Labyrinth II: Return to the Labyrinth (15)

Chapter fifteen,

Just a little bit longer

Sarah hesitated inside the carriage. Ray sighed. "Sarah, honey, I promise, if he tries anything, I'll be there for you. He knows plain well to leave you alone, and plus, I don't wanna share him. Chill." she said for the millionth time. Sarah gave Ray an odd look at her comment, but it was true. Sarah turned him down and Ray was interested. He and Sarah were not getting back up together, not that they had anything in the first place.

Ray finally coaxed Sarah out of the carriage and into the ballroom. There was no announcer this time, and Ray was glad. If there was, she was going to have to run after Sarah. And that would have been no fun, not in boots.

Ray and Sarah descended the steps, walking into the crowd. Ray got her and Sarah drinks and they wandered, looking for a conversation to jump into. Ray had no luck finding somewhere to slip into, when she heard something strange.
"I hear the King has been planning a contest to see who he should marry."
"Oh really?"
"It's about time, he's been alone for far too long."
"I doubt he's really doing such a thing."
"Oh, why?"
"Don't you remember? That mortal girl broke his poor heart. He won't look for another bride for a long while yet. Just like last time."
"You weren't alive the last time it happened."
"I'm older than I look."
"Right. I still think it's being planned."
"Well, I don't think it would be you."
"Oh, why not?"
"Don't you remember what I told you? That girl, another mortal, I don't remember her name, but he sent us away and let her stay. And she was so strange, she talked to him, looked him in the eye."
Thats when Ray popped in, dragging Sarah behind her.
"Is it so wrong to look a man in the eye when you're interested?" she asked. Sarah seemed completely lost. "Ray, what are we talking about?" she asked. "The King, and the possibility that he's looking for a bride." Ray told her. The four goblin women looked at Ray like she was a loony. "You can look any ordinary man in the eye, but the King? Certainly not." said the goblin that said Ray had looked the King in the eye. "Why not?" Ray challenged. "Nothing bad happens, his eyes just enchant you to no end, and his voice works wonders on the mind." she said with a smirk. Sarah nodded. "His eyes can lead you astray, and his voice casts a spell. We would know." she said, backing Ray up. She's starting to into the flow of things. Ray thought, watching the expressions on the faces of the goblin women.

It took the four goblin women a few minutes to realize who Ray and Sarah were, but when they did, they went crazy.
"You're that girl you actually turned him down?!"
"You're the girl who stayed late with him at the dinner?!"
Were what most of the questions were. Ray took it in, saying yes, she did have thing for the King, and was sure he like her back. Sarah was also true to her feelings, saying she didn't like the King at all, and was happy Ray had a thing for him. They talked on about this until the end of the ball.

Finally, Ray and Sarah tore themselves from the group of gossiping goblins. "You enjoyed that too much." Sarah said as they sat down in the carriage. Ray giggled. "Live with it. I like him, way too much for any sane girl. But when was I ever sane?" she said, knowing that some of the champagne had gone strait to her head. Sarah on the other hand, didn't drink much. "Well, at least your happy." she said, "I'm glad you like it here. Maybe.... Maybe you can fix some love-life problems." she said, quietly, Ray wasn't sure she heard her right. "So, I can hit on him, no hard feelings?" Sarah giggled. "Yeah..."

Ray wasn't quite sure how she got undressed or how she got into bed, but she knew Sarah had something to do with it. "Thanks." she said, her voice heavy with sleep. "Just go to sleep, Ray. You had one too many glasses of champagne." Sarah said, tucking Ray in. "Heh, maybe. But what can I say, it tastes good." and then she was out.

Ray woke up to the smell of bagels and locks and the sound of soft purring. "Toffee J.?" Ray mumbled. There was soft mew and Toffee J. rubbed his head against her cheek. "Morning." she said to the small cat. "How was your night? I had a blast." her words were slurred with sleep. "Oh, look who's awake." she heard Sarah's voice. "Sarah?" Ray asked, trying to pull herself away from sleep. "Yeah, it's me. And everyone else is here too." Sarah said as she helped Ray upright in bed. She rubbed the sleep form her eyes and saw the five little goblin women sitting around the table, a wonderful breakfast spread out in front of them. "Food, yum." Ray said a smile on her face.

Breakfast was great. Toffee J. sat by her plate and lapped at a saucer of milk. He never accepted anything else. They talked about the ball, and the conversation Ray and Sarah had with the gossiping goblin women. Zari and Bornia heavily backed Ray while the other three weren't against it, but weren't trilled either. "You should ask to attend a dinner with him" Zari said. "You can ask him to come here, have a simple dinner with you. I'll cook something special." she offered. Ray shook her head. "He knows plenty well I like him. For now, I'll let him muddle over if he likes me or not. But if he takes too long, I'll take you up on your offer." she said, taking a bite of her bagel.

After breakfast, Capeka said that Ray could have the day off so she could hang out with Sarah. After thanking the five goblin women, Ray and Sarah set off, looking for adventure. Toffee J. tagged along.

"So," Ray started as she and Sarah walked towards the city. "Where do you want to go?" Sarah shrugged. "I don't know. It'd be fun to see Ludo and Sir Didymus again." she said stopping. "Can't you call them?" Ray asked. Sarah nodded. "I guess, but wouldn't be a little odd to just call a giant red furball and a fox-thing on a dog into the center of the city?" Sarah asked, emphasizing how strange it would be. Ray sat down on a bench and thought on it. "We can go out to the woods just outside of the Underground. we can take a train to get there faster." and she took Sarah's hand and headed for the train station.

Tickets weren't as expensive like she thought they would be, but that didn't bother Ray in the slightest. The train was quiet and Ray and Sarah saw most of the Underground as the zoomed toward the edge. "It's almost steam-punk." Sarah commented. "Yeah, I guess it is." Ray said, looking out the window with her friend.

They found themselves at the forest station faster than Ray even thought. "Lets find a nice clearing to hang out." she said, taking Sarah's hand again and walking into the woods.

It only took a few minutes to find a clearing. Ray stood back and gave Sarah room. "Ludo, Sir Didymus, Ambrosia, Hoggle, I need to see you all again." Sarah whispered. Then the air began to shimmer, and slowly the forms of Ludo, Hoggle, Sir Didymus and Ambrosia began to appear. "So cool." Ray said once they were all there. "Sarwa!" Ludo's baby talk could be heard as he hugged Sarah tightly. "Hey, Ludo. I missed you." she said. "Maiden, it has been much too long." said Sir Didymus. "Yes, it has." Sarah smiled, scratching Ambrosia under the chin. "Guys, this is Ray, my friend." she said, introducing Ray into the circle.

They talked for hours, sharing news and reminiscing. Toffee J. sat on Ray's shoulder the whole time, licking her cheek now and again. It was nice to meet "the gang" as Ray called them in her head. Time seemed to fly even faster now. "Sarwa stay?" Ludo asked. Sarah shook her head. "I can only stay just a little bit longer." she said. "Speaking of, I might even have to go now, so I can get my stuff I brought from home." her voice fell as she said this. "T'is alright, dear maiden. Even if you go home, you can still call us, and we can meet once more." Sir Didymus said. Sarah nodded, "Yes, I will call you all more often. Thank you."

The trip back to the shop seemed to be much faster then the trip to the clearing. Ray didn't think that was fair, but she didn't saw anything out loud. Sarah picked up her bag and hugged Ray good-bye. "Send me a letter?" Ray asked when they pulled away. Sarah nodded, "Totally." her smile started to fade. "Ray, thank you. I had so much here, and I might have given come to not hate him so much, but I still don't like him. Just FYI." she said. Ray giggled. "No worries. Even if you did start to like him, I wouldn't let you close to him." she said with a grin. Sarah shook her head and chuckled. "He suits you."

Ray handed Sarah her mask. "Take it, to remind you that this wasn't a dream, that you did actually go to that ball, that I'm still here." she said. Sarah took it gently in her hands. "Thank you again for everything, Ray." and then little goblins flooded into the shop from everywhere. "Time to go home." they said, snickering here and there. "Bye." Sarah said and then the goblins took her away.

Labyrinth II: Return to the Labyrinth (14)

Chapter fourteen,

Reunited

Ray was busy finishing her dress, she had doodled a particularly nice dress that she wanted to wear, and had been working on it for the past two days. She would find a mask to match it later. Just then, there was a knock on the door. "It can't be the mailman. He came by earlier. Maybe he forgot something...?" Ray said, walking to the door.

"Sarah!" she exclaimed, seeing Sarah standing there in the door. Sarah seemed to be equally surprised. "Ray?" she asked. Ray smiled, "Come in, come in." she said, hurrying her friend inside. In the door way stood a few very small goblins all looking very expectant. "Oh, here." Ray said, digging a few coins out of her pocket and handing them to the goblins.

