Fic: Beyond the Thirteenth Hour
Title: Beyond the Thirteenth Hour
Chapter: 7/16 (Sail On, Silver Girl)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2,413
Summary: Two years have passed since Sarah's adventure in the Underground, and she's now coming to terms with her family's recent move. Not long afterwards, she receives a sudden plea for help from the Underground. Returning to the Labyrinth once again, she sets out with old friends, and a few new ones, to defeat Jareth again.
Note: This story has no beta, so please overlook the occasional mistake. Thanks in advance.
Sarah woke up the next morning to the sun shining into her eyes, and the smell of something cooking. Sitting up, she glanced around to see that, apart from Ludo and Daedalus, she was the last one up. Hoggle was hard at work tending to a cooking fire that had been built while she was still sleeping, and, much to Sarah’s surprise, Stacey was up and about as well, balancing her attention between cooking seven fish above the open fire and listening to Sir Didymus’ account of how the Tarasque was defeated. The gremlin, meanwhile, was perched on Ambrocious’ head, gazing up at the cooking fish, his yellow tail twitching like a cat’s.
“Where’d you guys get the fish?” Sarah asked, joining the group around the cooking fire.
“Sir Hoggle and I went a little ways into the Forbidden Forest, my lady,” Sir Didymus explained. “We managed to catch them there, and Stacey has been helping us cook them for our breakfast.”
“Speaking of Stacey,” Sarah turned to the blue-eyed girl. “How are you feeling? Are you doing okay after last night?”
“The muscles in my arms are still a little sore,” Stacey admitted. “But other than that, I’m feeling fine.”
“Glad to hear it,” Sarah smiled, happy at hearing that Stacey was feeling better. “And you’ve even gotten the color back in your cheeks.” The truth was, having her color back wasn’t the only noticeable change in Stacey. Sarah admitted that it could have just been her imagination, but there seemed to be a noticeable change in Stacey’s eyes. Before, Stacey’s eyes always carried a hardened look to them, but now, there seemed to be a much softer and kinder gleam within them. She even seemed to be holding herself differently, but it was difficult to pinpoint exactly what was different about her posture.
It was at that moment that the gremlin abandoned his perch atop Ambrocious’ head and leapt up onto Stacey’s lap, where it gazed hungrily at one of the fish.
“Cu-Chu!” the gremlin whimpered, casting Stacey a beseeching look.
“I know you’re hungry, Theseus,” Stacey replied, scratching behind the gremlin’s ear. “But the fish has to cook first.”
“Theseus?” Hoggle looked up from adding more kindling to the fire. “What sort of name is that?”
“Back in my world, there’s an old story from Grecian mythology, about another famous labyrinth,” Stacey explained. “This labyrinth was the home of a terrible man-eating monster known as the Minotaur, who was part man and part bull. The Minotaur was eventually defeated and killed by a legendary hero, Theseus. Since Sir Didymus told me about how the Tarasque was defeated by this gremlin, I thought that Theseus was the perfect name for him.” Stacey looked down at the gremlin, a smile suddenly forming on her face. “What about you, little guy? What do you think about the name Theseus?”
“Cu-Chu!” the gremlin replied, looking very pleased about his new name.
“Well, now that he’s got a name,” Sarah went on, smiling at the newly-christened Theseus. “Is the fish almost ready?”
“Just about,” Stacey replied, checking the fish in question. “I’d say that if you went and woke up Ludo for us now, they’ll be ready to eat once the two of you come and sit down. You don’t have to worry about waking Daedalus, though After all, he’s a saw whet owl, and that species of owl doesn’t eat fish. But before you wake Ludo up, Sarah, I have to ask you something. It’s about that man from last night, the one with the crystal. Was that…was that Jareth?”
“Yeah, it was” Sarah confirmed. Nodding, Stacey stared into the fire, seemingly deep in thought. “Why? Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know,” Stacey shrugged. “I just got a strange feeling about him last night. It’s the same feeling I always got when reading my encyclopedias back home, like there was something I was supposed to remember but couldn’t. And that barn owl he turned into. I just got the feeling that I saw it once before. Then again, I suppose all barn owls look the same.” A second later, Stacey seemed to shake away her confused feelings, and asked Sarah to wake up Ludo again.
