Welcome to my fic, everyone! This is the sequel to my prequel, Prequel to Labyrinth: A Mother's Sacrifices, which you don't have to read, but it might be helpful if you have time.
A special welcome to all the people who read Prequel to Labyrinth: A Mother's Sacrifices! Welcome back to the strange world of BeyondWords' Labyrinth!
An even more joyful welcome to those who reviewed my prequel- Jenny, JLF, Labyriana, Prettylittleowl, Sierra_Falls, Nubian Queen, BloodIce and Labyris!
Here's a longer summary: Sequel to Prequel to Labyrinth: A Mother's Sacrifices. After her triumph in Jareth's Labyrinth, Sarah discovers the truth about her mother and the red book- her journey is not over. The worlds were not disconnected but instead remained connected; the magic is destroying both realms. Now, Sarah must fulfill her responsibilities as the babe with the power of voodoo with the help of friends new and old while trying to avoid Jareth, who keeps watching her. J/S
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Labyrinth- I only own my story and my characters. TriStar Pictures, Henson Associates, Inc. and Lucasfilm Ltd. have the rights to the film and its characters. I will not write this disclaimer again for this fic- it applies to all of the coming chapters.
The Choices We Make: Secrets of the Red Book
"Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." - William Jennings Bryan
Pre-Labyrinth prologue:
The warm sun beams down over the park. Green grass covers the rolling hill beside the pond. On the other side of the bridge, a young girl with startling hazel eyes dashes with a little red book in her hand. Her long, black hair is in a loose ponytail that streaks behind her. She wears a short-sleeved t-shirt, jeans that taper at her ankles and brown, weaved flat shoes. Jogging easily over the cobblestone bridge, she does not bat an eyelash at the snowy white owl that is perched nearby. As she goes by, the owl turns its head to allow its eyes to follow her. After watching her practice her lines for another fifteen minutes, he blinks at her as she checks her watch and heads home. The owl raises its wings and soars into the sky.
After switching dimensions, Jareth lands in his bedroom and changes back into his normal humanoid form. He mutters to himself. "What an insipid girl! At least she's consistent! Every day she reads the same thing- that damn book full of supposed predictions! I cannot believe that Father actually considered this simple human to be the babe!" He holds up his right hand and a crystal appears. A picture of Sarah fighting with her step-mother appears and he rolls both of his mismatched eyes. "Someone had a bad dream and planted a supposed prophecy so that they could have a laugh from beyond the grave! Well," he shakes his fist at the sky, "I will not be falling for such foolishness!"
"So, you're back, are you, Master Jareth?" The Goblin King spins around to see Rolyat, the goblin who has served his family since the beginning of the kingdom. The shorter creature comes nearer and peers into the crystal. "Going off to see her again… how was she today? Why do you watch her every day? You know that she will grace us with her presence soon enough." An amused smile graces his old features.
"Still as presumptuous as ever, Rolyat? Even if that ridiculous piece of paper is a true prediction of future events, she is not the one for whom you have waited. As I have told you countless times, you want to see the prophecy fulfilled so badly that you will see the babe with power of voodoo everywhere! This girl is flighty and immature; she could never defeat me."
"Perhaps you see only what you wish to see too, sir." He raises his right eyebrow and softly laughs. Jareth makes an angry face at him, but Rolyat continues. "You must be seeing a good bit since you are obsessively stalking her most of the time."
"First of all, I am not obsessive in the slightest, especially concerning her. Second, I am not stalking her. I am merely observing her in the off-chance that she is the one of whom the prophecy speaks."
"Your stubbornness will be your downfall."
Jareth looks Roylat in the eye and screams, "Leave me, now!"
Undaunted, the old goblin bows and obeys. Jareth sits down in a nearby armchair covered in tattered brocade and broods.
Back in the human world, Sarah hugs Lancelot to herself as she lounges on her bed. After an indeterminate period of time, she sighs to herself and checks the clock. 10:55 PM it reads. She sighs to herself and groans as she pulls herself out of bed to put on her nightgown and wash her face. When she's done, she gets back in bed, says her prayers and sinks into the comfort of her twin-sized bed.
Once in the REM(rapid eye movement) stage of sleep, seemingly random pictures and sounds float through her subconscious. In her mind's eye, she sees a lovely dark-haired woman sitting on her bed beside her and kissing her cheek. Linda smiles for a moment, but an incredibly sad look replaces the grin. A moment ago, she had looked as if she was going to leave her sleeping child. Then Sarah's mind goes blank and reverberating words are all she can focus on.
"This will sound out of place to you, but I hope that you will forgive me, my daughter for my weakness in allowing you to be taken from me. I gave in and I someday I will send you off against an amazing foe... You are the babe with the power of voodoo, although in my opinion it looks as if you had the power of love and stubbornness. Only time, that which is running out for me, will tell, but I will still be there by your side to protect you in whatever form I can take. Remember this: I love you with all my heart, so much more than you'll ever know. I pray that your love for me will allow you to forgive me for what I have done… I wish you my love to sustain you and my love to get you through and finally love to fulfill all your dreams… Goodbye, dear one..."
The voice fades out, but it takes Sarah a few moments to recognize her mother's voice, although she does not understand what Linda means. Quickly one light comes on. Mom is running her fingers through my hair while I sleep! Why does she look so sad? Linda goes to the dresser and pulls out a familiar red book and holds it close. Then it appears as if she puts something in the book. Wait! That must have been the night before Mother died! The dream shatters like a crystal and Sarah gasps for breath as she sits up in bed. What was that? Why would I dream of that again? This is the third time this week! She wipes some cold sweat from her brow and sighs. Still, each time that I have dreamt that, it leaves me with this crazy feeling that the dream is real. I have searched through the book countless times, but I never found anything. I suppose that I am just getting into character.
As her daughter tries to go back to sleep in the middle of the night, Linda sighs and smiles sadly. Today is the day, Sarah. Today the goblins will come and you will be led to say the words, as I knew those years ago. You have practiced and studied well. I am so proud, but I had wished that you would be a little older and that I had foreseen the effects of my emphasis on the story of the Labyrinth. You live in a fantasy world and you do not even see it. Perhaps this experience will redefine reality for you… as it did for me. I'm sorry that you must endure this trial, but I believe in you. I pray that I equipped you as best I could. We shall see this evening, dear Sarah. She blows a kiss to her daughter. I love you… Please forgive me…
Rolyat watches night pass in the Labyrinth. He swells with pride that his master has done so well, but a tingle of anticipation runs through his heart. Tomorrow night will be the night. I can feel Lady Linda's presence working on Sarah in these last few hours. The babe has grown into a fine teenager and Master Jareth has grown in wisdom. He is still rash, yet already she proves to be his weak point. He dreams of her most nights and stares at her as if there is nothing else in the world; she fascinates him for some reason. Even as he is transfixed, he focuses on despising her in an attempt to keep the prophecy from coming true, but I feel that it was part of the plan. Naturally the curse would make him nervous, because no fae would want a prophecy that promises that he be beaten at his own game. I want Sarah to win, as she will. I do not wish my master pain, but I do wish to see him humbled into a better king. Maybe someday they lay down their warring souls and reconcile. Tomorrow another chapter begins for us all. Good luck, Sarah.
That was the prologue! The next part should be up soon! Please review- it really helps me write, but if you don't, thanks for reading!