Hello everyone! Sincere apologies that I've fallen off the face of the earth - I have not abandoned this project by any means! I am backfilling a rather hellish position at work and will not be free of it until April, so updates will probably be slow until then.
While you're waiting for future chapters feel free to refresh yourself by re-reading, and if you're thinking 'geez this is better than I remember' - yup, not your imagination, we have my wonderful Beta nothingnothingtralala to thank for that! She is pretty much a wizard, a really, really awesome wizard, and has gone back through all my previous chapters to give them a good whipping. If anyone hasn't checked out her story: Goblin Spies and Unexpected Visitors (seriously what are you doing with your life if you haven't?) then you should totally get over there and appreciate her brilliance. Of course if you appreciate her too much and try to steal her from me I may be forced to unhinge my jaw and swallow you whole... just so you're forewarned (yes, I may have had a glass of wine before posting this, doesn't make that statement any less true).
I will do my best to update again soon - feel free to review guilt me, it'll probably work.
It was difficult to tell the exact moment of the change.
One moment she was falling in the elevator, the small space washed with red light and the sound of Carl screaming in the background. The next moment, she was simply falling in darkness. Even when she landed, that world stayed black, hidden from her.
It was like waking up from a dream.
She blinked groggily as filtered light finally made its presence known, and impatiently waited for her eyes to adjust under the sudden assault. It was very different to the last time; she felt tired and weak from the transition. Before, she had simply walked from Toby's room into the Underground. They were not on the hill overlooking the goblin city, despite the fact that in her mind that was always the starting point of the Labyrinth; instead she found herself in the throne room of the palace, tucked neatly into the seat of power. As she sat up on the throne with a start, her knees swung free, and she clenched her teeth at the sudden ache of pins and needles that ran through them.
"Ah," came the Goblin King's voice from close by, "you're awake, Sarah." She kneaded a fist into her tingling appendages and tilted her head towards the voice. He sat nearby, bending forward with his legs slightly apart, his arms propped up on his knees and his fingers steepled over his lips. He was wearing a high-necked black shirt now, buttoned up all the way in an intensely un-Goblin-King-like manner.
"What happened?" she asked.
"You tell me," he replied dryly. Standing, he approached her slowly until he was only a hand span from the throne. "For some reason, it was very difficult to pull you from your world and into the Labyrinth Sarah, and considering that you now belong to me, would you please explain why, despite the fact that you have traded yourself to me, I still can't touch you?" he growled.
Sarah smiled: an unexpected side effect, but a useful one. "Aww, poor baby," she cooed.
Angrily, he spread his arms wide, placing them on the throne headrest either side of her face, to imprison her in an impersonal embrace. "YOU ARE MINE!" he roared, and she saw the muscles in his arms flex as he gripped the throne tightly. "You are payment for the wish which has already been granted, my broken thing, freely given!" Sarah saw his eyes widen as his own words sank in.
"Freely given?" she smirked, raising her eyebrow in an imitation of him. "Did you really think that I, Sarah Williams, would EVER give YOU my freedom by choice?"
His eyes narrowed as he stared intensely into hers. "So I have taken you, but it was not a trade you gave freely?" he asked icily. He was scarily calm now, although he was breathing heavily and his eyes still held the fire of rage that must be burning somewhere deep within him.
"If you knew me at all Goblin King, if you hadn't been so rushed, that might have occurred to you."
He pushed away from the throne with a loud sigh and stroked his lips with a gloved hand. "That would explain why it was so difficult to bring you into the Labyrinth... you were fighting me the whole way," he said.
"That's hardly new," she drawled.
The Labyrinth.
She was in the Labyrinth. The same Labyrinth where the children were, children she had put here. Had they been turned into goblins yet? How much time had passed between worlds? The Goblin King had told her that the children from the second wish would be wished away, but they had not been at the time, was this still the case? She was where she wanted to be, needed to be, but it wasn't like she had a plan, just a crazy idea and good intentions… And luck; the Goblin King himself had told her that her powers of luck had never really disappeared; she had sabotaged herself in that matter. If her power was proportional to the power he did not have over her, and she suspected it was since it was power she had taken from him, she had less luck now. She had traded it for the power to communicate with him and see him unknowingly, but there was still a little bit of luck left since he still had not regained his power to touch her, and the power of smell was also outstanding between them. For the first time Sarah wondered why she could touch him when she had not wished for it, he could not touch her, and it was an oddity which she had not considered before, uneven between them.
"This is unacceptable, Sarah; the trade must be something given of your free will. You've short changed me. I still expect payment on that last wish," demanded the Goblin King, interrupting her thoughts.
"Expect away," flaunted Sarah, trying to sound assured, leaning back in the throne as if she belonged there. She was frightened, heartbroken and exhausted, she'd almost given up – but she couldn't let him know that, she couldn't show him weakness.
"I will have it," he warned.