Even as Sarah woke up Ludo, she continued wondering about what Stacey had said. Stacey had apparently pushed her questions aside, but Sarah couldn’t stop herself from thinking about them a bit longer. Why did Stacey get those strange feelings when reading her encyclopedias, anyway?
-----
After a breakfast of fish, the group continued on their way, progressing into the Forbidden Forest. Sarah was leading the way through the forest, with Ludo and Sir Didymus, riding atop Ambrocious, at her side. Hoggle and Stacey were taking up the rear, with Daedalus perched atop Stacey’s left shoulder and Theseus trotting along in front of them. For a time, everyone walked through the Forbidden Forest in silence, but Stacey soon paused and made a face, as if she’d suddenly eaten something very bitter. Noticing this, Hoggle stopped and looked up at her uneasily.
“Are you all right, Stacey?” he asked. “Maybe you should have rested a bit more. None of us knows that much about Tarasque venom. You might not be up to traveling yet.” Stacey let out a short laugh at Hoggle’s nervousness over her condition.
“I appreciate your concern, Hoggle,” Stacey assured, “but really, I’m fine. My only complaint is that annoying morning taste in my mouth.”
“Oh, hold on then,” Hoggle spoke up, holding back a smile that Stacey was now using his name on a regular basis. After slightly fumbling around his belt, he managed to remove an old wineskin and handed it over to Stacey. “Drink this. It should help.” Stacey took the wineskin, but paused before drinking, taking a moment to sniff at the contents.
“You don’t trust me?” Hoggle chuckled, only half joking.
“Does that question need an answer?” Stacey replied, smiling down at the dwarf. “It’s just that… I’ve never drunken anything you would expect to find in a wineskin before. Girls my age aren’t really allowed to in my world, except in a few certain regions that I’ve never been to.”
“Then it’s a good thing you’re in the Underground,” Hoggle pointed out.
“Yeah, guess you’re right,” Stacey agreed. “Well, sail on, Silver Girl.” Hearing the strange phrase, Hoggle looked back at her, just in time to see Stacey take a quick gulp from the wineskin.
“Sail on what?”
“Oh, right, you wouldn’t know,” Stacey shrugged, passing the wineskin back to Hoggle. “It’s just a line from a song Wayne used to sing to me I was a little girl, when I was going to sleep. We ended up adopting that line as a saying, that when you’re upset, worried, or nervous about something, you shouldn’t let it stop you. Instead, you should just continue on.”
“You…you wouldn’t mind teaching me, would you?” Hoggle asked hesitantly.
“Teach you what? The song?” Stacey stared in surprise. “Hoggle, that…. I haven’t listened to that song in years. I don’t think I can remember all of it.”
“Oh,” Hoggle nodded in understanding, trying to act as if he wasn’t discouraged by this. For a few moments, neither of them said a word, until Stacey chanced a brief glance down at Hoggle before looking away again. Taking a deep breath in preparation, she tried to remember words to the song.
When you're weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all;
I'm on your side.
When times get rough
And friends just can't be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
When you're down and out,
When you're on the street,
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you.
I'll take your part.
When darkness comes
And pain is all around,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Sail on silver girl,
Sail on by.
Your time has come to shine.
All your dreams are on their way.
See how they shine.
If you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.
“For someone who said they didn’t remember,” Daedalus quipped, “you did pretty well in recalling the lyrics, Stacey.”
“Guess it’s just one of those things you don’t completely forget,” Stacey reasoned. “Once you get started, everything comes back to you.” Hoggle’s eyes widened at Stacey’s lack of surprise from hearing her owl speaking. No one had remembered to tell her that Daedalus was from the Underground, too.
“Stacey, aren’t you…you mean you’re not wondering why Daedalus can talk?” At Hoggle’s stunned question, Stacey laughed.
“Hoggle,” she replied. “I’m in a giant maze with a fox who thinks he’s one of King Arthur’s knights, a six-foot-tall Yeti who has the persona of a teddy bear, a gremlin who can purify anything with a single touch, and a dwarf who carries around more stuff than a merchant. Tell me, why wouldn’t an owl talk? At this point, there’s very little that can surprise me.”
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Daedalus spoke up. “But, speaking of the others, where exactly are they?” Stacey and Hoggle froze, looking ahead of them. Sure enough, Sarah, Ludo, and Sir Didymus were nowhere in sight.
