A/N: Warning! There will be Sarah whump in this chapter. Not too much, but enough that she's not going to be feeling too happy.
Also, oh my goodness reviews! You people make me so happy! Many thanks to luna andie, kms5665, artseblis, Lynrinth and hazlgrnLizzy. And a very special thanks to Kara for putting up with my garbage. Hope this next chapter is up to your expectations.
And a special extra note for Kara - you and your bloody comma obession can go soak in the Bog of Eternal Stench! Freaking editing-crazy lady...
For your information, the posting process of this story will be directly influenced by the time it takes me to write the chapter after the one I'm posting. Basically, I'll only post chapter three after I've written chapter four, chapter four after five is written, and so on. Therefore, there is no schedule except for my muse.
Disclaimer: You again? Didn't I just tell you I don't own The Labyrinth or anything Labyrinth related? I wanted to grow my own hedge maze, but nooooo, we don't have enough spaaaaace. Either way, it's not mine.
A Pixie in the Pantry
Two: Of Flora and Fauna
"Eenie, meenie, minee, moe," Sarah spun around in a circle, pointing to each entrance in turn. "Left it is. Come on feet," direction decided, Sarah cautiously walked to the arched entrance, looking down the long corridor of bushes. The only thing in sight was the muted flashing of fireflies and the dark grass underfoot. Gathering her courage, she struck out down the path she had chosen.
It was silent, no sounds of insects, no frogs, and no birds singing. Frankly, it was disconcerting. The glow of the moon on high lit the maze in strange fashions making Sarah see strange creatures that were gone before she could reach them. Slowly, a silvery fog crept upon her, hugging her legs and chilling her bones as she plodded onward.
I don't even know where I'm going!
Sarah came to another courtyard, this one complete with a peach tree and a dry fountain. With a sigh she slumped down on one of the benches, looking up at the sky. Lazily, she began trying to identify the constellations in the stars, not seeing the eerie fog creep higher, climbing up her prone figure. She shivered, feeling cold despite the warm breeze and her fluffy robe, unconsciously drawing her arms around her.
"Cold Sarah?"
She flinched at her name coming from a hidden man, looking around to identify the source of the smooth, accented voice. "No," she replied hesitantly, eyes darting around the clearing. "Who's there?"
With a masculine chuckle he stepped out from the darkness beside the peach tree. "What, you don't remember me precious thing? Such a pity."
Sarah had the distinct feeling he was laughing at her. He was garbed in darkness; only the mocking smirk on his lips and the tips of his hair was visible. Some memory was nudging at her, but she pushed it aside. "Who are you, how do you know my name?" Her curiosity outweighed her fear.
Another laugh before the silken voice continued, tone dark. "Oh, I know much about you Sarah Williams. Much more than you think. And you know me quite well as well," he moved closer to her and she was struck by how tall he was. "But hush now. You will remember in time. Care for a peach?"
She was suddenly aware that he was no longer standing in front of her, and the hand that was offering the peach came from behind. She could feel his gloved hand resting gently on her shoulder and feel his breath against her ear. Again, she shivered, turning around and wrenching herself from his grasp. "How did you…?"
"Try the peach Sarah," he held it towards her, the smirk exposing his canines. Her stomach growled.
She looked at him through narrowed eyes. "No."
He scowled; peach disappearing as if it had never been there, replaced by a strange clear crystal that he spun between his fingers. "Of course you'd make this difficult. Very well," he stepped back into the shadows, the crystal glinting in the moonlight, his voice ringing in her ears. "Remember Sarah. The castle, beyond the Goblin City," she watched as the glint became swallowed by the darkness, and the voice disappeared. Tentatively, she reached forward, but touched nothing but thorny bushes and fog.
Undaunted, Sarah looked up to the tops of the maze. "Castle beyond the Goblin City? What does he mean by that?" Again, memories were tugging at her mind, stronger than before, but she waved them off, instead starting off down another corridor that looked exactly like all the others. "Just need to get to higher ground, then I can figure out how to get out here. Yeah, higher ground. That'll be a piece of cake!" The fog grew higher and thicker around her body, but she didn't notice.
