Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth or the original characters from the movie!

Claimer: I do own Aora, her sister, and some ideas in this story. Including some obstacles later. -

RANDOM QUOTE!!

If you haven't tried it

you really should because

these things are fun

and fun is good.

- Dr. Suess

Chapter Three

They skidded to a stop after a few seconds, landing a foot or two apart. Aora was sprawled out on the ground; dizzy, unstable, and laughing her head off. She couldn't tell the ground from the sky, or which way either was pointing. She loved it. "I wish you would tell me what's so funny!" declared an indignant voice beside her. It sounded slightly scratchy, and seemed to change pitch every so often. She tried to quiet her laughter a bit, blinked hard, and turned her head towards the source. What looked like a little man, with some wrinkles about, was trying to get up. As her world was still spinning a bit, Aora brought one hand to her head and closed her eyes again. She was finally able to stop laughing, and reopened her eyes. She was satisfied that she could tell up from down, and started getting up herself. "Here I am, mindin' me own business, when some raunchy young-" he was muttering. "Excuse me," she interrupted, "but I'm not raunchy. I'm just… creative." "Well then be creative somewhere else!" She could now see that he was clad in a vest with various knick-knacks on it, a small parcel that one might use for costume jewelry, a white long sleeve under the vest, breeches(on the baggy side), and shoes. "I'm sorry for falling into you." She said, trying to sound sincere. "I had no idea anyone was down here." He started walking away, waving his hand at her as if to shoo her off. She moved the goldfish, which had fallen down her shirt, back to her jacket.

She then started brushing herself off, dust and brush coming off in bunches, when something stuck itself into her left pinky. She retracted her hand swiftly, sucking in air through her teeth in surprise. "Ow! ...Stupid weeds…" He glanced back and saw her reach for the end of a long and pointy barb. "No!" She stopped. "You'll never get it out that-a way!" he said, turning back. "You gots to pull it from as close to the skin as possible. It'll break off and fester otherwise…" She pinched it close to her skin and pulled; it easily came out, leaving a small puncture wound that oozed blood. She threw the weed off to the side and licked her finger. "Thanks…what's your name?" "It's Hoggle." He remarked absently as he started off again, assuming he had done his good deed for the day. "Well, thank you very much Hoggle!" She said, almost too happily. She was known for her optimism at school, though it didn't always win out. She licked her finger again. She felt licking stopped the bleeding quicker than just sticking it in her mouth. "If you'd-a had any sense in you…" But he seemed pleased with the comment.

Aora then noticed the enormous wall to her right. She gaped at the sheer size of it, and felt quite small in comparison. "This must be the Labyrinth," she mused, "or at least the outer wall of it." "Naw, you think?" Was the sarcastic remark. "Come now," she told herself softly, "it's not that daunting…it might be different inside…" She walked up to it and ran her right hand along the stone; it was uneven and covered partially with greenery. "Hoggle?" He didn't reply, but she could see him glance at her out of the corner of her eye. "Do you know how to get into the Labyrinth?" He rolled his eyes. "What do ya want to get in there for?" "Just answer my question, please?" "Maybe…" "Would you show me how to get in?" "No!" "And why not?" "People like you shouldn't go in there;" he wagged his finger like scolding a child, "it's bad enough out here." She sighed, frustrated with him already. "Fine; then I'll have to find my own way in." After a few moments of study, she still couldn't figure one part of the wall from the other. "You sure you won't tell me?" "No!" "Ok…I guess I'll just have to climb over." Aora concluded. She could tell Hoggle's attitude had changed slightly. "Climb?" "Yes, climb." She approached the wall and began searching for toeholds. She may not be able to see the top of the wall, but that could be just an illusion. "What about your finger?" He asked, trying somewhat to find an excuse to keep her down. "It's fine; I've had worse." She began on her journey upwards. She was ascending very slowly, seeing as the walls were a bit slippery, but it was still progress. Once she had reached what she thought to be about 10 or 12 feet off the ground, she could still see what seemed like miles of wall ahead of her. She paused to think. If I really have only 13 hours, she reasoned, then this is no way to get anywhere. She groaned to herself. "You really goin' up there?" She heard Hoggle remark. "Yes. I will get into the Labyrinth; with or without your help!" There was silence for a moment, then, "I could show you the door…" Aora perked up a bit, and replied with a happy, though sarcastic, reply, "And you waited to tell me 'till I was up here?" She came back down, retracing her steps. When she had reached a safe distance or so from below, she jumped. It was a bit farther than she'd anticipated, and when she hit the ground she had to bend her knees, but she didn't fall over at least. Before she wiped her hands on her jeans, she made sure to check for any thorns and such. "So, how do I get inside?" He grudgingly gestured to his left along the wall, and two large gate-like doors apparently decided to show themselves to her. "You mean I was almost on top of them the whole time?!" Despite his slight unease, Hoggle still laughed at her. She glared at him, but it only lasted a split second. She started approaching the doors when something like metal glinted off the ground. She changed her path slightly and kicked off a thin, dirty rug. Under it was a key of enormous size, which she noted fit the doors perfectly. She knew it would be practically impossible to lift, and then she noticed there wasn't even a keyhole in the doors. She smiled and confidently and closed the distance between her and the entrance, then pushed on both sides. Nothing. She pushed again, harder. They didn't budge. She sighed heavily, and then thought of something so simple it almost shamed her. She smiled sheepishly, grabbed hold of two rocks that stuck out more and had small depressions, and pulled. They opened surprisingly easily. "That wasn't' so hard…" She mumbled as she stepped inside.

