By: Palais
1/6: This is the newly revised version, I reworked it a bit, just like chapter one. Expect a new chapter shortly!
Cast List: In order of appearance…
Sarah Williams: Jennifer Connelly
Grand Rayja Thanatos Abaddon: Sean Bean
Grand Rayja Evander Absalom: Orlando Bloom
Chapter 2 : Grand Revelations
Sarah hit the floor with a loud thud, her bare knees connecting quite painfully with the marble tiles. She let out a soft yelp and rocked back onto her buttocks, two hands wandering quickly to soothe her wounded knees. She would definitely have two massive bruises marking that rather ungainly entrance. She pursed her lips slightly, as her hands inelegantly massaged her hurts, wincing every now and then from the pain. A loud bang sounded above her, pulling her roughly from her injuries and back to reality and what a rude awakening that was.
She was, most definitely, no longer in the gloomy alley…not anything even remotely similar in fact. She now was in a rather spacious room, with high ceilings and equally high windows. The flooring, as she had discovered from her close encounter, was a pale gray marble veined with slivers of deep ebony and opulent gold. It spanned the majority of the floor, only to transform into a luscious scarlet carpeting lining the center. The crimson runner ran regally toward a towering alabaster door, lined profusely with gold. This was all positioned before her, but apparently it was the back of the room, since the strident noise had sounded from behind her. She scuttled on her rear, turning toward the front of the colossal room. Her amber eyes widened significantly from the sight that lay before her…and she had thought the gold-lined door was cool.
A growth of pews rose towards the looming ceiling, mimicking exactly the stadium seating of an amphitheater. Each pew was ivory in color and lined with gold very much like the door, but upon them were carved various designs; some portrayed fairies and woodlands and others trolls and caverns. They were all occupied by the certain creatures that were carved within their seating. The sight was breath-taking, taking in the amount of seating about her, there were creatures even she had never seen before. Looking up at the high ceiling, her eyes only grew wider. The ceiling mimicked a star-filled night sky to the letter. It was deep navy in color and the stars were an assortment of shades, ranging from the usual white, to ruby, sapphire, emerald, and even amethyst.
In the center of all this peculiarity was an ivory pulpit, set atop two crystalline pillars. Held within the podium was a rather daunting figure seated upon a crystal throne. The man's hair was quite long, well, at least for the day and times Sarah lived in. It sat lazily upon the man's broad shoulders, a reddish-brown in hue. A beard of a similar shade sprawled across his upper lip and chin. He was attired in a quite fetching frock coat of deepest ebony with gold darned onto the linings of the exquisite coat. Random speckles of golden glitter were splattered across its magnificence, giving the apparel an overall ethereal appearance. He had a pair of loose fitting black pants tucked into knee-length riding boots also splendidly lined with gold. Upon his hands were a pair of black leather gloves and within one of his massive hands was a mallet; the very mallet that had pulled Sarah back into reality.
Sarah instantly pulled herself to her feet, despite the disagreement of her battered knees. The last thing she wanted was to piss off a horde of unknown creatures. She thoroughly brushed the dust from her shorts and straightened her attire to a more appropriate state. God, how out of place she felt amongst all these immaculately dressed beings. Here little old Sarah was, dressed in a pair of overly short shorts and a scanty sleeveless shirt. Bloody Wonderful.
The room had fallen silent and all the occupants were staring expectantly at her; of what they were expecting her to do, of course, baffled her beyond all reason. She was still trying to figure out where the hell she was, never mind explaining her purpose to an assemblage of fairytale beings.
"Well? Explain yourself, Mortal," Barked the off-putting figure from the ivory dais, breaking the deafening silence quite abruptly and crudely. Sarah's balked explicably from the verbal attack. What did he want her to explain? What did she have to explain? If she remembered correctly, it had been this council of sorts that had brought her here. And now the man was asking her to elucidate. Shouldn't he be explaining to her about the nature of her being brought here?
"Ex…Explain what?" She stuttered nervously, too much so for her own liking. She was obviously intimidated by the mass of creatures, their "leader" figure most of all; but, she didn't want to make it glaringly obvious that she was about to piss her insufficient shorts. The man rose at her question, placing the mallet gracefully upon the wide arm of the ornate throne. Even with man several yards away, she could feel his crushing presence bearing down upon her, his ominous eyes frowning at her. She swallowed hard, beginning to rethink her quick reply. Perhaps, she should have just made something up, anything would have been better than dealing with this concealed persecution.
