Summary: Plagued by guilt of getting herself, and her friends trapped in the Goblin King's castle. Sarah decides she won't sit idle as Jareth’s prisoner. New feelings come to light, and Sarah works to undo a wrong done long ago.
Warning(s): None that I can think of, as usual, If I miss something please let me know
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“That stupid, arrogant, glittery bastard,” Sarah grumbled as she glared out the window of the chamber they’d been given. Half grateful that none of the windows had any kind of glass, or metal to block out the cool breeze of the night. It helped quell her boiling blood a bit.
Layla winced at the profanity, “I know you’re upset, but you should really try and rest, Sarah.”
“I knew this would happen,” black tendrils fanned out as Sarah whipped her head away from the window, “I knew he’d trap me here if I ever came back.”
The blame was hers and hers alone, she couldn’t deny that. Unlike the rest of her company, she had no plans for sleep. How could she possibly when she’d walked straight into her nightmare? Pale-green eyes drifted towards the two bundles coiled up in the bed across the room. Toby didn't seem to share his sister's lack of sleep, sprawled out on his back atop the lavish bed. Blankets tangled around his legs and one pillow half-hung off the side of the white sheets. Daegmund laid next to Toby, the Fiery had the back of his left hand slapped over her brother’s face. The two times he tried to push it away, it just found its way back. Come the third time, Toby gave up.
“Sarah,” Layla’s calm voice filled her ears, quiet footsteps alerted her of the woman’s approach. She took Sarah’s hands in her own, giving them a reasurring squeeze, “I don’t blame you, and neither does Toby. We’re okay. If there’s a way in, there’s a way out, right? We’ll find it, I know we will.”
What Layla said was right, everyone was safe, Sarah could at least find peace in that.
“I’m…I’m gonna go for a walk, get some air. Maybe it’ll help me sleep. Will you stay with Toby?” Sarah squeezed their joined hands, giving her friend a small smile.
Layla nodded, “of course. But uhm, are you sure it’s okay to go wandering around?”
To her surprise, Sarah actually managed a laugh, “If Jareth has a problem with it he can suck it up, I’m not scared of him.”
She pushed the chamber door open as quietly as possible, giving Layla a final nod before she stepped out. Sarah walked on cat’s feet through dark tunnels. The castle had probably been the one part of the Labyrinth Sarah never explored, she reached out a hand, and let her finger follow the lines where the bricks were patched together. She couldn’t explain how she knew these halls, how she knew a right turn would likely take her to the kitchen Layla had taken refuge in. For a fleeting moment Sarah wondered if the Goblin King’s castle was like all the others in the fairytales she’d read.
It had a ballroom, so did it have a library?
There were guards, so there had to be a war room, and an armory.
Her feet halted as she passed a peculiar looking room, one without a door. Instead the passageway was partially hidden with a tan curtain. The room didn’t have a place in her memory, curiosity got the better of her, and she decided it wouldn’t hurt to look inside. “Oh wow,” her eyes lit up with wonder.
From the floor all the way up to the ceiling Vines and moss protruded from the brown stones, dried herbs strung up about the room. There was a stain-glass window with a wooden bench beneath it. To the far right of the room, a cluster of bookshelves constructed from branches and twine. Each shelf bombarded with numerous bottles, jars, and unusual trinkets.
She strolled through the room, running her hand along the circular table at the center of the room. Based on the labels on some of the jars, Sarah guessed she’d stumbled into some kind of healing chamber. A glimmer caught her eye across the room, a chest with its lid slightly ajar. Open just enough for her to catch sight of something silver.
Checking over her shoulder to ensure someone wasn’t coming, Sarah knelt in front of the chest, and opened it further. Pushing the lid back slowly to avoid it making a squeak or any kind of sound to alert someone she was snooping. Stowed away in the chest was a beautiful dagger. The handle adorned with two opals, wrapped with copper X’s between the jewels, and on the butt of the dagger two crescent moons sat with their backs pressed together. To better admire the weapon, Sarah carefully lifted it from the cloth it rested upon. She turned it this way and that, admiring how the opals reflected the moonlight. Sarah couldn’t explain why but she felt…almost drawn to the dagger.
A noise echoed from the otherside of the curtain, she couldn’t quite make it out. Head tilted towards the doorway, she tried to focus her hearing. “Footsteps, someone’s coming,” it dawned on her with a gasp. Sarah quickly shut the chest and armed herself with the dagger. Unsure of who- or what to expect, she scurried under the table.
The ambiance of a light danced on the walls, not too bright, but enough to show a shadow flicker. A lanter? No- Sarah could hear a faint crackle, it had to be a torch. A shadow passed by without a moment of hesitation. Once it left her sight, Sarah sighed in relief, she’d managed to evade detection. For now at least. Maybe Layla was right, snooping around the castle without really knowing her way around might not have been her best idea.
Quick but quiet she advanced on the silent figure, hugging the edge of the wall, Sarah pushed the curtain aside and poked her head out into the hall. Dark brows pulled together as she just barely caught sight of Jareth turning the corner.
What was he up to?
Curiosity got the better of her, slipping out of her hiding spot, Sarah made sure to keep a reasonable distance as she tailed the Goblin King. Who glided down one corridor after another like a ghost. A curse danced in a whisper off her lips, she'd lost sight of him after a right turn. Deja vu hit her full force, in the blink of an eye she was fifteen again. Running down the halls in search of the Goblin King seconds before the thirteenth hour.
She’d found him in the Escher room before, maybe it shouldn’t have been such a surprise to find him in the throne room.
From the half-hidden protection of the archway, Sarah studied him. Even on the precipice of defeat Jareth carried an aura of intimidation, a demand for respect, and obedience. Yet seated in the empty throne room, he looked strangely out of place. Gloved fingers threaded together, why did he always wear gloves? They covered the lower half of his face, disappearing into bellowed sleeves of what looked like a shawl. The black fabric had what looked like twisted roots spanning along the shoulders and halfway down the chest. His elbows were perched on his knees, obscuring some of her vision but from what Sarah could tell the shawl hung open, some of his bare-chest visible. Like always, he still had the strange pendant around his neck.
