Labyrinth 1. Chapter 1

The alcohol stung as she rubbed it into the cuts all over her skin, disinfecting each wound as the clear substance bled into her own crimson liquid. The band aid wrapped over each gash in her limbs.

After cleaning herself up, she wandered into the plain room that held her bed, vanity and closet; there being no other sign that anyone occupied the room other than the various items scattered across her dressing table. She pulled out the low stool nestled underneath the mirror and table and sat; her eyes blindly focused on her own reflection as the voices began their tirade through her thoughts.

"You were never good enough." Her father.

"You could never make us proud." Her mother.

"You'll never fit in." Her sister.

"You'll never have friends." Her brother.

"You're worthless, unloved, useless, ugly, stupid, pathetic, disgraceful, annoying..."

The words spun round in her head and the tears fell down her face. She had nowhere to escape to, no fantasy or dream that could make her forget. They had been stolen from her long ago by the ones who were supposed to nurture them and help them take flight. She felt out of place, lost. She knew she didn't belong here, but then again, she didn't belong anywhere.

Tears crawled down her face as she felt the rage build up to a peak before it ripped a scream of frustration from her throat and her body curled itself over the lip of the desk she was sat at. She wished, she wished she could escape, that someone would take her away from this, that there was something she could do to change her situation.

Her mind reeled through all her other discarded means of escape, her thoughts settling fondly on the words of an old fairytale that her nursery teacher told her, the darker version became a source of fantasy and hope. The fairytale land seemed a comfort compared to her own, the labyrinth itself giving her a thrill of adventure and the words would envelope her and drag her down to the Underground; the biting faeries and the happily dismembered Fireys, the grumbling dwarfs and the enigmatic, mysterious and dangerous Goblin King.

The thought of failing the labyrinth scared her much less than the one of remaining here in her sham of a life. She would rather risk her life and soul than stay with four walls as her only friends.

'Say your right words.' Her thoughts coaxed her, gently prodding her to speak, to deliver herself from this existence. She met the cold gaze of her mirror image, making her decision before her conscience had time to reverse her choice. Lips parted as the syllables rolled from her tongue and a cool breeze whipped from an open window and swirled around her form.

"I wish the goblins would take you away, right now."

Lightning flashed through the sky as the wind howled past her ears. Squeaky chattering filled the room as creatures unseen moved around the sparse room before leaving. A roll of thunder blasted through the night and with a flash there was a figure stood by the dresser. Tall and slender with a wild mane of pale gold hair, cloaked in black with a single white shirt ruffle peeping from under the velvet cloak.

As he turned, she could make out his heavily accented and mismatched eyes, one pupil far more dilated than the other, his fairly high cheekbones and his lips that held an expression fixed between knowledge, amusement and authority. His eyes landed other face, boring into her head with a gaze so intense that she felt as though her innermost thoughts and soul were bared for him to peruse at will. In reality, she was simply awestruck by the aura and presence he carried, one of power and grace and the illusion of approachability and empathy.

"Where is the child?" The corners of his mouth turned slightly into a predatory grin with his words and all she could do was blankly stare at him, uncertain of what it was he meant. Finally, her brain broke through the fog enough for her to say:

"What child?" The man smiled as though he was humoring a toddler who had drawn a picture.

"The child you wished away, that I am entrusted and entitled to take." He stepped lightly forwards, his footsteps leaving no sound.

"I didn't wish any child away." She was confused now and scared, so very, very scared. She held little doubt that the mood could change with a word or a glance.

"You said, and I quote: "I wish the goblins would take you away, right now." So here I am to take the child." His voice grew darker and more dangerous as the puzzle pieces slotted together in her brain. A gasp escaped her mouth as she realised what had happened.

"That was me. I wished myself away. I spoke to my mirror, my reflection. I never guessed, but I -" Her words failed her as he moved, bending at the waist so they were at eye level before he spoke.