“Uh-oh,” Stacey and Hoggle spoke in unison, realizing simultaneously that they were in a bit of trouble.
-----
Elsewhere, Sarah, Ludo, and Sir Didymus had also realized they had been accidentally separated from Hoggle and Stacey, and were now searching for them.
“Where are they?” Sarah wondered out-loud. “I know from experience that the Labyrinth is too dangerous to wander off in.”
“Fear not, my lady,” Sir Didymus assured confidently. “Sir Hoggle knows the land better than anyone else I know. As long as he’s with Lady Stacey, no harm shall come to either of them.”
“Sarah!” Ludo stopped, pointing over at something beyond a nearby tree. “Sarah, hut!” Sure enough, close to where they were standing, was an old wooden hut that looked to have been long since abandoned. The walls showed strong evidence of wood rot, with climbing vines winding around the individual planks, and most of the thatched roof had been lost over time.
“I don’t think anyone’s lived here for years,” Sarah mused, taking in the state of the abandoned hut.
“Ludo smell death,” Ludo uttered, casting the hut a mournful gaze.
“Sir Ludo, do you mean to say that someone died in this hut?” Sir Didymus inquired.
“Yeah,” Ludo nodded his shaggy head in confirmation.
“I wonder who it was who died here,” Sarah said, approaching the abandoned hut. Reaching out, she started to carefully push open the door, but recoiled almost instantly. The second her hand came into contact with the rotted door, a multitude of sounds surrounded her; an unearthly and blood-chilling wail, a baby crying in distress, and a woman screaming in terror. Sarah quickly backed away from the door, her hands over her ears in an attempt to muffle the overwhelming noise.
“My lady!” Sir Didymus cried in alarm. “Whatever is the matter?”
“You mean you didn’t just hear those noises?” Sarah gaped in astonishment. How could they have not heard all that? It was as loud as someone screaming into your ear.
“Ludo hear nothing,” Ludo announced.
“I have not heard anything unusual, either,” Sir Didymus agreed. Sarah looked back at the hut, now feeling uneasy.
“Ludo, you said that someone died here, right?” Sarah began, partially thinking out-loud. “I don’t think it was a natural death. I think someone, or something, attacked the people living here. Some people think that horrible events leave behind some kind of scar, like how a fire leaves scorch marks. When I touched the door just now, I think I felt some of the scar that was left behind. I felt fear. The kind of fear you feel when something is threatening your very life. I think the people who lived here were murdered. It was a little baby, and a woman, its mother.”
“But who would be so evil to kill a woman and child?” Sir Didymus cried, outraged at the very idea. Sarah didn’t have an answer to that. Instead, she steeled herself to open the door, forcing herself to ignore the sudden image of an evil looking pair of green eyes that appeared in her mind as she pushed the door of the hut open.
Once inside, Sarah looked around at the damaged furniture that filled the hut. There was a small table and chair pushed against one wall, and next to the other, there was a badly damaged bed positioned next to a rotting crib. However, none of this seemed to matter as much when Sarah’s eyes fell across the old painting that hung on the wall. As faded as it was, Sarah could still make out the people in it as clear as day. The image of Jareth’s smiling face looked out at Sarah, but it wasn’t a smile she recognized. Not only was he years younger within the painting, but he also looked truly happy as well, with his face radiating with warmth and kindness. His arm was wrapped around a young woman, who was holding a tiny blue-eyed baby close to her chest. At first, Sarah wondered who the woman in the painting was, but the closer she looked at the portrait, the more she could see it. This woman looked exactly like an older version of herself. She was even wearing the same ball gown Sarah had once worn in her vision of the masquerade ball.
“It’s me,” Sarah gasped, lightly touching the base of the painting in amazement. “But how…?”
“Don’t believe everything you see, fair maiden,” Sir Didymus piped up. “Don’t forget that things aren’t always as they appear to be in the Underground. For all we know, this might be some sort of trick. Either way, we still need to find Sir Hoggle and Lady Stacey.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Sarah agreed, tearing her eyes away from the painting. “Let’s go.” Without another word, Sarah left the abandoned hut behind, with Sir Didymus at her side. Ludo, on the other hand, paused to glance at the portrait one last time before following his friends.