Rather than ponder its meaning, her attention was drawn to the dark circled that plagued the skin beneath tired, mismatched hues that seemed to stare off into nothing. Her brows drooped as a frown blossomed on her lips. She’d been too young to see it, she realized. Too driven to get her brother back to name exactly what hung around the Goblin King like a noose. Loneliness.
The tapping of claws echoed around the room, which seemed to snap Jareth out of whatever trance he’d fallen into. His posture changed immediately, back slumped, a crystal spawned and he rolled it between his hands in a masterful motion. A cheshire smirk curled his lips, “Styx, good evening.”
“Your majesty,” Lavender strands slipped from her shoulder as she dropped into a low bow. Hands crossed elegantly at her front. “Apologies for the disturbance, Grüempy has requested an audience with you, he’s come to report the latest strand of cracks. Would you like for me to escort him in?”
Jareth pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh, and kept the position for several moments. He leaned back further into the throne while waving his hand, “I suppose. Send him in, afterwards retrieve a map from the archives.”
“Yes, your majesty,” Styx bowed once again before disappearing in the direction she’d come from.
Sarah lingered, unsure whether she should stay or go. Part of her wanted to stay and lay witness to exactly how The Goblin King ran his kingdom. If it didn’t so heavily feel like she was invading his privacy, she would have. Sarah took a step back, her back collided with something- someone who grabbed her wrist.
It happened faster than she could process. Her fight or flight instinct kicked in and the next thing Sarah knew, she had Jareth pinned to the wall with the dagger at his throat. The silver dagger she’d completely forgotten she’d been holding up until now. A battle of dominance rose in their eyes as the pair starred one another down, first to break eye contact would accept defeat and bend to the other’s will. Amusement flickered in Jareth’s eyes so intensely Sarah swore it oozed out of every pore. Holding her gaze still, one gloved hand swiped the dagger from her.
“My my, quite the little deviant aren’t we sweetling? First I find you snooping around my castle,” he waved the dagger as if for theatrical effect. “Now stealing?”
Sarah’s eyes widened, “how did you-”
“Know you were hiding in the doorway?” Jareth grinned. “I am a supernatural being, did you really think I wouldn’t be able to sense your presence?”
She stepped away from him, the hand he’d taken the dagger from shook. An arm laid across her front Sarah hid her face in her hand, “I couldn’t sleep. I just wanted some air. I wasn’t trying to sneak around, I just wanted air, that’s all I wanted. I can’t- I can’t breathe in here.”
Jareth stared down at her as silence befell them, almost like he was debating whether to give her what she asked for.
“Sarah.”
She looked up, surprised to find him offering his hand to her. Confusion knit her brows together as she met his gaze.
“There is a balcony nearby,” he informed. “I’d rather not have you wondering my castle unsupervised.”
“If you drop me in an oubliette or something-”
“I gave you my word, neither you nor the boy would be harmed upon your return to my kingdom,” he reminded.
After some silent consideration, Sarah once again found herself picking her heart over her head. She slipped her hand into his and let him guide her towards the balcony in question. Sarah wasn’t sure how long they’d walked for, the halls all looked the same. For as lavish as a person Jareth seemed to be, she was surprised he didn’t have any kind of art hanging around the castle.
Once they’d gotten to the balcony, Sarah let go of his hand to lean against the railing. The full sky of stars over her filled Sarah with an unusual sense of peace. The night was quiet, below she could see various trails of the Labyrinth, some of it disappearing towards the forest. The forest looked…smaller than she remembered. Sarah wondered if the Labyrinth crumbling had something to do with it. The same cracks she’d seen upon their arrival stuck out to her like a sore thumb, she could see Goblins below repairing broken walls here and there.
“It really is breaking,” Sarah muttered in realization.
“Do you really believe I would lie about my kingdom being in shambles,” Jareth came up to stand beside her, looking over everything. “Of everything, the Bog remains unaffected.”
A chuckle rang in her throat, “why does that not surprise me. I bet you’re relieved about that, still having somewhere to put the people who annoy you.”
“Yes, well your ever faithful knight would inform me of any damages. For the time being it remains unchanged,” Jareth crossed his arms, tilting his head back to look up at the moon.
“Didymus? He’s still in the bog?” Sarah couldn’t believe Jareth hadn’t done away with the creature, considering the fact he did betray his king.
“To be quite honest, I had every intention to do away with him. Along with the dwarf as well,” Jareth paused for a moment. She could hear the wheels in his head turn as he considered his words. “I ultimately decided to refrain from such. If you ever did return, I wouldn’t imagine you’d be exactly pleased to hear I’d punished your friends. Even if they did betray me.”
“You didn’t…for my sake?” She tilted her head in confusion. Why would he do that?
Jareth rolled his eyes, “I am just as capable of generosity as I am cruelty, I’ve told you that before.”
For the first time, Sarah found herself speechless. Jareth had everything to gain by lashing out at her friends after his defeat. Yet he stayed his hand, and all on the principle that he didn’t want to give her another reason to hate him. Because he knew what Ludo, Didymus, and Hoggle meant to her.
“You were right, ya know,” Sarah admitted while staring up at the crescent moon.
The Goblin King threw his head back with a roaring laugh, “now those are words I've been dying to hear.”
Rather than reward him with a reaction, Sarah held her tongue. She tried to map out the sentences in her mind, to organize her thoughts in a way he'd understand. The last thing she wanted was to stroke his ego. Sarah tore her eyes away from the moon, pale-green eyes instead looked back towards the forest. When the words finally came to her, she set them free in a whisper.
“Everything you did was because I asked you too. I'm the one who wished Toby away, I taunted you in the tunnel, and the whole ballroom thing. The drugged peach was wrong and I'm still not letting you off the hook for that,” she looked at him then, only to meet his gaze with a glare. Except it unexpectedly softened when she saw his expression. How he intently listened to her every word. “I think there's always been a part of me that's known you were never really the villain in my story, Jareth.”
