-- Chapter the Twelfth turned out shorter than I expected. Oh well, I suppose that's why one isn't supposed to plan things. I believe things are about to take a potentially more convoluted turn for the future (although it may not affect the immediate story as much). Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, I wound up having to rewrite it about three times. Enjoy. P. S. There's an official Labyrinth sequel out now in manga form by Tokyopop with Toby as the main character. --
Disclaimer: The Labyrinth original story and characters belong to Jim Henson. Characters such as Draven and Elfriede are mine.
Chapter the Thirteenth
When Draven had warned her about choosing the path, Sarah had been expecting to find somewhere between two and five. It may also be noted that Elfriede (a Labyrinth denizen since she was a seed) was expecting to find no more than twenty or so. The paths before her could never be considered small numbers.
None of the paths looked completely the same. Many of them branched off from the immediate path; others were from completely new paths that then further split. The many paths leading out of the Gardens all ventured to a large field where they further divided. They all snaked around and twisted, but none ever touched another, nor crossed paths. Beyond the field Sarah could see the Castle reaching to touch the sky. She could not begin to tell which path lead to the Castle -- let alone the one that lead away from it.
Forget being fair! This is down right dirty and sadistic. I bet Jareth's up there somewhere rubbing his hands and cackling like a madman, Sarah thought indignantly.
"I wonder if Draven knew it could be something like this," Elfriede mused aloud.
"I'm not quite sure that I care if Draven knew or not. I just want to get my brother back and go home and take a nice hot bath."
As soon as she said it Sarah realized it was true. She still felt worn out by her encounter with the Malutiones' Domain. Not to mention the fact that she was beginning to get hungry and she felt sore all over. She probably would have kissed a toad for the ability to be home with Toby safe in bed.
"Well, the only way to do that is to do that is to do it and to accomplish that we must march ever onward: valiant knights fulfilling our quest," Elfriede said with conviction and no little bit of humor.
Sarah smiled, "Yeah. No one ever got anywhere by standing still. But which path do we take?"
"None of the ones going straight towards the Castle seems to be before us. None of the paths that seem to curve toward the Castle eventually ..." Elfriede continued on suggesting which possibilities to disclude for another several minutes.
Sarah took note of which paths were beginning to be left out of the list. At times her eyes crossed and she felt as though the whole situation was hopeless. By the time Elfriede stopped her listing they'd narrowed the path down to three choices.
Two of the paths lead off to the right, they seemed to run parallel for the most part and then they both curved away from the Castle. One path was black as midnight blue and the other white as a pale pink rose. The third path lead off to the left and seemed to enjoy emmulating a river what with all its snaking and curving, not to mention its blue-green colour.
"Alright then: right or left?" Elfriede asked.
"Right," Sarah said, ignoring the left (just looking at it made her queasy).
"Okay then, let's take the dark one as the lighter one is closer to the Castle in relation to the dark one."
"I guess that's as good a logic as any," Sarah said, shrugging.
They began walking down the path. As they walked a change occurred that was so gradual that Sarah was only aware that they were not approaching the filed until it had no longer been in view for a good five minutes. The path was no longer a black, midnight blue but ... almost ... well, it was hard to tell.
The path was definitely still there and they were definitely walking on it ... but what they were walking on Sarah could not tell. The surrounding area was no longer clear and sunny, instead a slow mist had crept in and had turn into a thick fog -- although the fog never became so thick as to obscure the path itself.
"Where are we?" Sarah whispered.
"I don't know," Elfriede sounded almost nervous, "I've never left the Gardens before."
It was the strangest walk Sarah had ever experienced. With every step she took she felt a growing sense of de je vu. She couldn't help but fell as though the path was familiar to her, as though it was one she walked every day.
"Why does this path seem so familiar?" Elfriede asked.
"I don't know," Sarah answered as though in a daze, "it's ... it's as though it were a dream."
Before them the mist slowly parted to reveal a cottage. It seemed dilapidated although not to the point of being condemned. Vines crept up the sides and embedded themselves in the mortar, and some had had blossoming flowers. The blossoms resembled wild roses and dogwoods with blooms ranging from red scarlets to vibrant purples to navy blues ... but all the colours seemed muted. Still in a daze Sarah and Elfriede approached the weathered wooden fence before the house.
"Stop!" a voice called out before they could approach the sagging gate.
Shaking off her sleepiness Sarah blinked and looked down. Before here was the opened gate of the fence and standing on the edge of the pass was what looked like a pale violet lizard with sickly yellow spines. The brown eyed creature looked Sarah in the eye.
"You mustn't come in here. The mistress isn't here at the moment. And the master ... oh, the master is ... oh dear," the lizard-like thing mewled softly.
Sarah blinked again, "What?"
"Oh!" Elfriede exclaimed, "You're a wyrm aren't you?"
