A/N: If you haven't done so already, I've made a few changes to the first two chapters and re-reading them is going to help the story make more sense. Thanks!
As he neared the edge of the hill, Jareth breathed in the thick wooded air. Looking out at the twisting maze before him, he bent down to tie one of his shoes.
The very earth under his feet was calling out to him. Every rational sense in his body warned to stay away, to keep out of this dangerous maze. But his heart knew differently, loving like he had never loved anything in his life. It was so passionate, so raw, so aching.
He was in physical pain, his blood aching to jump out of his veins, his body aching to jump and run and climb this labyrinth. His labyrinth.
As he shut his eyes, he saw a map in the inside of his mind-
It had taken him thirteen years to make the labyrinth, thirteen long years of creation. He had traveled the whole world on foot, seeing tricks in England, seeing riddles in China and Egypt. He had traveled the whole of the Underground to discover his people, his desires, what would tempt them.
He had grown walls from his bones to keep out anyone, his blood ran through the rivers and streams. The Labyrinth was a breathing extension of what he was, his child, his own, his love.
Drawing a red X on the table in front of him, he marked the castle at the center, surrounded by his walls and vines, his forests and oceans.
He would leave thirteen hours to chance, to travel, to explore, to make it to the center.
If not, well.
He would think up a proper punishment.
Shaking his head, he ran a hand through his hair. He kept imagining things in this place. His mind was playing tricks on him.
Jareth walked towards the large set of embellished doors, sitting inside the Labyrinth's heavy walls. He held out his hand and he could swear he saw sparks flying from his fingertips.
Although he had heard of the Labyrinth before, the place itself almost felt like a barren wasteland, a sick, dying place. While the ground had once been green, the vines were now brown and the flowers had wilted. He could see the potential, the awe-inspiring place it must have been.
Leaning in, he laid one smooth palm against the door.
At first, there was no response.
And then suddenly, as if life itself had awakened, the door yawned. Not visibly, but Jareth could hear the groaning sound ringing in his ears.
He leapt back in surprise and the walls chuckled softly.
"You will have to excuse our poor manners, but we have been so excited to finally see you. It has been too long. Much too long," they whispered, laughing delightfully at the end of the sentence. Jareth smelled something warm and delicious, like his mother's apple pie she baked for him when he was younger, sitting on the counter as the birds outside chirped jealously.
"Who... are you?" he asked, awed.
"I am everything you are and everything you have ever been. Our destinies are intertwined," they whispered, filling his heart with a soft glow. "Although we have no link to you right now, we have been calling, in earnest."
Jareth knew this was true, as he had felt the feelings before. He thought he had been imagining, but learning that he had this link to something so beautiful was almost too good to be true. But how was it possible?
"We will help you, Jareth. We will guide you, as you have guided us."