Sarah had put her bag down and was looking about the shop. "Wow." she said, bewildered. Ray giggled. "It was a lot messier when I first came. I've organized it a lot since then, come upstairs." she said, picking up Sarah's bag and showing her upstairs.

Sarah followed slowly behind, her eyes wandering everywhere. "Ray, wow." she said as Ray pulled out a chair for her to sit in. Ray went over to the sink and poured them both a glass of water. "Thanks. I thought you might like it." she said, handing Sarah a glass and then sitting down herself. "So," Ray started, "How'd you get away?" she asked. Sarah took a sip of water. "Said I was going to Nikki's. My parents won't call, and Nikki never knew." she answered. Ray nodded. "That works. So, I'm gonna make me a place to sleep so you can sleep in the bed. Or, if you don't care, 'cause I don't, we can both just sleep in the bed. Friends do that, right?" she asked, picking up Sarah's bag once more. Sarah shrugged. "I don't care." Ray smiled. "Alright then. We can go right to making your dress now."

Ray came back just as Sarah was finishing her water. "So, pick a color or a theme. Or both! We also have base dresses that we can add onto if you like." Ray said, showing Sarah downstairs. She was so excited to get started. Her dress was almost finished, so she could spend time on Sarah's now.

Sarah followed behind her. "I dunno. How about blue? A light blue maybe?" she asked, sounding a little off. Ray turned around and looked Sarah in the eye. "He's not here. He's not going to bother you. Okay? You're alright, here with me. Chill." she said. Ray knew Sarah hated it here, and the Goblin King. Ray couldn't blame her. If she had a younger bother, taken away, even if by her own wish, and then didn't get him back when she asked, she too would be a little hostile towards the King. Butthats how things worked. Life just wasn't ever fair. Sarah seemed to be taken aback by Ray's sudden outburst and nodded. "Sorry." she said quietly. Ray put an hand on Sarah's shoulder. "T'is alright. Now c'mon, we had a dress to sew. Light blue you said, right?"

Ray found a plain light blue gown, much like the one she had worn when she first got here, but it a different color. Sarah stood on the stool in front of the mirror while Ray was busy making sure it fit right whenHoggle walked in. "Sarah! You came!" he said, surprised and happy. Both Ray and Sarah giggled. "Hey, Hoggled." Sarah said. "How can I help you?" Ray asked. Hoggle shrugged. "I was wondering if you made suits. I need one for the masquerade." he said. Ray shook her head. "No, I don't. But Capeka does. I'm sure she wouldn't mind coming in to sew you a suit. Do you know where she lives?" Ray told Hoggle . He nodded. "Uh, Yea. Thanks. See ya later, Sarah." and he left. Ray and Sarah looked to one another and just started giggling. So was the way with girls.

By the time Hoggle came back with Capeka, Ray had made Sarah a beautiful blue fairy. Or, at least, she was a beautiful blue fairy in progress. "Wonderful job, Ray. Is this Sarah, your pen-pal?"Capeka asked. Ray nodded. "Capeka, Sarah. Sarah, Capeka." she said, introducing them. Sarah nodded and Capeka welcomed her. Then she and Hoggle went to another stool and mirror to start their work.

"Thanks you, miss." Hoggle said as he left. Capeka came around to see how Ray and Sarah were doing. Sarah wore a puffy light blue gown with see-through blue fabric draped loosely around it. Along with that, Sarah had long fingerless gloves with a sash attached. Jewels were in the process of being sewn on to give it sparkle. Ray had cut off the spaghetti straps and left it sleeveless. "I'll add wings and the rest of the jewels tomorrow morning. Then we'll go get masks." Ray told Sarah. Sarah nodded and looked at herself in the mirror. "Ray, this is beautiful!" she said, all her worry seeming to be melting away. Ray smiled. This is good. She needs to enjoy herself here, just this once.

The sun was setting now and Ray's stomach grumbles loudly. Sarah giggled. "I never thought you would sew so much you forgot to eat." she said with a smile. Ray had just helped her out of her dress and put it on amanniquine. "Hehe, yeah. I really get sucked into my work. But lets go get some dinner. Capeka, would you like to join us?" Ray asked, putting on a jacket and slipping on her heeled sandels. Over time and with the huge amount of balls she had attended, Ray had gotten used to heels. Capeka shook her head. "No 'hun, but thank you. Have fun, you two." she said, waving good-night.

Ray and Sarah stayed at Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner and ate and talked. Ray introduced Sarah to Gutaki and Zari and that was a blast. But then they had to close up, so Ray and Sarah headed back to the shop. On the way, Toffee J. began to follow Ray again. "Oh, hey Toffee J." she said, picking up the small cat. "See, this isToffe J. Isn't he just the cutest?" Ray asked, showing the little cat to Sarah. Sarah gently scratched him between the ears. "He is cute." she said with a smile.

Once they got to the shop, Toffee J. ran off. "Aw." Ray said, sadly. "Maybe he'll come back in the morning." she said, opening the door for Sarah. Sarah nodded. "Maybe. He did last time, right?" she asked. Ray shrugged. "Yeah, but whatever. He's his own cat."

"So, what does your dress look like?" Sarah asked as Ray rummaged through a chest a jewels and pins. "Oh, um..." Ray blushed. "You might not like it all that much..." she said, finally finding the pin she was looking for. It was a diamond-shaped topaz. Sarah cocked her head to the side. "Why won't I like it?" she asked confused. Ray sighed. If only Sarah didn't hate the Goblin King so much. "It's sorta like, um,y'know, his outfit." Ray said, feeling really uncomfortable. Sarah just stared at her. "What?" she asked, not looking so mad as confused. "How are you going to that off?"
"Here, I'll show you what I have so far. I still have to finish up a few things, but it's almost done." Ray said, showing Sarah over to a mannequin that was covered with a cloth. Sarah stood and waited. With a deep breath, Ray pulled the cloth off.

Ray's dress was a plain blue-gray sleevelss gown with a V-neck. Over top the dress was a black leather tailcoat with a tail that was just a bit longer than the dress and a large collar that stayed stiffly in place, just like how Sarah had described the King's jacket so many times. Sarah just stared at it. "Oh.." she said. Ray couldn't tell if she was mad or not. I hope she isn't... Ray thought, she didn't want to have offended her friend.

"So...?" Ray asked, looking at Sarah worriedly. "It's..." Sarah started, "It's good. I like it." she said, giving Ray a smile. Ray sighed, glad that Sarah was alright. "I just, never thought I'd see a dress like this. It's, I just saw him wearing it when I first saw it, it was.... Odd." Sarah said with a unsure smile. Ray burst out laughing. "Him, in a, dress? Sarah, you're great." she said, her sentences broken with giggles. Sarah laughed with her. "I don't, know. It just, popped into my head." she said, giggles overflowing from the both of them.

The giggling finally stopped when they both ran out of breath. "We should go to bed." Ray said, pinning the topaz pin to the tail coat to give it some sparkle. Sarah sighed. "I thought you liked to stay up late." she said, following Ray upstairs. Ray laughed. "Yeah, I do like to stay up late, but I don't really get to anymore. Life had speed up for me. There's so much to do now, and whenever there's a ball, "no rest for the hardworking"y'know ?" Ray said, making little quote marks with her fingers. Sarah chuckled and shook her head. "You're so grown up, Ray." she said looking down. "I am older you. But, Sarah, why are you so hell-bent on growing up? It's really not all that great, not in your world anyhow. Just be you, you'll feel so much better." Ray encouraged. Sarah looked up with a smile. "Thanks, Ray.

They stayed up much later just talking like they used to in bed. But finally they both couldn't keep their eyes open anymore. Ray let her mind wander, and slowly slipped into unconsciousness. But she could tell Sarah had a harder time falling asleep.

Toffee J. woke Ray up in the morning. "Oh, hey Toffee J. You want some milk?" she asked, her eyes still only half open. He mewed softly. Ray stretched and got up out of bed. Sarah was still sleeping and ray let her sleep. It was dawn, the mask shop wouldn't even be open yet. "You can sleep for another hour or so. Then we need to go." Ray said, putting the blankets over Sarah, it was a chilly morning.

Ray poured Toffee J. a saucer of milk and a glass for herself. "So, how was your night?" she asked the small cat. He mewed and shrugged. "Okay, huh? You can sleep here if you want. I don't care." she said, petting him. He was so soft! Toffee J. mewed and began to purr which sounded funny when he was drinking. Ray giggled. She loved cats.

Finally she couldn't wait anymore and she woke Sarah up. "Sarah, it's time to go. We can get breakfast on the way there, 'kay?" she said softly. Sarah rolled over. "It's cold." she mumbled. Ray chuckled. "Yeah, you can wear one of my jackets. But it gets a lot warmer later in the day." she said. Sarah moaned, but got up out of bed.