"You have some nerve, mortal. You have broken one of the highest laws of the Ecthelion Council and you have the courage to discount it?" His voice roared across the silent court. every single syllable pounding ferociously upon Sarah's confounded mind. Sarah gazed up at the man with evident horror. What had she done to warrant this man's vicious fury?
"Sir, I don't wish to defy you. I simply have no clue as to what you are talking about…" She replied, her fear soaking into her voice and saturating it wholly. There was no escaping from her trepidation now. All she could do was accept that she was in deep trouble and she was scared senseless on account of it. Her mind ran through the possible list of offenses of what unspeakable act she could have performed to warrant this, but her mind drew a large blank. She did have that parking fine she received when she was 20 and somehow evading paying; but, this man didn't look like he'd give a damn about her parking fine…if he even knew what it was.
"Sir? Sir?! I did not toil for five hundred years just to be simply called…Sir. You shall address me by my respectable title, human. You obviously have been negligent on your keep up with your realm. I would expect a woman of your stature…even if she is a pathetic mortal, to sustain a bit of knowledge," He growled at a dangerously low tone. Sarah cringed at his insults, even if the went far over her head. What did he mean by saying "of her stature." She was a simple actress, not some governmental figure. This man was obviously taking pot shots at her ignorance, and probably getting a rise out of every minute of it. . A look of triumph glimmered brightly in those menacing orbs. He was obviously quite happy with his obvious control over her.
She grimaced and looked away from the man. She needed to refocus herself. Her goal now, was to appease this man and than get him to send her straight back home, somehow. This place was wondrous, but her current impression was not a good one. She'd much rather be frying on the overheated sidewalks of New York, than get put in the hot seat here. But, no matter where her mind turned she could think of no solution to her dilemma. She couldn't ask more questions, he'd simply mock her more. Asking one of the odd creatures was simply out of the question and from the looks of the door behind her, running away wasn't much of an option either. She was stuck.
Suddenly, the doors behind Sarah swung open, the entire crowd's attention shifting from her to the gaping entry. A man stood quite regally between the grand ivory doors, glaring at the throng with disapproving eyes. Sarah gawked at the stunning gentleman that gracefully strode into the court, her amber eyes twinkling with hope. Maybe, he'd help her get out of this mess.
The man stood rather tall, much taller than her height of five feet eight inches, at least. He was oddly shod in a stylish business suit of sorts; consisting of a pair of loose black pants, a waist length ebon blazer, and a white button down shirt, buttoned half-way. He wore a pair of glossy black dress shoes and loosened silver tie around his neck. His facial features were powerfully defined with a strong jaw line and high cheek bones. His hair was a dark russet color, shortly cut, almost buzzed. His entire stance was that of unperturbed power, but tremendous power nonetheless. The only things that discounted his haughty ambiance were his warm chocolate-brown eyes, almost puppy dog like. Those same eyes gazed at Sarah with a certain empathy for her dilemma, but not with pity. They did not regard her as a lesser, but more as an equal. Yet, a pit still formed instinctively within her stomach, chewing gallingly upon her glimmer of hope. He may be on that evil man's side. God, then she'd be screwed.
"Lord Thanatos, I'm a bit surprised that you brought the Lady promptly to the Council. Once more you have completely disregarded my position," The man spoke with a certain eloquence that oddly reminded Sarah of a certain King from her past life. But, then again the entire nature of this place reminded her of the Underground she had "visited" in her youth.
Lord Thanatos, who was none other that the daunting figure, did not seemed quite pleased by this man's entrance, and even less pleased with his comment. Well, things were looking up at least. Maybe she'd be home by supper now…then she'd have to formulate a plan of how to deal with a seething Marcus. Well, at least he'd be easier to mollify than Lord Thanatos.
