Chapter five! Heh. Hope you all enjoy. Thanks go to Innogen and Avalon-blackandgreen (I took a long look at the last chapter, and you're right, so hopefully this will come out better) for reviewing! Enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth, nor do I own Tru Calling.
Sarah took a deep breath as she jogged towards the entrance to the long, twisting passageways of the Labyrinth lying before her.
'I never thought I'd have to come here again,' was one of many thoughts crossing her mind. True, when she had wished Toby away, a small part of her deep inside had expected him to be taken away, but she was still largely shocked when she had discovered the Goblins running around her dad's bedroom, and the blonde King standing in the window, mainly because she had known that such a thing couldn't happen. Or so she thought. The first time she had been in the Labyrinth, it had seemed...distant, not so much an adventure as a long, exciting dream. But now...the shock of being back in the Labyrinth after convincing herself for months that it had just been a figment of her imagination still hadn't worn off.
She reached the small pool at the base of the hill, and was reminded of her first meeting with Hoggle. To her dismay, he wasn't spraying the Fairies, nor was he in any part of the area.
What did you expect? A small voice whispered nastily in the back of her head. To get the same run again? He's not that stupid.
Yes, he would make sure that her run wouldn't be easy. It was no picnic last time, but he had made it clear to her that he wasn't going to lose again. She would just have to make sure he got what his arrogant ego deserved. She would not lose.
Sarah was angry about why she was here again. She didn't even know the person she was supposed to be rescuing, and now she was running the Labyrinth again, competing against him again, and all for a stupid young woman. Sarah sincerely hoped that this Tru would be grateful after this.
Sarah walked towards the general area in which the entrance was situated, and to her great surprise the heavy metal doors appeared in a blink. Momentarily disorientated and getting very confused, she blinked again, and the doors stayed in their place.
'What the...?'
It couldn't be this easy. Never. Walking into the actual Labyrinth itself last time had proved quite difficult, as you had to ask the right question in order to be granted access. But this time? Sarah had thought that the Goblin King had wanted to make it very difficult for her, but if this was anything to go by, it was going to be a very easy run.
Don't get ahead of yourself, that voice chided.
Shrugging both physically and mentally, she walked towards the large iron doors. Before she could even think about reaching out to push one open, they swung on their rusty hinges, and the Labyrinth was open to her once again. Sarah peeked inside tentatively, before stepping foot into the Labyrinth.
The first thing she noticed was that the temperature had dropped by almost ten degrees. Shivering, she pulled her jumper from around her waist and put it on. The walls also seemed to have a darker edge to them, almost as if new shadows had been cast upon them. Looking up, Sarah could see that the sun was setting, therefore casting an eerie twilight on the area. The darkening sky did nothing to help Sarah's nerves.
"Now, would you go left, or right?"
Hoggle's words came back to her in an instant. She had gone right, and taken a good fifteen minutes trying to figure out how to get to the next section of the Labyrinth. Fifteen minutes she couldn't really afford to waste this time, as she only had ten hours. Sarah smiled slightly as she remembered the cute little blue worm that had shown her the path. Something suddenly stirred in Sarah's mind. Hoggle had said something ... something about how he wouldn't go either way. At first, Sarah had thought he meant that he wouldn't run the Labyrinth, but the more Sarah thought about the direction the worm had shown her, the more it made sense.
"I wouldn't go either way..." Sarah mused out loud, "I'd go...straight ahead!"
Walking towards the wall opposite the entrance, she flung her arms out towards it, and was prepared to meet resistance. The closer she got to the wall, the more excited she got, and when no resistance or wall met her hands, she realised that she had walked straight through an opening.
Grinning at her own logic, she looked to the left and then the right of the narrow passage she was standing in. This passage seemed darker and colder, and each direction looked identical to the other.
'I went right last time...At least if I go right, there'd be some familiarity about the path.'
Sarah looked once more to the left. 'How much different could it be?' Turning to the right, she took a deep breath and continued along the path.
Half an hour later saw Sarah in a very unfamiliar place. After continuing along the path to the right, she had found herself not in the small stone maze with the confusing directions, but instead in a leafy forest. A narrow rocky path meandered around various trees and stumps, and led to a point on the horizon. The leaves on the trees weren't very thick, providing the forest with some light, to Sarah's relief. One odd thing about the forest was that there were no two trees that were of the same species. Every single tree was different. There were even some species Sarah had never seen before; one tree housed large round leaves with bright bursts of orange in the centre leading away from the stem, whilst another seemed to shrink the closer you walked towards it. However, there was a fern, and an oak, and these familiar trees brought a small comfort to Sarah.
