"Well it can't be that hard," Danica said to herself and ran to the labyrinth.

She turned a corner and the walls of the labyrinth towered in front of her. A trickling of water caught her attention; a dwarf was urinating close by into a pool of water. She turned her back to him, waiting for him to finish.

"Oh, oh. Sorry about that," he said as he saw her. He quickly zipped up his pants.

"It's alright." Danica turned back to him. He scrunched up his wart-filled face the moment he saw her. He turned his back to her and grabbed the bug-repellant from the ground.

"What do you want?"

"I have to run this labyrinth to save my siblings, would you help me?"

He ignored her and continued on towards small flying insects. Danica followed after him as he sprayed the insect with the bug-repellant calling out his count. She bent close to the insect and saw that it was a small human-like creature. It curled in on itself and coughed.

"What are they? Why do you kill them?" she asked as she hovered over the creature.

"Their fairies, nasty little creatures."

"But don't they grant wishes? I've only heard stories in which they were kind, like fairy godmothers."

"Shows what you know... 82," he said and watched as another fairy fluttered to the floor.

"That's horrible," Danica said. The fairy at her feet convulged and her faint glow faded.

"No, I'm Hoggle."

"I'm Danica, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm sure it is," Hoggle said and continued on along the wall of the labyrinth.

"How do I get into the labyrinth?"

Hoggle sighed and pointed to a large door, "You gets in there." The doors swung open, revealing only a brickwall blocking the path forward.

"Thank you."

"Yeah well, you're on your own. Have fun," Hoggle said and went back to his task. "I'm not doing this again," he said under his breath.

Danica nodded and stepped through the door. The path stretched endlessly into both directions, each looking the same as the other. She closed her eyes and spun in a circle, when she opened it she stared down the left sided path. She shrugged and set off into that direction.

The path loomed endlessly in front of her; it didn't matter how long she walked the path stayed the same. She stepped over a large glittery root and side stepped a dried-out branch hanging from the wall. It felt as if an eternity passed and still she hadn't gotten anywhere. It all looked the same.

The roots on the ground grew thicker and Danica found herself stepping over them more often. She broke off in a run but it didn't change anything. She stopped and huffed for breath. Her eyes trailed over the wall. Eyes were stairing back at her, small eyes growing from the wall as a sort of plant.

Danica giggled to herself as the eyes moved and made soft cooing noises at her. She stroked their mossy stems and they purred at the attention. "I really do have to keep going," she cooed to them.

They shrunk back from her, pressing against the wall. Danica frowned. She reached for them again but they didn't react, their were focused on something behind her. She shook her head at their strangeness. They squeeled softly and a shadow fell over her. Danica stood quickly and turned to face the person to whom the shadow belonged.

Her glare dissipated as she saw another man in front of her, not the Goblin King who she believed it to be. The man titled his head as he regarded her. His leather clothes squeaked with every move he made. The patterns on his leather jacket reminded her eerily of a crocodile.

"You aren't going to get anywhere if you stop to talk to the plants, dearie," he said, scrunching up his nose.

"I know. I'm not really making any progress with this labyrinth, could you perhaps show me how to get away from this endless path?"

"I could..." he said and nodded his head, tapping his forefinger on his cheek as he held his chin.

"Oh thank you, I thought I'd never get..."

"Ah, ah, ah. I never said I would help you," the man said, raising his high-pitched voice.

"Well would you?" Danica crossed her arms over her chest.

"How about we make a deal?" He brought his hands together in front of him tapping his forefingers together.

"What kind of deal?"

"One that would benefit the both of us..."

"Would you take me to the castle beyond the goblin city, then?" Danica asked.

"No, no. Can't interfere with another man's deal. You made a deal with Jareth, you have to hold your end of the bargain," he said.

"Then how are you going to help me?" Danica asked.

"One can always... let a hint slip without meaning to," he said and grinned at her.

"Alright, but what do you want in return?"

"Nothing much, nothing you won't miss." He said and gestured wildly through the air. "Your firstborn child?" He giggled uncontrollably folding his hands in front of him.

"Ah, no. What is it with you people and taking babies?" Danica said.

The man took a step closer to her and the eye-plant behind her started to squeel in fright. "It doesn't look like you have much of a choice." His lip curled up in disgust as the eye-plant reached a higher pitch in their squeels. "Enough!"

With one gesture of his hand the eye-plant fell limp, sagging against the wall. Danica stared at him in horror before she rushed to them. They remained limp as she stroked their mossy stems.

"What did you do to them?" Danica asked, raising her voice. She twirled back to him.

The man was examining his long, claw-like nails. "It's only temporary, they were becoming a nuisance. Well more than they usually are." He giggled in delight. He turned serious, "Do we have a deal?"

"No, I'd rather face the labyrinth alone."

Danica spun on her heel and headed down the path. She trailed her fingers along the wall as she walked. She couldn't imagine how fearful her siblings were, and it was the thought of them that drove her on.

Her hand trailed along the wall until it hit open air. Danica paused and saw that her hand was stretched through the wall. She pushed against it until she reached the other side. She was officially inside the labyrinth; the path started to twist and turn as she had seen from the hill on the outside.

She turned to the right, contemplating if she should head that way. The path looked dried out, as if it hadn't rained there for centuries. The other path looked more dangerous, it was dark and filled with vines that hung from the walls. She opted for the right side.

"I wouldn't go that way, dearie," the man said from where he was perched atop the wall.

"I thought you wouldn't help unless I agreed to that stupid deal."

"Helping? No, no. I was narrowing it down," he said.

"Ok, thanks," Danica said and sprinted down the left path.

"Should have taken the other one, it goes straight to the castle," he said and jumped down from his perch. But Danica was already out of ear-shot. He strutted after her.

She was bound to give in and accept his deal; he could sense a desperate soul.