Disclaimer: I would dearly love owning the Labyrinth, its plot, characters and songs. Alas, the movie is a production of Jim Henson Company™, and the poor I have to satisfy with a mere DVD.

Once Upon A Time
Chapter 3
We Follow Different Paths

Hoggle had been more silent than usual. Sarah stole a glance in his direction. Her eyes narrowed when she saw his hunched shoulders, hands shoved in the pockets, and his downcast head. Only the crown of the faded red cap remained visible.

"Something's bothering you."

Hoggle's head jerked up. An unexplainable expression flickered on his face, but was gone just as quickly. He looked toward the shadowy forest and the patchwork of its veins of dark branches against the rustling sea of green leaves.

"Don't ya worry 'bout it, missy. Just me an' me worthless nerves." Hoggle turned to smile at her and shrugged. "Never been this far from the Underground."

"You miss it? Using pesticide on the fairies and being rude to the runners?" She grinned.

"Hmph… Fairies gossip. Besides one kept me company not too long ago. That woe I won't go through again," Hoggle snorted. "And I definitely don't miss his high-and-mighty-skinny-leg to spoof behind me back, which he always does when there's a runner about. Scares me out o' my skin, he does."

"You don't think he's changed?"

Hoggle make an indifferent noise at the back of his throat. "Well, he let ya leave, didn't he?"

Sarah averted her gaze while chewing her bottom lip. "I guess you're right," she admitted softly.

"So, there ya go. Don't ya think of it, Sarah. Ya have a lot o' other things in yer mind."

She gave him a grateful smile. Hoggle was right as usual. She was being unreasonable, and the situation with Jareth and the Labyrinth could wait. After all, as Hoggle said, Jareth had allowed Sarah to leave his kingdom. Sarah stroked the chain of her necklace. The cool metal felt smooth underneath her fingers. She gave a deep exhale unaware of Hoggle's worried glance.

"Ahoy! Sarah! Sir dwarf! Wait for me!"

They stopped in their tracks and turned. A blue clothed figure scurried behind the curve of the forest trail. A brown-leathered lute sack hung perilously over his shoulder as he scrambled closer, losing his balance on the occasional branches on the road. Lir waved his hand.

"What did he now see: dancing mushrooms an' a pair of singing vultures?" Hoggle grunted under his breath, and his face darkened. He was quickly getting tired with the boy.

Sarah gave him a poke with her elbow.

"Outch!" Hoggle yelped and rubbed his side. "I know. I know. I should be polite."

"Precisely," Sarah admonished. "This is the first time he's out of his home. I think it's charming how excited he is in everything he sees, whether it is a mushroom or a fairy."

"Bah, humbug! After nearly hundred years as a gatekeeper o' the Goblin King's Labyrinth, I'll only get excited if he has a repellent that works on those pests!"

"Shush!"

Lir finally caught up with them. He stopped and leaned in his arms, panting heavily. The lute sack nearly fell over his shoulders, which was when Sarah noticed its strap was broken.

"What kept you, Lir? Did something happen?" she asked, wondering his dismay.

He pulled himself upright at her question. His face was flushed, and his blue eyes shone of excitement. "'tis true an enchanted forest! I swear a couple of trees tried to grab me from my sleeve as I passed them!" he cried.

"Umm. Did you do something to them that might've caused it?"

He denied it with a shake of his head. "Nay, I only practiced words of my new song for the princess. I finally had the melody right!" he beamed.

"Great," Hoggle grumbled and returned Sarah's glare without a flinch.

"I agree, Sir Dwarf! My master would also be thrilled. It tells of true marriage, which is the heart's true feelings…" Lir shook his head, interrupting. "Oh, never mind. I shall play it when we return to Tiago! But, to explain. As I was following you, memorising the words of my song as an innocent bird, I passed underneath a birch tree. Some playful spirit must been at work for the strap of my lute's sack tore in two. Naturally I leaned over to collect my precious instrument, which is when the tree tried to grab me with its boughs! I swear I heard a woman's voice calling my name and saw a face in the air, beckoning me." He sighed in a dreamy voice, "What a beautiful visage to behold she was…" He snapped his attention back to the present and blushed. "I admit, for awhile I was tempted to follow, but then I remembered my princess…Henceforth, I couldn't; and run after you as fast as my feet allowed."

He took a step closer, lowering his voice and glancing furtively towards the forest, "Yet, ever since the forest's been harassing me. I believe the tree-spirit didn't take my refusal lightly."

At that moment they all discerned a howling voice echo through the trees and a loud whoosh made the leaves shiver.

"Dryads," Hoggle said in a disgusted voice, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, and backed away from the trees. His gaze darted around them. "It couldn't be worse…"

Sarah turned to him, worried. "What? Are they dangerous?"

"Our Romeo 'ere," Hoggle pointed to Lir, who somehow succeeded to look insulted even when smiling. "…Just made one, or all o' them, very mad. They don't like to be rejected, ya know? Take it as a personal insult."

"Good God in Heaven! That wasn't my intention. But I only have room for one in my heart," Lir gasped, waking from his daydream.

"Doesn't matter. No matter how nicely ya say 'no' to a dryad, she'll still tear ya apart."

