Labyrinth II: Return to the Underground

Chapter 4: Leave All Thoughts Of The World You Knew

Sarah meandered through a small garden she had found, blissfully unaware of what had transpired between her aunt and Jareth. In fact, there were no thoughts in her head of Aurora for she was actually wandering in the Gardens of Forgetfulness.


In the shadows, the golden eyes watched Sarah turn in a slow circle that caused her dress to billow out around her in a soft cloud of material. The eyes smirked at her childishness as a superior look settled in them. Sarah stopped her spin and looked straight into the peculiar eyes staring at her. Her reaction was slowed due in part to the Gardens effect on her. Her mouth hung open and her feet rooted themselves to the earth she stood upon and would not move.


In a very small, child-like voice she managed to stammer, "Who's there?"



The eyes disappeared briefly. They reappeared along with the face to which they belonged. Surrounding those eyes were thick black lashes perfectly curled and kept. Black eyebrows were expertly arched, thin and long. The eye lids were silvery and a black shadow extended upwards from the corner of the eyes almost meeting the eyebrows. Sarah forced herself to focus on the rest of the face before those eyes swallowed her whole.



The face was very pretty, round, nicely tanned, and elfin in appearance And young. The girl before her could not have been much older than Sarah herself.



Sarah relaxed slightly once she realized that the person who had been watching her was someone her own age. She extended her hand and said brightly, "Hi, I'm Sarah." She hoped that this girl would be a new friend.



The girl obviously did not share Sarah's desire. "I know you who are," she said shortly in a sultry voice.



Sarah faltered. The girl sounded almost angry with her. What did I do? she wondered.Had they met before? She studied the girl more closely.



The girl really was beautiful in an almost an other-worldly sort of way. Her long ebony curls fell wild and free down to her small waist. She had a gorgeous figure and yet was very thin at the same time. Her clothes were peculiar. She appeared to be wearing a dress made out of a shiny red material that fell several inches above her knees in front and several inches below in the back. The front laced up over a silvery undershirt and yet tied halter-style around her neck. Black leggings merged into black high-heeled boots tied with silver strings. Around her neck hung a silver and gold pendant. Sarah squinted at it; it looked so familiar but she couldn't figure out why. And that wasn't the only thing familiar about the girl. Her arrogant expression of superiority and smug confidence was strongly reminiscent of someone else she knew.



"How do you know who I am?" she asked finally.



The girl tossed her curls over her shoulders and circled Sarah menacingly. "What difference does it make, Sarah? "



Sarah couldn't make sense of the girl's attitude. "I don't remember you and obviously we've met-"



"We've never met," the girl sneered. "Too bad for you that we did."



Sarah gaped at her in surprise, afraid for the first time. The girl advanced on her grinning wickedly. Where had Sarah seen that smile before?



"That's enough, Morighana," a new voice commanded suddenly. The girl whirled around to face Jareth who had sauntered from the woods she had watched Sarah from.



"Aw, I didn't do anything to her," Morighana pushed her bottom lip out in a pout. Sarah was surprised that her voice had a gentle lilt and a child-like quality to it. "I was just playing with her."



Jareth smiled to himself and held his black-gloved hand out to her. Morighana ran to him and took his hand. He gave Sarah a sideways glance. Putting his arm around the raven-haired girl, he walked over closer to Sarah.



She's a little young to be his girlfriend, she thought, a flame of jealousy beginning to burn within her. When she looked at them together, she saw how much they looked alike.



Morighana saw the expression on Sarah's face. She wrapped both arms around Jareth and hugged him close, carefully watching Sarah's reaction. She grinned when she saw jealousy blaze in her rival's eyes. Jareth frowned at Morighana, but inside he was laughing. That's my girl, he thought proudly. He knew what she was doing. If it hadn't been for Aurora's presence, he would have allowed Morighana do what she wished with Sarah. But such wasn't the case.



Jareth smirked at Sarah, his expression the exact mirror of Morighana's. Sarah shuddered inwardly.



He teased her a bit by kissing the top of Morighana's head before he said, "I see you've met my niece, Morighana."



Morighana pulled away from him, upset that he had ruined her game. At the same time relief washed over Sarah.



"Your niece?"



"That's what he said, isn't it?" Morighana said nastily. A swift, firm swat popped her behind. She glared up at Jareth. "What was that for?"



"Be nice." He turned to Sarah. "Yes, my niece who is about to leave."



Morighana opened her mouth, but Jareth silenced her with a look. She shut her mouth and they engaged in a private argument with their eyes. Jareth won. Morighana turned from him sulking.



"Mori."



She turned back to her uncle who whispered something in her ear. The grin that lit up her face and the "I-know-something-you-don't-know"{/} look she gave Sarah, squashed Sarah's feeling of triumph over Jareth reprimanding the girl.



