I have recieved email telling me not to be afriad of the white space so I redid the story format I hope it makes it easier for you
Chapter 1
Christine walked the street in London with a small piece of paper in her hand that she glanced at periodically just to make sure that she was still going in the right direction. The small shopping district of antiquities that Michelle told her about before she came to London a week earlier should be right around the corner. She had seen most of the tourist sites that people see when they come to London and they had been beautiful, but she was really looking forward to shopping for some antiques mainly because she wanted to get something special for her Grandmother who made this trip possible for her. She had given her this trip at her graduation party after receiving her degree in Elementary education.
She still could hear her grandma's voice when she gave her the gift, "Now Christine you have worked very hard to get your degree and before you take on the youth of the city you need to do something for yourself, maybe even find yourself a man."
Christine smiled at the memory her Grandma's statement she was always trying to marry her off to some guy or trying to set her up with the latest bachelor of the city. As she turned the last corner she stopped and gasped at the site before her. There were so many antique stores on the street that she thought she would never be able to visit everyone one of them.
"Michelle wasn't kidding when she said that this was the place for antiques." Christine said to no one in particular. "Well come on feet it is time to find the perfect gift for Grandma."
Approximately two hours and fifteen different stores later Christine still hadn't found the perfect gift for her Grandmother. 'I can't believe that in all the stores I have been in I haven't found the right gift.'
With a sigh Christine decided, 'I will go to one more store and if I can't find anything in there I will get her something from the hotel store. Now which store will be the lucky one?' She thought to herself.
As she continued to walk down the narrow street she noticed a store off the main pathway. It looked promising to Christine and as she started to walk closer toward it she felt as if the front door was calling to her in some mystical way that she could not understand. When she got to the front door she peeked through the window and noticed that the store was cleaner then all the others she visited earlier. The store had a warm glow to it that seemed to beckon to her and welcome her to browse through the shelves and loose herself in the many different isles of antiques. As she stepped through the door a small bell tinkled to her right and a smell of incense enveloped her in its earthly scent.
"Now this is a store I can loose myself in and look for the perfect gift" Christine exclaimed.
She took a deep breath of the scented air and relaxed further while stepping deeper into the store as she walk to an isle that looked promising a cat crossed her path and meowed loudly.
"Are you the one that welcomes all the customers in this beautiful store?" She asked the cat. The cat just meowed again and rubbed against her leg as to say that she was more then welcome, before it walked off and did whatever cats do.
"I am glad you approve of me" Christine called after the cat before starting to browse the shelves of the isle.
In another small room of the store an elderly women dressed in a long dress that looked like something a gypsy would wear was looking at a painting that was partially obscured by the women's body.
"Soon my King we will find the one to release your kingdom from the grasp of that terrible woman the Temptress I promise you." As she turned around to tend to the store her cat Smokey greeted her.
"Well hello there little one what brings you to me at this earlier hour you usually don't show yourself till around closing time?" The cat tilted its head and meowed to her as if to tell her something important.
"So you say I have a visitor in my store that is strange I never heard the bell ring." The cat meowed once again to confirm her statement and then meowed once more.
The women chuckled and replied to the cat, "Your right Smoky I do not hear as well as I use to." The cat rubbed against the old women's legs and went off to rest before the nightly prowling begins. As the women walked out of the room she took one more glace at the painting then gently shut the door.
As the elderly women went into the store she noticed her customer looking over the selection of jewelry that was on display in a glass case. As she got closer she gasped, the women before her could be the identical twin of the women in the painting she was gazing at just a moment ago. She had the same shoulder length red hair, the same built tall but athletic, and the eyes were the same emerald green that the women in the painting has. The only difference between the two was the clothes that they wore. The woman before her was dressed simply in jeans and a green peasant top that accented her eyes.
'I wonder if this is the Champion foretold about so long ago, I will have to pay close attention to this one.' The older women thought while walking toward her customer.
"Hello dear my name is Matilda I am the owner of this quaint shop is there something I can help you with?" She asked the younger women while extending out her hand.
As Christine accepted the hand offered she replied, "It is a pleasure to meet you Matilda my name is Christine and yes there is something you can help me with I am looking for a piece of jewelry for my grandma do you have any suggestions?"
When Christine grasped Matilda's hand the older women sensed such power that it took her breath away she quickly took her hand away so not to get lost in sensations that surrounding the women before her.
