Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or The Lord of The Rings, or any of the characters and places affiliated with tem. I am merely borrowing them and all credit for them goes to their original creators.
Author's Note:
This being a sequel to "The Most Unlikely Foe" it is probably best to read that first though it wouldn't be absolutely necessary. I have been tossing up the idea of doing a second part to "The Most Unlikely Foe" for a while as a few readers seemed unsatisfied with its ending, which was crafted to fit back into the story of "The Fellowship Of The Ring". This story picks up not too long after the War of the Ring has ended in the Lord of the Rings time line.
It's still sort of in the experimental stage so if the interest isn't there I may just pull it, as I am happy to leave the ending of "The Most Unlikely Foe" as it is.
Rating is higher this time round for slash and adult themes, maybe a little bit of violence depending on how far this story gets.
One
Questions
Jareth sat brooding in his desolate throne room. The once proud throne over which he was currently draped was missing a chunk of stone off the top and looked as though no one had cleaned it for several years, which was not far from the truth.
He should have kept the Prince. He could see that now. When had he ever really abided by his word anyway? So he had made some frivolous deal, promising to give his magic if he broke their accord, but there was nothing physical to bind him to such a claim. He could have broken their deal and be none worse off, magic still at it's full capacity. But then the Elf would have been furious with him, demanded he be returned to his home. Jareth could have chained him to the bed, locked him up in the dungeons, done any number of things to keep the Elven Prince within his possession but then what would that have achieved. After all the time he had spent breaking down the barriers Legolas had put up against him going back on his word would have meant they returned, stronger than before and then what use would he have been to him.
Oh how supple he had been in his bed once he'd finally given in. A tiny groan escaped the Goblin King's lips before he growled loudly in frustration, shifting in his seat.
Goblins escaped the room as quickly and quietly as possible, each fearing they would be the one on the receiving end of whatever wrath Jareth had to pay out this time, goblins didn't really like being kicked about the throne room were they to tell the truth.
Jareth picked himself up from his decaying throne and paced over to an arched window looking out over his kingdom. What a mess it was, he had neglected his duties greatly since his defeat by the mortal girl but even more so since the Prince had escaped him. Doing only the bare minimum to keep his kingdom for completely falling apart.
Twice now he had let love, or the closest thing to love he could ever recall feeling, slip through his fingers. Once his timing was off, who could have expected a fifteen-year-old child to understand what he was offering her. The second…well he had simply let the second go.
He shook his blond mane slowly.
"Should have kept him." He muttered to himself.
His gaze passed slowly over the Goblin City and the Labyrinth that lay beyond it. Perhaps he was just destined to be a lonely bitter being for the entirety of his immortality with the goblins as his only source of companionship. After all the rest of the Underground has practically exiled him when he inherited the Goblin Kingdom following his father's death. Could he really blame them? It wasn't the nicest of places to be appointed king of.
"Ah sire" A tiny voice piped up from somewhere down by his knee
Mismatched eyes snapped to the right and from the corner of his eye Jareth could see a small goblin wringing its tiny, clawed hands together and shifting his weight from foot to foot.
"What is it?" A note of annoyance was clearly evident in Jareth's voice and the tiny goblin began to shake in response. "Well, out with it!" He said, spinning to glare down at the tiny creature.
"Ah………another child has been wished to you your majesty." It finally spat out between chattering teeth.
Jareth groaned in annoyance. This was something he was really not in the mood for right at the current moment.
"Very well, I'll deal with it." Jareth waved off the goblin, who was happy to escape the room unscathed.
Jareth retrieved a high collared black cloak from his throne and fastened it about his neck. The poor mortal who had called upon him this time would not receive an easy path should they choose to run his Labyrinth. They hardly ever did though, most were selfish brats who were happier to see their younger sibling taken off to be turned into a goblin than run a Labyrinth ruled over by a King as frightening as himself.
