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Breaking Barriers (Chapter 28 up)	By : TheArtist Category: G through L > Labyrinth Views: 9620 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 27
- 28
Curlique rushed into Sarah's bedroom positively brimming with excitement, carrying a filmy sheet of fabric in her hands. Thoughts of the Goblin King did not escape Sarah's mind as readily as it would have in the past. Though they did lift slightly, they still hovered ominously at the edge of her brain. Sarah tried to concentrate. It was obvious that the girl had something of terrible importance and excitement to relay.

"Sarah! Sarah!" the little goblin nearly yelled, throwing her arms around a bewildered looking Sarah, "I've found it! I've found.."
Her voice dropped to a whisper, ".. them..." She grinned from ear to ear, her eyes dancing as she gazed into Sarah's.

Sarah's eyes widened in alarm and she quickly rushed to shut the door behind Curlique. Although she knew it was silly, she serepticiously glanced over her shouler, half expecting the Goblin King to leap down from the rafters and catch them concocting their half-cracked plan. The image was an amusing one once Sarah came to her senses. She doubted that Jareth would be spying on her at this moment. He did, after all, have a lot of careful grooming and preening to attend to before his scheduled meeting with her. Sarah knelt before the little goblin, grasping her by the shoulders.
"Hush now!" Sarah whispered, "What are you talking about..? What did you find..?"

Curlique looked up from lowered brows, a positively mischievous look crossing her face.
"The crystal balls.. I've found the crystal balls..!" Curlique's voice wavered low in triumph.

"Hush!" Sarah exclaimed again in a whisper, but felt her own mouth widening to match Curlique's grin. She couldn't help herself. The crystals! Curlique had actually found them! She couldn't believe her ears. Somehow Sarah knew that they were the secret to her powers and just perhaps.. her escape. The fact that Jareth had kept them secluded from her all this time without using them himself was proof enough that they harbored powerful magic indeed. With this knowledge Sarah felt her heart begin a loud thrumming in her ribcage. Home.. she could go home! Her inner voice sobbed with happiness.
However, at the same time her heart sunk a little. Just as she was finally beginning to accept that she had feelings for Jareth, she was planning to do something that would surely upset him. And if the Goblin King truly did have feelings for her in return, she would undoubtedly hurt him as well.

But what choice did she have..? Sarah was again torn by her inner demons, two voices within her that were constantly at battle. As much as her heart of hearts longed to stay here, felt that she might even -belong- here, the logical part in her mind knew she should be jumping at the chance to go home, Jareth and happy ever after be damned. She didn't have even the slightest concrete evidence that Jareth truly cared for her, but she -knew- her family cared about her. It was safer to go home.. it was the intelligent thing to do.
But right now her mind was racing, each of these conflicting thoughts barely flitting through her mind as she grasped the situation at hand.

"Where, Curlique..?" Sarah breathed, gazing intendly into her hazel eyes, practically shaking the child in her grip, "Where did you find them..? And how..?"
"We were both right, Sarah.." Curlique continued tremulously, "Within his bedroom, in the private chambers you mentioned to me when Jareth pretended to be Hoggle.. We goblins have our own secret passages and hallways in this dusty castle. Since I believed that His Highness must be keeping them under his floorboards, I investigated!"

Curlique's voice dropped even lower, speaking so quietly Sarah had to strain to hear.
"I entered his bedroom at precisely 5:55 pm, the time I know he -always- goes for an afternoon stroll in his garden. The King is really quite predictable at times," Curlique smiled sardonically.

