CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Staring into the Abyss

"Whoever battles monsters

should take care not to become a monster too,

for if you stare too long into the Abyss,

the Abyss also stares into you."

-"Beyond Good and Evil" by Frederich Nietzsche

Sarah was full of energy now, and decided to forsake sleep for the time being. How could she when she was so close to achieving her goal? Though the night was no longer young, the moon was bright and the firebird's feather allowed her to see in the darkness with ease.

She would continue on. She had an irreplaceable aid now: her compass from the Queen of the faeries. She was galvanized with hope. Though Sarah was loath to admit it, in her heart of hearts, Sarah had been just a little doubtful of her ability to solve the Labyrinth and defeat the Goblin King.

Sarah studied her compass, the needle of which quivered and spun around to point out of the courtyard.

Sarah looked over her shoulder at the statue of the Goblin King.

"You had best be prepared, Goblin King," said Sarah coyly, a smile spreading across her face, "I am coming."

Sarah watched the needle swing to and fro and she made her way through the Labyrinth, following its directions. The feather from the firebird was extraordinarily bright, lighting Sarah's way with ease as the traversed down the brick corridors.

Sarah, overjoyed and over-confident with her newly acquired tools, forgot one of the most important things that Queen Mab had told her. Though the compass may point Sarah in the right direction, it would not warn her of danger in her path. Unfortunately for Sarah, the jaws of the trap had snapped shut around her before she had even been aware of any danger at all.

Sarah had been traveling for some time before the path in front of Sarah diverged, tracing around the edges of a shimmering reflecting pool.

Sarah suddenly became aware of just how hungry and thirsty she was. It had been some time since she had last eaten or drank anything, and the trolls had taken the last of her supplies. Sarah clutched her stomach as it rumbled. Her mouth felt as though she had sand in it.

Her thirst increased. Sarah knelt down by the small pool and tucked her firebird feather carefully into the ribbon at the end of her disheveled braid. Ignoring the niggling voice that poked at her mind, she reached down to the glassy pool with a cupped palm and drew forth some water, sending ripples dancing across the glassy surface to disturb the still water as she lifted her cupped palm to her lips. The water was cool and sweet, and Sarah dipped her hand into the pool several more times, trying to appease her thirst.

Sarah sat on the damp ground next to the pool, her fatigue catching up to her at last. Sarah yawned heavily as her eyelids drooped. She needed to find somewhere else to rest for the night, somewhere that was not quite so exposed. The now-still pool was surely frequented by other creatures, and she did not want to meet any unawares. However, Sarah's limbs did not seem to want to obey her as she sunk slowly to the ground, her body betraying her mind.

It would not hurt if I closed my eyes for a few minutes, thought Sarah distractedly, struggling to think clearly through the haze that seemed to be fogging her mind. Surely nothing will happen if I just rest here for a little while…regain my strength…

As Sarah lay her head on the ground, she found that her sight was level with the reflecting pool. As her eyes fluttered shut, Sarah hazily noticed that something was once more disturbing the stillness of the pool as it rose forth from the glassy water.

It seemed as if Sarah had only shut her eyes for a few seconds before she opened them again. Lifting her head slightly, she blearily took in her surroundings. It seemed that she was no longer by the reflecting pool. In fact, she seemed to be nowhere at all.

Sarah propped herself up on an elbow and took a second to look, her mind a little more alert.

It was very grey and misty all around Sarah. It seemed like it was still nighttime, but the grey of the sky was indistinguishable from the grey of the ground she lay upon.

Sarah got clumsily to her feet and brushed herself off distractedly, belatedly noticing that her sword, compass, and cloak were missing. Sarah peered through the dull grey air, trying to distinguish anything that could provide her with a clue as to where she was and how she could get back on track.

Sarah took a few steps in one direction, looked around, and saw naught but the same heavy grayness that shrouded everything from her view.

She tried this several times, moving in different directions and trying to peer through the haze, but to no avail.

Exasperatedly, Sarah walked back to the original spot where she had found herself when she awoke, and sat down on the bench with a sulky huff of frustration. Belatedly, her mind vaguely wondered where the bench had come from. It had not been there before, had it? Surely Sarah would have noticed that though all the swirling gloom.

Sarah sulked for a few moments before a sound caught her ear, and she snapped her head around in the direction of the sound, her eyes wide, like a deer that had head the snapping of a twig under a predator's velvety paw.

Sarah's eyes dimly perceived a dark shape moving forward through the grayness, causing the mist to swirl and undulate in its wake.