"Lord Evander, she openly broke a High Law, thus in this circumstance your…assistance was not needed," Thanatos sneered arrogantly, practically spitting each word down at the man. Lord Evander, on the other hand, did not appear dissuaded by the spiteful words in the least. Things most definitely were looking up. A smile almost crossed Sarah's lips, but she fought violently against that urge. She had to remember she was still in this Thanatos's presence; he'd probably accuse her of breaking some other "high law" by smiling with her luck…
"I suggest you regard Lady Sarah with the respect she deserves, Lord Thanatos. She may be human, but her standing is set in stone. She is a Lady of the court, whether you like it or not," Evander stepped further into the hall, coming to Sarah's side. All of Sarah's happy thoughts spontaneously combusted at the moment, leaving her alone in the dark again. She was a what? Couldn't they just keep things simple around here? Lose the Lord and Lady crap and just loosing up a bit. Thanatos looked like he could appreciate a large mug of beer, and if not Sarah would ram it kindly down his throat anyway. Maybe he'd be nicer drunk…
"She may be a Lady of the court, but she is also a woman and a mortal who broke a law, which is also, might I add, set in stone. Thus, I shall regard her as I wish, Lord Evander," Sarah froze at Evander's proclamation, her attention darting quickly from the surly Thanatos to Evander. Her? A Lady of the court. Oh, just hold the phone now.
Yet, before Sarah had time to offer this idea some thought dangerous growl echoed from the podium of Lord Thanatos, as he began to float from the pulpit toward Sarah and Evander. Wonderful, now he was floating. It had to be some silly circus trick, people did not just stand up and float on their own; and Sarah had long ago stopped believing in any form of magic. Unfortunately, however, there was no cable or invisible walkway that suspended the man in air. He was, in fact, hovering in the air. Sarah felt a wave of vertigo rush over her, the impact of all the bizarre occurrences hitting her all at once. She was in the Underground. She was in the bloody Underground that she hadn't even thought of for seven years. How fucking fabulous.
Thanatos landed beside Evander, his boots thudding against the scarlet carpeting quite stridently. He stood tall, even above the reasonably tall Evander, and looked ever the more threatening now she was in his physical presence. He glowered at Sarah crossly, and she realized his eyes were not both a russet a hue; but one was brown and the other was an iniquitous ruby shade. The incompatibility of his eyes brought upon the sudden thought of that other with a similar mismatched appearance. Was he here, as well? She hadn't seen him up in the assembly, but it appeared that not all members of the Council were present, since Evander had just shown up. Would this room be graced with the presence of the enigmatic Goblin King? Would Sarah once more feel her heart rattle violently against her chest, threatening to break free from it's cage?
Two fingers encased in leather gripped her chin suddenly, pulling her face upwards. She found herself looking directly into those sinister mismatched orbs. They were studying her face quite intently, skimming across her finely constructed features and deftly avoiding her gaze.
"It is still a shock that a female mortal bested the Labyrinth. I would have expected the stronger of that wretched species to do so," Thanatos released Sarah from his iron-like grip, spitting his words out like wild fire. It didn't take a genius to figure that Thanatos had a thing against woman and mortals; automatically taking a whopping fifty points from Sarah's brownie sheet.
"Does it matter so? Now every species is represented within the Ecthelion Council. I would think that would be a benefit, not a detriment," Evander, on the other hand, seemed to fall on the far more favorable spectrum. The way he fiercely defended her was odd, though; she didn't even know the man. Yet, what he was shielding her from was still evading her quite skillfully. It was apparent she had broken some law and pissed off Thanatos, as well. How she did both of these things, however, was beyond her.
"Well, it does matter when the envoy disobeys regulations," Thanatos shot back, his glare jumping from Sarah toward Evander. Sarah rolled her eyes. She was sick of being talked of like she wasn't in the room. She was also a bit sick of Thanatos's high and mighty complex, and she was going to put a stop to this nonsense this instant.
"For God's sake! What law did I break?" She cried, throwing her hands up in the air. Thanatos spun towards her, his eye's filled with shock and rage. The mild prattle that had begun to sound from the seating ceased abruptly. Once more, all eyes were on her. Thanatos looked as if he was about to jump upon her and rip her limb for limb; but, fortunately, Evander stepped forward before anything of the like could happen.
"The Hallowed Law of Vaalea," He answered softly, stepping towards her, as he continued his explanation. "The Vaaleans are ethereal beings, appearing as diminutive replicas of Mother Sun. They are protected by the Ecthelion Council as if they were one of our own. The Vaaleans are gifts from the Mother in lieu of her eternal love for us worldly beings. Their splendor and vivacity embody all that She presages. How one reached the human plane is a mystery, but your contact with the Vaalean was in direct opposition of Council Law. Presumably, since you are a Lady of the court, you should have known this. Thus, Lord Thanatos, thinks you should receive the full brunt of your actions. I, and a far amount of the court, believe, since you were unaware, you should not be punished, but take your rightful position in court instead," Evander finished his lengthy spiel with a critical look toward Thanatos. Thanatos was glaring at Evander, silently fuming from the snub of his words.