"I have noticed, as I'm sure you have too, that when his Highness is about to enter a locked room or a hidden entrance he caresses the side panel in order to gain access, to find.. a "sweet spot," you might say. In the back of his bedroom there was said panel without any entrance at all. Finding this all too curious and entirely conspicuous, I stroked the side panel in the same manner that the King always did and behold!" Curlique spread her arms wide in order to better tell her story, her voice rising slightly in pitch, "Within moments an entrance morphed out of a seemingly bare wall!"
"As for the crystals.. Once I found his secret chamber, it was really quite easy to discover them. I found them just beneath the floorboards behind the mirror. I could sense the magical energy surrounding that area. A humming aura, you might say, pervaded the entire room, it's center radiating magic from beneath the floors there. The floorboards were covered in dust, but when I lifted one a brilliant rainbow of light cascaded through the crack in the floor, and the crystals sparkled like new. They were so brilliant and beautiful! Dozens of them! But so so bright! I knew it would be impossible to take one without him noticing..."

Then Curlique's voice wavered again, this time in fear.
"And then I sensed the Goblin King approaching. Just moments before his Highness entered his bedroom I managed to sneak out of his private chamber. The wall merged to form its original shape behind me as I pretended to inspect his curtains for their quality of fabric."

Here the goblin wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Jareth saw me but surprisingly did not seem alarmed in the slightest. He simply pushed me out of his room, stating "he had a big night ahead of him and to get out here this instant!" He must really assume that I'm nothing but a little goblin without a single vengeful thought in my tiny brain," Curlique concluded wryly, almost rolling her eyes.

Throughout the story Sarah's mouth and eyes opened wider in awe. She felt herself getting as carried away as the little goblin was, despite her silent heartache. She was amazed at this turn of events, and, secretly, Sarah told herself that just because she was gaining access to the Goblin King's crystals, she did not necessarily have to go home. She wasn't even sure if she had the capacity or magical prowess to attain such a feat, but there were certainly other advantages to having one of the crystal balls in her possession. Namely, discovering her own powers and possibly gaining insight to Jareth's hidden self.
Sarah clasped her hands together in joy, resisting the urge to twirl the little goblin in her happiness. True, she may have found herself entertaining some.. desireable thoughts about the Goblin King lately, but that wasn't going to stop her from at least trying to 'level the playing field,' so to speak. He certainly had the upper hand when it came to trickery and manipulation.. perhaps this could bring her vendetta!

Unfortunately with this exciting new prospect, Sarah's mind was no longer focused on what had transpired earlier that day. In a twinkling she completely forgot about her 8 o'clock rendezvous scheduled with Jareth. Sarah reached down and grasped the girl's trembling hands in her own.
"But how will we retrieve one? You said yourself that there was a powerful light emanating from the crystal balls. Not to mention I'm not exactly of goblin stature and appearance..."

Curlique interrupted, finally brandishing the fabric she carried with a flourish. It sparkled and shimmered like a million stars on a cold December night. Sarah gasped at its brilliance. It surely must possess some magical capabilities. Even she, with only her newfound sense of magical bearing, could feel the mystical energies pervading the cloth.
"What is that..?" Sarah reached out to carress the fabric. It felt as light as air -- almost lighter. It's liquid-like texture poured through her hands, cool and soft to the touch. At her touch, the material immediately transformed into the exact tone and textural appearance as her hand. Sarah almost dropped the fabric in astonishment. It was difficult to tell where her hand ended and the fabric began.

"As soon his Highness dismissed me I immediately went to my chambers and crafted this," Curlique gave a self-satisfied smile, "It's chameleon cloth.. I've been working on perfecting the recipe for years. Although I still have yet to achieve perfection, with your magical abilities filling in the gaps, I'm positive the fabric will work wonderfully."
With that, Curlique flung the material over Sarah, the chameleon cloth rippling and shimmering as it gently floated down, covering her form. Sarah watched her hand melt and blend into the background that was her bedroom. Curlique jumped up and down with glee, pride glimmering in her eyes.

"How do I look..?" Sarah ventured, unable to stop another huge grin from forming.
Curlique clasped her hands together, unsteadily looking around the room where she -thought- Sarah was.

