The Truths That Tie.
Chapter III.
The Great Escape.
Sarah heard the guards doing their nightly rounds. Checking that each person was in the correct room. Some rooms had two or three patients to a room. Sarah was not one of them, for whatever reason she had been left a tiny room to herself which was just as well. Even with the lights out, there was a bright stream of light coming threw the rectangular window in her door. Sarah laid on her side facing the room, she figured it was just turning two in the morning or so. The guards did thier checks every two hours at night. Her door clicked open, and the rectangle of light grew larger. Instead of the large shadow of one of the guards, a much shorter shadow appeared.
"Sarah...are ya in here?" a rough voice asked. Sarah shifted her eyes to the sound, but didn't move otherwise. A small man with a large head and wrinkles stood in the doorway. He had on brown dirty pants and a poets shirt with dingy vest on. A few small bags and trinkets hung off his waste. A tiny hat and torn shoes completed his outer wear. She pulled her eyebrows together ever so slightly. At the sight of the little man, Sarah instantly felt a familiar throb begin at the base of her neck all the way up to behind her eyes.
"Sarah let's go!" Another body appeared in the door way, Toby. He was wearing the same cloths as this afternoon. His eyes were wide with what looked like a fear, and maybe a bit of excitement.
After Sarah did little more than start to lift her head, Toby rushed over and hauled Sarah to her feet. He gave her no time to adjust her feet before yanking her forward. What happened next was only a few minnutes, but to Sarah, it felt so much longer.
Sarah's feet took on her weight, something they had not been used to do in years much other then for just a moment. As Toby pulled her across the tiny room, past the little man, and out into the hall, it became apparent how weak her legs had gotten. The first step caught Sarah off guard, and she nearly fell. As her second step was quick to follow, she wasn't sure she would be able to walk at all. She stumbled and her weight fell on Toby, who just held onto her tighter and kept running foward. The bright lights from the florescent bulbs abover her head blinded her for just a moment. And as the black spots started to fade, all the noise finaly made their way to her ears.
Doors were being slammed, metal carts colliding into anything in their path, a siren of some sort was whining loudly as well as spaced out alarm lights flashing down the lengths of the halls. An Aid appeared in her view, and as soon as she saw him, he fell to the ground. A long haired grey and white dog had grabbed the man by the ankle and pulled him to the ground. He barked in victory as he thrashed his head a few times. The halls were littered with papers, medical supplies and other random items. Chaos was everywhere, all the while little flashes of tiny somethings passed threw Sarah's vision.
A sudden sharp turn snapped Sarah's head forward. Wide open was a door that led to a small room, with another door open as well. Once past the doors, Sarah saw what she assumed to be a front desk. She thought she heard sets of footsteps behind here, but she was groggy and wasn't sure if it was the echoes of her and Toby's own fumbling steps. Before she could process anything else, another set of doors were passed and Sarah was hit with censory overload.
Freezing air slammed into her and swam into her lungs. It blew into her eyes and ears, swirled around her legs and feet. It smelt cool and fresh, she had forgotten this smell long ago. And snow, snow was everywhere. It covered the grounds and continued to do so as it fell from the sky in a silent downfall. It brushed her cheeks, landed in her hair. Even at night, with only the parking lot lights illuminating it all, the snow seemed to bright. Bright beautiful white snow, not the ugly haunting white that was slathered everywhere in the building. This was a different kind of white, a white that instantly brought a tiny bit of peace to herself. Tree's were heavy with the white powder, and Sarah honestly thought she could stare at this sight forever. But fate had other plans.
"Sarah! Come on!" Toby interrupted her thoughts. "We have to hurry!"
No sooner had the words come out of his mouth did Sarah hear a noise she did remember. Numerous sirens from police cars with flashing lights were well on their way. A metal gate was a few dozen yards ahead and Toby led them that way. With a loud buzz, it opened. Toby kept them going forward as Sarah's feet felt like they barley were touching the frozen ground. Instead of staying on the sidewalk, they headed over towards a small wooded area.
"My Lady!" A voice rang out. Sarah didnt have time to find it's owner before Toby stopped abruptly.
