Chapter 1
It had been three days.
Three Hellish days of calling every friend in Toby's social circle...every classmate, parent, teacher, and friend going back as far as kindergarten. At the 72 hour mark, Karen and Daddy had been at the police station filing the missing person report - when the first officer suggested Toby had merely run away, Sarah feared she'd have to bail her father out, as Robert Williams shouted down the idiotic officer.
Apparently, having a mild-mannered local lawyer lose it was enough to get people moving. The rest of the day had been a blur of police interviews, search parties, and combing the woods around the neighborhood.
Coming in from another two-hour stint searching, Sarah tugged her damp beanie from her head and hung her wet coat in the closet. The house was filled with people, some pouring over maps, others bringing around trays. Moving into the kitchen, she passed Mrs. Collins from next door, "Here dear... your gran is upstairs with Karen. Poor woman. Doc had to sedate her for a bit. Take this cup of tea up to her, will you...then come down for some soup. You look done in, sweetheart."
"No, I..." Sarah started to protest, only to be cut off as the old neighbor pushed a steaming mug into her hand.
"Off you go, darling...Karen needs this."
Sighing Sarah, trudged up the stairs. As she passed the open door to her room, she glanced in, the twilight casting eerie shadows across her vanity, making the mirror surface seem to flex and ripple.
Jareth.
The name percolated up from the recesses of Sarah's mind and through her body like a shock. She felt anger rise up, and was nauseated it was so strong. "Damn it Goblin King get your ass here now!"
There was a pause in the air and the mirror shimmered, as she watched his form took shape. "You could have asked nicely, Precious."
She raged at him, accusing him of not only taking Toby but every other thing that plagued mankind. When she was done, he was blankly staring at her. "Sarah, whatever are you screaming about? Are saying your brother is...missing?"
"And you took him didn't you!" She pointed an accusing finger.
He shook his head."I could not if I wanted to Sarah, I'm sorry. It's forbidden."
Sarah's face fell. "I was so sure...oh God...where is my brother?"
Jareth frowned. "No, Precious...I do not have him. I assume your constabulary have been informed?" he asked, pulled a glittering crystal from the air. "Show me Tobias," he ordered. The grey mist in the crystal merely swirled, then turned black.
"Can you see him?" Sarah asked, pushing aside her fears as she tried to peer into the darkened crystal.
"No...the boy is hidden from me," Jareth muttered, a sense of dread flooding him. Both Williams children had been marked when they entered his kingdom. While he had been unable to come to Sarah until she called him by name, he had always been able to keep watch over them...until now.
Jareth's tone of voice dropped into a low, steady register. One that, over the past couple of days, Sarah had learned meant 'Keep very calm and think very efficiently, every second counts.'
"This is indeed very serious, Sarah. Tell me, have you seen or heard anything...our brand of out of the ordinary lately?"
"Well-" Sarah thought for a moment. A picture suddenly formed in her head and her mouth dropped open. "The ravens... Jareth! There's been a flock of ravens almost everywhere I've gone for weeks. Maybe they were following Toby too?"
A low growl rolled out of Jareth's chest. "Odin."
"Odin...as in...God of Lightning and Thunder...THAT Odin?" Sarah gasped, her eyes wide at the look of anger that flashed in Jareth's eyes.
Jareth let out an impatient snarl. "Well, it's hardly a popular boy's name in your realm. Yes, the God - and, I'm ashamed to say, an old friend of mine as well."
What does he want with us?" Sarah sat heavily in front of her vanity, the mug of tea she was supposed to bring to Karen forgotten in her hand.
"Odin has a rather nasty habit of... adopting... children to raise as his own brood. However, usually without permission. In his mind he sees the children as having potential that their parents don't see; and it's his duty as a caretaker of knowledge to bring about their full potential. It's been the source of many heated debates between us."
Sarah folded her arms. The concept of the Goblin King, stealer of babies, twisted host of the Underground, delving into ethics with the Norse God didn't sit well with her. Still, finding Toby was more important than anything else in that moment. "So what happens if he decides to 'adopt' one against their will?"
"They become his," Jareth replied matter-of-factly. "I know of no one who has ever gone against his wishes and survived it. If Toby chose to fight him on it, I suppose Odin might put him through the 'Rigors' so he could earn his freedom to return to his mortal life, but most wouldn't attempt it."
"Yeah, well Odin hasn't met Toby. There's no way he'd take this lying down." -Even if it killed him.- The words sprung forth in her mind before she had any chance of stopping them, but she dared not say them aloud. It felt too much like a curse. Her blood turned icy at the thought of her little brother facing his own dangers untold. "These ... 'Rigors' ...? What would he have to do to beat a God, and how can I help him?"
