Sarah, back in her apartment and dressed in her nightgown, lay on her bed in despair. Her sodden face saturated her pillow since her tears had gotten uncontrollable. She hadn't wept like that in ages, but now she had good reason. In only a few minutes she had lost both her boyfriend and her job and to her knowledge it was all her fault. One other thing to add to the list of desolation was her repressed feelings for the Goblin King. She had forgotten all about his charming persona and fascinating spark until Devon reminded her of the heavenly masquerade ball. These feelings bewildered Sarah. She did not know why the thought of the name 'Jareth' made her skin crawl and her heart skip a beat. She did not know why the thought of the name 'Devon' made her feel anxious and unexcited. What was it about the King of the goblins that made Sarah sense a total new emotion in her that she didn't know she had. Why did she tell her brain that she detested him but her heart and soul that she wanted him.
Sarah looked around at her apartment. She had a nice little place. Apart from her now ex-job, it was one of the only things in her life that she was proud of. She always kept it neat and tidy. To Sarah her bedroom was her fairy-tale getaway. Two walls were painted lilac and two were pink with a silver stencilled border stretched across it. Ornaments of fairies, elves and other spiritual creatures were scattered on the many bookshelves and cupboards. She had kept all of her fairy stories and childhood teddies and toys to remind her that even though she had become a woman, she didn't have to lose her imagination as she had learnt after her journey in the Labyrinth. On the floor lay an extensive rug which had a hand-made stitching imagery of fairies in an enchanted forest. Sarah had always liked her room to be full of fantasy and magic in which she could dream about the places she could visit one day, after all, she knew the fay world was real, so anything could be possible.
Sarah got out of her bed and walked over to the refrigerator where she found an unopened bottle of wine. She poured herself a glass a guzzled it down quickly before pouring herself another one.
Suddenly Sarah heard a knock on the door. She covered herself in her bathrobe before she open the door.
"Devon. What are you doing…I mean, how did you know I was home."
Devon stood there looking discomfited and remorseful. He looked into Sarah's eyes and was surprised to see that she had been crying so hard, but he knew why.
"Apparently your dad called your job to ask how you was getting on and he was stunned to hear that you had in fact been fired. He didn't think you'd want to talk to him right now so he called me to ask how you were. So…how are you" he sighed.
"How do you think I am" she said moodily as she broke down into more tears.
Devon gave her a awkward hug as she continued to ramble. "First of all I upset you and you walk out on me and then…an then…"
She was crying do much that she couldn't even manage to finish her sentence.
"It's okay" said Devon as he tightened his arms around her. "I'm sorry for overreacting. I do that sometimes. I shouldn't have walked out on you."
Sarah looked at him kindly. "Thank you" she said. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't' have said what I said in such a stern way, I should have explained myself better. Forgive me."
"I already have" he said.
Sarah gave him a hug and smiled. She knew that he would be okay about it. Even though he got a bit nasty when he was upset, he would always be so kind afterwards.
"So what day is best for me to move in then" said Devon.
Sarah's smile dropped to a frown. Didn't he understand that she wasn't ready for them to live together yet.
"Devon, I thought we weren't going to do this yet."
Devon stared at her for a second with a very severe face. He then turned around and walked off again, without saying a thing. Sarah slapped her hands against her face and stormed back in her room.
Sarah fought back her tears and paraded over to her bedroom mirror. She sat by it and took a good hard look at herself. She knew that nobody on this world could make her feel any better.
"I need you Hoggle" she asked quietly, hoping so desperately that he would come.
A ray of light blasted across her mirror which made Sarah's eyes squint. An ugly, but kind-hearted goblin came into appearance.
"Sarah?" said Hoggle.
"Hi Hoggle" said Sarah, feeling guilty that she had not spoken to him for so long. She didn't want him to be mad at her too.
"Sarah, you 'aven't asked to see me in…well in in ages, did you not need us" he asked.
"I did need you Hoggle, I was just so stupid not to realise it. I thought I could get by in life with a good job and a boyfriend. But now I've lost them, and I realise what I really needed all that time."
"What?" asked Hoggle.
"My friends silly" laughed Sarah forgetting how naïve Hoggle could be when it came to friendship. "Forgive me Hoggle."
"Well o'course I forgive you Sarah…but…just remember that I did."
Sarah wasn't sure what he meant by this.
"Tell you what. I'll go and get the others and we'll come out and 'ave a party with you, k?" Hoggle said.
"No wait Hoggle, I've got a much better idea." Sarah hesitated. "How about, if I come into your world." Sarah knew that Hoggle would oppose but there was no harm in asking.
"Oh no Sarah…I…I err don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not!" she whined.
"Because, I just don't want you getting into no trouble that's all." There was a slight uncertainty in the way that Hoggle spoke.
"Hoggle! When have I ever gotten into trouble before?" she asked.
Hoggle raised his thick bushy eyebrows and looked at her. She knew that look meant that she had gotten into trouble before. Her journey into the Labyrinth almost got them hurled into the Bog Of Eternal Stench and killed by the cleaners.
"Hoggle I wish for you to take me into the Labyrinth." Sarah smiled, she knew that Hoggle had to obey her wishes as did all the goblins. Hoggle groaned, but did as she asked. He put his grubby goblin hands up towards the mirror. Sarah gazed in astonishment as she saw the little man's hands come out of the mirror so she should touch them. She carefully grasped both of his hands with hers and in a flash he pulled her through the mirror into his world.