After grabbing a bag of hot biscuits, Ray showed Sarah to Hidden Faces. "Oh wow." Sarah said with a mouth full of biscuit. Ray nodded in agreement. "Totally."

They walked around the shop, just looking at all the masks at first. "This place is so cool, Ray." Sarah said, looking at a white angel mask. "Heh, Yeah." Ray said, drawn to a demon mask. "Almost like his..." she said, remembering what Sarah said about the Goblin King's mask when she had danced with him. The difference between this one and the one Sarah talked about was that this mask only covered half the face and the face was a dark-amber in color and the horns were black. "Would you like to purchase that one?" asked a familiar voice. It was the goblin lady form before. Ray smiled down at her, she was about a little bit taller than half of Ray's height. "Oh, um..." Ray thought back to her dress. It matches. "Yes, but I'm waiting on a friend, can you hold it for me at the counter?" she asked. The lady nodded, "Sure honey." and she took the mask down and hobbled over to the counter.

Ray wandered around the shop until she found Sarah. She was looking at a crescent moon mask almost the same color as her dress. It also had little blue gems on it. "I can get that one if you want it." Ray said, seeing Sarah's face. She was obviously very much in love with the mask. "Oh, really? But it's so expensive..." she said, turning the tag for Ray to see. "Three-hundred coins....Oh well. I'll get it for you, this should be the ball of your life, splurge won't ya?" Ray said, nudging Sarah in the ribs playfully. "Really? You'd get it for me?" she asked, the joy in her face obvious. Ray giggled. "Why not?C'mon, I already found mine." she said, taking the mask down gently.

The goblin lady was very careful to wrap the masks well, so they wouldn't brake or crack on the way back. "Have fun at the ball!" she called after Ray and Sarah as they left the shop. "Thanks!" Ray said, with a smile. "So, you like your mask?" she asked. Sarah nodded her head vigorously. "I love it! Thank you, Ray. You're the best friend ever." she said, hugging Ray. Ray hugged her back. "Right back at you."

When they got back to the shop, Capeka was there working on Hoggle's suit. "Morning girls. Were you successful?" she asked, looking up form her sewing. Ray turned the sign on the door over to say "closed" and closed the blinds. "Yeah, we both found masks. How are you?" Ray asked, ushering Sarah over to the stool and mirrors.Capeka shrugged. "Alright. I haven't sewn a suit in a while, but it's turning out alright." she said, holding up the suit for Ray and Sarah to see. It was a plain black suit with gold trim and smoke-like embroidery. "I can't seeHoggle in that." Sarah said as Ray helped her into her gown. "I don't know Hoggle like you do, but I can't see him in it either." she said with a giggle.

Ray spent the next hour making Sarah a pair of wings, just like the wings the fairies had, but they were smaller, so Sarah didn't have to worry so much about sticking someone in the eye. After that, Ray sewed on the rest of the jewels. "Here," she said, handing Sarah her mask. "Try it on with the dress."
"Alright.." Sarah said, taking the mask and tying it on.

It took her a moment to get it tight, but when she looked up, Ray couldn't help but feel proud of herself for making such an outfit. "You look awesome, Sarah." she said. Capeka nodded. "Very beautiful, dear. Good work, Ray." she said, taking a small break from her work. Sarah turned this was and that, looking at herself in the mirror. "Ray, Capeka is right, you did wonderful. Thanks you, so much!" Ray blushed. "Thanks, guys." she said, happy that Sarah was enjoying herself.

"Now, lets see your dress." Bornia said. Ray turned around to see Bornia and Alopa standing behind her. "You did a wonderful job on Sarah's dress." Alopa commented, setting her bag down and walking around Sarah. "Yes, quite nice." Bornia agreed. "But go on, get your dress on and lets see what else e need to do."

Ray came out a moment later, wearing her dress and jacket. "Something's missing..." Sarah said, much to Ray's surprise. "What?" she asked, getting up onto the stool. "Boots. You need leather boots. And gloves. And you still need makeup."Sarah said. "I thought you didn't like to think about him." Ray said, looking herself in the mirror, making sure everything looked okay. "I don't like to think about him, but what choice do I have, you've got the hots for him. I might as well be a good girlfriend and give you feedback." Sarah explained with a sigh. "Thanks, Sarah."
"Don't mention it."

From there, Ray just had to cut a little bit off the bottom, it was still too long in the front, and she had to sew the pin onto the jacket, so it wouldn't fall off during the ball and she dug out a pair of gloves with just the tips of the fingers cut off. "Now, lets find some shoes." she said to Sarah. Bornia and Alopa had left and Capeka was finishing up Hoggle's suit.

It took forever to find shoes that fit, but when they did, it was worth all the work. Ray found some blue strap-heels for Sarah, and Sarah found Ray a set of black-leather boots that buckled up the sides. Hoggle came by then, to pick up his suit. The ball was only a few hours away.

Ray was putting her dress on when Sarah tapped her on the shoulder, "How are we going to get to the castle?" she asked. Ray giggled. "He didn't tell you in your invite? He's sending us a carriage." she said. "Oh.." Sarah said, and Ray could tell she was slipping back into suspicion. "If he bothers you I'll stare him in the eye 'till the end of the world, he'll hate that, 'kay?" she said, turning to face Sarah. Sarah nodded. "Thanks. Could you help me with my dress?"

Once Sarah had her dress on, Ray went to getting her makeup done and her hair fluffed. Once she was done, Sarah looked like the queen of the fairies. "How can I help with your dress?" she asked Ray and Ray buckled her jacket on and slipped her gloves on. "You can do my makeup," she said. Sarah smiled. "Alright, have a seat."

It didn't take long for Sarah to do Ray's makeup and Ray was grateful, the carriage arrived just as she was tying her mask in place. "Lets dance." she said, and they set off towards the castle.

Labyrinth II: Return to the Labyrinth (13)

Chapter thirteen,

Six months and a wary visit

Six months since Ray's dance with the Goblin King, and Sarah was glad she was still in contact with her "missing" friend. Like she had told Ray in her letter, no one really seemed intent on looking for her. It was just "Okay, Ray's gone, oh well. Moving on." that almost made Sarah cry, how little people really cared.

But at least she knew Ray was alright. At least she could still talk to Ray. At least she still cared. And Ray seemed to be enjoying herself plenty in the Goblin City. That still sent shivers up Sarah's spine. She knew that the Goblin King couldn't ever get to her ever again, but she was worried for Ray. What if he was just toying with her? What if it wasn't real, the feelings Ray had for him?

With summer break coming to an end, Sarah was worried she wouldn't have as much time to write to Ray, to make sure she was still okay. But, they only wrote a few times a week now anyways. "I'll live." she said, walking home from her walk in the park. "And Ray seems to be doing alright." Sarah shrugged, walking into the house through the back and picking up the letter on the windowsill.

She went up to her room and opened the letter. Ray had gotten wax and used the seal for her shop to close her letters now. It was pretty cool to say the least. Now Sarah didn't have to remember to send her letters with and extra envelope.

Sarah unfolded the letter and read it.
"Sarah,
I'm glad that you still care enough to worry. But you see, this is the reason I wanted to leave; no one wanted me there. Yeah, I had you and maybe a few others, but from what you're telling me, you're the only one who really cares. And I like that, thank you.
But moving onto more happy news. Toffee J. came back. He woke me up this morning. So cute! Oh, and theres a masquerade ball this weekend. I'm going to stop by that mask shop again to try and get an idea for what to wear, and I want to know, what would you like to wear?"
Sarah stopped for a moment there. "Did she just write what do I want to wear?" she asked herself. Sarah read on to see.
"Yeah, I can see your face right now: WTF, RAY?! Hehe, but yes, I just asked what you wanted to wear. The King sent me two invites; one for me, and one for you. I don't really know what he's up to, but I'm sure it'll be alright.C'mon , you don't have to dance, I rarely do. You just have to cling to me and have some fun! You can say you're going camping in the woods behind your house or something and disappear for a few days! It'll be so much fun to see you again. And you can see the shop, meetBornia and the girls, see Toffee J. and I can show you around a bit."
Sarah was interrupted by the calls of her stepmother. "Sarah, honey! There's a letter for you down here." she called. "Coming!" Sarah said, getting up and getting the letter.

Sarah had to wait to open her new letter and continue Ray's until after dinner. Ugh. She has the worst timing.. Sarah complained, glaring at Karen for a moment, before going back to finishing her food.

