"Sky's Eclipse"
Chapter 22
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, really, mostly used by Toby) and adult situations. Gavin King is Jareth, the Goblin King, for those who have jumped into the middle of the story. The names: Torok, the Troll King and Eunice St. Clair are characters borrowed from the 1986 movie Troll, but are not used in context with the movie inside my fanfiction in any way.
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 fanfiction. net, but sometimes I still miss a few flubs. Thank you!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Thirteen Hours

As expected, the Troll King didn't miss a beat. Immediately Jareth and Sarah were taken to the Glass Palace at the center of Grimm's Wood. Torok placed a spell upon her and she slept as if dead on a large, rounded podium in the center of the throne room. Gavin dropped his charade and became Jareth once again. The two kings stepped face to face, as the Troll King presented the challenge to Jareth. He began, "Well, mon frère, you know the rules, so I shan't bore you with annoying details or insult you… at least, not that way."

Jareth blinked impatiently. Torok continued, "I'll give Sarah a considerable deadline of time in which to make her willing escape from Grimm's Wood and into, shall we say, safer territory. How does thirteen hours sound?"

Jareth answered, "Thirteen? Aw, you couldn't even come up with anything original, Trollie?"

Because Torok hated to be called 'Trollie', he snapped back, "Of course, the stakes are raised higher! Stupid, incompetent goblins and missing baby brothers are the least of Sarah's worries right now! She'll have to successfully traverse her way through the Wood without getting captured or killed."

Jareth raised his eyebrows, "'Killed' you say? Since when did you the murder victims in your little games?"

"Oh, mon frère, I won't lay a finger upon Sarah to bring injury or dismemberment. I'm a lover, not a sadistic warmonger, such as you. My interest in personally placing harm upon your dear, dearest, Sarah is minimal… however, as such, the Grimm's Wood is treacherous and highly unpredictable. I am not responsible for the poor souls that enter within. Still, if Miss Williams decides against meandering into my forest, then she's more than welcome to remain at my palace for all eternity. I must admit, she'd make a wonderful addition to my growing number of lovely femmes here."

Jareth huffed, "As if she would actually choose to remain like a caged bird for all eternity. You ought to be careful with my dear Sarah, Trollie. You know what they say about those who live in glass houses and such. She has a pet 'Ludo'."

Torok laughed, "And should I be leery of this pet?"

"Indeed. He's a Rock Minotaur and befriends stones."

The Troll King stifled down another snicker to gauge whether Jareth was being serious. Before he could ask otherwise, Jareth changed the subject, "I assume you're going to heighten the difficulty on this challenge, as well?"

"But, of course! What kind of dare would it be, if the legendary Sarah Williams had a nominal task to complete? Everything will be increased, including the fear levels. After all, most of the escaped girls from my palace are half of Sarah's age and, therefore, the forest is more terrifying to them."

Torok walked over to the podium where Sarah lay. He leaned his head in close to her lips and thought outloud, "She's so familiar. I feel like I've met her before somewhere, but I can't recall where."

Jareth laughed, "You'll have to stop mumbling, Trollie. I didn't catch a word you twittered."

Torok scoffed, "Nothing important, Jareth, just a fleeting feeling. And now to the matters at hand, since the clock has already begun ticking away, Sarah has twelve hours and fifty-two minutes left."

Jareth set his jaw and retorted, "Yet, you leave her lying on a podium and comatose under your spell. It hardly seems fair, really."

"You yourself have set the standards for fairness, Jareth. I shall play as fair to Sarah as you had years ago."

Jareth was not willing to let Torok have Sarah run a torturous obstacle course without his supervision. Torok, as if knowing Jareth's thoughts, put up his hand in warning, "No interference from you, Gobby King. None whatsoever, or the challenge is forfeit and Sarah will become a permanent sleeping beauty within my palace forever."

Jareth wasn't about to back down. He refused to allow the Troll King to gain the upper hand over him. He answered, "Very well. I won't interfere, but I must be privileged to follow Sarah through the Grimm's Wood. I have unclosed matters to settle with her …. besides, we both know that you're going to cheat."

