Title: Labyrinth
Author: Caz251
Beta: x_candycoated_x
Prompt: Labyrinth done with a Torchwood Twist.
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Gwen, Owen, Tosh, Rhys, Andy Davidson, Kathy Swanson, The Doctor, Donna, Myfanwy, Weevils, John Hart, UNIT, and with mention of Suzie.
Pairing(s): pre-Jack/Ianto, one-sided Andy/Ianto, Owen/Gwen, mentions of past Owen/Suzie
Rating: pg-15
Warnings: pre-slash, mild fantasy violence, very mild language
Spoilers: Major plot spoilers for the film Labyrinth and general character spoilers for TV shows Torchwood and Doctor Who.
Artist (cover and banner): Caz251
Word Count: 8,650
Disclaimer: I do not own the Labyrinth it belongs to The Jim Henson Company. Neither do I own Torchwood or Doctor Who, both of which belong to the BBC.
AN: This fic is written for reel_torchwood and is based on the film Labyrinth starring David Bowie, the following list is the character substitutions made to give the story a Torchwood twist.
Labyrinth Characters
Torchwood Characters
Sarah
Ianto
Jareth
Jack
Mr. Williams
Owen
Mrs. Williams
Gwen
Linda(Sarah's mum)
Suzie
Toby
Toshiko
Hoggle
Andy Davidson
Ludo
Rhys
Didymus
Kathy Swanson
Ambrosius
Myfanwy
Fireys
Weevils
Old Man
The Doctor
The old man's hat
Donna
Junklady
John Hart
Goblin Guard
UNIT
AN2: With special thanks to x_candycoated_x for betaing and to Teachwriteslash for explaining how to turn this into a PDF file which can be found at my livejournal.
Summary: Ianto Jones delves into the world of the Fae and the Goblins when he wishes his baby sister Toshiko away to King Jack of the Goblins.
Ianto Jones was different from all the other boys at his school: he was a dreamer; a student of the arts; and a loner. He was ostracised from his fellow students, the boys preferring sports and the girls being too cliquey for his tastes, whilst Ianto loved the theatre. This was due in part to the actress Suzie Costello, his mother; however it was also a result of his love of literature and fantasy.
The fact that he wanted to follow his mother into the theatre was a bone of contention with his father, Owen and his stepmother, Gwen. Both had their own ideas of what Ianto should be doing with his life. They both believed that he should become a doctor like his father. Gwen's plans for his life were of a more personal nature, for a start she wanted him to date. He was sure she wanted him to find a girl, move out and settle down somewhere far away from her perfect life.
However, Ianto's own plans for his life were completely different from what his father and stepmother wanted for him, he would not be studying medicine and he would certainly not be settling down with a nice young girl. He planned instead to become part of an amateur dramatics group that toured often, in the hope of being noticed by someone who could launch his career. He spent every free moment he had practicing the skills the he believed he had been born with as a result of mother's genetics.
At that precise moment he was in a park near his home, reciting from a play written by Robin Zaker, about a kingdom far beyond his wildest dreams. A Kingdom full of goblins, mazes and other fantastical things, under the rule of a firm and relentless King. The whole underground where this kingdom of goblins resided was magical, and time ran differently there, it was a place of wonder and somewhere Ianto really wished he could visit. He knew though that it was just a fantasy, for no such place really existed, no matter how much he wished it were true, a place like that could be such a perfect escape from him, but all he could do was to pretend.
Started by an owl as it moved past him, he looked at the clock in the centre of the park, only then noticing that he was late. He was in such trouble, he knew that his stepmother would not be happy about him being late, especially as she and his father were going out for the evening, leaving him to look after his baby sister, Toshiko. Arriving back at the house he exchanged angry words with his stepmother about the fact that she had never asked him whether or not he had plans, assuming that he would stay home with the baby.
After shutting himself in his room, his father came to speak to him: leaving him instructions for while they were away before leaving, not making much of an effort to check on Ianto after the argument. Not long after they had left Ianto realised that someone had been in his room, something that he hated. How did he know? Draconis his Welsh dragon, a gift from his mother to remind him of their shared heritage, was missing.
Knowing where his dragon would be he stormed towards the bedroom his father shared with his wife. There lying on the floor, as if it had been thrown from the cot, was Draconis, not only had someone taken him from his room, but they had given him to an ungrateful child who had thrown him away. When Toshiko began to cry, he glared at her before yelling about how he hates her, and when that didn't stop the tears he cried out for someone to save him, to take him away from there.
When no rescuer appeared - not that he had actually expected one - he let out a small sigh before picking up Toshiko and holding her close. He tried many different ways to calm her before letting out a soft growl and asking if she wanted a story. She didn't actually answer, but as she wasn't crying any harder than she had been before, he took that as being a positive answer, he began to tell her the tale of the labyrinth.