"What's said is said, but this is most unusual," He scrutinised her face for a sign that she was lying. He found none. "I have never encountered someone who wished themselves away. Why should I take you?"

She looked away, embarrassed and the voices flew through her brain again, each word branded on her soul as a constant reminder of how little she meant to everyone. A single tear left her eye. She had dared, just for a second, she had dared to hope.

"You shouldn't, I'm useless anyway . I guess I just thought that whatever fate i suffered in your labyrinth would be better than whatever happened here." Her voice was a whisper, so quiet her guest had to strain to hear her. "I'm sorry for wasting your time, Sir."

His look was pensive. He had not lied when he said this was a unique request and the glimpse inside her head told him that she truly believed she was of no use to anyone.

"You have 13 hours. Find me in my castle and you may remain in my kingdom. Fail and you will return." A click of his fingers changed the setting to one of a burnt orange landscape complete with castle and maze. "You may not ask for help, but if it is given freely then you may take it."

A nod had the girl walking away towards the walls that stood tall and proud, that falsely promised safety when the danger lay within. However, before she could reach the murky copper gates she felt a weight on her shoulder, the hand of the King himself, pulling her to a stop and holding her in place as he walked around to stand directly in front of her.

"I mean to provide you with something before you leave. Take it." And with that he pulled an ornate bronzed pocket watch from a pocket deep within the velvet lining of his cloak. Her eyes widened as she wrapped her fingers over the warm, delicate chain.

"Thank you, Sir." The corners of his mouth tugged into an almost smile.

"However, it comes with a price. Now, now, now. Do not fret. I simply wish to know the name of my new runner." he lowered the hand he had raised to silence her. Her entire being had cringed in fright at his mention of payment. He was King and could demand anything and everything off her, so at his statement of curiosity towards her name she relaxed ever so slighty. At least she did outwardly, inside she wondered whether there would be a higher price later.

"Mellissa, Your Majesty." An eyebrow raised.

"Very well, I will delay you no longer, but heed my words. If you ask for help, you forfeit the labyrinth and can never return." Mellissa nodded sharply and the King move to allow her passage. Before she knew it, she stood before the gates, knowing that she couldn't turn back.


	2. Chapter 2

The ornate slab walls of the labyrinth stood tall and proud, mocking her as she wandered up and down the length of the ivy-trailed structure. Milky white faeries flitted around the air, dodging a small figure holding something akin to a bicycle pump. As she watched, it seemed that the pump contained some sort of insecticide (Pesticide? Faericide?). Either way it seemed to have a bad effect on the creatures and they fell, lying in the sand, wings fluttering rapidly as the faeries twitched in a near unconscious state. The small figure holding the pump counted each body that dropped to the ground with a slightly malicious glee before moving on to their next victim.

The dwarf was very much aware that a runner stood nearby but did nothing more than his job, spraying the garden pests before they could bite. He could still remember the last human that attempted to solve his Master's puzzle. He had stood and waited for her to call on him for 8 years before he knew for certain that she had forgotten about him. The memory was painful and Hoggle brushed it away, stubbornly deciding that he would offer no help to any other person; to protect himself from the agony of being forgotten. And so he continued with his job, grumbling that runners were no good and he wouldn't let her use him like Sarah had just to be removed from her head when she got what she came for.

But her presence brought on a sense of guilt. Sarah had not forgotten him by choice, he knew that adulthood made people forget about the magic of their childhood and their fantasies. She had simply grown up, as was expected in her world. Hoggle fought with himself as he was forbidden to talk to the runners anymore, but if he only _showed _her without speaking then he wouldn't have disobeyed the orders given to him and so he marched over to take the child by the wrist and pull her to the notched wall of the great maze before resuming his duties of pest control.

Mellissa stood and watched the creature walk off without a word, then turned her attention to the bricks that jutted out of the wall, that almost resembled hand and footholds. Seeing no other way to get into the puzzle, she resigned herself to rock climbing; scaling the wall as it tore at the skin of her hands and knees as she struggled against the sheer strength of gravity attempting to pull her back towards the bottom.

