Hurts Like Hell
Author: Chaos Valkyrie
First Conceptualized: February 20, 2004
Posted Chapter 03: March 12, 2004
Updated: December 22, 2005
Disclaimer: Yes, I own the movie… along with a bunch of other people. Aren't DVDs great?
Author Notes: FINALLY! The last week has been hell, especially in regards to writing. I just haven't had the time to get everything to the point of being post-ready, and this fic has been no exception. Anywho, here it is, Chapter 3!
Chapter Three: Of Mazes and Mirrors
Gareth watched the human boy with much amusement. Sam, as he was called, was sitting in the middle of a large group of goblins, his eyes wide with surprise, awe, and a hint of fear. Most of the goblins were drunk, or were well on their way to being so.
Gareth chuckled to himself. Jareth had been summoned to the front lines, as they needed the King himself to try and influence the negotiations with the Erlkonig. Gareth, as "the Black Prince" (although he hated that title) was temporarily left in charge of the Goblin City and its newest goblin-to-be.
Sam looked up at Gareth's laughter, seeing him for the first time. The young boy extracted himself from the drunken revelry and walked over to where Gareth was lounging.
"Are you the Goblin King?" the boy asked, his eyes quizzical.
Gareth chuckled. "No, and I wouldn't let Jareth hear that – he tends to be rather touchy about our relationship."
"Then who are you?"
"I am Gareth, his half-brother. Unfortunately, you picked a rather bad time to wish yourself away – our country's been at war and we're in the middle of negotiations right now with the enemy."
The boy looked slightly abashed, yet defiant. "Like my sister cares anyway, she's –"
"She's in the Labyrinth right now, trying to win your freedom," Gareth interrupted sharply. Sam looked startled. "And if she should fail, there's no telling what Jareth will do to her."
"What would he do to her?" Sam asked in a small voice.
"If she's lucky, he'll turn her into a Goblin. And if she's made him angry, as I suspect she has with her rather sharp tongue, well…" Gareth paused, considering, "there are several not-very-pleasant places to put people who raise his ire."
Nicole followed her companion silently through the tall stone walls. They had been inside the Labyrinth for a good hour, and already Sarah had won Nicole's respect for her maze-solving skills.
"So, Sarah," Nicole began as the two women wandered about, "Why didn't you tell me that you'd been here?"
Sarah snorted. "Would you have believed me if I had? 'Oh, by the way, Nicole, I once wished Toby away to an enchanted world and had to fight my way through a mystical maze to rescue him from the evil Goblin King!'"
Nicole grinned. "Put that way, probably not. So, what can you tell me about this place? What should I know about the Labyrinth?"
Sarah pondered as they made their way forward. "Hmm, well, you can never really go backwards here. The maze is enchanted – the walls, even the stones themselves move. So marking your path or backtracking are out of the question. Nothing is as it seems in this place."
"Appearances are deceiving, huh?"
"That's about right. Also, try not to anger the Goblin King. Last time I was here, I angered him, and he stole several hours of my time."
Nicole gulped, both abashed and confused. "'Stole' time?"
Sarah looked at her seriously. "He has the power to alter time. I angered him, and he took away several hours of my remaining time." Sarah paused as they reached an intersection, before choosing the path to the left. Nicole noticed her expression was one of slight curiosity. "Actually, I'm surprised he hasn't sent someone to deal with us yet – or harassed us himself."
Nicole gave her friend a sharp look. "Is that longing I hear in your voice, Sarah?" she teased. She grinned when Sarah began to vehemently deny it.
"No! He was much more malicious last time, that's all. He enjoys tormenting the people who run the Labyrinth – harassment, sending obstacles to confuse them. Something should've happened by now," she finished in a whisper, as if she was afraid to say the thought out loud.
They walked on in silence for a few minutes more, until they came to a clearing. Two doors faced them from the far end, with strange figures giggling at them from the intricate paneling. Nicole jumped as the walls closed behind them with a soft thump. Sarah didn't even blink.
"As I said, there's never any going back. Now we must determine which door to take."
The figures on the doors laughed as the two women approached them. Sarah looked them over thoughtfully. Then she looked at Nicole. "One door lies, the other tells the truth. We have to figure out which is which. However, we can only question one of them."
The figures on both doors nodded in agreement. Nicole stiffened, watching the figures. "Can I ask a general question about the rules, before we chose?"
The four figures looked at each other, one of them shrugging.
"Its been a long time since she's been here, so let me get this straight – one of you lies, and one tells the truth. Is that still correct?"
"Yes," cried the figures on one door.
"Yes, yes!" said the others.
Nicole turned to Sarah. "They're both liars. You can't trust either door." She ignored the guards as they cried out in protest.
"What!" Sarah exclaimed, startled.
"Maybe they themselves don't know the truth anymore, but they both agree on the simple fact that one lies and one tell the truth. Hence, they must both either be liars or truth-tellers. I'm a pessimist, so they're liars."
With that said, Nicole walked to the doors, and braced her foot on the edge of one of the shields, hoisting herself up. Sarah and the guards watched her in amazement.
"What are you doing?" Sarah asked.
"What do you think?" Nicole huffed as she searched for her next foothold. "I never heard any rule that we couldn't climb the walls!"
Sam gaped as a snowy owl flew into the midst of the rowdy goblins and, in a flash of light and silk, transformed into a tall, pale man, who was rubbing his temples in exasperation.
"Gareth, he's up to something," Jareth muttered, waving a hand at his General.
"I told you. He's planning something, and we must find a way to force his hand before its ready."
Jareth walked around the room, thinking to himself. He then noticed Sam staring at him, and smirked evilly.
"By the way, Gareth, how is our guest faring in the Labyrinth?" he asked smugly.
Gareth shrugged, masking his anticipation with a cool look. "I haven't the foggiest idea, brother. Your talent was magic, that's why you're the Goblin King."
Jareth grinned cockily. "That's true," he smirked, a crystal forming in his hand as he spoke. "My bloodline was always more favo-" Jareth's words failed him as he stared into the orb in his hand. Gareth could barely make out the image of two women before the Goblin King disappeared in a flash.
Gareth laughed heartily once his brother had gone. The goblins joined him out of habit, curious as to why the Black Prince suddenly wore the look of a canary-eating cat.
End Notes: Mwahahaha. Now I'm the evil one. Cliff hanger! Hahahaha. Of, and if anyone's curious about the title, and the distinct Lack of mirrors, let me explain. In college, I wrote a paper for film class about the usage of mirrors and mazes in "The Shining." It was a very good paper, I got an A on it – which, coming from that prof, was outstanding. The full title was "Of Mirros and Mazes – Conversations with Lloyd the Bartender." Anywho, point is, I was hung up for a title, and that one struck a chord.