"Once upon a time," he began still rocking the wailing child, "there was a beautiful young boy whose stepmother always made him stay home with the baby. The baby was a spoiled child, she wanted everything for herself, and the boy was practically a slave."
Toshiko looked up at him with her wet eyes, but her tears did not stop, prompting Ianto to walk around the room in an attempt to calm her down. "But what no-one knew was that the Goblin King fell in love with the boy and gave him certain powers. So one night, when the baby had been particularly cruel to him he asked the Goblins for help."
Ianto had no idea of effect his words were having, he didn't know of those who were listening and waiting for words to be said. He continued with his story, "'Say your right words' the Goblins said, 'And we'll take the baby to the Goblin City, and you'll be free.' But the boy knew the King of the Goblins would keep the baby in his castle forever and ever and turn it into a Goblin, so he suffered in silence. Until one night when he was tired from doing housework and hurt by the harsh words of his stepmother and he could no longer stand it."
At that Toshiko began to cry even harder, Ianto stopped the story and tried to calm her, muttering soothing words to her. Then when Toshiko continued to cry so he threatened to say the words, before calling out the words described in the play, "Goblin King! Goblin King! Wherever you may be, take this child of mine far away from me!"
As Toshiko continued to cry, he muttered to himself that he wished he had known the words that would call the Goblin King to take the child away from him. He then put Toshiko back in her cot, before turning out the light and making his way out the door. A flash of inspiration hitting him as he did so: as he left the room he called out the words that had come into his head, "I wish the Goblins would come take you away, right now."
Suddenly the crying stopped, and Ianto forced himself to turn round, "Toshiko? Tosh, are you all right? Why aren't you crying?"
He could hear sniggering around him but every time he looked in the direction it came from, there was nothing there. He moved closer to Toshiko's cot hoping to find out why she had stopped crying. He pulled back the blanket to find a small creature that was definitely not his baby sister, and at that point the sniggering increased as the storm outside got worse. The French doors were blown open, and before he knew it, in front of him stood in imposing figure.
"You're him, aren't you? You're the Goblin King." Ianto said as realization dawned upon him, the man in front of him was the King from the book, which meant he had just given his baby sister away; something he was pretty sure his Father and Stepmother would not be happy about.
Jack sat back on his throne and sighed, he was enraptured and he didn't understand it. He knew all about seduction and ensnaring the senses of others - he was, after all royalty - but never before had he been on the receiving end. Who would try to seduce someone who needed no seduction? The seducer in this case though, was unaware that he was even doing it; a young mortal boy who had no idea that he existed; let alone an idea of how to seduce him.
Young Ianto Jones was a tease; a temptress sent specifically to drive him mad. The young nymph had no idea he was even doing it. He drove Jack to distraction without even trying, just by being so maddeningly innocent and unaware. It wasn't just the physical reaction to the young mortal that King Jack didn't understand, but the emotional one as well, there was just something about Ianto Jones that made Jack want to possess every part of him. He didn't just want his body, he wanted his heart, mind and soul as well, but he knew it would not be easy. To gain all that was Ianto Jones he would have to prove himself and his love, to show his sincerity he gave him a gift. What nobody knew was that the King had fallen in love with the boy and had given him certain powers.
He had just spent the afternoon watching the young man acting out a PG version of the tale of the Goblin King, or rather the tale that was used to stop mortals from forgetting about the world on the other side of the fairy mists. The young man was captivating and Jack wished he could have stayed and watched him longer than he had, but he had felt the change in the winds and could tell that there would be a Runner soon and he would need to prepare.
He knew that the summons was imminent when the Goblins started to perk up; he knew that they could hear the wisher; and he hoped it was someone that he could have a bit of fun with. Playing with mortals was quite fun in some respects and this one has interrupted his time with his Ianto, not that Ianto had known he was there or that there had been any interaction between them.
When the majority of the Goblins disappeared from the throne room he knew the wish had been made, he transformed quickly into an owl to make the journey aboveground. He entered the room that his Goblins were occupying; the baby having already been taken to the castle beyond the goblin city. The sight that met his eyes however was not what he was expecting, he had never thought that Ianto - even with of the thoughts he had of the Fae world - would wish away his sibling.
He smirked as he heard Ianto's words, "You're him, aren't you? You're the Goblin King." Even though the young man had thought of him as only being a figment of Robin Zaker's imagination, he was quick to adapt and understand the consequences of his actions. His smirk seemed to grow as Ianto spoke again, "I want my sister back, if it's all the same."
"What's said is said.", Jack said as he looked over the young man in front of him, he wished in some ways that he didn't have to do this. It would be so much easier to just make the deal for the baby now, but that wasn't how it was done, if Ianto wanted his sister back he would have to run the labyrinth.