Leaning against the stone window frame, Jareth sat on the edge of the window, looking into the transparent depths of his crystal, a smirk playing across his mouth. "Beware the fog Sarah. You'll not make it to morning at this rate," his lips moved back further, displaying his canines while he continued to watch the confused girl. She was moving more and more slowly, he could see the lethargy settling into her limbs even as she tried to choose which fork in the maze to follow. She crumpled gradually to the ground, dark hair covering her pale face as the fog choked her lungs.
He sighed and the crystal disappeared. "Such a pity."
Sarah groaned as the golden sunlight streamed over her, her head pounding and her eyes burning. "What the fuck was I doing last night?" She spat out a few blades of grass and looked around. "More importantly, where the hell am I?"
In the morning sun, the hedge maze sparkled, leaves and rose petals covered in an unearthly sheen. The bushes travelled as far as the eye could see, disappearing into the distance. Getting up from the velvety grass, Sarah reached out to touch one of the leaves only to draw her hand back. "Ouch!" She looked at the bead of crimson blood that pooled from the injury, sticking her finger in her mouth to stop the bleeding. "What a perfectly awful place."
"Why, because a bush is doing what it's meant to?"
She whirled when she heard the voice, same as the one from the night before. He was sitting – no, lounging – on a grey marble bench, face obscured by the shadows of the cherry tree, flower petals falling to the ground as the wind played through its branches.
"That was a wall before," she said.
"Was it?" Even if she hadn't seen the smirk on his face, Sarah would have been able to hear it in his voice. He stood, offering a black gloved hand, still half-covered by shadow. "Come Sarah. Walk with me."
Tentatively she took his hand, amazed as he led her around an elaborate garden, complete with waterfall and miniature pond. She shook her head. "Why does this place keep changing?"
"Why, it's my Labyrinth. Are you impressed Sarah?"
"It's… nothing special," she replied.
He dropped her hand, indignant. "Nothing special? Nothing special? Nothing special tra la la?" His eyes narrowed dangerously, and he pulled a crystal out of the air. Her eyes widened as she felt the feeling of déjà vu growing stronger. He leant closer to her face, eyes boring through her as she finally got a good look at him. She felt her mouth dry out as she stared at a face that was so familiar yet she couldn't place. "And do all mazes have Bracken?" Drawing his arm back, he threw the crystal as far as he could down the length of the hedges, disappearing into the distance. Sarah turned to look at him, only to find the man had vanished entirely.
Below her feet the ground shook, and she shrieked, seeing mounds of grass bulging out from the path. She turned on her heel and bolted through the maze, taking turns blindly and skidding around corners while the land buckled and swayed beneath her feet.
Sarah tripped over an exposed root, sliding across the grass and rolling down a hill. She was barely able to make out the edges of a hedge before she was sent hurtling through it, thorns scratching her face and neck, pieces of her robe ripping off during her descent. Behind her, over her cries of pain, she could hear the rustling of leaves. Finally, her back collided rather painfully with a bench and her head snapped back, eyes clouding over with stars. She was able to clear her vision just in time to see razor sharp vines hurtling towards her. With a shriek, she scrambled away, looking over her shoulder to see the bench had broken into many small pieces. Covering her mouth in horror, she jumped back up and kept running.
Sarah was painfully aware that she wasn't going to be able to keep this up for much longer – her back and head ached, her legs were burning, and she was wheezing. She also wasn't looking where she was putting her feet, glancing over her shoulder to check where the vines were. Unfortunately, it was at this precise instant where she again tripped, this time over a stone, and pitched forward. She threw her hands out to catch her and caught sight of the hole she was falling into. With a final scream, Sarah left the hedge maze and vines behind.
Reviews always welcome! (Maybe I'll decide to keep Sarah around - MUHAHAHAHAHA!)