"Very well then," she smiled. She pulled off the heels she was wearing, wiggling her numb toes as she did so: it was reasonable to say these wouldn't be useful anymore. One couldn't run in heels; they were unwanted. "Green pumps for your royal outrageousness, freely given."
He gave her a dangerous look, his eyes ablaze, and leaned in close to her face. "I already have what I want; it just needs to be given freely. I will have you, Sarah; give in and be mine." His breath was hot on her face, his closeness overpowering. Every movement of his lips, so close to her own, it was as if they hovered seconds from a kiss. He whispered the words into her cheek, along the hollow of her throat, his gentle exhalation brushing her eyelashes in an intimate caress. "Sarah mine, don't you know how I long to touch you? To run my fingers through your hair and place my lips on your soft skin, to hold you, Sarah." The warmth emanating from him made it feel as though he were touching her, his words slipping beneath her skin even as his lips skimmed over it. She shuddered with desire.
"Goblin King-" She stopped herself. Her voice was thick with longing; not good. She took a deep breath; she tried to think about his betrayal, about how he had hurt her, about the children. "Goblin King, I will give you want you want… freely. I will give you dominion over me, the power to touch; I will become your willing slave," she could see the hungry look in his eye again, "on one condition." He licked his lips and she forced herself to look away.
"Name it," he whispered. Sarah leaned forward, causing him to back up slightly, before the no contact restriction could force him away.
"Give me the children," she said. Standing, she moved towards him, making him step backwards to remain out of contact. His eyes narrowed angrily at her.
"No," he growled.
"What a pity," she taunted, continuing her approach, "that's the only thing I want from you." He stopped as he ran up against the wall behind him and scowled at her.
"Don't defy me Sarah," he threatened, but his voice faltered slightly, and Sarah smiled.
She leaned one elbow on the wall behind him and rested her cheek on the palm of her hand, just shy of his ear. Reaching out, she lazily ran a long ribbon of his hair between her fingers. "I think you like it, really," she whispered to him. Then she yanked his hair, pulling his face forward and closing her mouth over his, kissing him with a daring ferocity. She couldn't be entirely sure whether she was trying to entice the Goblin King or merely satisfy her own desires; either way this was dangerous, seducing someone who had already stolen her heart. The only thing that kept her mind and body from crumbling was the thin veil of hatred she still held for him, and even that seemed like a gauzy shadow when he was this close. His body tensed beneath hers, trying to react to the kiss, but unable to. She grazed his bottom lip with her teeth before pulling away. It would have amused her to see how naked his expression was, how heavily he panted, but for the fact that she couldn't be sure that her own composure wasn't a mirror of his. Breathing deeply, his eyes blazed with passion as he looked at her; slowly he flicked out his tongue and ran it across his bottom lip.
"Forget about the children, Sarah," he rasped.
"I can't," she told him, running a finger across his cheek, "don't you see that I can't? If you want to touch me, Goblin King, you'll have to play my game." His eyes flashed at her words and a slow steady smile spread across his face, then he was gone. Sarah stared fixedly at the wall where he had been pinned: she had almost had him, she was sure she had...
"A game, Sarah? Yes… let's play a game," echoed his voice from behind her. Turning, she found that he was now draped across his throne, a contemptuous grin mocking her. He ran his gloved fingers back and forth across his parted lips playfully. "If you win the game, I will let you go, but if I win, you must become mine, willingly."
"That's not good enough, the prize is too vague," argued Sarah. "You must give me the children, not goblins, but children. They must be returned to their families, just as they left. Then you must take me back to my family."
The Goblin King snarled, "I ask only for one thing Sarah, you have a multitude of needs, don't expect me to meet them all." Sarah hesitated, he offered her freedom, it wasn't the deal she wanted, but it was something, which was more than she had right now. She had luck on her side, couldn't she use that to find the children in the Labyrinth and then save herself, taking advantage of his offer to free her?
"Very well, then you must return me to my family… unharmed, and that must be an end to it Goblin King, you can't come to find me again, even if I make a wish."
"Fine," he hissed, "those are your stakes, and now let me make mine clear. You will be mine, in mind and body, even if I cannot have your heart I will have the rest of you. I will have power over you, forever; you will never leave the Labyrinth." He grinned nastily. Sarah tried to quiet the thudding of her heart, the heart that already belonged to him. If she gave him everything else, she might cease to be herself anymore. She would just be a Sarah puppet.
"What is the game?" she asked, her mouth dry, "another run through the Labyrinth?"
"I think we both know the outcome of such a jaunt by now," he sneered. "I have something else in mind. "I will give you thirteen hours, one Labyrinth day, for every wish you have made. At the end of each day, I will ask you a question, always the same question. If you cannot answer my question by the end of the third day then I will be the winner; if you can answer it, correctly, then you will win."
"What sort of question?" asked Sarah.
"Now that would be telling," he replied.
Sarah sighed. "How can I be sure this is a question I can possibly answer?"
"Oh, it is, precious, it's simply a little bit of trivia from your first run in the Labyrinth," he smirked.