They spoke for a few more minutes, Ianto protesting that he didn't mean it and begging Jack to bring little Toshiko back. Jack in return told him that he knew where his little sister was and that he should forget about the baby. When that didn't work Jack tried a different tack, "I've brought you a gift", he spoke.
He continued to speak after Ianto had asked what it was, "It's a crystal, nothing more, But if you turn it this away and look into it, it will show you your dreams. But this isn't a gift for an ordinary boy, who takes care of a screaming baby. Do you want it? Then forget about the baby."
"I can't", Ianto spoke, distress evident in his voice. It was obvious even to Jack he wanted to take the crystal with his dreams. "I appreciate what you're offering, but I want my sister back. She must be so scared."
"Ianto. Don't defy me." The King of the Goblins demanded, the crystal in his hands suddenly turning into what looked like a scarf; he threw it towards Ianto, it turning into a snake in mid-air. He watched Ianto struggle with the snake, his Goblins laughing in the background. "You're no match for me."
Ianto continued to plead that he needed his sister back, Jack telling him that he knew where little Toshiko was and what he needed to do to get her back. Looking around Ianto took note of the fact they were no longer in his parent's bedroom, but looking out over what looked like a maze, with a castle in the distance. When Ianto asked if the castle he saw was the castle beyond the Goblin city, Jack tried to talk him into turning back and leaving Toshiko. Ianto stated that the castle didn't look that far away, but Jack warned him that it was further than he thought and told him the stakes. He only had thirteen hours in which to solve the labyrinth.
Ianto started down the hill that he and the King of Goblins had appeared on, thinking about the King's final words, "Before your baby sister becomes one of us… Forever. Such a pity." Reaching the bottom of the hill he heard a noise and turned in the direction it came from, only to find a small dwarf peeing in a pond. He turned up his nose disgusted by the action, but made his way forwards anyway, hoping that the dwarf would be able to help him to get into the labyrinth.
He asked if he could help him get through the labyrinth, but then got distracted by a small fairy, the dwarf then took what looked like a small police truncheon, and hit the fairy with it. Ianto gathered up the fairy into his hands, cooing at it and chastising the dwarf. He then let out a small shout of pain as it bit him, "It bit me." He cried out incredulously as he looked at the fairy which was now large and a greenish-grey colour.
The dwarf snorted, "What did you expect fairies do?"
"I expected them to grant wishes or something." Ianto replied, unsure as to why he was wasting time discussing this with the dwarf.
"Shows what you know, don't it? That's not what the Mara do." The dwarf spoke, "58!", he called as he sprayed another fairy.
"You're Abhorrent!" Ianto spoke, looking at the dwarf.
"No I'm not. I'm Andy." The dwarf replied. "Who are you?"
Ianto answered telling the dwarf his name to which he replied saying he thought he was. Deciding not to waste any more time Ianto once more asked the dwarf if he knew how to enter the labyrinth. The dwarf being annoying just wouldn't tell him where the entrance to the labyrinth was; instead making him reconsider his words until he asked the right question.
After getting into the labyrinth, Ianto asked Andy which way he would take, to which he replied that he would take neither, and asked if he really wanted to do what he was doing? After all even if he got to the centre he would never get out again and that he took too much for granted. Once the dwarf had left, Ianto considered his offers, and then started walking down the path on his right. He continued down the path for a while, before starting to get frustrated, how this could be called a labyrinth he didn't know, he couldn't find any turns. He then thought about what the dwarf had said and realised that maybe there were turns, and he had just taken for granted that there weren't any turns; at that he began to run.
He ran for a while, but then slumped against the wall; he had been unable to find any turns at all. It was then that he heard a small voice; it turned out to be a worm who directed him to a hole in the wall that would take him further into the labyrinth. He was about to take a left turn when the worm told him never to take that path, instead he went the other way, not hearing the worm's last words, 'If he had kept going on down that way, he'd have gone straight to that castle.' Hearing the cries of a baby, Ianto said in a small but determined voice, "I'm coming, Toshiko."
King Jack of the Goblins was lounging on his throne watching as little Toshiko sat with the Goblins on the floor. The small child was crying, so in attempt to distract her he began to sing. As he sang he thought about the situation he found himself in, Ianto was his, or at least that was how he saw him, he had captured the attention of a fae, but not just any fae, a high fae, and he would not be refused. He did know though, that even though Ianto had wished her away, he would not take kindly to Jack taking his baby sister and would try his hardest to get them both home. He knew that the only way he would get to keep Ianto was if he stalled him as much as possible, the young mortal was determined to reach the castle, and from his observations of him, the King knew that he would make it. What Jack needed to do was make sure that he was too late to just take Toshiko home, even if by only a few minutes, he would be heartbroken, at which point Jack would offer a compromise; a trade. He would send Toshiko home if Ianto stayed in her place.
