The Labyrinth Sequel

Chapter 11

The room is very large, but still filled to the brim with tables and Goblins and food. Goblins rush all over the place, taking their chairs and taking other people's chairs as well. I slowly make my way through the crowd towards the back of the room, where I notice Ludo standing against the wall alone.

"Hey Ludo!" I say as I push my way through many goblins. 

He looks up at me with sad doe eyes, and I notice that someone has stuffed him into a very tight fitting dress shirt and tie. Little toffs of fur poke out from every opening; his neck hole, his sleeves, and the bottom of his shirt.

"Ludo--sad!" He declares.

"Oh, don't be sad, Ludo. I think you look great! And besides, it's only for one night." I assure him.

He doesn't seem any more impressed, but I can tell that he is at least a little happy that someone thinks he is handsome. When he looks over at me, his eyes travel down the length of my dress, which he has clearly never seen before.

"Sawah--pwetty!" He says with a loose smile.

"Thank you, Ludo, that means a lot to me." I smile back, "Have you seen Hoggle or Sir Didymus anywhere tonight?"

 "Brother--guard." He says.

Of course he is standing guard for the party, I should have figured. With so many people in the party tonight he would have figured he would have to make sure that no one meant any harm if they were coming in, which they very well might be now that the King is back in power after so long. He is a brave knight indeed.

"And Hoggle?" 

"Right here." He says from behind me.

"Oh, there you are. I couldn't see you with all of the people here." I apologize.

"Yeah, well," He huffs, "I am much more handsome than any of these dirty goblins."

I look him over, noticing that today he is wearing a fine suit and tie. His shoes have been buffed and his hat replaced by a nice top hat. The only thing missing would be his cane, which I'm sure he would have loved to have if they let him.

"Toby is supposed to be coming tonight, and I am worried about him being around so many people. Could you two please look after him for me if I can't?" I ask.

"Of course, Sarah, you can count on us. You know that." Hoggle assures me.

"Thanks you guys." I smile.

Suddenly, before any more can be said the lights in the room begin to dim. All of the goblins flee to their seats, sitting as still and as quiet as they can. For a moment, the room is as silent as it is dark. 

Then a door on the opposite side opens and in walks Jareth. It is hard to see him from where I am, but something doesn't seem right with him. I can't see his cape, or his hair, or any sparkles at all as he makes his way to the center of the room.

He spots me standing over in the corner and moves around goblins to make his way to me. I can only stand and watch as he gets closer.

When he is finally close enough to see, I realize what looks different. He has cut his hair, but not back to the way I remember it before. Instead, it is short and cropped around the back, making it look like a fluffy kittens fur. And instead of a cape with sparkles and all that, he is wearing a simple black blouse and black suit pants. The pants cover his shoes, so I can't tell whether or not he is wearing boots.

He notices me staring at him and smiles.

"What do you think of me now?" He asks teasingly.

"What did you do?" I ask still staring.