Summary: Sarah, Toby, and co. venture into the Labyrinth to rescue Layla, and unknowingly fall into a trap.
Warning(s): Other than some anxiety and yelling, I don't think there's any this chapter, as always, please let me know if I missed anything!
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No matter how much Sarah willed her body forward, both feet stayed cemented to the floor. A fire of protest burned in every fiber being. It screamed and begged not to go through the window, desperate not to return to the world she’d spent so many years running from. “Layla is there, I have to get her back. I can’t afford to be afraid right now,” Sarah told herself. She knew deep in her heart of hearts that if the roles were reversed, Layla wouldn’t hesitate to get her back. Unable to shake the sensation of being watched, Sarah tore her focus away from the window, and realized all eyes were on her.
Her vulnerability was something new to Toby, who looked at her with a sense of worry and understanding. Almost as if it finally dawned on him just how hard their venture would be on her. Beneath his concern though, Sarah saw excitement. The same rich desire she’d once had to see a world only ever described by printed words on dead trees.
Jareth had no such sentiment. She met his leveled stare only to realize she couldn’t quite make out what thoughts danced behind blue and brown. What his eyes failed to convey, his body did. Stiff as a statue with both hands folded at his front, though one thumb tapped against the other. His impatience was ill-received, it swept Sarah’s features up in a storm of annoyance.
“Come on, Layla’s waiting,” she offered her hand to Toby.
Toby jumped a bit as he was referred to, the boy had gotten distracted trying to decipher the hidden language his sister and the Goblin King seemed to have. He took her hand with a nod, “right.”
In unison the Williams’ siblings entered the portal, neither bombarded by a wave of nausea or any other form of disorientation. Instead it happened like they’d simply walked out the front door. Except said door led to a desert-like world. Deja Vu hit Sarah with enough force to send her fifteen years into the past, to the story night when she first made her wish.
The Labyrinth stood both familiar and foriegn, thin cracks that hadn’t been there before littered the ground beneath her feet like veins. When she surveyed the land, sand no longer carried in the wind, and the air itself had changed. Heavier. Almost suffocating. It all seemed like a shadow of its former self, no longer urging her to rise to the challenge of conquering winding halls and hidden passages.
“Whoa,” Toby drank in the world around him, a wide smile blossomed on his lips. “Come on Daeg let’s explore!”
Sarah tightened her grip on his hand when he tried to charge headfirst without a second thought, “hey wait-”
The words died on her tongue when Toby looked at her with a slight pout, a plea in his eyes for her to let him go.
After several long moments of consideration, a heavy sigh escaped her. Sarah relented, allowing him to run with his Fiery companion so long as he promised to stay within her line of sight. She couldn’t fight back the smile at watching Toby run down the path, his fiery struggling to keep up even while running on all fours.
The smile died in an instant, her head turned to look over her shoulder, “what happened to the part about not having to run again? Why bring us to the beginning and not just straight to the castle?”
“So you may see the extent of the damage done here,” Jareth raised a hand so Girven could hop into his palm, kneeling down, he placed the Spriggan on the ground. “You will not go through the Labyrinth, Girven will lead you around to the hidden entrance. Won’t you?”
A gnawing type chatter came from the Spriggan as it nodded.
Sarah’s eyes widened, “What?! You’re just gonna leave us here?”
Her hands balled into fists, alongside his current decision to leave Girven as their escort, the matter-of-fact way he’d spoken made Sarah’s blood boil. Why did it sound like he was pointing the blame at her? She rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, sucking in a deep breath in an attempt to quell her anger. He had no power over her. Even though she was willing to bet his claim of there being a “hidden entrance” had been something he installed after her victory. She wouldn’t fall prey to his petty jabs.
Before anything else could be said, Jareth vanished, and a white owl took his place. A screech tore across the sky as it ascended towards the castle in the distance.
He probably wouldn’t hear it, but Sarah wanted to get the last word in. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “asshole!”
Girven pinned its ears with a displeased whimper.
“Oh, sorry,” she winced. “Uhm, lead the way, I guess?”
Sarah wasn’t sure how they hadn’t managed to set foot in the Labyrinth but still reach the Goblin City. She stood beneath the archway, fingertips tracing the brickwork. There were marks, both old and new. One in particular stood out to her, thin, like it had been made by the strike of a blade. Sarah jumped when a bark echoed around her, “Didymus?” Her head whipped around as she searched for the knight, except he never appeared to her. Only his phantom barks continued.
“What, is someone here?” Toby’s head whipped around as he halted.
Daegmund sing-songed under a mumble meant only for the boy’s ears, “Wooh-hoo, tha little lady gone loco."
Girven reached one of its small hands clutched at Sarah’s pant leg. Big eyes looked up at her curiously, the Spriggan’s bushy mane of brown swished to the side following its head tilt.
“I’m fine,” Sarah shook her head and rubbed the tension pooling between her brows. “I just…thought I heard something.”
Rather than hold the group back with her hallucinations, she pushed ahead of them. Sarah had found her way to the castle once, she could do it again with or without Girven’s guidance. She was champion of the Labyrinth afterall.
The damage Jareth spoke of worsened the closer they got to the castle, half of the goblin city appeared to have been struck by some kind of landslide. Fallen buildings and piles of rubble still scattered the stone below. The fountain in the city square no longer spouted water, based on the black ring around the inside, it hadn’t for a while.
Daegmund clumsily descended down from Toby’s back, the Fiery just as awe struck by the city he’d likely never seen. Sarah watched the bright orange creature move about, and torment a few goblins who dared to leave their homes. She still found it strange how different Daegmund was compared to the other Fiery she encountered, he never once tried to take off Toby’s head, or arm, or any other part of him. Her train of thought came to a halt once they reached the doors to the castle.
“It’s so quiet, where are all the goblins?” Toby wondered aloud.
