A/N: Poor Sarah, it seems she always gets into trouble in this story. Oh well! I'm honestly surprised I've been able to update this ficcie so much, but I'm guessing it might die out soon. So why not use the inspiration? Heh.
Disclaimer: Don't own Labyrinth, blah blah blah. Song lyrics from Evanescence's Haunted. In fact, their fallen album was the inspiration soundtrack for this chapter.
Chapter 3: Determination
Jareth thought the question over carefully. If he told her what happened, she could easily take it the wrong way and blame him for everything that has happened to her so far on this journey and exclaim that she hated him, like she would have if she were a child. On the other hand, she could actually take it very easily and talk to him calmly, much like the adult he knew she had become. Torn, he instead chose to give her bits of information instead, carefully treading over the entire subject as he brushed a gloved finger across her blistered bottom lip with the utmost care, "You, my dear, have had a very unfortunate brush with the Ug-Nabiath. You are very lucky indeed to be alive, seeming as how the creature hasn't the faintest idea of its lethal affect on humans." The corner of his mouth twitched in amusement as her eyes widened just as predicted and he continued on smoothly, "I can only be thankful that I saved you in time before it was too late. I wouldn't want my favorite contestant to fall ill while in my Labyrinth…" He smirked, eyes sparkling mischievously.
Sarah swallowed heavily and grimaced as a sensation drifted through her entire, seeming to course through her very veins. It was that feeling of discomfort, one that she often associated with the Goblin King, seeming as how it only happened while being in his presence. She pushed the feeling away stubbornly and sat up slightly, hissing when affected muscles in her arms protested at the movement. Next thing she knew Jareth's arms were lifting her and setting her upright against the tree and she nearly gasped when she felt his hands drift carefully over her body. "Wha… What are you doing?" His gaze flickered upwards to meet her own and she swallowed when she saw amusement and… Heat? In those gorgeous mismatched eyes of his, causing her own orbs to widen slightly.
"Why, Sarah… I am merely checking for injuries, of course." His tone, albeit sounding highly amused, also held a hint of darkness to it, tainting the deep resounding timber of his voice, the very chords sounding like velvet being deliciously brushed across her skin. She shivered slightly and subconsciously pouted, causing the king to chuckle. Soon enough he pulled away and sat back on his haunches, regarding the human woman before him, eyes slightly narrowed and a thoughtful expression taking over his features, arms casually draped over his legs and hanging limply there, as if they had no feeling. On the contrary, every nerve-ending was bursting with life and tingling with such feeling that Jareth had to purse his lips slightly to control the over-bearing urge to take off his gloves and feel the softness of her skin beneath his naked touch. With a sigh he brushed a hand through his hair, causing the blonde strands to stick out in all their unruly glory, much like an untamed mane. Sarah watched the entire thing with keen eyes, the last of the effects dissipating completely, leaving her mind clear and the rest of her body. She made as if to get up and the Goblin King jumped up with the grace of a feline and casually offered his hand, his mismatched eyes looking at her calmly now, but not without a hint of the raging inferno boiling beneath the surface. Sarah eyed his hand warily; wondering if she should take it. At long last she hesitantly took hold of his hand with one of her own and with little to no effort at all he had her standing straight up. Legs a bit unsteady from the last remaining effects of the Ug-Nabiath, they immediately gave out at the slightest hint of pressure and she fell against Jareth, letting out a cry and latching onto the fabric of his poet's shirt. Jareth's arms wrapped around her waist tightly to keep her from hitting the dirt and without thinking made soothing sounds in the back of his throat, holding her close as if to ward off any demons that might attack.
Face buried in the folds of his shirt, Sarah avoided his gaze and bit her lip, wondering just how she managed to find herself in these kinds of situations with him. Maybe it was fate playing a cruel trick on her, or maybe it was just meant to be, she didn't know. The latter of the two frightened her beyond belief so with a small sigh, she gently pushed away from him, getting her footing easily and standing her own ground. Jareth's arms reluctantly dropped from being around her and the two regarded each other silently, both wanting to say something but words dying in their throats before anything could be said. Sarah was the first to break the lengthy silence lying between them when she drew in a quick breath, letting it out slowly. This seemed to attract even more attention from Jareth and she nervously cleared her throat, "Ah, thanks… Jareth." As his brow shot up in mild surprise she started backing away, letting the words tumble from her mouth, "Well, better get going… I have a maze to solve… Again." She saw a flicker of sadness in his eyes before the same indifference she had come to know so well replaced any emotion on his face.
"Very well, Sarah. I will leave you to it. Good luck." A final bow and he was gone, seeming to morph into some form of glitter that was carried away by a swift wind. Sarah blinked, his sudden departure setting her on an even more state of unease. She turned back onto the path she left behind and walked slowly, shoving her hands in her pants pockets as she lost herself in thought, the wind serenely picking up leaves and swirling them about behind her.
Another two hours later Sarah was in a different part of the maze, an absurd blend of the bog and some sort of ivy infested maze. She sighed and glanced upwards at the sky, streaks of purple, pink and yellow offering themselves for her viewing pleasure. It had been hours since she last saw any type of living creature and as she kicked the soggy dirt, she could understand why. This place was absolutely uninhabitable. Another sigh escaped her lips as she kept on, dodging random spits and sinkholes, including the ivy that seemed desperate to latch onto anything its leafy tendrils could grasp. She shuddered as she remembered a certain encounter with the ivy earlier and fought against the memory, losing the battle easily.
