Disclaimer: Labyrinth does not belong to me. It belongs to Jim Henson, Brian Froud, George Lucas, David Bowie, etc.
Author's Note: Thanks to DieKochbar (Katja), Kilikina12, Zayide, Honoria Granger, Kaytori, Jetredgirl, comical freaka, iknowyou2, and rahnaesmomma for the reviews. Another thanks for the follows and favorites. I really appreciate it!
"Invasion"
The walk from the gate to the enormous city doors was made with bated breath and thundering heartbeats. Jareth had wanted them in straight lines, formation, just to show the changelings that they were unafraid. Unafraid, Sarah thought, I have never been so afraid in my life. But she didn't show it, she kept it bottled up inside as they crossed that open, empty space toward the castle.
Now they crouched on either side of the gate, the sun beating down unforgivably on their armored backs. The goblins were being quiet, yet they wore ridiculous grins and held in bouts of laughter.
Sarah shot Jareth a questioning look from across the arch leading to the door to the city. He peered around and nodded twice, quickly. Sarah beckoned to her goblins to help her inside.
The giant guard, Humongous, lay cast off and forgotten to the side, though its imprint was still clearly visible in the gates. It seemed that the changelings had found no use for it.
The doors opened with a creak and a scrape. They noise reverberated throughout the city, one long high scratch. Sarah winced at the sound. They would have to be deaf to not hear that one. Sarah waited a moment, unable to move, trying to gather her courage. After a deep breath, she pushed the doors open and stepped into the Goblin City for the second time in her life.
It was dull, deserted. Worse, there was no sign that the goblins occupied the place. No sign of their chickens, their boisterousness, or that atmosphere of mess that seemed to follow them everywhere remained. Everything was barren, lifeless. Dull and grey. It was awful.
"They must have known we were coming," Jareth murmured in Sarah's ear, making her jump.
"Where are they, then?" she whispered, facing him, though her eyes still darted to the darkest corners. "I mean, I guess they could fit in the castle, but…"
Jareth shook his head once, listening for something. Sarah heard it too. Her ears followed that soft padding, like little leather shoes running, from the ridge of the gate to—
A scream made Sarah turn. One of their goblins flailed and ran as a second dropped down from the high walls above, riding its shoulders and pulling its tusks with a maniacal gleam in his eye. It laughed, but held none of the joy that Sarah had become accustomed to. Its laugh was murderous. Yet, in every other way this newcomer was almost indistinguishable from any of theirs.
Jareth ran forward to the struggling goblins, lifting up the small attacker by his throat. He seemed to be almost choking it, but the gobbling didn't fight or claw. It only hung there by its throat and laughed its frenzied, violent laugh. It sent shards of ice down Sarah's spine.
Without missing a beat, Jareth used the thin blade of his sword to make a small nick on the goblin's cheekbone. Thick, bluish blood, clotted and congealed, came forth. The creature locked eyes with him, silently daring him to do it. And he did. Jareth flicked a match with his thumbnail and lit the changeling, dropping it to the ground as it screamed its last scream.
"There may be more," Jareth said, still calm. His expression was stony.
Sarah held her sword aloft, her eyes darting up toward the roofs of the goblin buildings, to the edges of the city walls and back again to the darkened doorways and small alleys that surrounded them.
Again, small steps rang out. The goblins were chattering. Their eyes locked on the sky itself; as if afraid it would start raining those vicious doppelgängers.
A second scream, a third, a fourth, and more rang out as goblins rained down from those high up places and leapt out to tackle them from windows on the homes surrounding them. They leapt from roofs, fences, the large gate surrounding the city, and landed with accuracy on their targets with their true teeth bared, going for the kill. These did nothing to conceal their allegiance. They were far too clean and menacing to be theirs. Leering at them with polished armor and wicked grins.
Sarah replaced the sword in the sheath hanging at her hip and shouted, "Torch!"
A nearby goblin lit one for her. Sarah grasped it and swung, narrowly missing the nearest changeling. Jareth called her name and Sarah turned to face him, hitting a changeling in the process. That sparkle in his eye as he watched her, instructed her, made her warm from the inside.
"Thanks," she shouted to him.
Jareth only replied with a nod before he turned back to his own opponent.
Sarah caught another changeling with her torch. It screamed and ran as it began to smolder, nearly lighting one of their own in the process. Not enough space here, Sarah thought.
Jareth seemed to notice this too. "Head toward the castle!" he instructed.
The goblins were in a hurry to comply, but were getting far too much enjoyment out of watching the changelings burst into flames. They jumped about, clapping their hands. One of theirs ran with his torch between houses. Hoggle was close behind him, grabbing a blanket from a small display before a goblin shop and smothering the flames.
"Hey, watch that fire!" Hoggle commanded.
The goblins barely paid him any mind as they set out on their mission of destruction. The changelings weren't running, they did not back down, but they were clearly uneasy as the goblins attacked. Sarah took a moment to listen and heard the goblins singing a very loud, off key song, with incredibly rude lyrics about the burnings. Sarah bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"Move!" Jareth shouted to them.
Sarah didn't need to be told twice and ran, her armor bouncing with a clang against her. The goblins clearly did however, stopping mid verse and scrambling to comply, racing toward the castle. Sarah ran down the narrow streets of the city, careful to avoid setting their homes on fire. They'll be needing those, she thought with conviction, for when we win.
Two more changelings dropped down from a nearby roof. These were taller, larger goblins, with mean grins. Sarah knew that she was still a bit bigger than them, but the wiry muscle in their arms and those large knuckled hands had her wary. One reached for her, licking its lips.
"You smell like sunshine," it whispered, tilting its head. "I so want to taste."
