Whaaaaat Alleyoop is writing two Labyrinth fics at the same time? Yep, yes. indeed. Thank you all so much for already so many favorites, follows, and reads! Much love and light to all!
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Jareth's eyes shot opened and breath flooded his lungs. He grabbed Sarah by the wrist and pulled her to standing. Sarah blinked; when she opened her eyes, she found herself surrounded by a maelstrom of chaos.
They stood in the eye of a monstrous tornado, a tornado of gravel and stone and earth, jagged and unforgiving. Jareth wrapped his arms and cloak protectively around Sarah. The cyclone of wind, dirt, and rock flying around them occupied every space of Sarah's mind, filling it with fear, and she didn't notice whose arms enveloped her; she simply held on and squeezed her eyes shut.
With one arm the king held tight to the Underground's savior, with the other he cast a crystal into the sky, extending his arm skyward like a beacon in the middle of the swirling darkness. The storm roared as it ripped the walls of the Labyrinth apart, but Jareth roared louder. The crystal sparkled and spun overhead, and in an instant sucked the destruction into it.
Sarah heard the roar dissipate into a constant, airy whoosh that gave way to a sucking sound, as if a vacuum were coming to gobble them up. Still, she kept her eyes shut. As quickly as they had appeared in the eye of the storm, so the storm itself disappeared. The sudden silence was deafening—until she heard the panting breath of the Goblin King. Sarah kept her eyes squeezed shut, but she relaxed her body, causing her to finally be aware of the rising and falling chest that her face was pressed against. She opened her eyes, unlocked her hands from behind the Goblin King's back, and stepped away.
Sand colored walls and neatly placed cobblestones surrounded them. The tan corridors were dappled with the green of lichen and small shrubs. A strange, black bird with two long tails gave a cry, flying in and out of Sarah's field of vision. It was as if the storm had never existed.
"No…" said Sarah, backing away from Jareth. "I defeated you. I ran this Labyrinth. I…I can't be back." She looked around frantically. To her left, the eyeball lichen regarded her curiously.
"And yet, here you are," came Jareth's voice, once again smooth and sarcastic. When Sarah really looked at him and his attire for the first time since arriving, she saw the once tattered cloak was now repaired. The king stood tall and upright. His shirt was no longer full of bloody tears and his hair was as bright and wild as ever.
Even as a child, Sarah had noticed how handsome the Goblin King was. Is. Now through her adult eyes, she noticed…something else. Something within her. She quickly shook off the feeling.
"Now is not the time for your snide comments," she barked.
"Yes," said Jareth, dropping his gaze. "I'm sorry. Thank you for coming. I don't know if you truly realized what you've done for us, but thank you." His asymmetrical eyes flicked up to meet her own gaze, and they looked at her now unguarded and earnest, but Sarah didn't want honesty. She didn't want gratitude and thanks. She wanted to yell. She wanted to revert back to that sixteen year old who threw her toys and shouted that life wasn't fair. She couldn't be back Underground, she just couldn't.
"I want to talk to my friends," she said curtly. Her heart raced; panic was setting in. "I want to talk to them right now."
"I…I'm not sure what we'll find. I don't know if everything was simply returned to how it was, or if some…things, remain lost." Jareth shifted his weight uncomfortably.
"I don't care. Take me to Hoggle. I wish you would take me to Hoggle right now." Jareth sighed and snapped his fingers. Before Sarah could even blink, the scenery around her was now the arid, dusty landscape of the Labyrinth outskirts. A tumbleweed rolled by, and broken, gruff humming wafted through the air like a strange scent. Sarah followed the sound to its source, her feet not carrying her fast enough.
"Hoggle?" she beckoned, her eyes scanning the outer wall. She ran along it towards the humming. "Hoggle?!" she cried.
Out from behind a bush stepped a rugged old dwarf with a strange leather vest. In his hand was an odd, tin-colored apparatus with a spout on the end.
"Sarah?" he asked in disbelief. "Sarah!"
He ran towards his friend, casting his fairy-sprayer away with a clatter and clang.
Sarah fell to her knees. "Oh Hoggle."
"Sarah, what are ya doin' here?" he asked as he threw his arms around her neck. Sarah couldn't bring herself to respond; she didn't even fully understand what, why, or how herself. She savored the hug that seemed to make everything right for a moment. She finally pulled away, reluctant to let go.
"I had to save you all—I think." She shot a wary glance towards Jareth who stood in the background with his arms crossed and hip popped out to one side. "Let him wait," she thought to herself. "Honestly, we weren't even sure you'd be here. What happened?"