Chapter: 7/16 (Sail On, Silver Girl)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2,413
Summary: Two years have passed since Sarah's adventure in the Underground, and she's now coming to terms with her family's recent move. Not long afterwards, she receives a sudden plea for help from the Underground. Returning to the Labyrinth once again, she sets out with old friends, and a few new ones, to defeat Jareth again.
Note: This story has no beta, so please overlook the occasional mistake. Thanks in advance.
Sarah woke up the next morning to the sun shining into her eyes, and the smell of something cooking. Sitting up, she glanced around to see that, apart from Ludo and Daedalus, she was the last one up. Hoggle was hard at work tending to a cooking fire that had been built while she was still sleeping, and, much to Sarah’s surprise, Stacey was up and about as well, balancing her attention between cooking seven fish above the open fire and listening to Sir Didymus’ account of how the Tarasque was defeated. The gremlin, meanwhile, was perched on Ambrocious’ head, gazing up at the cooking fish, his yellow tail twitching like a cat’s.
“Where’d you guys get the fish?” Sarah asked, joining the group around the cooking fire.
“Sir Hoggle and I went a little ways into the Forbidden Forest, my lady,” Sir Didymus explained. “We managed to catch them there, and Stacey has been helping us cook them for our breakfast.”
“Speaking of Stacey,” Sarah turned to the blue-eyed girl. “How are you feeling? Are you doing okay after last night?”
“The muscles in my arms are still a little sore,” Stacey admitted. “But other than that, I’m feeling fine.”
“Glad to hear it,” Sarah smiled, happy at hearing that Stacey was feeling better. “And you’ve even gotten the color back in your cheeks.” The truth was, having her color back wasn’t the only noticeable change in Stacey. Sarah admitted that it could have just been her imagination, but there seemed to be a noticeable change in Stacey’s eyes. Before, Stacey’s eyes always carried a hardened look to them, but now, there seemed to be a much softer and kinder gleam within them. She even seemed to be holding herself differently, but it was difficult to pinpoint exactly what was different about her posture.
It was at that moment that the gremlin abandoned his perch atop Ambrocious’ head and leapt up onto Stacey’s lap, where it gazed hungrily at one of the fish.
“Cu-Chu!” the gremlin whimpered, casting Stacey a beseeching look.
“I know you’re hungry, Theseus,” Stacey replied, scratching behind the gremlin’s ear. “But the fish has to cook first.”
“Theseus?” Hoggle looked up from adding more kindling to the fire. “What sort of name is that?”
“Back in my world, there’s an old story from Grecian mythology, about another famous labyrinth,” Stacey explained. “This labyrinth was the home of a terrible man-eating monster known as the Minotaur, who was part man and part bull. The Minotaur was eventually defeated and killed by a legendary hero, Theseus. Since Sir Didymus told me about how the Tarasque was defeated by this gremlin, I thought that Theseus was the perfect name for him.” Stacey looked down at the gremlin, a smile suddenly forming on her face. “What about you, little guy? What do you think about the name Theseus?”
“Cu-Chu!” the gremlin replied, looking very pleased about his new name.
“Well, now that he’s got a name,” Sarah went on, smiling at the newly-christened Theseus. “Is the fish almost ready?”
“Just about,” Stacey replied, checking the fish in question. “I’d say that if you went and woke up Ludo for us now, they’ll be ready to eat once the two of you come and sit down. You don’t have to worry about waking Daedalus, though After all, he’s a saw whet owl, and that species of owl doesn’t eat fish. But before you wake Ludo up, Sarah, I have to ask you something. It’s about that man from last night, the one with the crystal. Was that…was that Jareth?”
“Yeah, it was” Sarah confirmed. Nodding, Stacey stared into the fire, seemingly deep in thought. “Why? Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know,” Stacey shrugged. “I just got a strange feeling about him last night. It’s the same feeling I always got when reading my encyclopedias back home, like there was something I was supposed to remember but couldn’t. And that barn owl he turned into. I just got the feeling that I saw it once before. Then again, I suppose all barn owls look the same.” A second later, Stacey seemed to shake away her confused feelings, and asked Sarah to wake up Ludo again.