But on the other side, things didn't look much brighter; on either side of her were two pathways, enclosed by another infinitely high barrier. She tried to see their end, but they seemed to go on forever. Visibility was dim, the walls were so high, and a very few things even attempted to grow. Those that had were slimy, dead, or dying. All in all, it was a depressing place. "Still plan on goin' on?" She jumped a bit; she hadn't noticed Hoggle follow her in. "Yes. Thanks again Hoggle." She wanted to sound hopeful, but dreary misery seemed to force itself upon her from the very depths of the paths before her. He muttered something she couldn't make out, and then left her. She turned one way, then the other. "Now, which way is the right way?" She considered it, then shrugged and turned to her right. "Worth a shot." She started to advance, when she heard the doors slam themselves shut behind her. "No turning back…" and she headed down the path towards the unknown.

Sarah was used to having strange dreams, and this one was no different. She could see her sister; she was in her room. She was looking for her. Sarah stayed quiet; they must be playing hide-and-seek. But then she saw Aora's face. It was worried, almost scared. Sarah frowned. She was hardly ever worried, much less scared. She started to say something, but then the dream changed. Aora was now on a hill. There was a man by her talking to her. She couldn't tell if he was a friend or not, but Aora looked ok. She walked up to them. "Hey, Aora." She acted like she hadn't heard her. "Aora!" She seemed entranced by something in the distance. Sarah pursed her lips. She then felt a gloved hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw the strange man. "You'll be staying with us for a while." He said, smiling. She turned and tried to find Aora again to ask her something, but she had disappeared. "Where's Aora?" "She'll be away…" Was the only answer. "Where?" "Just away.." She turned back to the man, but now he was gone too. She was alone on the hill, but the voice was still there. It whispered her name. "Sarah…Sarah…" But it didn't quite sound as if he were addressing her. The landscape started melting, almost like candle wax, into blackness. She though she could see him on the far horizon; still smirking a bit, but his eyes distant. She tilted her head like a puppy, not understanding how he could know her name without meaning her.

However, she then opened her eyes slowly, waking up. Yet the boring ceiling of her room failed to greet her. Instead, she saw a stony conglomeration high above her, and a dull roar started pounding around her. It reminded her of the parties her sister described in her diary. She smiled inwardly. Unknown to Aora, she could already read quite well, and enjoyed raiding her diary during school. Very quickly it grew to a loud mass of indistinguishable yells, bangs, and other noises. She rolled to her side and sat up; the scene which greeted her eyes was just as crazy and blurred as the sounds assaulting her. Goblins were running all around her; some sat, while others chased chickens with metal objects. Still more chased each other, throwing things and tackling repeatedly. She rubbed the remainder of sleep from her eyes and turned, seeing the same almost all around her. But then she saw the man from her dream, minus the cape and coat, sitting on a throne that had what looked like giant animal horns decorating it. He looked vaguely amused. She had no idea that he was thinking briefly about how her sister had looked when he had performed the minor tricks in her room. He hadn't done any 'magic' around a human in a while; it was entertaining to watch them gape in awe. She got up and walked over, dodging all she could, as he was the only remotely familiar thing she could see. As humans, we are drawn to the familiar instinctively. She was oblivious to a posse of goblins that followed behind her and others that watched her intently.

"Hello." she said, announcing her presence over the din around her. He turned his attention from wherever it had been. "Hello there." He smiled. "I'm Jareth." "Where's your cape?" "What cape?" "You had a cape before. And a jacket." "They've been taken care of…" He replied, never loosing that odd smile. His posture hinted curiosity, but she continued unawares. "You were talking with Aora too. Where's she?" An innocent question, he answered carefully. "You like games, don't you?" Sarah nodded. "Well, your sister and I are playing a kind of game." Sarah showed interest. "Can I play?" "Of course. You're practically the raison d'être." He chuckled softly at a joke he'd apparently made. The goblins all stopped what they were doing for an instant, stared stupidly at each other, and burst into laughter as Jareth eyed them expectantly. Sarah didn't get it, but she thought it seemed the laughter was directed at her. She glared at the creepy faces around her and walked off, escaping from the mockery. He watched her go with amusement. "Temper temper…" He turned. "You." The new goblin turned his head. So help me, he thought silently, I can tell the difference between them. "Follow her. Make sure she doesn't…" He thought about it for a moment. What could a little girl possibly do? "Well, just follow her." The goblin grinned manically and ran off.

