Author's corner
Jareth: (picks up bottle of cherry-flavored cough syrup and regards it with a raised eyebrow)
Author: What?
Jareth: Children's formula?
Author: (coughs uncontrollably for a few minutes) So?
Jareth: No wonder you haven't updated – you've gone daft.
Author: Hey, watch it.
Jareth: Has a frog taken up permanent residence in your throat?
Author: (Indignant) Listen, you! I've been sick, thank you very much. If taking children's cough syrup is the only way I can stop coughing for five minutes at time, then that's what I'm going to do, and I don't need some snarky, high-and-mighty Goblin King making fun of me. I might just decide to retaliate in writing.
Jareth: (sarcastically) I'm terrified.
Author: If you wish to enjoy the rest of the story looking like Ziggy Stardust, then by all means, please keep talking.
Jareth: I'm not sure I know what it is you're threatening me with.
Sarah: A threat? Is she threatening you?
Jareth: Yes. She said she'd turn me into Ziggy Stardust, but I'm not-
Sarah: (uncontrollably) No! God, NO!
Author: Then tell him to behave.
Sarah: Jareth, behave.
Jareth: But I don't understand – I mean, what's wrong with this Ziggy-
Sarah: I'll explain it to you later. Just apologize. (gives Jareth a look)
Jareth: (Bows stiffly) Sorry.
Sarah: (Beams at Jareth)
Jareth: (Grins back at Sarah)
Author: (Rolls eyes) Get a room, you two!
Jareth: Would you write us one?
Author: (Shakes her head. Turns, notices readers) Hey! I'm really sorry it's taken me so long to update! I've had a lot of things going on, and I've been sick. Hopefully it won't happen again, but I can't make any guarantees. What I can give you, though, is a relatively short (again, sorry!) new chapter. Standard disclaimer applies. Please review!
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Sarah opened her eyes, letting the morning light bring her awake. Where am I? The Labyrinth. Why am I out here? Oh, now I remember. She sat up and stretched, feeling her joints protest every movement. Raising an arm to eye-level Sarah took a quick look at her bruises, making a wry mental note: never go swimming in hand-infested waters again; these bruises are going to take weeks to fade! Suddenly Sarah realized that Jareth wasn't there. She looked to her right quickly, and then to her left, but he was no where to be seen. Before she could panic, however, she noticed a message for her in the dirt, written in Jareth's flowing hand: Gone for a walk. Will return soon. J.
Why would he go for a walk? Why would he leave me out here, alone, she wondered, before her bladder gave an uncomfortable twinge and answered her own question. Somehow, Sarah just couldn't imagine Jareth walking up to some tree with his back to her to take care of business. Sarah stood up slowly on her unsteady legs, brushing debris from the ground off of her legs and Jareth's shirt. Once standing, she looked around for a private area in which to relieve herself.
In the morning light, Sarah could more clearly see their surroundings. They were indeed in a forest, surrounded by towering pillars of grey, lichen-covered bark, which in turn was miraculously bounded by the stone walls of the Labyrinth; this was almost nothing more than an overgrown box-garden. In the near distance, where two of the crumbling stone walls met and formed a corner behind a meager shrub was a modicum of privacy that Sarah hastened to take advantage of.
When she emerged, she rubbed her hands over her face and through her hair, wishing she could have some water or something to wash up with. No sooner had she thought it than the faint sound of running water met her ears. Turning to her right, Sarah followed the stone wall a short distance until a tiny stream came into view. The stream wasn't more than a few hand spans wide, but the water looked fresh and pure, and Sarah was thirsty. She knelt down and cupped her hands, scooping up some of the sparkling water and bringing it to her lips without a moment's hesitation. Mmmm, she said in her mind. Now this is fresh water. Splashing it onto her face, Sarah tidied herself as best she could, her fingers finding more and more bruises she hadn't know she'd had. Combing her fingers through her hair, Sarah supposed she was as presentable as she'd ever be, given the circumstances. Besides, after staying outside all night, Jareth wouldn't look any better. Jareth! I forgot all about him! What if he's come back and can't find me? I promised him I'd never run off again!
Sarah jumped up and ran back in the direction she came. Her steps were too hasty, too blind, and she tripped over a knotted root hidden under a sparse, leafy blanket. Sarah instinctively closed her eyes as the hard earth rushed up to meet her, angling her body so that she landed on her side. When Sarah opened her eyes, she noticed an amazing change: instead of hard earth, she was lying on a bed of soft, green moss. This wasn't here before. This definitely wasn't here before. It's like the Labyrinth made me a cushion. But why, Sarah thought to herself, bewildered. She pushed herself to her feet and in no direction in particular said "thanks." Nothing answered her; there was no disembodied voice saying "you're welcome," but Sarah hadn't expected it. Before anything else odd could happen, she hurried back to her and Jareth's camp of the night before.