"You said that I would take my rightful place in Court. What do you mean by that?" Sarah asked, suddenly feeling bolder now that she knew that the majority of the court was on her side. A glimmer of a smile flashed across Evander's face and relief washed across his warm eyes. Sarah replicated his facial expression slightly, his comforting visage soothing her nerves.
"By defeating the Labyrinth you were automatically raised to the status of Lady of the Court, and since your species was not represented in the Council; you became emissary. A race usually has about two representatives, that is different for the fae and the elves, of course. Since the fae and the elven are the High Rulers of the Underground and were commissioned by the Mother to lead her children. Every diplomat here has completed the Labyrinth, it is a requirement to reach to position. It tests one bravery, knowledge, skill, and resolve; all are vital to being leaders of a race. The mortals, however, have always been excluded from this. Being thought as petty and unworthy, and the fact that none had ever completed the Labyrinth did not aid their cause. That is, of course, until you came along. You defeated the Labyrinth, but were not of compulsory age to accept your position. Thus, you were sent back to the mortal plane. However, you were never called when you came of age. That can only be blamed upon a rather…shall we say forgetful, Grand Rayja…" Evander finished, turning on Thanatos with a fiery glare.
"I did not overlook it. She does not belong here, Lord Evander. Mortals were never meant to ascend to such influence. They have disregarded their innate magick and taken upon their foolish 'technology' and 'science' in its place. They are a ignominy to the children of the Mother." Thanatos was standing directly before Evander now, towering over the man like a menacing fiend. Evander simply stared at Thanatos as if he was a misbehaving child; hands upon his hips and the whole works.
Sarah stood a bit to the side; she had not even heard Thanatos's angry reply. She had heard Evander's statement all the way up until he declared that she was ambassador of her race. Shouldn't that position be held for the President, or at least someone selected by popular vote? She was hardly what one would called qualified. She was a stage actress in New York city for crying out loud, not an learned emissary. Yes, she had gone to college and gotten fairly sufficient marks, but surely grades were not all that were requisite for such a hallowed position. She had no experience in the political field whatsoever; truth be told, she avoided it like the plague. Of course, she voted when the time came, but that was her extent of political involvement. Now, she was expected to decided the fate of her entire species. God, this was a bit much.
"Lord Thanatos, I would advise that you hold your tongue. Sarah is now of age to assume her standing. You shall deem her with the same esteem that you would give to any component of the Council," Evander's voice had fallen a few notches, no longer sounding quite as friendly as it had when he had been speaking to her. It was now low and strangely menacing, a kind of menacing that one would wish not to disobey. Thanatos snorted in reply, but he did step back a few paces; cleverly retreating from a degenerating situation.
"We shall see if such regard shall be necessary. She still needs to be presented to the Grand High Rayja. If he accepts her, than so shall I," Thanatos derided, a smug look crossing his face. Sarah was not so sure about this Grand High whatever business; she wasn't even quite sure about this whole business to begin with.
Thanatos bowed rigidly at the middle and then sharply turned and exited the hall. With his leave, the hall burst into blather; talks of the new Council member making their way about the entire court. Sarah released a sigh of relief, however. With Lord Thanatos's leave, it felt as if a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. That man just straight out made her nervous. There was something not quite right with him. Then again, something wasn't quite right with this whole situation. Here she was stuck in the Underground for the second time. She hadn't even wished herself here. Hell, she didn't even remotely want to be here. She'd rather be back in that dingy old alley than contending with crotchety mystical beings. The only problem was, how in hell was she going to get back?
Her eyes then fell upon that Evander fellow. He seemed to be relatively on her side, maybe with a little convincing he would send her home. Even if that didn't work, she could always go find that Thanatos guy and tell him that she'd like to leave. He'd have her off in packing in seconds. Yet, she really didn't want to have to deal with him again, so Evander was her best bet.
Thus, with deep breath she made her way over to the man, who, she realized, had been watching her rather unnervingly the whole time. She offered him a weedy smile and extended her perfectly manicured hand in greeting.