When she was allowed away from the table, Sarah went back up to her room and continued Ray's letter.
"A note came with the invite for you, it said "Send this to the mail house, it'll get o Sarah from there." and I did so. I hope you got it. It looks like an ordinary letter, with the to address and the return address, but if you look at it, the return address makes no sense. Anyways, that's your invite. I didn't open it, promise.
Hope to see you soon!
~Ray."
Sarah stared at the other letter. The return address on the other envelope. It did make no sense.
"G.O.B. Lin King
P.O. box # 654
Center Goblin City, NW 09876"
Well, at least Sarah knew that the invitation got here. And maybe it made some sense.... In a really really really strange way that only Ray and Sarah would understand. "He makes no sense." Sarah said, looking warily at the envelope. "Here goes nothing..." she said, opening it.

The letter inside the envelope looked like the letters that Ray sent, except the handwriting was very fancy and neat, and in a shining green ink. I really don't want to read this.. Sarah thought, a knot had formed in her stomach. It's probably some sort of trap. He's using Ray to get to me. her chest was starting to throb. But Hoggle said that he couldn't hurt me anymore. Does that mean even if I do go, he won't be able to hurt me? Oh I just don't know. Sarah sighed. "Hoggle, I need you." she whispered. Her parents were still awake, but Sarah needed help now, she couldn't wait until everyone else was asleep.

Hoggle appeared in her room a few minutes later. "Sorry for taking so long, I had to figure out where Ray's shop was again, I was invited to a masquerade ball. Really strange. But anyways, I'm where,what'd you need?" He asked, seeming almost just as uncomfortable as Sarah about going to the ball. "Um, I was invited to the ball too." Sarah said uncertainly.Hoggle looked as if he was about to scream so Sarah shushed him. "Everyone it still awake. So we need to be quiet." she said in hushed voice.Hoggle still seemed baffled. "How does he expect to get you to the Labyrinth? He can't touch you!" Hoggle said, mimicking Sarah's thoughts. "I don't know, but I'm sure it explains everything in this letter. I'm just too scared to read it." she said handingHoggle the letter.

Hoggle read over the letter several times before he spoke to Sarah. "You can wish yourself into the Labyrinth for the duration of the ball, and a little more so you can find a dress that fits and a mask. "Hoggle said, handing the letter back to Sarah. "Like Ray did, but it would only be temporary. That's the extent of his power with you." he said with a sigh. Sarah let go of the breath she hadn't known she was holding. "Really? You sure?" she asked.Hoggle nodded. "It says everything on the invitation." Sarah looked down warily at the letter. "Calls me if you need more help, but I have to go now."Hoggle said as he faded away.

Sarah didn't know how long she spent just looking at the invitation. Finally she brought herself to read it, it was just a piece of paper with words on it. It wasn't like it was going to comet to life and drag her back to that horrible place.
"Dear Sarah,
I know you don't want to here form me, but I thought, since you and Ray talk so much, you would like to see her again.
I'm having a masquerade ball this weekend, and I thought it would be convenient for you to come then. Ray would love to make you a dress. She's quite good at sewing now if you hadn't heard.
If you do decide to come, wish a hope you do, find a good time to disappear, give yourself at lest an extra day or so, Ray needs to make your dress still, and then wish yourself here, to the Goblin City, for however long you will be staying. Since you can't stand to have me around, I'll send my goblins to take you to Ray's shop. When your time is up, you'll be sent home. Easy as that.
So hurry, you don't have much time.
~Goblin King"
She read. Sarah didn't know what to do. She had two days to decide.

Sarah spent the next two days couped up in her room, only leaving when she had too. Should I go? she would ask herself over and over again. Finally she decided. "I'll go. But only for Ray. You hear me?" she asked the air around her, knowing that he might as well be hiding in the shadows, watching her every movement. "I'm only going for Ray. This has nothing to do with you!" and that was it.

Who's house could she pretend to be going to? A sleepover. The whole weekend. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. There were a few people, but Sarah needed someone who had easy-going parents that went to bed early. "Nikki, maybe..." she said, thinking about it. Yeah, she coudl sya she wa going to Nikki's, and her parents knew not to call late, and Sarah and Nikki did get along enough to have a sleepover now and again.

Sarah got the phone form downstairs, to make it seem like she was calling someone. Once back up in her room, Sarah began to pack, simple things that she wanted to take with her. And if she left for her "sleepover" with no bag, her parents might ask more questions than Sarah could handle.

"Dad?" Sarah asked, walking down the stairs with her packed bag. "Sorry this is so last notice, but I thought Nikki and I could have a sleepover this weekend. Two nights. It's been so long, and her parents already said we could." she said in, trying her best to sound like she normally would in this sort of situation. Her dad took the bait. "Oh, yeah. Sure honey, just be careful. You want a ride?" he asked, going for his keys. "Uh, no. I'm good, we're meeting at the park for a bit first anyways." she said, maybe a bit too fast, but her dad shrugged it off. Good save. she told herself. "Alright then. Be careful. Have fun." her dad said and she was out the door.

Sarah held Ray's letter and the invitation in her hands. She bit her lip, but wished herself away anyways. "I wish the goblins would take me away form here, just until Sunday afternoon. Right now." she said, closing her eyes.

The giggles and horrible chuckles of the goblins came form all around her. Sarah was frozen to the spot. "This way, hehe." said horse little voices from the bushes. "Yeah, hehe, come this way." they told her, drawing her into the woods. "Just a little bit more, hehe."

Labyrinth II: Return to the Labyrinth (12)

Chapter twelve,

Six months and Toffee

Six months since the masquerade ball and the magical dance with the King and Ray is doing wonderful. She keeps up with Sarah, happy she can keep in touch. Her place at Five little gowns has gone up and multiplied; she now works as the errand girl, the maid, the head dress designer, and assistant seamstress.

Life in the Labyrinth has treated Ray well, and she gets invited to balls often. Gutaki and Zari left the shop to open a deli and bakery of their own; they call it Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner. Ray goes there everyday and gets all three meals for the day from there. Getting it from anywhere else was just not the same. Bornia, Capeka, and Alopa still work at the shop, coming in everyday to help with her dress orders. Speaking of Alopa, her wedding happened two months after Ray's private dance with the king and she moved out of the shop, offering the now empty space above the shop to Ray to live in. Ray accepted and moved in. It was a small house on top of the shop with some of the walls torn down. It fit Ray nicely.

With Ray living in the shop, the shop itself seemed to be passed into Ray's charge, and she handled most of the orders from there on out. Even though she was mostly in charge of the shop,Cakepa was still the head seamstress, with Bornia and Alopa right behind her.

Traffic at the shop stayed mostly the same, even after that one goblin woman at the masquerade told most of her friends about Ray's designing talent. So Ray had more time to work on dress orders and more time to herself.

With more time to herself, Ray took the time to wander the Goblin City and the Underground that surrounded it. Sarah had never said anything about the Underground, mostly because she didn't see it. The Underground surrounded the castle in sort of a half-moon, on the other side than the one Sarah used to get in, so it was easy to see why she knew nothing about it. The shop was on the inner circle of the Underground, jut on the outside edge of the Goblin City.

Ray was on one of her regular walks around town when she spotted a new mask shop. "Hidden Faces.." she read, walking into the shop. It was a fairly large shop, but many things were still being put up and things still needed arranging. A goblin lady sat at the counter, doing some paperwork. "Excuse me," Ray said, walking up to the counter. The lady looked up at her. "Oh, hello dear. How can I help you?" she said with a cheery smile. Ray instantly liked the place. "I was wondering if I may be able to browse your shop, or if you were still much to deep in setting up for customers." she asked. The lady shook her head. "I'm sorry, but we still need to set up a few things. Feel free to browse, but you cannot buy anything at this time. But if you find something you like, I can put it on hold for you until the shop officially opens." the lady said. Ray nodded. "I'll just browse then. Thank you." and she went about the shop.

Many of the masks were blank, but there were ones pre-painted. Those were particularly beautiful. Ray found many that she liked, but there hadn't been a masquerade for a while. I'll come back when I need a mask. she thought, thanking the goblin lady again and leaving the shop.

As Ray continued her walk to the shop, she noticed a little white-brown cat had been following her. She stopped and knelt down to look at the small cat. By its build, Ray guessed it was full grown. "Oh but you're so small." she said, holding her hand out to see if it would let her pet it. The cat pressed its head into her palm and Ray scratched between its ears. "Aw, you're so cute!" she said, carefully scooping the small cat up in her arms and standing up. It didn't seem to mind in the least, in fact, it began to purr. Loudly.

Ray took the small cat back to the shop and put it on the table. "Let me get you something to eat." she said, going upstairs to see what she had left over form lunch to feed the small cat. Ray found some slices of salami, and poured a saucer of milk.

When she put the meat and milk in front of the cat, it only seemed interested in the milk, it didn't even sniff the salami. "More for me, then." Ray said, taking a slice of salami.

