Winter break hadn't turned out to be what Sarah had hoped, much less expected. The weather in Massachusetts had been quite uncooperative so Sarah had spent most of her time indoors, she either went to or her friends came over for a few hours each day. Up to a certain point she couldn't wait to get back to California where the only threat was an earthquake. She was now listening to the radio and try as she might she just couldn't like the newest singing sensation. Sarah had to laugh she sat at her vanity and stared at her reflection. She felt so old in her skin but she was only eighteen and in several months she would be nineteen but she felt beyond that age.
She tried not to think of him. He was somewhere in his world happy, traveling; traveling with some woman that wasn't her. She needed to stop these types of ides. She had been fifteen when they met and all he had wanted was, "What did you really want?" Even after all these years and the parade of boys who tried to get her attention she was always aloof to their advances, "I'll paint you mornings of gold. I'll spin you Valentine evenings." Sarah sat up straight in bed. She wasn't going to do this again. She had gone to prom just a short six months ago stag because for some inexplicable reason she couldn't bring herself to accept anyone. She had enjoyed her evening dancing with her friends from the drama and business clubs but she had gone alone and if she was brutally honest with herself she was still alone. Alone for almost five years and she needed to stop that, "I'm going to the mall then a movie I'll be back later."
Sarah ran out of the house as fast as her feet could carry her. She needed to get out; she was suffocating with the memories of that night but as always about him. She may not be returning home for spring or summer break. These memories needed to be let go once and for all and as her friend Maria back in California kept telling her, there's nothing like a new memory to forget an old memory.
Sarah walked around the music store hoping to have something attract her attention. So far this holiday season all there had been for her to listen to was sappy love songs and she needed some more excitement than that. Something that would entertain her mind so she didn't have to think about anyone or anything. Speaking of anything, Hoggle had not contacted her in several days.
Sarah walked to the nearest women bathrooms and locked herself in the last stall. Unconventional place but she had a nagging feeling that she needed to do this now because later may be too late. "Hoggle. Hoggle. Hoggle!" Sarah looked into her locket hoping for the mist to appear just like before being the precursor to Hoggle's appearance.
Sarah rushed out of the stall and hailed a cab to take her back home. She had taken the bus instead of driven needing the distraction but now she had to rush home to call on Hoggle and her friends thru her larger mirror.
The feeling of desperation only grew as she ran out of the cab and up the stairs. Nobody was home so she ran even faster into her room and to the front of the mirror began to call upon everyone she could think off. After was seemed an eternity but was only a couple of minutes Hoggle's face finally appeared, "Sarah we needs you here. We can't reach Jareth and we just got a notice from the southern kingdom to surrender or they plan to march upon the Labyrinth kingdom in two days time." Sarah fell back unto her chair. In her heart she had hoped that Ludo's concerns we simply unfounded and that Didymus preparations were just silly notions but now. Now it was coming true and she had no clue what to do but something she had to do. She couldn't let her friends down wherever Jareth happened to be that was his problem now her friends and all those that lived within the Labyrinth needed help. "Hoggle I will be there tonight. It is going to be a full moon in just four hours time and I've got a plan to get there but I'm also going to need your help." Hoggle nodded furiously as Sarah laid out her plan to him; all the while hoping furiously that it would work out.
Sarah ran into her father's room to take his emergency cash and credit cards and then called the nearest rental facility to find out if they had a moving van available. She flew downstairs and grabbed the phone book and headed back to her room to contact the local army surplus store to find out at what time the closed. She then called her friend Tammy who worked for the parks and recreations department concerning the opening hours of the local lake park. After that she bagged some emergency clothes and put on her snow boots most comfortable jeans and the best sweater and winter jacket. She was headed to do something crazy and she needed to make sure she was dressed for it. Lastly she looked at her room one more time and left a note for her family asking them for their forgiveness for what she was about to do. She left it hidden amongst her books she that they wouldn't find it for at least a couple of days to ensure that she had a good several days start to her crazy plan. In her emergency bag she had placed her powder and hoped that what she had only dreamed about would come true.
At the rental facility it helped for once to have the face of an angel because any other way they wouldn't release the car to a minor. She then drove to the surplus store and headed to the back so they could load up her purchases. Mikey remembered her from her days in the high school drama club so the swallowed the story whole about a special project she was helping them with. Sarah left the store and headed to the abandoned houses located near the park to talk to Hoggle and confirm that he was doing his part of her plan.