Sarah wandered down the first empty hall that presented itself. She roamed corridor after corridor until she was hopelessly lost. She presently grew lonely, and tried to find her way back. But her efforts were fruitless, and after a trifle she felt she would sit down and cry if she didn't at least see somebody soon. Unexpectedly, a noise behind her startled her, and she whipped around. Lying on the ground was a goblin. He hurriedly got up, looking at her with shiny eyes. He seemed to have tripped, but she was just happy to know she wasn't the only living thing left on earth. "Hi." She said, wanting to make conversation. His eyes darted about quickly, and he took one step carefully. It was as if he hadn't grown used to his feet yet. She laughed, then looked around as well. "What 'cha lookin' at?" He just stared at her. He seemed to be waiting. She took a step to the side, and then noticed the goblin doing the same. She hesitated, and brought her foot back. He followed suit. She lifted one arm in the air. He lifted his arm. She waved it wildly back and forth; he did the same. She grinned widely and squealed with delight about having found a new game to play. She jumped a few times, watched him copy, then dashed off. He chased her, going a bit slower as he was very clumsy. She turned corner after corner, trying to loose him but not really, just for fun. After about 30 seconds, she grew tired of settling for corners. There were doors all around her, as there must have been since she entered, and she chose one at random. The goblin rounded the corner just in time to catch a glimpse of Sarah shutting the door behind her. He was almost out of breath, but was determined to follow her. He stopped, trying to figure out with the bit of brain he had whether to continue following the girl or report in. He eventually approached the door, opened it, and didn't see her. He swept the room again, and noticed the large full-length round mirror swinging, and then he heard what sounded almost like a dog barking. It made him jump, and decided to go back and report what he'd seen. Now just to find his way back…

The goblin was able to get back to the throne room shockingly quickly. Of course, the yelling, bantering, and crashing emanating from it probably helped. He saw his king rubbing his temples testily as what looked like an unfinished sketch floated in the air behind him. He stared at the image; entranced by the wonders his master was capable of. Then he glanced to his side, and saw one of his comrades sprawled on the floor by the wall, like he'd been thrown. Slightly disappointed he'd missed the show, he advanced towards the throne. "Sire," Jareth lifted his gaze. "The small girl; she's disappeared behind a mirror." He stopped rubbing his head. "What did the mirror look like?" The goblin had to think about that. "It was big…and a circle…and was pretty plain." He raised an eyebrow. That little girl had managed to fine the one hidden passageway in the whole castle that actually let to outside. Maybe there would be more to this capture than expected. The goblin hurriedly moved as Jareth got up and left the room, overdramatically putting his cape on as he walked. At the last moment before he disappeared from sight, he flicked his hand out, like he was brushing something away. The bronze-colored-glowing design hanging in midair disintegrated and fell like ash to the floor, but vanished before reaching it. The goblins watched their master go, then returned to their activities and aggravations.

Sarah was currently sliding down a large shaft, in complete darkness, having no idea where she was or was headed; but she was still having fun. She had found a mirror that opened and stepped inside. But after the first few steps, she had yelped in surprise as the ground had sharply moved from under her feet and she'd found herself tumbling down a very steep and smooth incline. There were quite a few turns, although she never touched the let side. From her perspective, though, there didn't seem to be one. She had straightened herself out to where she was upright again, and continued to gain speed. She was beginning to enjoy the exhilaration when suddenly a light began forming itself ahead of her. In a second the path seemed to flatten off, which slowed her somewhat, and she reached the light. She popped out, still with enough speed that she flew for a second and bounced on the ground before skidding to a stop. She just sat for a moment, her eyes adjusting to the sudden light assaulting her optics and her body getting used to not moving anymore. After regaining her bearings, she turned and looked at where she had come out. The stones on the castle had reconfigured themselves into a sort-of doorway, though it appeared sideways. She fancied she saw a staircase turned on its side on the left wall, the part she'd never hit. But stairs couldn't go sideways. Could they? She happened to glance upwards, and was transfixed. The room in which she must have been in towered above her, so high she could barely make out the edges of the window she had glimpsed before falling in. She dragged her gawking stare away, getting up from the dirt. When she stepped forward, however, she literally ran into something.

