Pre-Chapter Notes:
I had once thrown out the suggestion that I do a retelling of the Labyrinth movie, and was advised that it might not go over well, since people have their own head-canon about the events of the film, and it might get in the way of the story I was trying to tell. I completely agree… this is a movie almost all of us have seen, and we all have our version of it in our heads, which might be at odds with any retelling I did. But… I wanted to blend the movie in with the direct sequel I wrote (A Kingdom of Dreams) as well as tie in with the backstories and lore I had explored in the other tales. So, I moved forward with it, if only to see what I'd come up with. I'd tinker with a chapter here and there while I worked on the other stories.
I hadn't planned on publishing it, to be honest. I wrote it strictly for my own perusal (and my daughters') but didn't initially plan on releasing it as part of my series. But then, I figured I might as well. Those who do not wish to read an alternate version of the movie can certainly skip it and still follow along with the rest of my stories. Others might want to see how I linked the movie to the events and lore in my tales as told.
Please be aware… this is set in modern day (2017), as opposed to the 80's, so there will be some modern references throughout.
One pitfall of doing this is the fine line I had to walk between staying true to the events of the movie and telling a story that wasn't just a copy of the film script. While I tried not to rely too much on the movie dialogue, some of it was unavoidable. I did, however, try to put a bit more of the internal workings of the characters' minds during those moments as opposed to what was said in the film.
I was given the suggestion that the story might be interesting if told from another point of view, such as my secondary characters observing the Run. I really liked that idea, so I thought I would add what I would consider "deleted scenes" to the movie and concentrate on those as opposed to the actual movie scenes. Many of the scenes that advance the movie plot points are indeed told by the observance of another, as opposed to replicating the scene itself. I was trying to insert the story beats of the movie in such a way that someone who'd never seen it would be able to follow what had happened in the film, while still making the meat of the written story mostly from my own invention. I also wanted someone who'd seen the movie to recognize the story beats from a different angle. I don't know how successful I was at it, but I like how it ended up.
I also tried very hard not to change important points in the movie, with the exception of the opening scene where Sarah talks to Jareth in his owl form. The last scene is a tiny bit different too. There might have been some subtle changes here and there, but I tried to avoid them when I could.
The main thrust of this story has to do with Jareth's honest confusion at bonding to a Runner. He also has a little bit of disdain for the fact that she'd wished her brother away, and he needs to work through it. Putting scenes of him talking to Garthan, Randel, Lily, Zee and the Labyrinth helps to do that, and I could weave those into the 'movie story' while still advancing the events of the movie itself and avoiding overuse of the film material. I also wanted to delve a little deeper into how Sarah went from a naïve, somewhat petulant teenager to a young woman with a good grasp of her own shortcomings and the will to overcome them.
And, I do not own the characters, nor the story from the film. The original concept of the Othánas and Ughlánas came from WildIsGood, and their story 'A Riddle in Flowers', which absolutely dominated my head-canon and was the inspiration for this entire series.
"Give me the child."
Her voice breathy and low, Sarah stood in the enchanted glade and fixed her gaze on the Goblin King. All around her, the soft breeze stirred, lifting the tendrils of her raven hair under its confinement beneath the silk flower coronet. She felt her gown fluttering about her legs, the whisper of the fabric sounding out softly.
Taking another step closer, her green eyes narrowed. "Give me the child."
Receiving no response, she drew herself up to her full height, her gaze both firm and yet dreamy. "Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City, to take back the child you have stolen."
She took another step forward, this one bolder than the last. Her breathy voice became steely, "For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom as great…" her voice faltered.
"My kingdom as great… my kingdom… damn."
Quickly thrusting her hand in the pocket sewn into her costume, Sarah withdrew the small, leather-bound volume. She glanced back up at Merlin, who was sitting patiently, awaiting her final lines. For a Goblin King, he wasn't very intimidating, what with his fluffy grey and white fur and lolling tongue. His utterly friendly expression was also at odds with the role he was playing, although he didn't seem to mind.
Looking back down at the small red book in her hands, Sarah's gaze traced the gold lettering embossed on the front cover.
The Labyrinth
Finally finding the section she was looking for; Sarah scanned the lines. "You have no power over me…"
She looked back up at Merlin. The sheepdog was still sitting patiently, his amusement with her almost tangible. She reordered her expression back from her annoyance into more dramatic lines, prepared to voice the words, when her attention was caught by something behind her dog.
It was a barn owl.
Almost without volition, she heard her own voice, "Oh… hello."
The owl was perched casually in the tree behind Merlin, its unfathomable gaze resting directly upon her. Odd… it wasn't night-time, and owls were nocturnal. Why this one was out before sunset was quite a mystery. Slowly, she stepped closer, hoping that she wouldn't scare the creature away. It showed no signs of fear, its gaze following her as she stopped beneath the branch it was perched on.
It was enormous. Sarah didn't know much about owls in general, but this one seemed much larger than those she'd seen on nature shows. And maybe it was a trick of the afternoon sun, but its feathers seemed to shine with a subtle glow.