"Oh, it's positively perfect, Sarah!" the little goblin gushed, squinting her eyes as she shrewdly tried to detect her friend.
"Really, Sarah, it's wonderful! Not only can I not see you, I can't sense you either! Your magic, I mean.. I'm certain it will conceal the crystal ball's magic as well!" Curlique started searching the air with her fingers until she finally landed on Sarah's form. Curlique gasped with delight and giggled, slowly pulling at the fabric until she revealed her friend's smiling face.

"You're really a wonderful little goblin, Curlique," Sarah said sincerely. Curlique beamed at the praise, her cheeks flushing the faintest shade of pink. But eventually, Sarah's look of happiness turned to that of worry.
"But I'm still not sure how we will elude Jareth, Curlique," Sarah hesitated, "Yes, he cannot see or sense me in this, but he will still be within his bed chambers. How will I attain a crystal when I'm not even able to escape my room?"

Curlique blinked at Sarah for a moment, then said, as if stating the obvious, "But Sarah.. I have access to your room..? Here.." Curlique gently handed Sarah a tiny object, "It's the key to your bedroom. We'll share it from now on..." Sarah looked at the small bit of metal in awe before turning her attention back to the goblin, who had a mischievous smile etched in her features.
"I can create a diversion. I will lead you to the chamber then distract the Goblin King into leaving his private room unattended. The path is really quite simple! After his Highness and I depart, you will whirl into action, find the hidden crystals, (as I'm sure you can sense them as easily as I could) conceal one within the cloth, then furtively escape back to your bedroom before his Highness ever notices you're missing!"

Curlique leaped about the room, covering her face with her forearm with only her up-to-no-good eyes peering out from above, pantomiming Sarah's soon-to-be grand adventure. Sarah couldn't help but laugh at the little goblin's enthusiasm. But in a moment Sarah's thoughts turned serious.
"Curlique.. are you sure you want to do this..? I know you feel some loyalty towards your king, and doing this would undoubtedly betray him. I don't want you to do anything you are uncomfortable with, or would regret later," Sarah looked at the little girl with consternation, but Curlique seemed untroubled.

"Sarah, I already told you I would follow you over him in an instant," she stated simply, smiling a small smile, "I think it was only a matter of getting used to the idea, but I know in my heart that helping you is the right thing to do, no matter what his Highness may threaten me with. A friend does not let another friend down."
Curlique wrapped her tiny arms around Sarah's waist, embracing her guilessly, as only a child could. Sarah hugged the little girl's head to her, returning her show of affection.

"Then thank you, my friend," Sarah whispered.
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Jareth gazed at his reflection in the mirror, eyeing himself with appreciation. He had had a difficult time deciding on what his makeup and clothes ought to look like for a night of seduction with Sarah. He wanted to look refined, yet rugged --sultry yet dangerous. He lifted an eyebrow and found himself pleased with the affect. He wore his trademark skin-tight black leather breeches and boots laced up to his knees. Over his midrift he wore silky silver poet's shirt, loose and flowing, and open almost to his navel. On his bare chest he adorned himself with his silver talisman. Jareth knew it was silly, but felt that it brought him good luck.
Before his lip could curl one last smirk to himself in the mirror, there was a tentative rapping at his door. Jareth's smirk quickly turned into a sneer. Dear gods if one more goblin came to his door with yet another asenine request there would be hell to pay! Jareth stormed to the door.

"What in GOD'S name do you need from me THIS time?!" Jareth snarled impatiently, nearly flinging the door off its hinges. Standing in the doorway was Curlique, trembling in fright, arms held in front of her protectively.
"You again!" Jareth looked the goblin up and down, "You of all people should know I don't wish to be disturbed! Get out of my sight this instant!--"

"If you please, your Highness!" Curlique squeaked, garnering all her courage, she lowered her arms a bit, "There is a.. p-problem in the kitchens that you.. m-may want to attend to.."
Jareth rolled his eyes in annoyance, muttering to himself, "Oh for Underground's sake! I KNEW I couldn't trust them with the cordon bleu..!"