As Christine looked up at the older women's face awaiting a reply she noticed the women becoming deathly white. "Are you okay Matilda is there something I can do for you, you're looking ill?"
"No I am fine dear, I sometimes get a little dizzy at my old age, all I need is a glass of water, please excuse me for a moment I will be right back."
Matilda walked to the back of the store with Christine watching her with deep concern written on her face, once the older women was out of sight she started to browse the jewelry case again, but with much less enthusiasm due to her worry over the women who just left her.
When Matilda got to the small sitting room she sat down on the worn chair and took some deep breaths to calm her nerves. 'There is no question about it the women in her store is the one foretold about. She is the Champion that they had been searching for' Matilda thought with a sigh of relief, 'It may not be too late for her King and the kingdom.'
Smoky sensed her mistresses' distress jumped up into the women's lap and purred to calm her. "Well my friend it seems that our long wait is over now, but how do we convince Christine to meet with the Goblin King so she can fulfill her destiny as the Champion of the Labyrinth?" She asked the cat purring in her lap.
About fifteen minutes later the older women still had not returned and Christine started to wonder if the women's condition was worse the she let her believe.
'I think I will go check on her and see if I can help in any way to make her feel better' Christine thought while she headed toward the back of the store where the women went a moment earlier.
When she got closer to the sitting room she noticed a small room at her left that looked like it might be a powder room, 'I bet she went in there to get a cool washcloth' the young women thought to herself.
As Christine touched the doorknob to enter the room she felt a surge of power enter into her body, it wasn't painful but it did startled her enough that she yanked her hand away with a gasp, "I wonder what that was all about." Christine said to herself.
As she touched the doorknob again she felt the same sensations as before but she continued to open the door. Inside there was a beautiful painting that seemed to glow in the sunlight from the window, as she moved closer to get a better look she was shocked to see that the women on the canvas looked almost exactly like her, it was as if Christine was looking at a mirror image of herself.
The painting had the women looking out a window smiling as the reddish-violet light shined onto her face. The room itself looked like a library or a study of some sort, the title of the books on the shelves was unreadable but they did look very old to Christine's eyes. The only piece of furniture in the painting was a high back leather chair that looked worn but comfortable. When Christine walked to the right side of the painting, she then noticed that behind the chair stood a very handsome man.
He was tall and lean with teased hair that framed his face and was as white as the barn owl she saw once in her youth. His face was angler and soft at the same time, his eyes seemed to burn with an inner fire that could see into your very soul. His clothes were almost like a pirate with the tight fitting pants and the flowing shirt that was opened to the waist.
He was the most handsome man that Christine had seen in a long time. As the young women lifted her hand to touch the strong elegant face of the man in the painting she sighed, "I wish I could meet you and find out if you are as mysterious as you look."
Then as in slow motion the man's head turned and winked at the young maiden from the painting. Christine jumped back and screamed while tripping over the cat that walked into the room sometime during her inquisition of the painting. Then right before the painting went back to normal the man in it smiled and chuckled at the chaos before him.
Matilda rushed into the room and looked at the sight before her, and started to giggle the young women was sprawled on the floor while the cat was meowing pitifully next to her and with a quick glimpse at the painting she knew that HE was up to no good again. "My dear what happened in here?" The older women asked Christine while helping her up.
"I was coming back here to see if you were okay and when I came into the room and saw the painting I couldn't believe how much I looked like the women. I stepped closer to look at it when the man behind the chair turned his head and winked at me." The young women said in such a hurry that Matilda could not believe she said it all in one breath.
The older women chuckled, "Calm down child I don't want you to pass out but you must show me how you can speak so much in one breath."
Christine looked at the women and started to laugh as well, "It takes many years of practice but I think it has do with genetics, my mom can say even more then I can." Then with a pause she continued, "I am sorry I came into this room Matilda I was just concerned about you and was wondering how you felt."
"That is okay I should have come out to the store and told you I would be fine." Replied the elderly women, "Why don't you come into the sitting room and you can tell me exactly what happened in here."
As the two women walked out of the small room Matilda took one more look at the painting and said out loud, "Young man you are going to get a talking to when I see you again." With that statement hanging in the air Matilda gently shut the door.