A small smirk graced his lips. Yes he was frightening when he wanted to be and he was certainly in no mood for being anything other than so in his current state of mind.
"Legolas……Legolas!"
The Elven Prince snapped bright blue eyes down at the Dwarf that stood by his side.
"I'm sorry Gimli. I must have been miles away." Legolas murmured, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Gimli grunted in response and rolled his eyes.
"Yes you seem to be taking many a trip off into you mind of late." The Dwarf grumbled.
"Have I?"
"Well ever since the war finished you have. We've visited both Fangorn Forest and Aglarond as per we planned and you've barely had a thing to say the whole time."
Legolas stopped to think about Gimli's observations and he was quick to agree, he had found himself more and more lost in his own thoughts now that the war no longer served as a distraction.
"I guess I've just been thinking a lot."
Gimli stopped walking and Legolas quickly stopped too to turn and cock his head at his friend.
"You've stopped."
"Aye, and we'll stay right here until you tell me what's been keeping you so lost in your thoughts lately."
Legolas simply stared at him for a few moments but when Gimli merely glared back he shifted uneasily and tipped his head down, trying to hide the blush rising to his cheeks.
"Well." Gimli folded his arms over his chest and stamped his heavy booted foot impatiently against the ground.
"Do you remember back, just after we'd left Lothlórien and Boromir accidentally wished me away to the Underground?"
Gimli scoffed loudly.
"How could any of us forget? Having to run that madman's maze just to save you, only to end up loosing. It was a miracle you managed to escape that horrible place."
"Yeah…" Legolas couldn't look his friend in the eye so he shifted his gaze about, refusing to let his eyes land on anything for more than a moment.
"What was that crazy fellows name? Goblin King he called himself but he had a name too, sounded kind of odd." Gimli scratched his head under his helmet but he didn't have to ponder the question for long.
"Jareth. His name was Jareth." Legolas answered firmly.
"That was it! Crazy as anything, what with the makeup, glitter and that hair." He bellowed loudly and slapped his knee, stopping quickly when he realised Legolas wasn't joining in with his laughter.
"Legolas?"
"I didn't escape from him Gimli."
"Well that's what you told us." Gimli couldn't help but look surprised.
"I know that's what I told you all…but that's not what happened."
Gimli was flabbergasted to say the least, his mouth hanging open as he tried to understand how else the Elf could possibly have gotten away.
"Well then what are you doing back here? Shouldn't you still be his prisoner?"
Legolas looked away briefly before turning back to his Dwarven friend.
"I slept with him and he let me go."
"What? You mean to tell me you whored yourself to him in exchange for your freedom!"
"No!" Legolas cried in defensive outrage. "Well sort of. I suppose that's how it started but…"
"But what?" Gimli said.
"I liked it. I ended up liking him. And for the past few months I haven't been able to stop thinking about Jareth."
The Elf looked at him, determination shinning evidently in his bright blue eyes.
"Before I had the war to distract my thoughts and now they keep turning to him. I think I might be in love with him Gimli but I don't know."
"Well if you liked him so much why not stay?"
"And abandon all of you and our quest? That would have been less than honourable don't you think."
Gimli mumbled in agreement but said nothing more.
Legolas sat down heavily on the thick grass and cradled his head in his hands. Gimli sat beside him, not really sure of the best thing to say. Most worrying to him though was that he believed the Elf, every word had been spoken with such conviction he would feel wrong not to believe his friend.
Suddenly Legolas looked up and met Gimli's eyes.
"Wish me away."
"What!"
"I need to see him again Gimli and this is the only way I know of to bring him here."
"You're crazy Legolas. He's crazy! Why on Middle Earth would you want me to wish you back to the awful place?"
"You don't understand Gimli, it's consuming me. I just need to find out a few things from him."
"I'm not so sure this is a fantastic idea Legolas." Gimli grumbled.
"That was how he came last time, Boromir wished me to him. He'll come and I'll be able to talk to him. See if perhaps he might feel the same way. If not, then at least I can put him from my mind."
