So Sarah is on her own, let's see how she copes shall we. As always I ask that you R&R, I won't be able to bring myself to update if you don't
First Time:
For two weeks the rain fell in the once fairytale realm of the Labyrinth, every night, after her meetings with the council, Sarah watched, always thinking of him, always remembering. Every night she wondered how she could have been so blind over her feelings for him and every night she fell asleep to the sounds of her own tears and the thunder. Never had she felt so alone, her family had not even realised that she was missing and that only added to her misery.
Now the rain had stopped and, for the first time since her arrival, Sarah was watching the sun set over her Labyrinth. Once upon a time she would have thought it beautiful, now it just mocked her. The orange and reds that tinted the sky tore at her soul, a beauty that she would willingly have watched a thousand times and more with the Goblin King, now made her feel tiny and insignificant and she never wanted to see it again. How could there be beauty if Jareth was not here to share it with her?
"I will make you a queen, Anna," the copper haired man whispered to her, "all you have to do is wish away the child and defeat a Goblin Queen. Her vile reign will end when you do and my people will be free, with me to reign at your side." His voice was light, seductive and spell binding, Anna looked up at him and felt her heart melt again.
"But, Cam, she's the only thing that I have."
"You have me. Do this for me, free my people from this tyrant, please," Camulus urged, willing all his power of glamorie on her. Anna's back straightened and she looked down on the sleeping child in the crib with a contempt that the Dark Elf placed there.
"I wish the goblin's would take you away, right now!" Nothing happened. Cam turned and left the room taking the worried mother with him.
"When I leave, return to the room, I guarantee that the Queen will come for her. Thank you, Anna." He vanished before her eyes and within seconds a storm was raging around the house. Anna muttered a brief curse, the thunder would wake the baby, damn Cam and his stories.
She entered the nursery, expecting the wails of her daughter, but was greeted only by silence. She tried the light, it did not work. All around her she could hear noises; snickering. Fearful now she approached the crib and pulled back the cover. Maria was not there, instead it was something small and furry, with sharp teeth and pointed ears. Anna screamed as something began to beat against the window, a snowy owl. Even though she had known that it would happen, Anna still felt the natural fear associated with the entrance of one of the most powerful rulers of the Underground. The window burst open and the owl landed, becoming a woman of strange, unearthly beauty.
Sarah heard the wish and looked to her Dragon adviser. He nodded and she knew that she had to answer the call. As soon as the mother and her companion had left the nursery, Sarah went there and picked up the sleeping baby, handing it to one of her goblins. They had played this game many times and they knew what was expected of them, they were not as stupid as Sarah had first assumed.
With only Jareth's entrance to work from, Sarah plagiarised directly from her first encounter. Taking the babe from its mother was proving to be more difficult than she had first thought and she had not prepared for it, hoping that Jareth would have returned before someone was foolish enough to make the call. She could hear the voices outside the room and she recognised Cam's. He was playing this poor woman, if she won he would arrange to have Sarah killed and control this woman as she ruled the Labyrinth. Sarah knew with absolute certainty that she could not allow the mother to win, and now that the child was taken, she had no choice but to follow the game.
Creating the terror had been easy, the storm had been a natural result of her entrance to the Aboveground, to aid her magical ability in a world that had nearly nothing to help her. The goblins knew their roles and they played their part, by the time Sarah made her entrance the woman was scared, even if she had known what to expect.
"Anna," she kept her voice dispassionate, even as inside she screamed with guilt for taking the child. Her time in the Underground had changed Sarah subtly, the air of innocence that had once hovered about her was gone and her magic gave her an unearthly beauty that she knew would scare the woman more.
"Who are you?" She asked, confused, she had expected a hag, not beauty.
"You know who I am, but just in case, I am the Goblin Queen, and you just gave me your child." Sarah was taller, too, and she looked down on the woman with a slight sneer, a fair imitation of Jareth.
"Please, give her back, I didn't mean it."
"You said it, what is said, is said, you cannot take it back. But I shall give you something in return. I can give you your dreams." The crystal materialised and Sarah allowed Anna a tantalising glimpse of them.
"No. I have to have Maria back."
"Very well. But you must earn her back and I warn you, the test is not easy. If you fail, your child will become one of my goblins, forever. Really, forever isn't long."
"What is the test?"