"Oh, but-of-course, 'cheating' is such a despicable thing by your standards, Goblin King," Torok taunted sarcastically.

After Jareth gave him an insidious glance, Torok continued, "Fine! You may travel by owl and watch her from above."

"No," Jareth refused. "I shall travel as human, and observe her by her side."

"'Human'?" Torok asked. "How unlike you. You do remember that the Wood is mostly deadly? Clearly, you're bringing needless grievance upon yourself, Jareth. After all, I doubt you make a very decent human. How can you live without your magic for so long?"

"I'll manage. If this girl at fifteen can defeat an undefeatable Labyrinth, then I can live without magic for thirteen hours."

The Troll King sniffed, "As you will, mon frère. You've become so dowdy since this girl defeated you. I remember when you danced, danced, danced about your castle. Now, you're incredibly boring. Everything is 'Sarah, Sarah, Sarah'. You're obsessed with her and it's quite annoying!"

Jareth remained silent with his gaze intensely fixed on the Troll King.

Torok paced in a circle for a moment, then decided, "Very well. You may follow Miss Sarah in your pathetic, human form! However, I will add, you may not use magic to aid her nor any of your powers in anyway. You may not call upon your Goblins for aid, and you cannot teleport Sarah back into your Labyrinth, if things begin to go badly for either of you."

Jareth gave a singular nod, to acknowledge he understood the rules. Torok continued, "Once you transform back into that 'Gavin King' gent, I'll release Sarah from the spell. Then, I'll present the terms to her, and you must remain silent while continuing to play ignorant, helpless hum-ie, compris?"

"Yes," Jareth answered. He was curious as to how Sarah would fare in this challenge.

The Troll King leaned over Sarah again and nagged, "Anytime you're ready, Jareth."

In a poof of glitter, a crash of lightning and thunder, Jareth became Gavin King once again. Slowly, Sarah stirred on the podium. She groaned as she rubbed her head. Re-entry into consciousness, after being under a spell, always left the victim dazed and disoriented. Sarah looked around. She recognized Gavin, who looked exasperated and frazzled. As her eyes turned, she saw an unknown man with dark black hair that was cropped into a long, spiky, shag. He had the most luminous yellow-green eyes. There was something haunting about them.

As Sarah was about to ask the mystery man a question, he read her thoughts and answered her preemptively, "Welcome to my palace. I am Torok, King of the Trolls, belle dame. Unfortunately, my favorite daughter, Sarika, lured you here by accident. She had forgotten that I usually enjoy much younger women, so you're free to go, Miss Sarah."

Sarah was confused. She recalled the little, yellow-eyed girl walking her pet tiger at O'Connell's Captivating Carnival. She remembered being overwhelmed by a terrible, foreboding feeling, but could not recollect what had been said, nor what had occurred. Finally, everything had grown cold, and now, she awoke here.

Gavin helped Sarah off the podium. She gazed down at her clothing. The Troll King took it upon himself to redress her into something more appropriate for his throne room. She was in a satin, pink gown, with kimono-like sleeves that resembled angel wings in the breeze of the palace windows. Her arms were bare and exposed. The dress was terribly low cut, and revealed too much cleavage. Her feet were adorned with silver-threaded sandals and encrusted with opals and rubies. Her hair was loose, but had pink and white flowing ribbons attached in various places. She felt like a virgin sacrifice, made ready for the kill.

Gavin clutched Sarah in his arms and glared at Torok with a look that seemed to say, Hurry up and finish your speech!

Torok took the hint, and began, "The exit is out those doors, Sarah. All you have to do is walk through and journey home."

Sarah looked at the massive palace doors, which were made of glass, like the palace. "King of the Trolls," Sarah said unemotionally. "It sounds similar to the King of the Goblins. Is there a relation, or are you really Jareth in disguise?"

