Chapter 2

Sarah woke up to the sound of screaming around her. The moment she opened her eyes, she gasped at the sight of a terrible tragedy that fell on Goblin City. She was surrounded by a wildfire that spread all over the ground, and houses burned until there was nothing left. She looked around as panic filled her face. What happened here? Where were her friends? Then, all of a sudden, she heard a distant roar coming from above. She saw a red dragon circling around the city. Its mouth opened wide and began shooting fire all over the place. Sarah tried to run, but she couldn't move her legs and was forced to watch as the poor goblin citizens ran away, trying to save themselves.

Sarah didn't realize that she was suddenly shifted to another area. She looked around only to realize that she was no longer looking at Goblin City, and she was once again in an endless pitch-black room. The disembodied voice whispered to her once again.

Sarah Williams. Champion of the Labyrinth. Only the champion can save us. Only you can save us.

Then a familiar voice called out her name from behind her.

"Sarah!"

Sarah's eyes widened as she turned her head to find out where the sudden voice was coming from. Her eyes locked into those same mismatched eyes that haunted her to this very day.

"Jareth?!"

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Sarah sat up with sweat drenched all over her face. She looked around to observe her surroundings. She sighed with the utmost relief after realizing that it was only a nightmare.

It's just a dream, she thought.

But what she just experienced felt so real to her. Sarah went back to her sleeping position and closed her eyes. What exactly happened in her dream? Why did he...

Then, out of nowhere, in the dark, Sarah's closet suddenly burst open, and clothes flew and scattered everywhere, followed by a very loud thump. The young woman sat up once again and turned on the lamp beside her.

"Mmmph! Mmmph!"

"Sir Ludo, it seems that you may have squashed the dwarf to death."

"Sowwy…"

"Gah! Why does this happen to me all the damn time?"

"Shhh! You'll wake her up!"

The four figures then turned to a now-awake Sarah. They all smiled at the sight of their dear friend, who is now a woman.

"Good heavens! Is that you, my lady? You've grown quite well!" Sir Didymus replied, followed by Ambrosius' bark.

Without another thought, Sarah immediately ran and gave each of them a tight hug, tears continuously pouring from her eyes. Hoggle turned bashful when it was his turn. The relief of seeing them again is the best thing she could ever ask for. Once she finished, she squatted on the floor and wiped the tears from her eyes. She observed them for a moment and noticed that nothing changed the way they all looked. Sarah felt like a teenager again.

"I missed you all so much!" She said as she gave them another group hug. "Where have all of you been these past two years? Did something happen? What did the Goblin King do to you? Did he harm any of you? Were you guys thrown into the Bog of Stench?"

Hoggle snorted. "We're fine! Although he almost did because we helped ye, but we're still alive!"

"Barely alive," Sir Didymus added. "The kingdom and the Labyrinth are facing a disastrous situation."

Sarah furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean disastrous?" She then thought about the strange nightmare she had earlier. Sarah feared it might have something to do with the situation in Goblin City. But she never thought about the Labyrinth as well. That time, when she first arrived at the Labyrinth, it did look like it was almost withering, but she thought nothing of it at first since she focused more on saving Toby.

"Long story short, we managed to obtain some information from the fireys. It all started when a man and his big nasty lizard ravaged the city. What we only know so far was that he's a warlock named Adaranth and a big jerk who took us by surprise," Hoggle was tempted to add, 'but not much of a jerk like Jareth was.'

"A warlock?"

"It's a man who practices dark and forbidden magic, if that's the answer you're looking for," Didymus replied.

"When Adaranth came, he explained to Jareth that he simply wanted to get the chance to rule a kingdom that rather suits his expectations. He also mentioned that he observed the city and the Labyrinth for who knows how long and took notice that the Labyrinth is weary. As if it's dying, he said," Hoggle explained. "And he also said that it was all because of ya." The dwarf pointed to Sarah.

The young woman tilted her head. "Me?"

"After you left, Jareth fell head over heels for ye, which caused him to neglect his duties as our king."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Of course that had to do something with me."

