."
"Which way would you go?" Vulcan asked as he looked around again.
"Me? I wouldn't go either way."
"If that's all the help you're going to be, you can just leave!" Vulcan replied in exasperation.
"You know what your problem is? You take too many things for granted. Take this Labyrinth. Even if you get to the center, you'll never get out again!"
"That's your opinion!"
"Well it's a lot better than yours!"
Hoggle began to walk away as Vulcan turned towards him.
"Thanks for nothing Hogwart."
"Oh, it's Hoggle! And don't say I didn't warn you!"
Hoggle stormed out and shut the door behind him, but secretly he was smiling. Prince Vulcan had unknowingly already started in Queen Sarah's footsteps. His conversation with Hoggle had left him alone in the Labyrinth since the other princes had continued on ahead. He was fooled by the helpful worm and chose the right instead of the left passage. He continued for several minutes through the stone maze until he finally came to the doors of the twin guards. Again choosing the right, Prince Vulcan fell down the shaft of hands. He was amazed how strong they were since they managed to stop him.
"Hello, we're the helping hands. Now tell us which way?"
"Which way?" Vulcan asked in confusion.
"Up or down."
"Come on. Come on."
"We haven't got all day."
"Well, it's a big decision for him."
"Which way do you want to go hmm?"
"Yes, which way?"
Vulcan looked around then looked up and down. He didn't particularly like the looks of the dark bottom, but he didn't want to make the hands haul his equine weight to the top.
"Well, since I'm pointed that way, I guess I'll go down."
"He chose down!"
"He chose down? Ha!"
"Was that wrong?" Vulcan asked fearfully.
"To late now."
Vulcan found himself dumped into a black hole. The only light was the thin ray, which came through the lid of the hole he'd been dropped through.
Jareth sat looking into one of his crystals while surrounded by goblins. The goblins liked to hear reports on how the wanderers fared in their homeland. Jareth had already informed them that only one prince had taken the right path.
"He's in the oubliette." Sarah put a hand on his shoulder. "I will have to toy with him a little." Sarah smiled.
"You can't give him more advantages than you gave me."
"Ah, yes, but I'm not in love with him." Jareth said with a hearty laugh.
"But she is." Sarah said pointing over to the side of the throne room. Jareth looked and saw Isis holding a crystal of her own. "I've only seen a smile like that when her mother looks at you." Jareth smiled and kissed her to the delight of the goblins around them.
"You're so free of jealousy, it astounds me!"
"Well, not as much as you think, My Love, but I still like to hear the compliment." Jareth smiled again and kissed her cheek before leaving to toy with the prince.
True to form, Hoggle had been bribed into leading the prince towards the castle. They passed the false alarms and followed a crystal to where they found a crippled goblin.
"Ah, what have we here?"
"Uh, nothing!"
"Nothing? Nothing? Nothing tralala?"
"You Majesty! What a nice surprise!"
"Hello Hedgewart."
"Hogwart," Vulcan interceded. Hoggle winced.
"Hoggle!"
"Hoggle," Jareth continued. "Could it be that you're helping this prince?"
"H..h..helping? In what sense?"
"In the sense that you're leading him towards the castle?" Jareth replied with an angry toss of his cape.
"Oh, no, Your Majesty. I was leading him back to the beginning!"
"What!" Vulcan exclaimed.
"I told him I was going to help him solve the Labyrinth, a little trickery on my part."
"What is that plastic thing round your neck?" Jareth said cutting off his attempts. Vulcan, knowing the Labyrinth's fetish with sparkly and shiny things, had bribed hoggle with a plastic medallion.
"Oh! Oh this! My goodness where did this come from?"
"Higgle."
"Hoggle."
"Yes. If I thought for one second you were betraying me, I'd be forced to suspend you head first in the Bog of Eternal Stench!"
"No Your Majesty! Not the Eternal Stench!"
"Oh, yes, Hoggle!" Turning to Vulcan, he resumed a lordly pose. "And you, Prince Vulcan. How are you enjoying my Labyrinth?" Everyone watching in the castle held their breath.
"It's a piece of cake!" Vulcan replied with a defiant look into the King's eyes. There was a collective groan from all spectators and Hoggle prepared for a run.
"Really? Then how about upping the stakes, hmm?" Jareth turned and began moving forward the clock, which had appeared on cue.
"That's not fair!" Vulcan protested.
"Oh really? Neither is your estimation of the Labyrinth! So the Labyrinth's a piece of cake is it? Well lets see how you deal with this little slice." Jareth brought a crystal from the air as he was wont to do then flung it far down the tunnel behind him before he backed out into the tunnel leading toward the castle.
"You have to repair that gate so often!" Ione said as they watched the cleaners chase Vulcan and Hoggle down the tunnel.
"Well, as well that ends well."
