The Truth of a Lie

a/n: I do not own Labyrinth nor any of its characters. Special thanks and cookies once again for AngelaScarlet for beta-ing this for me. Sorry this is a couple of days late BTW.

Chapter 2 – Crime Scene Investigation

It was a mess, to be sure. The stone floor was littered with rotten food, empty mugs, and hay. Chickens were running amok, a motion being echoed by the various goblins that infested the room. The Goblin King's chair was overturned, and a harried looking maid was trying to right it, with not much success since a mean looking goblin kept pushing it over as soon as she had set it straight. An angry looking man, a valet if Sarah was not mistaken, was fending off a horde of small goblins with a broom. It would have been comedic, if it were not for the fact that this utter chaos was a very crude indicator of how this kingdom would get along without its king. Sarah kicked a ruddy brown goblin with a long nose out of her way as she made her way towards the maid and valet.

Another kicked goblin was necessary as Sarah tried to speak to the maid, "Excuse me, miss, can I have a word with you?"

The maid looked at her startlingly, and then glanced at the mirror. At that point, a green goblin with red hair decided to pull the maid's long blond hair.

"Bloody hell! I'm sorry mistress, but I am kind of busy!" the maid yelled as she worked the gnarled hand out of her locks.

Nothing would be accomplished like this, nothing. Sarah needed to take control of this situation. She took the crop of the Goblin King and cracked it on the wall. It made a loud noise against the stone, and the goblins stopped what they were doing. The noise was a source of comfort, reminding them of their taken king.

"Listen to me, all of you. You will sit, you will listen, and you will answer my questions," Sarah said sharply. She took the chair from the maid and righted it. She then sat in it, crossing her legs that were encased in red leather. Taking a deep breath, she asked her first question, "What the hell is going on here?"

The valet decided he would answer her query, and he stepped into the center of the room.

"One may ask what you are doing here, mistress," the valet asked bravely, taking in her weaponry and the crop in her hand.

"I am a Found, one of the Order. You know very well why I am here. I am here to investigate the disappearance of the Goblin King, and then to go rescue him before it is too late. This is my task," Sarah arched an eyebrow at the valet, "Now I will ask again, what is going on here?"

The maid stepped next to the valet, hoping to pacify the glaring Found.

"Mistress, we are just trying to keep things in order until His Majesty returns," the maid said with a curtsy. Sarah hated that this woman felt the need to curtsy to her, but one must keep up appearances if one is to gain respect.

"Why, when I opened the door from the room with the Stone of Travelers, did I find myself in an illusionary castle?" Sarah asked. Once again the maid spoke.

"Mistress, His Majesty created the illusion. When his blood is spilled, the illusion snaps into place. It creates an alternate universe, making the real Castle Beyond the Goblin City inaccessible to all but the king, and those who are connected to the castle itself," the maid looked confused, "Mistress, how were you able to break the spell?"

Sarah knew why: the riding crop had recognized her, and her magic, and had let her in, "I suppose His Majesty's crop may have aided me there"

The goblins had managed to stay quiet as mice, which the valet found unusual. The girl standing here had them transfixed, and she wielded the same kind of power as the king, he could feel it. Did she know it?

"Mistress, can we offer you anything? Food, drink?" the maid offered. The Found shook her head.

"No thank you. I must see the king's bedchambers, and then leave immediately," the girl looked intently at the goblins, "I want each and every one of you to go to your quarters and stay there until this is over. If I so much as hear you stepped one toe out of line, I will have His Majesty send you to the Bog!"

The goblins gasped and hurried off. Sarah motioned for the maid and valet to follow her, and they marched off down the hallway.

"What are your names?" Sarah asked the valet and maid. The two looked at each other before responding to the stranger.

"My name is Alis, mistress," the maid responded, trying to keep up with Sarah's brisk pacing.

"Alun, mistress. Pardon me, mistress, but is there something we may call you by?" the valet said, once again more bravely than Sarah would have assumed.

Sarah mulled it over in her mind before answering, "You may call me Sarah for now. But in the presence of the king, you must resort back to Mistress. The niceties must be observed," Sarah smiled at them through her face mask. Alis was relieved to find that the Found was not so cold as she first thought.

