Author's Note : Ok, so in this chapter, finally, I've decided to change things up just a bit, with regards to Hoggle's curse. Now, at first I thought that just one curse would be annoying enough for him, but then I started to wonder just how far I could go with that as the conflict. I wasn't sure if it was too early to introduce a conflict, maybe, so I was going to hold it off for a while. But now, instead, I've decided that this opportunity with the new location of the "Great Library" would be just too good to pass up, and so I've decided to get a bit deeper into plot (already). I hope no one mind's this though, because it's not exactly going to be a climactic moment or anything, but I hope you still like it and won't think it's too extreme, considering we're just on Chapter 4…

Chapter 4 – The Path to the Great Library

When Sarah had first started off on her new mission with Hoggle, she knew that she was taking a huge leap of faith in believing him and taking everything that he said at face value. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt though, because they were meant to be friends, and friends trusted each other. Trying her hardest, she hadn't questioned him on making it to the labyrinth through her parents' bathtub drainpipe; she hadn't been wary or suspicious of Hoggle leading her through a seemingly impossible-to-navigate maze; she hadn't even turned against him when an alternative was offered to her from Grizzald; all these things, she thought, made her quite trustworthy.

However, Hoggle refused to divulge the exact whereabouts of the location he had in mind, or what exactly he hoped to even find at the Great Library. Sarah had asked him continuously after they had departed from the goblin earlier on, insisting, begging, fake-crying, and even threatening, but still Hoggle had kept his mouth shut, each time muttering a "We're almost there", and leaving it at that. Sarah was forced to give up in the end, determining that the dwarf could be really tough when he wanted to be. In truth, what she didn't know was that, in order to tell her about the specifics of the Great Library, Hoggle would have to mention Jareth and what he did and why the Great Library was the only place where they could find the solution to the problem; but, because of the curse, he couldn't do just that.

Damn you, Jareth, he thought, satisfied to know that at least his thoughts were safe from the Goblin King. But that was as far as he could really revolt against him. After all, the dwarf would have liked nothing more than to tell Sarah all about Jareth and just how much he was being punished after betraying the Goblin King, but that was impossible. It hadn't occurred to Hoggle to question why until now, but, now that he thought about it, why had Jareth punished him so much, especially with that curse of remaining silent? He had punished everyone who'd helped Sarah, the only way to wreck his vengeance, but out of everyone, Hoggle had gotten the worst end of it.

It must be because she kissed me before, Hoggle remembered, blushing slightly at the thought. He wasn't none too happy about that the first time either… Still though, it was rather petty of the Goblin King to focus so much on that one aspect, even if he was jealous, which Hoggle thought he must be. After all, Jareth was King of Goblins—what more could he want in life?

And, because he's sent Grizzald, he definitely knows that Sarah's here, the dwarf continued, lost in thoughts all by himself, but still equally focused as he turned another corner through the elaborate labyrinth. He could hear Sarah's steps right behind him, feel her hand brush against his scalp every time he stopped and she wasn't ready for it. Yes, they were friends and that had brought him nothing but trouble the first time, and yet he was still drawn to her. What was it—her kindness? Her youth? Her courage? Or was it the fact that Hoggle had never had any friends before and Sarah, being his first, could never be replaced in his heart?

But Jareth didn't want him to have any friendship, didn't want him to feel that same warmth from before. That was why he had blocked off Hoggle's bad speech about him; that was why Hoggle had a worse curse on him than the one he had mentioned to Sarah, a curse that, if broken, might have more consequences than the Goblin Kingdom had ever known. The curse in itself was unspeakable, but one thing was certain: Jareth's wrath ran deep.

"Are we there yet?" Sarah whined for the thousandth time, now contemplating what she would do if Hoggle still refused to answer her, at least give her some sort of clue. She could sense that the dwarf was hiding something from her, but because she was certain that she still didn't know him all that well, part of her wondered if maybe it wasn't only her imagination and she was only being paranoid.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, we're almost there," Hoggle said, nodding and proceeding onward.

"You said that the last time, and the time before that, and the time before that," Sarah pointed out. "I feel like we're getting nowhere, Hogwart"—"Hoggle!"—"and more so, I think that you're lost! You don't know where you're going, do you?"

Hoggle sighed heavily, turning to face her at last. "Look here Sarah, I've been this way a hundred times! I know this path and I know where we're—"

"Then why aren't we there yet?" Sarah asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Hoggle ran his hand over his face. "If I told you we were going to arrive once we turn the next corner, would you trust me?"

Sarah crossed her arms. "I don't see why I should: you haven't been very honest with me so far."

"What do you mean I haven't?" Hoggle snapped.

"Well, for starters you haven't told me anything about why this curse of yours is so important. Ok, I know it has something to do with the Goblin King, but you still haven't even told me why he's important, or why he's cursed you!"

"No, but I've told you why I can't tell you! The curse won't let me!"