Jareth wasn't back yet. Sarah saw that their camp was as empty as she had left it. Well, maybe not quite as empty…there were a few pale pink flowers near the tree where she'd slept last night that she hadn't noticed this morning in her need to visit a privy. Sarah used Jareth's absence as a chance to hurriedly squeeze into her now-dry jeans. She wasn't cold; she simply felt indecent running about half-naked, wearing only Jareth's shirt and her underwear. The morning itself wasn't cold either; on the contrary it was quite nice, a comfortable, balmy temperature somewhere between cold and perfect unlike last night, which Sarah distinctly remembered shivering through. But at some point last night, her shivers had been replaced with warmth, with blissful warmth, and Sarah had slept comfortably until morning.
Sarah sat down next to Jareth's message in the soil, the archway through the stone wall he must have gone through clear in her line of sight. Tracing her finger over Jareth's text, Sarah was glad she'd worn that pendant Jareth had given her…his message was in sylvan, which she still couldn't read. It really is a beautiful language, Sarah thought to herself, admiring the curls and flourishes. She looked around, noticing how bright the morning was, and how green the forest was. No where else in the Labyrinth could compare. That wasn't to say that this particular forest was thriving – far from it. The trees were half-leaved at best, and most of the underlying flora was still struggling for life. But by comparison, it was greener and more alive than any other section of the Labyrinth to date. But why? And what was keeping Jareth?
Jareth. She'd had a dream about Jareth, hadn't she? Yes. Sarah closed her eyes briefly, remembering. I dreamed that my mother wished me away when I was little, and Jareth came and took me. She opened her eyes, shaking her head in disbelief. That's absurd! I'd remember something like that if it had happened…wouldn't I? The problem was, Sarah wasn't so sure. The dream had been so real, like a memory long repressed, flowing back into her mind in full, vivid color. Ok, well…if it were real, then my parents would have had to split up when I was four. Oh. Well, they did. But if it were real, I would have met Jareth, Sir Didymus, and the Fireys long before I wished Toby away…and I would have seen the Labyrinth and that room with the staircases before I wished Toby away too. But I didn't start dreaming of any of them until I returned home with Toby. Right? Again, Sarah wasn't sure. She couldn't remember when she started dreaming about the Labyrinth, and about Jareth…she dreamed of them so often that at times she felt like she'd spent her whole life dreaming of him and of this place.
Well, this is certainly productive, Sarah told herself sardonically. So far, she hadn't found anything to disprove her dream. Wait, she thought. What about that thing that Jareth supposedly gave me – that crystal. He said it would show me my dreams. Now that certainly wasn't true. I don't have any special powers to see my dreams. I have pretty normal dreams, aside from the fact that His Royal Highness, the Goblin King takes it upon himself to inhabit them quite often. Not that I'm complaining. Smiling, Sarah continued in her internal monologue. No. I don't have any special powers at all. I could dream all day and all night and it wouldn't do anything. It was just a dream. But why did I dream that he gave me the power to see my dreams? I mean, I was already dreaming, so I think I would call that a bit redundant.
Now, a bit of magic…that would have been more like it. I could use a bit of magic. I wonder what it's like to simply think something and then have it happen? What would it be like if I simply told these flowers in my mind to grow, and they did? All I'd have to do is think "grow," and it'd happen…
Sarah's internal dialogue died as the pale, pink blossoms she'd noticed before doubled in size. Sarah stared at the flowers, her eyes going round.Coincidence? She asked herself. Only one way to find out. Grow. She sucked in her breath as the blossoms obeyed instantly, the pale petals wrinkling before unfurling to three-times their original size. What else could she try? Change color. Brighter. Yes. Sarah sent a shaking hand down to pluck one of the vibrant violet, rose-sized blossoms. She held it up to carefully study it; it looked like a normal flower, and had she seen it as it was now, she wouldn't have thought anything of it. But the fact remained that a mere minute ago, it had been a tiny, pastel-pink flower barely the size of her pinkie.
Ok. Um. That's…weird…and …umm… useful? What else can I do? Sarah looked at the limbs Jareth had stacked for their fire and selected one at random. You, she told it, stand up. The wooden branch levitated out of the bunch and hovered in the air before her, waiting for her next command. Sarah thought for a moment, and then the branch dived to the earth, its tip carving into the earthen surface first an 'S,' followed by an 'a,' and so on, until Sarah was staring at her name. The stick dropped as she shifted her focus to a small stone, making it twirl in a slow circle, and then faster, and faster. With every thing Sarah made dance, she felt something awaken inside of her. With every stone she touched with this newfound power, Sarah felt something come alive in her heart and her mind, an outpouring of potential, something she'd had within her all along but had never realized it.
As stone chased leaf, leaf chased twig, twig chased flower, and flower chased stone in an ever expanding circle around her head, Sarah remembered. This was the power Jareth gave me in that dream. I remember it now. It was real. He gave me that crystal…and it disappeared... into me... he said. Into my heart and my mind. I've felt it there before, an untapped potential within me, an uncertainty, a sense that something more was needed, only I didn't know what it was.
God! It's part of the story, isn't it? "But what no one knew is that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers…" she recited under her breath. He gave me special powers. Didn't he tell me that everything I read was real? Why didn't I believe him?
