Author's Note: I deeply apologize for the super-long wait on the update for this chapter, but life's gotten so busy and…just…GAH! But now that March Break's finally here, we can start getting back on track with the story and exciting new chapters ahead!

Now, where we left off (for those of you who've read this far an experienced this lapse in time with me), was when Sarah finally gained entry into the library, and Hoggle just realized that Sarah might be walking into a trap as soon as she leaves the library. Now, this chapter isn't going to be as long as the previous one, but only because I'm kind of in a hurry to get Jareth back into the plot, and…yeah, you'll get what I mean by the end of the chapter. I don't suggest skipping it altogether though, because there is some information that could prove crucial.

Other than that though, just enjoy. ^^~

Chapter 5 – The Librarian and Her Assistant

At first, the light in the library was so dim and the air was so thick and musky, that Sarah didn't really see much aside from shadows. The building was solid brick, seemingly the same as the bricks used to build the labyrinth, and so far there wasn't a single bookshelf, or even a book, in sight.

It's pretty eerie in here, Sarah thought, finding that she was trying to reference the place to her favourite book, The Labyrinth, but couldn't find any mention of it there. Well, after all, the book focused mainly on a plot involving the Goblin King and the mortal girl heroine, so there wasn't much attention given to architectural details. As a matter of fact, Sarah didn't think that she could remember any mention of the library whatsoever in the book.

Taking a few more cautious steps forward, Sarah finally came to a large oak door, through which she passed without incident, only to get caught in a large, un-sticky cobweb on the other side.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed, trying to get it out of her hair.

"Who's there?" a voice rang out from within the room, which resembled some sort of lobby, lit only by dim lamps on the walls, the chandelier above covered in cobwebs and dust and not lit at all.

"I-I'm Sarah. I'm here to find some information about a curse?"

"Who let you in?" the voice demanded, resonating off the walls and making it impossible for Sarah to find the source of the voice.

"The lion statue out front," Sarah replied.

"You answered the riddle?" The voice sounded surprised.

Well, it technically wasn't a riddle that Sarah answered, but it wouldn't do her any good to specify that. She nodded.

"Well then, you must be smart," the voice commended.

"Thank y—"

"Or just desperate. Either-or usually gets you in—the lion up front is a big softie for sob stories."

"Excuse me, but just who are you?"

"The librarian, naturally."

"But…where are you?"

There was a slight breeze in the room, followed by what sounded like a heavy exhale. "Technically, I guess you could say that I'm more the spirit of the library. I take no physical form, and am confined specifically to this room and the shelves beyond. I cannot leave."

"I'm sorry."

"No need to be—books are knowledge and they can satisfy me for an eternity and all that. The only problem is, I've read every book in this place already, and it does get a bit boring to have to repeat Plato's teachings over and over again in your head, no matter how good they are. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have a fresh new book! You wouldn't happen to have one with you, would you?"

"No, sorry."

"Pity." Another breath of air and then another sigh. "But, I suppose that new visitors are exciting enough. Now, you said that you were looking for information on a curse?"

"Yes. You see, my f—a dwarf named Hoggle is under a curse that doesn't allow him to speak freely, and he'd like to break it."

"I imagine he would. But what did he think he could find here, or, for that matter, why hasn't he come here himself?"

Sarah looked down, trying to ignore the feeling of hurt that had swelled up in her chest. "I don't know."

"Typical of dwarves: can't ever be trusted. Well, very well. If you'll be doing research on curses in general, just look down the fortieth aisle to the left. If you need any help, I've got a new assistant around here somewhere—he's pretty worthless in general, too high-and-mighty for his own good, if you ask me, and wastes time sulking half the day and all, but he's better than nothing."

Sarah wondered why the librarian didn't just offer to help her herself (it sounded like a female, if she had to guess), but then figured that this must've been one of those "must figure it out for yourself" sort of things.

Steadily, she carried on, crossing the room and going through yet another set of doors, this time careful not to get caught in cobwebs or anything.

The room she entered was beyond enormous, stretching on what seemed like forever, with aisles and aisles and aisles of books stretching all the way up to the ceiling. There seemed to be windows letting in sunshine at the right side of the room, but since Sarah was headed for the left side, she had to content herself with the dim lamplight.

She walked slowly, making sure to count the aisles she passed so as not to get the wrong number (they weren't labelled, so she had to do this), and then finally came to the fortieth one. This aisle was just as dimly lit as the rest, and was, surprisingly, mostly empty. Out of what should have been presumably at least a thousand books along down the long aisle, it seemed that maybe only about a hundred and fifty or so were still present. There were charred burn marks in some places on the shelves, and on others, they were just bare and empty. Sarah wondered what could have happened to clear out the shelves of so many books.

