Fic: Beyond the Thirteenth Hour
Title: Beyond the Thirteenth Hour
Chapter: 12/16 (The Nursery)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 923
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.
Previous Chapters
The castle’s banquet hall was completely deserted, but signs of the goblins’ sloppiness was evident everywhere. Food stains and spilled tankards stained every inch of the dining table and the floor. Even the walls had been splattered with remnants of the night’s stew. As the Underground’s crystal moon shone through the window, its light fell upon an elaborate tapestry just as it was moving aside, allowing Sarah, Stacey, and the others to cautiously enter the room, being very careful not to make any noise that would alert Jareth or the goblins that they were there.
“Look at this place,” Sarah commented, looking around in disgust at the spilled food everywhere.
“Even Toby wasn’t this sloppy as a baby.”
“So, what should we do know?” Hoggle wondered.
“We’ve captured the castle, so the upper hand is ours!” Sir Didymus announced confidently. “Now, we can prepare an ambush, and capture Jareth and his goblins….”
“You mean, the goblins who outnumber us at least ten to one?” Daedalus inquired skeptically. “I don’t think I like those odds.”
“You both have a good point,” Sarah spoke up, wanting to stop any fighting between the two before it could begin. “Ambush might be a good idea, but the goblins could overpower us, since it’ll be too dangerous to have Ludo call the rocks in here.”
As the others tried to come up with a plan of action, Stacey remained silent, looking around the banquet hall. Almost as if she was in a trance, she slowly stepped away from the group and left the room. However, only Hoggle noticed her departure, and he wordlessly went after her.
“Hey, where are the dungeons?” Prometheus suddenly suggested. “Maybe we could free everyone, and have them help us.”
“That would certainly strengthen our forces,” Daedalus mused in approval. “The goblins can’t possibly fight against everyone in the Labyrinth.”
“Stacey’s choice!” Ludo rumbled.
“Ludo’s right,” Sarah agreed. “Since Stacey is the princess, it really should be her call.” It was only then that everyone noticed that Stacey and Hoggle were no longer there. “Stacey? Hoggle?”
“Where’d they disappear to?” Prometheus cried, looking around.
“Cu-chu?” Theseus’ ears twitched.
“I’ll go find them,” Sir Didymus offered.
“No, I’ll do it,” Daedalus inputted. “I know this castle better than you, so I’ll be able to find them much quicker.”
“Daedalus, wait” Sarah stopped the owl as he spread his wings.
“Why?” Daedalus blinked. “We need to find Stacey and Hoggle. For all we know, the goblins may find them first, and then where will we be?”
“I know, I don’t like it either,” Sarah explained. “But like you said, you once worked as a scribe in this castle, so you know it best. If we’re going to free everyone Jareth captured, we’ll need you to help us find the dungeons.”
“Mmm. You have a point,” Daedalus relented reluctantly. “But once you’re down there…”
“Once we find the dungeons, you can look for Stacey and Hoggle,” Sarah agreed. “Now let’s hurry, we don’t know how much time we have.”
-----
As Daedalus was leading the others down to the dungeons, Stacey had come to a large wooden door in the middle of a secluded corridor. Instinctively drawn to it, she took hold of the cast-iron door handle and tried to open it, but to no avail. It was clear to see that this door hadn’t been opened for years, and was rusted shut.
“Need some help?” Hoggle asked, appearing at her side.
“Yeah,” Stacey nodded, sending the dwarf a half-smile. “Thanks, Hoggle.” Working together, the pair managed to force the door open after a great effort. Once inside, Stacey and Hoggle looked around the room, which was filled with dust and cobwebs. However, after Stacey crossed the room to wipe away the thick layer of dust from the window, enabling the moonlight to illuminate the room, it was also obvious that it had once been a bright and cheerful place. Toys of every shape and size lined the floor, and on one side of the room was a magnificent playhouse that was a perfect replica of the castle.
“Cor, look at this place,” Hoggle gaped, looking all around.
“Yeah,” Stacey nodded in agreement, running a hand over a wooden rocking unicorn. “Someone must have put a lot of work into this room.”
“Stacey!” Hoggle cried suddenly, crossing the room. “Look at this!” Turning, Stacey saw Hoggle step up to an old but finely made crib. Very slowly, she joined him by the crib and looked inside. A moth-eaten blanket was lying in a messy lump at the foot of the crib, and a stuffed owl was encased in a prison of cobwebs. After a moment’s hesitation, Stacey reached in and freed the stuffed owl, slightly shaking
“I…” Stacey’s voice trembled as she cradled the toy owl in her hand. “Hoggle, remember that feeling I said I used to get when reading my books back home? The feeling that there was something I was supposed to remember? I…I’m getting that feeling right now. I think…this was my nursery.”
“I think you’re right,” Hoggle nodded. “And from the looks of things, it’s been kept exactly the same as you left it, before the Agnostic….” Hoggle trailed off, noticing Stacey’s eyes were suddenly over bright. “Stacey?”
“I…I’m fine, Hoggle,” Stacey insisted, looking the other way so he wouldn’t see her tears. “I just need a moment, okay?”
“I understand,” Hoggle nodded in sympathy. Without a word, he stepped back out of the room, allowing Stacey to be alone with her thoughts.