The Goblin King fairly flew out the door and through the halls, infuriated at whatever goblin was responsible for ruining his perfect evening.
"I have to do everything in this damn castle.."

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This time, however, it was not a goblin destroying the Goblin King's perfectly planned evening. As soon as Jareth and Curlique departed his bedroom, Sarah quickly snuck into the bedchambers, concealed with the little goblin's ingenious fabric. Sarah felt a little rush as Jareth stalked by her, just barely brushing up against the chameleon cloth. What was that delicious cologne he was wearing..? Sarah shook her head to clear her thoughts. Now was not the time to be distracted by the Goblin King's appeal. After surrepticiously looking over her shoulder one last time to make sure they were gone, Sarah quickly crept into Jareth's bedroom.

His room was sumptuously lush --almost sinfully romantic. A king-sized, four-poster mahogany bed sat in the middle of his room, the centerpiece to equally rich, decadent surroundings. Despite Sarah's resolve, she had a momentary lapse --an image of the Goblin King himself ravishing her with wild abandon in that beautiful, sensual bed. Sarah abruptly cut off these thoughts. Again, she reminded herself just how much control Jareth could have over her without him even being in her presence. She shivered a little, not sure whether she found the thought exciting or uncomfortable.
Under the red satin covers and embroidered pillows that made up the King's bed was an ornately detailed carpet, even more beautiful than the painting that was hung on one of the walls. Sarah wrinkled her nose at the cheesy subject matter. An idyllic landscape painting that was neither artistically stunning or breath-taking. Sarah quirked a small smile. She would have thought the Goblin King of all people would have had better taste in art. The rest of Jareth's decor consisted of hundreds of books, some softly lit candles, and other small and clearly magical devices, gently whirring and bubbling in an almost soothing hum. As much as she wished to investigate further, Sarah dared not take off the fabric, though it slightly blurred her vision. Sarah continued her journey to the back of the room, where, Curlique had described, the sought-after side panel ought to be.

Sarah found it without much difficulty. Without her and the little goblin's previous knowledge of Jareth, the panel would have appeared unassuming --an odd choice of structural design at the most, but to Sarah it was clear that this was where his private chambers must be hidden. Reaching her invisible hand, Sarah gently caressed along its length, searching for the "sweet spot" Curlique had mentioned.
Abruptly, the panel split in two, magically creating an entrance and revealing the secret chamber Sarah had entered earlier with the fake Hoggle. With a start she realized that the mirror that led to her home in New York was in here. There was a chance she could bypass this entire excursion and simply travel home! Sarah rushed up to the mirror. But upon closer inspection it appeared that the mirror was turned "off." It did nothing but reflect its surroundings. Eerily, Sarah tried to see herself in the mirror, but Curlique had been right. The chameleon cloth combined with Sarah's magic rendered her virtually undetectable, even by this magical mirror. Sarah grasped at the sides of it, attempting to find some sort of switch or hidden lever that would turn the mirror on, but nothing was forthcoming. Jareth must be the only one who could access it.

Stay focused. Sarah thought to herself. Just take things one step at a time. She had come here for one purpose alone.. the crystals.
At that Sarah ventured further. The mirror had distracted her for a moment, but now that she thought of the crystals, she too could feel their magical presence emanating from the floor boards. Reminding herself she ought to hurry, Sarah pulled out the small sack she intended on carrying the crystal ball in. Reaching towards the wooden board she was sure was concealing the crystals, Sarah's hand tingled with energy. For a moment she wondered whether the crystals had a life of their own, their emissions incredibly palpable to her.

