I awoke to the bright sun beaming down onto my eyes and sand in my shirt. My eyes squinted open and I took in my surroundings. I was on the ground that looked like a desert under a tree with dead leaves. Large rocks and bushes were all over and figures were sitting around me. The air was hot and thick causing me to sweat.
I blinked my eyes multiple times when one of the tiny figures approached me. I gasped and sat up. I pushed myself away from the tree I was leaning on and away from the goblin. Its distorted face came closer and closer to mine. Its tiny body climbed over my legs and up a rock to get eye level with me. “No…” I said trying to shake my head to wake up from the dream. “This isn’t happening” I said to no one.
“And what do you suppose is happening” A voice said across from me. I jerked my head in the voices direction. My eyes went from the boots to the tight pants, leather armored jacket, to his long blond hair. He hadn’t changed in the slightest. “Jareth” I hissed narrowing my eyes. He was sitting on a large rock with one leg hanging down and the other propped on the rock. He twirled three crystals in his hand keeping his eyes focused as if when he broke his stare from the crystals he lost.
“Take me back, no words were said and I already won” I said in shaky voice. “Oh you have, have you?” He smirked at his crystals. “Yes, now send me back” I said with more force. “Are you sure you want to go back? From what I saw you looked pretty unhappy” He said in a mocking tone. “Jareth unless you would like to tell me something important I suggest you send me back. You have never had power over me.” “On the contrary, I do have power over you” He said chuckling. I sat in silence trying to figure what hold he had on me. “Every person has power over others. Whether it is in their voice, looks, or strength” He said breaking his trance with the crystals to look at me.
“Like it or not princess, I do have power over you, quite a bit actually” He smiled a wicked smile. I stood and he walked towards me. “I may not have your brother with me but I have something with so much more importance that holds you here” He said looking right into my eyes. “Why do you need me here?” I asked irritably. “You have something Sarah, something of mine and I intend to reclaim it” He said circling me.
“I am not in your castle” I noticed. “Your observation skills are lacking” He said looking around him. “Why am I out here?” I asked. “Unfortunately my kingdom has taken sick. After you left, my kingdom was poisoned, my castle destroyed. An evil ruler sits upon a shattered thrown draining the kingdom of everything it has. He stole my subjects and turned them into slaves. I tried to fight back but I was missing something. My most powerful crystal was taken from me. Taken from a girl before you but you knew her well. Yes, she came for the same reason you did. But I was a young ruler the age of yourself the first time you came to my labyrinth.
“She called on me to take her brother and I took him. She completed my Labyrinth and I was enthralled. I offered her a crystal but soon found she had replaced that crystal with me most powerful crystal. She took the crystal and left her brother. I had looked for her since then holding back my anger for her life. One day I was called on and when I replied the girl looked just like the last who stole my crystal. Like her mother, she completed the labyrinth, but she was different. This girl was strong and stubborn. When she defeated me she chose to save her brother and not fall under my rule. You my princess have eluded me twice. I am not person to tamper with”
I was backed up to a tree; the king’s hand was resting on the tree above my head and leaned his head down to look into my eyes. “My mother beat your Labyrinth?” I asked. “Indeed, but she was weak and fell under my power” He smiled. “But she took your crystal. And you need me” I said. “Give me my crystal back I will send you back” He said. “How will I be able to believe you?” I asked. “You will just have to trust me” He said smirking. “I am your only chance” He said turning around and messing with one of his crystals. “I do not have her crystal” I said. “You will find it” He said.
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.