AN: Well, here's the next post, as promised. Sometimes I read back on this and think, where is this all leading? And then I laugh, because I know exactly where it goes. But believe me, I didn't expect what I wrote. Anyway, thank you to all those who have reviewed and kept with me this long. Well, back to the story. Please read, enjoy, and review!
Sarah fell to her knees with her arms outstretched as Hoggle ran towards her. He threw his arms around her neck and hugged her with all his might.
"Hoggle! I can't breath, stop!" Sarah gasped, his strength making her think twice about her decision. But she was happy to have her friend back in her arms.
"Oh, Sarah! I'd thought you'd never come back!" Hoggle said. After these words escaped his excited lips, he knew something was wrong. He pushed away from Sarah and looked at her, "Why did you come back? What did Jareth do to you now?"
"Nothing. I just...I missed you, and I needed to see you." Sarah said, trying to hide her discomfort from his questions.
"I missed you too, Sarah." Hoggle said shyly. He was about to say more, but he noticed that they were not alone. Hoggle's eyes grew wide. Sarah saw his expression and turned to see Maxim.
"Oh, Hoggle, this is Maxim." Sarah said. "I met him by the pond."
"Hello again, Hoggle." Maxim said, stepping forward and offering his hand. "It's nice to see that you haven't changed much."
"No, Sir, I haven't changed." Hoggle said, lowering his head. With curiosity, Sarah watched the exchange before her.
"Do you two know each other?" Sarah asked, looking back and forth between them both.
"We do." Maxim said with a satisfied voice. He then turned to Hoggle and said, "Now, Hoggle, you do not have to be formal with me. We are old acquaintances, don't you remember?"
"Yes, Sir...I mean, Maxim." Hoggle said, shuffling his feet. Before Sarah could inquire further to his odd behavior, Hoggle noticed the water dripping from her clothes. "Sarah, how did you get so wet?"
"I guess I took a little swim in the pond." Sarah said, trying to force a smile. But her good natured self could not stay strong, and Sarah was soon crying to her old friend. "Hoggle, everything has gone wrong."
"Oh, Sarah, don't cry." Hoggle said, returning to her embrace. "I'm sure that whatever happened, it ain't that bad."
Sarah could tell through her tears that he wished her to continue, but Maxim's company stopped her from doing so. Why was she feeling sorry for herself anyway? Didn't these two have just as many problems as her? But of course, they didn't have to return to Jareth.
"I'm sorry, Hoggle. I guess it's just that seeing you after so long and then being soaked in that pond has made me rather moody." Sarah said, wiping away her tears with an arm that was still wet. She noticed her damp state and decided that she could not stay that way for long. She looked down at the dress she had worn over her clothes that morning and said, "Hoggle, is there somewhere I can get changed out of these wet clothes?"
"Of course, Sarah. You can change in my house." Hoggle said, and set off to show her the way into his humble cottage. He opened the small door for her, and Sarah smiled gratefully as she bent down to enter it. Everything within the house was perfectly fitted for Hoggle. And while this was nice for him, it made it difficult for Sarah to move around. "You get changed. Me and...Maxim will wait outside."
Hoggle said this and then shut the door for her privacy. Sarah smiled as she unfurled her dress and looked around the cottage. She was standing in what she assumed to be his living room. There was only a chair sitting next to a small fireplace, but it looked cozy enough. The next room over was a small kitchen with an little table in the middle. And separating these two rooms was a small staircase that led to a loft where Hoggle apparently slept. If Sarah stood and reached up with her arms, she could touch to roof of the cottage.
Carefully, she pulled off her wet shirt and pulled on her dress. It was lucky for her that she had two sets of clothing on her this day, otherwise she'd be very uncomfortable for her journey back to the castle. She tried to pull off her jeans within the house, but got her foot stuck in the staircase banister. There was no way that she could pull off this maneuver without destroying Hoggle's home, so she opened the small door and ducked back outside. Maxim and Hoggle were standing over at the pond with their backs to her, and she took this opportunity to take off her jeans. Once fully changed, she joined them, folding the damp clothes as she walked.
"So, what have you two been talking about? Important things that I can't know?" Sarah asked. They both turned to her with surprise. While she had only been joking, she now knew that she had unwittingly spoken the truth.
"We have been catching up on current news." Maxim replied smoothly. Something about his tone of voice set off an alarm in her head. He was so familiar, but she couldn't place him. And then, to her displeasure, he added, "You look very beautiful in that dress. It is more fit for a Lady to wear that, than you were wearing earlier."
"Oh, well, if you really don't want me to know, you can just say so." Sarah said with unmeant hostility. She was angry at his sexist comment, but decided to ignore it completely. She could not understand why this man seemed to irk her so much.
"It's okay, Sarah." Hoggle said, walking away from Maxim towards her. "It's ain't nothing important. He was just telling me how you agreed to take him through the Labyrinth."
"Yeah, that." Sarah said, her eyes and thoughts returning to the crystal at the bottom of the pond. "Hoggle, Jareth gave me a crystal that showed me through the Labyrinth, but I lost it in the pond. I don't think I'll be able to get through it again without it."
"Course you can!" Hoggle said, dismissing her insecurity. "You've done it before, and there's no way you can't again."
"But I was younger, and more..." Sarah started, trying to voice her concerns.
"You can do it." Hoggle said in his gruff voice. "Now you's two better go if you want to get to the castle today. Let me get you something to put your wet clothes in and then you need to be off."
Hoggle dashed over to his cottage and returned promptly with a satchel for Sarah to use. As she stuffed her damp clothes into it, he started to usher Sarah and Maxim to the doors of the Labyrinth, but Sarah would not move. "Can't you come with us?"
"No, I gots ta say here." Hoggle said, trying to make her move.
"Nonsense, Hoggle. You were with me most of the time last time!" Sarah countered. "Come on, you know this thing better than anyone."
"True, but you ain't in danger this time. Jareth won't let you get hurt." Hoggle said.
"What? Why would you say that?" Sarah asked, shocked by his words.
"Never you's mind." Hoggle said. "Just be on your way."
The two massive doors opened before Sarah. Maxim stood beside her, ready to start their journey, but Sarah still did not want to go yet.
"Hoggle, I came all the way out here to see you, and we're hardly together for five minutes." Sarah complained.
"You can come see me some other day. Today you gots ta get Maxim to that castle." Hoggle said, winning the argument.
"Okay, but I'm coming back tomorrow." Sarah said with finality. She slung the satchel over her shoulder and then turned back to the Labyrinth. She walked through the doors and looked around. Her hurt ached to be back within its confining walls, especially without the crystal to help her, but she knew she promised to help Maxim. She turned to see where he was and saw that Maxim was standing outside the doors next to Hoggle. His face showed a look of concern, but it quickly faded. "Come on, Maxim. We should really start this thing."
Maxim nodded and stepped foot into the Labyrinth. A great roar came from the right passageway, and both Maxim and Sarah turned to the sound. Leaves and debris whipped past Sarah's head as a tremendous wind rushed down the corridor. The fear returned to Maxim's face and he turned to step out of the Labyrinth when the wind picked up its strength.
Sarah screamed as the tremendous wind knocked her off her feet. She thought that she would hit the ground with a thud, but instead, found herself being whisked down the left corridor. It was an amazing experience, like flying on your own, but it was also terrifying because Sarah knew the corridor did not end. Maxim had been picked up in the wind too, and they both were being carried down the passage, helpless to stop their journey.
"Hoggle! Help!" Sarah yelled, hoping that he could hear her voice over the gust of wind.
AN: Next post should be 8/19/06, give or take a day. Thanks!