Ray lay in her loft, she could be alone up here, but easily get to customers if need be. She was doodling dress designs, just letting her mind wander to the next ball. The cat watched her intently. "You sure are and odd little cat." Ray said, scratching it between the ears for the millionth time. Ray had found out it was a boy cat, a stray by the looks of things. It hadn't been neutered like most pet cats.

"So, kitty," Ray said, putting her sketch book aside and looking the cat in the eye. "You got a name, or am I gonna have to make one up for you?" she asked, petting it. His fur was irresistibly soft. The cat mewed, and Ray thought it looked like he shrugged. This world is so weird. she thought. Even the chickens, which were everywhere, seemed to act just a little more human. Or goblin. Whichever. "I guess that means you don't really care if I call you something other than your real name?" she asked. The cat mewed happily. "Thats a "yes". Hrm... what to name you...." Ray mumbled, staring at the beautiful fur. It was mostly white, with strands of light brown here and there. "Toffee." she said all of a sudden. The cat looked up at her, his head cocked to one side, as if to say "isn't that a girls name?". Ray laughed at that. "I know, I know..." she said with a sigh. Toffee was a girlish name. "You know what..." Ray said, an idea coming to her mind. "I'll call you Toffee J. Now it sounds like a boy name, and every time I say your name, you'll remind me of him." she said, the cat seemed confused. Ray giggled. "Y'know, him. The King?" then it seemed to click for the small cat. Ray giggled again. "Well I have to go get dinner. I'll be back in a minute." and she hopped down from her loft and headed to Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner.

Ray walked back into the shop humming the tune she usually hummed when she sent Sarah a letter. "I'm home! Toffee J.?" she called, walking upstairs and putting her bags on the table. Toffee J. was nowhere to be seen. "Toffee J.?" Ray called, wandering all around the shop. "Maybe he left.." she said sadly. "Oh well." and she went back upstairs to eat dinner.

That night, Ray sent Sarah a letter telling her the usual, how her week was, new news, Toffee J. "I hope I see him tomorrow on my walk." Ray said before she settled in for bed.

Ray was woken up by the sound of purring. She slowly opened her eyes to find Toffee J. staring down at her with big, beautiful gray eyes. "Morning." she said groggily. "How the hell did you get inside?" she asked, rubbing her eyes and sitting up. "I closed up last night." Ray said, looking at the little cat. It mewed and looked over to the window, which was open just enough for it to have crawled through. "Oh.." Ray said yawning. "I'll remember to keep that open to ya."

The rest of the day went by as usual, Ray ran her morning errands, came back to the shop, where Bornia, Capeka, and Alopa were already sewing, ate breakfast, did her morning sewing, cleaned up after the three goblins when they left, got lunch, did her afternoon sewing, ate dinner, chilled out, and that was it. Toffee J. never left her side. Ray lay up in her loft doodling again. Toffee was curled up next to her book, sleeping. Ray looked down at him. "So cute." she said, petting him softly. "Nice that you found me." and she carried the sleeping at up to her room.

Ray sat at her desk and opened the letter Sarah had sent.
"Ray,
That new mask shop sounds like it has potential. I'm so happy that you're doing okay. Everyone here is looking for you, though, it pains me to tell you this, no one is really looking for you. There are missing signs up at the police department and on the occasional milk carton, but everyone is going on without you.....
Well, I'm glad I get to talk to you, knowing you're not lost or missing makes me feel so much better.
So this Toffee J. cat, he sounds really cute. I wish they had cameras over there, then maybe you could send me some pictures.
xoxo,
Sarah"
Ray read. She smiled sadly. "Thats why I wanted to leave so badly, Sarah." she said to the letter, taking out a piece of paper and a pen, "No one really cared about me."

Labyrinth II: Return to the Labyrinth (late intro)

((I know this is a little late, but I just couldn't figure out how to write it until now. Enjoy <3)) style="font-weight: bold;" face="Comic Sans MS">Labyrinth II:

Return to the Labyrinth

We all know of Sarah's journey to the dread Labyrinth to rescue her baby half-brother from the clutches of the Goblin King. But what do we know of what happened after she came home, safe and sound with her brother?

Having to vent her worries, her anger and her amazement to someone she knew would listen, Sarah calls a childhood friend, Ray, and tells her the whole thing.
Ray, thinking it was all just a story, wishes herself away to the Labyrinth. And guess what?
He takes her there.

In this story of the Labyrinth, new adventures arise, new friendships are made, old ones renewed, and love burns again in the iron-cold heart of the Goblin King.

Labyrinth II: Return to the Labyrinth (11)

Chapter eleven,

Dinner and a dance

Ray woke up herself that morning, she was eager to tell Bornia about he private invitation and she needed to take a bath. She quickly bathed and made herself and Bornia a breakfast of scrambled eggs.

Once they were fed, Ray and Bornia headed off to the shop. "Oh, Bornia," Ray started. They were about halfway there now. "Yes, dear?" Bornia asked, glancing backwards at Ray. Ray sped up to walk beside Bornia, she was getting better at keeping up. "I got a private invitation to a private dinner party after the ball." she said. Bornia looked at her, surprised. "Oh did you now? Thats interesting. Did it say why?" she asked. Ray nodded. "When the King took me to the outside of the Labyrinth, I challenged him to a race back to the castle. Just for fun. And when I finally go to the castle, no one was there. In the note it said that I was invited because I won the race." Ray said as they reached the shop.Bornia laughed. "Now that is something to dress up for." she said with a grin.

Gutaki and Capkea were already there working on their dresses. There had been a closed sign on the door, so that everyone could work on their dresses for the masquerade without having to worry someoneelse's. "Guess what, ladies?" Bornia said as she walked in with Ray and Alopa , who had just arrived as well, trailing behind her. "What?" the three goblins asked at once. "Ray got invited to a private dinner party with the King!" and then the gossiping started. Ray let them be, she need to work on her outfit.

Ray decided to go with the same outfit and mask she had planned the day before, just to make things easier and because she was very much attached to the look. Ray had decided to wear a bodice gown, much like the gowns in medieval movies that one saw the peasant girls wearing, without the sleeves, and with a butterfly mask to match.

Ray, to her delight, found a long light-cream colored skirt that twirled like no other skirt Ray at ever seen. She also found a light sky-blue halter-top dress that stopped near her knees. This also twirled to no end. It might have not been what she was planning, but it worked just as well.

Ray dug out a length of thin brown rope, to match her eyes, and wound it around under her bust and the rest of her lower torso, just like how the ribbon on her other dresscriss -crossed in the front. The only ting different was that Ray tied the rope off in the front. "Perfect." she said as she looked in the mirror. She didn't have to much sewing, she just had to sew the rope into place and then her dress would be done.

Ray then put her finished dress aside, Capeka needed held finding some feathers for hers and Alopa still wasn't sure what she should wear. Gutaki and Zari were busy finding and cutting out fabric for their dresses. Ray had learned over the week that they were sisters, Gutaki being the elder, and they were going to go to the ball in dresses that matched exactly, but would have slightly different masks. Ray thought it would be interesting to watch people guess which one was which and get it wrong.Gutaki and Zari sounded very much the same if you weren't looking them in the face. The masks would make much it harder to tell them apart.

With Capeka's feathers found, Ray turned her full attention to Aopla. Bornia was also helping her. "Oh, I just can't get the mask to match anything!" Alopa wailed. Bornia rubbed her back while Ray examined the mask. It was a crescent moon mask that was the strangest teal color with varying shades of purple to decorate.Alopa was looking for something they had already made, like Ray had, to make things simpler. Ray held the mash up. "Well, you were looking for a teal base. But I think that would be too much. Start with a purple base, maybe a deep violet or royal purple, and then stitch teal patterns onto that. It would contrast very nicely with the mask, and then you can wear those lovely teal heels you like to match." Ray said, with a smile. She had always loved drawing the outfits on all her drawings and took the colors seriously.

Alopa was quite pleased with this idea and went off to find a purple dress that fit her. "You would make a wonderful designer, Ray." Bornia said with a smile of praise. Ray thought on it. "I could try." she said with a shrug. "Do you need any help with your dress?" she askedBornia. Bornia shook her head. "I'm alright. How about you, did you find what you needed?" she asked. Ray nodded. "All I need now are shoes and a mask." she said excitedly. Ray had wanted to go to that mask shop ever sinceBornia mentioned it at Ray's first ball ever. Borina chuckled. "We can go to the mask shop tomorrow. Now go find those shoes, it can take forever to find a shoe your size in this place." she said, walking off to get materials for her own dress.

