Disclaimer: Labyrinth is not mine. Jadir and Isandira are completely mine and belong to me. They are not to be copied or used anywhere for any reason without my permission.

A/N: As always, Feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading :)
Alira Dreamwalker

Chapter 8

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes again was a bulbous nose with a pair of blue eyes. With a scream, I scrambled backwards until I hit a wall.

"Oh stop yer caterwauling!" Fat gnarled hands patted the air before me. I blinked in disbelief at the dwarf before me.

"H-Hoggle?"

"Yeah, it's me. Whatcha doin out here? Thought that old skunk would keep you safe in that castle of his." Hoggle shook his head as he waddled over to a rock and climbed up in it.

"I can't go back there, Hoggle. He's insane!"

"I warned ye that he was when ye first got here, now dinna I?" His bushy eyebrows lowered angrily as he shook his finger at me. Tears filled my eyes as I nodded sadly.

"You also told me that he was my only way to get home. Now I'm trapped here forever," my voice cracked as my heart shattered into a million pieces.

"Sures ye can, missy." I shook my head, could the dwarf not see what was happening to me?

"No. I've been here too long. He said so himself, I'm changing, Hoggle. I have changed too much to go home." Hoggle slid from his perch and came over to me. Patting my shoulder, he leaned down to look into my face.

"Don't look none like a goblin to me." I laughed bitterly.

"Oh no, he took precautions against that happening. He would steal into my room as I slept and sit beside my bed to make sure I became like him. He took it upon himself to claim me as his queen, manipulated me, my life!" I ran my hands through my hair, staring at the silvery streaks mixed with the pale blonde. It was longer now than when I had first arrived. I looked up at the dwarf. "Do you have a knife with you?"

His eyebrows shot up almost comically, but I had not the heart to laugh. "Whatcha be wanting with a knife?"

"I'm not going to kill myself if that's what you're worried about," I sighed. Cautiously, he opened a pouch on his belt and pulled out a small, crude knife. Watching me carefully, he laid it in the ground between us and stepped back quickly. I smiled half-heartedly at him as I rolled to my knees and picked up the knife. Bowing my head, I brushed all of my hair forward and began sawing away at it. Within minutes, piles of hair lay around me, and I raised my head again. Hoggle took the knife back when I offered it to him, his eyes wide with shock.

"W-Whatcha go and do that fer, missy?" I lowered my gaze to the hair around me, it had been longer than I had first thought and I wanted to weep for its loss. Straightening my shoulders, I looked back up at Hoggle.

"I need to hide Hoggle. Can you help me do that?"

The dwarf sputtered for a moment, apparently stunned by my request. After a minute, he stepped forward and leaned closer to me, his thick hand resting on my shoulder. "I'm a blamed fool to help ye, missy. But help ye I's will. This here be the Labyrinth." I gasped and looked around, only now noticing the tall stone walls that surrounded us.

"But, how did I get in here? Ja-" I barely caught myself from saying his name in time, remembering what the faeries had said about his hearing it. "The king said I was not to enter the Labyrinth. Every time I tried, it was closed off to me or someone chased me away."

"Bahh, the Labyrinth opens to those who need it to open. I should knows, been 'ere me whole life I haves." He thumped a fist against his chest proudly as he lifted his head haughtily. If things had not been so bleak for my, I would have laughed at the comical picture he presented. He turned and walked a few feet away before turning to look at me again, "Well come on with ye's. Yer wantin to hide ain't cha?" He turned and continued walking as I scrambled to my feet and followed. I could here him muttering about not having all day.

After what seemed forever of wandering twisting paths of stone corridors, Hoggle led me stopped and opened a door. Stepping to the side, he gestured towards the door. Curious, yet afraid, I stepped forward and peered through the opening. The sight that met my eyes was exquisite as I gasped, stumbling to lean against the doorway.

"Oh comes on now girl. Get yerself up and on in there. We can'ts wait out here all day. His majesty will find ye sure as spittin if'n ye don't gets in there quick." Hoggle reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me through the doorway. Stunned, I followed him in, trying to see everything at once.

We were in a room fit for a princess, more extravagant than anything I had ever imagined. The walls were a delicate shade of peach with tall glass doors to one side overlooking the most beautiful lake I had ever seen. The floor was covered in a pale blue carpet blue that felt like clouds beneath my feet. A door was set in one wall, which upon opening revealed a bathing room decorated in gold and white with splashes of muted rose colors. An enormous tub that looked deep enough to dive into was nestled along one wall, along with a sink above which a stream of water fell. Cautiously, I moved closer and poked a finger in the water, marveling at how warm it was.

Going back into the main room, I wandered around, testing the luxurious feather bed covered in a mint green silk. Hoggle wandered over to the sitting area and sat down on a low chair that looked to have been made specifically for him. The rest of the furniture included a pair of tables on either end of a taller settee, another chair the same height as the settee, a small round table between the two chairs and a long low-lying table that sat in the center of the group. There was also a white marble fireplace set in the wall near them carved with all manner of creatures, from Unicorns to faeries.

