Disclaimer: Labyrinth and all its parts belong to Jim Henson, yada yada yada. You know the drill. This is for fun. Nothing more.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Labyrinth: The Dream Never Ends
By: Eriksleadinglady
-
-
-
-
-
-
Chapter 3: No, the world is neither fair nor unfair
Sarah walked quickly into the castle, wanting to get away from Jareth and what was happening. Never, in all her dreams, had she envisioned this happening – Jareth's marriage to another woman. She had always thought that Jareth had only eyes for her, as childish as that may sound. Even when she was fifteen, it appeared as though she was the center of Jareth's universe, his obsession. It seemed as though she was the only thing that he occupied himself with. Then later, however, Sarah matured and learned that that was just part of the game. That was what the Labyrinth was all about, trying to make one forget their purpose and fall for their dreams, which for Sarah was Jareth.
Sarah blushed as she continued to walk onwards. Yes, if her dreams had been granted, that would have made for an interesting show of affection. She cried out in frustration. Why did nothing ever work out for her? Why did the world seem to be turning against her?
She knew that it was foolish to think of such things, but sometimes she just felt so lost. Along the pathway of her life, it seemed that everything she ever cared about would leave her. Often, she would wonder why no one ever stayed – why friends and family all abandoned her – and this caused her to think that there was possibly something wrong with her.
As she turned another corner in the vast castle, Sarah realized that she had no idea where she was going. Nothing around here looked familiar. Just as she was about to turn around to go back, she noticed that instead of a hallway behind her, there was a wall. She frowned in dismay. Hadn't she come from that direction? She was sure that that was the way that she had come from, for she had not moved an inch from when she first stepped inside. Panic began to set in as it dawned on her that she was lost in a large, foreign castle, where there was nobody that would help her to get back into her bedroom. Even though Sarah knew that if she called, Jareth would come, she did not want him to know that she had gotten lost already. So, with her resolve set in place, she began taking slow steps into the unknown passageway. It was pitch black in the back of the hallway, and there was only a tiny light when she looked down at her feet.
After taking just a couple of steps, she came upon a door – actually, two doors – on the right side of the wall. They were placed right next to one another, one red, one blue, and each had a large, round doorknocker. She remembered something like this from the last time she in the Labyrinth, with the four guards, but she doubted that it would work in the same way since there wasn't a soul in sight.
Tentatively she whispered, "Hello?"
When no answer came, she knew that choosing which door to open would be very difficult. Sarah also knew that it was possible to just continue down the tunnel, but when she looked that way, it only appeared to be getting darker and darker. It didn't look appealing, so she resolved to just open one of the doors in front of her.
Placing her ear against the first door, Sarah listened for any sign of what may lay ahead. She heard the chirping of birds. That didn't sound too bad. Then Sarah placed her ear against the second door, where she heard nothing, complete and utter silence.
She sighed. The silence was rather disturbing, but it could be that way because it was just another hallway. The birds sounded nice enough, but what if they turned out to be monstrous and attacked her upon entering?
"Well," she muttered under her breath. "Which to choose: the deadly silence or the chirping of birds?"
Hesitantly, she raised her hand to the doorknocker and pounded it loudly on the door. Immediately the door flung open, and she stepped inside. Behind her, she heard the door click shut. She paid no mind to that, however, for in front of her was a large, hideous creature, covered in a dark gray mass of wiry fur. Its face was wrinkled up, like that of a bulldog, and its expression was not pleased, with the eyes squinting, and the line of mouth turned down in a frown. It stared at her like it could see right into her soul.
Sarah, on the other hand, was confused. Hadn't she heard chirping from the other side of the door? Was this thing making those noises?
The creature opened its mouth to speak. "Who dares disturb my sanctuary?" its voice boomed.
Sarah was silent for a moment, not sure of what to say. "Uh…" she stuttered out. "Sarah?"
The creature cocked its head to the side. "Sarah? The king's Sarah?" he questioned.
"Y-You've heard of me?" she asked uncertainly.
The creature chuckled, causing Sarah's chest to vibrate silently from the low, loud tone. "Why yes, I do believe most people in the Labyrinth have heard of you. 'The Mortal Woman Who Defeated the Goblin King.' Yes, quite a title for one so young."
"Are you saying that down here, I'm famous?"
"I would say that, yes," he responded.
"If you don't mind me asking," Sarah began, "but what is your name?"
"Those who know me call me Indextrous."
"Indextrous…" Sarah repeated slowly. "Could I call you Dex?"
Indextrous pondered for a moment. "You may call me whatever you please."
Sarah smiled. "All right then. I like Dex." She paused. "Dex… do you think that you could direct me back to my bedroom? I seem to have gotten lost."