Ray spent almost half the day looking for a pair of shoes. She needed a pair of brown shoes that fit her and matched her dress. And after and hour of cleaning and sorting the shoes closet her shoes around her size, Ray found a wonderful pair of heeled sandals that matched. They were strap sandals, with a loop for her big toe and an X of brown over the top of her foot. Ray put them on and smiled, they fit great. She might even be able to wear these for a while they fit so good. The only thing Ray did not like about the shoes were that they were inch-tall heels. They weren't stilettos, in fact the heels were thick like boots, but Ray never had much luck with heels. She always ended up slipping or falling over. "Maybe if I wear them a lot, I'll get better at walking in them..." Ray said to herself, taking her red flats, that were now more of a brown-ish color, and putting them in Bornia's bag. She would only wear the sandals form now until after the ball.

Since she had nothing more to find in the little shop, Ray spent the rest of her time sewing beads, buttons, and other things to dress orders.Gutaki and Zari needed help sewing sequins onto their sparkling ocean-blue dresses, and Capeka needed help choosing wear to sew her feathers. When she was done with that, Ray put her dress on a mannequin and began to sew the rope into place.

The sun set and the streets became dark. Ray looked her dress up and down. It looked simple, but fancy as beautiful as well. The fact that it twirled as much at it did went a long way for making it look fancier. And the mask would help finish it off.

With happy good-byes, Bornia and Ray left the shop for home and dinner. Bornia was going to teach Ray how to make the soup she had given her when Ray arrived. "So what is in it?" Ray asked, opened to door forBornia. "A variety of things. Come, I'll show you."

It didn't take long to make the soup, it was really simple. But a few things were in it that made Ray think twice before she took her first sip. Chicken, snail, lizard, basil, rosemary, carrot, and some beans. What A strange soup. But it still tasted just as good.

As they sipped quietly at their soup, Ray spoke up, there was something she had been meaning to ask Bornia. "Bornia?" Ray asked. Bornia looked up form her soup. "Yes, dear?" Ray thought how she was going to say this. "I think I danced with the king that night.." she said, uncertain whatBornia's response would be. Bornia paused mid-sip. "Whats makes you think that?" she asked, not mad, in fact she sounded quite interested. "His eyes.." Ray said, leaning back in her little chair. "I've never seen eyes like his before and the man with the lunar moth mask had his eyes. I swear, it was him..." she said, almost dreamily, thinking back. Bornia leaned back in her chair as well. "I've never seen the King's eyes for myself, but I do know from what people tell me, they are quite stunning. So I would believe you on that maybe it was the King. But you never really know at balls like that. Some goblins use magic to change how they look, just for the fun of things, so it might not have been the King." she said, with a shrug. "But if is was the King, you are one lucky child." Bornia said, going back to her soup.

Ray, out of curiosity, checked her windowsill. There on the ruff wood, sat an envelope. "Cool." Ray said as she took the envelope and sat down at her little desk. Ray opened the envelope, took out a blank and empty envelope and a letter.
"Ray,
Your adventure was so different from mine! Shorter, and lonelier. But I'm glad you're having such a good time! The ball sounded like it was a lot of fun. But it also sounded a little weird. Are you sure it was him that you danced with? And the song, are you sure it was the same one? I dunno about you, but this sounds just a little scary too me. But maybethats because I had such a different experience with him.
And about that "private dinner party", seriously?! You won the race to the castle? You got there before him? That doesn't quite sound possible, but if you like him that much, I'll let you go your own way. But he's dangerous, Ray. Be careful, please. His signing his own name scares me. But everything about him scares me, so oh well.
What are you going to wear for the masquerade? I know you like masks and dressing up, I remember doing that with you when we were little. Are you going to wear the same dress you wore to the first ball? I'd love to see a picture orsomething.
~Sarah"
Ray read. She chuckled half-heartily. Sarah was really scared of the Goblin King. Why did Ray see him so differently? "Sarah's probably right. She had a different experience with him than I did. Maybethats it." she said, putting the letter back in the envelope. She would write back after the ball. Ray went to bed after that. She wanted to get up early so that she andBornia could go to the mask shop.

Ray again woke herself up. Bornia was already up and had breakfast ready. "So you want a butterfly mask, right?" Bornia asked. Ray nodded. "Something I can paint myself so it matches my dress."she said. Bornia nodded. "Alright then. Lets go."

The mask shop wasn't too far from the shop, so when they were done there, Ray and Bornia were going to go the the shop to work on the dresses some more. The mask shop was called Behind Plaster Eyes and the front windows were filled with all sorts of beautiful masks. A bell rang as Ray and Bornia walked in. A little goblin man with spectacles looked their way. "Looking for a mask to wear to the ball?" he asked. Ray nodded. "We would like to look at your blankpre-made masks first, please." Bornia said. The little man waved at them to follow.

The shop was very narrow and very long, with the blank pre-made masks at the very back. "Here we are." the little goblin man said. "These are the ones out here on display, but we have others and more sizes in the back." he said, looking to Ray who looked like a giant inside the store.Bornia nodded in thanks and looked to the masks.

All three walls in the back were filled with masks, and to Ray's delight, half of one wall was all butterfly masks. She looked trough all of them, reading the tags for their name and price. She found one the was particularly pretty. It was the shape of a normal swallowtail butterfly, in fact it was called "swallowtail butterfly mask", and the interesting thing about it was the mosaic pattern of the butterfly's wings was already on the mask. All the shapes were imprinted into the mask, making the lines that divided them stand out. "How much..." Ray said to herself, checking the tag again. "30 coins." it read. "Bornia, how much money can I spend here?" she asked. "One-hundred coins." Bornia said, still looking for a mask herself. Ray smiled, it looked like she had enough money to get this mask in a size that fit and to paint it herself.

Bornia found a mask not too soon after Ray found hers, and they both went up to the clerk. "I need a size down for this mask, and she needs a few sizes up for hers, please."Bornia said. The little clerk got out of his chair and waddled to the back. "Would you two like to pain those here?" he asked. "Yes please."Bornia answered. "I'll be right back then, may I take those masks, please? Thank you." and he disappeared behind a little door in the back.

He came back a few minutes later with the masks and a basket filled with paints. "This way," he said, showing Ray and Bornia to some tables that had dried paint on them. "Here you are. Try on the masks first, just in case." he said handing the masks to them. Ray put her mask to her face, it fit great.Bornia had the same luck with her mask. "Good, when you're done painting come get me." and he went back up to the counter.

Ray went to the larger table and put the mask down. "Now, where to put the colors.." she said, looking for the paints. she found a off-white that was close enough, a light brown and a light blue. She looked to the mask, trying to remember what a real swallowtail butterfly looked like. The edges of the wings were black, along with the tiger stripes that came down from the top. Then the spots on the edges of the wings and the rest of them were yellow. "We'll changes that." Ray said with a smile.

Ray was nearly done when Bornia came to check on her. "How are you doing, dear?" she asked. Ray carefully picked up her mask to show Bornia what she had done. "How do you like it?" she asked. The spots were brown, while the edges of the wings and the stripes were blue. Ray was just filling in the rest with cream. "Oh it's beautiful darling."Bornia said with a smile. "Hows yours?" Ray asked, peering over to Bornia's table. Bornia's mask was a fiery sunflower. "I just finished, do you like it?" she asked. Ray nodded. "It's very nice. I like how you blended the colors in the petals." she said, admiring the yellow-to-orange change. "Oh thank you. Now finish up so these can dry." she said.

The little goblin man took both masks one at a time and put them in the oven in the back to dry. "They'll be done in about an hour. You can stay here, or you can come back later to get them." he said as they walked to the front of the shop. "We'll come back."Bornia said, putting fifty coins on the counter. "I'll pay the rest when we get back." she said. The clerk nodded and Ray and Bornia left the little mask shop.

They walked to Five little gowns rather quickly, Zari said she was bringing lunch again. The smell of fresh-baked bread and brisket filled the shop. "Oh I love brisket!" Ray said, walking inside. Gutaki and Zari were serving Alopa and Capeka. "Oh, I'm so glad you two made it!" Gutaki said, filing two plates with mouth-watering brisket while Zari sliced them two healthy slices of bread. "I presume you two found masks?" Alopa asked, taking a bite. Ray nodded, her mouth full. "Yes, Ray found a beautiful butterfly mask and I got myself a new sunflower mask. The paint is drying now."Bornia said before she took a bite of buttered bread. "Wonderful! I can't wait." Capeka said.

After Ray and Bornia picked up and paid the rest for their masks, they went back to the shop. Ray helped Alopa stitch patterns of teal onto her deep purple gown. As she was stitching, Ray thought of something she could do to up her own costume. "I'll be back,Alopa." she said getting up and starting her hunt for materials.

Ray found a spool of wire and cloth that matched her dress. She measured the wire, then cut and shaped it into small butterfly wings with a long tail on the bottom wings. She then went to work making a case to put over the wire.

