A/N: And so it begins...
When the brilliant flare waned along with Mya's tinkling laughter, the group found that they had been transported to the Stone Quarter section of the Labyrinth.
The strange marker with the gnarled, pointing hands, loomed above them. The thick walls were cracked and covered with vines. Chunks of loose rock were scattered all over the various pathways.
As Sarah took in her surroundings, her eyes landed on the still-shackled barn owl. Instantly, a surge of panic erupted within her and she helplessly glanced around at the wreckage. She started to hyperventilate.
"Oh my God." She gasped, fisting her hair in her hands. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!"
"Sarah?" Hoggle muttered nervously.
"Oh my God! What are we gonna do?" The girl bawled, ignoring her friend. "What are we gonna do?!"
"Sarah, calm down." Hoggle said, approaching her with caution.
"Calm down?" She repeated, whirling to face him. "Calm down?! How can you stand there and tell me to calm down?! Do you realize the situation we're in right now?!"
"Yes, I know wh-"
"If we don't fix this," she waved her arms at the Labyrinth for emphasis, "in thirteen hours, then Jareth dies and the rest of you, and probably me too, will be enslaved!"
"Sarah, please, we just have to-"
"What the hell were you thinking anyway?" She growled, stomping towards the dwarf. "Why did you have to challenge her?!"
Hoggle flinched at the sudden ire towards him, but managed to glare right back.
"What are you yellin' at me for? I bought us some time! And I didn't challenge her, the Labyrinth did! I just told her about it!"
"You backed us into a corner!"
"If I hadn't done somethin', Mya woulda killed us for sure!"
Sarah backed away, shaking her head.
"I can't do this. This is too much, this is…just way too much!"
"You wanted to come!" Hoggle barked.
"Well one of you could've talked me out of it!" She shouted.
"That's exactly what we tried to do, so don't you dare blame us, little lady!" Hoggle seethed, kicking the dirt angrily. "For cryin' out loud, when will you ever learn to think before you speak?!"
"Shut up, Hoggle!" Sarah screamed, tears forming.
"Make me!"
"Wimpy midget!"
"Thoughtless brat!"
"ALRIGHT!" Sir Didymus roared, banging his staff against the marker. "THAT WILL DO!"
Both Sarah and Hoggle yelped when they felt themselves being lifted up and away from each other. Ludo held them apart like a pair of squabbling children.
"SAWA AND HOGGLE NO FIGHT!" The big lug groaned.
"Indeed." The fox knight declared firmly. "We have a job to do. Time is short, and the journey will be perilous, which is why we need to stick together and cease this childish bickering!"
"YEAH!" Ludo grumbled in agreement, placing the two back on their feet and giving them a slight nudge towards each other. "FWIENDS!"
Sarah sighed heavily. They were right.
We're all we've got.
"I'm sorry, Hoggle." She whispered, twiddling her fingers.
"Me too." Her friend murmured bashfully.
"That's better." Sir Didymus grinned. "Now, I believe our first order of business should be to take care of this little problem."
He tapped the chain gently.
"I am certain that it's dreadfully uncomfortable."
Jareth!
Sarah spun on her heel and jogged over to the bird. Her hand flew to her mouth in horror as she inspected the metal bind around his leg. It was clasped so tightly against his skin, blood was beading along the edges.
"We gotta get it off of him!" She reached for the cuff.
Immediately, Jareth beat his wings furiously at her and hopped away.
"Hey!" She exclaimed in indignation. "What's your problem? I'm just trying to-"
"Allow me, my lady." Sir Didymus interrupted, striding past her. "Brother Ludo, would you be so kind as to fetch me one of those thorns? Do be careful."
"OK!" Ludo smiled and obediently grabbed one of the thick spikes in his large paw. It broke off with ease.
"I thank thee." Sir Didymus bowed, taking the thorn from the monster. "Sir Hoggle, if you would please tie a clean handkerchief around his majesty's leg once I remove the shackle?"
"Uh, right." Hoggle nodded, fishing the cloth from his pocket.
Facing Jareth, Sir Didymus straightened his back and saluted.
"With your highness's permission?"
The owl clicked its beak at the goblin and extended his leg.
Sarah winced at the internal sting of rejection
Without wasting a second, Sir Didymus jammed the thorn into the tiny lock on the ring and twisted it in several different directions before there was a click, and the restraint fell harmlessly onto the pavement. Once Hoggle had finished dressing the small wound with the hanky, Jareth hooted and preened his feathers.
"Well," Sir Didymus smirked proudly, "now that that has been dealt with, we can discuss the matter at hand. We need a plan. Lady Sarah, what are your thoughts?"
"Me?" Sarah blanched. "What makes you think I have a plan?"
"You are the Labyrinth's Champion, my lady." Sir Didymus reminded her. "If anyone can triumph over this calamity, it is you."
Sarah's shoulders drooped and she pressed her back against one of the damaged walls and slid down.
"Guys," she moaned sadly, "that was different. I was trying to save my brother; just one person, not an entire population! And all I had to do was get through the Labyrinth! Get from point 'A' to point 'B'! This isn't the same! This time, the Labyrinth is broken and solving it isn't going to work! So what? Are we just supposed to wander around until we just happen to stumble across something or someone that can magically fix everything in less than thirteen hours?!"
Hoggle sat down beside her and squeezed her arm comfortingly.
"I know it's bad, Sarah, but we gotta at least try. For all our sakes."
"I'm scared, Hoggle." She whimpered. "If we lose…"
As she trailed off, her frightened gaze locked with Jareth's. He slowly cocked his head at her.