Sarah lifted the board, immediately stunned by the brilliant light that enveloped her. The crystals were almost heavenly in their beauty. Bright reds, blues, purples.. every color of the rainbow and any color in between poured from the opening like a waterfall. Sarah blinked several times trying to regain her senses. She still had a mission here, beautiful or not. Tremulously, Sarah reached forward and grasped a crystal, her fingers almost twitching with its life force. She gasped and quickly dropped it in her satchel, closing the bag and board in a quick movement. Still taken aback by their presence, Sarah slowly tottered to her feet, praying she hadn't delayed too long.
But on her way back to the entrance, Sarah noticed something looked different. Simultaneously, her stomache dropped into her toes and her heart slid into her throat, pounding and fluttering anxiously like a bird trying to escape a gilded cage. Sluggishly, her mind processed what the rest of her body was reacting to.

A bare wall stood in the place of the entrance that had been there moments ago.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Curlique darted in front of the Goblin King, carefully maintaining a safe distance from him while leading him towards the kitchens. She hadn't pre-planned any sort of mischief that would prove that there was indeed a 'problem in the kitchens,' but the goblins here were so careless and volitile she was sure there would already be some sort of issue that would cover for her.
The goblins did not disappoint Curlique.

The little girl goblin swung open the double doors revealing thick mountains of steam and smoke and small infernos flaring in bubbling cauldrons. Three goblin cooks were in a tussle on the floor, a particularly ugly goblin pulling on a fatter one's leg while the fat one bit a balding one on the ear. Snarls and noxious fumes filled the air. Jareth eyed the pathetic creatures with more disdain and annoyance than usual. This was supposed to be an important night for him, and he didn't want anyone thwarting his plans. The three were so embroiled in their fight that they did not notice Jareth until he oh so gently stepped on the back of the closest goblin to him with his patent leather black boots.
When the presence of the Goblin King finally became known to all of them, the three ignoramuses scurried to their feet, each pointing at the other, shouting inanities such as "It was his fault! He stepped on the pot! He was jousting with the ham! He spit in the kettle!" and so forth. Curlique turned hesitantly to see the Goblin King's reaction. At each new revelation his eyes grew wider and wider with alarm, his brows knitting themselves into an impossible angle until he almost looked comical. His teeth were obviously on edge, and when it was clear Jareth was almost to the point of exploding in anger, Curlique preemptively covered her ears.

"What in BLAZES IS GOING ON HERE?!" the Goblin King roared.
The three goblins stared at him a moment in shock, then began their stories anew.

"You see, it REALLY started when HE decided to stuff the chicken with the ham. I TOLD him it was far too big--"
"Get out... OUT!" Jareth pointed towards the door in an exaggerated motion, "And if I ever see your faces again in this castle I'll make you eat one another!"

The goblins looked at eachother as if this did not seem like it would have been worst thing in the world, in fact, the fat one appeared to lick his lips hungrily. But they each knew that their time here had run out, and thus, ran out of the kitchen, tripping over one another on their way.
Curlique slowly took her hands off her ears, breathing out a heavy sigh. Her eyes flitted to a nearby clock as she wondered whether she had given Sarah enough time to retrieve one of the Goblin King's crystal balls.

It was 8 o'clock exactly, and unfortunately, Jareth noticed the little goblin's apprehensive glance and followed her gaze. Noting the time, he too showed the faintest glimpse of apprehension across his features, until his expression turned dark.
"I suppose I'll have to provide dinner myself," he seemed to speak to no one in particular, barely acknowledging Curlique's presence, "but for now it will have to wait."

Jareth dusted himself off, as if afraid the smell and heat of the kitchen would follow him. Then exited the double doors. Curlique wrung her hands together anxiously. She sure hoped that Sarah had made it back to her room by now. Then, as Jareth had not instructed her to do otherwise, she quietly slipped behind the Goblin King, following him as he made his way towards his prisoner's bedroom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But Sarah had not managed to make her way back to her bedroom yet. In fact, she hadn't even managed to escape Jareth's bedroom. Sarah had stood gaping at the wall for a full 30 seconds before she even attempted to escape. How could there no longer be an opening? Her mind frantically searched for an answer. The way Curlique had described her investigation the entrance had remained open for the entire duration of her exploration. Why was it closed?
There was no time for Sarah to try to make sense of it all. Apparently, the entrance had closed for some reason or other, and there was nothing she could do about it. Except try to find her way back out.