The sun was setting once again when Ray finished her wings. She had sewn the wings to look like her mask and then slipped them onto the wire frame, then she sewed them tight and onto the back of her dress, so that she now had a pair of butterfly wings coming out of the small of her back like a bow. "Nowthats good." Ray said, walking around her dress.

The rest of the week passed in a hurry. They were busy finding the things they needed, fixing mistakes and trying the dresses on the make sure they fit. The day of the ball came and Ray found herself getting terrible anxious. What if I'm not dressed up enough? she worried as she bathed. What if I slip up? all these "what if" questions ran through her head. "Oh I can't do this by myself..." she sighed. But she was going to have to do it by herself, she was the only one she knew of that was invited.

After dinner, Ray and Bornia headed to the shop. Ray had gotten much better at walking in her heels and she felt confident that she wouldn't fall. But doubts still tugged at the edge of her mind. She tried to breath deeply and tell herself that it was going to be okay, but waves of heat still washed over her body.

"Okay, you can look now." said either Gutaki or Zari, Ray didn't know which. The two of them stood in front of Ray, Bornia, Capeka and Alopa. "Oh wow!" Ray said, looking at the two of them. they wore sequin mermaid dress with almost the same seashells mask. "You two look wondrous!"Alopa said, clapping. "I really can't tell which one is which." Capeka said, Bornia agreed with her. Gutaki and Zari laughed. "Good." they said at once. "Your turn Alopa." they said. Alopa smiled and then went off to get her costume.

Alopa came out a minute later wearing her dress. "Beautiful!" Ray said with a smile. The others agreed. Cakepa later came out with her cat costume on, it was quite realistic. Bornia then dawned her fiery sunflower outfit. It was beautiful. "Your turn, Ray." Gutaki said. Or maybe it was Zari, Ray couldn't tell. "Alright.." she said, the pain in her chest coming back.

Just a moment later, Ray walked out with her dress on. "You look wonderful, darling." Bornia said, she knew about Ray's anxiety. Ray smiled. "Thanks." she said. Just then, the doorbell rung. "That must be the carriage." Capeka said, getting the door. Indeed it was the carriage and the night of the ball began.

It was strange, being announced to a large crowd of people as you came down the stairs. Everyone looked at you. Ray felt very self conscious for the first thirty minutes of the ball, but then, as she talked, she felt better about herself.

Ray didn't dance this time, mostly because no one asked her, but also she was sure that the Goblin King as cast some sort of magic that made her dance so well last time. She just sipped champagne and talked to the other goblin women who did not dance.

It was more fun this time. Ray didn't quite know who everyone was, and the masks didn't really help, but she knew the topics they were talking about and could slide politely into a conversation. "So,darlin'," a women dressed as a human girl said to Ray. Ray looked up to show she was listening. "Where do you get your dresses? I love the subtlety of yours. It's so simple, but it's got a lot of fancy to it, y'know what I mean?" she said. She had sort of a rich-girl city accent. Ray smiled. "I got it at Five little gowns. I work there and designed my costume myself." she said. The goblins surrounding her looked surprised. "Oh really, now? Five little gowns, y'said, right?" the goblin asked her. Ray nodded. "You designed your own dress? Darlin' you got talent!"" said another goblin. Ray blushed. 'Thanks.."She said shyly. The conversation went on over to dresses and sewing after that.

The ball ended and Ray said goodbye to her friends. "We'll tell the carriage to come back here in a few hours to pick you up." Capeka said.
"Thanks"
"Have fun dear." said Bornia.
"Yes, enjoy yourself, everything will be fine." said Zari, they had taken off their masks.
"I will. And thank you again." Ray said, waving good-bye.

Ray slowly walked up into the throne room. She was the first to arrive. As she waited for the other guests, Ray thought about why she had chosen a butterfly mask. It was a sort of message to the King. "I know it was you" was what Ray wanted to get across. She had no idea if it would work, but she hoped it would.

The other guests came in one by one. Ray didn't recognize any of them. And there goes the last shred of my courage... Ray thought, feeling her face grow hot under her mask. A guide came into the room and directed the Ray and the other guests to the dinning hall. So glad I ate a small dinner. Ray thought as she was shown her seat. If she had eaten any more food, she wouldn't be able to put one thing in her mouth here.

There was a minutes of silence after all the guests were seated. The goblin that showed them in cleared his throat. "His majesty, the Goblin King." he announce as the King walked in. Ray had to hold back a gasp. He was wearing a pale-blue lunar moth mask. The same one he had worn before! I was right. she thought. He walked to the table, and Ray noticed with a burning sensation that she was sitting right next to him.

The King sat down, and with one swift and graceful movement, moved his owl-feather cloak out of the way. Ray did her best not to stare at him, trying to fit in with the crowd around her. Only moments later, the food arrived. A plate of steaming brisket was placed in front of everybody, along with the needed silverware. How convenient... Ray thought, stealing a glance at the King. He was leaning back in his chair, looking at her. Ray quickly returned her gazed to her food.

Wine was brought in right after that and everyone dug into their meal. Not much of a party. Ray thought as she tried a slice of brisket. The brisket was okay, but not as good as Zari's. Ray leaned back in her chair as she chewed and glanced about the table. Everyone looked like they were waiting for something to happen.

After a few minutes of silence, the King spoke. "How was he ball?" he asked casually. When no one answered, Ray spoke up. "It was very nice, your highness. Did you enjoy it?" she asked. Looking his way. The flame in her chest still hurt and the butterflies in her stomach would not calm down. Everyone looked at Ray like she had committed some sort of taboo. The King smiled. "I enjoyed it very much. Masquerades are my favorite." he said sipping his wine. Everyone still stared at Ray and she suddenly became very self-conscious. Is there something in my teeth? she asked herself, discreetly running her tongue over her teeth. Nope. So why is everybody looking at me like that?! Ray was starting to panic. Then it hit her. I'm looking at the King. Thats what caught them off guard. she thought, turning back to her brisket and taking another bite.

Conversation slowly arose between the other guests, there were eight of them, but no one ever addressed the King unless he spoke to them first. Ray mostly kept quiet, enjoying her dinner and trying not to overheat. "You've a very interesting mask." the King said to Ray. Ray looked up. He had barely touched his food and was leaning back in his chair. "Thank you, your majesty. You have a very interesting mask as well. Familiar in a way..." Ray turned back to her food to glance at the King sideways when she spoke the last sentence. That caught his attention. "Oh? Familiar in what way?" he asked in a cool voice. Ray pretended to think. "I could have sworn I saw a man with that same mask at the that ball you kindly invited me to." she said, testing to see if she was right, watching his face. But his expression didn't change at all. "Hm." he said, and that was the end of that conversation.

When everyone was done with dinner, the plates were taken away and everyone was shown to a large balcony that overlooked the city. The other guests huddled together and chattered about whatever while Ray leaned up on the railing, looking out over the city. "Such a beautiful place." she said with a sigh. "Oh, Sarah, why did you leave? You could have had anything. Anything in the world..." she said shaking her head. "She left because of her brother." a smooth voice came form behind her. Ray whirled around to face the King. His white and pale-blue costume glowing in the moonlight. His cape wafted gently on an unseen breeze. "Toby?" Ray asked, watching the King as he came to sand just two feet away. He nodded. "She could not bear the thought of him becoming a goblin. But you, Ray," he said, turning to look her in the eyes. Ray almost forgot to breath. "You are very different. You crave this sort of life. You wished for it and didn't wish it away when you got it." he stepped closer. Ray forgot to breath altogether. "I like that." he said, an irresistible smile on his lips.

It took Ray a moment to recover, but when she did, she smiled back. "You like that?" she asked, looking down. He didn't say anything, just looked at her. Ray chuckled and looked back out to the city. "Well,thats a good thing. Right?" she asked again. He chuckled. It sent shivers up and down Ray's spine. "Yes, yes it is." he said softly.

They stood in silence for a long while and Ray could feel someone drilling holes in the back of her head. Or maybe it was everybody on the other side of the balcony. "They don't like me." Ray said. The king glanced over to her. "They envy you." he said, confirming Ray's statement. "Why?" she asked still looking out over the city. It was easier to breath when she wasn't looking at him. "You can look me in the eye. Many people have a hard time just looking at me in general. Usually they're looking at something behind me, keeping me in the corner of their eye." he said. "Why? Did you have a bad reputation for sweeping young girls off their feet when they look you in the eye?" she asked. He looked at her. "I sweep you off your feet do I?" he asked. Ray instantly regretted saying what she did and didn't respond. He chuckled, quite amused, but left it alone.

