Chapter XVI
(Short one here, I will try to do some more tomorrow! *winces*)
Sarah looked back from the bottom of the stairs at her two friends, the water girl and the beast. The quietude in the castle was uncomfortable, even with the dull crashes of goblin artillery resounding in the city outside. Lynden returned her solemn stare, personally unable to aid Ludo's barricade.
"Are you sure I can't-," she began.
"No," Sarah said firmly, her green eyes glistening sadly. "I need to do the next part by myself."
She hated hearing herself speak such similar words to those of years before, that same feeling of dread with a hint of confidence stirring in the pit of her stomach. She could beat him again. The Labyrinth - a piece of cake.
Lynden nodded but spoke again as her friend started up the stairs.
"Sarah...if you-."
"I'll call."
Once again, Sarah ran into the throne room of the Goblin King, and once again it was empty. The chains draping from one of the walls were vacant, the walls were dustier and grimier than ever, every corner clogged with cobwebs, and she noticed a single chandelier that reminded her of what she knew only to be a dream. The indentation in the floor made itself familiar as the place her brother had sat for almost thirteen hours.
She took the passageway to the left and darted up the steps to what she presumed to be the Escher room of her past. However, there were no staircases here.
Two narrow walkways curved out from the ledge on which she stood, leading to a golden oval platform, unsupported above an expanse of oblivion. The room mimicked the shape of the Goblin King's pendant and Sarah could make out a huddled figure crouched in the centre of the vast platform as though it were the jewel. She trod carefully along one of the arcing paths, taking care not to look down into the dizzying abyss. When she reached the crumpled silhouette, she half-expected something nasty to spring at her. Instead she was confronted with the face of a trembling old man.
"S-Sarah?"
"Hoggle? Is that you?"
The ancient human was manacled to the floor by one wrist, the same tattered purple robes she had seen in the Pools of Seeing clung wretchedly to his frail form.
"Sarah, you's shouldn't be here-," he started as his friend threw her arms about him.
"Oh Hoggle, what has he done to you?"
The ex-dwarf pushed her away gently and lowered his voice to a whisper.
"You's 'ave to leave me 'ere! It's not safe. Jareth...'e's..."
"Jareth's what?"
Hoggle sighed.
"'E ain't right in the 'ead. An' I don' mean 'is usual kid-stealin' neither. You, you's don' know what 'e's become," he said, his tone distressed.
Sarah thought back to the fearsome scorpion hovering before her eyes.
"He won't hurt me," she whispered, more to reassure herself than anyone.
"Sarah, how long have you been trying to find me?"
As she attempted to wrench his chain from the floor, she replied, "A day or so."
Hoggle shook his head wearily.
"It's been a lot longer fer Jareth." He took hold of her hand to gain her full attention. "'E's watched you run this maze fer almost a year." Sarah's face creased in confusion. "Fer everyone else, time 'as continued as normal, but Jareth quickened 'is own so that 'e'd see the world like it was a picture. Whenever 'e pleased, 'e'd be sat watchin' you's in them crystals." Hoggle shifted away from her as though his words brought discomfort. "Not a bat of yer eyelashes'd 'ave gone unnoticed."
Sarah had very little colour left in her cheeks.
"But why?" she asked her old friend, with a sense of exhaustion.
"'E's driven 'isself mad. You's needs to get out of the Underground, Sarah, 's best fer all of us if ye do. Don' worry about me. 'E only 'urts hisself anyways." Hoggle glanced up at her glumly. "So far."
"If you think for one second I'm about to leave you here-," Sarah uttered sternly until she heard a sound behind her.
She spun on her heel to face whatever was traversing the walkway and let out a cry of surprise.
"You!"
"Eh?"
"Woo, woo, woo!"
(Short one here, I will try to do some more tomorrow! *winces*)
Sarah looked back from the bottom of the stairs at her two friends, the water girl and the beast. The quietude in the castle was uncomfortable, even with the dull crashes of goblin artillery resounding in the city outside. Lynden returned her solemn stare, personally unable to aid Ludo's barricade.
"Are you sure I can't-," she began.
"No," Sarah said firmly, her green eyes glistening sadly. "I need to do the next part by myself."
She hated hearing herself speak such similar words to those of years before, that same feeling of dread with a hint of confidence stirring in the pit of her stomach. She could beat him again. The Labyrinth - a piece of cake.
Lynden nodded but spoke again as her friend started up the stairs.
"Sarah...if you-."
"I'll call."
Once again, Sarah ran into the throne room of the Goblin King, and once again it was empty. The chains draping from one of the walls were vacant, the walls were dustier and grimier than ever, every corner clogged with cobwebs, and she noticed a single chandelier that reminded her of what she knew only to be a dream. The indentation in the floor made itself familiar as the place her brother had sat for almost thirteen hours.
She took the passageway to the left and darted up the steps to what she presumed to be the Escher room of her past. However, there were no staircases here.
Two narrow walkways curved out from the ledge on which she stood, leading to a golden oval platform, unsupported above an expanse of oblivion. The room mimicked the shape of the Goblin King's pendant and Sarah could make out a huddled figure crouched in the centre of the vast platform as though it were the jewel. She trod carefully along one of the arcing paths, taking care not to look down into the dizzying abyss. When she reached the crumpled silhouette, she half-expected something nasty to spring at her. Instead she was confronted with the face of a trembling old man.
"S-Sarah?"
"Hoggle? Is that you?"
The ancient human was manacled to the floor by one wrist, the same tattered purple robes she had seen in the Pools of Seeing clung wretchedly to his frail form.
"Sarah, you's shouldn't be here-," he started as his friend threw her arms about him.
"Oh Hoggle, what has he done to you?"
The ex-dwarf pushed her away gently and lowered his voice to a whisper.
"You's 'ave to leave me 'ere! It's not safe. Jareth...'e's..."
"Jareth's what?"
Hoggle sighed.
"'E ain't right in the 'ead. An' I don' mean 'is usual kid-stealin' neither. You, you's don' know what 'e's become," he said, his tone distressed.
Sarah thought back to the fearsome scorpion hovering before her eyes.
"He won't hurt me," she whispered, more to reassure herself than anyone.
"Sarah, how long have you been trying to find me?"
As she attempted to wrench his chain from the floor, she replied, "A day or so."
Hoggle shook his head wearily.
"It's been a lot longer fer Jareth." He took hold of her hand to gain her full attention. "'E's watched you run this maze fer almost a year." Sarah's face creased in confusion. "Fer everyone else, time 'as continued as normal, but Jareth quickened 'is own so that 'e'd see the world like it was a picture. Whenever 'e pleased, 'e'd be sat watchin' you's in them crystals." Hoggle shifted away from her as though his words brought discomfort. "Not a bat of yer eyelashes'd 'ave gone unnoticed."
Sarah had very little colour left in her cheeks.
"But why?" she asked her old friend, with a sense of exhaustion.
"'E's driven 'isself mad. You's needs to get out of the Underground, Sarah, 's best fer all of us if ye do. Don' worry about me. 'E only 'urts hisself anyways." Hoggle glanced up at her glumly. "So far."
"If you think for one second I'm about to leave you here-," Sarah uttered sternly until she heard a sound behind her.
She spun on her heel to face whatever was traversing the walkway and let out a cry of surprise.
"You!"
"Eh?"
"Woo, woo, woo!"