"I me-self don't really know," said Hoggle, stroking one of his bushy eyebrows absentmindedly. "The Labyrinth has been cracking up and breaking down for a while now. All of a sudden everything broke apart and got sucked up into this big giant twister—and then it went all black. Before I knew it, I was back here. For a moment, I didn't even realize what'd happened. I sprayed a fairy, remembered the storm, sprayed another fairy, and the there you were!" Hoggle took her hands in his. "Why are ya here, Sarah?" His earnest blue eyes were wide with confusion and concern.
"I…I don't really know," said Sarah honestly, her eyes brimming with tears. "The Goblin King said something about breaking rules and messing with magic, and the Underground destroying itself, and me having to wish myself away to come back and make things right. So I did. I couldn't let you all die," she said, her voice breaking at that horrible thought.
"Sarah, you shouldn'ta worried about us. You can't give up your freedom for, for us! What if he—what if you—what if you—"Hoggle couldn't even voice the scenarios he thought up.
"I had to, Hoggle. You guys mean everything to me." Sarah sniffled.
"Are you ready to go?" Jareth asked in annoyance. His voice was raised, and he didn't even bother to approach.
"As a matter of fact, I am," said Sarah, rising to her feet and brushing herself off. "I'd like to find my other friends. Take me to Ludo."
"Ah, you see, about that…the Labyrinth is a world of magic," he said, his voice patronizing and his hands making sarcastic gestures of pizzazz on the word magic. "And there's a magic word that should always be used when making requests."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Take me to Ludo, please."
"And who said humans were without magic?" the king quipped with a satisfied smirk.
Sarah blinked and found herself surrounded by walls of lush, green shrubbery.
"Hey! You could've at least let me say goodbye!"
"Yes, I suppose I could've," Jareth said in a bored tone. He pulled a speck of dust off of his leggings and flicked it away.
Sarah screamed in frustration and stomped her foot. "That's NOT fair!"
The king just smirked, not bothering to speak. He stared at her with intense eyes sparkling under eyebrows raised in amusement. He need not say anything; Sarah knew what he would've said. She turned from him.
"I have a good basis for comparison thanks to you," she muttered under her breath. She huffed one more time and rounded a corner; she had to stop letting him get to her and find her friend.
Luckily, she didn't need to look far. Around the nearest corner of shrubbery wall lay a wide courtyard into which several pathways emptied. Sitting in the middle was Ludo.
"Sarrrraaaah!" he cried. The ground shook as he leapt to his feet and bounded towards her. Sarah's sadness and fear disappeared as she gawked at how enormous the troll had become. Sarah had met her friends often enough via mirror-chat, but she hadn't had them physically present in her bedroom since…well, since far too long. Ludo had already been several heads taller than her when they met, but now he was almost twice her height.
Sarah's momentary joy and wonder passed. She threw her arms around Ludo, but he quickly scooped her up and cradled her like a baby. A happy purr rumbled through his entire body as he rocked her back and forth. The vibrating of his chest was calming; Sarah closed her eyes and rested in the softness of his thick fur.
"I hope you're not napping," snapped the Goblin King. Sarah ignored him.
"Sarah," said Ludo, his baby-talk gone. "Why arrre Sarah here?" he asked, biting down on his Rs.
"I had to save you. When I ran the Labyrinth, apparently somebody broke some rules. Magic was imploding and disappearing. According to Jareth, I had to wish myself here to make things right—but I don't even know the whole story!"
Ludo set her down gently. "It was…dark. My frrriends went up into sky. Friends were gone. Wind took my friends. Wind took Labyrinth! Then it was dark. Then friends were back. Look." Ludo gestured over his shoulder. Behind Ludo were several piles of large boulders circled around where he had previously been sitting.
"Does Sarah want to go home? Sarrrah shouldn't be here."
"I know, Ludo, I know." Sarah rubbed his arms reassuringly. "But I had to save you guys. I'm not in any danger. And I…I'm sure I can go home someday. Meanwhile, I'll get to spend time with you guys." Sarah was choking back tears now; she could feel Jareth staring down her back. The truth was, she didn't know if she would get to spend time with her friends. She didn't know if she'd get to spend time with anyone. Maybe she would be locked away in the dungeon, or worse, an oubliette. Still, she had to put on a brave face for Ludo. "I better go," she continued. "I have to go meet Sir Didymus.
"Say hi to Brother for me," Ludo said, using the tip of his claw to wipe away a stray tear that had escaped onto Sarah's cheek. Sarah took his paw and kissed it.
"I will. Good—"
And in the blink of an eye she was standing in a forest.
"Now why did you—" Sarah spun around to face an empty wood. The king nowhere to be seen.