Daegmund flicked an ear towards Girven, “Da little one be sayin’ Kingsy called ‘em all in.”
“Come on,” Sarah bent down and offered her hand for Girven to climb onto, “let’s get inside. The faster we find Layla the faster we can get out of here.”
Toby followed close at Sarah’s heel, concern brewed in his eyes. He’d never seen his sister act the way she did. Almost like they were going into a haunted house instead of a mythical castle. His eyes fell to her free hand, the one picking at a loose thread on the seam of her jeans. He reached out and took her hand in his, giving it a light squeeze. When Sarah looked down at him he only smiled in return.
Sarah kept her brother shielded as they turned the corner, a dark curtain blocked the archway that would have let them look into the throne room. Pulling it back some, she watched the scene before her play out. Each goblin in the room shrank back to burrow into the nearest crevice and corner they could fit into as Jareth circled the room, both hands on his hips. In that moment she realized she’d never seen Jareth interact with the goblins, she’d only heard the music and obnoxious laughs carry in the wind back when she was a runner.
“Enough of your squabbling and excuses,” he snapped. “Where is Styx? I specifically put her in charge!”
From the otherside of the room a woman- no. She was half a woman. From the knees down she had the legs of a bird, sharp talons clicked against the floor when she entered the room. Lavender waves spilled about halfway down her back, from what Sarah could tell. She didn’t recognize the woman at all.
Styx folded clawed hands at her front, wings falling from her arms like bellowed sleeves, “I am here, majesty.”
“I demand an explanation. How is it that a human girl was taken when I ordered no wishes to be granted in my absence,” Jareth directed a glare to three goblins who skittered under her wings for protection.
“Majesty, please,” Styx begged as she safeguarded the goblins. The two dark feathers poking through her waves pinned like the ears of a sad puppy, “I am at fault. Do not punish them. There hasn’t been a wish for many weeks, they were simply a little over-excited.”
“You can only coddle them so much, Styx,” Jareth grumbled. “They may have been children once, but they are n-”
Toby covered his mouth too late to catch the gasp, he inched further behind Sarah when he realized they’d been spotted.
“Ah, it would seem our guests have arrived,” The Goblin King waved a hand at the three goblins huddled around Styx. “You three, prove yourselves useful and bring the girl here. She will return Aboveground at once.”
Sarah squeezed Toby’s hand behind her back as she stepped fully into the throne room, “if Layla wasn’t running then where were you keeping her?”
Styx’s feathered ears perked at the sight of the small group, she took it upon herself to answer while Jareth sat upon his throne, “well, given that Layla had been mistakenly taken as one who was wished away, she would need a runner to claim her. However in this case since your brother has already been in the Labyrinth, he could not challenge to get her back. In rare cases such as this, ones who are wished away with no runner are simply confined to the castle. Your friend has kept the kitchen staff quite entertained with her culinary skills.”
“Oh thank god,” Sarah sighed in relief. “I thought she’d be thrown in a dungeon or something.”
“Come now, dear Sarah. We aren’t heathens,” Jareth snorted.
Toby looked around his sister towards Styx, “So…Layla is okay? She isn’t mad at me?”
The avain woman smiled so bright it could put the sun to shame, she shook her head lightly, “no, young one. I’ve seen to it that your friend is treated with great care.”
“Sarah! Oh- Toby!” Layla beamed as she rushed in ahead of her goblin escorts, she threw her arms around Sarah’s neck. Safe and sound, and not a single scratch on her.
“Layla,” Sarah stumbled at the force of the hug, but nonetheless held onto her friend like a lifeline. “I’m so sorry this happened, you should never have been brought here.”
Despite the arguably traumatic experience of being kidnapped by goblins, the redhead didn’t seem the least bit frightened. She’d all but taken over the castle kitchen for goodness sake. “But Sarah, it's wonderful here! Everyone has been so lovely! Of course, it was a bit scary at first but really, everyone has been so kind to me. A few of the goblins in the kitchen even showed me how to make grit cakes!”
“I’m just glad you’re not hurt,” Sarah dismissed her own negative bias surrounding the castle. Layla seemed so happy, she wouldn’t squander that.
“Me too,” Toby added, throwing his arms around Layla apologetically.
Their reunion was interrupted by Jareth, who cleared his throat and rose from his throne, “yes, well now that your friend has been reclaimed, we can resume progress on more important matters. Styx will prepare sleeping quarters for you. Tomorrow, Sarah, you will be led to where the convergence first occurred. Perhaps then you will be better equipped to bring an end to this matter.”
Sarah went eye-wide, “What?! No, absolutely not, we’re not staying here!”
“I fail to see where I gave you an option,” Jareth sneered. “You leave with Styx at first light.”
Summary: Sarah returns to the family home at the request of her brother, where she learns more about the circumstances revolving around the Spriggan and the Fiery.
Warning(s): Themes of Insomnia, hallucinations, and yelling/arguing towards the end. I think thats all, as usual please point something out if I missed it!
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Sarah neglected sleep in favor of painting. Despite her best efforts she couldn’t close her eyes and drift off to the land of dreams, her mind was lost in a whirlwind of thoughts. As she dipped her brush in orange and dabbed specs to light the ballroom candles, remnants of her nightmare came back to haunt her, and stir the nausea churning in her belly.
Dreams always had meaning, she just needed to find hers. There had to be a detail she overlooked. There had to be a clue in the rickety way Jareth had moved towards her, or in the vacant, almost dead look in his eyes. She shuddered at the cold chill down her spine. She chewed her lip, leaned back to look the canvas over from a different perspective, “I have to be missing something.”
If only Hoggle would answer her…
Gwendolyn whimpered as Sarah’s phone sprang to life on the counter, the chime familiar- a message from Toby. Had it been anyone else Sarah would have ignored it. She reassured her concerned canine before slowly rising from her stool. Picking her phone up off the counter she swiped up to view the message:
Come over. Mom & Dad @ Dinner.
Another followed shortly after:
Bring the Fairy.
