The Labyrinth Sequel

Chapter 9

"Oh yes, how ever will I contain my excitement?" I roll my eyes.

"Stop that now. Come on, you will see, of all the places in this world it might be one of the nicest." He takes my arm and places it through his, leading me from the room.

"Shouldn't I get changed into something else first?" I ask.

"Of course not! The Goblins love that dress, and they would be more than happy to see you walking around with it. They are not good at many things, but a few of them have talent in things such as sewing." 

"You mean they made this?" I look down at the gold and green silk dress that has been put together with expert design and quality. Hard to believe that such insane and useless creatures were capable of such a thing...

"You can thank them for it later, but for now we will let your brother deal with them. As chatty as he is, he keeps them preoccupied while I get my rest." He laughs.

"You aren't resting right now." I point out.

"Better things to do," he waves me off, "And besides, I will be able to rest easier once you are gone and I don't have to keep an eye on you. Even disabled as you are I don't doubt you will attempt to destroy my castle again." He throws his hair over one shoulder.

I glare at him. I remember him being a little self-centered, but never this much. Being turned into an owl for so long must have let his feathers get to his brain. But at the same time, he must have been pretty lonely being stuck as an owl for so long, maybe all he needed was someone to talk to.

That would probably be my fault again I suppose...

Out side I expect to see more of the Goblin City, which I never really liked all that much to begin with. But instead there is a large maze of hedges, all a vibrant green colour with flowers of all different kinds sprouting from them. In the center there is a large fountain with three tiers with crystal clear water flowing through it. 

For a moment I almost forget that I am in the Goblin infested underworld...

"Wow, this is amazing..." I breath.

"I told you, it is the only place in the kingdom besides my bathing chamber that the goblins are not allowed to enter. That is why you might notice how clean it is." He smiles.

Looking around, I notice that he is right. There aren't any destroyed plants, chickens, and nothing is broken at all. It really seems like he took good care of the place, even as an owl he didn't let it get destroyed.

"It's really nice, you did a good job." I tell him.

He doesn't say anything, but he sticks his chest out a little and wears a triumphant smile. I guess all his hard work needed to be praised by someone...

"So what are you going to do with your hair? Are you going to keep it long or cut it short again?" I ask, trying to make conversation.

"Why, does it not look good like this?" He asks, picking up one of the long strands of blonde hair to look at it better.

"No, it's not that, it's just different than the way you had it before. I didn't know if you were planning to change it or not." I say, flustered.

"Well," He looks at his hair thoughtfully, "Perhaps it is time to change it up. A lot of time has passed, and my style might just need to change with the new trends."

"Why would you care about trends from the human world?"

"I must keep up with the trends, because I must be able to woo the runners of my Labyrinth, of course. If I cannot slow them down then the least I can do is charm them." He says with his most charming of all smiles.