Author: Lady Icon Draco
Pairing: J/S
Summary: Playing on Hoggle's line 'Even if you make it to the center, you'll never get out again.'
Disclaimer: I do not own the movie the Labyrinth.
"You'll never get out again."
'Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered I have fought my way here, to the castle beyond the goblin city,
For my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom as great.
You have no power over me.'
Four simple lines, thirty-eight little words, the words, all Sarah needed to defeat the great Goblin King, right?
Sarah watched as the King was forced into his owl form by the power of the words. As he beat his wings to gain height, the sound of clapping echoed through-out the room.
"Who's there? What do you want? I won!" Laughter followed Sarah's last words. She spun in an attempt to find the source, but she could not locate it. Slowly the laughter and clapping died down, as it did the source became more evident. The sound was coming from behind her! In her attempt to find its source Sarah had turned one-eighty degrees, so the place where Jareth had once stood was now directly behind her. Slowly Sarah turned, not sure what she expected. Whatever it was, however, was not what she saw.
Walking out of the shadows, as the monarch has done so not long before was a Hoggle. "Hoggle, you startled me, do you know how I get out of here?"
"Why would you leave?" He questioned, "You lost after all. Yes, you imprisoned his Majesty within his animal form, but that is a temporary situation."
"But I made it to the center. I said the words. I defeated the Goblin King!" Sarah would have continued but she was silenced by the look Hoggle sent her.
"Sarah, really now, to be inconvenienced and to be defeated are two very different things. He should be back to his usual form by dawn, isn't that so your majesty?" The last was called into the sky, and was answered by a loud hoot. Hoggle lifted his right arm into the air at the sound of wing beats. Sarah's attention was drawn the gauntlet that he wore; he hadn't seen him wear it before. From above, Jareth, in owl form, came rushing down, pulling up just in time to land gracefully on the dwarf's gauntlet.
"I really don't understand why I'm still here. Why weren't Toby and I returned home after I 'inconvenienced' the Goblin King?" Hoggle started to laugh again, but quickly stopped as his laughing upset the king's balance.
"Haven't you been listening at all Sarah? You lost. Why would Toby be sent home after you lost? I believe there was a line, 'To take back the child that you have stolen'. Do you remember it?" Sarah nodded, suddenly her eyes widened. I forgot it. I forgot to say the line. The dwarf smiled, knowing Sarah realized her mistake. "Not that it would matter much anyway, by making it to the center you have given your freedom to the Labyrinth, so you could take him, but where would you go?"
"That's not fair!" The owl hooted loudly from his place on Hoggle's arm.
"Yes, it is fair. You wished your brother away; the price of taking him was for us to keep him. Then you wanted to try the Labyrinth to win him back, you found the flaws, which will soon be corrected might I add. However, you also made it to the center. When you did that the price went up." She looked Sarah directly in the eyes then. "Sarah, do you know the price that you must pay for making it to the center of the Labyrinth? I warned you at the very beginning. Do you remember?"
Sarah knew what he was talking about. She hadn't wanted to think about it then. She had assumed he was trying to discourage her. However, his words from hours before were coming back to her; 'Even if you make it to the center, you'll never get out again.' "No." Sarah whispered. "No. It's not supposed to happen this way. The heroine wins, the child is saved, and the villain is never seen again." Sarah fell to the ground in despair.
The dwarf jerked his arm up and the owl took flight. Then he turned his attention back to Sarah. "Get up Sarah. I doubt you want to spend eternity in the Escher room." Sarah shook her head and attempted to stand, but her legs gave out on her, dropping her back to the floor. Hoggle caught her just before her head would have impacted.
"What happened to you Hoggle?" The dwarf smiled at Sarah's question.
"I am loyal to my king. Deceiving you into a false friendship helped his cause. You're so naïve." With those words ringing through her head, Sarah lost consciousness.
Sarah awoke to light shining into her eyes. What a weird dream. Imagine the Labyrinth being real.
"Yes, imagine that." Came a mocking voice from across the room.
No, you're still dreaming. This is not real, he is not real.
"Really? I'm not?" The voice was closer now, but still Sarah refused to open her eyes. "Then I suppose this isn't real either." Sarah felt a hand travel up the side of her stomach, brush against her chest and come to rest against her cheek. "Or this." Sarah's eyes shot open as she felt his lips against hers.
The first thing she saw were his eyes, highly amused at her reactions. She shoved him off of her and rubbed her mouth off on her sleeve. "How dare you! You arrogant jackass!" Anger flowed through her, clouding her judgment.
"How dare I?" Sarah did not like the look of that smile. "Like this." Before she could think, her mouth was again covered by his. This time, however, she had been about to speak, he took full advantage and slipped his tongue into her mouth.
She tried to shove him again, but this time he grabbed her hands. How did I shove him off the first time? He's playing with me! He let me shove him off the first time! Is he testing me? Well she was going to let him know she was not going to just lay there and let him mess with her head. Sarah bit down hard on his tongue and slammed her knee up at the same time. Apparently, he was not expecting retaliation. She smiled as he leapt off the bed, but the smile disappeared when she saw his face. So kneeing him is not a good idea, good to know.
He walked slowly back to the bed, which Sarah was still laying on. "Be a little more careful Sarah. There are no magic words for you now. Do you know the reason why?"
"No, but why do I get the feeling that I won't like it." An evil smile crept across his face, and a chuckle escaped his throat.
"No Sarah, you won't like it. You lost our little competition. Not only that, but you made it to the center, thus forfeiting yourself to the Labyrinth, and its master." Sarah flinched. Its master, there was only one person who could claim that title, and he was standing before her.
Great, just what I needed, not only is he an arrogant asshole, but now he's on a power trip. His smile broadened.
"Intriguing choice of words Sarah, power trip."
Her eyes widened. He's reading my mind!!! "What is so intriguing about it?"
"Do you remember the words you used before, little Sarah?" He had moved closer to the bed during the conversation.
"Yeah, I remember. 'You have no power over me'. Why don't you stop with the little and dear, those pet names are not needed." That was when she realized her words did not hold the strength they had the last time she had said them, they seemed…hollow. But I said them right, what's so different this time. She recalled his words 'There are no magic words for you now.' Her head shot up and she met his eyes.
"What's so different? I'll tell you, my dear Sarah," He drew closer, his mouth right next to her ear. The warmth of his breath sent tingles down her spine. "I do have power over you."