Meanwhile Ianto had been traversing the labyrinth, marking his way on the flagstones using his eyeliner, only to find that someone had been changing the direction of his markings as soon as he moved away. He then found himself stuck in a dead-end with two, what looked like card-dogs, they were playing cards with dogs' heads at both the top and bottom of the cards, standing in front of two doors. They explained to him that one door led to the castle whilst the other led to certain death, when he asked which was which they told him that he could only ask one of them, before warning them that one of them always lies and one always tells the truth.
He thought about the problem for a moment before asking a question, the answer making his decision for him he chose the door which he believed would lead him to the castle. He explained to the dogs that with the way he had worded the question he would be able to tell which door no matter which of them it was that lied. As he walked through the door he smiled, "I think I'm getting smarter. It's a piece of cake."
The words left his mouth and as soon as he uttered the last syllable the floor disappeared from underneath him, plunging him downwards only for him to be caught by a lot of hands. He slapped at one of them that kept storing his leg, yelling at them to stop it, something that was also a mistake as the hands let him go. He was caught by hands further down the tunnel as he cried out for help, the hands replying that they were helping, they were after all helping hands. They then offered him a choice of which direction he wanted to go in, deciding that it was better to go the way he was facing he chose down, the helping hands dropping him.
He fell and landed in somewhere dark, he later found out that it was an oubliette when Andy the dwarf appeared. The dwarf had apparently thought that he was bound to get himself into trouble and had come to rescue him, something that he would have been angrier about if he wasn't trapped with the dwarf knowing the only exit from the oubliette. The fact that the dwarf had come to rescue him made him feel like some damsel in distress, an image that he abhorred, especially with the looks that the dwarf was throwing him; he was no-ones woman.
He then explained to him that the labyrinth was full of oubliettes and that they were places you put people to forget about them, and now that he thought about it the name explained it, as oubliette translated to something along the lines of little forgotten. He then offered to help him out of the oubliette, explaining that he knew how to get out and that he had a short-cut out of the whole labyrinth.
Ianto tried to reason with the dwarf, before finally bartering with him instead, the dwarf seemed to have a penchant for collecting pretty things, so Ianto offered him his cheap plastic mood bracelet in return for taking him as far as he could. They left the oubliette rather quickly, walking through what looked like caverns, with large stone faces that the Dwarf called False Alarms. They scared him slightly; he wasn't sure if it was because they talked or if it was because they were telling him that he was on the path to certain destruction.
King Jack stared at the young mortal using one of his crystals, he let out a small sigh, "He's in the oubliette."
The Goblins all around him began to laugh, "Don't laugh", he yelled at them, "He shouldn't have got that far. He should have given up by now." He sat in contemplation at the words of one of the braver Goblins, 'He'll never give up.' Then it came to him, he let out a small chuckle, "The dwarf will lead him back to the beginning. He'll soon give up when he realises that he has to start all over again." The Goblins just looked at him, then jumped to follow his orders when he bellowed at them, "Well, laugh." They didn't want to disobey their King after all; the bog of stench was the least of their worries if they disobeyed.
They traversed the caverns as quickly as possible, stopping when they came across what looked to be a beggar, someone that Ianto knew probably shouldn't be there. "Uh oh", he muttered as he realised who it was hidden by the disguise of the beggar, it was none other than the Goblin King. A conversation ensued between King and the dwarf, the King getting his name wrong at first, Ianto feeling compelled to correct him to spoke, "His name is Abominable."
At that the dwarf gave a loud shout, "It's Andy." The King carried on as if he had heard neither of them, chastising Andy for helping when he was supposed to lead Ianto back to the beginning of the labyrinth. This prompted some angry words from Ianto, but Andy wasn't listening for he was more concerned with the threats of his King, he really didn't want to visit the Bog of Eternal Stench.
The King then turned his attention to Ianto, asking him how he had found the labyrinth so far, Ianto deciding to be a bigger man than Andy stood up to the King, "It's a piece of cake." He said defiantly. He didn't hear Andy's groan in the background, instead he was too focused on King whose expression quickly changed to that of anger once more.
"Really? How do you feel about upping the stakes then?" A clock appeared to the side of him, the hands moving of their own accord so that an extra three hours had passed. "A piece of cake is it? If that's it lets see how you handle this slice." He then threw a crystal down to the other end of the tunnel before disappearing.
"Oh no! The Cleaners!" Andy cried, before insisting that they run as fast as they possibly could. The other end of the cavern was blocked by a gate locked securely, however to the side of that was what looked like a false wall that if only they could push through would they be safe from big metal machine that would chop them to pieces. "First the bog of stench, then the cleaners, you sure got his attention."