"Ah, so that is the reason that you have come here," Dex replied knowingly, nodding his head. "But sadly, I do not know where His Majesty has placed you. I could, however, tell you where His Majesty's room is, or the throne room, if you prefer."
Sarah's face brightened. "Yes, the Throne room! I know where to go from there!"
Dex nodded. "Well, you will need to go through this wall outside of the room, and then take a left, left, right…"
"Wait!" Sarah called, holding up her hands.
He frowned. "Is something the matter?"
"No. Yes! I mean… I just don't think that I can remember all of that."
"Hmm… That is a problem."
"Do you… Do you think that you could show me the way?" she asked hopefully.
"I am not sure that His Majesty would allow that I leave here," Dex replied shortly. "But perhaps if I say that you forced me to do it…"
"Oh please? Please would you show me the way?"
Dex sighed. "All right. I will help you on your quest."
"Thank you so much, Dex. I really appreciate it," said Sarah as she led him from the room.
As they shuffled along outside in the hallway, Dex said, "Ah, I have not been out of here in so long…"
"How long have you been in there?" Sarah asked as they turned a corner.
"Oh," Dex paused to count the years. "A couple centuries or so."
"A couple centuries!" exclaimed Sarah as they continued walking down the hallway, a painting of a Goblin Knight catching her eye for a moment. "Now why would you be put in there for so long?"
As Dex led the way to the throne room, he said, "I just got into some trouble with the King."
"So he had you put away for punishment?"
"Not exactly punishment, but for protection." Sarah was about to say something, but Dex stopped her. "Perhaps you should let me finish my story before you jump to any conclusions. And just follow me, I'll show you to your room."
"You see it all began when I was just a tiny little thing. I lived here in His castle, for both of my parents had been killed by a couple of miscreants. His Majesty took pity on me and let me live here. I never really fit in anywhere, and I suppose that the castle was no exception. The goblins and I never got along; they always hated me for receiving the Kings mercy. They were forced to live and work in Goblin City, while I had the luxury of living in the castle by my own will. There were guidelines, of course, but I could do as I pleased for the most part. The goblins were always jealous of this and decided to plan to get some sort of revenge."
After taking another turn in the castle, Sarah stopped to look at a statue of a woman with a babe in her arms. It was made out of white stone, like that of the Jareth statue in her bedroom. The woman was nude, but her long, wavy hair flowed down over her shoulder, covering her breast, and the babe had a hold of the other. The woman appeared to be sitting on a large boulder with a quaint smile on her face.
The beautiful sculpture brought a smile to Sarah's face, and she wondered who the woman was. Just as she turned to ask Dex about it, she realized that he was no longer behind her. Eyes widening in shock, Sarah hurried in the direction she had just seen him in and was relieved to see him just down the hallway. Moving quickly, she easily caught up to him and heard him still talking.
"…a couple of flower fairies were causing trouble – you know how pesky they can be. As I was spraying them away, I heard a crash from behind me. I looked around and I saw that a goblin had fallen out of one of the castle's windows. I recognized the goblin to be that of my only friend, Huyo. I immediately ran over to him to see if he was all right, but he never responded. I… I knew that he was dead, but I didn't know why. I looked up at the window that he had fallen from, only to see some goblins snickering as they quickly repaired the window. It was then that I knew that they had killed him and that I was being set up for it."
"But why would they kill him?" interjected Sarah.
"They always disliked him because he was nice to me and stood up for me when the others picked on me. He was my only friend, and since all the others hated me, they viewed him as a traitor to their kind."
"How horrible…"
"What did I tell you about waiting until I was finished to say anything?" chided Dex.
Sarah blushed. "Sorry. I'll be quiet now."
Dex nodded. "Now, where was I? Oh yes, I was being set up. As I kneeled by my friend, I heard footsteps coming from behind me. Turning around, I saw that it was the King himself. He looked at me and then to the body and then once again back at me. I tried to explain, but before I could, the other goblins immediately accused me of murdering him. They said that I had choked him to death and that I was a monster that should be punished. At first, the King didn't know what to do. In his eyes I saw pity, and I suppose he did give me some. The other goblins were very persistent, and they eventually got their way. It was basically their word against mine, and since so many of them said that I did kill Huyo, I guess it was a majority decision. That was when He banished me to that room. It is better than having to go to the Oubliette, I suppose, or death. But it gets so lonely…"
"That lousy, no good… jerk!" fumed Sarah. "How could he punish you without so much as a fair trial? What right does he have? Did he even listen to you? And you did nothing wrong! Oh, it's not fair!"
