Labyrinth II: Return to the Underground

Chapter 5: "Only Then Can You Belong To Me"

"Let your mind start a journey through a strange new world! Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before! Let your soul take you where you long to be! Only then can you belong to me..."



Never in her wildest dreams had Sarah imagined a place so magical. Jareth had explained to her that they were on the Far Side of the Labyrinth, the part of the Underground that was hidden from human eyes. They walked on a sand-colored cobblestone path past enchanted garden after enchanted garden that lined one side of the path while young vibrant trees lined the other. Every so often an Undergroundling creature would scurry in front of them, disappearing before Sarah could get a good look at it.



Jareth didn't bother to surpress his pride in the Far Side nor his delight in Sarah's astonishment.



"I never thought of the Underground as beautiful," she breathed, trying to remember every detail of the world around her.



"As I've told you in the past, nothing is what it seems." Jareth threw her an annoyed glance. "Do close your mouth. It's not very becoming to gape."



Sarah's jaw immediately snapped shut.



"I don't understand why the other part of the Underground was so ugly?"



"What you first saw," he huffed, sounding offended, "was the Plains of the Underground. It's unattractive for a reason- to keep visitors away."



"Does it work?"



"You didn't find it very appealing, did you?"



"No. I guess it does work," she mumbled.



They walked arm in arm down the path, the Goblin King and the girl. One of the gardens, caught Sarah's attention and she stopped in front of it. It was just like all the others: a high wall made of the same cobblestone of the path surrounf it. There was no door, only a gap in the wall.



Jareth allowed her to view the garden. As he expected, she gasped when she saw the toy-strewn yard. A huge playground took centerplace in the garden. To the left and right of it, were huge Dogmore trees with their large branches reaching low to the ground. They were perfect climbing trees. From each branch hung a swing and a tire. But the biggest surprise were the children who ran about the yard, shreiking in glee. The children were from all races and nationalities, ranging in age from barely a year old to eight-years-old. Watching over them were several women and girl dwarves.



Sarah turned to Jareth, eyes wide and jaw unhinged again.



Jareth smiled and walked past her, even though he knew her unspoken question. He looked over his shoulder and motioned for her to follow him into the garden.



Sarah obeyed and found herself standing alone on the walkway for Jareth had strolled over to one of the Dogmore trees where a little Asian girl, who couldn't have been yet two, was sitting all alone. Her dark eyes lit up when she saw the Goblin King. Sarah was overwhelmed as she watched the baby hold out her arms wanting him to pick her up. The scene completely destroyed what she thought she knew about Jareth. Children were suppose to fear him. Not...love him?



Jareth knelt down to the little girl and took her hands between his thumbs and forefingers. She wrinkled her nose in the most adorable manner and grinned at him. Jareth laughed and so did she. She removed a hand from his and "blew" him a kiss by putting her palm against her tongue and then flinging her hand away. Jareth's smile widened as he "caught" the kiss and held it close it his heart. The baby clapped her hands and insisted on being picked up. He obliged her, lifting her fast and high. She giggled wildly. She put her little arms as far around his neck as they would go and began chattering away to him in toddler talk. Though is sounded like gibberish to Sarah, Jareth appeared to understand her perfectly.



He came back over to where Sarah was standing, dumb-founded, and turned the child to face her.



"Sarah," he said grandly. "I would like for you to meet Mae."



Sarah stumbled for words and eventually got out, "Who are these kids?"



Jareth brushed Mae's straight, black bangs back from her round face. "They are the Wished-Aways," he explained while Mae played with the pendant around his neck. "The children who were wished away by their siblings." he hesitated and Sarah saw sadness in his eyes. "More precisely these are the Unwanted Wished-Aways: the ones whose selfish siblings refused to attempt the Labyrinth to get them back."



Sarah had no response to that, only a question. "What will happen to them?"



"Nothing," he replied with a shrug. "If they are not claimed within one moon, they remain here forever."



"But where do they live?" Sarah could see nothing that resembled a respectable home for a child.



"Over there." Jareth pointed to the segment of the path that wandered off to the right and ended at the tree that Mae had been sitting under.



Sarah did a double take. There, where before there had been nothing but trees, was a village of child-sized cottages that looked like playhouses. They varied in shape and color, each unqiuely made for its owner.


Her mouth still hung slightly open as she turned back to Jareth. "I didn't know they stayed in a place like this! I always thought-" she looked away and blushed, this time from embarassment.



"You always thought I kept them prisoner, tormented them, and turned them into goblins after thirteen hours. Correct?" The was a note of disgust in his voice.



Sarah quickly looked at him again, her eyes filling with sorrow over her misjudgement of him. "I'm so sorry, Jareth," she gushed taking hold of his jacket sleeve. "I didn't know."



Jareth nodded his head ever so slightly as though to concede that she really might be so ignorant. He walked away from her and over to a young dwarf girl and handed Mae to her. Mae's face crumpled up as soon as she realized Jareth was no longer holding her. She reached out her chubby baby hands to him and the expression on her face was one that demanded that he take her with him.



Sarah watched him kneel in front of Mae again, trying to calm her down. Her heart filled with tenderness toward the Goblin King, who was not the villian and never had been. There was still so much about Jareth she did not understand; he seemed to be so full of contradictions- arrogant and cruel one moment; kind and loving the next. But Sarah knew deep down he was good. That couldn't be an illusion of the Underground.



Jareth's back was to Sarah and so she could not him take Mae's hand in his nor Mae's despair at his leaving her. Neither could she hear him promise the child that he would return for her soon. When he stood up and faced Sarah again, the arrogant, aloof Goblin King was back. Not even Sarah in her infatuation with him, would have believed that he was the same Jareth who personally raised Mae and two other Wish-Aways in his castle as though they were a prince and two princesses.



With the secretive smile lazily stretched across his handsome features, Jareth slipped his arm around Sarah's waist and led her back to the path from which they had strayed.



************************************************



Morighana helped Aurora to her feet and giggled at Kemper who was still a bit dazed.



"Miss me?" she asked Aurora who was dusting off her jeans for the second time that day.



Aurora laughed and ran a hand through her hair. "Of course I have, Mori! Things are so dull without you."



Morighana skipped over to her and hugged her. "I've missed you an awful lot, Rory. I thought you'd forgotten us."



Guilt crept into Aurora's heart. "Of course not, angel," she said softly, running her fingers through Morighana's curls. "I could never forget you."



Morighana looked up at her, her golden eyes reflected the hurt and betrayal she felt. "You never really loved us did you?" she asked suddenly.