Pulling herself up onto the flat edge on the top of the stone wall, she looked down to find that there were no bricks as there were on the other side; her only options being to jump down or to jump across onto the ledge of the next wall. Weighing up the choices made her choose the shortest route which would undoubtedly be to vault from wall to wall like a cat. However, she had a strange feeling she would not be so graceful.

Stepping back to take a run up, Mellissa found that the walls had moved further from each other and the only option was jumping down. Closing her eyes, she stepped off the edge, bending her knees as she collided with the sandy floor; the collision caused her balance to be thrown off centre and, as she straightened up and brushed herself off, a small chuckle was heard from behind her. The Goblin King stood, or rather _leaned, _against the wall about three feet away, eyes watching her as they sparkled with amusement. He had removed the coal black cape and replaced it with a black leather waistcoat, a bronze chain looping from the pocket.

"Now, now dear. You couldn't have thought I would let it be that easy, could you? Now that would be no fun at all." His body straightened itself as he began to step closer, looking her over as if inspecting the specimen before him. Her face turned away as it burned from the shame that coursed through her. "No, you shall just have to remain on the ground, little bird. You would not have made the jump anyway and would have failed at my labyrinth all too soon."

With those final words, his image faded and Mellissa was left standing in the passage by herself.

The goblins swarmed around Jareth as he monitored the girl through the passages and turns. She was doing well for the time she was given, almost a quarter of the way after only two hours. The king decided that he wouldn't intervene, not yet at least, give the child a fighting chance. No, the trick would come later.

A small hand tugged lightly on the hem of the white shirt. One of the youngest goblins stared up at him in equal parts awe, curiosity and fear. Cassandra had been wished away by her twin brother almost a year ago. She was a pretty thing, and as goblins went that was a compliment indeed, ever the curious one with a healthy amount of respect for others. Jareth scooped her up gently and sat her on his lap, his left leg acting as a support on which she leant. He smiled as he took both her tiny hands in his own.

"Sir? Why is the girl running the Labyrinth? I thought she wished herself away? Unless she's running to find herself..." The inane curiosity made the king smile. The goblin child was smart. He decided to humour her.

"She has a wish to remain in my kingdom, to do this she must prove her strength, both physically and her strength of will, to both myself and my Labyrinth. When she has done so, then, and only then, may she stay." The little girl looked at Jareth, eyes wide with wonderment.

"Do you think she will? Complete the Labyrinth, that is, Sir." With his free hand, he touched the tip of the child's nose.

"Yes, Cassie, I do." Cassandra nodded, understanding. Jareth let her hands fall and, with a twist of his own, a crystal ball appeared from nowhere. Another twist created a small, crystal bloom that he pinned within her hair, pulling it out of her face. He pulled her closer so she could see what his crystals showed as Mellissa continued her quest.

Mellissa had stumbled around for three hours now and felt like there was nothing to show for it. Following her feet had led to another dead end. She turned to double back on herself and found another wall less than a foot away from her nose. Looking over her shoulder showed that a passage had opened into two doorways; both guarded by a knightly figure each, one of red and the other of blue.

"Ooh. It's another one. Oi! Wake up!" The red knight kicked it's counterpart into a state of consciousness. "Sorry, he's normally awake when people visit. Now, one of us tells the truth and one of us lies. One door leads to the castle, the other leads to certain death. "

Mellissa stood for a moment and thought. One tells the truth and one only lies. One tells the - 'Oh clever,' she thought, 'Very clever.'

Walking the the red knight, she simply asked.

"Is this the door to certain death?" A nod from the knight told her everything and she walked to the other door. The red knight had said that one of them told the truth and the other lied. This meant that he told the truth if this was the only way to get to the castle. So she simply had to ask. Mellissa pushed the door open with a smile and fell straight through the floor.


End file.

Labyrinth, Adventure, Fantasy