Sarah's stared at the green sea wavering in front of her eyes. She had never before seen trees demonstrate any expressions, or convey feeling. But these trees truly appeared hostile, their leaves vibrating animatedly and trunks swaying in still air.

"In that case," Sarah started, her gaze darting all around them, "I suggest we don't waste any more time; and run!"

The forest was as if awakened, hissing and roaring angrily. The slender birches that curved above the narrow forest path swung their boughs like ghost-like fingers of white and black. One whipped the air mere centimetres from Sarah's neck. She stifled her scared whimper, yanking Hoggle by the hand. From the corner of her eyes, she discerned Lir running next to her. The boy's face was white from terror.

"Hurry!" she cried as she noticed ghostly faces shimmering in the air. They appeared to be women of every age, old and young, slim and plum, and tall and short. But something they held in common: a terrifying rage had twisted and deformed their faces. A shimmering figure, a transparent woman stood on the road. Her body was only covered in her long white hair. As they dashed through the dryad, Sarah could hear a hiss.

"Ugly human woman: we smell the taint in your blood! We'll eat your liver! We'll tear your heart…"

She didn't listen longer. The blood pounded in her ears and her breath came out dragged. The trees shivered, their trunks creaked, and their branches lashed after Hoggle, Lir, and Sarah.

Letting out a shout, Hoggle stumbled down, his foot tangled in the snake-like rootstock that penetrated the soft ground. Sarah turned to help him. She saw the roots slither like a snake, as if alive. She swallowed down her sob and dragged him up to his feet. "Come on, Hoggle!"

"I'm no good…" the dwarf panted. "I slow ya down. Just go!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Sarah shook her head, tears burning her eyes. Her eyes widened when Lir returned to them. Without a word, Lir swung Hoggle over his shoulder uncaring of his cries of defiance.

"Put me down!" Hoggle punched the boys' back, his fists occasionally banging on the lute. Lir pursed his lips tightly together at the sound of Hoggle drumming his instrument. But he didn't let go.

"Let's go!" He signalled to Sarah. They continued running.

The path was becoming more narrow, the trees leaning closer and blocking their view. Sarah's eyes watered when a branch full of leaves hit her on the face. She stumbled, crinkling her eyes. She saw Lir's blue jacketed back growing smaller between the leaves and the trees and heard Hoggle's loud and angry objections against this treatment. Wiping the leaves from her face, she got up. But it was difficult to see. She had to hunch lower and lower, the forest path suddenly disappeared only to reappear somewhere else. Sarah's heart froze in dread when she suddenly realized she no longer heard Hoggle's shouts.

She didn't dare to stop, fearing the animated trees and their leafy green world would stop her for good. Sarah cried and fell down. Something cold and slithery touched her; it wrung around her ankles. She looked down and saw a green vine twirled around her leg. Gasping, Sarah tore the trailing plant off, when another vine fell from the trees, confining her hand to the air. More vines slithered towards her. They imprisoned her with a steel-like grasp.

"Hoggle! Lir! I'm stuck!" Sarah shouted in desperation but heard no answer. She struggled against the pressure, crying for help again, but no one returned.

One of the lianas circled around her throat, choking her. She gagged as the vines pulled her down on the ground and heard angry hissing, saw glimpses of shimmering women approaching her.

They snarled at her.

"You stole from us the Sweet-Voice. You took the Sun-Hair away! It's your fault!"

Sarah could only choke in response. She gasped for air, fighting to deny their accusation. The only sound she got out of her mouth was a hoarse whisper.

"Please…."

But the dryads laughed while they danced closer. The vines around her body fastened their hold. The air left her lungs with a wheeze, and her eyes turned to dark, fuzzy. She sensed the dryads leaning closer, felt sharp nails on her wrists. Even when tied down and half-unconscious, she let out a whimper when they drew her blood.

And then, suddenly, the pressure and the weight on her throat disappeared. Sarah gasped for air, hysterically, and started choking. A singing pain pulsated in her wrist. When she looked at her arm through her tear soaked eyes, she saw a deep gash, like a red snake.

Drip, drop, drip, drop…

The blood oozed from the gash. Bringing her hand against her chest and squeezing the wound with her other hand, Sarah stifled her sob. She felt a presence next to her.

"Tsk, tsk…Always in trouble. Sarah, aren't you a bit too old for these kinds of stunts?"

Her skin crawled at the familiar voice. She froze and looked up.

Jareth in his kingly outfit leaned against a tree. His boot-clad knee was bent, and his grey feathery cape tossed on his arms as he looked down at her with hooded eyes. She took a hasty look around them, trying to understand what has happened. The dryads had disappeared, and she was sitting alone on the forest path. The forest looked normal, and only the birds' singing echoed in the air.

Sarah looked back at Jareth, who took a step closer. She pulled farther, disturbed by the quick sequence of the events.

"What are you doing here?" The words escaped her mouth, sounding rough and coarse to her ears.

"Truly, Sarah. Isn't that a bit rude? I just saved you, and yet you don't even say 'thank you'…"

He clasped his hands behind his back, stopping right in front of her, and tilted his head on the side. Jareth flashed a predatory smile at her. "It's a good thing I'm in such a generous mood..."