Morighana kissed her uncle before running back into the woods.



Sarah's heart began to pound as Jareth turned back to her with a secretive little smile on his lips as though he were laughing at a private joke.



"How do you like my kingdom so far?" he asked, looking at her in such a way that she blushed and turned her head away.



"You didn't see this part of the Underground on you last visit." Her reaction amused him and he continued on. "There are many place you have yet to see, my dear."



Sarah found it within herself to look back at him though she could not bring her eyes to meet his.



"It' very beautiful," she replied shyly. "I didn't know anything existed outside the Labyrinth."



Jareth's smile became more secretive. "Many things exist outside the Labyrinth," he told her. "Many things exist outside the Underground. Many kingdoms surround us."



He glanced in the direction of the Crystal Kingdom and made a note of it. His smile darkened slightly. He might just make use of the place in the future.



Sarah's curiosity had been piqued. "There are?" she asked in wonder.



Jareth nodded. "The world the Underground and the kingdoms around it are in is called Sominus."



"Sominus?" Sarah repeated.



"Sominus." He tilted his head to the side in a manner that Sarah found charming. "It means dream."



The sly smile of a serpent returned to his face. "Perhaps you'd like me to show you around?"



He reached out and ran a gloved finger under her chin. Her cheeks flushed crimson and she nodded dumbly.



Jareth's eyes danced in amusement then they filled with misery.



"Oh, Sarah," his voice was barely above a whisper. "It took me so long to recover from your leaving me."



Sarah met his hypnotic gaze. Cloudy thoughts drifted through her head and she vaguely wonder if this was real or if she was dreaming it all back on those beautiful hills she had been in earlier.



Jareth went on. "You can't imagine how it hurt me that you continually called those creatures back to visit you."



He turned his head from her but not before she caught a glimpse of the wetness that shimmered in his eyes. "You never once tried to find out what happened to me."



Without thinking, Sarah put out her hand to cradle his face.



"But I wondered about you all the time," she said, feeling suddenly older. Oddly enough, she couldn't remember her first visit to the Underground or what caused her brave the Labyrinth.



Jareth looked at her again with a new expression in his eyes. But what is was she neither knew nor cared because he placed his hand over hers.



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Morighana had lingered in the Forest on the Edge of Forever watching Jareth and Sarah. She was slightly hurt that her uncle had yet to let her in on the game he was playing with the girl. She ground her teeth in disgust at the lovesick look in Sarah's eyes as she gazed at Jareth. Her eyes flared as it appeared her uncle was actually returning Sarah's affection until she realized what he must be up to. Morighana snickered. Jareth was stalling to keep Sarah in the Gardens of Forgetfulness so that they would eventually erase her memory of everything except what he wanted her to remember.



Her eyes sparkled gleefully. "She's not too smart is she, Ribito?" she smirked quietly to the tiger next to her. The tiger's fiery coat seemed to shoot off sparks as she locked her violet eyes onto Sarah, her stomach reminding her that she had not yet eaten. Morighana ran her hand over the glossy coat.



Suddenly, her face became angry. "What's he doing?!" she cried as she watched Jareth take Sarah's hand and lead her out of the Gardens. "She's not been there long enough!"



The raven-haired girl growled in frustration. Her eyes narrowed in hatred as she glared daggers at Sarah. "Have fun while you can, Sarah dear," she whispered maliciously. "It won't last long."



Ribito looked up at her mistress with fire in her eyes. She could see that Morighana was plotting something devious and she couldn't wait to find out what it was.



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Aurora and Kemper neared the edge of the Forest and the trees parted in front of them to reveal a small clearing from which several paths branched out.



The rang-tang stiffened and swished his tail wildly.



"What's wrong?" Aurora asked, alarmed. Her skin tingled as though they were being watched.



The tall grass surrounding the clearing began to rustle. Aurora had no time to react as something with the speed of a bullet burst out of the grass and barreled into her, knocking her to the ground. Her head struck a clump of moss somewhat softening the impact. A heavy weight sat on her chest and stomach as though someone was kneeling on her.



She opened her eyes gradually and found herself looking up into a pair of grinning gold eyes. Black ringlets hung down into her face. Aurora stared in disbelief.



"Morighana?!"





"I wish I could say that you've been like a father to me, but I've never had one so I don't know what it feels like. But if there is anyone in this universe that I could choose to be like or make proud of me- it's you."
~Tasha Yar to Captain Picard~


"I wish I could say that you've been like a father to me, but I've never had one so I don't know what it feels like. But if there is anyone in this universe that I could choose to be like or make proud of me- it's you."
~Tasha Yar to Captain Picard~