A Prophecy Speaks
a/n: I do not own labyrinth
a quick note: the theory set forth by Plato that is extremely shortened below is stated in his work The Republic. I don't own that either. And I got it from the book Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale. I don't own any of that either, except in physical book form. Yeah.
Chapter 38 –or- Battle in the Labyrinth
Sarah stared out over the Labyrinth and saw the battle start at the western entrance. The only thing she could really see from this vantage point was dust flying up. Let them navigate the Labyrinth. Even though it hurt her every time a stone fell, she knew that the Labyrinth was something they could rebuild.
Xandra looked on the Labyrinth with disgust and disdain. The stupid bitch didn't even have the forces to guard the gates! She sent her dryads in first and to the right. Her sprites went left. She split the nymph forces in half. Xandra herself changed into a brown hawk and took off on a current of warm air. She was willing to bet that Sarah was so scared that she could not even think to change into an owl and come out here to try and stop her. The denizens of the Labyrinth were inconsequential. She had to stop herself from thinking that everything on the ground was prey. She didn't need those kind of distractions right now. All of her creatures were in the Labyrinth now, navigating the stone walled corridors. Xandra heard a shriek as three dryads fell into an oubliette. Ah, well. Stupid girls should have been more careful.
Sarah indeed saw the hawk circling above. Xandra obviously did not care very much about her subjects. At this rate, Xandra's numbers would be vastly dwindled by the time they reached the city. The vats of liquid fire were ready. Ludo was down in the city. Xandra thought she was on top of things did she? Xandra thought she held all the power? She was wrong.
"Sarah? Why are they doing this? I mean, Nogrod and Xandra?" Toby asked his sister as they stared out over the Labyrinth.
"Power. Once some have it, they can't have it go. And, for some people, the power they have is just not enough. Xandra is threatened and she is scared. She has no heir and had hoped to make heirs with Jareth. For her, it is a case of not being able to let go of the power she has. She has no heir, and no one that meets her standards to mate with. She is desperate. She can't let it go. Nogrod told her what she wanted to hear, and so she put her eggs in his basket. For Nogrod, it is a case of not having enough. He is greedy. He is insane and wants to be Overking. He has a lust for pain and power. Both of them are dreadfully unhappy, and they think that if only they could eliminate those that are happy they could be happy themselves. There was a philosopher in the mortal realm named Plato. He stated that a just person will always be happier than an unjust person. If we are morally right then we will be truly happy, because we, as a whole, will be in perfect synchronicity. But someone like Xandra, or Nogrod, will never be happy because they let their passions and their vices rule them. They never do what needs to be done, they do what they want to, and damn the consequences. Deep down, they know they are wrong Toby, and I regret that they will not get a chance to repent that before they die," Sarah explained. Toby sighed and fingered his sword.
Suddenly, a goblin came up to the battlements and saluted Sarah.
"Report," Sarah commanded him.
"Your Majesty, I am sorry to report that half of Xandra's forces have passed the place where the wiseman would have been sitting had you not moved him. Which means they are in the hedge maze now. The worse news is that the other half are in the junk yard, about to get to the gates! They must have gone left instead of right. But luckily, there are only about a hundred of them, and they are sprites and nymphs," the goblin reported, his eyes fearful.
Sarah snapped her attentions to the gates in front of her city. The sensual and magical nymphs had managed to defeat the robot thing Sarah had never asked the name of. Less than a hundred nymphs and sprites marched into the city. Cannons started going off rapidly. Shrieks of pain filled the air. Sarah heard the loud roar of Ludo calling the rocks. Some of the sprites had reached the walls and were trying to climb them.
"Fire!" Sarah called, and the goblins tipped over the vats of pitch and naptha. The sprites caught on fire and were knocked from the walls. It was a painful death for a woodland creature. Sarah could not afford to regret it though. She wouldn't show mercy. They did not deserve mercy.
Xandra stared in shock as she saw the liquid fire being heaved onto her sprites. So, Sarah had some knowledge of a siege. It would not save her. She saw a few more dryads fall into another hole, while some others shot arrows into some ugly red creatures.
Xandra decided to end it. She would kill that bitch now, instead of later. She flew straight for the battlements. She was going to find that mongrel queen and kill her.