Of course, Sarah first attempted to stroke along the side panel that was exposed on the opposite side of the wall, but that did not do the trick. So Sarah ventured further, pulling at candlesticks and books hoping to find some sort of secret button that would help her escape, but again, she met only disappointment. She was unable to do too many things to the room because she knew that the forever observant Jareth would undoubtedly notice if anything was out of place. Under the chameleon cloth, Sarah clung to the wall desperately. She dare not pound on it in the hopes of Curlique hearing her and aiding in her escape. It was more likely that Jareth would hear her and she would meet her demise. In fact, he could be approaching his bedroom at any given moment.
But then the grandfather clock in the Goblin King's private chambers chimed, and, as Sarah started at the sound, she remembered with sickening dread that she was supposed to be meeting Jareth at this time. 8 o'clock.

Sarah felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes. It was a silly weakness that she had yet to outgrow, but she felt completely helpless. Sarah clung to the small orb that she had stolen. Was it really worth what Jareth was going to put her through when he found out what she had done? She felt it humming thoughtfully in her hand, as if trying to find an answer for her.
Then.. Sarah did find an answer. Or at least had an inkling. Curlique had told her she had magical powers. Although her powers were mostly untapped, perhaps she would be able to access them well enough to get her out of this mess.

At that thought, the crystal ball seemed to flare with life. Sarah gasped as she felt it gently quake in her hands. What was it doing..? Sarah thought to herself. She felt an indescribable sensation as the magic from the crystal seeped into her. Sarah felt as if she had never experienced any sensation like this. This was a new sensation --a magical sixth sense that she had never known she had inhabited. And suddenly, she thought she could understand what the crystal was doing.
It was communicating.

It wanted Sarah to know something. Under the cloth, Sarah furtively opened her bag the tiniest increment to see the crystal ball. The light swirled and undulated through the tiny crevice. As Sarah was yet unlearned in most of the ways of magic, the voice of the crystal ball was unclear, like a radio that was not quite fully tuned in. But finally Sarah was able to decipher the orb's message.
It told her that the reason the passageway was closed was because Jareth had set a trap. The secret door was attuned to Sarah's magic, and knew to close behind her if she ever set foot in his secret chambers again. There was no secret lever that would allow her escape. She was doomed.

Sarah felt tears envelope her eyes again. So it was hopeless...
But! The crystal continued, it would allow Sarah to use it to help her escape. The crystal was overjoyed to be out of the dusty floorboards and into the hands of a caring and eager new owner. It was so grateful Sarah had found it.

Sarah's tears stopped flowing as she gazed into the crystal ball's depths. What must she do to escape then..?
It told her to simply press the bare crystal's surface against the wall, and it would take care of the rest. So Sarah happily complied.

And finally she was free! In a burst of light, the walls again seperated to form an exit, and Sarah quickly left the Goblin King's secret chambers, clinging to the cloth around her as she almost skipped with joy. Silently, she pressed the surface of the orb to her lips, enjoying a slight tingle of sensation there.
"Thank you..!" She whispered to it as she deftly made her escape.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jareth knocked briskly on Sarah's door, his features calm and his stoic. His expressionless mask was again on his face save for a small quirk of his mouth and a faint glimmer in his eye. He was greatly looking forward to this, yet he did not want to appear too eager. He knew he must maintain some semblance of authority even though he had been the one to ask Sarah to continue their.. advances towards one another.