Sarah felt her stomach sink, she’d completely forgotten about the Spriggan with all the news about Jareth. Abandoning her phone, she stepped towards the closet where the little faerie had been tucked away. Gwendolyn followed close at her heel but kept her distance, eyes flickering from Sarah’s hand to the knob and back again.
“I can do this.” Sarah took hold of the knob with a deep breath, taking one final look at Gwendolyn as if looking for reassurance. She gave the pitbull a small nod, “I can do this.”
Cracking the door open she peered into the bundle of blankets, dark brows pulled together at the unmoving fur-ball. Sarah knelt down to ensure the Spriggan was still breathing. Sarah extended a careful hand, just barely brushing her fingertips against the coarse fur. The Spriggan reacted with a small noise and curled further into itself.
She gathered the first blanket from the pile and tucked it under her arm. Sarah grabbed her keys from the hook, “Alright Gwen, I’ll be back in a little while.”
Dr. Zakar’s words rang like a bell in the back of her mind, how he’d told her she already had everything she needed to conquer her fears. Even if Sarah didn’t have all the answers now, she’d gain them in time. The Labyrinth only had power over her if she let it. She returned Toby’s message with a promise that she’d be on her way soon.
A strange sort of confidence took hold of her because Sarah did have options to turn to. The Fiery and the Spriggan both came from the Underground, so it stood to reason at least one of them could answer her.
Climbing into her car, she set the Spriggan in the passenger floorboard. Not wanting to put it in the seat out of worry the sunlight may irritate it. While driving Sarah’s thoughts started to wander again, a twinge of anxiety set in at the thought of returning to her childhood home. Her departure from it at eighteen hadn’t exactly happened on good terms, Irene had begged her to stay, and Toby did nothing but cry in her father’s arms. When Sarah put her focus back in reality her breath caught in her throat.
All of the buildings vanished, as did the cars, and people on the sidewalks. For a split second the road had transformed into a narrow passage of the Labyrinth. Stone walls closed her in, even the pavement spawned dirt clouds the further she drove. A loud horn tore at her eardrums and Sarah shut her eyes. Her foot slammed on the brake as tires screeching mixed with the horn.
When Sarah opened her eyes again the passage was gone, her car sat a little over the line white line of a traffic light. The car she would have collided into continued its turn while the driver spewed some profanity out the window. Sarah diverged from her original route to pull over into a gas station parking lot. She put the car in park and slammed her back into the driver seat, trying to calm her panicked breathing as she hid her face in her hands.
Sarah wanted to blame...whatever just happened. On lack of sleep but she knew better. She’d felt the change from smooth pavement to dirt road, confident that if she got out to check her car, she’d find residue on her wheels. Not feeling safe to drive the rest of the way, Sarah called an uber. Keeping the Spriggan bundled in the blanket to masquerade it like a baby. Hoping it wouldn’t draw too much of the driver’s attention.
The usual, calm sense of coming home didn’t resonate with Sarah as the familiar white paint and tan roof came into view. Instead she had to swallow her nerves and prepare herself all over again.
“You and the little one have a good night, miss,” he nodded as she exited the car.
She managed a kind smile, “thanks, you too.”
Sarah just reached the second step when Toby opened the door, an elated expression lit up around half a pastry stuffed in his mouth. The pastry an indication that Layla was also in the house.
“Is that the fairy? Can I see can I see-” He eagerly bounced on his feet.
“Careful, Toby. There’s a wound on its side,” she gently pushed past him to get to the kitchen. “Let me get it settled first.”
He followed at her heel like a lost puppy, trying to catch a glimpse of the fairy.
Layla looked up from the kitchen table, math books, papers, and other school supplies littered the table. The redhead wasn’t an uncommon visitor in the Williams house. She often tutored Toby in school, and sometimes even babysat Toby when Sarah was unable.
“Sarah- I know I slipped up. I’m so, so sorry Toby found out about th-”
“It’s alright Layla,” She waved it off and set the blanket bundle down. “It was bound to happen.”
Toby wedged between the two women, “Guys listen! I was talking to Daegmund, to see if he knew this fairy, and he does. He didn’t come here to find the Goblin King, YOUR fairy did Sarah.”
“Daegmund...is that the Fiery?” Sarah looked around for the creature in question.
Her brother nodded while rummaging through the pastry box Layla brought.
“He’s upstairs,” Layla pointed up towards Toby’s room. “We uh, kind of managed to keep him docile with music.”
Sarah put her hands on her hips, “so they know each other. Think he can figure out why this little guy hasn’t woken up yet?”
Not wanting to move the Spriggan again, the trio made their way upstairs. Toby had taken up residence in Sarah’s old room shortly after she’d moved away. Irene had done away with the wallpaper and painted the room a dark blue, a chestnut bed with a grey comforter sat where her vanity used to be. A matching dresser to the left of the window with hanging shelves over it.
“Where’s the Fiery?” Sarah inquired over the jazz playing from a speaker.
“Here here, watch this,” Toby knelt down and held out a pastry he’d taken from the box, shaking it a bit as he called to the creature, “Daeg I brought food.”
First a rainbow tail swished out from the right side of the bed, wagging side to side in a blur. Next a beak from the foot of the bed. Slowly, the full head of the Fiery. Bright eyes blinked twice as the bushy head tilted left. One pointed ear slipped past the cover.
Sarah found it odd just how docile this Fiery seemed to be compared to the ones she’d encountered. All the creature seemed to care for was food and music. Even more curious, he listened to Toby. He crawled out from under the bed and crouched in front of Toby, taking the offered treat gleefully.
“See? He’s harmless,” Toby searched for praise as he beamed up at Sarah.
“Great job keeping him in check with mom and dad in the house,” She gave him an encouraging smile, then she addressed the Fiery directly. “Can you come with us?”
“Aye, startin’ ta get little tired a dis room,” Daegmund chattered, taking off his head to throw it between his hands.
“Oh my g-” Layla gasped and sharply blocked her sight from the Fiery.