Suddenly the stone, the twig, and the flower dropped out the air as Sarah's excitement faded. The leaf floated down despondently as Sarah realized that the entire dream had been true. My mother wished me away. She didn't want me.
Sarah tossed her head defiantly: Well, that explains a lot. No wonder she cancelled so many of our meetings. No wonder she never had time for me. She didn't want me. She didn't want to see me. And I was the only one who didn't get it.
Why didn't they tell me, Sarah thought angrily. All this time, all that time…I was left hanging, waiting for her to call, for her to send me a card on my birthday…if I'd have known she didn't want anything to do with me, I wouldn't have spent my whole childhood waiting! Dad knew, Karen knew…Jareth knew! Why didn't he tell me? Why didn't he tell me I'd been here before? Why did he keep it a secret? Sarah clenched her fists angrily, making the flames of the banked fire surge upwards. Sarah eyed the hungry flames and decided to feed them from Jareth's pile of branches. She selected a random handful and mentally tossed them onto the fire. She added more, not caring how long it might have taken Jareth to gather all that wood without magic, not caring that Jareth would have to somehow douse this roaring fire before they left. He'll have to douse my temper while he's at it. Serves him right for not telling me, she justified to herself, levitating yet another limb into the fire.
Wait! Why did Jareth have to gather all of this by hand, when I can move it by magic? Why couldn't he use his magic? Didn't he say that he barely had any magic out here? Yes, that's exactly what he said. "So why do I have magic?" Sarah's musings became verbal, and she forgot about being upset with Jareth and about the bruises covering her skin as she puzzled through this latest stumper. "Well, let's be logical. What exactly am I asking? I want to know why the Labyrinth is letting me use my magic - and I can't believe how weird it is to say that - within its walls when it practically denies Jareth's. Ok. So that's the question. Now what?" Sarah looked around; some part of her hoping that since she'd asked the right question, the answer would somehow be made obvious to her. No dice. The Labyrinth was quiet, the air was almost hushed, waiting for something, but there were no hints to be found.
"Ok, Sarah, it looks like you're on your own. Think. Why would the Labyrinth afford me more power than Jareth? What have I done to merit it? I spent the night here. That's not very significant – people live out here, and they don't have more power than Jareth. Ok…well, I have spent a lot of time out here. No, for the same reason as before. Well…I did solve the Labyrinth. No, other people have solved it, I'm sure…" Sarah stopped in mid-sentence, an idea forming in her mind. Jareth said I was the only person who had ever solved the Labyrinth in his time as King…so that would mean that the last time the Labyrinth was solved was when Jareth solved it during that war…
Sarah shifted in her seat, knowing she was close to an answer, very close; she could feel it, and the atmosphere mirrored her. The very trees seemed to be encouraging her, the branches dancing in a wind that said, "Yes, go on, you're nearly there…keep going…" How did Jareth become king over the Labyrinth? While he solved it, he said he felt like the Labyrinth was sizing him up – what if it was? What if the Labyrinth could choose who got to have power over it? What if the Labyrinth chose someone while they ran the Labyrinth, and made the path easy, like Jareth said his path was, and like my path was…? What then? That would mean that the Labyrinth chose Jareth to solve it, and to rule the Labyrinth. And that would mean that the Labyrinth chose me to solve it…and to…to…
Sarah's thought was cut off from its momentous conclusion as Jareth walked in through the stone archway. Sarah immediately shifted her attention to him, and the reaction of the Labyrinth was immediate. That patient, pregnant silence exploded. An ominous rumbling began in the ground and erupted through the immediate stone walls of the Labyrinth, including the one with the archway in which Jareth stood. A fine powder of dust rose into the air as the wall came crumbling down, sending huge stones hurtling towards Jareth, who had no time to get out of the way.
"Jareth!" Sarah reacted instantly. Stop! She ordered, shooting out her right hand forcefully, her palm facing the disintegrating wall, her fingers splayed as the magic coursed through her. The wall obeyed, the stones stopping in midair at her command. Now, go back. Rebuild that wall. Now. The stones reversed their downward trajectories, soaring upwards, reforming the wall and the archway almost seamlessly. Jareth stared at the stones wordlessly, completely bewildered. When the wall had been rebuilt, and Jareth was out of danger, Sarah scolded the Labyrinth. Don't ever do that again! Don't ever try to hurt him again. There was no need to get angry at him; I would have figured it out even though he interrupted me. I have figured it out. You've chosen me to rule you.
The air became silent and calm. As Sarah relaxed her hand and her posture, the morning light intensified, illuminating the rich luster of the walls and the forest and area all around her. The trees burst into full-leaf, fresh grass shot up from the pale earth, purple flowers on ruby vines over the wall burst into bloom. The Labyrinth had come back to life.
Jareth stared at Sarah, confusion making him utterly speechless. Sarah took one last look around and then told Jareth in her calmest tone, "I think I've figured out what the problem with the Labyrinth is."