Seeing the faeries carved in the stone made me think of the four new friends I had just abandoned in my flight. I hoped they were alright and the king had not harmed them. He had to be very furious with me by now.

"Hoggle," I turned to look at the dwarf, "will-"

"Now now there, little missy." He interrupted quickly, "Don't ye go frettin none. That king ain't gonna find ye here. Not tills yer ready fer him to anyways."

"What do you mean?"

Hoggle lowered his head and sighed before looking back up at me. "Yer in the Labyrinth, missy. Haven't ye learned anything about it since ye been here?" My face flushed as I shook my head. "What! Why that ole skunk should be ashamed of himself, he should! Hows can ye not come to the Labyrinth and nots learn about it?"

"He forbid me to enter the Labyrinth, refusing to tell me anything about it. All I know is that it's a test for those who wish others away." Hoggle snorted derisively at my words.

"It's more than a test, little missy. It's also a sanctuary to those needin it. That be why it opened to ye's when you left. It knew ye be needing to escape."

I stepped over to the settee and sat down, suddenly realizing that I was still in my nightclothes. My face burned even more. Hoggle noticed my expression and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. Looking to where he pointed, I saw a door open up in the wall near the bathing room. Curious, I went over to investigate. Inside there were countless dresses of every color and style. Quickly I grabbed a lightweight purple sundress and darted into the bathing room to change.

When I emerged a few minutes later, feeling slightly more human if that was indeed possible anymore, I found Hoggle drinking a cup of tea and eating biscuits. Confused I looked around, trying to determine where they came from.

"It's the Labyrinth, child. It'll hide ye as well as provide fer ye." Intrigued by this, I sat back down on the settee to find that another plate had appeared. This one filled with several fruits, including dragonthorn and peaches. I picked up one of the peaches and sighed as I bit into it. The sweet juice exploded in my mouth and I felt as if nothing had ever tasted so divine. It had several months since I had last tasted a fresh peach, as they had only started growing when I left home.

"How long can I stay here?"

"Fer as long as ye needs to. The Labyrinth, it ain't so fickle when it comes to those in need." He waved a hand around to indicate the room, "He ain't gonna finds ye here, no sir. The Labyrinth, she'll keep yous safe from him until you decide otherwise.

"She?" I wiped the fruit juice from my fingers and picked up another peach.

"That's what I calls it. Ain't no gender really, just a creation of his family. Shapes itself to suit the runners as they go through, feeding off their dreams and fears. Not a place to be lost in, but many ends up lost. That's where I comes in." He grinned proudly.

"What do you mean?"

"I helps them enter the maze, then leads them back out when they gets lost or ins trouble."

"That's cheating!"

"Yep, that it is, but thems the rules." A sudden thought struck me and I glanced around fearfully. "What's crawling up ye's now?"

"W-will I have to run the Labyrinth?" A wave of relief washed over me when the dwarf shook his head.

"Naw, yer here for safety, nots to challenge it. Yous can wander all ye likes, it'll keep ye safe." He looked over at me again, "Whats ye planning on doin now, missy?"

"Isandira, please." I smiled, grateful to have someone to talk with. "I don't know, stay here I suppose. It's not as if I can go home and I refuse to return to the castle after what he's done to me."

"Might as well warns ye now then, he ain't gonna stop looking fer yous. Not ifin he's got his eyes set on making yous his queen." He hopped down from his chair and walked toward the door that led back into the maze. I froze in my seat, unable to move as fear gripped me so tight I felt as if I might faint. Hoggle must have sensed my terror, for he came bustling back over to me. "Don't yous pay it no mind now, ye hears? Alls I'm saying is that yer safe here, no matters what."

"If he ever finds me, Hoggle, he'll probably kill me."

"I doubts that, little missy. Yous just gots to give him time to gets over his anger. I's gonna head out nows. He's probably looking fer me as we speaks."

"Thank you Hoggle. You've been a great help to me. I'm sorry he's so cruel to you."

Hoggle waved his hand at me as he turned to go again. "I's used to it I am, little missy. He ain't gonna touch me's. Too much troubles to replace me." He cackled, letting himself out of the room.

OoooooooooooooooooooO

I spent the next several days in complete solitude, exploring the Labyrinth and learning its secrets. I reveled in my newfound freedom, the pain I felt at Jadir's betrayal fading as the days passed. Every few days, Hoggle would stop by to check on me, offering me the chance to learn what was happening in the kingdom and visit with me. He Labyrinth had allowed the four faeries to locate me, and they stayed by my side as much as possible, teaching me about the Labyrinth and the kingdom it protected.

After the first few days had passed, I began to notice the changes coming over me were more obvious than before, and I worried that the more painful ones would be more than I could handle. The faeries noticed my pensive moods and stayed even closer, as did Hoggle. I was grateful for their friendship. The changes taking place frightened me to no end, but even more terrifying was the pain I knew would eventually come. My hair was now almost pure silver, with streaks of blonde, while my eyes would change color depending on my mood. Even my ears had changed, developing delicate points to them.