"Jareth and Adaranth fought for the throne without rest. Yet alas! Things went horribly wrong," Sir Didymus began. "The Goblin King was unable to handle the warlock on his own, and in the end, Adaranth took possession of all. A wizard versus a warlock is not a fair fight when it comes to their diverse levels of power, maugre seeming from afar."

"What about the Goblin Army?" Sarah asked.

"They too fell in battle. The rest are under full control of the warlock. That includes the rest of my companions who tried to flee. It was a good thing Sir Hoggle, Ambrosius, and I weren't in the city where it all began," Sir Didymus said. "Sir Ludo here barely escaped the dragon's fire. A slight burn now scars his back."

"Hurts so bad," Ludo said.

"And what of the Goblin King?"

"They say Jareth is alive, though none of them know where he is now," Hoggle replied.

Oh dear.

Sarah could see the struggle and the hardships her friends were going through. She couldn't believe such a thing would happen. And what about Jareth? The thought of his name already makes her feel uneasy, especially when she already said it out loud in her dream. Sarah was not quite surprised that he continued to go after her, but she did not expect him to go that far. She can't help but feel sorry for him. Only this time, though.

"I want to help you," she replied without hesitation.

All three looked at her in shock.

"Sawah, help?" Ludo asked.

Sarah nodded. "I want to help you find a way to save the Labyrinth, and that includes facing the warlock. Whatever may come, I will still help. But all of us might not be brave enough to face him. That's why we need to find Jareth first."

"Nope, no way," Hoggle said. "After all that rat's done to ya, why rely on him now?"

"Because he knows the Labyrinth more than I do," Sarah replied. "Besides, I don't have any magical powers that can save us from whatever's going to get us killed."

"But what about your life here? Don't you have something else to live for other than risking yer life for whatever is down there?"

The dwarf's question stopped Sarah for a moment. Hoggle was right. She didn't have time to think about her family or her future. What will become of her future if she doesn't make it alive this time? What will her parents do? The thought of seeing them mourn for their daughter was something she didn't want to happen. And all she wanted the most was to see Toby grow up.

Of course, Hoggle wanted Sarah to help, but at what cost? The poor dwarf drugged his first friend for the sake of not being thrown into the Bog of Stench. Damn Jareth. He doesn't want Sarah anywhere near that cruel bastard. Her three friends looked at each other in disagreement at first. Sarah looked at them with her eyebrows furrowed, hoping for a positive answer. It was then that they all turned to her.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Allow us all to save thy city and thy Labyrinth!" Sir Didymus said out loud as he raised his sword, followed by Ambrosius' barking.

"Yay, Sarah come home!" Ludo cheered along.

Hoggle grumbled. "Oh, alright! But I'll make sure he won't lay a finger on ya."

Sarah gave him an assuring smile. "Don't worry. I'm way older than you think. I can handle him myself or, better yet, give him a taste of his own spell," although she knew that she might be very wrong.

"But first," Sarah said again. "How're we all supposed to get back?"

There was silence.

Sir Didymus cleared his throat. "Well, that is... How strange that we never thought of that before."

"So you guys have absolutely no idea how to get back?!" Sarah's irritation mixed into her voice. "But then how'd you all get here in the first place?"

"No idea," Hoggle replied. "While we all hid in my cottage, there was this voice, almost like a whisper, ringing in our ears. And the next thing we knew was that our bodies had warped and twisted abnormally! Then we just ended up in that tight wardrobe of yours."

Sarah was already digging into her head. A voice. Maybe the Goblin King was still in power over the Labyrinth and probably sent her friends over to Sarah's world to ask for help. But he was long gone, and no one had ever seen or gotten in touch with him. So there's no way it could've been Jareth.

But Sarah did remember wishing for her friends to be here before she slept. There was no luck until now. That voice Hoggle mentioned—could it be her who was making the wish?

Sarah tries to brush off that thought. There was no way she had the power to do that. But she could at least try to make sure that it did happen to her friends.

Sarah took a deep breath and said whispered:

"I wish we would all return to the Labyrinth."