"Oh, Hogwart, that's getting us nowhere then!" Sarah huffed. "Fine! Can you at least tell me what we're going to find at the library?"

Hoggle raised a short arm and pointed at the next turn. "You'll see the library as you turn the next corner yourself. I promise."

Sarah blinked, then relaxed her posture, turning to look at the path ahead of her. "And…you want me to go first?"

"If you want," Hoggle said, but by the way he looked at her, it was obvious that he hoped she'd offer to go first.

Sarah nodded. "Alright then, I will. But you'll be right behind me, won't you?"

Hoggle tried not to give anything away, although inwardly, he grimaced. "'Course I will."

"Ok."

So said, Sarah turned and approached the wall of the labyrinth, taking a deep breath and then crossing through the final corner. What she saw before her eyes was a temple-like building with a large, bronze lion in the middle of the front steps, blocking a doorway that led beyond. It was a large, imposing structure, one that didn't look at all stable, but wasn't so bad overall. The sky seemed to have darkened around it, although it had plenty of torchlight so that its visitors could still see. For a moment, Sarah felt herself as though walking through the void of space, but then as her foot made contact with the first step, everything felt solid once more and the empty feeling from before was gone.

"Hoggle, we've made it!" she cried, getting his name right for once. But as she turned to look behind her, she realized that Hoggle was no longer there.

"You're a big coward, you know that Hoggle?"

"Go away!" the miserable dwarf moaned, clutching his head. "I'm not in the mood for this!"

"Oh, but you'd deserve it if she never spoke to you again, if she decided to leave you and the labyrinth forever. I'm sure that Master Jareth will not be pleased, now that he knows what you're up to."

"I-I had no choice! He gave me no choice!" Hoggle yelled, certain that Sarah could no longer hear him. He had already run away from her, after all, leaving her to figure out the mysteries of the library for herself. It was the only way, after all, the only way to break his second curse, the worst one yet: by having a mortal, a friend, willingly find the answer to his curse herself, without any of his help or interference. That was why he couldn't say anything to Sarah about it, even without mentioning Jareth; that was why he had to run away and leave her alone. The curse just…wouldn't be broken otherwise…

"You've always had a choice, Hoggle. You could just have gone back, taken Jareth's first merciful offer; he wouldn't have cursed you then. Just the first curse…at first he thought that it'd be enough, but then you went ahead and refused to let him—"

"Steal my memories of Sarah?! Never!" Hoggle yelled. Seemingly, he was talking to himself, almost going crazy, when, in truth, Grizzald was just speaking to him from the shadows, his voice ever low, ever calm.

"That would have saved you a lot of trouble," Grizzald said, and he sounded like he was tsking. "As your King, after you betrayed him, he didn't really ask for much."

"But, if he took those away, I wouldn't have anything left…" mourning Hoggle.

Grizzald stuck out a bony hand, making it visible to the dwarf. "Let's go back and review, shall we? One,"—he raised up one bony finger—"you get summoned to the Goblin Castle and His Majesty curses you to eternal silence regarding talking against him in any way or form. Two,"—he raised up another finger—"he offers you stewardship in his castle, in exchange for those memories you have of spending time with the girl. You know as well as I do that our King is powerful, but even he cannot take things from the heart unless they are willingly given. But then, three,"—and he raised up his last finger (because he only had three in total, like a carnivorous bird's claw)—"you refuse him even that, and thus get yourself cursed a second time, this curse unspeakable, and unbreakable."

"Almost unbreakable," Hoggle corrected. "Sarah can break it."

"Yes, and now that he know that that's exactly what you're trying to do, he'll never allow it," Grizzald said, pulling his hand back into the shadows. "For, if she manages to succeed in breaking your curse, not only will you be free from both of the curses put upon you, and not only will the girl regain her memory, but the entire protection spell around the Goblin Kingdom will wear thin, and before you know it, we'll be at war again."

Hoggle harrumphed. "It's not my fault that such a strong spell needed sacrifices. It was Jareth's choice to include a three-part clause to it."

"Only because he was certain that you would never ever manage to get anyone to help you, and because he didn't think the girl stupid enough to make yet another wish to him. Because she did, however, and because something, no one's sure what, went wrong and you got the call of the wish instead, apparently, as it seems, you're one step closer to being free. But, just remember, Hoggle, Jareth is still the King, and has many tricks up his sleeve."

"I'll bet," Hoggle muttered. "But he can't touch Sarah so long as she's in the library!"

"Of course not," Grizzald said, his eerie yellow-toothed grin peeking out from the darkness. "But wait until she comes out…"

Hoggle's eyes widened as he realized the flaw to his plan. Oh no…

Sarah was no coward, or at least she hoped not, so she was no exactly 'afraid' to go into the big, ominous library by herself. She was however, hurt and betrayed that Hoggle had betrayed her in the first place. After all, the only reason she had come along at all was to help him with his stupid curse, and because…

"Because I thought we were friends…" she muttered, squinting her eyes in anger and discomfort.