Unlike the Williams siblings, she wasn’t used to that kind of behavior.
Daegmund followed the trio downstairs, while not so gracefully descending the stairs, since he tripped over his tail halfway down. In the kitchen, his first target was the pastry box. After he’d eaten his fill, Sarah managed to get him to focus. Layla took to holding the Spriggan- who they learned was named Girven, while the three talked about the Labyrinth.
“So let me get this straight,” Sarah ran a hand through her hair. “The labyrinth is breaking, and because of that creatures from the Underground are slipping through the cracks. So Girven came here to round up everyone who escaped?”
The Fiery did a gesture mixed between a nod and a shoulder roll, “Eh sometin like dat.”
“What about the goblin king?” Layla inquired from the table. “Where is he in all of this?”
“Kingsy went poof-” Daegmund mimed an explosion. “Ain’t nobody seen ‘em since da first crack in tha walls.”
Toby was next to ask a question, “is it breaking because he’s gone?”
The line of questioning seemed to lose the Fiery’s interest, since he went to raid the cupboards in search of more food. Sarah looked at the Spriggan, wondering if there was a way to wake it up. Something told her she’d get more concrete answers from it opposed to Daegmund.
“We have to figure out how to wake up Girven,” Toby declared. “If it came here to find the goblin king, then he can fix everything!”
Sarah groaned.
“What do we do?”
A sick feeling rose in the back of her throat.
“Daeg, can you do something to help? There has to be something we can do!”
“Toby stop it!”
Sarah couldn’t take the pressure building up in her chest, “I don’t want to do this anymore! I’m done, I don’t want to hear about the Labyrinth anymore! I don’t care that it’s broken, I don’t care that Jareth is missing. I. Don’t. Care. I wanted out of this damn house to get away from the Labyrinth! If it’s broken let the stupid thing break, it’s not our responsibility to fix it!”
Heavy tension hung in the air as stunned silence took hold of her brother. Who she hadn’t raised her voice to since he was a baby, those same never-ending tear filled eyes looked at her now. Even Layla couldn’t have predicted such a reaction from her friend.
Instant regret soured her tongue, because the words hadn't meant to come out so harsh. It wasn't right to take her frustration, stress, and lack of sleep out on Toby. Whatever passion Sarah had for the Labyrinth had morphed to resentment, something she didn't want her brother to experience. Because he didn't know the true horrors of what the rest of the world regarded as just a story.
“Sarah,” Layla looked between the siblings, unsure of what to do. “Toby- hey-”
Tears stung Toby’s eyes, hurt, and heartbreak in them. They screamed an ever burning question of how could she yell at him?
He screwed his eyes shut, screaming at the top of his lungs, “I wish the Goblins would take you away right now!”
Without another word, too wounded to lash out again, he grabbed Daegmund's forearm and rushed upstairs. His bedroom door slammed hard enough to rattle the house.
The heavy weight in the room remained long after Toby left. Nothing changed. No goblins emerged from every crevice of the room. No barn owl barging at the window.
For some reason that stung more.
“Sarah,” Layla's calm voice broke through the quiet. “Honey listen, you haven't been sleeping. Toby doesn’t...he knows you didn’t mean any of it. Let me take you home, I can look after Toby and Girven. It’s gonna be okay, let's just get you home, okay?”
Ashamed of her outburst, Sarah wanted to go upstairs and apologize. Except she knew Toby wouldn’t accept it nor listen to her with the wounds she dealt still fresh. Layla was right. The best thing Sarah could do for Toby now was give him space. Though reluctant, she agreed to return home.
Rather than trouble Layla with having to drive Sarah home, she decided to get an uber to the gas station where she left her car. Sarah needed the isolation period to collect herself and stave off the wave of oncoming self-loathing. Sarah dried her eyes in between red lights, ready to be home buried in her bed, and everything that transpired in the Williams house completely forgotten.
Sarah shoved her apartment key into the lock, swallowing the last of her tears so she could at least greet Gwendolyn with some enthusiasm.
Except when she opened the door, her dog wasn’t there waiting.
“Gwen?” Sarah called for her, whistling as she crouched down, patting her knees. “Here girl, I’m home.”
A growl drew her attention to the living room. The pitbull was stiff as a board, her head lowered, like she was ready to pounce on something. Her full focus on the half open curtains over the windows. Quiet but quick steps pulled her to the kitchen to arm herself before approaching whatever Gwendolyn had cornered. The first thing she could get to was a rolling pin.
Gwen growled again, lower, and more aggressive.
A gloved hand slipped out from behind the curtain, curling around the edge before jerking it aside. All the color drained from her face, the rolling pin fell from her hand as the mismatched eyes of the Goblin King stared her down.
Summary: A wish goes wrong, an innocent caught in the crossfire. Jareth tries to force Sarah's hand in order to aid his crumbling kingdom.
Warning(s): Aside from a few arguments, I don't think anything! Please let me know if I missed something
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A crystal rolled to and fro along the windowsill, at times a glimmer of his kingdom would catch in the light. A sour expression contorted his features. He hummed, recalling a time where he would have let it all crumble. From the enchanted forest down to the bog of eternal stench; he would have let his kingdom burn in the days following Sarah’s victory. Disgust festered in every brick, every crevice she’d passed on the way to his castle. It all filled him with unimaginable disappointment and the desire to construct a new Labyrinth. One that might capture her interest a while longer, one that might keep her near.
Never one to tell a full truth nor a total lie, Jareth always mixed a bit of both. All of which depended on his intent. As a being crafted from sharp-intellect and mystery, the Goblin King was in no way bound to abide by human morals. What he’d said about the convergence held truth. A force beyond his control dared to push the Underground and mortal realm together. Jareth’s lie, however, dwelled in the timing. While ever a matter of the utmost importance, it was one easily capable of being solved outside of nine hours and twenty-three minutes. The Goblin King put in place such a time constraint in order to push Sarah, a not so gentle nudge in the direction he needed her to go.