Jareth pursed his lips, his eyes washing over the young woman she had become. She was lithe and light on her feet, that much he knew. And she was fast, he'd watched her win several cross-country competitions through high school. She just might have a chance. "Well, while Odin will not relinquish Toby easily, we may be able to bargain with him..."
Sarah frowned, "We?"
"Yes, he has taken a child marked by my kingdom. If I assist you my, claim, on his custody gives us the right to challenge and assist during the required trials."
"Wai...marked by your kingdom?" Sarah demanded, her green eyes narrowing on him. "What did you do, Goblin King?!"
Jareth raised his hands in surrender. "Nothing untoward, I can assure you. As you completed the Labyrinth, you come under my Kingdom's jurisdiction and protection. A protection that cannot be disregarded without grave consequences, at least in Fae society. But Odin is not Fae. He may see himself as above such notions."
Sarah's shoulders slumped, even as her hands clenched into fists at her sides. He recognized the determined tightness of her jaw. "So... can you do anything to help? And if so... what is it going to cost me?
Jareth frowned. "I can help you...and while I appreciate the offer, one I would ordinarily be only too happy to accept...this I will do without expectation of repayment. Odin has attempted to purloin those who are under the protection of my house, that I cannot abide."
"Seriously? You're not going to ask anything of me? No tricks, or cleverly worded schemes?"
The left corner of Jareth's mouth turned up in a smirk. "Well, if you really insist on being indebted to me, I suppose I can't say no. We can always enjoy a pleasant discussion of what you might consider my services to be worth later on, once your brother is safe."
Sarah began to desperately backpedal. "Nonono I don't insist, I am merely...surprised."
"Too late...I accepted your offer," he smiled. "But no fear, what I have mind would hardly be objectionable..."
Sarah glared at him. "Fine. Now, how do we go about getting to Toby?"
Jareth smiled, a little too gleefully for Sarah, who moved from a glare to an outright glower. "As always, my Sarah, you must say your right words."
Sarah held up her finger in a 'wait just a moment' fashion before setting the tea down and running out of the room.
After about 10 minutes she returned wearing sturdy climbing shoes, durable clothes in layers, and a backpack she was shoving bottled water into.
"I'm going to be more prepared this time." She pointedly stated at him. Then she took a big breath and said. "I wish the Goblin King would take me to save my brother from Odin's grasp right now."
In a flash, Jareth nodded in agreement and produced a crystal. "Hold on tight Precious." He grinned, wrapping his cloak around her.
Sarah shivered slightly at the thought of what she was about to do. But if Odin had Toby, her only choice was to trust that Jareth would help her as promised. The scent of him surrounded her as she slipped her arms around him, spicy and rich. It seemed to seep into every pore. His chest and back felt firm beneath the light leather of his waistcoat and the thin layer of his silk shirt, yet she found the feel of him oddly comforting - something solid in the face of something so ephemeral. Feeling the ground beneath her fade away, she squeaked and tightened her grasp about him, his deep chuckle rumbling against her ear, teasing her, as it ran up and down her spine like a physical touch.
Before she could get lost in the dizzying sensation. Her feet set down upon a hard, sheer surface. Looking around, she saw they stood upon a large plateau. Great thunder clouds rolled endlessly above them. On a crude throne made of stones was an old man with a long beard, a wide brimmed hat, and one eye that surveyed them with resigned amusement. It took her a moment to realize Jareth was still holding her.
"Well, Jareth, old friend. Who is this enchanting young lady?" The old man asked. Sarah quickly extracted herself from Jareth's embrace and stood straight, eyeing the seated man.
"Odin." Jareth acknowledged. "I hardly think an introduction is necessary. You've had your eye on Sarah for quite some time, haven't you?"
Odin smiled wryly and Jareth growled. "You know that they are under my protection."
"Yes...I've always wondered about that, Jareth? Just why did you feel the need to mark them in addition to what the Labyrinth put upon them purely due to Sarah's win?" Odin chuckled quietly, a hand lightly stroking his beard. Seeing the way Sarah's eyes darted angrily to Jareth, his laughter deepened. "Oh? She doesn't know that you added an additional claim upon them? I do apologize for letting that bird...fly the coop, as it were."
Sarah inwardly seethed but decided it would only further whatever Odin's agenda was to separate them this early in their efforts. She swallowed her questions for now and turned towards the old man.
"Where is my brother?" She all but growled, getting to the point.