Even as Sarah woke up Ludo, she continued wondering about what Stacey had said. Stacey had apparently pushed her questions aside, but Sarah couldn’t stop herself from thinking about them a bit longer. Why did Stacey get those strange feelings when reading her encyclopedias, anyway?
-----
After a breakfast of fish, the group continued on their way, progressing into the Forbidden Forest. Sarah was leading the way through the forest, with Ludo and Sir Didymus, riding atop Ambrocious, at her side. Hoggle and Stacey were taking up the rear, with Daedalus perched atop Stacey’s left shoulder and Theseus trotting along in front of them. For a time, everyone walked through the Forbidden Forest in silence, but Stacey soon paused and made a face, as if she’d suddenly eaten something very bitter. Noticing this, Hoggle stopped and looked up at her uneasily.
“Are you all right, Stacey?” he asked. “Maybe you should have rested a bit more. None of us knows that much about Tarasque venom. You might not be up to traveling yet.” Stacey let out a short laugh at Hoggle’s nervousness over her condition.
“I appreciate your concern, Hoggle,” Stacey assured, “but really, I’m fine. My only complaint is that annoying morning taste in my mouth.”
“Oh, hold on then,” Hoggle spoke up, holding back a smile that Stacey was now using his name on a regular basis. After slightly fumbling around his belt, he managed to remove an old wineskin and handed it over to Stacey. “Drink this. It should help.” Stacey took the wineskin, but paused before drinking, taking a moment to sniff at the contents.
“You don’t trust me?” Hoggle chuckled, only half joking.
“Does that question need an answer?” Stacey replied, smiling down at the dwarf. “It’s just that… I’ve never drunken anything you would expect to find in a wineskin before. Girls my age aren’t really allowed to in my world, except in a few certain regions that I’ve never been to.”
“Then it’s a good thing you’re in the Underground,” Hoggle pointed out.
“Yeah, guess you’re right,” Stacey agreed. “Well, sail on, Silver Girl.” Hearing the strange phrase, Hoggle looked back at her, just in time to see Stacey take a quick gulp from the wineskin.
“Sail on what?”
“Oh, right, you wouldn’t know,” Stacey shrugged, passing the wineskin back to Hoggle. “It’s just a line from a song Wayne used to sing to me I was a little girl, when I was going to sleep. We ended up adopting that line as a saying, that when you’re upset, worried, or nervous about something, you shouldn’t let it stop you. Instead, you should just continue on.”
“You…you wouldn’t mind teaching me, would you?” Hoggle asked hesitantly.
“Teach you what? The song?” Stacey stared in surprise. “Hoggle, that…. I haven’t listened to that song in years. I don’t think I can remember all of it.”
“Oh,” Hoggle nodded in understanding, trying to act as if he wasn’t discouraged by this. For a few moments, neither of them said a word, until Stacey chanced a brief glance down at Hoggle before looking away again. Taking a deep breath in preparation, she tried to remember words to the song.
When you're weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all;
I'm on your side.
When times get rough
And friends just can't be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
When you're down and out,
When you're on the street,
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you.
I'll take your part.
When darkness comes
And pain is all around,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Sail on silver girl,
Sail on by.
Your time has come to shine.
All your dreams are on their way.
See how they shine.
If you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.
“For someone who said they didn’t remember,” Daedalus quipped, “you did pretty well in recalling the lyrics, Stacey.”
“Guess it’s just one of those things you don’t completely forget,” Stacey reasoned. “Once you get started, everything comes back to you.” Hoggle’s eyes widened at Stacey’s lack of surprise from hearing her owl speaking. No one had remembered to tell her that Daedalus was from the Underground, too.
“Stacey, aren’t you…you mean you’re not wondering why Daedalus can talk?” At Hoggle’s stunned question, Stacey laughed.
“Hoggle,” she replied. “I’m in a giant maze with a fox who thinks he’s one of King Arthur’s knights, a six-foot-tall Yeti who has the persona of a teddy bear, a gremlin who can purify anything with a single touch, and a dwarf who carries around more stuff than a merchant. Tell me, why wouldn’t an owl talk? At this point, there’s very little that can surprise me.”
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Daedalus spoke up. “But, speaking of the others, where exactly are they?” Stacey and Hoggle froze, looking ahead of them. Sure enough, Sarah, Ludo, and Sir Didymus were nowhere in sight.