She had been walking along, minding her own business when she felt something pulling at her hair from behind. She hissed as it pulled mercilessly, her hands reaching back blindly to unwind whatever it was from being tangled within her hair and her eyes widened as it snapped at her fingers, creating a small cut on each finger in a neat little row. She pulled her hand away, hissing as the pain managed to temporarily blind her. She fought against the hold but more tendrils of the vine wrapped neatly around her arms, pulling her back to the wall of ivy. Soon enough she was covered in the ivy and the vines yanked her roughly against the wall, making her cry out and lose her breath from the contact of her body hitting the stone. Stars swam before her vision and she bit her lip, hissing as a tendril scraped across the skin of her abdomen, creating an incision. She fought against the ivy with all her strength and managed to find a knife within the surrounding vines and with a cry akin to one shouted during battle, she sliced through the stubborn ivy, slowly cutting herself free from their restrictive embrace. Finally, she broke free, stumbling away from the vines and landing hard on the boggy floor, gasping for breath.
She looked down at her now bandaged abdomen, a strip of her shirt that she had torn off when no other option was available. She pushed the pain to the back of her mind, refusing to even acknowledge the sensation as her determination won out over all feeling, letting her continue onwards without even a slight change in her footsteps. Eyebrow drawn low over her eyes, Sarah let out a small sigh of frustration and picked up to a jogging speed, her breath coming in even puffs as she practically ran through the area, ducking under low dead branches and moss-like substances that she didn't even want to know what they were made of. As she wound her way around a rather impressive looking tree, she could not help but hum a song that seemed to suit her determination quite well, the words adding fuel to her soul, making her more willing to keep going.
Long lost words whisper slowly to meStill can't find what keeps me here
When all this time I've been so hollow inside
I know you're still there…
She let out a grunt as she jumped over a fallen log and rolled once she hit the ground, springing back up and jogging once more, the words laying out before her eyes and creating a path for her to follow blindly.
Watching me, wanting meI can feel you pull me down
Fearing you, loving you
I won't let you pull me down…
Jareth watched with undivided attention the images within the crystal in his palm, his own thoughts seeming to mingle in with the song playing within Sarah's mind as if the two of them wrote it, weaving it together like some kind of enchanting spell to ensnare the senses.
Hunting you I can smell you- Alive
Your heart pounding in my head…
Panting, Sarah ran full tilt through a straight pathway that never seemed to end, hair floating behind her like a silken scarf blowing in the wind. Soon enough she came to a door that was slowly closing, and with a determined cry, she slammed against it, putting all of her weight into it to keep it open. It fell under her weight without any hint of defiance and she stumbled to the dirt, gasping for breath. The door slid to an ominous close behind her, the sound of a lock being placed vaguely reaching her ears. She flipped wearily onto her back, her chest heaving with each breath as she closed her eyes, willing her heart to slow once again back to normal.
After being slightly rested, she slowly sat up, wincing as muscles in her entire body protested at the movement. She slowly got to her feet and looked around, noticing to her dismay that she had somehow gone in one big circle and ended up in the hedge maze once again. Letting out a cry of frustration she continued onwards, not even bothering to look up. If she had, she would have noticed the castle looming not even that far away, the goblin city lying just beyond the exit of the hedge maze.
Sitting next to a fountain, Sarah lay resting, gazing idly into the crystal clear water. Mind blank, she merely stared at it, watching as tiny specs in the bottom sparkled in the sunlight. Sarah blinked, her curiosity setting in. She moved into a kneeling position and brought her face closer to the water, trying to see exactly what it was on the bottom that was causing it to sparkle. Hesitantly, she brought her uninjured hand to the surface of the clear liquid, and with a small breath, submerged her hand. The water felt unbelievably cool and wonderful to the touch that she let out a heavy sigh of approval, letting the water cool her overheated skin. Then, as if remembering why she stuck her hand in the first place, she reached down to the suddenly deep bottom, submerging over half of her arm to do so. She grabbed what felt like a rock and pulled it upwards, bringing it out of the water to inspect it closer. It was a crystal of some sort; oval and shimmering from the inside it seemed. She turned it in a different direction, noticing the light within changing to a lavender hue.
"Hey!"
Startled, Sarah dropped the crystal back into the water, turning her head quickly to the creature that just spoke. A hybrid of a faerie and a mermaid the size of an ostrich egg fluttered not even five feet away from her, crossing its arms and scowling deeply at her. "Don't you know not to touch someone's treasure?!"
Mouth open, Sarah stuttered, "Oh! I… I'm sorry, I didn't know…"
The mer-faerie huffed, squeaking, "Uh-huh sure! You humans do whatever you like, whenever you want! Doesn't matter if it's not yours, does it?! I should teach you a lesson to touch someone else's things!" With a snarl, the faerie charged Sarah, pushing the poor girl. Sarah toppled backwards into the water with a big splash, arms flailing. She came to the surface and sputtered, grabbing the edge of the fountain and clinging onto it for dear life as the bottom dropped out beneath her, becoming more of a large pool than a small fountain. Managing to climb out, she lay sprawled on the grass, sopping wet and breathing heavily, absently wondering to herself if she could possibly get in any more trouble while being here. As she looked about, she saw the mer-faerie dive into the fountain, out of sight. Sarah laid her head back on the ground, closing her eyes momentarily.
After regaining her breath, she got up once again, grimacing as she squeezed the excess water out of her hair and clothing. Slowly she continued onwards, physically drained. After taking turn after turn, she halted in her steps, mouth agape as she stared before her. There, in all its glory, was the Goblin City.
Hehehe. I believe I am getting much better at these cliffies, no? I just had to be evil and leave it there. Makes the next chapter worth reading, don't you think so? Heh. Review!
-Niffers