Labyrinth: Saving the Fallen City

Fallen City

I looked behind the tree and saw the edge of a cliff. I turned back to Jareth and say him watching me. Rolling my eyes, I walked over to the edge and stopped. The labyrinth was in front of me but it wasn’t. Everything was overgrown. Vines strangled the walls of the labyrinth, dead trees grew in the middle of paths, and a fog as thick as night settled within the stones. My gaze trailed up to the goblin city, burning. It was bigger than I remembered but the destruction made up most of the city. Finally my sight landed on the castle. Vines grew up the sides and throughout the castle. The throne room was destroyed. The wall was gone and the room overlooked the labyrinth.

A sudden noise erupted from the castle that forced me to cover my ears. A chanting sounded and shadows appeared on the walls of the castle projected by the fire burning in the courtyard. I watched the image of a fight going on. Two goblins thrust weapons and each other. I turned away when the weaker one fell. A cry of victory rose up and the castle was almost all black from the shadow of celebration.

  Jareth stood beside me tall with a deep hatred in his eyes. The ruler’s soldiers are using my goblins in a fighting ring. If they win they gain a spot in his army” His face scrunched in revolt but never looked away. We both stood in silence before I broke it with quiet words “I will help you” I said. “I knew you would…” He started. “Not for you, I will save the goblins but I am afraid their king has fallen” I interrupted him.

A hand was on my shoulder so quickly I had no time to react. My body was thrown over the edge of the cliff and the only thing keeping me from falling was Jareth’s grip on my arm. I gasped from the shock of being thrown. My feet scraped the side of the cliff in attempt to climb up. After a second of struggling I hung limp and looked into Jareth’s face. “Do not tempt me. I can lose my temper very easily” He said with a wink. “Do we have an understanding?” He asked. I nodded and he pulled me up. He placed both hands on my arms and smiled before turning and walking towards where I had woken up. “What have I gotten myself into?” I muttered. I looked over the city so changed in such a short time.

Jareth was sitting on his rock again as I walked back over. “When will we leave?” I asked. “When the sun sets” He said as I looked up towards the sky. The sun would set in about an hour. I took off my boots I had put on earlier that day and stretched my feet. I thought to myself for a moment and hit the heel on a rock. Jareth jumped from his rock at the noise and I stifled my laugh. He glared at me before taking his seat. The small heel from my boot fell to the ground and I pulled at the shoe.

After a while of pulling and manipulating the shoe it had become a flat instead of a heel. It would look odd on my feet but I shrugged. The bottom was still jagged so I scraped the bottom on a rock until it was mostly smoothed over. I took the other boot and forced it on the rock like the other and earned another glare from the king. I finished de-heeling my short boots within the hour and put them on. The fit was uncomfortable but they were better than running around in heels.

The couple goblins Jareth had showed themselves after forty five minutes when I had finished my shoes. They moved around cautiously eyeing my every movement. “They are still loyal to me” Jareth said playing with a crystal. The tiny little goblins moved slowly eventually closer and closer towards me. When one finally got close enough to me it tapped my legs and studied me. We stared at each other until he threw sand in my face and ran. Jareth laughed almost dropping his crystal as I coughed and sputtered trying to get rid of the sand off my face.

“The sun is setting. We need to leave” Jareth said clearing his throat and standing. I stood with him and was walked to the edge again. “How do we get down?” I asked. “Jump” He said. “Wh-” Jareth’s arms encircled me and he launched himself and me off the ledge. I clung to his jacket until we hit a grassy hill. We fell apart and slid down the rest of the way. “How could you see the grassy ledge?” I asked. “My kingdom” He said pausing between words. “Why did you have to hold onto me then?” I asked. “Because you ask too many questions princess” He said walking towards his own Labyrinth. I shut my mouth and followed.

When we got to the first wall I felt a pain in my chest remembering Hoggle. “No use dwelling on old friends. Move on because he might not still be here” Jareth said surveying the wall. “How kind of you to care so deeply for your subjects” I mocked. “Where did the fairies go?” I added. “With all the other creatures that were not captured went… into hiding” Jareth kicked the wall in frustration. We both looked for the door but neither of us was successful.

I started looking along the vines tightening on the tall walls. My eyes followed the swirling pattern until I saw something. A single struggle caught my attention. I approached the wall and saw a lone fairy entangled in the vines. The vines tightened around her body and she fought relentlessly trying to break free. I reached my hand in and tore the strong vines. The fairy welcomed my assistance, but tried to bite me when I got her out to let her free. “I helped you get free, show me the entrance and I will free you” I said to the angry fairy. With a jerk of her hand she pointed me towards a large vine covered wall. I looked in and smiled. “Thank you” I whispered and set her free. She flew away as quickly as she could as soon as I released her.

I pulled at the vines and broke them. Soon enough I had uncovered the door to the Labyrinth. Jareth walked up beside me. “And how did you manage this find?” He asked. “I was nice” He ignored me. I watched him survey the door and make sure it was okay. He took one of hs Crystals out of his pocket and moved it in his hand. I watched the movement in a trance. Jareth looked down at me then back and the door. With a movement of the crystal to the gate it opened sending a gust of wind in my face. “Welcome back to my Labyrinth Sarah” Jareth said with a smug smile.