Hoggle had been ordering the goblins to first scrub the throne room clean and refill the pool with clean water. Then he sent them out to the courtyard and had them clear out all the dirt from the lake as well. Now he just stood by the window in the throne room to see in which area Sarah would surface. This was a risky business and they had never tried to actually transport Sarah since that day so long ago but desperate times called for desperate measures. Unable to reach Jareth Hoggle felt his only choice was to plead to Sarah for her help now they only hoped that the rumors and legends they heard would prove true tonight because if they didn't he didn't know what to try.
Sarah closed her eyes and sent a fervent plea up above to whoever was listening to beg for their guidance and help. What she was about to do was either suicide and if it wasn't it was still suicide, "Hoggle, is everything ready at that end?" Hoggle appeared in her mirror and would've spoken his protests again but kept them to himself instead and simply nodded. Sarah started the van and headed straight into the park. According to Tammy the police don't start their rounds until one am so she had one hour but she would either be dead or gone by that point and she was hoping for the latter. Sarah checked the moons progress and as she neared the lake confirmed that it was right above the lake. The lake was dark and so still it looked like the perfect mirror. Sarah left the van running but turned off the lights to not bring unwanted attention to herself as she stepped out and towards the surface of the luck. Sarah took a calming breath and began to sing a song she never had try so hard to forget and for that matter not sing to loudly. She took out the shattered and grinned pieces of her mirror from within her jacket folds and began pouring them into the lake. As they began to float or sink into the water she began to sing louder and call upon her friends in the Labyrinth intermittently between the song lyrics. Sarah didn't know when she began to cry but she felt the first tear land on her hand, she was growing scared that her last ditch effort to help her friends might be in vain and she couldn't stand that. She closed her eyes and poured all her heart and thoughts into the lyrics and was shaken from her reverie and she heard a giggle to her right. She didn't stop singing but opened her eyes and had to smile as she saw a little gobbling skitter towards the van.
Hoggle had been wringing his hands as he waited for Sarah. He was growing increasingly worried that their attempt would be for not and no one would be able to help them all in this situation. Then Skrit fell into the pool in the throne room and appeared by Sarah. Hoggle ran to the pool and ordered ten more strong goblins in so they could carry Sarah's belongings thru.
It didn't take the goblins long to empty the van of its contents and now was going to be the real test. Sarah's emergency bag had already gone thru but now Sarah was going to cross into the Labyrinth with little hope of returning. Skrit came back and he jumped onto Sarah's waiting arms and together they jumped into the frigid lake water.
Sarah had spent every minute since her arrival planning a response to the notice from the southern kingdom. She first needed to find out who all was affected by this notice and begin forming alliances and if there were any in place they needed to be called upon to ensure their presence in two days time.
Much to Sarah's annoyance but true to the Goblin King's form he had never formed alliances. He had thought himself invulnerable and as such had never bothered to form any kind of peace treaties with his neighbors and now this was costing Sarah. The only good thing she had found out so far was that all those who lived in the Labyrinth and the Goblin King's kingdom had nowhere else to go. They had all been refugees at one time or another and as such the Goblin King's kingdom had been the only one to offer safe sanctuary. She would use this to either make them see how assisting in this campaign was for their benefit and if it came down to it offer what she needed in order to ensure their cooperation.
"Hoggle you know that we need them. No one else is small enough to get through and as such get the information we need." Hoggle sat on the throne room steps next to Sarah and huffed his displeasure at Sarah's first step of the plan. True he had called her and agreed to whatever she asked but what she was asking was too much. He finally gave a heavy sigh and waved at the goblins by the door to let the fairies into the throne room. Upon Sarah's arrival they had also brought up Jareth's battle armor and had the goblins reproduce a smaller one for Sarah. Sarah kept the helmet down and spoke with the strongest voice she could muster. She wasn't impersonating the king since her armor was silver and gold and Jareth's had been black and red. Hoggle said it was to convey fear and Sarah thought it best to not convey such a feeling to her guests but that of one of peace and strength.
"Hello Marita. Hoggle tells me that you and your sisters were the appointed fairy representatives." Marita's sisters nodded while Marita just glared daggers at Hoggle. When the summons had come for the fairies to send their representatives to see the king Marita and her sisters were chosen because they had been the one's to survive the longest from Hoggle's many attempts to annihilate the fairies. The summons came with a clause though. It had warned the fairies that whomever they choose would speak for all the fairies and as such any decisions made would be life honored by the labyrinth and the fairies and all those who opposed best leave now. The fairies discussed the matter quickly and had no choice but to agree to the summons. All the fairies present wrote their name upon the summons and bound themselves and all their family, past and future relations, to the agreement.