Ray stared out over the city for a long time, just looking at the lights twinkle like stars. She could see the Goblin King out of the corner of her left eye and she noticed they were painfully close. She also noticed the drilling to the back of her head stopped. Ray turned around to find that all the other guests had gone. "Where-?" she asked, looking around. "They were shown down to the gates about thirty minutes ago." the King said simply. Ray looked up at him. He had a smug smile on his face. "I found you figured out it was me you danced with during dinner. I thought you might like to dance again." he said, holding out his hand. As he did, music began to play. It wasn't the same tune as before. In fact it was very different. It had a sort of lift, like Ray was on a new adventure. Slowly, she took his hand and he swept her off her feet.

They danced for a long time, the music never seeming to end. Ray savored ever second. He likes me. Like, really likes me. Oh my, I never thought something like this would happen. Never thought I'd live in the world of my dreams. But here I am, living in a world beyond the one I was born into, and, best of all, I'm dancing with the most handsome and charming man I've ever met! If only it could go on forever. she thought as they swayed to the music. Then a thought came to Ray's mind that made her giggle. "What is it?" the King asked, in the same silk voice he always had. Ray looked up to him. "I feel like Cinderella." she said. Ray did feel like Cinderella. She had come from a simple little household, to the castle and was now dancing alone with the King. But she was going to have to go home soon, just like Cinderella. The King chuckled. "What?" Ray asked, he had an amused look on his face. "Nothing you need to worry about now." he said with a sly smile. Ray pouted but left it alone.

It ended all too soon. The music finally stopped and the King showed Ray down to the gates where a carriage waited for her. She hesitated on the steps. "Your highness?" she turned to look at him once more. He raised and eyebrow. "Yes?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"It depends. What is it?"
"Can I call you by your name? At least when we are alone?"
There was silence. Ray bit her lip.
"........Yes." and then she was ushered into the carriage.
Yes. she thought, smiling to herself.

Labyrinth II: Return to the Labyrinth (10)

Chapter ten,

A new adventure story

Sarah got out of the car and closed the door. To day had been good, knowing that Ray was alright. "Sarah honey, can you get he mail?" her father asked as he walked inside. Sarah nodded and wentot the mailbox.

As she walked in, Sarah read who the letters were for, like she always did. When she came to the bottom of the pile, she paused. In her hands was the same envelope she had put on her windowsill to sen to Ray. The only difference was that the envelope seemed much thicker now.

Sarah put the rest of the mail on the table and headed up to her room, opening the envelope as she went. It wasn't her letter, it was three more from Ray! Sarah lay down on her bed and began to read.
"Hey Sarah,
I got your letter. Odd way of sending them though. Anyways, just so you know, I'm fine. In fact I've never had this much fun in my entire life! And, because it's only fair, I'll tell you everything."
Sarah read, and from that point on, it was a story, written just like how she told Ray.

Sarah read the letters over three times, just to make sure she was reading everything right. She was amazed by how different Ray's experience in the Labyrinth was compared to Sarah's. But the things that stuck out the most were that the Goblin King let Ray into the Labyrinth in the first place, the first ball were Ray danced to the same song Sarah had, and the private dinner party.
"And you won't believe it! In the letter saying I was invited to the private dinner, the King wrote "P.S. Because you won." meaning the race. And even better than that, he signed his name. Not "Goblin King" or whatever, but his name, Jareth! I swear my heart skipped a beat then. But, as you can surely see, I'm out of room. I might not be able to write back right away (I have dresses to sew) but I'll try my best.
Talk to you later,
~Ray."
And that was the end of it for the third time. Sarah read over that little clip once more. "He signed his name?" Sarah just didn't know what to think, but whatever was going on, Ray was alright and having a good time, which was what mattered.

Sarah wrote her reply and put in in an envelope, along with one extra for Ray, and put it on the windowsill. She had to go to bed early that night, school was the next day and summer break was a month away, so Sarah played her music box and went to sleep.

Labyrinth II: Return to the Labyrinth (9)

Chapter nine,

Good news

That morning, Ray was again woken up my Bornia's gentle welcome. "Time to go." she said. Ray nodded and got out of bed. Today was another day of work. Ray still needed to get used to how early the day started here. She pulled on another simple cream dress, put on her shoes and headed downstairs.

Zari had said she would bring breakfast to the shop that day, so Ray and Bornia headed off right away. Ray was starting to memorize the way to the shop and once she had it all down, she would be able to run errands when they needed to be run.

Bornia and Ray stepped into the shop and the welcoming smell of apple pie and biscuits filled Ray's nose. "Oh Zari that smells really good." Ray said, joining them at the small table. Bornia was right behind her. "Yes, that does smell particularly delicious. Zari you should open a bakery. I'm sure you would get plenty of business." Bornia commented. Ray and the other's backed Bornia up on this. Zari had brought breakfast before and it was equally at good as this one. Zari made a half-hearted smile. "I know girls. But I love it too much here to start a new shop of any kind." and from there, they dung into the food.

Breakfast was gone rather fast and the work day began as dawn broke. Ray went around as usual and cleaned up after the five little goblins as they left trails of fabric and thread in their wake. The door bell rung and Ray was quick to answer. A stout little goblin boy stood outside the door. He had a big bag bulging with letter slug over his shoulder and in his hands he held seven letters, all which were closed with a wax seal except for one. "These are for the owners and employee of this shop," the little boy said in a high-pitched voice. Ray took them. "Thank you very much. I would give you a coin or two if I had any on me." she said with a smile, this was the new mailman. He nodded and then was off.

Ray looked through the letters, five of them were addressed to the five goblins busy at work and two were for Ray. She opened the one in an envelop first.
"Dear Ray,
I was so worried about you! I thought he had taken you and left you to rot in that horrible maze of his! But Hoggle told me you're doing alright and I shouldn't worry. He sent me a note telling me how I could get in contact with you and well, if you're reading this, I guess he was telling the truth.
So tell me, how are you? Hoggle said you worked as an assistant seamstress. I didn't think you sewed much. But, what do I know? How did you get the job? How did you get into the city?! Tell me everything, it's only fair.
Can't wait to hear from you,
Sarah
P.S. To write back, put the letter on the windowsill and hum a melody before you go to bed."
Ray read over the note. She giggled near the end. It was only fair. "I'll write you back just as soon as I get off work, Sarah." Ray said to the letter, tucking it carefully back into the envelope. Then she turned to the wax-sealed envelope. Three crystal orbs were printed into the silver wax. "From the King?" Ray asked, popping the wax seal off and unfolding the letter.

As she opened the letter, a smaller folded piece of paper fell out into Ray's lap. I'll read that one in just a sec... she thought, unfolding the large piece of paper all the way.
"Dear citizen,
You have been invited to the annual Masquerade Ball at the castle in the center of the Goblin City. This masquerade will take place on the first full moon of summer. When you arrive at the castle, tell the guard whom you are and you will be allowed inside. You name will then be called as you enter the ballroom. There will be food and drink, along with a long night of talk and dancing. The dress code is what it always is; wear something fancy, and a mask to match.
Thank you~"
Ray read. "Oh cool! I showed up just in time." and with that she tucked the smaller letter in her apron pocket and went to tell everyone the good news.

It so happened to be that the five goblin women also got invitations to the ball and they all were in a flurry to get ready. The first full moon of summer was only a week away, and no one had anything fancy enough to wear.

After a long day of planning out dresses, making dresses, and designing masks, Ray and Bornia headed home for some well-earned dinner. "Bornia, do you have a pen and paper I might be able to use once we get home? I have to write a letter back to a friend of mine so she doesn't freak out." Ry said with a chuckle. "A letter from a friend that lives in the mortal world? I don't know how it'll get back to her but sure."

Once home, Bornia gave Ray a feather pen, an ink pot and a piece of paper. Ray was up in her room in a flash, wanting to write back to Sarah. "But I might want to read that other little letter first if I want to tell Sarah everything." Ray said, taking the little folded piece of paper from her apron.
"Dear Ray,
You are invited to a private dinner party with the King and other special guests. This dinner will take place after the Masquerade Ball on the first full moon of summer. To find the party, after the ball, go into the throne room and wait for a guide to show you and the other guests to the table. The dress code for the dinner is the same as the code for the masquerade.
Thank you~
P.S. Because you won. ~Jareth."
Ray's breath caught in her throat. "Oh my.." she whispered. So many thoughts cascaded through her mind now. "I'll never get everything into one letter now." Ray said, putting the unfolded special invitation to her left and she wrote to Sarah.

Ray put the finished letter on her windowsill and hummed a melody that had been stuck in her head the whole day long. She had managed to get all the important bits into three pieces of paper, which was all that Bornia had given her, and folded them up and put them in the envelope Sarah had used. then she crawled into her warm bed, thinking about the private dinner she had been invited to. " I did win." she mused before sleep took her over.