Hello, dear sweet readers! I told you I'd get this one done in less time! Although, since I will be leaving shortly to spend Christmas with my relatives in another state, it may be a while before my next post. But if all you have to do to keep yourself occupied is read fanfiction on Christmas Eve, I'm very worried about your priorities anyway ;) Enjoy, and as always, comments are met with much gladness and fanfare! Plus, Jareth told me he'd burn down my Christmas Tree if you didn't review…WAAAAH! SAVE CHRISTMAS AND REVIEW!
The sun had finally sunken bellow the horizon, and had taken the daylight with it. All that remained was a dim orange glow, and even that was fast diminishing. It had been difficult enough to run the Labyrinth during the day; Sarah did not fancy trying it at night. So she adjusted her resolute march into a dignified jog. Until she reached a wall with two different doors.
Sarah took a deep breath and exhaled in annoyance. Great. Now she had to wait for him. She could always guess, and risk falling down an oubliette. But Sarah reasoned waiting for him to show her which door was right was much less demeaning than him having to pull her out of a hole. Instead of simply waiting for the Goblin King and Ambrosious, she busied herself looking through both doorways, seeing which was more likely to direct her to a long fall. One lead to another stone passageway; the other door opened into a wide, misty grove. Sarah heard footsteps behind her and looked back. Jareth stood beside her.
"There it is," He murmured, pointing towards the right door, "The Sacred Pool."
"Alright, then let's go," The girl replied, walking through the archway and into the hollow. But after a few minutes, she noticed that only Ambrosious had followed her. Sarah paused and looked back. Jareth was still standing at the doorway, a look of unease plaguing his face.
She was still angry at him, but she wasn't used to seeing the Fae anxious. It made her feel uncomfortable.
"What's wrong?" Sarah asked, trying her best to keep sounding annoyed.
"I…." Jareth said quietly, avoiding her eyes, "I've never visited the Sacred Pool before. It's the oldest place in the Labyrinth, and the Muse…well, I'm not sure what to expect."
The girl's face softened slightly. She quickly spun around before he noticed.
"Well…we'll find out together, then," she said simply. She walked on ahead, shooting a quick peek over her shoulder. Apparently her words had soothed him, because he now was following behind her, although without the arrogant expression he usually wore. The cracked stone path wound lazily through the hazy grove, with large stepping-stones over the many babbling brooks.
It's so peaceful here, Sarah thought in amazement, No monsters, no dead ends, no puzzles…it's like it isn't part of the Labyrinth at all.
As they went farther and farther, the streams grew larger and more frequent, until it seemed less like they were crossing over creeks, and more like they were traveling over small islands. Finally, they reached a large boulder with a doorway carved into it. Rune symbols were inscribed around the door, and glowed pale blue. Sarah looked up at Jareth.
"Can you read those?" She asked, motioning to the symbols.
Jareth nodded.
"It says, 'All who seek guidance will be welcome'. This must be where she dwells."
"So what do we do now?" Sarah asked.
Seemingly in answer to her question, a creature appeared at the doorway. It was tall and thin, its face veiled in shadows; it wore a many-layered cloak of navy blue, that covered it so that it was impossible to know exactly what was underneath it, or if anything was underneath it at all.
"Enter, Jareth, son of Narzan, King of the Goblins," He whispered, his breathy voice sounding like it formed from the very air itself.
Sarah swallowed. The thing looked too much like the grim reaper for her comfort. Jareth turned to her.
"Stay here," he instructed quietly. But the tone he said it in was soft, like someone cautioning a friend rather than a ruler giving an order. He gave one last look at Sarah, and followed the shrouded specter inside.
Minutes passed. Sarah soon found herself pacing. There were too many things she didn't know, so many, many things. How had Edorin managed to seize Jareth's powers? How close was the troll army to the Labyrinth? Where were her friends? Were they safe? How much had Edorin changed in the Labyrinth? What had become of the castle and the Goblin City? Would the Muse be able to restore Jareth's powers? What would happen if she couldn't?
She hated not knowing. It made her feel weak and stupid. It made her feel like…a child.
All her uncertainties flooded into her mind, making her stomach churn. Sarah gave up pacing and sat down on a nearby rock. She did her best to try to not think about it. Worrying wouldn't do her any good, anyways. It only served to make her nauseous. So the girl closed her eyes, and tried to focus on the soothing sound of the waterfalls.
"Sarah!"
Her eyes flew open. She whirled around towards the familiar voice. A small, dirt-streaked dwarf wielding a garden hoe was running towards her, followed by a gnome girl and armored goblin.
"Hoggle!" She cried out. In a flash, she had sprinted the few steps between them, knelt down, and hugged the dwarf tightly. Hoggle seemed quite surprised, but eventually returned the embrace. Sarah let go and beamed in turn at each of them.
"Leija! Turnok! I'm so glad you guys are alright! I'd thought we'd lost you!"
The gnome smiled shyly.
"We thought that too, milady. We're glad that you are safe."
"Is His Highness alright?" Turnok asked anxiously, gripping his sheathed dagger.
"Well…" Sarah thought aloud, remembering Jareth's badly broken arm, "…mostly."
Turnok raised his non-existent eyebrows.
"Mostly?!"
"Guess you'll see later," The girl said, before turning back to Hoggle, "Where are Ludo and Sir Didymus? Do you know?"