Ianto couldn't believe it, he had the King's attention, what about his attention, that was certainly focused on the King. He hadn't meant to attract the attention of the King, but he was sure that he couldn't say the same for the King. He thought of the monarchy and the Royals of his own world, the way the King of the Goblins dressed was certainly like nothing he was used to. He was sure that the King had dressed as provocatively as he had to get his attention, something that the King had managed to capture spectacularly; he hadn't even known that they made trousers that tight.
The wall gave way just before the cleaners reached them and they fell into a smaller cavern that had a ladder, Andy insisting that Ianto climb it, before explaining away his previous words to the King as trying to lead him off the scent. Ianto was unsure as to whether or not to leave the dwarf, but without a guide he would be stuck there, so really he had no other option but to follow him. He climbed up the ladder behind the dwarf, only to come out of a vase that certainly hadn't looked big enough to hold someone his size.
Once out of the vase, Andy declared that he quit, and when Ianto tried to reason with him, for he had promised to take him through the labyrinth, the dwarf reiterated that he'd only promised that he would take him as far as he could go, and he was going no further. In the end, Ianto made a grab for the 'jewels' that Andy had hanging from his belt, holding them above his head and stopping him from reaching them. Andy protested that it wasn't fair, but Ianto had just told them that sometimes life wasn't and he was beginning to realise that.
Before anything else could be said, a tall man in a pinstripe suit past them, making his way towards the stone and seat in the garden. "Excuse me, please," Ianto said "but can you help me?"
The man looked at him crying out in delight, "OH! A young boy." The man's hat, a red headed bird started making cooing noises at him, before leaning down and biting the man, crowing that he was being rude and should introduce them. The man reluctantly agreed, glaring up at his hat, "I'm the Doctor, and this," he looked up at his hat once more, "is Donna. Who are you two then?"
Ianto's had to overcome the fact that the hat had a name, but then again it could talk so it having a name surely couldn't be such a stretch of imagination. "Oh, well I'm Ianto, and this is my friend Andy." He answered the Doctor's question. "I must get to the castle at the centre of the labyrinth, do you know the way?"
"You want to get to the castle?" The Doctor spoke, Donna piping up with, "How's that for brain power, huh?", before the Doctor silenced her. The Doctor peered at Ianto over his glasses, "You wished someone away, how much time do you have left?"
Ianto sighed as he tried to work it out, but he couldn't be sure, so he explained that he had no idea, it hadn't felt like long that he had been there, but the King had taken three hours away from him. When he told the Doctor that the older man let out a sigh louder than Ianto had ever heard before, and when Ianto asked how the King had managed to make time go forward three hours the Doctor gave a small smile before saying in an exited voice, "Time is all wibbly wobbly timey wimey, it can be changed." His smile then fell as he continued, "Still I thought I had taught that boy better than that, just because he's a fixed point in time and space doesn't mean he can change time around him."
Donna was being uncharacteristically quiet until the Doctor gave his advice that 'The way forward is sometimes the way back and that you may think you're going nowhere when actually you are.' When Ianto began to walk away she squawked loudly at him telling him that for that advice he had to give them something in return, they weren't an information service after all. Ianto just looked at the loudmouthed bird before placing his thumb ring in the box, after Andy objected to any of his jewels being used.
They left the old man and his hat and made their way into the hedge maze, a loud roar reaching their ears and causing Andy to run off, saying that he'd rather be friendless than endangered. That he was coward and that being a coward was better than getting involved in any more of Ianto's 'spooky dos'.
Ianto carried on looking for whatever it was making the noise, only to find a group of little, well if the King was the Goblin King they must be Goblins, ganging up on something large, orange and fluffy. He wished he could help, that he had something he could throw, only to find a rock at his feet each time he needed one. He threw them at each Goblin, knocking their helmets down further onto their heads, making it hard for them to see and easier for them to hit each other. They ran off when they thought that they were being attacked and Ianto moved from where he had been standing to help the creature down from where he was suspended by a rope. Unfortunately the creature had been upside down and landed on his head, but he was none the worse for wear for it.
The creature indicated that his name was Rhys and Ianto introduced himself, Rhys butchering his name calling him Yan-to, but you couldn't have everything, and Rhys declaring Ianto as his friend. Ianto then, now without help asked the only other source of companionship he had at the moment if he knew how to get through the labyrinth. It appeared however that no-one actually knew how to get through the labyrinth, disheartened Ianto carried on with Rhys at his side until the reached two thick sturdy doors.
Each door had a large brass door knocker, each one attached to a face; one knocker went through his ears, the others in his mouth. He asked where the doors led to, but in order to get an answer had to remove the knocker from the second doors mouth as the first couldn't hear his question. The brass face told him that they didn't know where the doors led they were just the knockers, and explained when questioned that all Ianto had to do was knock and the door will open. After forcing the knocker back into his mouth Ianto used it to knock on the door then walked through it into what looked like a forest, Rhys following close behind him.