Sarah quickly stood and cast about wildly for something that she could use to defend herself, finally registering the absence of her sword and other belongings. Something was not right here…

There was nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. She was utterly defenseless, and in some strange place that she could not quite understand.

Sarah, against her own better judgment, stood her ground, deciding to face whatever was drawing nearer, instead of running like she should. Her time to solve the Labyrinth was drawing to a close, and she needed answers and knowledge, neither of which could be attained by running away. The time for running had long since passed.

Sarah readied her wits as the figure walked forward through the mist. She narrowed her eyes to try to discern who or what her adversary could be.

Suddenly, as if some incorporeal wind had rent them asunder, the mists parted and a dark shape stood before Sarah, startling her so much that she fell backwards, landing harshly on the hard ground.

It was a man who had parted the mists, coming to a stop a few feet from Sarah, his hands resting easily at his sides in a nonthreatening gesture. His long dark hair spilled over his broad shoulders. He wore simply cut clothes of pale silk and dark boots. He was at once the most beautiful and terrifying man that Sarah had beheld, though she could not possibly explain how or why she had come to this conclusion. She had the uneasy feeling that though this person looked human, the being standing before her was certainly not. Things were not always what they seemed in this place.

Neither Sarah nor the man spoke for a few moments. It was as if the frightened rabbit and the sly fox were calculating the odds of the rabbit's escape. Finally, the man broke the silence and moved forward a few steps, dipping into a graceful bow.

"Forgive me dearie," he said, his voice low and smooth, "It was not my intention to startle you."

Sarah was startled out of her thoughts and took a few seconds to recollect herself before blurting out a response.

"Who are you?" asked Sarah bluntly, wisely deciding against asking

'What are you?' If the Goblin King was any standard to go by, magical beings were proud and quick to anger.

The man before her laughed, the sound like the rippling water of a river; smooth and clear on the surface, but murky and laced with undetectable undercurrents below.

"Suffice it to say, I am a denizen of the Labyrinth," he replied, nodding his head at Sarah in a sort of half-bow. "If you require a name, alas, that I cannot provide, as it has been many a year since I last used it, and I am afraid that I have quite forgotten it. May I be so bold as to ask your name?" The creature replied smoothly, taking a few more steps forward and extending a hand to help Sarah up from where she had fallen to the ground.

Sarah hesitated before taking his hand, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. Sarah was past ignoring all of the warning bells that sounded in her mind, and the uncomfortable shivers that raced down her spine. She had unknowingly thrown herself into the trap without the slightest pretense of a struggle. Sarah had been entranced without even realizing that such a thing was possible.

"Thank you," Sarah replied, feeling a little dazed. What was wrong with her? She should be on her guard! Things were not always what they seemed in this place, and she knew better than to trust this man implicitly. Sarah realized that she still did not know where she was, nor did she know where her few remaining belongings had gone. She needed to get back to the path and resume her journey, not be charmed by some strange man in the mist. She shook her head slightly as if to try to clear the fog that had been affecting her ability to think clearly.

She was not the kind of girl who was smitten by one look from a handsome man, so why was she so now? It made no sense, especially given the circumstances…

"Your name?" asked the man, easily cutting through Sarah's stream of consciousness.

Sarah blinked stupidly for a moment, looking at the man as if she did not see him clearly. Her name? What was her name?

"Ah…Sarah…Sarah Guillemin." She bobbed a curtsey out of habit.

"Sarah," repeated the creature, lingering on the 's' in her name, drawing out the letter with a lazy grace. He smiled.

"Yes," said Sarah, uncomfortably self-conscious at how silly she sounded right now, "That is indeed my name. I'm sorry this is all just so very strange. I do not know where I am right now, and I need to be going…I must solve the Labyrinth you know…"

Sarah trailed off, realizing that what she was saying must be gibberish to the person before her. What was wrong with her? Her mind seemed to be wandering off in every direction, and there was no filter between her stream of consciousness and her mouth. It was as if she were trying to herd cats. It was impossible.

"I thought that you might be him," confided Sarah conspiratorially, glancing around at the mist that surrounded them as if someone else was listening in.

"Him?" asked the man quizzically, quirking an eyebrow at Sarah's comment.

"You know, him," giggled Sarah, feeling a bit light-headed. She felt almost drunk. She had hardly any control over herself. She needed to get away from this man immediately, something was not right with him, and she had a funny feeling that it was about to get worse. "You know," continued Sarah, gesturing as if to try to illustrate her point. "The king. The Guardian of the Labyrinth, Protector of the whatever. He of many titles, none of which mean terribly much. You know, tall. Blonde. Wears an awful lot of armor. Has delusions of grandeur and an annoyingly persistent ability to bear a grudge over many a century. The thorn in my side and the fae who turned my world upside down with just a few cruel words. The Goblin King."