"I know this probably isn't really necessary, but just for formalities sake. I'm Sarah Williams, it's a pleasure to meet you," Evander didn't even pause for a moment before enveloping her hand in his large ones. He shook it firmly, than released just as quickly.
"Evander Absalom, Grand Rayja of the Ecthelion Court. ," A warm, but strangely genuine, smile had crossed his rather handsome features, as he introduced himself in turn. "and yes, you were correct, an introduction is hardly required." He ended with a chuckle, his brown eyes almost smiling along with his mouth. Sarah nodded her head, as her own smile widened a notch. A twang of guilt struck her as he smiled warmly at her. It was a pity that she couldn't get to know this man better, he had an almost ethereal aura about him. Getting to know him would have been a joy. Yet, she really couldn't dilly dally about here. She did have a production to get off the ground; and the show could hardly go on without its lead actress.
"Well, Evander, I'd like to thank you for defending me against that…that man. However…"
"I wouldn't start thanking me yet, my lady. We still have to get you past the Grand High Rayja, then and only then, may you thank me," Evander interjected, cutting her off right as she was about to push in her request.
"Yes, about that, couldn't I just go home. You know, and save all this Grand High Rayja some trouble," Evander froze the instant he heard her words. The smile upon his face faded quickly, and he gazed at Sarah with a firm, almost demanding look. Sarah swallowed hard, but held her ground. She knew she was correct. The Underground was no place for her.
"I don't believe that is possible," Evander replied curtly, as his eyes continued to bear down upon her. Sarah narrowed her eyes at the man, not quite understanding why her going home was an impossibility. Its not like she wanted the position, couldn't she just forfeit it to someone more worthy?
"And why not? It's not like I want to be here; and besides, I'm not one you'd like as a emissary for the human race. I'm a stage actress for Christ's sake!" Sarah retorted, her voice slowly beginning to escalate with her desperation. She was going home, and not he or any other mystical being was going to impede her from that goal. Evander reached out to her, his hands clasping her arms and catching her full and undivided attention. His grip was not harsh, nor was it gentle. It was more a silent desperation, tugging at her to follow his lead.
"Sarah, you don't give yourself enough credit. Yes, in a superficial sense you seem hardly capable of such a position, but within you beats the soul of a leader. Sarah, you didn't conquer the Labyrinth by chance, your perseverance and ingenuity pushed you through. You do have the skill to perform this task…" Evander's words danced in and out of Sarah's ears, singing an eerie song of inspiration. She felt as if she was back in her high school days, sitting in the locker room and listening to the regular pump up speech her track coach would feed them before every meet. Evander certainly had a way with words, but she couldn't let them go completely to her head.
"Evander…I thank you for your persistent, but unnecessary faith in me. I need to go home, though. I have a life there, I have my obligations to other people. I can't simply drop everything and take up some fanciful position in a land I stopped believing in years ago…" She replied with a sigh, as she lowered her eyes. The Underground had always been a wondrous, but frightening thing to her. The way she remembered it so vividly in her mind, and the way should could almost still breath the stale air of the Labyrinth. She had almost completely convinced herself it had been a dream, however. A wild recollection of her make-believe days. Now, it was like she was back at the beginning again, standing before those iron-clad gates.
"But, you have an obligation here, as well. To your people and to yourself. You can't run away from the past anymore, Sarah. Let me strike a deal with you…" Evander suggested, as he slipped a hand beneath her chin and raised her face to his. His chocolate eyes had warmed again, and he had a semblance of a smile resting upon his lips.
"You come with me to convene with the Grand High Rayja, and if he rejects you, I shall send you home. Yet, if he doesn't, I would plead with you to consider assuming your rightful position. How does that sound?" Evander proposed, a certain disquiet filled his brown eyes momentarily, yet faded just as quickly. Something tugged heartily at Sarah's heartstrings as she stared at this man. Evander most likely had some concealed reason for wishing her to assume her position in Court, but she might, as well just go with him. If she got really desperate she could just mess up her meeting with the Grand High Rayja, anyways.
"All right, I'll go," She replied, and Evander's eye's lit up immediately.
"Brilliant! Come on then!" He cried, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the towering ivory doors. It was then, when Sarah seriously began to question what, exactly, she had gotten herself into.