"Sis, I can't drag you anymore, get on my back, we can move faster that way," Toby huffed. He had already turned moving one of Sarah's arms over his shoulder. He knelt down slightly, grabbing Sarah behind her knee's and quickly hauled his sister onto his back. She reflexively wrapped her other arm around Toby's neck. Toby ran on the best he could deeper into the woods. There was no path to follow, just more shadows whizzing by them, or at least Sarah thought there were.
The sirens roared threw the air and Sarah thought she saw the flash of red and blue lights growing brighter. Suddenly Toby slowed as they approached what looked to be a rock wall. All sizes of rocks laid scattered among the ground. Something, larger then a bear grunted and shifted one of the other larger boulders. It reveled nothing but a black hole. Then the lights, sounds and smells were gone. She couldnt have stopped Toby if she tried, as he plunged them both straight into the darkness.
"Is she well?"
"Should we try to feed her?"
"Not while she's sleepin' you numbskull!"
"When Sarah wake up?"
"It's been nearly a whole day..."
A flood of voices swirled around in Sarah's head. She recognized the last voice as her brother. Her head still throbbed, and she lifted her hand slightly to touch her head.
"Sis! You awake?"Toby's voice called softly. Sarah opened her eyes slowly, taking in her surroundings. The first thing she saw was a ceiling, shorter then a normal room. It appeared to be made of shabby wood, likewise with the walls. A tiny bed, a table with a stool, a wood burning stove with glowing embers, and a window was all the little house was.
"My Lady! You have awoken!" a small fix like creature appeared before her, bowing. Sarah stared at him, her eyes a bit unfocused. Trying to get past her headache, she knew this fox, somehow. As hard as she tried, to just couldn't quiet get his name. Yet she did know enough as to not be afraid of him, as someone else might.
The small wrinkled man was there too. Sarah looked him over again.
"...me? I wouldn't go either..."
Sarah looked back at Toby with a bit of uncertainty. He exchanged looks with the fox and tiny man, then back to Sarah.
"Sarah, its Sir Didymiss and Hoggle, your friends," Toby explained, like she should already know that.
"Luuuuudo!" a deep whine rang from somewhere outside the house.
"And Ludo, too," Toby smiled and nodded his head to the window where the creatures giant head took over the window.
Suddenly, the wooden door flew open, banging against the wall behind it. A howling wind brought in thick, fluffy swirling snow flakes. Hoggle, Toby and Sir Didymus stood, blocking Sarah. Hoggle quickly pulled the blankets up over her head before turning back to the door. The figure bowed its head to accommodate for the low doorway. A dark, velvety cape bellowed around him. Blond hair whipped over his mismatched eyes. Finally he stood with his arms crossed over his chest, scowling down at the bunch. The dusty cottage become even smaller and the flames from the stove flickered rapidly under the assault of the winter winds blowing inside.
"Please tell me I am not seeing, what I think I am seeing," The Goblin Kings' voice dripped with venom.
"Your Majesty, I...er, ya' see-" Hoggle stammered out, but the King raised his hand, silencing him.
"I have spent the past bit of my time Aboveground cleaning up the mess you and your rag tag team of ingrates have created. You invaded a medical facilty! It has caused an uproar! Do you know how many humans saw you?! How many minds I've been tampering with to erase the memories of all this?!" The Goblin King fumed, running a leather gloved hand over his face.
"Sire-" the Fox started, but like Hoggle, was stopped short.
"And your reasoning behind all this? I'm beyond ecstatic to hear this. Never in a thousand years did I ever think you all would do something this foolish! Even more so with you," Thier King shot a glance at Sir Didymus, who dipped his head ever so slightly. "And you..."
The Goblin King pointed to Toby.
"...Will be added to the list of memories that will be erased. Bringing a human to the Underground, really what were you all thinking? Yet another mess I must take care of thanks to this crazed idea," The King shook his head slightly. Toby suddenly stepped forward.
"Your not messing with my mind in anyway. I know who you are, and I'm not afraid of you!" Toby glared up at the man. "And they had to bring me here! They were only helping. They did what I asked them to do."
