"Sky's Eclipse"
Chapter 15
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: Continuity problems with chapter numbers were repaired, major grammatical errors were fixed, and the name "Irene" was changed to "Karen" to keep the name of Sarah's stepmother consistent throughout most "Labyrinth" fanfictions. (I like the name 'Karen' better anyway, if she is a nice stepmother.)
Chapter Fifteen: Pet Peeves
The hours ticked away. Toby had led Gavin around and around through corridors, dead-ends, traps, oubliettes, and into other nondescript barriers that Jareth had created in his great maze. He managed to get himself into more trouble than the Goblin King cared to count. Disguised as Gavin, Jareth was about to dump Toby into the Bog of Eternal Stench with Hoggle and find Sarah on his own.
Of course, Jareth didn't realize Sarah had already freed Hoggle at this time.
Jareth thought inwardly, It's utterly irrational! Why did Sarah have to have this boy as her one and only sibling?
Jareth almost wished he could have reordered time in the human realm, and designed it so Sarah had been given a different baby brother or sister. It was apparent by Gavin's expression that Toby had officially 'flunked' the Goblin King's Labyrinth. King had to keep pretending to accidentally stumble across another path that the boy had missed earlier. Actually, Jareth had been rigging the maze so that they could reach the center faster. Despite all of the king's trickery to help Toby, the teen continued to choose the wrong path and time was nearly spent. It was as if Toby had been sabotaging all of Jareth's efforts. That would have been feasible if he had known Gavin was really Jareth, but King believed the teenager to be ignorant.
Besides, Toby was covered in mud and thorns. He didn't look like he was playing any tricks on Jareth. In fact, he looked positively exhausted and miserable. They turned a corner and Jareth could stand no more. He summoned them to the end of the Labyrinth. Toby didn't notice the magical shift. He thought he had turned the corner and found the castle at last.
Gavin exclaimed quickly with relief, "Oh, my, look! It's the castle!"
Toby snickered at Gavin, "See? I told you I would find it."
Gavin smiled back, but waited for Toby to turn his back so he could mutter several unkind words under his breath, "'Would' is not 'could', brat."
Toby, who was gloating over his success, wasn't watching where he was walking and nearly tripped on a chicken. The hen crowed and fluttered, which alerted the entire Goblin village to their presence. Gavin placed his hands over his eyes.
Clumsy twit, he thought.
Unfortunately, the armies of goblins had not fallen into a stupor during the last twelve hours as they had with Sarah many years ago. They had been given orders to take any intruders captive, at once! Immediately, Toby and Gavin were surrounded by over three hundred goblins holding spears and short-swords at their torsos. The cannons were aimed at the men and ready to be fired in a moment's notice. They bound the two humans and escorted them to Jareth's throne room.
Jareth recalled that he had promised to return to the goblins at ten o'clock, but since he had not reordered time as Gavin, nor had he brought his prize he promised, he chose not to reappear in his true form. He would have to remain Gavin the human for a while longer, and hope that Sarah was in the palace somewhere. She couldn't have been anywhere else. Besides the Bog of Eternal Stench, the castle was the last place the guys hadn't traveled through. Jareth didn't believe Sarah would willingly journey to that zone.
The humans were prodded into the throne room by the horde of little creatures. The goblins cheered and jeered at their approach. Toby and Gavin walked up the landing toward the bridge, which lead across a moat followed by a great chasm. They were forced into the colossal, oak doors of Jareth's regal abode.
Gavin and Toby gasped in shock at the sight that greeted them after they entered.
It was Sarah!
She stood there dressed in elaborate garments. Her gown was made of a thick golden silk with intricate, red embroidery throughout the sleeves, bodice and train. She wore a crown of twisted laurel leaves and apple blossoms composed of solid gold upon her head. It shimmered and glittered in the light. She stood before the stairs of the platform where Jareth's throne sat. Gavin, or rather Jareth, marveled at Sarah's appearance. She looked like a queen. Even her face resembled regality and was filled with a look that bordered being extremely amused and utterly defiant.
Next to her, was Gavin's former dinner guest and client, Michael Pierce. Mike was screaming to Toby and Gavin for immediate aid. Unfortunately, neither man could proceed forward. Their disbelief had left them in a state of suspended animation.
Toby blinked. Sarah, obviously, hadn't been joking, when she said she had wished herself to the Goblin King's lands eight years ago. And as a fish to water, she seemed to have adapted to this lifestyle quite well!
She laughed at her 'guests' and welcomed them in a low, steady voice. "So, you've arrived at last," she said, and smiled. "I almost had to wait."
Mike didn't share her enthusiasm. Instead, he had emotions of regret and shame embedded deep within his eyes. With a thick silver chain tethered around his neck, Mike had been forced to his knees, while a tiny green goblin picked at his hair. His hands, like Toby and Gavin's, had been bound behind his back with thick rope.
Nearly thirteen hours ago, he had been sitting at the table making dangerous innuendos at Sarah. Between the glasses of champagne, she had warned him to stop before she took action. She tried to remove his prying fingers from her body before it was too late. Mike, being chauvinistic, ignored her. Her parents, brother, and Gavin had been distracted in private conversation. He felt the need to keep pushing Sarah's temper.
It hadn't been the wisest choice.
Now, all he could recall were his last words to Sarah, "I bet you want me to go to Hell. Don't you?"
That's when Sarah had wished for the goblins to take him away most expeditiously.
Her wish was their command.
Without a trace of clothing or shoe, Mike Pierce had vanished from the dining table to Jareth's massive stone castle to be enslaved by the Sarah Williams. She was, apparently, the acting Goblin Queen in the Goblin King's absence.
Ironically, Mike's only hope was Toby, and Gavin King, who was really, Jareth, the Goblin King in disguise.
What a pity!