A few moments later the women were settled in the drawing room drinking some tea that Matilda had prepared. "So tell me my dear everything that transpired in the next room."
Christine began to tell the older women all that had happened starting with the weird sensations she felt on the doorknob and ending with the man in the painting winking. She didn't know why she was telling the older women everything but Christine had a feeling that the women knew all the answers to her questions. First and foremost who was the man in the painting that winked at her?
Matilda sat back into the chair to contemplate what was just told to her and wondered how to phrase her next question.
The younger women mistook her silence as disbelief and said quickly, "I know it is hard to believe but I am telling you the truth."
Matilda smiled at her young visitor, "I know you are telling me the truth my dear, the Goblin King does have a mischievous personality, I hope he didn't frighten you to bad with his escapade."
"Yes, he frightened me a little," replied the young women, "But now that I look back on it he has an interesting way of letting himself be known to people, but I also think that there is more to that man then his good looks."
Matilda smiled then rose up to return her cup to the counter, "Jareth always had an interesting way to get people's attention, don't judge him too much, he is what he is."
Christine looked up then asked, "What exactly is he Matilda, and why did he wink at me?"
"He is a Fae an immortal and he is the King of the Labyrinth, I am not sure why he winked at you but it may have to do with his story." Matilda walked over to the bookcase and pulled out a red book with gold lettering on the cover then gave it to the women sitting before her.
"This is his story my dear I think that a lot of your questions will be answered within these pages."
Christine reached up to grab the book extended to her, and as her hands touched its cover she felt the same sensations that she felt earlier that evening when she touched the doorknob. When her green eyes looked up into the older ones looking down at her Christine got the distinct feeling that Matilda knew more, but was unwilling to reveal the knowledge she held deep within her mind.
"When you read this book little one don't just read the story but also read between the lines and you may be one step closer to fulfilling your destiny." The old women stated mysteriously. "Will you come back to my little store tomorrow and then I will know what to do about the circumstances that have occurred to you today?" Matilda looked at Christine waiting nervously for the younger women's response.
"What time do you want me here and what do you want me to bring?" Christine knew deep in her heart that the next time she walked into this store she may never walk out. The thought didn't scare her but in some weird way it thrilled her because a world of magic has been has just been revealed to her and she couldn't wait to explore it.
"Why don't you return here around 9:00 o'clock in the morning and I don't think you will need to bring anything with you except your good heart and your courage." The older women replied with a sigh of relief.
The two women walked to the front door of the store and without any warning the older women gave the younger one a hug.
"I have been waiting for you for so long my dear and I am glad I found you before it was to late."
Christine smiled and started walking down the street toward her hotel with Jareth's story clutched to her chest and the strange parting words echoing through her head. "I wonder what she meant when she said she had been waiting for me for so long and why is it almost too late?" Christine contemplated this question as she continued toward her hotel.
Matilda watched the young women walk down the street in deep thought and whispered, "It is okay child you are strong and powerful you will succeed at any task placed before you. You are the chosen Champion of the Goblin King I know it and you will save the Kingdom and its' King. Till then my dear, sleep well."
While Matilda watched the young women disappear from sight a flash of light appeared behind her without turning around she chastised her visitor "You are lucky you didn't frighten the girl to death with your winking escapade."
"Ah Mattie you worry too much as soon as she walked into your store I knew she wouldn't be frighten easily."
The elderly women turned around to face the man she has seen grown from a small boy to the King standing before her. "Still you should not have done it."
If it was anyone else Jareth would have punished them for their lack of respect but Matilda was different she had been in his life for as long as he can remember her counsel was invaluable and her wisdom far surpassed anyone he had ever met. "I am sorry Mattie but I just couldn't help it, how did she like my little escapade?" He asked with a smirk on his beautiful face.
Matilda looked at him and laughed he still was as mischievous as always it was one of the qualities she was glad did not disappear that fateful day 10 years ago. "She was shocked at first but then I think she thought it was a little humorous she did say that you were quite handsome when you winked at her."
Jareth enjoyed making his faithful friend laugh she didn't do it as often as she used to but neither did he not since that day when his heart was lost to a women he once loved and his kingdom destroyed. Matilda had not laughed like that in quite some time once she caught her breath she look at Jareth and smiled. "All I can say is that you sure do have a way to get a young maiden's attention."