"Nothing ever is, Sarah. And it's fine, really. I have a good life in there, and although I do wish sometimes to see the outside again, I can get whatever I want in there; it is enchanted to give me anything that I desire."
Sarah paused. "Well, I guess that isn't too bad... but still, you should have gotten a trial."
Dex shrugged. "It is as it is, and nothing can change that." He paused as they entered the throne room. "Well, here we are, Sarah."
Sarah looked around the room, joy written all over her face. Then she turned to Dex. "Oh, thank you so much, Dex. I could never have gotten here with out you." She gave him a fierce hug. "I promise that somehow, I'll get you out of there. Promise."
"Now, now, my dear. No need to worry about me. I'll be fine." Just as he was about to leave, he added, "Although, maybe a trip outside every once and a while wouldn't be too bad."
Sarah laughed. "I'll see to it. Thanks, Dex."
"And thanks to you, Sarah," he finished as he left the throne room to go back to his chamber.
Once he was gone, Sarah sighed. "Now," she whispered to herself. "Was it left, left, right? Or left, right, right?" She began to leave the room. "Or was it left," she turned left, "then left," another left, "right," she turned right, "And then," she continued on straight, "two doors down…."
She stopped in front of the second door and stared at it. She beamed, for she did recognize it as being her bedroom doors. Raising her chin high at her accomplishment, she opened up the doors and walked inside, grateful to finally be home – or as close to home as she could get in this place.
Upon entering the room, however, she was face to face with the Goblin King. Sarah's eyes narrowed and she frowned, wondering why he always seemed to sneak up on her whenever he liked. But as Sarah looked at him, she realized that he did not looked taunting, like he usually did, but actually appeared concerned.
Jareth moved way from her slightly, studying her for a moment. He was concerned, that was for sure, but why? Sarah didn't know.
"What's wrong?" she asked, hoping that he would answer truthfully this time, instead of trying to act like he didn't really care.
"Where have you been? You never met me for breakfast, and I began to get worried," he responded immediately.
Sarah frowned. "What do you mean I never met you for breakfast? We ate out in the gardens, remember?"
Jareth didn't respond at first. "We… ate… in the… gardens."
"Yes."
"No," he argued as he shook his head. "No, I never did such a thing."
Now Sarah was just getting annoyed. "Okay, enough already. We sat out in the gardens, we had all this amazing food, and we talked about how you're getting married."
Jareth fought hard to control his laughter. "Married? What on earth would give you that idea?"
Sarah threw up her hands. "You are getting married to some princess!" she nearly screamed. "She's from the Middle Kingdom and you're doing it to avoid war or something! God, what, have you developed a short-term memory or something? I'm surprised you remembered that I was even here!"
"Sarah!" Jareth yelled harshly. "Settle yourself! I am not marrying anybody! I have had my partners, but it was never my intent to marry any of them!"
"Then why lie to me and tell me that you are!"
Jareth snorted in frustration. "I never had that conversation with you, Sarah. We were never in the gardens, we never even spoke today, until just now. If I had been with you, then I would not be so worried right now!"
Sarah stared at him unbelievingly. "But we ate in the gardens, and…"
"Sarah, you were supposed to meet me in the dining room, not my personal garden," he sighed.
"But… but your servant took me to the gardens, and you were sitting there... and…" she continued, unwilling to believe that it had not happened at all.
"What servant?" Jareth asked as he placed his hands on Sarah's shoulders.
Sarah closed her eyes as she tried to remember. "The… the yellow midget guy."
"Gart?" said Jareth as he removed his hands from Sarah. "I told him to take you to the dining room."
"Well, I went to the gardens, where you were sitting."
"Well, I was left to eat alone in the dining room."
Sarah sighed. "Listen, we could argue about this all day. But the only thing that I know was that we ate together in the gardens, and you are marrying some princess, who, as you said, pleases you in many ways and you are going to get lots and lots of power."
Suddenly, realization dawned on Jareth's face, and for a moment, Sarah thought that she saw real amusement in his eyes. Then they darkened, and he became extremely angry, his eyes narrowing and his nostrils flaring. Letting out a yell of frustration, Jareth picked up the nearest breakable vase and threw it against the wall. The action made Sarah jump as she cringed.
"J-Jareth?" she asked shakily.
Jareth clenched and unclenched his hands. "I believe I know the solution for this problem."
Without another word, Jareth disappeared into thin air, leaving a very confused and slightly frightened Sarah behind.
A/N: Well, any guesses as to what happened? Hm? If you guess, you get a visit from Jareth and a cookie! Yum!
Hope you likey-ed and thanks for the reviews!
Much love,
E. Ll