"Ah."

The man seemed a bit nonplussed at Sarah's little poetical tirade.

"You remind me of him," said Sarah, mentally leaping past all of the warning signs that flooded her mind and instead dived deep into the pool of insanity.

"Do I now?

"Mhmm." Sarah stared at the man, as if not really seeing him, mentally cataloging the similarities.

"Is that good or bad?" The man leaned forward a bit, staring intensely at Sarah.

Sarah was taken aback slightly, startled from her preoccupation of studying the man. Which was it? "I…I do not know," she finally replied.

"Would you like to find out?" asked the man silkily, walking slowly towards Sarah, who was rooted to the spot, her mind churning along at a sluggish pace.

Sarah watched him approach, as if studying a cat stalking after a mouse.

Before he could get more than an arms length from her, a sensible thought of self-preservation finally clunked into place in her brain, and she hastily took a few steps back.

"I should go," said Sarah, turning slightly as if trying to see the way out of the mist and back to the Labyrinth proper. Why was she here? What had she been doing before?

"Why?" The man closed the distance between them and gently laid a hand on her arm.

"Hmm?" Sarah could think of nothing but the man's hand resting on her arm. He was touching her…

"Why?" The man quietly asked once more, a smile playing around the corners of his lips. He slid Sarah's hand deftly into the crook of his arm.

"Why what?" Sarah asked, confused. Had he asked her a question? She could not remember.

The man finally let the smile he had been restraining spread freely over his features. He grinned wolfishly at Sarah, who smiled back, pleased that she had made the man happy.

"Nothing." He replied, innocently.

Sarah allowed herself to be led through the mists by this strange man, this man who seemed at once so familiar and so foreign to Sarah, but whom she instinctively trusted. It was so odd…

"What was I doing here?" asked Sarah light-headedly, her arm linked securely in the arm of the man beside her.

"You were on a journey," replied the man, looking down at Sarah as if she were a lamb and he the wolf.

"What kind of a journey? I cannot seem to recall…how odd…" Sarah shook her head confusedly, the thoughts slipping like water through her fingers.

"You were on a journey to bring down a kingdom."

"Was I? How thrilling! I expect I was making a right mess of it, was I?"

"You were actually doing quite well, all things considered," admitted the man, "That was, however, until you met me."

"Why is that?" Sarah looked confusedly up at the beautiful man, who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, his brow furrowing at a memory that was clearly unpleasant.

"Because, my dear, the Goblin King and I have a score to settle, and unless I am very much mistaken, the Goblin King wants you very much. Very much indeed." The man laughed, as if sharing in his own private joke.

"Why would the Goblin King want me?" asked Sarah a little nervously, quite taken aback by the turn of conversation, "I'm nobody…just…just Sarah."

"Why indeed…" mused the man, looking at Sarah once more as if he was looking into her soul. Sarah shivered.

Sarah thought for a moment before speaking slowly, trying to piece together a puzzle for which she only had a handful of pieces.

"Does he love me?" She spoke plainly, her bluntness amusing the man beside her.

"Of that, I am not sure.

"Surely he must if he is going to such lengths to acquire my affections. Was that what my journey was? To get to him?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"Funny," said Sarah, "you think that I would remember a man who loved me. Do I love him?"

The man laughed, clearly enjoying Sarah's loss of memory. She was so candidly truthful and unwaveringly perceptive.

"I think that you feel very strongly about the Goblin King, my dear Sarah, but I cannot say that love is one of the emotions that is featured among your feelings towards him."

"I must," argued Sarah, slipping her arm out of the man's grasp. She turned towards him and looked up into his face, "Why else would I go on a journey to him?"

"Forget him," said the man, stepping closer to Sarah, the mists swirling dreamily as he moved, "Stay here, with me, Sarah. Forget about the Goblin King."

"But…he loves me," objected Sarah, taking a step back from the man.

"What could the Goblin King possibly offer you that I could not give you tenfold? He is weak compared to the likes of I. He is but a king. I am so much more.

"He took everything away from you. Why should you feel beholden to him? It is not very fair, is it? Why give him the satisfaction of running his little Labyrinth, why not defy him and refuse his expectations. You do not need to depend upon his whim to win your freedom. Strike out on your own and win it yourself. I know of ways for you to become even more powerful than he, ways that he has never even dreamed of."

The man laughed as if sharing in his own private joke.