Chapter: 12/16 (The Nursery)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 923
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.
Previous Chapters
The castle’s banquet hall was completely deserted, but signs of the goblins’ sloppiness was evident everywhere. Food stains and spilled tankards stained every inch of the dining table and the floor. Even the walls had been splattered with remnants of the night’s stew. As the Underground’s crystal moon shone through the window, its light fell upon an elaborate tapestry just as it was moving aside, allowing Sarah, Stacey, and the others to cautiously enter the room, being very careful not to make any noise that would alert Jareth or the goblins that they were there.
“Look at this place,” Sarah commented, looking around in disgust at the spilled food everywhere.
“Even Toby wasn’t this sloppy as a baby.”
“So, what should we do know?” Hoggle wondered.
“We’ve captured the castle, so the upper hand is ours!” Sir Didymus announced confidently. “Now, we can prepare an ambush, and capture Jareth and his goblins….”
“You mean, the goblins who outnumber us at least ten to one?” Daedalus inquired skeptically. “I don’t think I like those odds.”
“You both have a good point,” Sarah spoke up, wanting to stop any fighting between the two before it could begin. “Ambush might be a good idea, but the goblins could overpower us, since it’ll be too dangerous to have Ludo call the rocks in here.”
As the others tried to come up with a plan of action, Stacey remained silent, looking around the banquet hall. Almost as if she was in a trance, she slowly stepped away from the group and left the room. However, only Hoggle noticed her departure, and he wordlessly went after her.
“Hey, where are the dungeons?” Prometheus suddenly suggested. “Maybe we could free everyone, and have them help us.”
“That would certainly strengthen our forces,” Daedalus mused in approval. “The goblins can’t possibly fight against everyone in the Labyrinth.”
“Stacey’s choice!” Ludo rumbled.
“Ludo’s right,” Sarah agreed. “Since Stacey is the princess, it really should be her call.” It was only then that everyone noticed that Stacey and Hoggle were no longer there. “Stacey? Hoggle?”
“Where’d they disappear to?” Prometheus cried, looking around.
“Cu-chu?” Theseus’ ears twitched.
“I’ll go find them,” Sir Didymus offered.
“No, I’ll do it,” Daedalus inputted. “I know this castle better than you, so I’ll be able to find them much quicker.”
“Daedalus, wait” Sarah stopped the owl as he spread his wings.
“Why?” Daedalus blinked. “We need to find Stacey and Hoggle. For all we know, the goblins may find them first, and then where will we be?”
“I know, I don’t like it either,” Sarah explained. “But like you said, you once worked as a scribe in this castle, so you know it best. If we’re going to free everyone Jareth captured, we’ll need you to help us find the dungeons.”
“Mmm. You have a point,” Daedalus relented reluctantly. “But once you’re down there…”
“Once we find the dungeons, you can look for Stacey and Hoggle,” Sarah agreed. “Now let’s hurry, we don’t know how much time we have.”
-----
As Daedalus was leading the others down to the dungeons, Stacey had come to a large wooden door in the middle of a secluded corridor. Instinctively drawn to it, she took hold of the cast-iron door handle and tried to open it, but to no avail. It was clear to see that this door hadn’t been opened for years, and was rusted shut.
“Need some help?” Hoggle asked, appearing at her side.
“Yeah,” Stacey nodded, sending the dwarf a half-smile. “Thanks, Hoggle.” Working together, the pair managed to force the door open after a great effort. Once inside, Stacey and Hoggle looked around the room, which was filled with dust and cobwebs. However, after Stacey crossed the room to wipe away the thick layer of dust from the window, enabling the moonlight to illuminate the room, it was also obvious that it had once been a bright and cheerful place. Toys of every shape and size lined the floor, and on one side of the room was a magnificent playhouse that was a perfect replica of the castle.
“Cor, look at this place,” Hoggle gaped, looking all around.
“Yeah,” Stacey nodded in agreement, running a hand over a wooden rocking unicorn. “Someone must have put a lot of work into this room.”
“Stacey!” Hoggle cried suddenly, crossing the room. “Look at this!” Turning, Stacey saw Hoggle step up to an old but finely made crib. Very slowly, she joined him by the crib and looked inside. A moth-eaten blanket was lying in a messy lump at the foot of the crib, and a stuffed owl was encased in a prison of cobwebs. After a moment’s hesitation, Stacey reached in and freed the stuffed owl, slightly shaking
“I…” Stacey’s voice trembled as she cradled the toy owl in her hand. “Hoggle, remember that feeling I said I used to get when reading my books back home? The feeling that there was something I was supposed to remember? I…I’m getting that feeling right now. I think…this was my nursery.”
“I think you’re right,” Hoggle nodded. “And from the looks of things, it’s been kept exactly the same as you left it, before the Agnostic….” Hoggle trailed off, noticing Stacey’s eyes were suddenly over bright. “Stacey?”
“I…I’m fine, Hoggle,” Stacey insisted, looking the other way so he wouldn’t see her tears. “I just need a moment, okay?”
“I understand,” Hoggle nodded in sympathy. Without a word, he stepped back out of the room, allowing Stacey to be alone with her thoughts.