"I haven't asked my question yet, so don't you start answering!" came a deep, booming voice from somewhere above her.

Sarah looked up, seeing no one in sight, nor any sudden movement. "Ex-excuse me?"

"Now, wait just a minute, I've almost got one," the voice said again, only this time, Sarah saw where it was coming from. The lion, the one on the front stairs, guarding the doorway to the library, had just spoken, his brow, naturally furrowed, now somehow showcasing a thoughtful expression.

"Question? No one ever told me that I'd have to answer a question to get in!" Sarah called up.

"Well, it's called the Great Library for a reason, you know!" the lion exclaimed indignantly. "That means we can't just let everyone in, so you'll have to answer my question if you want to enter."

Sarah bit her bottom lip in frustration. "I'm not so sure that I even want to enter anymore…"

The lion stared down at her quizzically. "Why not? That's why you're here, isn't it? Or is this just the ideal way to take a stroll nowadays, but no one told me about it?"

Sarah shook her head. "It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?" the lion pressed, sounding curious. "Tell me, and I may just let you inside, instead of asking you a question and whatnot. Isn't often that I get people with interesting stories come through here, so I'll make an exception, just this once."

Sarah thought that the lion was being more than reasonable, but that didn't mean that she was ready to go on with her quest, not after Hoggle had abandoned her. Besides, how could she help him anyway, if he wasn't here to at least give her a hint as to what sort of solutions she was looking for. A potion? A magic spell? If so, then what kind of magic spell should she use? Would it have something to do with disgusting things like slime or snails, or maybe something unexpected like puppy dog tails? It was all too uncertain, and Sarah was about to turn back, but then the lion called out to her.

"I wouldn't, if I were you. It's not safe to leave right now."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Because no one ever comes to visit and library and then just leaves, without even trying to answer my question! I don't even know what happens, but some rumors have gone around that there's a booby-trap set, or something!"

Sarah was about to retort that she just didn't care, but she couldn't very well get back through the labyrinth and back home if she was caught in a booby-trap, could she? "Fine then, I'm here to find a cure to a curse for a…a dwarf I just met," she said. "But he hasn't really explained anything to me about why we're coming to this library, only that he's under a curse that won't allow him to say something, and that we'll find answers in here. We've been travelling through the labyrinth all day, met a goblin named Grizzald, who made me an offer from the Goblin King, and now here I am, telling you the story of why I'm here."

"A dwarf? Well, there are no laws against dwarves coming here; why isn't he with you?"

"You said you wanted my story, not for me to answer all your questions," Sarah reminded the lion. "I gave you my reason for being here, so now I get to pass, right?"

The lion gave a deep rumble from somewhere in his bronze chest. "I suppose…" he said. "But I'm still curious!"

"Well, I'm sorry," Sarah apologized, "but I don't have the time to stick around and chat."

Thus spoken, she waited for the lion to move aside and open up a path to the door for her or something, but when the lion didn't move, she looked up in confusion.

The lion sighed. "You're supposed to walk through me. I'm only solid when I want to be, but I always become walk-through when people answer the questions I give them."

Sarah nodded, walking right up to the lion and trying to place her hand through at first, just to be sure. When she saw that it was ok, she stuck in a leg as well, about to walk through and finally see what all the fuss was about regarding the library. "I'll see you later," she said to the lion, hoping to somehow make it up to him later on.

"Goodbye."

And thus Sarah was gone, entering into the library and into a mission which she didn't even know she was a part of.

Author's Note: Ok, so I know that maybe Hoggle's part of this chapter was a bit confusing, so, just as a recap, here's what happened:

1) Hoggle got cursed the first time for betraying Jareth, and the curse involved him never being able to say a single bad word about Jareth, and that includes pretty much everything that happened in the movie, so he can't tell Sarah about that.

2) Jareth then asked him for his memories about Sarah, which I figure he would've kept in one of his glass balls or something, but Hoggle refused.

3) Because Hoggle refused, Jareth got angry and cursed him again, this time with a curse that's much worse, but which I haven't revealed the specifics of, regarding what it does it Hoggle. The only thing that the readers are supposed to know so far is that if Sarah manages to break this second curse, then she'll: A) break both curses on Hoggle, B) get her memory back, and C) destroy the protective spells and barriers around the Goblin Kingdom and labyrinth, sending them into a war. Now, this part is the most confusing, I know, but that's because no one knows who the war might be against, or why, or etc. etc. etc. There's a lot to be explained here, but that's why the plot thickens, right?

Now, again, I feel like I've tossed a lot at you in this chapter, so if you've got any questions, please feel free to include them in the reviews. Other than that, favourite and follows are greatly appreciated, as always, and I look forward to hearing from you until the next chapter. ^^