It only took one inhale to realize why…
"The Bog of Eternal Stench," Sarah said to herself, recognizing the malodorous stench anywhere. As much as she wanted to see Didymus, she didn't want to stay near the Bog very long. "Sir Didymus?" Sarah called.
Gnarly undergrowth and wild weeds carpeted the forest floor; it took a moment before she located the path. She stepped onto it and quickly realized the bridge and Didymus' tree were behind her. When Sarah turned to cross the rocks that she assumed still took the place of the old bridge, she was shocked to find a magnificent, if small, bridge crossing the bog. The crossing was made of sturdy, wide wooden planks in a silvery metal frame that curled and swirled in elegant patterns. Sarah stepped onto the bridge warily.
"Didymus…?" she called again. The bridge seemed to hold her weight, but she still crossed on tiptoe and with one hand on the railing.
A familiar furry head popped out of an old familiar tree.
"My Lady!" cried Didymus. He sprang from the tree with the agility and grace of a flying squirrel. Sarah kneeled and welcomed yet another hug from yet another friend.
"Oh, Sir Didymus," was all she could say, managing to let out a little chuckle despite the despair—and the smell.
"Why hast thou come to visit us?" he asked with an optimistic smile. "Wait a moment…I do say…you're not—no, surely you haven't—"
"I wished myself away, Didymus. Jareth told me you were all in danger. I just had to do something."
"My Lady, danger or no, I'm sure it's nothing a knight like myself couldn't have handled—especially with my brother Ludo, best friend Hoggle, and my trusty steed Ambrosias. Ambrosias! Ambrosias, you can come out now!"
As if on cue, a sheepdog with floppy ears galloped around the corner. True to his character, Ambrosias shook like a jackhammer with nerves and fear. Despite his trepidation, he showed himself a true steed of courage and immediately approached Sarah, giving her sloppy kisses on her outstretched hands.
"What do you remember of the storm, Sir Didymus?" Sarah asked, scratching Ambrosias' head.
"It was as if the whole world was being swept away. As if a mammoth tornado was ripping everything apart and picking it up. Then everything went black, then I was back in my tree! Most curious indeed."
"I need to get the full story from Jareth, but I really don't think this was his doing. When he came to get me, it seemed like he was really and truly hurt, like he was asking me for help as a last resort. I don't know what he's up to, but he's going to poof me away from you soon."
"If he has a dastardly plan, I am confident you shall be the first to uncover it. Please, contact us as soon as you can. Have you talked to the others yet?"
"Yes, I have. Goodbye, Sir Didymus." She wrapped him in a hug and closed her eyes, never wanting the hug to end, even if it was in the smelliest place on earth or elsewhere.
"Goodbye, fair maiden."
When Sarah opened her eyes, her arms were empty. Her eyes darted left and right, but Didymus was nowhere to be seen.
The soft earth on which she'd knelt was replaced with hard stone. Sarah rose and found herself standing in a large common room. To her left lay a large balcony outside of doorless arches, to her right several desks, armchairs, settees, and coffee tables.
And behind her was the Goblin King.
Sarah's green eyes burned with hatred.
"You did this."
"You are the one who wished yourself away. You could've just let your little friends disappear into oblivion."
"What?! No, I couldn't have. I wouldn't have. That's not what a good friend would do."
"So, if you had simply been a bad friend, you'd still be home and happy in New York."
Sarah gave an exasperated shriek and grabbed her head. "You're impossible."
"Perhaps," Jareth shrugged.
Sarah tried to slow her breathing; fighting wasn't going to get her anywhere. She needed answers and she needed a way out.
"Why was the Labyrinth being destroyed?" she asked.
Jareth's eyes flicked left and right, and he clenched his fists, although his countenance remained unmoving. He turned without a word and walked to the balcony, his cloak drifting behind like a dark cloud.
Sarah snorted at his choice to ignore her, but held her tongue; she couldn't help but notice the rigidity of his gait and tension in his jaw. She had never seen the Goblin King nervous before and followed him, intrigued, stopping to lean on one of the stone pillars that separated the hall from the balcony. He stood outside as upright as an oak, yet something unsaid made Sarah sense that he was as brittle as old seashells, scattered about and already broken. She couldn't help but empathize and almost didn't push the matter forward. Almost.
"Jareth…please. Tell me what happened. How could something as massive and magical as the Underground just suddenly break apart and cease to exist."
"It…was my fault," he finally said, as if speaking with some difficulty. Rather than break, he bent and leaned heavily against the balcony railing. "Magic is like any other force. Gravity, spring, friction… any force reaches a point where it creates a reaction, a reaction that has consequences. When you ran the Labyrinth, I didn't cheat, per se. But I played with fire. I didn't break the rules outright, but I stretched them."