Shrugging, and wondering where the path lead, Sarah continued walking, avoiding certain varieties of trees that seemed intent on blocking her path. The further she progressed, the darker the forest seemed to grow, until only small fireflies lighted the whole area. Shivering with both cold and slight fear of the unknown, Sarah looked around tentatively before taking any steps. She continued walking, looking around at certain times to see if there was another route she could take, preferably a floodlit one. The fireflies' warm glow attracted Sarah to them, as they were the only source of light in the thickening forest. The strange thing was that as she stared at them, they seemed to gather together and form one large light. Smiling, Sarah began to follow them as they beckoned to her. The light was her only guidance, and she wasn't about to wander around in the dark.
The fireflies led her along the path before suddenly, abruptly turning direction, and started swarming to the left. Intrigued, yet slightly apprehensive, Sarah followed, not willing to give up her only source of light and comfort. The glow moved on slowly, letting Sarah keep up. All at once, without warning, they stopped. Confused, Sarah stopped too.
'What's wrong?' Sarah thought, an anxious feeling making its way into her stomach.
She should have realised something was wrong straight away, but it took a few moments for her brain to comprehend. Upon realising that the lights weren't going to be of any more help, Sarah tried to turn around to head back onto the path, and when her feet wouldn't comply, she looked down.
And shrieked.
Her feet were ankle deep in a sticky substance – quicksand. Struggling and panicking at the same time, she tried to lift her feet clear of the liquid solid, and only caused her feet to sink further into the substance.
Oh god...
Sarah looked around desperately for any branch, or anyone who could get her out of the quicksand. She was somewhat close to the edge of the pit, although she couldn't tell for certain as the forest was nearly pitch black by now.
You're going to die, that nasty voice in her head was back, and it was speaking perfectly calmly.
'No.'
She refused to die now, she had done well so far, and she had beaten the stupid thing once already! Besides, she wasn't about to let him win.
Trying to free her feet again only served to push her father into the substance, and before she knew it, she was knee deep in quicksand. Hoping there was someone in the area, Sarah yelled at the top of her voice.
"HELP! Someone help! Anyone...!" Sarah concluded desperately.
Sarah looked around again, desperate for anything to help her escape. There had to be a branch, or something rooted to the earth, which she could use to hoist herself out-
"You called?" Startled at the voice, Sarah spun around, and consequently sunk further into the quicksand. It was almost waist deep now.
Leaning against a tree trunk in a calm, arrogant matter was none other than him. The Goblin King.
"I didn't mean you!" Sarah sputtered. She would have been grateful if he was to help her, but she knew that was never going to happen.
"Really? What a pity. Well, I'll be leaving then." He calmly turned away and prepared to walk away, knowing that he would be stopped.
"Wait!" He turned around patiently, if not a little arrogantly. Sarah continued, "This isn't how it's supposed to happen. I mean, I'm not supposed to die!"
Jareth laughed darkly. "That is where you are wrong. Have you not noticed the changes in the Labyrinth?"
"Changes? Why's it changed?" Sarah asked, confused and still desperate to get out of the sand.
"Because you have changed. Come now, you didn't think that the Labyrinth would stay the same for you, or for everyone for that matter? No, the Labyrinth changes to suit the wanderer's dreams and personality." He smiled, though it wasn't pleasant. "You have changed, you have matured. Slightly."
Sarah was outraged. How dare he say she was just a child any more, especially considering that she was going to die and he wasn't doing a thing about it. He continued.
"In a way, the Labyrinth has matured with you. You now know that life is a reality. As is death. So, in answer to your statement, yes, you can die. Such a pity..."
Sarah stared at him in complete disbelief for five seconds before remembering her current predicament. Looking around quickly, she could see that no helpful branches, no means of escape had appeared. Jareth simply watched as she searched desperately for a way to free herself of the sticky substance. Sarah turned angry and fearful eyes to the Goblin King.
"So you're just going to leave me to die?" She was angry about the fact that he was mocking her when she was in serious trouble. "Fine! Then why don't you just leave and let me die in peace!" The anger was getting the better of her, and the angrier she got, the more she moved around, causing her to sink at a faster rate.
A thin smile graced Jareth's lips as he prepared to leave the area. "I expected better, Sarah. Only an hour in, and you're already heading towards defeat. Disappointing." He disappeared with his usual glamour. Sarah fumed.
"Fine. FINE!" She yelled to thin air. Suddenly realising that a precious hour had gone, she tried calling for help again. "Can anyone hear me? Help!" 'Except you, Goblin King,' she added as an afterthought.
A rustle in the nearby bushes startled Sarah, causing her to sink another couple of centimetres. The thick sand was now just past her waistline. "Hello?" she cried desperately.
"'Ello? 'Oo's out there?" A gravely voice answered.
"Hello?" Sarah cried, some hope entering her voice. "I'm stuck! Can you help me, please?"
