A dark-haired man landed hard in the middle of a deserted plain, thankful that it was night. He looked around, searching with his vampiric eyes for any sign of life and he recognized one. A few hundred feet away, beneath what seemed to be the only shade available during the day, rested a young woman; from what the vampire could tell, she was barely twenty-one. She had long brown hair that touched the ground in a tight braid as her fine body sagged against the tree.
He walked over to her slowly, dark eyes swiveling over her and sizing her up in case she happened to be hostile, although he sensed nothing strange about her. He knelt beside her and shook her shoulders a little. "Miss?" A pair of unnerving green eyes slowly opened and stared into his dark ones. "Excuse me. . . but you wouldn't happen to have any idea as to where we are, would you?" The young woman just stared, those unnervingly brilliant green eyes boring holes in his head. Pointedly, he said,"it would be very helpful if you could tell me where we are."
The young woman blinked. "I know not where we are beside the fact that I am merely not where I wish to be."
The vampire glared slightly. "That doesn't give me any clues miss.....?" he waited for her to introduce herself.
She smiled, a rather dark and evil overtone to it. "Alice. Alice Akiman."
He held out his hand to shake hers. "Angel."
Alice took his hand and shook it, although with mild distaste. "You're no angel." she narrowed her green eyes at him, as if trying to bring his form more sharply into focus. "You're a vampire."
Angel was slightly caught of guard. "Angel's my name. . . but how did you know that?"
"I know a lot of things. How I know them? I do not know."
Alice's circular logic was beginning to get on Angel's very confused nerves. He sighed and stood, offering a hand to the young woman who seemed to be the only person for miles. "Any idea where we are?"
"The Desert of Lasis." Alice said confidently. "It's only about a night's walk to the Forest of Vi'ian from here."
Angel blinked. "Lasis? Vi'ian? Where the hell are we?"
"Not hell, really. . . we're not dead yet. We're in the Underground." she paused for a moment. "Hmmm. . . one night across the desert. . . maybe one through the forest if I'm lucky. . . then one more to the Labyrinth walls. . . one day through the Labyrinth and then I can go home!" she clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh I DO love a good adventure." She turned and began walking in what seemed a completely random direction.
Angel stared after her, slightly puzzled by why such a pretty girl as her was wearing a blue dress covered in blood, a pair of heavy-duty boots, and an apron over her dress, the bow of which was pinned with a skull. She glanced back at him, her eyes giving him the creeps again. "Coming, Mr. Angel?" she asked politely.
Angel sighed. "I suppose I have no choice. . . " muttered Angel, trudging after the girl who seemed strange, to say the least.
~Meanwhile~
The Fae's blond, spiky hair shook over his shoulders as he shook his head. "No, Ichabod, I am NOT going to let you go to meet her."
The man dressed in black sitting across the cleaned throne room from the Goblin King smacked his head against the wall. "But of all PLACES, Jareth! The Desert?! And you are LEAVING HER with a VAMPIRE?!"
Jareth rolled his mismatched eyes. "Angel is trustworthy enough. . . of what I've seen of his Aboveground antics anyway."
Ichabod Crane tossed a fireball from hand-to-hand to relieve his stress. "Very well, Jareth, but if anything starts to get even the SLIGHTEST bit out of hand, you will go to her, understood?"
Jareth snorted. "Who are you to be telling me what to do?" Ichabod's eyes glowed with magic and the fireball in his hand raged. "I will, I will. . . " said Jareth hastily. "Go take a walk through the gardens. And don't go into the Labyrinth. . . I'm not going to go chasing after you." he added as Ichabod walked away.
The Fae king conjured a crystal, balancing it easily on his fingertips. Inside was an image of a girl with startling green eyes, walking calmly over the cracked and dried earth of the Desert, headed toward a forest in the distance. A small smile played over his lips. "Welcome to Wonderland, Alice. . . "
He walked over to her slowly, dark eyes swiveling over her and sizing her up in case she happened to be hostile, although he sensed nothing strange about her. He knelt beside her and shook her shoulders a little. "Miss?" A pair of unnerving green eyes slowly opened and stared into his dark ones. "Excuse me. . . but you wouldn't happen to have any idea as to where we are, would you?" The young woman just stared, those unnervingly brilliant green eyes boring holes in his head. Pointedly, he said,"it would be very helpful if you could tell me where we are."
The young woman blinked. "I know not where we are beside the fact that I am merely not where I wish to be."
The vampire glared slightly. "That doesn't give me any clues miss.....?" he waited for her to introduce herself.
She smiled, a rather dark and evil overtone to it. "Alice. Alice Akiman."
He held out his hand to shake hers. "Angel."
Alice took his hand and shook it, although with mild distaste. "You're no angel." she narrowed her green eyes at him, as if trying to bring his form more sharply into focus. "You're a vampire."
Angel was slightly caught of guard. "Angel's my name. . . but how did you know that?"
"I know a lot of things. How I know them? I do not know."
Alice's circular logic was beginning to get on Angel's very confused nerves. He sighed and stood, offering a hand to the young woman who seemed to be the only person for miles. "Any idea where we are?"
"The Desert of Lasis." Alice said confidently. "It's only about a night's walk to the Forest of Vi'ian from here."
Angel blinked. "Lasis? Vi'ian? Where the hell are we?"
"Not hell, really. . . we're not dead yet. We're in the Underground." she paused for a moment. "Hmmm. . . one night across the desert. . . maybe one through the forest if I'm lucky. . . then one more to the Labyrinth walls. . . one day through the Labyrinth and then I can go home!" she clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh I DO love a good adventure." She turned and began walking in what seemed a completely random direction.
Angel stared after her, slightly puzzled by why such a pretty girl as her was wearing a blue dress covered in blood, a pair of heavy-duty boots, and an apron over her dress, the bow of which was pinned with a skull. She glanced back at him, her eyes giving him the creeps again. "Coming, Mr. Angel?" she asked politely.
Angel sighed. "I suppose I have no choice. . . " muttered Angel, trudging after the girl who seemed strange, to say the least.
~Meanwhile~
The Fae's blond, spiky hair shook over his shoulders as he shook his head. "No, Ichabod, I am NOT going to let you go to meet her."
The man dressed in black sitting across the cleaned throne room from the Goblin King smacked his head against the wall. "But of all PLACES, Jareth! The Desert?! And you are LEAVING HER with a VAMPIRE?!"
Jareth rolled his mismatched eyes. "Angel is trustworthy enough. . . of what I've seen of his Aboveground antics anyway."
Ichabod Crane tossed a fireball from hand-to-hand to relieve his stress. "Very well, Jareth, but if anything starts to get even the SLIGHTEST bit out of hand, you will go to her, understood?"
Jareth snorted. "Who are you to be telling me what to do?" Ichabod's eyes glowed with magic and the fireball in his hand raged. "I will, I will. . . " said Jareth hastily. "Go take a walk through the gardens. And don't go into the Labyrinth. . . I'm not going to go chasing after you." he added as Ichabod walked away.
The Fae king conjured a crystal, balancing it easily on his fingertips. Inside was an image of a girl with startling green eyes, walking calmly over the cracked and dried earth of the Desert, headed toward a forest in the distance. A small smile played over his lips. "Welcome to Wonderland, Alice. . . "