"Hello again." She looked to one side slowly, already recognizing the voice. "Umm…hi." She tried to sound normal, as if she were caught coming out of a secret door everyday. She avoided Jareth's eyes, knowing she would be greeted with that same fake smile that she found eerie. "And what are you doing here?" "..Nothin'…" She risked a glance at him, and didn't see that smile that she thought was ever-present on his face. His expression was seemingly soft, but yet quite set. Also disapproving. "Nothing? Really…" She missed it, but what seemed like annoyance flickered across his face for an instant, then was gone. He knelt so he was at eye-level with her, trapping her with his gaze. "I said we were playing a game, didn't I?" She nodded. "Well that game entails you staying with me, or at least inside of the castle." She still looked hesitant. "It's not like I…meant to come down here…" She fidgeted with her fingers. "It was sort-of an…accident…" "Let's head back, then, shall we?" He returned to his regular posture, holding himself with an air of grace and intelligence he held superior to all others. He looked down at her tiny figure, which looked undecided. Almost. He tried to think of one last enticement to win her over. He was never very good or tolerant of children, but he knew she would be easier to keep close if she trusted him, if only slightly. When her sister failed, she might make an interesting goblin, or at least more so than the same bunch he'd been stuck with for so long. No other child had previously attempted to escape, even if by accident, and certainly no other had succeeded. He wasn't about to start slacking. "Come, I'll show you something once we're back." Her eyes lit up with curiosity. "What?!" "It's…a surprise." She couldn't contain her eagerness. "What is it??!" "It wouldn't' be much of a surprise if I told you, now, would it?" He offered his hand, which she took. He waved his free hand in a small circle centering from his wrist, making some fleeting motions with his fingers. Sarah had a strange feeling in her stomach, and closed her eyes for a brief moment. She felt like she was spinning every which way in an instant, and then heard the sounds of earlier. She opened her eyes to find herself back in the throne room. Jareth quickly released her hand and subconsciously rubbed it on his cape, which he then threw to the side. He was rather unused to mutual contact of any kind. He began walking off, and the little girl skipped after him. "Can I see it now??" "Patience is a virtue, my dear child." He was curious to see how far Aora had gotten

Whilst Sarah had been getting herself lost in the castle, Aora had been running down the never-ending corridor. She was now reduced to merely jogging, and her breath was coming a bit faster. "I guess it's a good thing I'm a fairly good athlete…" She reflected on to herself. She felt like she'd been running forever, yet hadn't gotten anywhere. The feeling of being pulled in was strong when she had first entered, and she had touched the walls once. But once was enough, and she had recoiled as she felt the slime and unevenness of it, and her hand had been stained green on the tips. She had wiped it off on her jeans, which now came across as having grass stains, but her hand still smelled rotten. The pull she had gotten used to and now barely noticed it. She finally stopped running, but was panting and growing more frustrated by the minute. Why did she have to get so angry so easily? If not for her temper, she wouldn't even be in this Labyrinth! Of course, she silently argued, if it really was as complicated as it let on; there were no turns in sight, or even a stairway. She tried to think. She was good at puzzles, and she knew it. But she could usually look at them from above as well, seeing all the different possibilities. "Now…if I was making a Labyrinth, what would my first obstacle be?" She toed a loose rock in thought, kicking it harder after a few seconds. "Oh, I can't think in this miserable place!" She kicked the rock again, making it fly towards the wall. However, it didn't bounce back. She stopped fuming and started to where it had landed. Almost seemed like it had gone through the wall… She reached out her hand cautiously, none too anxious to feel the disturbing walls again. But there weren't any there; it was an entry to another passageway! Aora smiled. "I guess my short fuse is good for something…sometimes…" She then recognized the first challenge (more or less): things are not always what they seem. "A lot of things have seemed to be other things lately… but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are that way…"

Now, which way to go? Once again confronted with that bothersome decision. She looked to her right; the path looked practically the exact same as the one she'd just left, and the energy seemed to pull her that way, and (she thought) maybe getting stronger as she went. The other way didn't have the same push towards it, but it looked to have turns and different ways to go and held a bit more appeal to her. She decided on the latter, and walked off; pleased with herself. Before she had even taken two steps, though, she tripped over her own feet and fell over. She hit with a thud, shielding her face. She quickly got up and looked around. She brushed herself nonchalantly, and laughed softly momentarily before heading off once again.

Unknown to Aora, after she had left a little bug-eyed worm came out of the wall in the passage left behind. "What's all this then?" He said, a bit groggily. He looked up and down the way but saw nothing, as usual. "..An earthquake now? ..Nah…" He muttered something about the walls 'fixen' themselves again' as he crawled back into his home.

End Chapter

Alo again!

Sorry I took so long to update! I've had this chapter ready to post since...well, since the others came out honestly. But I was lazy and didn't even get it on fanfiction till a few days ago. I have more ready, but yet not ready...hm. Oh well.

If you have the time and patience, please leave me a comment; critical, complimental, or otherwise!

Thank you for your time!

\hands muffin/