The owner of the voice stepped into the dimming light of the fireflies, and Sarah was relieved to find that it looked friendly enough. A short dwarf had appeared, looking concerned. He wore clothes similar to Hoggle...just thinking of her friend caused Sarah to feel guilty and slight panic at the fact that she might never see him again. He was slightly darker, and certainly younger than her dwarf companion.
"Now what'cha doin' getting' stuck in there? Didn' no one tell you never ter rely on them dammed fireflies?" The dwarf gestured with his gnarled hand, and to Sarah's amazement, a thick, sturdy branch appeared on the ground. The dwarf picked it up and, struggling slightly with the weight of the wood, hovered it over the pit so that Sarah could grab the other end.
Sarah complied and grasped the other end of the branch firmly. Holding on as tightly as she could, she stayed completely still so that she wasn't going to sink in any further. To her relief, she was quite close to the edge of the quicksand pit, so she had a running chance.
"An' HEAVE!" The dwarf took an almighty breath, and pulled as hard as his little form could. Sarah gasped as she shifted closer to the edge – the little dwarf was stronger than he appeared.
Things aren't always what they seem in this place. Sarah shook her head. Clearly, she still had some learning to do about this place.
The dwarf pulled three more times, before Sarah was finally free of the suffocating substance. Sitting down on the edge of the pit wearily, she picked up a nearby leaf and began scrubbing the remains of the sand off her clothes.
"Thank-thank you," she said softly. She owed the dwarf her life.
"You's obviously not very clever if you's wanderin' into sand pits." The dwarf chided, but looked pleased with the thank you. "Name's Randdarf."
"Sarah," Sarah made a mental note to remember Randdarf's name straight off the bat, after all, she had thought Hoggle was called Hogwart for a while. Thinking of her dwarf friend caused fresh sadness and guilt for not calling him to rise to the surface. She decided to try her luck.
"You're a dwarf aren't you?" She asked politely.
"S'right." He answered gruffly whilst taking out a small lantern and match from his large pocket.
"You don't by any chance know a dwarf named Hoggle do you?" Instantly Sarah regretted her words, for at the mention of Hoggle's name, the dwarf dropped his lantern and regarded Sarah with a mixed reaction of shock and anger.
"I know of 'im," Randdarf replied stonily.
Sarah was confused. Hoggle was just a normal dwarf, right?
"Of him? Why, is he famous or something?"
Randdarf's eyes widened suddenly, and he stared at Sarah with new wonder dawning on his face.
"You's...you's the Sarah aren't you!"
Sarah blushed slightly. The Sarah? Why the Sarah?
"Th' one oo defeated His Majesty's Labyrinth couple'o months ago! That were you's!"
Now Sarah was even more confused. Why should she be known for defeating the Labyrinth? Surely...surely others had defeated it before...
"...Yes," she ventured tentatively.
"Well then, why d'you's think 'e's famous? 'Elped you's didn't 'e!"
"Hoggle's famous for helping me defeat the Labyrinth?" Did the same apply to Sir Didymus and Ludo? Sarah wondered. "Then...why were you shocked with me when I mentioned him?"
Randdarf looked at Sarah warily. "Look, it's not likes I don't trust you's, but what you's did, well, kinda give 'im a bad name, you's followin'?"
Sarah stared. A bad name? Had she gotten Hoggle and the others in trouble with Jareth because they had helped her?
"'E's not ter be trusted anymores, an' none of us lot dare even think o' doin' otherwise. Gives us bad names an' everythin'."
Sarah couldn't make sense of this. So Hoggle had helped her, was he ridiculed and outcast now because he had helped her to defeat the Labyrinth? 'This is his fault. It's his revenge on my friends, and they didn't even deserve it.' Fresh anger and guilt swept through Sarah, and prickles of tears started forming at her eyes. Blinking furiously, she turned to Randdarf.
"Where is he now?" She looked Randdarf directly in the eyes, pleading for help.
Randdarf hesitated. He didn't want to get into trouble with His Majesty himself, and he certainly didn't want to be an outcast. However, he, like many others, loathed His Majesty, and anything he could do to help the girl would help to anger him. Even if it did mean exile, he was prepared to defy His Majesty and do all he could to help Sarah find her friend.
"Foller me," he grunted, and beckoned to Sarah to follow him.
Randdarf led Sarah through the darkness, and then from what Sarah could tell of the moonlight reflecting off dewy blades of grass, they came to a clearing. Numerous hedges lined the opposite end of the clearing, and Sarah jolted in hope. Was this the entrance to the hedge maze part of the Labyrinth?
A small figure tottering about the base of one particularly nasty looking hedge attracted Sarah's attention. Everything was the same: the leathery waistcoat, limping figure, and the small bag of jewels hanging from his waist. Sarah ran over to him.
"Hoggle!"