"Some look like they were burned, while others might've been stolen," she deciphered.

"Correct, my dear!" came a small-sounding voice from behind her, between breaths.

Sarah turned to see a dusty yet elegantly-dressed fox-terrier before her, eyeing her up and down and smiling like he knew her. "Hello there!" he called.

Not at all surprised to see an animal talking, since she knew that the labyrinth was magical and all, Sarah inclined her head in greeting. "Hello."

"It is an honour to finally see you again, after all this time! Well, not really that long a time, I suppose, but it is certainly good to see you!" the fox-terrier said.

Again, Sarah was confused as to how this person seemed to already know her, but she didn't have time to argue and find out. Instead, she just made an offhand assumption. "Are you the assistant librarian?"

The fox-terrier sighed. "Yes milady—Sir Didymus, gallant knight and warrior, has been reduced to nothing more than a librarian's assistant. After being separated from you, His Majesty, King Jareth, has separated me from my precious Ambrosius as well, giving us each separate jobs. He, lucky lad, is still guarding the bridge in the Bog of Eternal Stench, while I, far from my home, must suffer humiliation and all around disagreeable-ness from the librarian who runs this place. It is most unbecoming, Lady Sarah, most unbecoming indeed."

"I'm sorry," Sarah said, wondering at the misfortune of the people in this place.

Sir Didymus shrugged. "Well, perhaps things will get better now that you're back. How may I help you?"

"I'm looking for a book on…how to break curses, I guess," Sarah said. "But I guess that there isn't much left to go on, is there." She gestured at the near-empty shelves around them.

"Alas, there was never much here to begin with," Sir Didymus said. "This is exactly as I found the library, so I would not know what happened to the rest of the books. You see, I am still an apprentice here myself, so I do not know where to find any specific books."

"Oh."

"I can, however, show you a book about 'light magic', which will help you conquer dark and evil magic. Do you think that might help?"

"It will have to," Sarah agreed.

"Good! This way then, please."

And thus, with Sir Didymus scampering by right in front of her, Sarah followed him to the end of the library and down the aisle that was the darkest and eeriest. Sarah could've sworn that the temperature itself had dropped, and was getting rather cold, but Sir Didymus seemed confident in where he was going, so she followed. At the very end of the aisle, he climbed up the ladder to the very top, and came down later holding a book with a beautiful white binding that didn't seem as though it belonged in that aisle at all.

"Here you are!" he announced proudly, presenting it to Sarah.

Sarah squinted as she opened it and tried to read the index, but it was too dark and the text was too small for her to make out anything. Gesturing to Sir Didymus, they went back down the aisle, to the main one in the middle of the library, and there, under a lamp, Sarah began to read.

"'How to Find Your Own Magic', 'Antidotes to Dead Poisons', 'How to Conquer the Darkest of Dark Magic'…there isn't anything in here about breaking a curse," Sarah concluded.

"Well, of course not!" Sir Didymus remarked. "That book won't specify small things like that—it focuses on the 'big picture', if you know what I mean."

"I don't think it can help me," Sarah said, closing it.

"Take it with you anyway," Sir Didymus insisted. "You never know when you might need it."

Sarah obeyed, but only because she wasn't sure how things worked around there, and figured that at least she could tell Hoggle that she had tried—if he was still around, that is.

After saying goodbye to Sir Didymus, who looked upset to see her go, and then bidding farewell to the librarian, without actually mentioning that she was taking a book out of the library with her, Sarah made her way past the front lobby and outside onto the steps of the library. She was surprised that the lion was before was nowhere to be found, but maybe one could only see him when they tried to get in to the library, not out.

Shrugging, Sarah descended the steps until she came back to plain, solid earth once more, and then, figuring that she was officially outside, started to call out for Hoggle.

When no response came, she shifted uncomfortably, wondering if the dwarf wanted her to find him a little ways off or something.

"Hoggle!" she called, getting his name right for once. "Hoggle, where are you?!"

"He isn't here."

"W-what do you mean?" Sarah asked, feeling chills crawl up her spine as she heard an eerie voice speak closer to her than all the others that she had heard so far. "Where is he?"

"He ran away, coward that he is. You should never have trusted him," the voice purred.

Sarah, not knowing, but feeling where the voice was coming from, turned around.

And came face to face with none other than Jareth himself.

Author's Note: I know, I know, darn those cliff-hangers! Well, sorry folks, but, like I said, and like the title of the chapter should have implied, this chapter wasn't going to focus on our beloved Goblin King as much. Next chapter though, oh-ho, you'll finally get to see how they interact! I can only hope that I do them justice. :3

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