After a moment of silence Matilda looked at Jareth with a seriousness that the Goblin King had not seen in quite a while.
"What is it Mattie?" the Goblin King inquired not knowing if he would like the answer he was about to receive from the women before him.
"Jareth, I think I have found the Champion we have so long sought for. The woman who was in my store earlier has strong magical powers she is not even aware of and a will that is very strong to match them…"
The Goblin king interrupted her before she could finish stating her case. "I know Mattie I felt her magical powers when she touched the painting. That is why I am here I want you to extend an invitation to her to join me in my castle so I can meet her and find out IF she is the one we have been looking for. I will set up a certain amount of tests to see if she is strong enough to face the Temptress as my Champion."
As Jareth finished his comment he noticed a look of worry in his dear friend's eyes and he knew she was thinking about the young women and what she will be forced to face during the challenges of the Goblin King.
"Don't you worry about her Mattie she will not be harmed by me but I must ask you not mention anything about the tests to her."
Matilda looked at the formable man before her and knew that the Goblin King was telling the truth with a sigh she answered his unasked question "I promise my Lord that I will not reveal the true nature of her visit."
"Thank you Mattie you are a women of your word. When will you see her again?"
"I will see her again tomorrow morning." Answered the older women.
"Then I must take my leave there are many things I need to attend to before she arrives."
As Jareth conjured a crystal to take him home, Matilda asked, "How do you know she will accept your invitation?"
The Goblin King just smiled that all knowing smile and disappeared from her store. Matilda just shook her head and walked to the front of the store to close up Smoky following in her wake "I just hope he behaves himself and doesn't frighten the poor child."
Christine was not sure how she arrived at her hotel especially with her thoughts being in such a jumble it had been quite a day all she wanted to do is soak in a nice bath for about two hours. When she opened her door to her room she gasped in surprise at the large bouquet of flowers on her dresser. They were the most beautiful flowers she had ever seen.
"I wonder who these are from" as she reached for the card her hand shook in anticipation.
The card was just as beautiful as the flowers themselves with a painting of one single white rose on the cover, as she opened it she saw the most elegant handwriting that she had ever seen. The note was simple but to the point
I hope to wink at you again soon..
Yours Jareth TGK
Christine placed it down onto the end table and answered the question from the elegant note "Yes, Goblin King I hope that you wink at me again as well."
She picked up the book given to her by Matilda and brought into the bathroom so she could read it while taking her bath. Once the bath was drawn and Christine was submerged in the sudsy water she opened the book and began to read. Two hours later she raised her head from the book she was reading and noticed that the water was getting cold.
"If I stay in this water much longer no moisturizer on this earth will re-hydrate my skin." As she got out of the water to dry off she looked at her reflection in the mirror and the image staring back reminded her of the women in the painting.
"I can't believe how much we look alike. I wonder who painted that picture." She turned away from the mirror to dry off quickly, she was at the part in the book where the women was about to confront the Goblin King and she wanted to know if the women would accept the dreams the Goblin King had been offering her throughout the book.
"If she doesn't see the love that the King has for her she is a fool." Christine said aloud to herself. As she threw the towel on the rack she went into her bedroom and put on her favorite pajamas and crawled into bed to finish the book.
Thirty minutes later Christine threw the book on the nightstand and sighed in exasperation.
"I cannot believe that she turned down the Goblin Kings offer of her dreams and of his love. I bet if she accepted the offer he would have given back her brother to her parents just because he loved her so deeply. He told her that things are not always what they seemed in the Labyrinth. She should have listened."
Her heart ached from the pain she felt coming from the Goblin King through the words of the book she had just read. She stood up and walked over to the window to look out at the scenery to distance herself from the feelings she was having and noticed that the view started to become blurry due to the tears forming in her eyes. She turned away from the window wiped the tears away and crawled back into bed, while lying down her eyes fell upon the beautiful flowers that were sent to her by Jareth.
"You sure know how to surprise a women Jareth. Good night Goblin King wherever you are." With a small smile on her face she closed her eyes began to drift into the world of dreams.
In throne room, of the castle beyond the goblin city, the Goblin King sat contemplating what he just witnessed in his crystal. In his many years of life he has never seen that type of reaction to his story. Mattie may actually be correct in stating that his Champion has finally been revealed to him. Even the massive amount of activity in the throne room created by his goblin minions did not distract him from his thoughts.