Rhys was walking rather close to him and it took Ianto a few minutes to realise that the great orange beast was afraid of the dark, and that the forest was scaring him. He quickly reassured Rhys that there was nothing for him to be afraid of, as he carried on walking. He then turned to speak to Rhys only to find that he had disappeared, he called out to him but there was no reply, instead he called out to Andy to help him.
King Jack had been watching Ianto's progression through the labyrinth, taking a keen interest in everything he was doing, especially his interactions with the dwarf, there was no way he was going to allow him to take away what was rightfully his. He had winced as he listened in on the conversation Ianto had with the Doctor, he knew his teacher would have strong words with which to berate him once the game, not that it could really be called a game the stakes were to high for that, was over.
He had watched as Ianto had offered his friendship to the dwarf, something that made him mad, not that he didn't want Ianto to have friends here, he just didn't want one of them to be the damned dwarf. He also saw the dwarf throw everything that had been offered to him away because he was scared, the happiness he felt at the fact that the dwarf was no longer with his Ianto threatened to overwhelm him, but he kept it from simmering over.
The King came out of his musings and dissection of his feelings when he heard his mortal boy calling for the dwarf; he quickly transported himself to the dwarf's location, knowing that he had to intervene. Appearing in front of the dwarf he asked him where he was going only to be given a cock and bull story about Ianto having given him the slip, but Andy had just heard him and was going to lead him back to the beginning. Jack snorted before warning the dwarf what the price for betrayal would be, before giving him a banana and insisting that he gave it to Ianto.
The dwarf protested that he would do nothing to hurt the young man, the very thought of which angered the King, why would he wish to hurt his future consort. Jack taunted the dwarf about what he was to Ianto before telling him that if Ianto ever kissed him he would make him a prince, and then he laughed and continued, telling him that it would be Prince of the Land of Stench. He then retreated back to the castle to look after little Toshiko; keep the Goblins out of harm; and watch his beloved try to solve his labyrinth.
Ianto looked around, he couldn't find Rhys anywhere, and Andy hadn't come to help him either, so much for that friendship going anywhere. He heard the crunch of a twig and turned round, expecting to find Rhys, Andy or even the King checking up on him, instead there were four ugly creatures closing in around him. Their faces were all wrinkled and looked like old leather and the permanent snarl upon their faces showing their large teeth; something which Ianto did not really want to see any closer than he already was.
The creatures seemed to be trying to pen him in, but he got out of the clearing in which they had surrounded him. He made a run for it, while he had never been into sports, preferring the arts, it did not mean that he was unfit, not by any stretch of the imagination. He ran as fast as he could finally coming to a wall of sorts, the creatures closing in on him when a rope was slung down towards him. He grabbed hold of the rope, climbing up it as quickly as he could, only to find Andy at the other end of the rope, the creatures below still trying to make a grab for him.
Ianto smiled at Andy, "Andy! You came to help me." He said gratefully before moving towards him ignoring his pleas for him to not kiss him, he press a small friendly kiss to his cheek. As soon as his lips touch the dwarf however the stone floor disappeared from beneath them and they fell down what reminded him of a chute at a park. As he came out the other end he managed to hold on just in time, reaching out to catch Andy as well before the both fell into whatever it was that they were suspended over.
They made their way as carefully as they could off of the ledge that they were perched on, trying as hard as they were able to ignore the stench that permeated the area. Reaching safe land - safe as in that wasn't covered by the noxious smelling liquid - they found Rhys. Spotting a bridge they headed towards it, intending to cross it and get as far away from the stench as they could as quickly as they could, Andy warning them not to touch the odorous substance as one touch and they'd stink forever.
They were stopped by what appeared to be a fox terrier brandishing a spear at them, "Stop! Stop, I say."
Ianto looked down at the little dog, "We have to get across, I don't have much time and we must get out of this stench."
"Smell bad." Rhys groaned out.
The fox terrier stood and glared at them, "None shall cross without my permission." Then a strange look crossed its face, "Stench? Of what speaketh thou? I smell nothing. I live by my sense of smell. And nothing shall cross without my permission."
At that Rhys decided that he could take no more, the smell of the bog too much for him to stand about doing nothing and he charged at the little fox terrier. A fight ensued between them and Andy made a run for it across the bridge to the other side of the bog. Rhys fought the little dog to a standstill something that impressed the little fox terrier.
"Never before have I met my match in battle, yet this noble knight has fought me to a standstill!" The fox spoke, "Sir Rhys, I, Lady Kathy, yield to thee. Come, let us be siblings henceforth and fight for the right as one!"