They finally reached the king's bedchambers, and Sarah threw opened the doors like she belonged there. Alis and Alun followed her inside, but stayed behind her.

Now this is what a small abduction scene should look like, but not an abduction scene befitting a king that wields very powerful magic. Sarah furrowed her eyebrow as she looked around. The crimson sheets were thrashed about slightly, like someone had been in the throes of a bad dream. The black duvet was still on the bed. The curtains were hanging awkwardly. A window was opened and broken. None of this looked right. The Goblin King would have put up a terrible fight if he was being taken against his will. Sarah walked to the window, and saw the blood that had snapped the illusion spell into place. His arm must have caught on the jagged edge on the window. Sarah reached into a pouch for a small, empty vial. She used a long, red fingernail to scrape some of the clotted blood into the vial, and then she recorked it.

"Sarah, if I may, what would you need the king's blood for?" Alis asked, truly curious.

"Most locator spells need something personal. I cannot think of anything more personal than one's own blood, can you?" Sarah asked rhetorically. The maid nodded in acceptance.

"Did anyone hear anything?" Sarah asked.

"I heard the window break," Alun told her.

"Nothing else?" Sarah asked.

"No, nothing else," Alun sighed.

"Why do you sigh?" Sarah asked.

"Do you think that any subject who has their king ripped from them is going to be happy?" Alun asked her.

"I've known some, yes," Sarah admitted, "Is His Majesty a good king then?"

"Yes, he is a good king," Alun commented.

Sarah made no comment as she worked her way around the room, trying to find out why the Goblin King had been taken without a fight. An idea came to her, "Did His Majesty have guests the night he disappeared?"

Alis shook her head, but Alun looked thoughtful, "I did hear a female voice in this room as I passed it late that night"

Sarah did not want to think about what the king and another female were doing in this room, but it was her job. She sucked in a breath and went to the bed. The pillows had both been laid on, that was for sure. Sarah looked closer and started to pull hair strands from the pillowcase. There were several long, pale ones that she knew must belong to Jareth. She tucked those into another small vial, and then searched for hair of another color. And she found it. There were several shorter ebony strands on the other pillow. She lifted one up and held it in front of her, "Has His Majesty been seeing anyone with shorter black hair?"

"Yes. There is a girl, slightly older than you, Sarah. She always wears a short black skirt, and a tiny black top. Her boots are like yours, but black. Her skin is pale, and her eyes are a deep brown. I do not know her name, but she shows up from time to time here in the Underground. His Majesty usually shows her directly into his study, and I never see her leave," Alun told her. Alis looked at him speculatively.

The description fit only one person Sarah knew, "Morwen!"

"Morwen? Is that her name?" Alun asked her.

"Morwen works with the Order. Apparently the king was working with her on more sensitive projects," Sarah sneered. She was not aware of any reason why Morwen would be associated with His Majesty, but that was not the reason she was here.

It was troubling. She had dissected this crime scene and she was still no closer to figuring out how the Goblin King had been taken without much of a fight, "What did His Majesty eat that night?"

"Roast chicken with a rosemary and lemon rub, roasted new potatoes with thyme, and a blend of grilled vegetables. For dessert, a culuma pie with whipped cream and coffee," Alis answered.

"What's a culuma?" Sarah asked, curious.

"A red fruit that grows Underground. It is much like your cherries I expect," Alis told her.

"The Fae do not have allergies if I remember correctly?" Sarah mused. The duo nodded in unison.

It was some time later when Sarah had finished examining the room, and what she found spooked her a little. It was not that there was something, it was that there was nothing. No indication of how this happened.

"I know you. You would have put up more of a fight than this," Sarah whispered.

"Sarah, if I may ask, who took His Majesty?" Alun queried.

"Naroof, a demon that lives some leagues away from here in a cave. Not much is known about him, at least not by the information I have at my disposal. There is a short description in my dossier about him. Seems no one knew about him until a few years ago, and no one knows with whom his allegiances lay. His powers are almost a complete unknown, save that we know he can leap very high and he is very strong physically. It is unknown what magical powers he possesses. He must have some magical powers to have accomplished this feat or," Sarah paused, tapping her red nail against her lip, "he has someone with him who is magically powerful. It is of no matter, this is what I am charged to do and trained to do. I will rescue His Majesty, return him here to you, and go on my way"

"Sarah, it is growing dark. May I suggest you set out in the morning?" Alis proposed.