Just a taste. Sweet Sarah—
Sarah started, but quickly found herself again, and thrust the torch forward. The first goblin began to flame. The second twisted at the last possible second and she only managed to light its armor, which quickly fizzled out. It laughed and grabbed her, pulling her tight against it as she struggled and laughing, lifting her wrist and lowering its open mouth to it. Sarah struggled harder as she felt its wet breath.
Hoggle shouted something unintelligible to the goblins at the end of their line, barreling forward and kicking the tall goblin that held her in its knees. It doubled over in pain and she found herself free. Sarah reached for the fire to light it, to kill it, but something beat her there.
A Firey ripped the changelings head clean off its shoulders, and its body burst into flame. Its mouth dropped into an 'o' of surprise before it dissipated into nothing.
The Fire Gang ran throughout the streets of the Goblin City, ripping off the heads of the imposters, lighting them, causing them to evaporate, and clearing them a path to the castle. They were whooping, shouting, one was singing the goblins' song. The changelings retreated from that as their high screams rang out through the city.
"All right there, Sarah?" Hoggle asked.
"I'm fine," she said and nodded. "Thanks, Hoggle. Now, come on. We've got to get to the castle."
The rest of the run forth was far easier, the changelings running in fear from the giggling goblins and Fireys. Sarah wondered how Sir Didymus was doing, coming through the other side with their cavalry. With the Fire Gang at their back and the cavalry before them, the changelings didn't have a chance. That thought gave Sarah hope as they walked toward the castle.
And there it was, gleaming before them, all spires and sharp rocks that sat above them, ever so slightly. This made it seem more lost, more unattainable. Not lost, Sarah thought, we will win. We will.
Jareth strode forth first, to its enormous front doors. He paused there, brushing long fingers over the carved door, feeling every line, touching each perfection and imperfection. His expression was solemn, as if memorizing. Jareth turned to Sarah, his hand still on the door. For a moment she thought he would say something, but he turned back and pushed the doors open in one sharp movement.
It flooded the inside with light. It bounced and glinted off of dusty, cobwebbed candles.
"Not ones for housekeeping," Sarah muttered.
"No, I should say they're not," Jareth replied, his eyes darting around the entry hall.
Sarah took a step further in, Jareth right on her heels.
Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered, mocked the voice.
I have fought my way to the castle beyond the Goblin City, to take back the kingdom you have stolen, Sarah countered in thought.
Sarah swore she felt it growl in the recesses of her mind as the doors swung shut behind them.
The goblins screamed.
"Shh," Jareth commanded sharply. They silenced immediately.
Sarah closed her eyes and opened them once more. There was barely any difference in the darkness. She could see nothing but shadows and shapes. Sarah swallowed a lump in her throat when she squinted her eyes and saw why. Each window had been blocked, keeping out that pesky sunlight. This was their sanctuary, this was where they hid.
A loud clang made Sarah jump. Bright light flooded the darkness of the interior as the doors pushed open once more. Sir Didymus and his goblins ran inside and the doors swung shut once more.
"Didymus," Jareth said, he seemed to have no problem navigating the darkened room, "are there more of them on the other side of the city?"
"Yes, majesty," Sir Didymus said with a sweeping bow, lifting his hat in salute. "But we taught those ruffians a thing or two."
The goblins who followed him in all teetered and grinned.
"They must be in the center," Jareth muttered.
Sarah put her hand on his arm. "Do you know the way?"
"Yes," he murmured, planting a kiss on her temple. "I think I know where they've gone. Or at least, where he might be."
Sarah shivered at that.
Mine.
"You," Jareth gestured to Ludo.
"King?" he asked slowly.
"Ludo, is it?"
Ludo nodded in response.
"Keep watch over at least half of these," Jareth said, gesturing to the goblins. "Sir Didymus?"
"Yes, majesty?" he asked with another formal bow.
"I want you to take another group of goblins, go back to the back of the castle, and create a perimeter if they try to escape. Allow no more changelings to enter, understood?" Jareth asked.
"Most clearly, majesty," Sir Didymus said.
"The rest of you, follow," Jareth said.
Sarah stuck close as they navigated the darkened halls. She couldn't tell how Jareth knew where he was going; only that he clearly did, and well. Everything passed her in doors with strange symbols, and glimpses into rooms filled with books, or crystals, and once, a room that appeared to be completely full of assorted feathers, all hanging from the ceiling. She could feel that this place was once great, magical and wondrous, incredible. Now, it felt drained, not a single sparkle of life shown on the foundational bricks, just as the Labyrinth had been sucked dry, so had its castle.
Jareth stopped at a familiar arch that Sarah recognized even in the darkness. The Escher Room.
"Jareth?" Sarah whispered.
He didn't turn to face her.
"Take the goblins to the perimeter, guard them there. I'm going in. I'm finishing this."
"Not without me," Sarah protested with a shake of her head. "This is what I came here for. To stop them."
"And we will," Jareth replied. He put his hands on her armored shoulders. "But first, we must destroy the Consciousness. It's the only way to get rid of them."
"But I want to help," Sarah insisted. "I want to be with you when you do."
Jareth reached up and laid his hand across her cheek, gently pressing his thumb in a circle against her cheekbone. "Please, let me end this, love."
"No."
"Sarah."
"Jareth," she said in that same warning tone he used with her.
The feeling of something gently touching her leg made Sarah jump.
"What is it?" Jareth asked, glancing down. Every bit of him seemed to jump at whatever he saw. He grasped madly for Sarah's hand, but it was too late.
Sarah screamed in surprise as she felt herself fly backwards, dragged into the dark.