The Labyrinth

Chapter Two

Uninvited Guests

By Ronin S. Oath and mudrakdragon1

Jareth glazes into one of the three crystal balls in his hand, watching the two intruders intently.

One of his goblin minions steps closer to him. "Hey, boss…"

"What?"

"Um…" the goblin looks around uncertainly, before continuing. "There are some intruders…"

"Tell me something I don't know."

"They're trying to get into the labyrinth."

Jareth leers down at his minion. "Fine. I'll be back." With that said, Jareth disappears.

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Shawna, glancing around at the vast amount of land, walks backwards up the Cliffside. Then bumps right into something very solid. "'Ello!"

"Konnichiwa!" Casadena calls out on instinct.

"What the-" Shawna turns around to see what she bumped into, and her eyes fall of the Goblin King. "Ohhhh! Hey." All of the sudden, Shawna remembers something. "You weren't supposed to know we were here… Damn."

"May I ask what are you doing here?" the Goblin King questions, glancing from one girl to the other.

"Well," Casadena begins. "You see she-man-"

Casadena is cut off when Shawna whacks her upside the head. "What in the hell do you think you are saying? This is the fucking Goblin King! He can throw us into an Oubliette where we'd rot away foreverrrrrrrrr!"

Both Jareth and Casadena blink.

"Don't stare at me! You know I hate it when people stare at me!" Shawna shouts. Turning to Jareth, she continues. "And you! What do you think you are doing starring at me? You have no position in this conversation."

"But," Casadena cuts in, "I thought you liked the she-man…"

A maroon blush covers Shawna's face, and she begins twitching. "Casadena… Can we talk for a second?" Without waiting for an answer, Shawna grabs her friend, and pulls her over to the side. "How many times do I have to tell you to keep your big mouth shut? He's not even supposed to know we're here, and here you are telling him that I like him!"

Casadena blinks, not understanding the problem. "Yea…"

"That's not something he needs to know right now!"

Behind them, Jareth clears his throat. "You know, I'm standing right here."

"Konnichiwa!"

Shawna slaps Casadena upside the head once again, and turns on the Goblin Kings, her eyes filled with fury. "Once again, you have entered a conversation which has nothing to do with you!"

"Actually-"

"And might I let you know that… that…"

Jareth raises one eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Hold on, it's comin'," Shawna says. Then to herself, she adds, "What was I goin' to say?" With an agitated sigh, Shawna turns to Casadena. "Hey, Casadena. What was I going to say?"

Casadena concentrates. "Liver and onions!"

Shawna hits the girl upside the head. "I wasn't going to say that, dipshit!"

"You weren't?" Casadena asks, rubbing the bump on her head.

Jareth stands there, his arms crossed, and tapping one of his boots. "Yet again, I am left out of the conversation."

Casadena, getting a glimpse of Jareth from over Shawna's shoulder, says, "I think the she-man is lonely."

"He's not a she-man!"

Casadena pushes pass Shawna, walks over to the goblin King, and stares up at him for a long time before finally asking, "You a she-man?"

Jareth raises his eyebrow. "Do I look like a she-man?"

"Yes."

Jareth looks over to Shawna. "Does she do this often?"

"It all depends," Shawna answers. "Anyways…"

"What do you want, she-man?"

"I've already asked you," Jareth replies. "I want to know what you are doing here."

Casadena blinks, then bows her head, looking to the ground. "You have to blame my parents for that."

Shawna blinks. "What?"

"They gave birth to me."

"O… K…" With a shake of her head, Shawna looks to the Goblin King. "We wanna get into the labyrinth. We wanna make it to that… Um… What'd you call it?"

Casadena pulls a very long list from her all-around backpack and starts reading items off. "North Pole?"

"No."

"School?"

"No."

"Library?"

"Well, I do have to return that book…"

"The arcade?"

"No, that's not it."

"Neptune?"

"Things in the labyrinth, ya dipshit."

Casadena nods, and pulls another list out of her all-around backpack. "An oubliette?"

"No! Not one of those!"

"Actually," Jareth interrupts, "that would be a good place to put you."

Shawna turns of him. "Would you please say out of our conversations? You have a very bad habit of that, ya know."

"Bog of Eternal Stench?" Casadena continues.

Shawna whacks Casadena upside the head.

"And you have a very bad habit of doing that," Jareth replies.

"Junkyard?"

Shawna gives Casadena a pointed look. "Do I look like I wanna go to a junkyard?"

"Goblin City?"

Shawna thinks for a moment. "That would be a start… Have to go through there to get to the castle…"

The two girls look at one another, just realizing that was said. "The castle!"

Jareth clears his throat. "I am the king here and this is my kingdom."

Shawna turns to the Goblin King. "So?"

"What makes you think that I'll let you into the labyrinth or that you could get to the castle if I did?"

"Because we asked you nicely," Shawna replies, then remembering something, she adds, "Oh wait… no we didn't."

Casadena smiles. "We were trying to sneak in like little thieves."

Shawna slaps her friend on the back of the head. "Quite!"

"M-kay," Casadena says, covering the back of her head with her hands. When nothing happened, Casadena uncovers her head, and turns to Jareth. "So, she-man… Can we go to the maze-thing?"

Jareth, tired to dealing with the two, answers, "You have thirteen hours to get to my castle. If you do not make it by then, you will both become members of Goblin City."

"And if we do?" both Casadena and Shawna asks.

"I'll let you choose your own rewards." With that, Jareth disappears from view.

To Be Continued…