"You know, Camulus told you," the woman gasped, surprised by what Sarah knew. "That was your first mistake, trusting him, your second was doing as he asked." They were no longer in the nursery, but on the hill outside the Labyrinth. "You have thirteen hours to solve my Labyrinth, before you lose your daughter to me, forever." Sarah faded out of sight as Anna stared at the seemingly impossible task in front of her. Evidently, Cam had forgotten to mention that Sarah had solved the Labyrinth, even with time taken away.
Sarah materialised in her study and took the child in her arms, such a beautiful baby, she rocked it as it started to cry. Then she summoned a crystal to hover beside her so that she could watch the progress of the distraught mother as she made her way to the gate. Hoggle was not there, Sarah had summoned him to tend the castle gardens several days ago, but still Anna found her way in.
"Not bad for your first time," Alyana congratulated her as she entered the study.
"You were watching?"
"Yes, Jor'yl told me that you had received the call."
"It was Cam. He tricked her into wishing away her child and now I cannot let her win or give the poor thing back." Alyana shrugged.
"The woman was a fool to trust him. Do not feel regret for what you have done today. The first time is always the hardest. Fortunately, my brother was a master at this and he taught his subjects well. The only time they failed him was because of you," Alyana's voice as soft and she looked out at the sunset. "It was always so beautiful at this time when he was here," she sounded wistful and a brief stab of jealousy shot through Sarah as she realised that Alyana had shared something with Jareth that she may never be able to. She pushed it away, dismissing it as foolishness. "You must not let her win, Sarah, no matter how much you want to. Camulus will have you killed if you do."
"The goblins? If I tell them not to help her, will they listen?"
"Yes, I think they will, Jareth ruled with terror, you rule with love, they will not let anything happen to you, Sarah, your compassion and the loss of their king will ensure that. Be well." The Dragon Lady vanished in a swirl of smoky glitter, leaving Sarah alone with the child.
Ultimately, it did not matter if Sarah had wanted the woman to win. In her thirteen hours, she fell into four oubliettes, and each time Sarah sent Hoggle to take Anna back to the beginning. Anna tried to bribe the dwarf, just as Cam had told her, but the dwarf's love for Sarah outweighed his love of shining jewels and she was returned to the beginning of the Labyrinth. As the clock chimed the thirteenth hour, an elf maid entered the throne room.
"I have come for the child, Majesty," her voice had that lilting accent that all wood elves spoke with. Sarah was surprised at the reluctance that she felt when handing over the child, but this was that way that it had to be done.
Once the elf maid had left, Sarah went into the hedge maze where Anna was still wandering.
"You are out of time, Anna," her voice was cold, "you have failed."
"No!" Anna fell to the ground.
"You failed the test, you get no child and your dreams are mine to take also. Some advice, nothing is what it seems, not even Camulus. Ask the Dark Elf what that means. Ask him what happened to the last king of the Labyrinth." Her anger was clear and the woman shrank away. "Your ambition got in the way. You do not deserve your child." With a wave of her hand Sarah sent the sobbing woman back to the Aboveground, shocked to the core of her being by her cruelty.
To her surprise, however, she felt no guilt. Anna had trusted Cam, he had taken advantage of her and of Sarah. He had not thought about how the Labyrinth would change her to enable her to perform her necessary task. It was just one more little thing on her long list that Sarah owed him for and when she caught up with him, she would make Cam pay.
He woke in a strange room, people were all around him, bustling carrying trays with strange bowls of unknown liquids on them. The room stank of something that he could not identify and as he looked about he caught sight of a face that he did not recognise. It took him some time to realise that he was looking in a mirror and the face was his. He had no idea who he was, or his name. Where was he from? Why was he here? He sat up and felt a twinge of pain. He put his hand to the source with a grimace. What had happened? He could hear screams from the other inhabitants of this place and decided that he did not want to be there anymore. He waved his hand, in what seemed to be an instinctive gesture, and was clothed then he swung his legs out of the bed and began to make his way through the unknown corridors and out of the building.
By the time anyone realised that he was gone, it was too late. They all knew that they would never find him, especially if he did not want to be found.
So who is this mysterious element? We find out what happens to Jareth in the next chapter I promise you all. Thanks for all the reviews that i've had and thank you in advance for any future ones that I may or may not receive.
Artemis
