Return to the Labyrinth is a Labyrinth fan fiction written by ArtemisFallen
, which can be read on AO3 and on Fanfiction.Net.
Twenty-eight year old Sarah Williams has just broken up with her latest boyfriend. Feeling distraught, she decides to go for a drive away from her current situation. While seeking shelter in a motel, she discovers a book she'd accidentally packed that brings up memories of a dream she had as a teenager—a dream of a magical world and a Labyrinth, as well as the Goblin King who ruled it. Realizing that Jareth loved her, Sarah makes a wish that he would take her back to the Labyrinth, only to drift off to sleep and wake up in said Labyrinth—which has now decayed far beyond what she remembered. It turns out that Sarah's rejection of Jareth caused him to lose his powers over the Labyrinth, giving Euryale the Gorgon Queen the opportunity to invade and take Jareth prisoner.
With the help of friends old and new, Sarah must find Jareth's pendant to return power to Jareth so that he may rule over the Labyrinth again before it's too late. As she continues on her journey, Sarah learns startling truths about herself and her connection to the Labyrinth.
Not to be confused with the graphic novel sequel Return to Labyrinth (though this fic draws elements from it).
Return To The Labyrinth contains the following tropes:
- Abhorrent Admirer: Hoggle finds himself on the receiving end of affections from Batson's wife Prell (much to Hoggle's dismay).
- Adaptation Expansion:
- Jareth didn't create the Labyrinth, he merely ruled it after finding it abandoned by the Keepers (the Fae people who built the structure).
- Sarah is a descendant of the Keepers, hence why she knew that the blue door was the right door to take when she initially visited the Labyrinth.
- Sarah was the babe with the power.
- Jareth gave Sarah the book Labyrinth.
- Anachronism Stew: Sarah's motel room has a flatscreen T.V. (in 1999).
- Ancient Keeper: The Guardian of the Keeper's kingdom.
- Am I Just a Toy to You?: After Sarah discovers that she is The Keeper of the Labyrinth, Sarah starts to wonder if Jareth loved her for herself or if he was just after her power.
- Amplifier Artifact: Jareth's crescent-shaped pendant amplifies Jareth's powers.
- Astral Projection: Sarah's initial interactions with an imprisoned Jareth are accomplished through this method.
- Beethoven Was an Alien Spy: William Shakespeare is revealed to be part Fae, having known Titania before he decided to live a mortal life among humans, and Franklin D. Roosevelt and Friedrich Nietzsche are people implied to be part Fae as well.
- Big "NO!": Sarah when she sees the memory of her past self use a chair to shatter the glass keeping the latter inside the ballroom dream.
- Breath Weapon: The Chimeras are capable of breathing fire.
- Canon Immigrant: Mizumi, the Queen of Moraine from the four-part OEL manga Return to Labyrinth, is mentioned in passing as one of the people who scorned Jareth for getting his heart broken by Sarah after the events of the film.
- Classical Chimera: The Chimera is described as having the jaws of a lion capable of breathing flames, yellow goat eyes, horns on top of its head, long scaly paws ending in claws resembling a human hand, and a red-eyed snake for a tail.
- Crying Wolf: One of the false alarms attempts to warn Sarah and Co. about a Chimera lurking in one of the tunnels, but since it’s a false alarm none of them heed its warning (though Sarah has doubts that it's lying).
- Dark Is Not Evil: Sarah (the protagonist) wears a black cardigan and tank top.
- Dying Declaration of Love: Jareth declares that he never stopped loving Sarah as he slowly turns to stone.
- Eye Scream: Grub launches a thorn coated in fairy blood into a Chimera's eye.
- Flash Forward Fic: Takes place thirteen years after the events of the movie, so Sarah is now twenty-eight.
- Foreshadowing: Euryale brings up the (previously established) fact that, if a Fae is in love and that love is reciprocated, they become more powerful to the point that the love can give life to those injured/near death and can lift curses. Guess how Jareth recovers from being petrified.
- Forgotten First Meeting: Sarah had actually met Jareth when she was a baby.
