(Author's note: Thanks again for the reviews. Hopefully questions shall be answered as the story progresses. I admit I need to improve on my division between emotions and events as we either get too much of one or the other, but I can only continue and hope you stick with it!)
Chapter VIII
Sarah turned to her fallen friend's side and leant over to stroke his matted mane.
"Oh Ludo, are you okay?" she asked, biting her lip out of worry.
Ludo opened his eyes slowly and groaned.
"Seh...wah."
There was a large gash travelling from his left shoulder to his right rib. His fur was stained red around his wound like a scarlet ribbon.
"Ludo...sorry..." he managed, droplets of moisture escaping his eyes.
Sarah cradled his great head in her arms and soothed him.
"It's not your fault, Ludo. I forgive you. Just stay with me, okay?" She held him tightly as she glanced around the courtyard. "Something threw water on Ambrosius and must have broken some sort of spell. Did you see anyone?"
Her friend grunted and moved his head from side to side: 'No'.
"Hello?" Sarah called to the sound of trickling water. "Is anyone there?"
A noise similar to the movement of water with wading feet made a response. Sarah squinted at each fountain, seeing no sign of whatever it was, but spied a curious trail of wet spots upon the side of the one she had drunk from. Concentrating harder, she swore that something was reflecting the sunlight just in front of it, even though she could see right through to the hedges beyond. The outline of what appeared to be water hovering in the air formed that of a young girl. Sunlight picked out the shadows of a nose and lips, thin indentations in her hair and pupil-less eyes.
"I-," Sarah started. "Thank you for helping us."
The girl composed entirely of water approached, leaving behind a track of shining footprints.
"Your friend is hurt," she said dismissively, her voice like a whisper.
Sarah nodded then she frowned in recognition.
"You're the girl in my dream," she said. "The one who showed me who I really was. You were-." Sarah hesitated, unsure if the girl showed any interest in what she had to say. It was hard to tell with an expressionless face. "You were different though."
"I was human?" the girl replied with a lack of surprise.
"Yes, and you were making a doll..." Sarah trailed. "What happened?"
The water being sat the other side of the injured beast that lay on the floor.
"That wasn't me you saw. It may have been a part of me but I've been this way a long time."
"What do you mean a 'part' of you?" Sarah implored, drifting a gentle hand across Ludo's cheek.
"When he puts people in dreams, he temporarily takes the essence of things inside the Labyrinth, whether they be past or present," the girl explained. "He wouldn't have meant for me to be there, I've no doubt, but he tends to forget that I have a connection with the water sources here."
The memory of a lone fountain in the castle grounds submerged itself again in Sarah's mind.
"But you were human once," she said, feeling her insides lurch. "What did he do to you?"
The reply was made in an absent kind of voice. "He often sings a song about me."
"A song?" Sarah could only recall one chilling song echoing about a room with many staircases, but that had not been about this girl.
"When I was a baby, my mother wished me away because I wouldn't stop crying. She was glad I was gone. Even the King couldn't make me stop, so he locked me up until I'd grown older, brought up by his goblins. When he finally let me out, he caught me making a voodoo doll of him out of goblin uniforms."
Sarah looked wide-eyed at her. "And then what?"
"_Nobody knew what kind of magic spell to use_," the girl sang hauntingly. "He couldn't turn me into a goblin but he made sure I could never pick up a needle and thread again. He thought it would be fitting that I be made of all the tears that I cried."
Sarah's face was a mask of condolence and self-disgust toward the feelings forced upon her own heart. She loathed the very man her heart ached for. Blinking away the thought, her eyes lit up in horror.
"Oh no, I drank from the-."
"It's all right," the girl said, cutting her short. "You didn't drink any of me. I'm careful. I only come here because it's quiet. Things don't hurt me but I get annoyed when the Wild Gang realise they can separate my head from my body. Gets a bit tiresome after a few decades."
Sarah raised her eyebrow at the last word. Decades? How long had Jareth been playing this despicable game? This poor girl had been kept in this world, away from home, away from a home she had never known.
"If you're wondering why I'm not any older since he changed me, it's because water doesn't age. Change it however you like, it's stuck in the same time frame."
"What is your name?" Sarah asked, noting the advanced way in which this child spoke.
"Lynden. And you are Sarah," came the reply.
Sarah asked how she knew but Lynden only shrugged.
"Is there anywhere we can rest? Ludo's not looking too good."
Lynden nodded, which was only visible by the contrast in shadows and light.
"There's a system of caverns underground. Sometimes there's a goblin patrol but I blend in with the stream. I can keep a look-out for you while you sleep."
Sarah thanked her and helped Ludo to his feet. Once she was sure he was balanced, she took the beast's hand and let Lynden lead the way. Past the very last fountain, there was a difference in the floor. The plain stone had divided into a few rows of tiles before becoming plain again. When Lynden stepped onto one, her transparent feet sank through it.
"Don't worry," she said, turning to see the look of apprehension on her companions' faces. "The floor is mostly an illusion. There's a stairway down here. As long as you walk on this tile, you're fine."
Sarah stepped cautiously onto the tile after Lynden's head disappeared, then turned to aid Ludo in his descent. Walking further forwards, she found her foot dropped a fraction. Now her memory had recorded the distance it needed for each step, she made her way below ground (below ground in the Underground, she thought with a tampered humour) with Ludo in tow.