Heterochromic eyes diverged from the night sky to study his champion, who had taken refuge at her easel. Basked in the endless white sea of an empty canvas. Her brows furrowed in frustration, and it took all his self control not to poke fun at her. Though Jareth had to admit, Sarah had talent when it came to painting. Some of her work had befallen his gaze, completed ones he’d seen off in a corner, the same corner she’d stowed away the half-finished one of him.
“Humans consider it rude to stare,” Sarah quipped without facing him, she must have sensed his gaze.
“I simply fail to see how you sitting there solves anything,” he lifted the crystal he’d been rolling. Rotating it skillfully with the tips of gloved fingers, “time is not exactly on your side, Sarah.”
She threw down her brush and turned to face him, “you know it’s your kingdom. You should be the one doing the work instead of pestering me.”
His fluid motion halted, a harsh glare cast in her direction, as if he’d been offended she’d dare speak to him in such a tone. If she wanted a battle he’d bring her a war. The Goblin King rose from his seat, “you think yourself so capable of finding a magical portal, one of which you just learned existed? One no less located somewhere in a world with very little magic, and in a short amount of time?”
“I didn’t do this Jareth! You say this is somehow connected to me, but I don’t believe that. It’s been fifteen years, how can that be on me?” she retorted with equal fire.
His jaw clenched and for half a second the king refused to speak, though he kept his eyes locked on hers, “there have been no challengers since you and the boy.”
“Is that supposed to mean something?” Sarah pushed past him, intentionally knocking his shoulder.
Jareth had enough of her attitude, his hand shot forward. The same tough yet gentle hold snaked around her wrist. Not enough pressure to hurt her but enough to keep her stationary. The two regarded one another in a way where time itself seemed to stop, he could see in her eyes how she had a snarky retort primed and ready to combat whatever he might say next. In those cruel, sad eyes he’d come to miss, Jareth noticed a certain softness within them. A tender look she usually kept under lock and key.
A low growl caused Sarah to jerk her arm out of his hold. The ginger pitbull, who had been allowed re-entry into the apartment, followed close at her mistress' heels. He dared not test the dog’s wrath a second time, not that the creature intimidated him in the slightest. Jareth wouldn’t allow the woman to deny him again, the least he would give her was a moment to collect herself. His eyes followed her movements around the kitchen where she’d poured a glass of water, her back pressed against the counter, and one arm crossed as she glared past her raised glass.
“To yield in your favor, time Above and Below are-”
She shut him down almost immediately, “no.”
Jareth’s patience wore thin, “you haven’t many options, pet. This is one I am offering you.”
“Your offers always have a consequence,” she countered.
“As I was saying,” he sighed while running a hand through his hair. “Time Above and Below are not one in the same. Your return would differ from your previous venture, as those who have already run the Labyrinth cannot do so again. Thus you would not return a challenger, but a champion.
Her eyes averted, but Jareth could see the wheels of consideration start to turn behind her eyes. Such a detail, even in the smallest regard, meant he was going in the right direction. She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath, “even if I did go, what about Toby? I can’t just leave him here.”
“The boy is old enough to make his own decisions. You certainly did at his age,” Jareth smirked with a perked brow.
Sarah rolled her eyes, “I don’t know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.”
“Take it as the word of a king,” Jareth stepped into the kitchen despite her dog’s protest. He held a hand out for her. “No harm shall come to you, or the boy while in my realm.”
Tension pooled in her shoulders as they hiked up to her neck, he recognized the start of her anxious habit. The Goblin King frowned as Sarah gnawed at what little remained of her thumb nail. What had he said to bring on such a reaction? Any motion he made resulted in a growl from Gwendolyn, though Sarah’s hand against the canine’s head seemed to calm it. “I’m fine,” she muttered under her breath. More to herself than anyone in particular.
A violent rattle coursed through her when a loud noise pierced the quiet air of the apartment. Jareth’s gaze followed hers to the device set on the island, the name Toby flashed in white letters across the screen. Sarah made a dive to snatch the phone before he could, pushing passed him again as she swiped the green button across the screen.
“Toby, hey,” she froze midway to the living room. “Toby slow down, I can’t understand what you’re saying.”
From his place, Jareth could make out some of the conversation. His hearing was significantly more keen than that of a human. He managed to decipher that Goblins had appeared to take him away, something about fighting them off, and someone else- a woman’s name. Whoever she was, the Goblins had taken her in place of the boy. Before he could properly inquire, Sarah hung up the phone, both hands balled into fists.
“You arrogant, manipulative asshole! You don’t know when to give up do you?” She looked at him with the hatred of a hundred suns. “I said no so you kidnap my friend for what- leverage? Some twisted fear tactic to try and get me to do exactly what you want?!”
The woman seemed hellbent on arguing with him, practically all she’d done since his arrival was provoke him, “I haven’t a clue what you are referring to.”
“Bullshit. Goblins follow you when people are wished away, don’t they?” She pressed, ignoring her canine’s soft whimpers.
“You wished away a child, Sarah. You know full well the answer to your own question,” he crossed his arms. “As I said, those who have challenged the Labyrinth cannot do so a second time. The boy included, his claim to wish you away went unanswered.”
“Then why did he just call me saying Goblins took my friend Layla? That his Fiery fought them off when they tried to take him too?” She hissed.
Jareth pulled his brows so tight they almost unified, it didn’t make any sense. Goblins were chaotic yes, but not so much as to collect a wished away person unsupervised. His absence from the castle hadn’t been extended enough for anyone to usurp him. Not that anyone would dare take the goblin kingdom, given how little value it had. This was a matter he’d have to see to himself, Jareth suspected they must have taken the girl in place of Toby.
“Your brother, where is he?” The king inquired while approaching the window he’d entered from.
Sarah watched him like a hawk, at first not willing to provide an answer. Not until he asked a second time, “my old house.”