"But I digress. Why do we waste time talking of the Goblin King. He means naught to you."

Sarah nodded vaguely, drunk on the fantasies that this man was spinning for her, unaware of the dangers that she was toying with.

"Forget him," whispered the man, drawing the dazed Sarah into his arms, "Think no more of the Goblin King…"

Sarah stared up at the man, his influence washing over her. Suddenly, she blinked rapidly, clearing some of the daze that had clouded her mind.

"What are you?" She asked, still inquisitive. "You say you are more than a goblin king. You cannot possibly be a man, then. What are you?"

"You should have asked before," he said, smiling wickedly, "Forewarned is forearmed, after all."

Sarah did not say anything, waiting for the answer.

"I am an incubus, my dear."

"Oh, is that good?" Sarah queried. She was trying to piece together the thoughts in her brain, but as soon as she had connected some piece of evidence, she forgot some other memory. It was incredibly frustrating.

"For some. It depends on how you look at it."

"Mmm," said Sarah noncommittally. The name niggled at her brain, though she could not place it. She thought that she had heard of incubi before…

"Stay here, where time can never touch you. Here you can never age, never die. Here you can attain a power more great and terrible than any before you. All shall kneel before you; love you and despair."

He began to pace around her in languid circles, his eyes fixed intensely on her face, weaving his intoxicating spell around her once more.

"You were meant for more than just a normal life, Sarah Guillemin," he intoned, his voice hypnotic, "How could you ever go back to the life you knew before, after you have seen and done so much here in the magical realm…who could ever choose to go back to a normal life?"

"Stay here," Sarah jumped as he whispered in hear ear, "Stay here with me, Sarah…"

Sarah blinked slowly, her mind moving at a lethargic pace.

What purpose would it serve to return to a normal life now that she'd seen all of the magical and wonderful things that this world held? What waited for her at home besides a dull life of duty and boredom?

"But…" said Sarah slowly, her tongue leaden, "What about my family? I would miss them so much. I already do…"

"Them?" scoffed the beautiful man, his eyes alight with a fiery passion, "Why grieve for a family who threw you to the wolves, to the unknown? Why do you think that they did not put up a fight when you were taken away? Why has no attempt been made to come and find you, to rescue you?"

"Because…because the Goblin King forbade it," said Sarah, a hint of uncertainty sneaking into her voice.

The man threw back his head and laughed heartily.

"Of course not," he said spitefully, "that pompous king has no more power over them than a rabbit does a hungry fox, no, can you not guess the reason why? It is quite plain, my dear."

Sarah looked at him, bewildered, and shook her head.

"Why, my dear, it is because your parents have all they need now, they finally have an heir, a son. Why would they care for you any longer? What importance can an old, unmarried daughter have? You were no longer needed."

Sarah took a step backwards, horrified. "Why would you say such things?" she cried, one hand flying up to clutch at her suddenly aching heart, "Why spew such lies?"

"Because they are no lies, precious," simpered the man, moving forward to circle Sarah's shoulders in his comforting embrace. "Did you not see the signs? The joyful relief that was plain on their faces once your brother was born? Their callous disregard for your attentions and words? It will be so much simpler for them now that they no longer have to try to marry you off," he said, "One less burden now that they have their golden child."

"YOU LIE!" screamed Sarah, tearing herself away from the man, frightened at the intensity of her own emotions, and the gut feeling of the truthfulness of the incubus' words.

"Would that I could, precious, to spare you such pain," he crooked a finger at her and turned to focus on a shallow stone basin that was perched atop a stone pedestal. One moment it was just mist, the next, corporeal objects. What else lay hidden in the swirling grayness?

"You do not believe me, and yet, here I can show you the truth."

Sarah stepped forward cautiously, eyeing the basin warily. As Sarah walked closer to the man's side, she saw that the stone basin was full of water, smooth and as sill as glass.

"I have the ability of crying, among other things," said the incubus, gesturing a hand to the basin, which suddenly began to ripple as an image formed in its watery depths.

"Your family," he said, following Sarah's gaze to the water, upon whose surface was the images of her family, happy and safe, her father and mother smiling and playing with a cheerful Aubrey, no hint of despair or worry for their daughter visible on their faces. "See, they have already forgotten you," the incubus murmured, pity staining his tone.

"No…" Sarah whispered, unable to believe her eyes, and yet, there was her family, happier and better off without her. No daughter, no curse, no worrying about a vengeful Goblin King, no burden of a daughter past her prime, a daughter whom no one wanted…

"Why feel such sadness for so vile and hateful a family? Why not be glad that you are rid of the burdens and duties they could force upon you? Now you can live free, to live as you please."