Odin cocked an eyebrow in recognition. "Both wise AND direct. You would have made and excellent heir too. Alas you are well into the bloom of adulthood. Perhaps...as a new wife then." A wicked glimmer flickered across his face at the last.
Jareth felt his anger rush through his veins yet fought it down. "I think not, old man...and you know why." Odin gave a dismissive wave of his hand, although Jareth knew the steely glint in the elder God's eye was more than a trick of the light. If he was so inclined, he could crush Jareth and take Sarah without a word. Yet years of interaction told him that was not Odin's long game. "Yes yes...I am quite aware why I cannot touch her as wife...pity. She's ripe. But then ripe peaches were always your thing, not mine."
Sarah swallowed hard. She could tell that there were depths to this conversation that she did not understand and resolved to have a long talk with Jareth about them. Regardless, she had come for Toby and she refused to get sidetracked. "Where is Toby?" She asked again, her voice betraying her impatience.
A firm hand squeezed her shoulder, as Jareth's icy voice sounded. "We seek the boy. He is under my protection and marked of my kingdom. You know the old rules, old man. It is my right to challenge you for him." Jareth's words stopped Sarah cold, as she tried to hide her shock.
Odin blinked, a momentary look of surprise flashing in his eyes. "You would challenge me for the boy?" he asked. "You know what you would lose should you fail."
Jareth swallowed, grim determination and hatred flickering in his cold eyes, "I am quite aware of what I would lose. All claim to either of the Williams children..."
"And your throne," Odin finished.
Sarah turned to Jareth's shock written large on her face. "Jareth?"
He looked down at her, his expression remained grim but his eyes brightened for her. "Sarah, I will not let him take Toby. I cannot allow such a challenge to go unanswered." Jareth said nothing of his other reasons, reasons that had more to do with Sarah than with either the boy or his claim on both of them.
Sarah shook her head. "Jareth you can't risk that!"
"Too late, it is done," Odin intoned as he stood. "I accept the terms offered by the Goblin King. You are challenged to take your lady love and join the Rigors that Tobias has chosen to undertake to win his own freedom. Good luck Goblin King," he chuckled, waving his hands wide.
A flock of ravens rushed them, flapping and cawing wildly. Sarah screamed and turned, hiding her face against Jareth as they flew past. The flapping of wings was loud in her ears, and the oily caress of the birds' feathers against her cheek made her shudder. A low sound above her head finally drew her attention. When she raised her eyes, Jareth was staring down at her.
"As much as I'm beginning to appreciate this new, affectionate side of you, I believe it's time we got moving."
Blinking, Sarah leapt back from him as if scalded, her cheeks flushing hotly. She tugged irritably on the straps of her satchel and looked around, taking in their new surroundings.
The two of them were standing at the edge of a great chasm, blackened rock beneath their feet and a grim, inky sky overhead that seemed to glower down at them. A strong, cold wind whipped her hair against her cheeks. When Sarah peered out into the darkness that lay ahead, she could just about see another outcropping of jagged rocks in the distance, almost daring the pair of them to make their way across. Below them lay the bottom of the earth itself. Were one of them to fall into that great pit, they would scream for an eternity.
Sarah took a step toward the edge and Jareth grabbed her wrist. "Careful, Precious. Odin's challenges are nothing to take lightly. Whatever he has in store for us it will take both wisdom and insight to overcome."
Sarah looked around at him. He looked worried. She had never before seen such an expression on his face. "We need to talk," she informed him. She then looked around again with a sigh. "But I suppose that it is going to have to wait."
Staring with determination at the challenge ahead, she missed Jareth's expression of tender fear. A man on the brink of losing something he had just began to hope for.
"So where are we?" Sarah asked, adjusting the straps of her backpack so that they no longer dug into her shoulders so much.
Jareth sighed and put his fears aside. It would do no good to distract Sarah right now. Although this was sure to be a dangerous undertaking, Sarah was in far more danger than he was. He might lose his throne, but she could easily lose her life. "I believe we are facing the first of the challenges." Jareth tried to conjure a crystal, but nothing happened.
He tried again, and again, nothing happened. "Damn you, Odin," Jareth growled. It appeared that he might be in as much danger as Sarah was after all.
***********************************************************************************
This one is the biggest yet. 14 chapters!
Because it's so long list of authors appear here and at the end.
AvalonBane
breejah0923
HachimansKitsune
Jetredgirl
Lady-Lannie-Queen-of-Goblins
LiteraryRhapsody
PaintedGlass(AO3)
Sarah198026(wattpad)
Disclaimer: No Authors of this work own or profit from any characters belonging to Henson & Co.