Sarah's eyebrows raised in disbelief; she joined him on the balcony. Sarah couldn't think of anything he did that was truly unfair except fast-forward the clock. Though, the Cleaners were a bit much. Come to think of it, so was the drugged peach.
Jareth's lips were set in a straight line. He stared pensively out at the Labyrinth, lost in thought. Sarah brought him back. "So, what did you do?"
He continued without taking his eyes off the vast maze. "Thirteen hours. You were to have thirteen hours to run the maze. I've never turned the clock forward before."
"I knew it," Sarah whispered to herself.
"I justified it by genuinely believing Hoggle planned to help you. At that point, I'm not sure even he knew what he would do, but I was able to keep the balance and magically justify it. See, it's my job—I dare say obligation—to provide the runner obstacles."
"Obstacles?!" cut in Sarah, "the Cleaners could've killed me!"
"Oh pish posh, no one actually 'dies,'" said Jareth. He jerked his body to face her with a curt turn and crossed his arms. "If someone is killed in the Labyrinth, they are simply returned to their land and have lost or forfeit the run."
"Then why—"
"Hush. Please. I'll get there." Jareth sighed and looked back out at the Labyrinth, already knowing the questions she was bursting to ask. "Now where was I…oh yes. I turned the clock forward. I thought most certainly you would run out of time, before and after the peach didn't work. Yet you didn't; you found my castle." He turned to her. "What did I say to you, Sarah? What were the conditions for reclaiming your baby brother?"
"I had to run the maze in thirteen hours," she replied haughtily.
"Yes, but what exactly did I say?"
Sarah tried to remember, but it was already so long ago. She thought long and hard; what had he said?
"'You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth before your baby brother becomes one of us forever…'" she quoted. Something about that line didn't quite feel right.
"Wait…" she started, "I did solve the Labyrinth. I came to the Castle Beyond the Goblin City, I found the center of the Labyrinth. I did solve it," she repeated.
"Yes, yes you did. Before I had moved the clock forward, and now again I was moving it forward. I worked directly against the magic of the Labyrinth as it tried to stop the clock, tried to return you and little Toby. But, I didn't want you to go. I just knew if you ran out of time, you would see things my way! You'd recognize my gift for what it was!"
"Gift?" asked Sarah, but Jareth plummeted on.
"The clock kept counting. And then you decided to jump. Now, had you jumped a moment later, I could've saved you after the clock ran out. But, you just had to jump and land before the clock struck the final thirteen."
"Land? I landed? I died?!"
"Of course not. I've never bothered with the details, but I believe the Labyrinth pulls the runner out and sets them right a split second before the deed is done. But, rather than let the old maze send you back from whence you came, I kept you. I needed to keep you. I just had to make you see my side. It…didn't work. And the Labyrinth suffered for it. I hope you don't think all those floating fragments of maze were an aesthetic choice." Jareth flipped his hair and scoffed. The normally auburn dappled sky was dark above them. Strange, glowing clouds of deep violet drifted across the horizon. Sarah shivered, and Jareth continued. "The Labyrinth occupies many planes of reality, and one by one they began to break apart. When you said that I had no power over you, you exacted your will and returned yourself home. Your will was stronger than mine, than my magic, and the Labyrinth sent yourself and Toby back to New York to live happily ever after without me. But, if you have ever stretched a tunic enough, you know that eventually cotton threads won't return to their original form; they will retain their new form. Press your thumb into mud long enough, and a thumbprint will be left. Here in the Labyrinth, there was a Sarah-shaped thumbprint in the fabric of the Underground. I had kept you here longer than was meant. I had pressed against magic, pressed and pushed so hard and so constantly, that when I let go, the spring force was so violent, it broke. It broke as the maze tried to restore order to things. It all just…snapped."
"So…you forfeit the run by moving the clock forward, and then again when you kept the clock running? And then technically I broke the rules—by your hand—when I stayed here, when I was supposed to forfeit after jumping to my death?"
"In a nutshell, yes."
Sarah tried to wrap her head around rules being bound in and by magic. Magic was a force? Actions and reactions… Sarah didn't want to think about forces and energies and rules; there was only one thing she cared about, one question she wanted to ask.
"How do I get home?"
"You don't.
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Honestly, I think Jareth fast forwarded fair and square. Life isn't fair. And probably ya her getting to the castle should've been the thirteen hours, but the real personal journey was facing her desires and turning them away selflessly, doing the mature thing, and saving her baby brother. Realizing that she did get to the castle before thirteen hours were up, and the clock was still running regardless, kinda spurred this whole thing. I thought it was a great loophole and I wanted to use that—there has to be a logical reason she returns to the Underground. Therefore, time for another adventure. =)