The Labyrinth

Chapter Two: Hoggle

"Hoggle?"

"It's Hog- you said my name..." he stares at me before shaking his head and made his way to the ground, "What's your name?"

"Violet, Violet Edwards" I slowly stood, still bare foot and held my hand out for him, he stares at it before he took it in his small hand and shook it.

"So, a new wimpy girl taking another shot at the Labyrinth?" he gives me a blank look.

"Wimpy? Heck no, i'm going beat this thing and kick the King's ass" Hoggle gives me a shocked look before shaking his head, "Well, good luck-" "Please help me, I know you can, you did help Sarah after all!" I put my hands together and gave him my best 'begging' face.

"I... payment first" he stares at the ring around my neck.

"No. Sorry pal, i'm not going to give my mother's wedding ring up for help, you either do it and gain my friendship or i'll be on my way, ta-ta" I turned and looked around, before I rushed over to the ladder and started to climb up it to the top.

"No, wait! I'll help!"

"Then come on!" I called back down to him before I reached the top, my body buzzing with excitement as I pushed the lid off of the roof and climbed through. I looked around before I helped Hoggle out and sat on the ground, pulling my now semi-dry boots on while looking around, "Where are we?"

"Korgh's Wall"

"... Uh... English please Hoggle"

"A place where statues come to life-" great, a Doctor Who episode that comes to life. I hate the weeping angels with a fiery passion of paranoia and fear.

"Well... let's get out of here and to the castle"

I stood, looking around eagerly, my mind pushed past the incident before as I now focused on finding my little brother and saving him from a life of being  a Goblin, and I plan to save him. I'm not letting Mr. Tight Leggings lay a magical finger on him, or it'll be Magical Fingers for lunch.

...

That sounded weird, maybe I should go and - "This way" Hoggle walks away from me and I stared after him, wrong way... wrong way... wrong way...

I ignored the little voice at the back of my head and started to follow Hoggle - wait. The Goblin King tried to make Hoggle take her back to the start, and other things... Hoggle can't be trusted because he can be manipulated so easily. I sighed in my mind and pouted at myself, great, I don't get to be companions with Hoggle.

I watched as he turned the corner before I started to run across the grey concrete and through a overgrown green hedge. I continued to make left turns, out of instinct and the fact that my heart seemed to hammer against my chest with Adrenaline.

"Just keeping running, just keep running, just keep- oh my god!" I skidded to a stop and stared at the Gargoyle in shock, "Okay... it's just a Gargoyle, it's just a-" I turned and found another one behind me and I stared at it in shock, it was half way past my knee to my waist - and it was staring right up at me.

"Uh...hello?"

I hear a yawn and I whipped around to see the short chubby one pat his mouth, "Aye, who dis Cronk?"

"No idea Earl" 'Cronk' replies from behind me and I turned to see the skinny one stare at me in interest. 

"Uh... what's going on?" 

"What are you doing here, in the Korgh's?"

"I-I got lost while I was on my way to the Goblin King's Castle... could you help me by pointing me in the right direction?"

"Should we?"

"I think we should-"

"I think we shan't"  Earl hisses.

"Listen here sweet pea" Cronk gestures me to lean down, so I hesitantly did.

"All you need to do is follow this" he whispers and grabs my hand in his stone one.

I gasped, trying to pull it out as his grip tightened around my hand, "Let g-" 

He let's my hand go and I stumbled back, looking at my hand as the skin on the back of my hand started to have a silver tint to it, "What did you do?!" I yelled, rubbing the back of my hand as I tried to get the silver off.

"It's a Gargoyle caller-"

"Ha?" I stared at Cronk weird.

"Never mind, when you need help in anyway say 'Gargoyle King, come and free me' and we'll come and help you"

"Gargoyle King? Who's that?"

"No one really, it's just a title. Anyway, you walk that way and then turn right, don't stray from the path until you come to the blue tree, then touch the trunk and a secret passage will open and it'll leave you right to the Goblin King's Castle"

 "Sweet - thank you" I bent down and kissed the gargoyle on his stone cheek, "You're not so bad for a gargoyle"

"I take that as a compliment"

"Brilliant - bye!" I waved and started down the path.

Walking down the cracked path while my heart thud's against my chest as I kept my little brother in mind - i'm going to see him soon. I know I am.

My feet hit the path before I skid to a stop and saw a blue tree - i'm guessing that's the tree. Eyeing it for a second before I went on my tippy toes and pressed my palm onto the tree trunk and I waited...

Where's the passage - ? 

The ground disappeared under my feet and I squealed as I hit something and slid down it before I flew out of the slide-type thing and hit the ground, "Ow... my ass..." I grumbled, slowly standing up and rubbed my bum - hope to go no one is watching me right now, it'll be awkward.

Turning I saw a big ass castle and stopped rubbing my bum, "Ah... I bet that's his castle-"

 Suddenly I was surrounded by glitter, "Oh sh-"

"I underestimated you"

Crap.