Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters and the plot
Authors note: Another chapter! Once again I thank you for all the reviews, its lovely to know that so many of you enjoy this. FireShifter and AvaWA, thank you for PM-ing me and for your steady support. Please enjoy and review!
Sarah had become a wonderer.
The corridors of the Labyrinth made her feel safe and so she walked its narrow paths day after day. This had become her life over the past couple of weeks and as she wondered through her new but strangely familer home, Sarah thought about Lavena's plan.
It was a good plan and she knew it would work but the comments made in the Ballroom still haunted her and made her doubt whether or not he did love her? Did he mean what he said? Or was it just said in the heat of the moment? And what happened to her if he didn't? Could she live this long life without him?
These thoughts went in a continuos circle and Sarah found it hard to push them away. Her great-great-grandmother had told her to stop worrying and put the plan into motion but her doubts always stopped her. When had she become such a coward?! At fifteen she had faced the Goblin King to save her brother then just six months later she and Toby had made a new life for themselves in the Underground after their parents had died. So how, after all she had been through, did this scare her?
Coming to a 'Garden' are in the Labyrinth that had come to life with the same flowers in her own garden, Sarah froze when she heard voices. Voices that were coming her way. Sitting on one of the stone benches, she quickly summoned a few decorative statues and disguised herself as an angel statue, praying silently.
"I still don't understand how you can find your way through this place?" King Maccus asked, awe colouring his voice slightly.
"Neither do I," King Jareth replied, boredom lacing his, "so I don't question it, I just head to where I need to be and find myself there."
"A gift from Lavena?"
"I'm not sure."
The twin Monarchs walked leisurely into the 'Garden' area, stopped in obvious surprise and looked around.
"This is new," Maccus said, smiling at the flowers and statues.
"There have been quite a few new additions to the Labyrinth lately," Jareth explained, caution in his voice.
"Has Lavena been redecorating?" Maccus asked, amusement colouring his.
"I highly doubt this has anything to do with Lavena," his twin replied.
"Oh?" Maccus looked puzzled. "Then who else who would have the power to do this?"
"Can you think of no one?"
"Lady Sarah?" Disbelief in his voice and Jareth nodded. "But how?"
"She is Lavena's Champion, it would make sense that she would gift her with certain powers over her creation."
"Very true. Speaking of which, have you heard from Lady Sarah or from Mother?"
"No and in all honesty, I don't expect to," Jareth said, defeat lacing his voice.
"Why?" Maccus asked, surprised at his brother's attitude.
"After the way we all acted, treating her like an object and not considering her feelings," Jareth replied angrily, "would you want to be anywhere near someone who had treated you like that?!"
"You have a damn good point, brother," Maccus said, sounding sad and watched Jareth sit heavily on a bench next to a praying angel and put his head in his hands. "However, we have a different problem."
"Which is?" Jareth asked, not looking up.
"Look around."
Doing as his brother instructed, the Goblin King looked around the 'Garden' area they were in to find they were trapped. While they had been talking, the hedges had sprouted vines and linked with neighbouring hedges becoming too think to climb through. This had happened around them and neither had notice till now.
"Is this supposed to happen?" The Troll King asked, looking a little worried.
"It's never happened before," Jareth answered and got up to check the walls to find any secret doors that may lead them to the Goblin City. Finding none he sighed in defeat. "Lavena, can you hear me? We need your help."
Sarah wondered if she was going to be in trouble for this as her great-great-grandmother appeared in a sparkle of purple glitter.
"King Jareth and King Maccus, what a lovely surprise," the Spirit and Essence of the Labyrinth said to them kindly, however her voice and eyes were a little hard contradicting her kind greeting.
"I apologise for disturbing you, my Goddess," Jareth spoke softly, bowing to the Otherworldly woman, "but I find myself in a situation I cannot untangle himself from and I beg for your help."
"And what would this situation be?" Lavena asked, clearly amused at something but they weren't sure what.
"The Labyrinth has closed its corridors to us and we are trapped," the Goblin King answered and gestured towards the hedges and walls.
Maccus and Jareth watched as Lavena walked around the 'Garden' area. She ran her hands over the walls then touched the hedge vines before she surprised them both by bursting out in laughter. Looking at each other, the twins waited for the regal woman to calm down and hopefully either explain what had happened or at least lead them to the Goblin City.
"Im afraid, Gentlemen," Lavena said, once her laughter had stopped and she had wiped the tears of amusement from her eyes, "that I cannot help you in this situation. You must call upon the mercy of another."
Jareth ran his hand down his face and sighed in frustration while Maccus looked worriedly at his brother.
"We need to call upon Lavena's Champion to release us from her Garden," Jareth said to his brother, answering his unspoken question.
"Very good, Jareth," the creator of the Labyrinth commented. "You know she has been making changes to the Labyrinth and you knew immediately who I was taking about. Now the only question left is; how will you appeal to my Champion to release you from her Garden? Maccus, why don't you try?"
Visibly swallowing, King Maccus stepped forward, took a deep breath and called out in a clear voice.
"Lady Sarah, Champion of the Labyrinth, we need your help. Please, wont you aid us in our time of need."
The silence was almost deafening and then the grinding of stone could be heard, however it was not coming from the walls. It was coming from the statues! All stood or straighten from their positions and slowly walked towards the King of the Trolls. When they had all reached and stood around him in a circle, the stone beauties opened their mouths and responded.
"NO!" They screamed, their voices like nails on a chalkboard. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO ASK!"
Everyone was rooted to the spot they stood till the statues returned to their original positions and then Lavena sniggered. Both men were scared to say the least. If Lavena would not help them and Sarah refused to release them then they were in big trouble, as their was no escape from the Labyrinth unless it's creator allowed it.
"Jareth dear," Lavena said, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Your turn to appeal to my Champion."
Feeling his heart sink, the Goblin King turned and sat next to the angel statue he had sat next to before. Then realised that this statue hadn't moved when the others had, maybe this one was the key to letting them out but only if he could appeal to Sarah in the right way.
Kneeling in front of the angel statue, Jareth spoke in what he hoped would be a heartfelt way.
"My Lady Sarah, I am so very sorry to have intruded into your Garden and I humbly request an exit so we may disturb you no longer."
"And if your request is denied, Goblin King?" Another statue spoke from behind him.
"Then I will beg on behalf of my subjects. As their King it is my duty to care for them and I cannot do that if I am trapped here and neither can my brother."
Once again silence ruled the small Garden. Just when Jareth was about to give up hope, the angel statue in front of him rose from her bench and walked over to the nearest wall. Breaking her hands from their pray, the angel placed one hand on the wall and created a door.
"This door will lead you back to the right path." The statue behind spoke again. "Do not stray into my Garden again, for I may not be as merciful."
"I and my brother humbly thank you, Lady Sarah," Jareth said sincerely, before grabbing his brother by the hand and left through the door leaving the haunting place behind.
However, the Spirit and Essence of the Labyrinth could help but laugh once the door shut behind the Twin Kings. Seeing her great-great-grand-daughter return to her normal self after being an angel statue just made Lavena laugh harder.
"And I thought I was going to be in trouble for trapping them in here," Sarah confessed, in-between giggles.
"After what they did, I don't blame you in the least for getting a little revenge," Lavena replied, with a big smile on her face. "I just didn't expect you to use the statues to deliver your response or to scare them out of their wits!"
"I do feel better," Sarah admitted.
"How much better?"
"Enough to put your plan in action." Both women shared a wicked look before vanishing from the Garden and back to Sarah's cottage where they organised their plan of attack.