The lizard thing (Wyrm, Sarah thought hastily) reared up on his hind legs and puffed out his chest in indignation. "Of course I'm a wyrm! Who else could possibly protect my mistress's abode so well?"
"Why is it just your mistress's, why isn't it your master's too?"
The wyrm settled back on all fours and looked a bit abashed. "It's complicated. Mistress actually has two masters. Or maybe no master and two lieges. Yes, that's a better way of putting it."
"Then why do you only refer to one if there are two or what-have-you?" Elfriede queried.
"Well, I suppose mistress is in service to one and loaned to the other. Except not," the wyrm looked perplexed.
"What is she? A courtesan or something?" Sarah asked, befuddled.
"Sweet sapphires: NO!" the wyrm shouted. "I can't help it if her employment may be unorthodox but she's perfectly respectable."
"Then what is she, where is she, and why does she have a house here?" Sarah practically demanded.
The wyrm blinked. "Why, she's the story keeper (or records teller) of course. And she's not here, she's ... stuck. A little like master, except not at all. Oh, I'm so confused."
You're confused, Sarah thought sarcastically, letting out a growl of frustration.
"Alright, never mind then," she let out an exasperated sigh. "We're just trying to find the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. Do you know how to get there?"
The wyrm cocked his head. "Jareth's Castle? Why, it's behind you of course. After all, it's in the Labyrinth."
Sarah looked at the wyrm and got very quiet and very still. "What do you mean," she asked very, very slowly, "by 'it's in the Labyrinth'?"
"Well, you're about to leave it of course now aren't you? After all, mistress's house boarders both of the liege's lands."
"So we were inadvertently leaving the Labyrinth?" Elfriede asked.
"Well, if you weren't purposefully leaving it, then it could be construed as inadvertently leaving," the wyrm stated with amusement.
Sarah took a deep breath, scowling. "Alright, we are just about to leave the Labyrinth. How do we make sure we get back into it and how do we reach the Castle?"
"Eh?" the wyrm blinked. "Why all you have to do is go back the way you and you'll be in the Labyrinth. Not that you could get very far going forward anyway," this last bit he mutter almost under his breath.
I wonder why that -- wait, it doesn't matter because I need to get to the Castle. "And the Castle?" Sarah prompted.
"Well, I don't really know about that part really," the wyrm shrugged. "I've never been there. Why would I go? My duty is toward my mistress."
"Is it possible for us to check the records then, and see if there's some kind of map?" Elfriede inquired.
The wyrm shook his head vehemently. "Not while mistress is away. She's in charge of the books. You might read something you're not supposed to. Besides, there are no maps of the Labyrinth, just ways to get places."
"That ridiculous!" Sarah shouted.
"So much for lack of censorship," Elfriede muttered.
"Well, the Labyrinth's always changing, isn't it?" the wyrm continued, unruffled, "Certain ideas are always together, but they aren't static."
Argh! Why couldn't this be like those hedge mazes, confusing but stable? Sarah bemoaned to herself.
"However, I see no reason why you should up back where you started ... or at least close to it."
Sarah just shook her head, "Well, thanks anyway."
"Oh, no problem," the wyrm said in a friendly sort of way. "Just watch out, every now and again rouge nightmares do wander about."
And with that the wyrm disappeared into the not-exactly-rose bushes.
Sarah looked at Elfriede, eyes wide. "What do you think it meant by that?"
Elfriede shrugged (inasmuch as a bonsai can be said to shrug), "I don't really know. I never knew nightmares could go rogue."
That's not exactly what I meant, Sarah thought.
"Let's not linger here," Elfriede suddenly stated, "we're apparently on a border land of some sort that is abridging hostile territory, and I don't believe the wyrm will let us onto his mistress's property if she's not here even if something nasty does come along."
"Good idea."
Turning abruptly the two preceded back down the path from whence they came. Sooner than Sarah thought possible the midnight path turned back into creamy cobblestones and the foggy weather again grew clear. But instead of a clear plain, hedges began to grow up along the sides of the path very much like the head-maze Sarah thought she would have preferred earlier.
"What rotten luck! Where is the Castle? I can't see over these hedges." Sarah grumbled.
"I don't suppose it will matter which way the Castle is 'til we get to a cross road," Elfriede pointed out.
It's still not very fair, Sarah thought. Wait a minute! I was just hoping for a hedge maze earlier so I can't be thinking that! Oh, damn. Just, damn.
"Wait a moment," Sarah stopped, "do you hear something?"
"Umm," Elfriede hummed, "it seems to me that the breeze carries a faint sound of clanking and ... a voice."
"I think it's coming from the other side of the hedge!" Sarah exclaimed. She continued walking and quickened her pace.
Within a few moments the quiet noise had become a distinct sound of a muttering and clanking. As Sarah had supposed, it was coming from he other side of the hedge, and, as they rounded the only corner available, they nearly stumbled against the noise maker.
"Oh," Sarah said, "it's you."