Ianto smiled as Rhys croaked out, "Rhys get sister." He then made to cross the bridge but was stopped once again by Kathy, the dog reminding him of her sacred vow. After considering the wording of the vow Ianto asked Kathy for permission which was then granted to them. He looked at the bridge with suspicion, not sure if it would hold his weight but started to walk across it anyway. He was half way across when Kathy decided to show that it would withstand anything, unfortunately causing the bridge to collapse, leaving Ianto to grab onto a vine to stop himself from falling into the bog.
Rhys started to moan out loud and before they knew it large boulders were making their way up from the bog until Ianto had one under his feet allowing him to let go of the vine holding him. Others also rose allowing for a path to go from each side of the bog, Rhys crossing behind him, with Kathy following him on her dog Myfanwy.
Once on land again they started walking towards the castle once more, the walk seemed to go on forever and Ianto could feel his stomach protesting the lack of food. His hunger was apparent to the others as well, and Andy offered him a banana that he pulled from his pocket. The hunger he felt overrode his sense and he peeled the banana taking a huge bite, falling down to the bottom of a tree as everything around him seemed to shift. He didn't notice Andy running away cursing himself and the King or Rhys and Kathy continuing onwards not having noticed that he was no longer behind them.
Jack was anxious, he had been watching ever since he had left the dwarf, he couldn't wait until the dwarf finally gave in and followed his orders. He knew that as soon as Ianto ate the banana he would be his, after all the enchanted fruit would tie Ianto to his realm, hopefully in more ways than one. When he saw the young man take a bite of the fruit he let a smile cross his handsome face, before leaving the throne room to await his beloved in the ballroom.
He changed, using magic, into a majestic outfit made from blue velvet and encrusted with various jewels. He moved through the ballroom, his face hidden by a mask, hiding between members of his court as he waited for Ianto to arrive. When the young man appeared he was dressed in a well-cut white and gold suit, which would contrast perfectly with Jack's blue and silver outfit; a perfect outfit for what the King had planned.
As soon as he finished taking in the younger man's appearance he started to sing, a song straight from his soul, a song that belonged only to Ianto. He could see Ianto searching for him as he weaved through the members of his court, he could tell that Ianto was determined to find him, if not a little bit unnerved by some of the startling masks his court were hiding behind. As the song he sung progressed he banished his mask and walked towards Ianto, pulling him into his arms, singing softly into his ear as they danced.
He would have been content to stay there with the man in his arms for eternity, however not all wishes come true; Ianto having figured out something was wrong at the most inopportune moment. Jack had just been about to kiss the younger man, finalising everything that had just transpired between them in the ballroom, when Ianto struggled out of his arms. He tried to escape the ballroom, but the courtiers blocked him in many ways, knowing that their King didn't want him to leave. In the end Ianto used one of the chairs from the room to smash the illusion that he had been trapped in, not understanding what he was leaving behind or even noting the desolate look on the King's face.
Ianto felt like he was falling but he had no idea how that could be, he seemed to land and he looked around feeling disorientated. He was in what appeared to be a junkyard but everything seemed so fuzzy that he couldn't be sure, he stood up leaning on what he was sure was a pile of junk next to him. He was shocked however when the pile moved, turning around to reveal a man in what looked to be some sort of faded red military style top and badly faded trousers and t-shirt. The man had a large amount of junk - or at least what he thought was junk - on his back, he couldn't be too sure of anything at the moment.
"Ow! Get off my back. Why don't you look where you're going, young man?" He asked.
Ianto stuttered out an apology before trying to think where it was that he was going, he had been looking for something, he was sure of it. At that moment the man produced a stuffed dragon from behind him, "Draconis." Ianto cried out, hugging his dragon close to him, still feeling uncertain about the whole situation.
"That's what you were looking for, wasn't it Eye Candy?" The man asked him, and Ianto found himself nodding hesitantly, before the man ushered him through a door that he was sure hadn't been there before, but he shook the thought off.
He looked around before realising that he was in his room, he threw himself on the bed before speaking, "It was a dream, Draconis. All a dream, let's go and see if daddy's back shall we."
He got up and made his way towards the door, opening it to go downstairs when the strange man forced his way inside saying that it was better to stay inside that there was nothing he could want outside. The junkman as Ianto had come to think of him then started to try and burden him with as much baggage as he had, adding toys from his childhood to his back. Ianto still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong though, and he reached out and picked up the book in front of him, 'Labyrinth'.
"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city to take back the child you hath stolen." He read aloud to himself. In that moment he knew, it was like a light had switched itself on in his brain, and now that it was on the junkman couldn't turn it back off or distract him with the junk from his childhood. He threw the music player at the wall, screaming that he had to find Toshiko as all the walls fell like cardboard in the rain.
Rhys and Lady Kathy were there helping him out from the junkyard were he had become trapped in the frivolousness of his childhood. "My lord, are you all right?" Kathy asked, before continuing, "We are almost there, my lord, those are the gates to the Goblin City."