Gavin grimaced, but Sarah didn't notice. Torok answered smugly, "Ah, no. I'm not that pathetic, second-rate king. I've a much better kingdom than he. Goblins are such scraggly, sorry creatures, really. I'm relieved that trolls have a much higher nobility than goblins. Anyway, if you know Jareth, then you'll be relieved to know his Labyrinth is far south of my kingdom. Our two lands border each other in the most preposterous way. There are always horrific land disputes because his goblins accidentally wander into my Wood and cause mayhem and mischief against my trolls. Trolls and goblins are nearly cousins, but not really."

Sarah raised her eyebrows in amusement. "Okay," she smirked.

She knew the Troll King was toying with her. She looked down at his apparel. It was apparent that he was as vain as the Goblin King. His white silk shirt was unbuttoned all the way down to show off his chest and abdomen. He wore black leather gloves, and his pants, although not as tight as Jareth's, were made of shiny leather and left little to the imagination. He had matching black leather boots that rode up to the thigh. Around his neck, was an amber amulet that looked like an hourglass. Sarah swore it was a symbolic sexual representation of a woman's body shape. She narrowed her eyes and asked, "What's the catch?"

Torok sang serenely, "'The catch', Miss Sarah? I'm not sure I understand you."

Sarah rolled her eyes, "I'm absolutely certain I'm not going to walk out these doors and go home, just like that. When I go outside, am I going to be greeted with a triumphant Goblin King, his army of Goblins, and a Labyrinth standing before me?"

"Surely, you jest, Miss Sarah. I have nothing to do with that crumpled old washout," Torok lied.

Sarah didn't buy into his words. Something inside her screamed out in alarm. She knew there was trickery to be had. She looked calmly at the Troll King and puckered her lips in thought. She asked nonchalantly, "How long do I have to defeat whatever puzzle you have waiting for me when I walk through those doors? Thirteen hours?"

Torok clapped his hands and bellowed in laughter, "Sarah, Sarah! You amaze me! Such a clever woman! Alas, no. You only have twelve hours and forty-eight minutes left. I doubt it's enough, as you recall in the Underground…well… sometimes things aren't always as they seem around here."

Sarah smiled, "Then, I suppose the odds look good for me."

Torok was rendered speechless and slumped his shoulders in surprise at Sarah's brazenness. Gavin chuckled. Jareth knew Sarah wouldn't back down from any challenge. He only hoped that the fate that guided her through his Labyrinth many years ago, would also help her in Grimm's Wood. After all, he dared the Troll King to try and defeat Sarah, and Torok would never back down from a challenge either.

"You mean, you're not afraid? You could always turn back, before it's too late, mon Chéri."

"Turn back?" Sarah blinked, "And where do I 'turn back' to?"

"Here, of course. You could surrender, now, and avoid the perils of the Grimm's Wood. Come live with me in my palace. I will treat you well, I promise."

Sarah ignored Torok's answer and asked, "I suppose Grimm's Wood is the same unsolvable conundrum as Jareth's Labyrinth?"

The Troll King laughed, "You're really quite wise, Miss Sarah. I can see why the Goblin King dotes on you. And, 'Yes' my forest is a dark, dangerous place. Some kings have deep moats, while others have vast mazes to keep unwanted visitors out and the family safe within, but I… ah, yes, I have this Wood that surrounds my palace for hundreds of kilometers in all directions. I'm not sure what exists within it, but surely, anybody who has ever fled from my palace has never breeched the other side. They simply disappear and never resurface again."

"What happens to them?"

Torok shrugged over-emphatically and lied, "Who knows? They probably meet death, or worse."

Sarah frowned, "What's worse than death?"

Torok tired of Sarah's questions and responded, "I'm not sure, but you'll soon discover if you choose the forest over me."

Sarah rolled her eyes, "Then, I guess it's settled." She turned to Gavin and asked, "Ready? "

Gavin beamed a sweet smile back at her and answered, "By all means, Sarah. Lead on, my Dear."

Torok called out to Sarah as she pried open the massive palace doors, "Turn back, Sarah. Turn back, before it's too late!"

Sarah rolled her eyes, "Now, where have I heard that before? Come on, Gavin, we're leaving. Oh and thanks for nothing, Troll King."