The Goblin Kings' eyebrows shot up in surprise. Never had he been addressed in such a way, even more so by a human. He looked him over. The boy looked to be in his early teens. Blue eyes and blonde hair, an average looking mortal. Then he looked closer, he knew this boy, of that he was certain. Yet from where? He narrowed his eyes in on the boy.
"What's you name?" The King asked carefully.
A bit of Toby's courage deserted him then. Should he tell him his name? Would he know if he was lying or not? He didn't have any longer to question. He saw something register in the Goblin Kings eyes, and a smirk spread across his face.
"My, my your all grown up this time around, " The King paced left, then right. "Though I am curious as to why you have returned here young Toby." He also wondered about Sarah, he had not seen her since the night she returned home. He had decided against visiting her again, and she had never called anyways.
Toby wasn't sure if he could trust the King or not, sadly his options were limited.
"I had to," Toby stated as he followed the King with his eyes.
"Oh you did?" The King nearly seemed to mock him. "Well maybe this time you'll be staying indefinitely? We never have any human return to the Underground, ever."
"Well, I don't know think I'll be here long. And you know what they say, there's a first time for everything,"Toby snapped back, but a bit quieter. The Goblin King looked almost pleased, or surprised, Toby couldn't really tell.
"Still I ask, how did you get here?" The Goblin King stood but a foot from Toby.
"Hoggle," Toby simply said. "Everyone was only doing what I asked them to do, like I said." After a thought Toby added, "Threw the mirror."
"A mirror?" The King asked. There was only one passageway from Above that was a mirror. Sarah's room, and it was supposed to be closed.
"Well, that's how I asked for their help," Toby told him. "We came here threw a pathway in the woods by-" Toby stopped, and his eyes involuntarily flashed over to were Sarah was laying under the blankets. The Goblin King didnt miss it either.
"Well if your not intending to stay long, please tell me your reasons for visiting. You've told me how and who, but why, Im very interested to know," the King glued another cheshire smile to his face.
"I..." Toby's thoughts scrambled. He wasn't sure what to say. His feelings on the Goblin King were mixed. Whenever Sarah told him stories of this place, she never really placed him as the Hero, but not the Villain either. She was reserved when he was placed in the magical stories that Toby knew were true. Maybe thats why all this hadn't shocked him as it would someone else. He already believed his sister all along, even when others said it was impossible. So when Hoggle appeared in the mirror, he met the little fox knight and the gentle rock calling giant, rescued his sister and ran into a hidden pathway that led to the Underground where he was face to face with the Goblin King himself, nothing seemed impossible.
"Well?"
Toby wrung his hands. Sarah wasn't in good shape, he could see that. She had been sleeping for an entire day, and the shape he saw in her at the hospital wasn't promising. He wasn't sure of how much help Hoggle and the others could be, and he had a choice to make.
"You have to swear," Toby said to to the Goblin King, his tone of voice far beyond his years.
"Swear?" the King questioned. "Swear what, young Toby?"
"Swear you'll help, that you won't hurt her," Toby straightened his back, again glancing back without meaning to. Suddenly he was pushed aside lightly, and he found himself not fighting the man. The Goblin King knelt down and looked at the pile of dusty old blankets. A moment later, he carefully grabbed the top blanket and pulled it back.
"...Sarah...?"
The word left his mouth in little more then a whisper. A thin girl laid on her side in a dirty, over sized shirt and pants that were supposed to be white. Her ebony hair was long, and unkept. It seems to tangle itself over and over untill it fell over her shoulders and down her back. She had some dirt smudged on her face, probably from the floor. Her lips where full, but pale. Dark purple circles laid under her eyes, and her entire body seemed hallow. He wondered what had happened to his precious champion. She had grown up, he could tell that. She was a woman now, not a young girl. Her beauty still showed threw the terribly kept body. She appeared to be sleeping, but her face was pulled into a scowl. He quickly scooped her up in his arms, and turned around to face Toby and his subjects.
"You have my word," He said and in a flash, they were all teleported to the castle at the center of the Labyrinth.
Hope you all enjoyed! Please reveiw!