"Then we will lose with honor." Sir Didymus finished with determination. "But we have not lost yet, my lady. This is only the beginning. Sir Hoggle, do you have any ideas?"
The dwarf scratched his head.
"Not off the top of my head, but…I do keep lots of maps and journals at my house…maybe…maybe there's somethin' in them that'll help us!"
"An excellent suggestion, my dear friend!" Sir Didymus cheered.
"See, my lady?" He encouraged, giving the girl's knee a reassuring pat. "There is hope!"
Taking a deep breath, Sarah had to admit, she did feel a bit better now that they, at least, had a definite first step in mind.
"Okay." She agreed, rising from her crouched position. "Where do you live, Hoggle?"
"In the Firey Forest." He replied. "But I ain't sure how to get there from here."
She quirked an eyebrow at him.
"I though you knew the Labyrinth inside and out."
"Don't be ridiculous." Hoggle bristled. "Nobody but Jareth knows the Labyrinth that well! What I meant, was that that giant crack is blockin' the path. I saw it when the fairies were taking us to the castle. We're in the Stone Quarter on the east side, the forest is on the west. The good news is, that since the Labyrinth's always changin', we should still be able to find another way over, it just won't be one I'm familiar with. If we're lucky, it shouldn't take too long."
We definitely can't afford to waste any time. Sarah thought, looking back at Jareth. Squatting in front of the owl, she addressed it coolly.
"Why don't you fly up and see if you can find us another route?"
Jareth screeched at her.
She frowned in confusion and turned to her friends.
"What did he say?"
Everyone blinked at her in stunned silence.
"How should we know?" Hoggle finally asked, crossing his arms.
Sarah felt her cheeks darken.
"Um…I uh, you-you mean…you can't…?"
The dwarf's eyes narrowed in offense.
"We're goblins Sarah, not animals. However, I do think I know what he's tryin' to tell you."
Reaching down, Hoggle picked up a pebble and tossed it into the air. The moment it rose to the top of the wall, there was a bright blue flash. Tendrils of electric discharge spread out overhead. When it was over, the pebble dropped, literally smoking hot.
"We've agreed to a fair challenge." Hoggle mumbled, eyeing the sky apprehensively. "If we try to fly or climb over the walls, the Labyrinth will think we're cheatin'."
Sarah snapped her slack jaw closed.
"Alright, so we walk. But, he could still know something." She gave the owl her attention again. "Jareth, do you know a way we can win? Nod once for yes, twice for no."
Before Jareth could move, another sharp vine burst up from between the flagstones and wrapped around him. Sarah shrieked in alarm.
"Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater!" Mya's gleeful voice rang out over the Labyrinth. Hoggle and Ludo froze in terror as Sir Didymus ran around in circles, brandishing his staff and yapping like a terrier.
The vine constricted, and Jareth squawked in pain.
"Stop!" Sarah wailed, trying to pry the owl free. The thorns stabbed at her palms. "Please, stop! You're hurting him! We won't do it again, I promise! Please, just let him go!"
"Hmm," the saccharinely cruel voice paused in mock consideration, "okie-dokie! But remember, Jareth, no hinties!"
The vine automatically retracted. As Jareth shook out his feathers, unharmed, Sarah felt her heart return to a steady rhythm.
"Your majesty! My lady!" Sir Didymus called as the others crowded around the two. "Are you injured?"
"No," Sarah breathed with relief. "We're fine."
"SAWA HURT!" Ludo bellowed, pointing at her grazed hands.
"I'm fine, Ludo." She soothed, missing the way Jareth stiffened. "It's just scratches. I'm not bleeding or anything."
"Damn that Mya!" Hoggle grunted. "She really ain't gonna make this easy for us. The Labyrinth's broken, so the passages are even trickier, and we can't even get any clues from Jareth! Bloody witch!"
"We're just gonna have to do the best we can, guys." Sarah spoke softly, running a hand across her forehead as she stood. "Let's get moving. Which way, Hoggle?"
"Uh, this way." The dwarf rumbled, starting down the walkway to the right. "Keep up."
Jareth flew into the air and perched himself on Ludo's left horn as the big beast and Sir Didymus hurried after their friend.
Sarah bit her lip and followed the group, denying how she'd secretly hoped to carry the owl herself.
"Are you sure we're not going in circles, Sir Hoggle?" The fox knight inquired.
Sarah stifled a yawn, they'd been walking around the Stone Quarter for quite a while, it seemed. It was also dawning on her that she hadn't had any sleep in the last twenty four hours.
"I'm doin' the best I can!" Hoggle snarled.
"My apologies," Sir Didymus yielded, "I merely wished to-"
He was cut off by a piercing cry from Jareth.
Now fully alert, Sarah jumped forward, barely managing to catch the owl as it tumbled off of Ludo's head.
"What's happening?!" She fearfully demanded, as she placed the wildly twitching bird on the ground as gingerly as she could.
"Oh no." Hoggle whined deep in his throat. "Our first hour must be up."
"Huh?!" Sarah's confused eyes bored desperately into the dwarf's.
"Remember?" He urged. "Mya said Jareth would turn into a new animal every time an hour went by!"
Sarah felt herself break into a cold sweat at his words.
Oh God! I forgot all about that!
All she and her friends could do, was watch in trepidation as a blinding light enveloped the owl. Gradually, his form began to change shape.
A/N: Whoever can guess what animal Jareth will turn into gets a sneak-peek at the next chapter! But, to be fair, you only get one shot!