"Keep the Magic Alive"
Chapter 7
By Aiijuin

Disclaimer: All things "Labyrinth" belong to Henson Companies as well as many other wonderful contributors. I own nothing!
This story is dark, and therefore is markedM+ for Mature content

Chapter 7: Dark Corridors

Sahara had taken forever to find the entrance of the Labyrinth, and then she had run in a straight line for almost ten minutes before a strange, little blue worm advised her to use the hidden openings in the walls. At the advice of the worm, she turned to the right instead of the left.

As she walked forward, she began to ponder the ramifications of her parent's anger towards her after what she had said and done. Sahara wasn't really certain that she wanted to find them, because she was absolutely sure that it would mean being grounded forever. Her thick, black eyeliner was getting into her eyes due to the sweat pouring down her face from her running. Suddenly, she thought that she heard someone behind her.

She spun around quickly, screamed, and then fell backwards.

"Sahara?" Jareth King blinked. "Oh, Sahara, is that really you?"

Sahara began to cry, "Daddy? Is that really you?"

Jareth smiled and held out his hand to help his daughter back up to her feet. "Yes, Darling…Who else would I be?"

"I thought…." Sahara began.

"Yes?" Jareth asked with his eyebrows raised.

"Nothing, never mind," Sahara finished.

Jareth hugged his youngest daughter close to him and she began to cry, "Oh, Daddy, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it."

"Mean what?" Jareth asked.

"I wished us away to this awful place and there's this 'guy' that said I had thirteen hours to finish it, or else he'll keep you and mom, and Jaime and my sisters trapped her forever," Sahara moaned.

Before either of them could say another word, they heard a child crying in the distance. Jareth stiffened up and whispered, "Jaime… That sound's like Jaime. Come, Sahara! We need to find him! He's utterly petrified."

Sahara nodded and grasped her father's hand. Suddenly, one of her necklaces fell off of her neck. It was her new one that she had bought at the mall a week ago. The chain was silver with a small, pewter pendant of a dragon's claw holding a clear crystal ball. She knelt down to pick it up and let go of Jareth's hand. After she pushed a few dried leaves aside on the ground, she found it and gazed at it for a second. The necklace had merely undid its clamp and only needed to be clipped around her neck again. She thought that it was weird that this could have happened, as she shook her head wondering if the fastener was starting to wear out already. Sahara looked up and realized that her father had turned in another direction and she could no longer see him.

Her eyes shifted nervously as she asked, "Daddy?"

Sahara stood up and asked again, "Daddy!?"

When there was still no response, she shouted, "DADDY?!?"

Sahara began to race forward and could feel the tears well up within her eyes again. She turned to the left, then to the right, and then ran straight ahead until she came upon a four-way intersection of corridors. Each of them looked the same, and she wasn't sure that she had even turned the same direction that her father had taken to begin with. As she spun backwards to retrace her steps, she ran into the Goblin King.

He was leaning with his arms crossed against the entrance wall of the previous corridor. He snickered at Sahara and began to walk towards her in a glowering manner. Sahara backed up until she was cornered again, and the king moved within inches of her and blocked her escape with his arms pinned to the walls on each side of her.

She was completely uncomfortable with a man that looked almost exactly like her father being so close to her face. Sahara swallowed nervously and found that she was too afraid to even blink at the Goblin King. He continued to sneer at her and twisted his mouth upwards as he said, "I can't believe that you're still crying for your 'daddy'. Didn't you run away from him some time ago, and then he had to find you and bring you back home again?"

"How…How did you know about that?" Sahara stuttered.

"Tut-tut! I understand you, even if your parent's don't, Sahara," The Goblin King whispered softly into her ear. "I know what a girl your age wants and needs. They think you're a baby, and treat you like a child, but I can give you exactly what your heart desires."

Sahara's skin was crawling as she began to shake. She found that she was unable to say anything back to him and wished that he would just go away. The teenager closed her eyes and began to sink farther down unto the wall. When she opened them again, he had not left, and was laughing at her.

"Mmm," He began in a musical hum. "I've noticed that you took the time to pick up the pendant of the owl claw holding the magic crystal. It was more important than staying close to your 'daddy', wasn't it? See? You don't need him anymore…"

"It's a dragon's claw," The girl corrected as she zipped up her hoodie until the neckline reached her chin. "…and I do need my dad…"

The Goblin King ignored her words completely and finished, "Did you know that this is a symbol of my kingdom? If you wear it, then it means that you belong to me."

Sahara gasped and looked down at her now zipped-up, black, hooded sweatshirt. Her eyes were wide and she was about to push the king away to make a run for it, but as she glanced up again, he was gone.

Sahara never did locate her father again, but started running frantically throughout the Labyrinth in a unmethodical manner. It wasn't until an hour later, when she got a cramp in her side, that she actually stopped to see where she was.