It was, quite certainly, the worst punishment His Majesty could come up with for his Goblins. Worse than building bridges in the Bog, worse than relocating lichen (which had a nasty tendancy to bite with the roots in the walls), worse even than... than... bathing.
Sarah had been invited over by Didymus, only to find the old Fox not feeling quite up to par. She'd saddled up Ambrosious, carefully balanced Didymus in the saddle, and took the reigns to walk the dog-steed through the Labyrinth. When she'd reached the Castle, the Goblin driving the huge Gate Guardian kindly gave her directions to the Castle. Once in the Castle, it was a clear path to the throne room, and in there, she was suprised to find the usually raucous Goblins staring silently into a blatantly empty space by the throne.
She asked them what was wrong, and they told her that Tanny had made the mistake of stealing a crystal. The punishment for this was unusually cruel, and Sarah, with Ambrosious and a sleeping Didymus in tow, set off to talk to the King.
She had stopped at the enterance of the Escher room, seeing the Goblin King scolding the Goblin.
"...And I want this room spotless, Tanny. You have a week to complete your task. Do you understand me? Next time, you will be cleaning out the oubliettes beneath the Bog as well as the Escher room. You-do-not-steal!"
The last sentance was growled between gritted teeth, and the Goblin at the King's feet whimpered and started scrubbing.
"Isn't that a little harsh?" Sarah had stayed at the door, not trusting herself to not get lost. Jareth looked up at her, a little startled.
"Not for a repeat offender. He was brought to the court so I could keep an eye on him. That one--" the King pointed to the miserable Goblin-- "has sticky fingers, and he particularly likes to steal his neighbor's chickens and City-issued decrees. This is the fourth time this month I've had to talk to him about stealing."
Sarah did a little mental math, calculating the time difference between the Above and the Under. "Isn't it only the ninth of September here?"
Jareth sighed. "Yes, it is. Which is the point. Eventually, all the interminable punishments teach them not to do whatever it is they're being punished for-- if there's one thing a Goblin can't stand, it's being bored."
"So very much unlike their King," Sarah retorted without real heat. She remembered how, barely two weeks after she solved the Labyrinth, the Goblin King dropped in to play chess on a rainy day. He'd admitted to her over the game that his pride was no match for boredom and curiosity, two forces that could manipulate the King under any circumstances.
Since then, the trips Above and Below had been nigh constant, and both King and teen made a point of looking after one another, in the manner of old friends. It worked out well enough-- Sarah would quip and pun the King's foul moods away, and Jareth would help the teen study for upcoming tests or aid her in watching Toby.
"Wouldn't it be more fair to give them something larger than a toothbrush to scrub the room with?" Sarah asked. The Goblin King snorted and shot her a withering look.
Oro: I am feeling generous today, especially since I finished my exam early and got to leave school because I didn't have an afternoon exam. I didn't die during the Japanese shiken! Ha! And I actually had time to doodle, so I drew Sarah's birthday present in TBO. If Sensei will let me photocopy it (it's literally on the last page of the exam) then I'll set up a link to it. As it is, expect other stories from me today. Bye! (whistles)
Jareth: Forgetting something, aren't you?
Oro: No, I have my socks and pencils and books. And I know what I'm doing for the next two hours, so ha!
Sarah: Disclaimer, genius.
Oro: ...Damn. Don't own that lot (points at Sarah, Jareth, Didymus, Ambrosious, and Toby) or that lot (points to Goblins) or you lot (points to readers) or that bunch over there (points to Above and Underground).