Labyrinth: Saving the Fallen City

Bound

Bringing my eyes from the awkward dress, I looked around the stone room. There were no decorations around the room. It was just a stone walled room with a dark rug in front of my bed. Black silk hung from one of the walls and I moved towards it. My dress dragged on the floor making me feel like a toddler was hanging onto my ankles dragging on the floor. I lifted the silk up and studied the wall behind it. As if something were torn from the wall, the stone had black metal lodged deep into the stone and holes in other areas. I let the curtain fall and took a step back.

Engal shuffled back into the room with a black cape to cover my exposed arms. I pulled the material over my body and Engal nodded her head in approval. “Come on princess” She muttered tugging my arm. “Princess?” I asked. Engal ignored me and kept walking with a firm grasp on my arm. She pulled me towards the window and shoved my back towards the sill. I pushed back on her arms trying to get away. “What are you doing?” I asked. “Window is way to get to Master” She said pushing me again. “Can we use… I don’t know…. the door?” I asked incredulously. “Door is gone, must use window” She said as I looked over at the wall where the door had been. I returned my gaze to the window and the sill had turned to wood.

With the constant pushing on my back, I stepped up on the sill and pushed open the window. My eyes looked over the throne room and I blinked my disbelief. I stepped onto the floor gently as if I would crumble out from under my feet. When I felt it to be solid, I put all my weight on it and stepped into the room. I turned to look behind me but Engal and the door disappeared. I bit my tongue trying to keep my nerves under control.

“Sarah” The man said still standing by the open wall. He was much bigger up close. His muscles bulged from his shirt and his height towered over my own. He turned to me and I was taken aback from his face. I thought it would be ugly and gnarled, but it was handsome. His face had a glow to it that entranced me wanting to never look away. “Who are you?” I asked him. “My name is Kilton. I am the king over this kingdom” He said pulling back his shoulders to make himself look bigger.

“Is that supposed to make me cower at your feet?” I asked him raising an eyebrow. He took three steps to cross the room and snatch my chin. “You my dear princess, must learn to hold that tongue of yours. It could get you into trouble” He said. I just watched his eyes. His dark eyes held red in them and for a second I was convinced it was fire. “You killed Jareth, burned me, and destroyed those statues. Why would I succumb to you?” I asked. “Because I am your king and what I say and do is law. You, Sarah, have been privileged to catch my eye. I decided to make you my princess and one day queen” He said smiling down at me. “And if I say no?” I asked. “Then I’d have to kill you, and neither one of us wants that” He muttered releasing me and taking my arm.

Kilton took me to the opening of the wall over the labyrinth. “All of this will be ours” He said looking over it and smiling at me. “Kilton, what you’ve done is horrible. You did not build the labyrinth up nor did you help the city flourish. You’ve destroyed it” I said. “I should raise my hand to your pretty face for that, but will restrain against my future wife. Would you like to build it up with me?” He asked. “What I want to do is leave. I don’t want to be your wife, I don’t want to build up a kingdom, and I certainly don’t want a man who kills others if they frown in his direction. But I have no other choice in the matter. You can beat me senseless if you like, but I will never admit to being your queen” I said.

Kilton tilted his head back and laughed. “And I’m suppose you would prefer the fallen king before me Jareth?” He asked looking at me from the corner of his eye. “I refuse both of you. You and Jareth are one and the same; both wicked in your own way. You both make me sick” I said looking out. He nodded his head and puffed his chest out. “You have complemented me princess. I take very kindly to you seeing what I’m determined to bring to my new kingdom that Jareth never did” Kilton said pulling me close to him. “Discipline, a firm hand, and you” He said putting his arm around me. I tried to move away from his vile limb but he tightened his grip.

“Why me?” I asked. “Over the years that Jareth has challenged girls to retrieve their brothers, I have watched and waited patiently for my chance to take over his kingdom and rule with the girl who beats his labyrinth. You were one of two actually. The first woman beat the labyrinth which showed her ability to overcome obstacles. Her will and determination impressed me but when she accepted the crystal over her brother I knew she would not succeed as my queen. She fell too easily into temptation. Sarah, you were the second to beat the labyrinth. You never ceased to outsmart any trap Jareth could throw at you. I admired you from the beginning. Now that you’re older and I can see a strong ruler in you. We would do very well together. But if you refuse me I will have to punish you” Kilton had turned towards me.

I scrunched my eyebrows wondering what he meant but his face ducked to my level and he attempted to kiss me. I pushed at his chest to keep him away. He growled at me from within his throat and his eyes flashed like a flame. “You will obey me. Even if I have to chain you to me” He said taking my wrists. His hands started to warm and before long they burned me. I gasped at his hold. “You’re… burning me” I said trying to pull away but his grip was iron. He smiled and released me then and I held my wrists, rubbing them with my cold hands. I looked down and choked on my surprise. “Now you’re bound to me Sarah. You are now mine forever” He smirked. My wrists had a thin chain like design with a vine woven between the chains covered in thorns burned into my wrists.

I was back in my room, sitting in the middle of my bed with my head in my hands. My wrists still tingled from when Kilton burned them. Despite my better judgment I looked out the window and I searched. I followed every possible path looking for Jareth. “Jareth, please help me” I said to the labyrinth. My hatred for him would have to be put on hold because without him right now, I was headed for my own destruction.

 Something dropped around my neck and I felt my necklace. I studied it and wanted to throw it out the window. The tear shaped diamond sparkled at me bringing memories of when my mother gave it to me. I clutched the necklace in my fist and closed my eyes. She may have beaten the labyrinth and refused her own brother for her dreams, but she was still my mother. I am half hers.

“I wish I knew what happened to my mother” I said out loud. My room swirled and turned into a delivery room. I was sitting in a chair watching my mom hold a baby girl in her arms. She looked at my dad and smiled. “I’ll name her Sarah. She’s our Princess” She said nodding. “Yes, Sarah is perfect” My dad agreed. The scene flashed to later when my father was asleep in a chair and my mom was cradling me in her arms. She smiled down at me “My dear, precious, little Sarah. I love you so much. I may not be here for long, but I will always love you. By bringing you into this world I’ve been selfish. I was given a crystal and dreamed of a perfect little girl. You are my dream Sarah, and now you are reality. If I am gone, Sarah I want you to make things right”

She pulled out a crystal in her hands and waved it around like the goblin king did. “I learned that a while ago from a man who calls himself the goblin king. He is very young. I think when the time is right you will run into him like I did. You will need everything you have to overcome him. He is very charming; I think you’ll like him. Reasons beyond you will bring you to him and you will overcome my biggest wrong. I can feel your power now. I love you baby girl” She said and I fell asleep. The crystal in her hands turned into a necklace the moment she looked at it. A red book appeared in her hand with the necklace and she put it in a white box. “I may have altered the ending a little and changed my name to yours, but this will guide you” She said. She wrote with a silver marker on top of the box. ‘Sarah, I love you baby girl. Happy sixteenth birthday’.