Hoggle noticed changes in terrain that suited the prince. Instead of a ladder, Hoggle and Vulcan came upon a set of stairs the prince could climb. Instead of coming out of a vase, the two travelers came out of a trap door in the moat surrounding the shadow clock. Isis breathed a sigh of relief that Vulcan had escaped the cleaners. She watched him face his fears to rescue Ludo and watched her father coerce Hoggle into giving the prince a peach. She could tell Hoggle was beginning to respect Prince Vulcan because he once again questioned her father's judgement. Her father changed the conditions to commenting on friendship since the subject was male not female. Hoggle left the King to the sound of Jareth's laughter. Vulcan was under the siege of the Firies when Hoggle dropped him a rope. Vulcan reached the top unharmed and patted Hoggle on the back.
"You're a great friend Hoggle!"
Hoggle tried to stop him but the words were out. Both of them dropped down into the bog. Hoggle barely managed to save himself, but Vulcan was able to grab a tree root. Hoggle noticed yet another difference. The ledge was enough to make Vulcan nervous, but Hoggle could walk along it easily. Isis watched as Vulcan met up again with Ludo and met the valiant Sir Didymus. At long last Prince Vulcan was offered the enchanted peach. Never suspecting Hoggle, Vulcan bit into the peach with relish.
"This tastes strange." He said as his eyes began to glaze over. "Hoggle what have you done?"
Isis met her father at the window. Jareth winked to his daughter as she sped her own crystals toward the Prince. Prince Vulcan found himself in a grand ballroom not unlike that which had surrounded the young Queen Sarah. But the dancers were all of human form. He saw the ballroom centered around the King and Queen for he recognized Jareth behind the mask. The Prince had also been invited to the Goblin King's parties before. He gradually noticed that all the dancers were masked in grotesque goblin masks. Even the Queen had a mask made to look like the skull of a young fawn. It didn't seem to go with the beauty of the rest of her countenance. Then he saw her. A centauress of incomparable beauty. Her coat was a rich chocolate brown and her female form was the picture of perfection. She like the Queen wore a mask representing a fawn skull trimmed with ribbons and lace and held to their face by a handle carved to look like a smooth antler. But as she lowered her mask, their eyes met. All thoughts of the ballroom's contradictions fled. But then she was gone. He looked around for her, but a swirl of dancers hid her from view. She followed her father's example leading the Prince through a series of glimpses and near misses until she was finally presented before him in all her glory. Jareth watched on sure that the young Prince would choose the dream forgetting his quest, but it was not to be. The two danced only a moment it seemed before Jareth allowed the Prince to catch site of a clock. To his surprise, Prince Vulcan fought his way free of the dream.
"He's got the heart, Sarah. Lets see if he has the will."
Isis watched as Agnes tried to make the Prince forget by taking Vulcan into a fake of his own world,, but a picture on his dresser of his little sister reminded him of his quest for the Princess. Isis' heart lept when he made it past the second gate.
"Now he must show skill in conquering my army without weapons."
"He has Ludo, Father. He'll figure it out."
Just as Hoggle mentioned the ominous words, Jareth's Goblin army formed round the castle. Everyone was playing their part well, and Jareth watched the battle ensue from his window. Isis stood beside him and smiled when Vulcan came again to the steps of the castle. With party intact, Prince Vulcan headed into the castle.
"That's the only way he could've gone!" Vulcan said when they reached the throne room. "Come on!"
"Wait, Lord Prince! You must face the Goblin King on your own," Hoggle said.
"Yes," Sir Didymus agreed. "That is the way it is done so that is the way you must do it. But. Should you need us."
"Yes, should you need us." Hoggle added.
"I'll call," Vulcan said with a smile. "Thank you. All of you." With that the prince headed into the Escher room. He did a double take trying to make sense of it all when he saw the image of the King walking it seemed on the walls and ceilings. The King spoke to him taunting him. Finally the King brought forth on of his infamous crystals, and Vulcan prepared for something like the cleaners. Instead the King threw the crystal far into the room. Vulcan thought it would shatter on the stone stairs, but it bounced up a flight of stairs into the hands of a reclining centauress. Vulcan tried to get to her, but she moved through all dimensions like the King and always seemed just out of his reach. Then from a ledge he saw her poised at the edge of a seemingly bottomless pit. Taking a leap of faith, he hoped to be at her side. Instead he found himself falling at a controlled rate through the ruins of the Escher room. After what seemed like forever, Vulcan landed at the bottom of the illusion. However, there was no defeated Jareth here to meet him. Instead Jareth stepped out of the shadows in all his dark glory. Vulcan approached him.
"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City in answer to the quest you have given me. Am I not worthy?"
Jareth made a clock appear, and it had not yet chimed the thirteenth hour.
"Indeed you are!"
Vulcan looked around when he heard applause and saw that he'd been transported back to the throne room. The King was seated on his throne with the Queen to his right, but what caught Vulcan's attention was the vision of loveliness on the King's left. Jareth stood and addressed the gathered audience, which included Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus.
"Prince Vulcan Chiron of the Great Hall is the only prince to pass through the Labyrinth this day in the prescribed time." Turning to Isis he questioned her. "What do you say daughter?"
"This noble prince is the only one to survive your sifting, Father. I will accept one so courageous and strong as my husband."
The entire throne room resounded with applause and cheers. The Labyrinth inhabitants were not anxious to be rid of their Princess, but there was joy for her marriage.