** THIS IS LONG OVER DUE. To anyone who actually reads my fan fictions, please forgive me for not updating this sooner**
The Goblin King landed on a dark, green path, Anna in her cat form, still perched on his shoulder as they touched down. The trees seemed to moan above the two of them, and where it was just after dusk in the human world, here, the new sun just breached the horizon, and dappled the trees with radiance. The white feline leapt down from Jareth and looked around, using her newly keened senses to figure out her surroundings. Her small pink nose moved slightly as she caught a whiff of lush grass and a rushing waterfall far down river, and deep in the forest. Her tail waved slightly, and she curled it inward as she took a seat on the ground, "Where are we?" she asked the Goblin King.
He glanced down at her as he finished brushing himself off, and the crystal in his palm popped like a bubble. Jareth took a knee and reached out to Anna, "What? Don't you recognize it?" he said, patting the cat-child on the head, who in turn hissed back at him, "Don't disobey me, Anna," he warned, "I can very well leave you in that feline form," he said harshly, his odd eyes burning into her.
The cat pulled her ears in and immediately dashed away. He was not acting the way he had in the park, and now she almost wished she'd heeded her mother's warnings. As the young girl looked around again, it did bear a certain resemblance, "Are we in your world? Are we in your Labyrinth?" she asked, taking a step towards him.
Still bearing a frown due to her rude behavior, Jareth was silent for a moment, and watched her venture closer. She soon sat at his feet, her thin white tail swaying as she waited for an answer. The King rolled his eyes and almost smiled, "We are in my kingdom, but far from the Labyrinth. This is the Enchanted Forest," he said, using his gloved hands to circle around him to accentuate his point, "Home of all manner of beasts and beings. And lots of whom would enjoy a tasty morsel like you," he added with a hint of concern. Anna gasped and fear fell in her eyes, "But, don't you worry. No harm will come to you," he said, looking down at her with a toothless grin.
The young girl gave him a sassy confused look, "No harm? I'm a cat for crying out loud," she cried.
He, once again, was not impressed with her arrogance, "But, I did not give you that form, and you have no one to blame but yourself, for your predicament," he said, waving a finger at her.
She batted it away before giving her reply; "That Dorcha lady would never have talked with me if you had not given me that crystal!" she defended.
Growing weary of the impertinent child, he looked away as he roughly grabbed her by the scruff, causing her to howl, and immediately go limp, "We're wasting time with this fiddle-faddle," he said, placing her on his shoulder as he started to walk into the forest before them, the cat clinging her claws deep into his coat as she regained her balance.
Once again feeling her cowardice coming back, Anna gulped, "We're actually going in there?" she said, her ears falling again.
"Yes," Jareth said blankly, "If we're going to save your mother, we must consult my sister, Laiste," he said, bringing his index finger to his lips, "Now, be quiet. Our journey will be much easier if our presence here is unknown," he said in a whisper.
"But, I thought you were King? I guess not everybody likes you," Anna interjected.
"I may be King, but not all creatures of my kingdom follow me; even the trees have a distaste for me" he said, leaping to one side to dodge a falling tree branch. Jareth turned his eyes upwards at the swaying trees that scowled down on him, and soon brushed them aside; sticking to a well beaten path that would lead them straight to his sister's abode, assuming nothing went awry.
The odd pair continued their journey through the dark wood, and it then became apparent that they were getting no where, "Why don't we stop and ask for directions?" the child suggested.
Rolling his eyes at the child, he turned his head to face her as he walked, "Because, not everyone is as sweet as you. They very well may just end up getting us more lost," he said, stopping just short of a toadstool patch as the child gave her reply.
"But, there must be someone," but she was interrupted by a small cry from beside Jareth's boot.
"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE STEPPING!" a small creature hollered.
Slowly sliding his foot in the direction away from the being, he took one knee to further examine it. A tiny wood gnome stood before him, dappled in green clothes fashioned from fresh leaves, and wearing a mushroom top for a cap. His small moustache was covered in soil, and he wore no shoes to speak of, for his tiny feet were so caked with dirt, that he had no need for them. The small man stood beside a large crop of mushrooms, which appeared to be his house; each stool hollowed out, and made into a separate room with tunnels below ground to connect them. Anna dug her claws into the King's coat as she crawled down his arm to get a closer look at the tiny man, "Why don't we ask him?" she said, her tail flicking back and forth, waiting for his answer.
He merely laughed, nearly causing Anna to fall from her perch, and topple into the toadstool hollow, "What does a little thing like that know about this forest?" he said, pointing down at the creature.
"I'm sure he could help us find our way," she added, jumping down to sit beside the gnome and smiling up at Jareth.
The King turned his nose up at the minuscule sprite and got to his feet, paying no heed to where he stepped. As the King made his way over Anna, his heavy boot landed on her tail, causing her to yelp and cry in pain, and Jareth to fall over backwards. The forest's serene silence was shattered by these calls, and a soft smooshing sound could be heard, when Jareth's backside crashed to the earth. Beneath the Goblin King, the poor wood gnome's house was in shambles, each room flattened, and smeared all over the man's leather coat, "You foolish thing!" he called out, "Look what your house has done to my coat!" he added in a spoiled tone.