“Uh-oh,” Stacey and Hoggle spoke in unison, realizing simultaneously that they were in a bit of trouble.
-----
Elsewhere, Sarah, Ludo, and Sir Didymus had also realized they had been accidentally separated from Hoggle and Stacey, and were now searching for them.
“Where are they?” Sarah wondered out-loud. “I know from experience that the Labyrinth is too dangerous to wander off in.”
“Fear not, my lady,” Sir Didymus assured confidently. “Sir Hoggle knows the land better than anyone else I know. As long as he’s with Lady Stacey, no harm shall come to either of them.”
“Sarah!” Ludo stopped, pointing over at something beyond a nearby tree. “Sarah, hut!” Sure enough, close to where they were standing, was an old wooden hut that looked to have been long since abandoned. The walls showed strong evidence of wood rot, with climbing vines winding around the individual planks, and most of the thatched roof had been lost over time.
“I don’t think anyone’s lived here for years,” Sarah mused, taking in the state of the abandoned hut.
“Ludo smell death,” Ludo uttered, casting the hut a mournful gaze.
“Sir Ludo, do you mean to say that someone died in this hut?” Sir Didymus inquired.
“Yeah,” Ludo nodded his shaggy head in confirmation.
“I wonder who it was who died here,” Sarah said, approaching the abandoned hut. Reaching out, she started to carefully push open the door, but recoiled almost instantly. The second her hand came into contact with the rotted door, a multitude of sounds surrounded her; an unearthly and blood-chilling wail, a baby crying in distress, and a woman screaming in terror. Sarah quickly backed away from the door, her hands over her ears in an attempt to muffle the overwhelming noise.
“My lady!” Sir Didymus cried in alarm. “Whatever is the matter?”
“You mean you didn’t just hear those noises?” Sarah gaped in astonishment. How could they have not heard all that? It was as loud as someone screaming into your ear.
“Ludo hear nothing,” Ludo announced.
“I have not heard anything unusual, either,” Sir Didymus agreed. Sarah looked back at the hut, now feeling uneasy.
“Ludo, you said that someone died here, right?” Sarah began, partially thinking out-loud. “I don’t think it was a natural death. I think someone, or something, attacked the people living here. Some people think that horrible events leave behind some kind of scar, like how a fire leaves scorch marks. When I touched the door just now, I think I felt some of the scar that was left behind. I felt fear. The kind of fear you feel when something is threatening your very life. I think the people who lived here were murdered. It was a little baby, and a woman, its mother.”
“But who would be so evil to kill a woman and child?” Sir Didymus cried, outraged at the very idea. Sarah didn’t have an answer to that. Instead, she steeled herself to open the door, forcing herself to ignore the sudden image of an evil looking pair of green eyes that appeared in her mind as she pushed the door of the hut open.
Once inside, Sarah looked around at the damaged furniture that filled the hut. There was a small table and chair pushed against one wall, and next to the other, there was a badly damaged bed positioned next to a rotting crib. However, none of this seemed to matter as much when Sarah’s eyes fell across the old painting that hung on the wall. As faded as it was, Sarah could still make out the people in it as clear as day. The image of Jareth’s smiling face looked out at Sarah, but it wasn’t a smile she recognized. Not only was he years younger within the painting, but he also looked truly happy as well, with his face radiating with warmth and kindness. His arm was wrapped around a young woman, who was holding a tiny blue-eyed baby close to her chest. At first, Sarah wondered who the woman in the painting was, but the closer she looked at the portrait, the more she could see it. This woman looked exactly like an older version of herself. She was even wearing the same ball gown Sarah had once worn in her vision of the masquerade ball.
“It’s me,” Sarah gasped, lightly touching the base of the painting in amazement. “But how…?”
“Don’t believe everything you see, fair maiden,” Sir Didymus piped up. “Don’t forget that things aren’t always as they appear to be in the Underground. For all we know, this might be some sort of trick. Either way, we still need to find Sir Hoggle and Lady Stacey.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Sarah agreed, tearing her eyes away from the painting. “Let’s go.” Without another word, Sarah left the abandoned hut behind, with Sir Didymus at her side. Ludo, on the other hand, paused to glance at the portrait one last time before following his friends.