'She cried because she sensed the pain I went through, she wept for me.' His mind and heart almost couldn't comprehend what he had seen.
He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice the throne room getting extremely quiet until a clearing of a throat caught his attention. The Goblin King looked up to notice his good friend and doctor Gaylord standing before him.
"What are you doing here Gaylord is there someone sick that needs your quality care?"
"That is a question I should be asking you your Majesty." With the look of confusion on the Royals face, Gaylord knew that he had no idea why he was here.
"Your minions came and fetched me because they thought you were sick due to the fact that you stopped picking on them and kicking them for almost two hours." The doctor patiently explained.
Jareth could not believe it he had been so perplexed about the reaction that Christine had to the book he didn't even realize how much time had passed. He must be more careful in the long run being that distracted could be very dangerous. When Jareth looked up his eyes locked with Gaylord's and he knew that the good doctor was concerned about the King almost like a father would be to a son.
"No, Gaylord I am not ill I just have something very perplexing on my mind."
"Would you like to talk about it my Lord, I have a good set of ears attached to my head even though I am old" Jareth chuckled at the comment and then thought for a moment his good friend might be the best person to talk to about the reaction his possible Champion had to the story she read as well as another matter regarding the young women.
"Yes my friend I would like to talk to you in private if you have the time?"
"I have all the time in the world my Lord." The older man stated plainly. As the two men walked out of the throne room Jareth kicked a couple of his goblins for good measure to show them that he was not ill at all and that he was the same old King, well almost the same old King.
While the two men were walking to Jareth's private room where he took care of the affairs of the Kingdom a comfortable silence fell between them.
'I wonder what he might have on his mind' wondered the elderly doctor 'It has been a long time since Jareth has ask for my council with a pressing issue of some sort.'
Once they had entered the chamber Jareth went and sat behind his wooded desk and kicked his feet up on the corner while Gaylord took a seat opposite of the King.
"So what is on your mind my boy that has you so worked up you forget to kick your goblins." He asked laying down the formalities since they were in private.
"A women, my old friend, a women." The King stated plainly.
Then Jareth proceeded to tell his old friend everything that had transpired during the day start
"So that is what has me perplexed Gaylord why did she cry when most people cheer at the end of the story." Finished the King as he sat back an awaited his friends response.
"You winked at a women through a painting, Jareth now that is what I call a creative action." chuckled the old man.
"Gaylord didn't you hear a word I said after I mentioned the winking?"
"Yes I did Jareth and I am not sure how to put my thoughts into words." the older man replied to the younger one across from him. The Goblin King rose from his desk and walked over to the window that looked out upon his Labyrinth still waiting for his friend's response.
"What I think Jareth," started the doctor "Is that you have played the role of the villain so many times that you actually consider yourself to be bad or evil which in fact is false. The man standing before me has the ability to care so deeply about someone or something that surpasses most of the Fae race."
The older man stood up and walked to stand beside his King while placing a hand on his shoulder he stated, "I think that this women Christine has seen past the villain and has seen more of the man behind the façade then most people who have read your story."
As Jareth turned his head to the elder Fae, mismatched eyes meet deep blue eyes and the King knew there was a but to the doctor's monologue, "But if she is the Champion foretold about by the prophesy being sympathetic to your feelings is not enough she must be tested."
"I know she will be arriving tomorrow and the first test will begin." stated the King, "That is also why I wanted to talk to you in private I am going to need your help my friend." Jareth said mysteriously.
While the moon shined on the Labyrinth the Goblin King laid out his first test to the old doctor and how the old man could help make sure that Christine was truly the Champion that was prophesized so many years ago. As the doctor took his leave from his friend he could not wait to meet the women who understood Jareth so well. He also could not wait to see how the women reacted to Jareth's tests.
He took a deep breath while creating a crystal of his own so he could look upon the women who may become one of the most powerful person in his world. She was sleeping in her bed soundly when the crystal came into focus and Gaylord smiled at the site before him.
"I hope you are up for the challenges ahead fair maiden because your life is about to get much more interesting."
Before she faded from sight in his crystal Gaylord spoke quietly, "And maybe in the process of saving the Kingdom my dear, you will also mend a broken Fae's heart."
The crystal disappeared just as quickly as it appeared and the old man continued walking to his own home within the Underground.
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