"Sky's Eclipse"
Chapter 60
by Aiijuin (I can't get this title to stay in the center...sorry!)

*Disclaimer =Labyrinth (c) Henson, Lucas, Jones, Froud; Gröeg (c) Brian Froud, Winkin', Blinkin' & Nod (c) Mothergoose Nursery Rhymes. Torok is from 1986 movie Troll, but has been changed around to meet my story expectations.
Be warned: Although this is a Sarah/Jareth romance story, it is also a profoundly dark fairytale!
Rated M+(Adult Scenarios, Abrasive Language, Innuendos, Sensuality)
**NOTE: Story numbering is behind by 1 chapter, because there is a prelude, which is not considered a chapter. Fanfiction . net automatically assigns numbers to the chapters by default, which I have not control over. Thank you!

Chapter 60: The Strongest Force

The winds were turbulent and wild within the Goblin Kingdom. Sarah stood at its very edge with her back facing the precipice wall and the boundaries of Jareth's realm. She was crying profusely, while watching the dry, dead leaves spin about high into the air and down upon the ground.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"I cannot approach him, ma Sœur. I have already tried."

She turned to find the Troll King standing next to her. He wore a deeply concerned look upon his face as his eyes were fixed on the Castle Beyond the Goblin City.

Torok continued, "I'm sorry. I attempted to go to the castle to speak with him, but he has locked us all out…"

Sarah rubbed the tears from her eyes and found that they were laced with intermittent blood. She sniffled and asked without looking at Torok, "Are you not as strong as him, then? Can nobody go to him?"

Torok turned to face Sarah. He placed his hands supportively on her shoulder and answered, "The Ancients, like Jareth and myself, are all equal in strength, but not during deep emotions. His anger and rage have brought him to a higher level of power, so I cannot pass the beyond the gates of his Labyrinth. It doesn't help that Jareth is also the wisest of all of our kind, which makes him an implacable and impossible foe during his bouts of aggression. The rest of us just become a pack of imbeciles when we become enraged, but not the Goblin King… He is like a wild predator, perhaps an owl or an eagle, during their hunt."

Sarah looked into the Troll King's eyes and concluded, "Then, nobody can go to him now…"

Torok smiled and brought his face closer to Sarah, "You, Sarah… You can go to him. You're the only one, because you have what the rest of us do not. It is something within you that is very strong."

Sarah's head was aching and she couldn't think straight. She misunderstood Torok and asked, "My baby?"

The Troll King shook his head and whispered, "No, mon Cherie. You have love. It is pure and true and the only power now that can possibly pass through these formidable barriers and smash down these terrible walls that Jareth has placed around himself."

Torok pointed towards Sarah's heart and continued, "Love is the strongest force of all."

Sarah lowered her head and took deep breaths. She needed to center her emotions, before they overwhelmed her. If she was going to save her family and friends trapped within the Labyrinth, then she would need full sanity. She turned to Torok and asked, "How long do I have before Jareth does something drastic to the people inside or are they already lost?"

Torok shrugged, "I don't know, but I would hurry! Very soon it will be completely dark within the Labyrinth. See? The sun and moon are starting to arc together in the sky. I think that you may have about fifteen to thirteen minutes before this unusual event occurs, and then who can say what will happen next? I only know that it will be very dark and I wouldn't want to be within the walls of the Goblin King's Labyrinth during pitch blackness."

Sarah nodded as the Troll King hugged her close. He said, "Good luck, ma Sœur. Now, hurry!"