"Sky's Eclipse"
Chapter 14
By Aiijuin
*Disclaimer: I don't own anything Jim Henson or Labyrinth. Gröeg was originally designed by Brian Froud and catalogued by Terry Jones in Brian Froud's "The Goblins of the Labyrinth". This fanfiction is rated M for some harsh language (which is only used by Toby) and adult situations.
PS: Please let me know if I messed up anywhere with the grammar. I proofread about a dozen times before I post my chapters on , but sometimes I still miss a few flubs. Thank you!
**Revised: 09/10/2009: The discontinuity of the chapter numbers have been repaired, small revisions to grammar mistakes have been fixed, and Irene has been changed to the name Karen. Thank you!
Chapter Fourteen: I'm Just Peachy!
Toby and Gavin meandered outside the walls of the Labyrinth. Toby wasn't happy. This was the last place he wanted to be. He knew that Jareth was trying to bring him here again, in order to lure his sister back. Unfortunately, Sarah hadn't needed much prompting to return to Jareth's lands. She willingly sprinted in.
Of course, Toby believed she was drunk. He was really concerned, now! Sarah's inebriation would have been the perfect scenario for Jareth to bring her back unawares. Toby looked at Gavin and said, "Well, I guess we're both stuck here. We might as well get started before time expires and that dude is trapped here forever."
Gavin nodded. As Jareth, he didn't know how Sarah had managed to breach the borders of the human world into his.
Toby remarked to King, "It's a good bet that the Goblin King is here too."
Toby didn't realize how accurate he was. Gavin walked next to Toby, wondering if the boy could solve the Labyrinth as easily as his sister had. He decided to play 'helpless human' a bit longer, in order to observe the teenager.
It wasn't a good idea!
Toby spent the first hour inside Jareth's Labyrinth kicking and swearing at the outer walls. He demanded they let him in. Impatient, Gavin finally stepped in and pretended to stumble on a hidden switch. "Oh, my," he began, "Look at this, Master Williams. It looks a bit misplaced, wouldn't you say?"
Toby nodded. Jareth was relieved that the boy agreed. The Goblin King wanted to expedite his trip to the center and find out what Sarah was up to. Jareth couldn't reveal that he was really Gavin. Jareth knew his Labyrinth inside and out, upside down and right side up, forwards and backwards; however, he couldn't get to the castle beyond the Goblin City, because his journey was dependent upon success of the 'baby'. At the moment, He was completely loathing Toby.
Toby pulled the switch and the doors opened in front of him. He looked to the right and to the left, and saw unending paths that didn't turn or twist. They just went on and on in both directions. The teen scratched his head in confusion.
"Uh-huh," Toby said sarcastically.
Gavin walked up to Toby and prompted, "So, which way do you think we should go? Right or Left?"
Toby shrugged. Jareth shook his head and balled his fists. He was about order the cleaners to attack Toby. His patience had nearly run out with the boy, and they were only at the beginning of the Labyrinth. Toby finally reached into one of the pockets of his suit and pulled out his cellphone. Jareth grimaced. Toby powered-up the device.
Gavin asked dryly, "Are we going to make a phone call, Toby?"
Toby shook his head and answered, "Nah. I just wanted to see if my GPS worked in this place."
Toby frowned, "Man, I don't even have one bar in this place. Well, I definitely going to mark this place down as a 'one-star' on my list of vacation resorts at Expedia dot com. Oh, but Jess called me! Too bad I can't access voicemail here. Maybe I'll try to text her back. She's hot."
Gavin tapped his foot. The Goblin King had only one nerve left, and Toby was getting on it. Suddenly a tiny voice squeaked from a crevice in the wall. Toby looked down and saw a little blue worm. It was the same one that Sarah had encountered years ago. The worm spoke, "Ello, up there!"
Toby looked back at Gavin and said quietly, "Dude, tell me that worm did not just say 'hello'?"
The worm heard Toby and said, "No, I said, 'ello', but 'at's close enough. Come inside and meet the missus. We rarely get visitors 'ere. Would you like to come inside and 'ave a nice cup of tea?"
Unlike Sarah, Toby lacked the manners of his sister. "I hate tea," he said. "Do you have a Pepsi or a Dr. Pepper?"
The worm answered, "Why no, I'm s'rry, but I believe I could offer you a fresh cognac or a brandy if you should like. We have plenty of 'at."
"Great," Toby spoke in a monotone voice, "I came here to be offered booze and tea by a tiny blue worm. No wonder Sarah didn't want to stay in this place with Jareth. It's trippy here. I think I'm going to have to be administered psychiatric therapy after this adventure is over. How did Sarah find her way out of this area anyhow?"
Although Toby hadn't asked the worm the question, it answered anyway, "Ah, 'at pretty girl from long ago? Sarah's 'er name, right?"
"Yes," Toby answered. He couldn't believe he was talking to a worm!
"She 'ad a bit of a problem with 'is part too. I told 'er about the openings that lie about all over."
"There are openings here?"
"Of course 'ere are!"
"Where?"
"Well, 'ere's one right in front of you."
Toby felt the wall. It revealed a hidden opening. "No way," Toby remarked.
He walked through the gap with Gavin following closely behind him. King was giving the worm a nasty look. Now, he knew how Sarah had managed to find her way out of the beginning of his Labyrinth.
Toby turned and began to walk toward the left, when the worm shouted, "Don't go 'at way! You should never go 'at way!"
Toby ignored the worm and kept walking. "Whatever," he said as he brushed his hand to the side to push away the warning from the worm.
The worm shook his head. "Well, it looks like 'e's 'eading straight towards that castle. Poor boy."
Gavin was glad Toby chose to disregard the worm. This was the fastest way to his castle. Toby couldn't possibly bungle this direction, Jareth thought.
Jareth was wrong.
Toby and Gavin were wandering past the peach orchards when Toby decided to pluck one of the fruits while Gavin wasn't looking and ate it. Gavin had warned him earlier, not to eat or drink anything, but the adolescent didn't listen. In a matter of moments, the teen was walking strangely. He stumbled to the ground. Once again, one of Jareth's traps for Sarah had backfired on him. Toby was not quite unconscious, but he was behaving erratically. He began practicing his air guitar maneuvers on the ground. He thought he was a band member of My Chemical Romance, and started singing the beginning lyrics of "Black Parade" while standing atop of a tall stone. He tried to body surf by leaping on top of Gavin. Gavin stepped aside at the last moment, and Toby leaped on the ground into a pile of leaves that broke his fall. Toby jumped up again and started chanting, "Whazzup!" He made 'devil signs' with his hands and jumped around like he was a raving lunatic. This behavior carried on for nearly two hours. Jareth could only rub at his temples and sit on a nearby rock, with his arms crossed. When Toby was finally finished, he ran off in the other direction, away from Jareth's castle.
Gavin threw his hands up towards the sky in exasperation, and chased after the boy. When Gavin caught up to the teen, Toby had his head in one of the shrubs and was vomiting. He looked up at Gavin between heaves and said, "Dude, I think that was a bad peach."