"You're a long way from home," she said as she examined it. She had no idea if that was true; for all she knew, barn owls were common in the state of New York, but she'd never seen one in this park before. She half expected that the bird would react to her voice, maybe even fly away from her, but it didn't. It continued to meet her gaze steadily. There was something about this owl, something indefinable…
"Somehow, I don't think you're an ordinary owl," she said, almost to herself. "No… you're something special." She sensed Merlin ambling over to her side, and for a moment was afraid that his presence would frighten the owl away. She could see its eyes flicker to the dog briefly before returning to her, the impact of its gaze causing her stomach to flutter.
This is the part of the story where the Prince is in disguise,she thought to herself. And why not? Such an unusual owl… at an unusual time. And the way it gazed at her…
"A prince, perhaps? Wearing a disguise… maybe an immortal who has come to Earth to watch over the humans…" she heard the longing in her own voice as she said the words. Someone to watch over her. Someone to care for her. Someone to love her…
What I wouldn't give for a handsome prince to just take me away…
The owl blinked slowly back at her, almost as if it were trying to affirm her statement. She felt an inexplicable joy, almost a wave of euphoria as she lost herself in its gaze. "I'll bet that's it. You're really a prince in disguise, come to find your Princess." She felt a happy laugh escape her as she took another step towards the owl. "Are you here to take me away, Your Highness?"
Oh, how I wish… how I wish you would…
She felt drops of water begin pattering down upon her before she registered the distant thunder. It was enough to spook Merlin, who gave out a sharp bark and started to move off toward the path. At the same time, she could hear the clock ringing out the hour.
Five…
Six…
"Seven o'clock! Ugh… Karen's going to kill me." She whirled and started to follow Merlin to the path, but something made her stop and turn around. The owl was still watching her.
"Goodbye, Your Highness," she said, a note of sadness in her voice. "Maybe we'll meet again."
Sarah dashed past the Victorian style homes that lined the way home. The raindrops were cascading faster now, soaking through her costume dress and chilling her skin. She gathered up the skirt of her gown, exposing her jean-clad legs, and ran faster. Merlin gamboled alongside her, his breathing almost as heavy as her own.
Great. This is all I need. No way is Karen going to just leave things be…
Karen. Her stepmother. Her nemesis.
The day had already gotten off to a bumpy start this morning when she was told (told!) that she would be babysitting Toby again tonight. Sarah's mind burned with a mixture of resentment and exasperation.
I guess I have nothing better to do than watch her kid,she thought angrily to herself.
That thought was chased by another, more quiet statement.You don't.
But still, just who did Karen think she was? Her mother? Just because she was her father's wife, that didn't mean Sarah had to treat her like a mother. She had a mother. Even if she wasn't… all that motherly. Linda Williams was still Sarah's mother, and no other woman was going to take that title from her.
And Dad… Dad sure as hell wouldn't do anything. From the day he brought that woman home to meet her, he pretty much tossed Sarah into her hands.Karenmade the rules.Karendecided on which chores Sarah should do.Karendid the school meetings and the doctor appointments. All Dad did was make the money to pay for it all.
She dashed around the corner to her street, Merlin keeping a brisk pace beside her. As she got closer to her house, Sarah's heart sank into the pit of her stomach. Karen was standing on the front porch, her eyes sweeping over Sarah in almost disbelief. "Oh, really…"
Sarah muttered a somewhat petulant apology, stopping short on the steps and feeling the rain pour over her. Karen hustled her inside, her annoyance plain in her voice. Poor Merlin, however, was banished to the garage, a sentence that Sarah certainly disagreed with. Karen was not to be gainsaid and shooed the soaked sheepdog to the side of the house. With poorly concealed annoyance, Sarah repeated Karen's command and watched as Merlin trotted away.
Resentment in every step she took, Sarah stomped into the house and headed for the stairs.
Three…
Two…
One…
"Sarah… you're an hour late," came Karen's disappointed voice.
Sarah snapped back, "I said I was sorry!" She turned to face her stepmother defiantly. Some absurd part of Sarah's brain registered that Karen really looked good. Funny… she wasn't ravishingly beautiful like Linda Williams was, but in a weird way, she was even more lovely. With her neatly styled blonde hair and a perfectly tailored and tasteful cocktail dress, Karen knew how to accentuate her best features and bring them forward without making them garish. Sarah was so caught up with her random observation that she barely registered the rest of Karen's words, but did find a focus in her claim that they rarely went out. "You go out every weekend!" she said incredulously.
That's not true, Sarah… it's just once a month, when Dad has to do those work mixers…
Sarah didn't feel like listening to the voice of reason in her head. Or Karen's voice, either. She fled up the stairs, seeing her father come out of his office, holding Toby. Whatever he was saying to her was drowned out with her own frustration. She reached the sanctuary of her room, slamming the door behind her.
Before the door closed, she could hear Karen speaking quietly to her father, "She treats me like a wicked stepmother in a fairy story, no matter what I say."
Sarah tried to ignore the sad hurt she heard in her stepmother's voice.
Author's Notes:
The opening scene was already detailed back in 'Spring Flowers', but this time, I wanted to show Sarah's point of view. The euphoria that sweeps over her in that moment is the heart-bond taking hold, although she has no idea what it is. You might remember back in 'The Irish Rose' when Toby is describing why his sister was able to respond to Jareth's magic. She literally wished for him to be her Prince, and while the wish itself isn't what made it happen, Sarah's imagination and belief were what generated the magic in her heart, enough to respond to his, and the rest is history.