Chapter VIII
Sarah turned to her fallen friend's side and leant over to stroke his matted mane.
"Oh Ludo, are you okay?" she asked, biting her lip out of worry.
Ludo opened his eyes slowly and groaned.
"Seh...wah."
There was a large gash travelling from his left shoulder to his right rib. His fur was stained red around his wound like a scarlet ribbon.
"Ludo...sorry..." he managed, droplets of moisture escaping his eyes.
Sarah cradled his great head in her arms and soothed him.
"It's not your fault, Ludo. I forgive you. Just stay with me, okay?" She held him tightly as she glanced around the courtyard. "Something threw water on Ambrosius and must have broken some sort of spell. Did you see anyone?"
Her friend grunted and moved his head from side to side: 'No'.
"Hello?" Sarah called to the sound of trickling water. "Is anyone there?"
A noise similar to the movement of water with wading feet made a response. Sarah squinted at each fountain, seeing no sign of whatever it was, but spied a curious trail of wet spots upon the side of the one she had drunk from. Concentrating harder, she swore that something was reflecting the sunlight just in front of it, even though she could see right through to the hedges beyond. The outline of what appeared to be water hovering in the air formed that of a young girl. Sunlight picked out the shadows of a nose and lips, thin indentations in her hair and pupil-less eyes.
"I-," Sarah started. "Thank you for helping us."
The girl composed entirely of water approached, leaving behind a track of shining footprints.
"Your friend is hurt," she said dismissively, her voice like a whisper.
Sarah nodded then she frowned in recognition.
"You're the girl in my dream," she said. "The one who showed me who I really was. You were-." Sarah hesitated, unsure if the girl showed any interest in what she had to say. It was hard to tell with an expressionless face. "You were different though."
"I was human?" the girl replied with a lack of surprise.
"Yes, and you were making a doll..." Sarah trailed. "What happened?"
The water being sat the other side of the injured beast that lay on the floor.
"That wasn't me you saw. It may have been a part of me but I've been this way a long time."
"What do you mean a 'part' of you?" Sarah implored, drifting a gentle hand across Ludo's cheek.
"When he puts people in dreams, he temporarily takes the essence of things inside the Labyrinth, whether they be past or present," the girl explained. "He wouldn't have meant for me to be there, I've no doubt, but he tends to forget that I have a connection with the water sources here."
The memory of a lone fountain in the castle grounds submerged itself again in Sarah's mind.
"But you were human once," she said, feeling her insides lurch. "What did he do to you?"
The reply was made in an absent kind of voice. "He often sings a song about me."
"A song?" Sarah could only recall one chilling song echoing about a room with many staircases, but that had not been about this girl.
"When I was a baby, my mother wished me away because I wouldn't stop crying. She was glad I was gone. Even the King couldn't make me stop, so he locked me up until I'd grown older, brought up by his goblins. When he finally let me out, he caught me making a voodoo doll of him out of goblin uniforms."
Sarah looked wide-eyed at her. "And then what?"
"_Nobody knew what kind of magic spell to use_," the girl sang hauntingly. "He couldn't turn me into a goblin but he made sure I could never pick up a needle and thread again. He thought it would be fitting that I be made of all the tears that I cried."
Sarah's face was a mask of condolence and self-disgust toward the feelings forced upon her own heart. She loathed the very man her heart ached for. Blinking away the thought, her eyes lit up in horror.
"Oh no, I drank from the-."
"It's all right," the girl said, cutting her short. "You didn't drink any of me. I'm careful. I only come here because it's quiet. Things don't hurt me but I get annoyed when the Wild Gang realise they can separate my head from my body. Gets a bit tiresome after a few decades."
Sarah raised her eyebrow at the last word. Decades? How long had Jareth been playing this despicable game? This poor girl had been kept in this world, away from home, away from a home she had never known.
"If you're wondering why I'm not any older since he changed me, it's because water doesn't age. Change it however you like, it's stuck in the same time frame."
"What is your name?" Sarah asked, noting the advanced way in which this child spoke.
"Lynden. And you are Sarah," came the reply.
Sarah asked how she knew but Lynden only shrugged.
"Is there anywhere we can rest? Ludo's not looking too good."
Lynden nodded, which was only visible by the contrast in shadows and light.
"There's a system of caverns underground. Sometimes there's a goblin patrol but I blend in with the stream. I can keep a look-out for you while you sleep."
Sarah thanked her and helped Ludo to his feet. Once she was sure he was balanced, she took the beast's hand and let Lynden lead the way. Past the very last fountain, there was a difference in the floor. The plain stone had divided into a few rows of tiles before becoming plain again. When Lynden stepped onto one, her transparent feet sank through it.
"Don't worry," she said, turning to see the look of apprehension on her companions' faces. "The floor is mostly an illusion. There's a stairway down here. As long as you walk on this tile, you're fine."
Sarah stepped cautiously onto the tile after Lynden's head disappeared, then turned to aid Ludo in his descent. Walking further forwards, she found her foot dropped a fraction. Now her memory had recorded the distance it needed for each step, she made her way below ground (below ground in the Underground, she thought with a tampered humour) with Ludo in tow.