"I don't," Hoggle replied, "I was lookin' for 'em, though, but then I ran into Leija, and she said ye had come back to the Labyrinth. She knew where ye were gonna be and everything!"
"You blasted dwarf!" Turnok interrupted angrily, "I was the one who knew the King would seek the counsel of the Muse!"
Hoggle cast an uncaring glance at him.
"Well, Leija said it better. An' I ain't deaf. Keep shoutin' at me an' I'll put you back up the tree I found ye in."
"Why you brazen…!"
"Turnok, please!" Leija begged, taking an arm to hold him back, "Hoggle saved us! We owe him our lives!"
"Hoggle saved you?" Sarah asked, blinking.
"Oh, yes!" the gnome girl said eagerly, "He came to our aid and rescued us from a group of monsters! We would have surely perished, had it not been for his bravery!"
Sarah pointed at the dwarf beside her.
"This Hoggle? Are you sure you mean him?"
"A'course she means me!" Hoggle exclaimed, blushing and swatting away her hand, "Is it so hard ta believe some 'on like me could change?!"
"Yes," she said immediately, which earned her a glare. She backpedaled. "I mean, no. Um…maybe?"
Before Hoggle could erupt into a bright, blazing ball of embarrassment, Jareth reappeared at the door carved into the stone. Sarah hurried over to investigate.
"So? What's the news?" She pressed. But her questions faded at the sight of his expression. His face was pale and downcast. He quickly tried to hide it, to look normal, but Sarah had already seen. It had been bad news.
"Jareth?" She asked quietly, "What did she say?"
"She…" He started, but hesitated. The Goblin King looked up at her, his mismatched eyes churning with emotional turmoil. "…she wants to speak with you."
Sarah froze. Her heart fell into her stomach with a nauseating splash. After a few moments, she managed to sputter out a reply.
"M-Me? Why would she want to see me? I mean…I don't…I didn't…I can't…!"
Without a sound, the mysterious blue-clad wraith appeared a few feet away.
"Enter Sarah, Champion of the Labyrinth."
The girl looked back at Hoggle, Leija, Turnok, and Ambrosious, and glanced helplessly at Jareth. He had on the confident, determined look he usually wore. But his eyes betrayed his emotions.
"Go," he said softly.
Sarah hesitated, but did as she was told. She walked up to the hooded specter. He gazed down at her with his dark void of a face. It was terrifying. She swallowed, and spoke up.
"I'm ready."
He nodded, and glided through the doorway, with the girl following meekly behind him. He led her down to the water side. Two small waterfalls poured down from the cliff above. In between them was a small island with an old weeping willow, which was bent so low its leafy tendrils formed a sort of veil. The specter showed her to a path of stepping stones, and abruptly vanished. Sarah gathered her courage, slowly crossed to the other side, and brushed the vines aside.
A beautiful, luminescent creature was sitting beside a still pool. Her skin was pale blue and flawless, her eyes as deep and dark as the ocean. The nymph's hair was actually water, streams that constantly split and reformed. Her perfect body was clothed in a length of the same wispy fabric that the specter had worn. She held a long, crooked staff in her hand, which she was using to gently move the lily pads across the pool.
Sarah had been expecting some shriveled old lady, not this unearthly beauty. She was gorgeous. No wonder Jareth had stumbled out looking so god-stuck.
The nymph gazed up at her and smiled gently.
"Do not fear, child. Come to the water's edge."
Sarah walked over to her awkwardly, trying to maneuver her jelly-like legs. The nymph was even more striking up close. It was just like all her fairytales and storybooks had said.
"Y-You…" she said, "Um…how did you know my name?"
"Many in the Labyrinth know your name," the nymph replied, nudging a lily pad to the other side of the pond, "Never before has a human completed it within the allotted time; most think you are a sorceress. The goblins believe you used your magic to cheat, and are comforted that the Labyrinth's record remains intact."
"I didn't cheat," Sarah said immediately.
The Muse smiled.
"I know you didn't, child. Nor are you an enchantress. And that is what makes you so important."
"Important?"
"We who dwell in the Labyrinth have relied heavily upon its magic to protect and sustain us," she explained, "Too heavily, I fear. And now that a threat has emerged, we find ourselves weak, and unable to remember the ways of our ancestors."
Sarah was quiet a few moments, before saying,
"But…Jareth's back now. He'll be able to stop Edorin. Won't he?"
The Muse gazed back down at her pool, and stired it once with her staff. The lily pads swirled slowly around. Sarah realized that she was using them to divine the future, like a crystal ball or magic stones. The nymph watched until they had come to rest.
"Edorin is both ruthless and determined. In his heart, he truly believes what he is doing is right. That is what makes him such a powerful foe. Magic comes from the heart, and a strong heart is a dangerous thing, indeed. That is what gives him a decided advantage over Jareth."
"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.
"Jareth's heart has been broken," the Muse responded, "His confidence has shattered. He is at war with himself; confused, angry. Hurt. Like any wound, it needs delicate care. Above all, his heart needs time to heal…time that he does not have."
The nymph set her staff aside. Her face grim, she starred into Sarah's eyes.
"What little magic Jareth has left in the ring cannot sustain him for long. Once that runs out, he will grow weaker by the minute. If Edorin is not defeated, and his powers returned within that hour…Jareth will die."