"Marita I will not lie to you. War is upon our doorstep and all those creatures, big or small, which inhabit the Labyrinth, will have to do their part to defend it." Marita's sister almost fell mid-flight from the shock of the words. They had heard rumblings from the other animals but since they were so busy having fun they paid no heed. They looked back towards the door and noticed it had been closed behind them once they had entered and all the windows had been closed and heavy curtains placed over them. The only light that was shining in the throne room was the light from candles in the chandelier above and on the stands surrounding the throne room. Sarah continued to direct her message to Marita, "You will be needed to fly into the enemy camp."
Marita was about to protest but Sarah held her hand up. "You will take this locket with you and ensure that it is open at all times facing the camp. Inside is a special mirror that will allow me to see into the camp but at all costs this must come back to me." Marita's face grew redder by the second, "Wait. You want us to risk our lives for what?" "Sarah sat upon the throne, "In turn Hoggle will no longer make any attempts upon your lives or those of any fairy and all other creatures that dwell within the outer wall shall be relocated. In essence, Marita you and the rest of the fairies will have a kingdom with in a kingdom with one exception, the Goblin King shall forever be your ruler and call upon you as he wishes."
"Marita, we have to face the fact that either all of us are going to fight together against our common enemy or if we are going to live together we have to agree." Marita and her sisters conversed in hushed tones with each other. The Goblin King was invulnerable and if he was doing this then things must be terrible. Could they afford to be on his side if he lost but what if he won? If they threw their lot with the king and he won they would have their own land to call their own. The entire outer wall for them to do as they wished and never have to worry about Hoggle; Marita would dance a happy dance later now she had made up her mind along with her sisters. Marita turned to Sarah and nodded her head in agreement. Sarah had Skrit bring forth the first agreement and bound Marita and the fairies to it. Sarah then handed the locket to Marita and led them to the window facing the southern kingdom. "You will need to fly towards their camp and listen and show me thru the mirror all that you come across." Marita nodded her understanding and along with her sisters flew towards their fate.
Sarah walked back to the throne and waved the next group in. The first group had agreed to her plan and had signed the agreement wholeheartedly without reading the fine print. She had no intention of being deceitful but she had no choice. The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving and right now she needed to make sure that the rest of the Labyrinth citizens agreed just as wholeheartedly like the fairies before it was too late.
By the time Sarah's first night in the Labyrinth fell she had all the dwellers in the Labyrinth bound to her plan. Some had been difficult to convince others were willing to be the first line of defense. The Stallions, as Sarah called them because she couldn't pronounce their names, would be her greatest advantage. As Sarah lay in her makeshift bed in the throne room she couldn't help but think of their story. After they had left Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus had told her about how the Stallions once used to roam the lands further south than the southern kingdom but slowly their numbers began to dwindle due to wild hunts performed by the other kingdoms.
The other kingdoms sought to have the Stallions as their pets. Their manes and tails were fire and their coats such a rich red brown that when they felt strong emotions their entire being was consumed by an untouchable fire, they were a desired possession. What their captors didn't count on was when a Stallion was made captive their essence died and as such the Stallion died as well. Instead of stopping the hunts it only increased them and so the few remaining Stallions fled from their home and sought refuge. They had tried several kingdoms but when they realized that they were being taken advantage off and a member died they took flight once more. Jareth had opened his northern borders to them and allowed them to dwell uninhibited. There were tall unclimbable mountains to the north of his kingdom and he stood between whatever possible enemy may try to take them and so their numbers grew slowly in their new home. Now though they longed for their old home and wished to return. Sarah had promised them more land within the kingdom and if they were to win their old lands would be returned to them without any problems and to ensure their safety she would send Ludo with them so that he could speak to the rocks so that he could help them create their own unclimable mountains in their old lands.
While the Stallions had no true voice they did understand Sarah when she spoke. Their leader Paza had bowed and signed Sarah's agreement with a hoof print. The Stallions would make a fine first line of defense but she had better plans for them. Now she rested for a few hours before the deadline. Outside she could hear the goblins working on her ideas to ensure the safety of the Labyrinth.