Always the expressionless entrepeneur, Jareth's face did not betray the tummult of emotions he was feeling within. Although he would never admit it to himself, lust was at the forefront of his inner dialogue. What would she be dressed in? How would she look? Would she allow him entrance or would they take their diversions elsewhere? He wondered what her expression was. Was she nervous or were her eyes brimming with sexual tension? At that thought, Jareth felt a delicious warmth spread from his stomach to his lower extremeties. After a moment he knocked again, realizing she had yet to answer the door.
Jareth waited. And waited. Suddenly the Goblin King felt an uneasiness accompany the rest of his emotions. The uneasiness grew and grew until it overtook every other emotion.

Realizing he looked like a fool standing at her door like a lost puppy, he grasped the handle and swiftly swung open the door to reveal--
Nothing. Nothing but an empty bedroom filled with empty promises and an ever-increasing empty desire.

Jareth's expression went black and in an instant he disappeared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Curlique was clutching her own hair in anxiety, gasping as Jareth opened Sarah's bedroom door to find that Sarah was not within. Luckily, Jareth was too busy caught in his own trauma to hear the little goblin who sat hunched behind a corner, but getting caught spying was nothing compared to the trouble she was sure Sarah was now in. And it was all her fault!
Curlique wrapped her arms around her own waist, shivering. What happened..? Her plan had seemed so flawless.. Surely the cloth did not fail..? Was there a possibility that Sarah was merely tardy?

But Curlique had calculated the amount of time it should take for Sarah to retrieve one of the crystal balls, and they were greatly past that time by half an hour.
The little goblin rushed into Sarah's bedroom, searching for any kind of clue as to the whereabouts of her friend. She even discreetly looked down into the oubliette, quietly calling Sarah's name, but no one answered. She was alone. And who knew where Jareth had gone.

Curlique, defeated, sat on Sarah's bed. She felt such utter heartbreak and anxiety for her friend, sniffling loudly as she tried to stave off tears. Her one and only friend was in terrible trouble. She had failed her.
The goblin's salty tears finally gave way and streamed down her face in long rivulets. What if she had been trapped somehow..? Curlique knew that the Goblin King was extremely powerful. What if he had already caught her? Curlique sobbed.

Her eyes were so flooded that her vision was severely impaired. So impaired that when something finally began forming in front of the little girl, it took several moments for Curlique to realize what it was.
A hand appeared, followed by the top of someone's head, as if they were crawling out from beneath a small cave, or.. a blanket.

"Sarah!" the little goblin exclaimed, tears overflowing again in relief, as Sarah's face was finally made clear in Curlique's vision, "Oh, thank goodness you're alright!"
Sarah smiled a little at the goblin, obviously relieved as well to be back in her own room. She unhesitatingly wrapped her arms around the little girl, comforting her. But Curlique couldn't let herself get too complacent. She protested slightly and pulled out of Sarah's embrace, searching her friend's eyes.

"I-i'm so sorry Sarah, but I have to warn you.." the goblin started.
Sarah's brows furrowed slightly, confusion sweeped across her face. Curlique gestured to the satchel that had the crystal ball in it, and the magical fabric.

"Wrap the crystal ball in the cloth and hide it somewhere immediately Sarah!" The goblin said with trepidation.
"What..?" Sarah started to ask, but Curlique interrupted her, telling her to quickly hurry.

Without thinking Sarah rolled the magical ball in the fabric and tucked it into the bottom drawer of her dresser. She knew it was a wise thing to do, since the fabric would conceal both the light and magic of the crystal ball, but why was Curlique so acting so urgent?
"Hurry!" Curlique whispered despairingly just as Sarah closed the drawer, "I'm afraid you're in terrible danger!--"

"--And you were quite right to think such a thing.." a familiar, masculine voice purred.

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A/N~ A bit hesitant to update this much at once, because it'll be difficult if I change the story a bit and have to edit previous chapters (and no doubt annoying for readers!) D: But I'm pretty confident about where this is going.. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was a lot of fun to write! :) Please rate and review! It gives me so much encouragement and motivation to continue with this story :D

Until next time ~TheArtist
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Breaking Barriers (Chapter 28 up)