The first time I had noticed them was when they began to itch abhorrently. They had been tingling for a few days, but suddenly they began to itch and nothing relieved the feeling. I ran to the mirror and pulled my hair back with a gasp. I had screamed in horror at the sight, the skin peeling around the top, as if they had been burned. The faeries had come to see what was wrong when they heard me scream, only to laugh. Losing myself to the fear and anger, I turned on them. Only the Labyrinth's intervention stopped me from hurting them. I cried for hours afterwards, apologizing profusely for what I had almost done.

That night, the dreams started. In some of them, I would be running through the castle's corridors, Jadir's voice calling out to me; pleading for me to stop and come back to him. His voice sounding so lonely and sad, yet when I turned to look for him, he would become angry and scream obscenities at me. His fury would drive me from my dreams and I would wake, covered in sweat and gasping for breath.

In the other dreams, I would find myself standing before a pair of tall silver doors that opened silently before me. On the other side were people in all forms of costumes, dancing and twirling about to the most beautiful music. These were the dreams in which the king would approach me, a breath-taking smile on his face and his eyes filled with longing and hunger. He would sweep me away, through the teeming mass of bodies until we were in the center of the room where just the two of us danced. It was these dreams that hurt me the most; as I knew, he could and would turn into a monster at any given moment. Yet he was always so kind and loving during these dreams, holding me gently as if I was a fragile piece of glass he feared to break. From these, I always woke crying.

It was towards the end of my second week of hiding that my fears began to come true. I had just left the comfort of my bed when the pain hit. Crying out, I fell to the floor. My insides felt as if they were being ripped out and my blood was liquid fire. The faeries tried to aid me, but their magic was of use as waves of pain flooded my body. I writhed about on the floor in agony as I cried out, knowing what was happening. The king had been right when he said it would be painful, but he had not warned me that I would feel as if I was dying.

I do not recall the faeries leaving; only Hoggle's concerned face as he kneeled over me before vanishing again. I cried out until my voice was gone, pain still coursing through me. I begged for the fates to spare me this fate; but being the fickle things they were, they ignored my pleas. It was a pain I would not wish upon anyone, not even my greatest of enemies. How the children lived through it, I would never know. I eventually passed out.

When I woke, it was to complete silence, save that of a fire crackling in the hearth and soft breathing. I realized that I was back in my bed, and wondered how I had got there, as I knew I had been on the floor previously. At least the pain was now gone. A soft noise drew my attention to my bedside. A chair had been placed beside the bed and Jadir's lean frame was draped across it. I realized he was sleeping and took the opportunity to study him in the quietness. He looked as if this was the first sleep he had taken in days. My fingers twitched with the unbidden desire to his wild mane of dark hair. His skin was paler than usual, taunt against his cheekbones and bruised. Carefully, so as not to disturb him, I rolled over to my side and faced him.

His profile really was beautiful. His nose was straight and spoke of royal blood, thin lips that were just full enough to be enticing when they curved into a smile. It was somewhat shocking to look at him this way and I wondered if it had anything to do with my changes. My eyes drank in his lithe form, traveling from his long legs encased in grey leggings and black boots, to his narrow hips and across his wide chest where his shirt gaped open, exposing a hairless chest that gleamed in the moonlight. My heart leapt into my throat when my gaze reached his face again to find his dark brown eyes open, his face impassive. Blood rushed into my face at having been caught looking him over like a piece of meat from the butcher shop and I groaned with dismay. I threw myself onto my back and stared at the ceiling as I awaited the reprimands I knew were coming.

"How are you feeling?" I winced at the softness of his voice.

"The pain is gone." I could not bring myself to look at him again, uncertain if my mortification was from him having found me, or having been caught staring at him.

"Hoggle brought me."

"Must you read my mind like that?" I snapped; it was most unsettling to be thinking about something and for him to answer that way.

"I was not reading your mind, Isandira. I know the Labyrinth has been shielding you since you left. Your faeries went to Hoggle for help and he came to me."

"You should have let me die." I heard him rise and tensed as the bed dipped beneath his weight.

"You would not have died; and even if you could have, I couldn't have let you." He ran his fingers through my hair and sighed when I turned my head away. "Why did you cut your hair?"

"I was angry. I didn't want to see the changes."

"There is more to it than that, but I will not press the issue. What's done is done. It will grow back in time. I look forward to seeing it in its full glory again." I closed my eyes and tried to roll away, but his hand on my shoulder stopped me. "Do not run from me, Isandira." His fingers were gentle as the touched my chin and turned my face up to his. "Look at me, my sweet."

Slowly, even though I did not want to, I opened my eyes to meet his again. "See what you have done to me? I am a broken man, broken by your hands, Isandira, by your spell." His eyes were filled with pain and longing, the same as they had been in my dreams. I felt my own eyes burning as tears threatened.

"Jadir, I-"

"Hush, my sweet. I will not ask you to return yet. I know that you are not ready yet. Until then, I will wait. All I ask is that you return soon." He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine before fading from sight.