"I still think you're crazy Legolas. If I wish you away I wont be running his Labyrinth again, you'll be suck there. You'll belong to him."
Legolas looked slightly hurt by Gimli's words, he had hoped his friend would have been ready to rescue him if it came to it. But could he really ask that of him again?
"I suppose I can deal with that." Legolas sighed waiting for Gimli to respond.
"That must have been some night." Gimli mumbled under his breath.
"You have no idea Gimli. It was amazing he's…"
"Stop, please! I really don't need to hear the end of that sentence Legolas."
Legolas chuckled lightly at his friend but quickly sobered up again.
Gimli felt terrible. He had never seen the Elf as beaten as he was now. It was like his spirit had been crushed or simply torn completely from him.
"Oh Legolas, what if I do and he comes and simply laughs in your face."
"Then I guess he'll just have to take me back to the Underground and turn me into a goblin." Legolas murmured sadly.
Gimli rubbed a hand over his face.
"Fine Legolas. I'll wish you away but if you end up going back with him I'm not letting you go alone. You'll have to take me with you whether he likes it or not."
"Thank you Gimli."
He slapped his friend on the back and smiled down at him.
"I'm going to regret this I just know I am."
He shook his head one final time in disproval before getting to his feet to recite the words that Boromir had yelled many months ago.
"I wish the Goblins would come and take you away, right now!"
He squeezed both eyes shut in preparation for the inevitable blot of lightning that had preceded the Goblin King's arrival the last time.
Finally he slowly opened both eyes as he was yet to hear anything and sure enough Legolas was still with him, only now he was standing.
"It didn't work. Thank you for trying all the same though Gimli; you're a good friend. Now what do you say we go…"
"No one will be going anywhere." A familiar voice, beautifully accented and yet strangely cold suddenly cut him off.
Legolas turned so fast he nearly fell over. Gimli raised an eyebrow at the sight of a slightly dishevelled looking Goblin King who was too busy trying to ensure his black shirt was tucked into his breeches to look up.
No one spoke, they were too shocked, until the Goblin King was satisfied that his shirt was in place.
"I'm only slightly delayed in my arrival but that does not mean your wish can be undone."
Jareth stopped suddenly as his eyes took in the blond Elf before him. The Dwarf standing next to the Prince never registered in his mind, it took all his willpower not to allow his jaw to drop to the floor.
He was dreaming he had to be dreaming, his mind had finally gone. Chalk it up to too many years living with goblins but he had finally gone off the deep end. If he was lucky maybe he would sleep walk his way off a balcony and end it all.
"Jareth?"
Legolas took a bold step forward while Gimli slunk off slightly to the side, he really didn't enjoy being close to the strange-eyed man.
Jareth raised an eyebrow, never had Legolas' voice rung so sweetly in his head and the goblin had come to him in the throne room of that he was sure. Perhaps he had not gone mad, not yet anyway. But then who had wished the Prince away? For one could not wish ones self away, it simply didn't work like that.
"Prince Legolas, what an odd surprise." He purred.
Finally Jareth's gaze flicked over to Gimli's slowly retreating form. A tiny smile graced his lips.
"I'll take it you wished him away this time." Jareth shook his head slowly from side to side as he advanced on Gimli. "Tsk, tsk. Did you learn nothing from last time?"
"Don't give me any of that Goblin King he asked me to."
Jareth turned slowly to face Legolas one arched eyebrow tugged upwards.
The Prince stared back at him with electric blue eyes filled with what Jareth would confuse for lust, but whatever it was shinning in those eyes it was not hatred for him. Gods the Elf was beautiful. He could have taken him again here and now were it not for the Dwarf standing off to the side.
Jareth took a careful step towards Legolas and could have sworn he could see the Elf tremble slightly as he did; his ego certainly let him think so.
A thick silence fell over the three until Jareth finally broke it with a low husky breath.
"Why?"