- Heal It with Blood: Fairy blood has healing properties, and not only can it be used to counteract Chimera venom, it is also deadly to Chimeras.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Jareth kills Euryale, knowing full well that killing a Gorgon means that those who kill the latter will turn to stone as a result.
- Lecherous Licking: The first meeting between Euryale and Sarah ends with Euryale's snake tongue slowly sliding up Sarah's face and cutting into her skin.
- Literally Shattered Lives:
- Euryale petrifies the Firey leader Clash and reduces him to rubble before the start of the story.
- Also happens to Jareth after being cursed by Euryale, only for Ludo to repair him.
- Love Makes You Evil: Euryale tells Sarah that after the latter rejected Jareth, his power waned to the point where he exploited The Power of Love by stealing Euryale's heart, leaving Euryale furious when she realized Jareth was just using her and causing her to swear vengeance on him as a result.
- Mythology Gag / Named by the Adaptation
- Clash, the leader of the Fireys, is named for his puppeteer and voice actor Kevin Clash. The Fireys Augie, Jojul, and Bodkin appear to be named for their respective voice actors Charles Augins, Danny John-Jules, and Richard Bodkin. Krew, another Firey, is named for Firey 5's puppeteer Rollie Krewson.
- The worm is named Batson after his voice actor Timothy Bateson.
- Prell, the Worm’s wife is named for the worm's operator Karen Prell.
- Three separate goblins are named Toot, Slop, and Grub.
- No Name Given: The Minotaur, who has no name and is instead addressed by his title, The Guardian of the Keeper’s Kingdom.
- Our Minotaurs Are Different: Sarah encounters a minotaur at the heart of the Labyrinth who asks her riddles. Sarah reflects that it wouldn't be a labyrinth without a minotaur.
- The Power of Blood: Fairy blood has healing properties and can be used to counteract Chimera venom, it is also deadly to Chimera. Thorns dipped in fairy blood are fired at the chimera during the final battle between the Labyrinth and Euryale's forces.
- The Power of Love: If a Fae is in love and that love is reciprocated, the Fae becomes more powerful as a result. According to Euryale, the purity of such a love can lift powerful curses, reignite magic that has been lost, or give life to those wounded or near death.
- Precursors: The Keepers, the Fae race who built and tended to the Labyrinth until they all either merged with it or went out amongst the mortal world and interbred with humans.
- Reduced to Dust: After Jareth stabs her in the heart, Euryale disintegrates to ash.
- The Reveal:Not only has Sarah been to the Labyrinth as a baby, but she’s also a descendent of the people who built the Labyrinth on her mother's side.
- Robbing the Dead: Sarah takes a spear from a goblin corpse once she enters the castle.
- Single Line of Descent: Sarah claims to be the last of the Keeper bloodline.
- Storming the Castle: Sarah leads the Fireys, some goblins, some fairies, some worms, Ludo, Hoggle and Didymus in an effort to retake the castle from Euryale.
- Taken for Granite: In addition to happening to several characters, this is the ultimate fate of Jareth. He gets better.
- Tempting Fate: Almost immediately after Sarah remarks about how it was almost too easy to get to the Goblin City, Sarah and company are greeted by a Chimera."Did ya have to say it, lass?" Grub groaned as he fumbled with his Silca reed.
- That Was Not a Dream: It takes getting bitten by a Chimera for Sarah to realize that the time she'd visited the Labyrinth was in fact real.
- This Cannot Be!: Sarah utters the phrase "It can't be" upon discovering that her mother had visited the Labyrinth in order to retrieve an infant Sarah.
- Throne Made of X:
- Jareth's throne is made from carved midnight-black reflective volcanic glass adorned with thick, deep purple plush cushions with gold embroidery and tassels.
- The throne in the Keeper's kingdom is described as being made of clouded crystal with purple and pink veins running through it.
- Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: Exaggerated with Prell, whose elephantine height contrasts sharply with her tiny worm husband Batson.
- Titled After the Song: Most chapters of the fic are named after songs or lyrics from the movie.
- You Are Not Alone: Titania tells Sarah this as Titania and Sarah's friends give her space so she can mourn Jareth after he's turned to stone by Euryale's curse.