"Show me the tunnel. I need to get out of here. My assignment is to investigate and rescue. That is what I am doing," Sarah said sharply as she swept out of the room. Alis and Alun followed her to the circular room. Sarah set down the Goblin King's crop and then faced the servants, "Lead the way"

They walked down a maze of dark corridors until they came to a heavy wooden door.

"Allow us, Sarah, it will only respond to the residents of this castle," Alun said as he pulled on the heavy metal ring. The door creaked open and Sarah stepped through. She turned and looked at the servants once more.

"If I do not return with the king, I am glad to have met you, and I wish you luck," Sarah said before she took off down the corridor, slight tears stinging her eyes.

"What do you mean, you are being sent away?" Sarah asked her mentor.

Alis smiled for the eighteen year old girl she loved as dearly as a sister, "Sarah, one day you will understand. Alun and I are in love. It does not matter where we go, or what we do, as long as we are together. It does not matter that they will erase our memories. True love transcends such things. I have heard the Goblin King is fair and just. May Morwen beg forgiveness for betraying our confidence, but I am not sad. I will be with him. In my heart of hearts I will always know him. Be well"

With that, Sarah's mentor ran down the hallway, accepting what hand fate had dealt her. Sarah shed a tear, and then another as she flung herself onto her bed.

"Damn that Morwen! She is always into everyone else's business. Why couldn't she have left them alone?"

It had been two years since it happened. Alis and Alun were promising Foundlings. Alis had the ability of recollection, just like Toby did. She was not as good at it as Toby, but she had it nonetheless. Alun was strong, but without looking like he was strong. He looked average until you put a two ton boulder in front of him. When that happened he looked like a freak, picking something that big up with his lithe body. They were both two years older than Sarah. When she was eighteen they were about to take their final tests to become Founds.

Sarah had known about the feelings the two had for each other. Alis could not keep her eyes off of Alun, and Alun was just as bad. Even though fraternizing with other Foundlings was against the rules, Sarah kept her mouth shut. She was too happy for her friends.

One day, Alun and Alis were in the courtyard, and they were a little careless. Alun was giving Alis a short and sweet kiss when Morwen walked out the door and saw them. Morwen hated Alis for unknown reasons. Morwen turned right around and reported the two of them. Founder Gabriel cast them out, turning them over to Jareth by way of the pact they had made. Their memories were erased, and they were left unaware of their abilities. They went to work for the Goblin King as his maid and valet. Sarah had thought she would never see them again. But she had, and for that she was glad. Alis had been right, they had found each other again. The speculative looks Alis had been giving Alun were enough to confirm that.

Sarah came out of her reverie just as she came to a dead end. She felt for the door she knew was there, and opened it. She was now outside the Labyrinth. She faced East, and drew a circle on the ground. She opened the vial that contained one of the Goblin King's hairs, and dropped it onto the ground.

"Ymchwil tros efe," Sarah said. A shower of glitter sprang from the ground, and swirled to create a map in front of Sarah's eyes. She was pointed in the right direction. He was east. Sarah destroyed the hair by lighting it on fire and burning it, and destroyed the circle she had drawn in the dirt. She took of at a brisk pace, not wanting to stop until he was rescued. Maybe then her life could go back to being semi-normal.

Glossary:

Alis – Welsh form of Alice

Alun – Welsh form of Alan

Morwen – Welsh for "maiden"

Ymchwil – Quest (welsh)

Tros – For (welsh)

Efe – Him (welsh)

Culuma – made up fruit name

Naroof – this is a made up name

Side note: thanks so very much to BTVS and CSI for their inspirations in this chapter. I know they are only tv shows, but I always learn so much! And if anyone is an Inuyasha fanfic reader, if you could send me titles of good Inuyasha fanfics (none that involve sesshomaru and kagome together because that's just sucky) please tell me the titles or the authors. Would appreciate it.