Lady Kathy charged ahead, yelling for the gates to be opened and almost waking the guard, the others managed to calm her down stating that while she was an amazing fighter they weren't and that stealth was a better option. They snuck through the first set of gates only to come face to leg with what must have been a humungous creature made of brass.
It was a fighting machine, being controlled by a single Goblin sitting in the machine's head. When spikes sprung up behind them Ianto was sure that they were done for as they could not pass the machine and the axe that it was wielding. Andy came to their rescue though, fighting with the Goblin in control and managing to lodge the axe into the stone above the second set of gates. Lady Kathy commended Andy on his bravery dubbing him - like she had Rhys - as Sir Andy, they each thanked the dwarf before making their way into the city and towards the castle.
Jack was sitting on his throne thinking about how everything had gone wrong in the ballroom, if only he had appeared to Ianto earlier he may have been able to keep his attention on him long enough to complete what he had to do. Unfortunately the young mortal was only Fae touched; he hadn't been able to finish the binding, so he was only marked as his, not his completely.
He was drawn from his thoughts by a Goblin, "Your Highness. Sire! The boy! The boy who ate the banana and forgot everything." He stopped then continued at the King's insistence, "He's here, with the dwarf, Lady Kathy and the beast."
Jack sighed knowing that he needed to stall Ianto for a little bit longer, "Call out the guard." He yelled, then as an afterthought he shouted, "Hide the baby."
Ianto and the others made their way through the city, and he was sure he was going to make it when Goblins in black with red caps started appearing all over the place, firing cannons at them and chasing after them with spears. Ianto started to lead them in one direction but Lady Kathy had decided that she wanted to be in on the action and threatened Myfanwy with the prospect of not being fed if she didn't turn around at once.
Ianto, Andy and Rhys were holed up in one of the Goblin homes while Rhys called the rocks to his aid, rocks after all were friends. Once the majority of those attacking them had been taken care of they went to look for Kathy. Finding her they completed the last of the journey to the castle, Ianto left the others in the empty throne room, knowing that he had to confront the King alone. He took their message to heart all the same, and if he needed them he would call, but alone was the way this part of the journey had to be completed.
He entered a room that looked as though it had been pulled straight from an Escher painting, he heard once again that melodic voice that belonged to the King once more singing to him, but shook it off, he had to find Toshiko. He noticed her on one of the sets of stairs and tried to make his way to her, but the room itself was almost more of a labyrinth than the one outside. Finding himself just above his baby sister he walked over the edge hoping to land beside her, instead he landed and he couldn't see Toshiko anywhere, just the clock that was slowly losing time and the King.
"Give me the child." He commanded, ignoring the King's warnings of how he could be cruel and how he had been generous up until now, doing everything he had asked of him. How he had taken the child when asked, then given him a chance to gain her back when he had asked.
"I have reordered time. I have turned the world upside down, and I have done it all for you! I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me." The King stated before asking, "Isn't that generous?".
Ianto ignored him, knowing that the man was trying to stall for time so he could keep Toshiko, not knowing that the baby wasn't the prize that he wanted. "Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city, for my will is as strong as yours. And my –" Ianto began.
Jack interrupted him, trying to get him to look into the crystal in his hands, offering him his dreams once more. He ignored him; he knew that the price was too high; he couldn't trade his baby sister for his dreams no matter how much he had hated looking after her at times. "And my Kingdom is as great." Ianto continued.
"I ask for so little. Just let me rule you and you can have everything that you want." The King pleaded.
Ianto tried not to listen; instead he focussed on trying to remember the next line. "Just fear me, love and I will be your slave." Jack spoke, fear of rejection in his eyes.
At that moment Ianto looked up at him, "You have no power over me." The clock began to chime and once more Ianto was back home, downstairs in the entrance hall. He rushed upstairs quickly, checking on Toshiko before going to his room. Sat in front of his mirror he was sure that he was seeing things when he saw first Andy then Kathy and finally Rhys telling him that if he needed them he just had to call. He gave a small smile before telling them that he needed them all in his life, even just every now and again, something which the others thought deserved a celebration in his room. He didn't think about the banana he had eaten whilst in the Underground, and he certainly didn't think of the consequences of that, the Persephone Canon not being thought about for several years until everything changed.
Outside the window in the form of an owl the King watched the celebration with mixed feelings, he was happy that Ianto was happy, but he was desolate that he hadn't stayed with him. He knew he should have even if he hadn't completed the binding he knew that the banana should have been enough, but the labyrinth had sent him home. Ianto was too old to turn, but he was also too young to keep. In a few years time that would be different though, and Jack would be able to take what was his, until then he would have to settle for watching Ianto's life instead of being a part of it.
The End