Sarah said nothing, her heart hardening, trying to rid her mind of the cheerful childhood memories of her family. They are all lies, she thought, every single one of them. They never wanted me, they wanted a son, a strong, healthy son to carry on the line of Guillemins, but never me. They only kept me because there was no better alternative. I hate them…

The incubus smiled wickedly as he watched the play of emotions dart across Sarah's face. He began to circle her once more, pacing like a tiger whose quarry was nearly within reach.

"Forget them, Sarah, forget them all…"

"Yes, they are nothing to me now," replied Sarah dully, "they never really wanted me, never."

"Such a pity, dearie," crooned the incubus softly, stroking Sarah's hair, "Poor lamb…why not stay here with me?"

Sarah looked at the incubus sharply, her expression both quizzical and surprised.

"Why not stay there you are wanted, where you are desired? Stay here with me, and I will make you a queen among queens. All who cross your gaze shall love you at once and stand in despair of your awesome might."

"A queen," Sarah breathed, her traitorous family quite forgotten.

"My queen," said the incubus, stepping forward to envelop Sarah is his embrace, "be my queen, Sarah. I could not possibly love another as much as I love you. I have watched you throughout your journey through the Labyrinth, and I find myself quite incandescently enraptured with you."

Sarah could hardly draw breath, her heart was thumping quite fast now, and her head was spinning. This ethereally beautiful creature loved her? Out of all of the women on the earth, he chose her!

"My love," he said huskily, running his hands lightly up and down her arms, drawing forth a flurry of goose bumps in their wake, "What do you say to my proposition?"

Sarah leaned her head back to look up at him. He was quite close now, looking down at her intently, his eyes lidded. "What could I possibly say?" Sarah said, a tad desperately.

"Say you'll stay here with me, forever," he replied, resting a hand on her lower back, drawing her body flush with his. Sarah felt her cheeks redden. She should not be allowing such things; she did not know this man…

"My dearest Sarah," he said silkily as his other hand drifted up to cup her chin, tilting her head upwards once more, "Say you'll stay here with me, my love," his head began to descend, his eyes fixed on Sarah's lips. Sarah's eyes fluttered shut, and she raised her lips to meet his.

"Stay…" the man murmured. He had her trapped.

Suddenly, Sarah was wrenched bodily from the incubus's grip as something grabbed her roughly by the shoulder.

Sarah sat bold upright, gasping for air. She was in the Labyrinth she knew, back by the same reflecting pool as before, where she had apparently fallen asleep.

Before Sarah could catch her breath, a vile shriek tore through the still air, emanating from the pool. A foul creature had risen from the water, its beady eyes narrowed malevolently in her direction. Sarah tried to draw her sword from its scabbard, but she did not have the time to raise it to defend herself.

All of a sudden, something white streaked through the air towards the creature, tearing at it with sharp talons. It was a white owl. It tore at the incubus, giving Sarah the much-needed time to fumble with her sword. She ripped it from its sheath and thrust it towards the foul creature in the pool, where it met its mark with a sickening sound. The thing in the pool let out an ear-rending cry as it clutched at the sword that was sunk into its breast. Sarah pulled out her weapon and threw herself backwards, away from the pool and the monster within.

The thing sunk slowly back into the water with a piteous howl, staining the water red. Sarah remained still for several moments, bloodied sword still clutched in a shaking hand.

With a soft cry, Sarah dropped the blade and hugged her knees to her chest, trying to stop her uncontrollable shaking. She had almost been lost in the vile nightmare world of that creature. How easily it had ensnared her mind…

Suddenly, the owl that had protected her flew down to alight upon the ground a meter or so from Sarah's feet. It cocked its head curiously at her.

Sarah smiled weakly at the bird.

"Thank you," she said softly, nodding her head at the owl.

In return, the owl hooted once and took off, flying up into the night air, disappearing just as quickly as it had appeared.

Sarah rose shakily to her feet, gathered her new belongings, and set off quickly, tying to get as far away from the dark pool as she possibly could.

Two days gone.

AN: Sorry for the late chapter! I was working late and forgot to post this before work! I must say, this was one of my favorite chapters to write! Perhaps it shall inspire me to write a more dark!Jareth fic some day? (No promises!) I loved delving into Sarah's mind and to unravel just a bit of her subconscious!

Disclaimer: Labyrinth and its characters do not belong to me. Quotes from the movie belong to Henson, Froud, and Lucas. Quotes from the book belong to A.C.H. Smith.