Sarah looked around wondrously. She was in a large imperial room with hundreds of repulsive greedy goblins. Some were drinking ale, some were playing games and others were fighting. It was a spaghetti junction of ugliness. The noise was almost unbearable. Cackling, screaming, singing, belching, the list of sounds go on. Occasionally a goblin would look up at Sarah, then chuckle and look away. Sarah was not afraid though. For she had defeated a whole army of goblins before. She was excited to be back in the Labyrinth. She knew that years ago many strange and magical things happened here and couldn't wait to see what happened next. She noticed that in the centre of the room there was an empty throne, without doubt belonging to King Jareth. She looked at Hoggle in wonder to why he would have brought her to the castle of the Goblin King. For he more than anyone feared Jareth. Sarah, however was secretly a little pleased he had brought her here. She was curious about the man who she had declined four years ago, even a little frightened.
"Hoggle" said Sarah. "Why are we in the castle beyond the Goblin City."
"Frankly Sarah, I have no idea. We wasn't supposed to end up here." Hoggle sounded worried. He looked around nervously at the other goblins. He once told Sarah that he never really got along with the other goblins because they were too dim-witted and chaotic to be his friend. Some of them he feared and some he could control.
Sarah looked back at the throne and to her amazement, she saw a snowy white owl perched in the centre of it, its stare was fixated on her. The owl made Sarah jump.
"Hoggle how long has that owl been there" she said fearful that it had been watching her for some time.
Hoggle turned around. He flinched when he saw the owl.
"Oh, him, oh he's just, he's erm, he's just a friend who comes to see us every so often that's all" he said hesitantly.
"Hoggle how stupid do you think I am" Sarah snapped. "You and I both know who that owl is."
"It ain't Jareth, no it ain't, it's erm Fred…yeah Fred the owl, he's just erm…" Hoggle knew that he wasn't fooling anyone. "Oh alright, it's, Jareth." Hoggle spoke of his name so cruelly.
"Well why isn't he changing into human form, why is he still an owl?" she asked concernedly.
Hoggle sighed. He had tried to keep it from her all these years but he realised that now was time for the truth.
"Ya see Sarah, four years ago when you crushed Jareth, you also crushed his role as King of the Labyrinth and when the Goblin King gets defeated , well, he turns into his animal form for the rest of eternity, so in Jareth's case, he turned into an owl."
Sarah was stunned. She couldn't believe that Jareth had been an owl for four years. Her soul was ridden with shame and guilt. But how could she have known, no one had told her that he would stay as an owl forever. Hoggle should have told her. She looked at Hoggle. He rubbed his throat on his neck in nervousness. He knew that Sarah would be furious with him.
"Hoggle how could you" she spoke in a broken voice. She really thought that she could trust him. Hoggle ran off in remorse.
Sarah looked back at the owl. Even in his owl form he had the most miraculous eyes. So much wisdom and pain were seen in those eyes. The owl gazed back at Sarah. He almost looked like he was pleading her to save him. It felt strangely unsettling that Jareth was a stuck as a species much weaker than herself. She had fought so hard before to defeat him but now she had all the power it just didn't feel right. Tears appeared on the edges of Sarah's eyelids but she would not release them any further. Then, Sarah felt a hand tugging at her gown. It was a small, friendly-looking goblin, with big moonstone eyes and a goofy smile.
"Don't worry Sarah" it said. "There is way to get him back."
"How?" she asked curiously.
"Tell him he has power over you, that'll do it, you see."
Sarah wasn't even sure that she'd want to meet him again. He might not want to see her. She thought that he would be too enraged with her to speak her. Sarah felt that she needed time to think things over. She decided to walk away.
Just as she was about to walk out of the castle, a goblin appeared in front of her, blocking her way. He didn't look friendly at all. He was much more hideous and unpleasant than the last goblin.
"You took away master" it said.
Then another goblin popped up. Sarah tried to move forward but they wouldn't let her.
"Let me go" she yelled. But more and more goblins came to block her way. Suddenly there were hundreds of goblins surrounding her., laughing and taunting whilst pulling at her clothes and hair.
"You're hurting" she screamed. "Get off me."
The goblins dragged her back into the throne room and started attacking her. Sarah tried to scream for help, but she could hardly breathe. There was no one there to help her. Sarah felt dizzy as goblins were jumping on her. She couldn't see much through the crowd. The goblins cackled and screeched as they attacked her. She felt cuts and bruises all over her. Her fear of the goblins had turned from unafraid to downright terrified. She looked around for an escape, but there were so many goblins surrounding her she couldn't move. She could only just see the owl through a gap in the mass of goblins. He was staring at her. She pleaded at him with her eyes to help but he wouldn't even flinch. Sarah screamed as one of the goblins leaped onto her leg. She looked at the Jareth again. Still he wouldn't move. But she knew she couldn't take the pain any more. Sarah was a fighter. She wouldn't just give up. She looked into the Jareth eyes let out a cracked voice.
"Jareth" she whispered in pain. "I…need…you" she murmured. "Jareth…you…have…power…over me."
Sarah couldn't fight any more. She gave up struggling and just lay there, pale and weak. Her eyes closed as she took in the pain these nasty goblins were giving her. She could barely take in air. She felt like she was going to die any second.
"STOP!"