With a location pinpointed, Jareth raised his gloved hands to the sides of the window. Eyes closed for a moment as he channeled magic into it. The night sky vanished, replaced with a view of the Williams’ livingroom. Turning his gaze back to her, Jareth extended a hand.
“Look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t send them,” she demanded.
Jareth lowered his hand, the portal remained open despite his distance from it. He wasn’t much taller than her, half a head but still enough to tower over the woman. The Goblin King did as she asked of him, mismatched eyes bore into her, “I did not send the goblins to spirit away your friend. You’ve tried my patience one too many times, dear Sarah. I will not be so generous now as I was before.”
Once he was certain his point had gotten across, he pointed to the portal, and signalled for her to pass through first. The Goblin King followed close behind, closing the portal once they arrived on the other side. He watched Sarah take off in search of her brother. She called out to him, charging up the stairs likely to his room. Meanwhile, he surveyed the scene of what must have been a struggle.
Navy fabric from the overturned couch had been slashed, bits of stuffing squeezed between gashes left by claws. A coffee table laid on its side, broken in half with splinters of wood littering the vanilla carpet below. Glancing to the nearby walls he noticed rattled picture frames, some lopsided, and others fallen from their places. His gaze particularly lingered on what looked like a family photo. A man stood with his arm around Sarah, a woman with her hand on Toby’s shoulders. Jareth assumed them to be their mother and father. All it took to right the room was a wave of the hand, the magic turning back time to make it as though nothing had happened.
A sound from the kitchen caught his ear, curious the king went to inspect it. It wouldn’t surprise him if a Goblin had gotten stuck in a cabinet or trash can, as it had happened a time or two before. He paused, seeing a familiar bundle of brown struggling to stand.
“Well hello, is this where you’ve been?” Jareth inquired as he helped the Spriggan to its feet.
Girven let out a sad chattering noise, ears drooped. One tiny, clawed hand still placed over the wound that didn’t quite want to heal.
“Hmm,” The King inspected the wound. Jareth knew it hadn’t come from the goblins, not when they held Girven in such high regard. “This predates the little scrap here. There’s traces of iron...no wonder it’s persistent to stay open.”
Footsteps rumbled down the stairs as Jareth kept the Spriggan cupped in his hands, healing magic was a capability he had, but one not often used. Taking a seat at the table, he transferred energy from himself to the little creature while it caught him up to speed.
“You’re...the Goblin King?” Toby’s voice filled the room.
The boy, no longer the crying baby he once knew, stood in the threshold of the kitchen. Jareth wasn’t so focused on how time had changed Toby, he was more so focused on the Fiery wrapped around him like a second skin. The colorful creature had it’s knobby-knees hooked around Toby’s middle, arms around his neck, and chin perched atop his head. A pleasant Swish swish swish echoed from his flicking tail. Jareth looked to Sarah before answering, not so much as to seek her permission before answering the question, more to ensure she wouldn’t get onto him if he did.
Jareth nodded, “I am.”
“But-...Daeg said you were missing,” Toby looked back and forth between his sister and the Goblin King seated at the kitchen table like he was a common house guest. “How is he here?”
He could see Sarah was at her wit’s end, reluctant, angry even to have to be dealing with this. With him. Jareth moved his hands carefully, opening them just enough for Toby to see the Spriggan.
“It would seem, Toby. That a few of my subjects have run off. Contrary to what everyone seems to believe, I left the castle and came to your world to collect my missing subjects. Such as the Fiery you have there,” he raised his hands some. “Girven, this little one here, is a member of my council. When the cracks first appeared I sent Girven to examine the extent of the damage. Some time passed, and it stopped reporting back to me. That is why I am here. T-”
“To bring Layla back and take the rest of his people home,” Sarah finished for him.
Toby strayed from Sarah’s side, inspecting Girven up close best he could between Jareth’s clothed fingers. Such an action led him to believe the boy hadn’t yet gotten a chance to see the Spriggan up close. While a deceptively sweet looking little ball of brown fur, the Goblin King knew of the mischievous streak Spriggans tended to have. They could be quite violent when threatened.
His train of thought was interrupted by Toby’s questioning stare, “Wait, so if you’re here then who took Layla? In the story The Goblin King is the one who takes the wished away people.”
“Yes, well, I’ve some idea of who could be responsible,” Jareth said while letting Girven free, the wound on its side completely healed, “I appointed Styx to temporary command in my absence.”
A curious twinkle lit the boy’s brown eyes ablaze, “I don’t remember reading about someone named Styx. Is that a goblin?”
“No,” Jareth couldn’t help but chuckle at the boy’s enthusiasm, “she is a harpy, and she serves as an advisor of sorts. Styx is quite fond of children, I dare say she might take a liking to you.”
“Whoa, she sounds cool! Could I meet-”
“No,” Sarah cut in, she pulled Toby away from Jareth. Shooing the Fiery from his back despite a sharp hiss in protest. She loomed over him like a mother bear protecting her cub. Daggers glared in his direction, a silent threat laced in her line of her face.
Toby jerked out of her hold, a rebellious fire in his eye, “you don’t get to make decisions for me! It’s your fault Layla got taken! I wished you away not her!”
“You don’t know what it’s like Toby!” Her expression of momentary hurt morphed to anger mixed with a hint of fear, “I’m trying to protect you!”
“Quiet,” Jareth commanded as he rose to his feet. To his surprise both siblings obeyed. One looking at him with hate and the other owlishly. A strand of silence engulfed everyone in the room, Daegmund and Girven included. From her place in the room Sarah had begun to chew her bottom lip.
Toby broke the silence, “I want to go. Layla is there...because I let my anger get the better of me. I want her to know I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen to her.”
“Fine,” Sarah decided after five minutes of silent thought. “I don’t want her there longer than she has to be. We go, we get her, we come home. Nothing else. We stay together, got that?”
“Got it,” Toby nodded, motioning a cross over his heart.
“This way then,” Jareth waved the two towards the window. Channeling magic into it once more. The lush trees and bushes faded away, red dust and a vast, arid landscape. “The Labyrinth awaits.”