Sarah paused, how well did she remember her first visit to the Labyrinth? Six years had passed since then; what if he asked her to tell him the ages of the Fireys, or how many pieces of junk the junk lady had handed to Sarah in 'her room'? Then again, what alternative did she have? Even if it was a difficult question she would have a couple of days to go out into the Labyrinth in search of it. Thirteen hours, three wishes, she would have three full days to find the children in the Labyrinth and free herself. It had taken her a whole day simply to locate Toby, but she was older now, wiser, and she was lucky – she might be able to do this.
"Very well, Goblin King, I agree. But I want you to ask me the question at the start of my first thirteen hours in the Labyrinth as well, so I can make use of my first day here, and the first thirteen hours must start immediately." Not letting that little loophole slip by…
"Greedy, greedy," he chided, "as you wish; we are in agreement then?"
"Yes," Sarah nodded, hoping she was doing the right thing. She reasoned that even if the question was ridiculous, even if he tricked her, she could use her time to try and find the children and hopefully free them. If she did manage to return from the Labyrinth then her father would also be safe. He would see that she was alive and well and have no reason to punish himself.
"Then your first hour begins now, Sarah mine," he chuckled.
"And the question?" she challenged.
He smiled lazily and a riding crop appeared in his hand; he slapped it against his boot eagerly. "Tell me, Sarah," he asked, pointing the crop in her direction, "what is my name?"
Sarah inhaled too quickly and choked on the excess air. This was too easy, how could this possibly be the question he wanted her to answer? She knew his name, she had known it since her first run in the Labyrinth, Hoggle had told her. She grinned triumphantly; she could solve this in a manner of seconds, she would wipe that arrogant smile right off his face.
"Do I need to wait until the first thirteen hours are up to answer?" she asked cockily.
The Goblin King tilted his head to one side: "Not at all, feel free to answer now." It gave Sarah pause; he didn't even look concerned, was she making a mistake? Hoggle had known his name, hadn't he?
Biting her lip, she reached into her memories for the name Hoggle had given her.
She couldn't remember.
Although she could remember Hoggle telling her, and she could remember hearing the name from his lips, she could not for the life of her, think of what it was. Horror washed over her as she looked up at the Goblin King; she could see from his smug expression that he knew it well. Six years had passed. She had never said the name aloud and she could not remember it. She swallowed noisily and tried to calm down. No big deal; it's only the first day. Hoggle knows the answer; I just need to find Hoggle... and the children. She took a step backwards towards the large wooden door which would lead her out of the throne room, time was of the essence.
"If you need me, just call my name," sneered the Goblin King, "and Sarah, I'm really looking forward to our first born child."
She turned then and ran, pushing the door open and sprinting as fast as she could to escape the Goblin King. Somewhere in the Labyrinth was her friend Hoggle, and he knew the one answer which could free her from both her guilt and the Goblin King's clutches. She would find the children and she would find his name: they would all leave together. As she made her way down the passage and out into the palace courtyard, she could hear the Goblin King's voice following behind her.
"You can go anywhere you want, precious, because this is my Labyrinth, and there is nowhere I can't follow."
Big hugs to those of you with raised hands on that last chapter, your prize is one free wish granted by the Goblin King himself... but as we've seen how those tend to end up (monkey's paw anyone?) perhaps you should just keep him hanging around without committing to anything?
arynwy: Poor Sarah, she was still expecting cake! Nice catch on Jareth's future sight, seeing isn't everything. I hope you enjoyed Sarah getting her kick ass on this chapter *wink*
nothingnothingtralala: I suspect it's been at least a day since I told you bout my deep, abiding love for you. I should probably write you a sonnet or something to express it, hopefully you'll settle for another spin off in the future instead *grin*
Aleta Wolff: Aww give Sarah some credit, she can still outsmart him can't she?
Lingering Sentiments: Yes, about halfway now. I'm happy to have surprised some people with the turn around, but I'm not done yet by any means!
fantasylunargurl: His kingliness should be showing up for your free wish anytime now, I'd suggest you might want to prepare yourself with something anti-fey just in case things get ugly (iron skillet perhaps?)
obsessive360: Aww shucks, to have a Jareth/Puck comparison I'm positively blushing, watch out for that free wish coming your way!
Kaytori: There's definitely a bit of blame of both sides, but it's certainly tipping in Jareth's direction isn't it? The question is will this imbalance remain? Don't worry, I'm a sucker for happy endings.
Mercycaller: Thanks for your support, sorry for the chapter delay.
Nanenna: Glad you're enjoying it, I'll try to make that interest last the distance!
gevalia: Subtilior is a wicked good Laby writer, but not to worry, I like it dark but not bleak. He's certainly got his flaws but it's obvious he's not completely unsympathetic. Thanks for your glowing review, it made me very happy, and as you said DUN DUN DUN - INTO THE LABYRINTH!
JaiNess: Here it is, SORRY SORRY SORRY! Late... and short... and... I'll post again soon, I promise!