Anna was busy licking her tail in comfort, then turned to the now homeless gnome, "I'm so sorry, sir," she said, reaching out a paw to console him.
Nearly in the tears, the sweet gnome turned to Anna with big blue eyes, "My home," he uttered weakly in a gruff voice. Letting out a deep sigh, he huffed in his chest, and stormed over to Jareth. He leapt from stone to branch, making his way to the King, and landing softly on his shoulder, "Who do you think you are?" the little being demanded.
The white cat twitched her tail slowly, "He's Jareth, the Goblin King," she replied, as Jareth finished brushing off the last of the mushroom mush.
"Yes," the King added, adjusting his collar "and this fair child, is Anna," he said, pointing a black glove down to the feline-girl."
"Uh-huh," the gnome grumbled, "Never did like goblins much; far too filthy. Glad they stay mostly in that wretched castle of yours," he stated to Jareth blankly before turning a crooked nose down to Anna, "And since we're making introductions, I am Spek; of the Wood Gnomes," he said, removing his mushroom cap in courtesy to the young girl. Anna merely giggled, and Spek to turned to Jareth with a cold look, "Your Majesty," he said with a faux smile and curtsy before leaping back from branch to stone, and standing beside Anna, "Well now, we best be off. Got to get this poor girl back to her true form, don't we?" he said, jumping up to seat himself behind Anna's shoulders.
The girl was surprised, "How did you know?" she asked, looking behind to catch his gaze.
Spek grinned at her, "My dear, I have seen many things walk through these woods, and hardly anything is what it seems," he said, scratching her ear as the girl let out a little purr.
Scoffing down at the two, Jareth sighed, "So then, I guess you want to join us?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"My, that's mighty generous!" Spek said, and Jareth was speechless. The King was not offering to accept him, but the infernal gnome twisted his words. With another sigh, this one of pure disgust, the trio set off into the forest, Spek and Anna leading the way, and Jareth on their heels.
The brilliant sun now shrouded its glow from the group of travelers, dashing behind a cloud as it breached the noon hour. Anna's stomach grumbled, and Spek looked down (for he felt it, as well as heard it), "Is there something the matter, Anna?" he said in his gruff voice, leaning over to one side to meet the feline's eyes.
She thought back. It was in the evening that Dorcha had stolen her mother, but it was day break when they arrived in the Goblin King's realm. She hadn't eaten in hours, "Oh, its nothing," she lied. A small rustle could be heard a few feet ahead, and Anna pricked up her cat ears to hear it. Spek had hopped off to inform Jareth of Anna's hunger, so he was no longer in the danger for being thrown. Her cat-like instincts took over, and Anna leapt at the shrub, catching a rather large rodent, quickly killing it and devouring it before she even had time to think. The child gagged on the last morsel, realizing what she had done, "Oh, my gosh! I just ate a mouse!" she screamed, swirling around, and coughing as if she had a hairball.
Jareth held in a chuckle, "Technically, it was Rinth Rat," he corrected, referring to a gangly rodent the size of a gopher. This rectification did not change the poor cat-child's stomach, but she held onto her quick snack more for the need of fuel than for the taste, "Seems that you are adjusting well to cat life," he said, kneeling to stroke her back and soothe her upset stomach, "We best hurry. We're running out of time,"
The sun reappeared from its clouded shroud and beat down on them once more. Anna was grateful for her short, light-colored pelt, for had it been longer and darker, she would surely be more uncomfortable. Jareth's dark elegant clothes soaked up the heat like a sponge, but the heat did not seem to affect him. Spek, who was used to unpredictable weather, had scooped up a large leaf and held it above his head like an umbrella, creating a bit of shade, and keeping Anna's shoulders cool in the process. It was not long before Anna started panting, for the trio had not stopped for a drink of water since they met Spek, and Jareth took notice. He tried his best to locate a path to a stream with no avail. Reluctantly, he turned to the gnome for assistance, "Hey, gnome," he uttered harshly.
The elderly creature picked the bit of dirt from under his minute fingernails, "Yes, "your majesty"", he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
The Goblin King took little heed, "You know this forest, do you know where there is a stream or a river, anywhere we can find water?" he asked, his strides unchanging and his eyes out of contact.
Spek grumbled under his breath and then sat deep in thought as Anna trotted over the moss and logs, avoiding holes and anything else that looked vacated. The young cat let her eyes wander, darting across the path to inspect each new form of vegetation. Occasionally, Jareth would stir some of the local plant life accidentally, and the shrubbery would run clear off the path. This both confused and intrigued Anna, making her wonder what would happen next. Jareth was growing impatient for the gnome's answer, and Anna was not paying attention to the conversation, since studying the foliage had distracted her thirst.
"I'm waiting, gnome," the King moaned, clenching his leather glove into a fist, causing the hide to squeak in protest.
"Keep your sequins on," Spek added with a wave as his other hand returned to his chin, "I remember there being a river near here…" he began before being cut-off by the rude man.
"Splendid," Jareth praised, breaking away from the other two.
Spek took little notice and finished his thought, "But, there's suppose to be a large waterfall that houses a river guardian, and word of mouth is, he is not a nice fellow," the gnome concluded.
This time, Anna was paying attention. In her original form, she did not very much like water, and now being a cat, it only added to her persona, "Is there a bridge to cross the river?" she asked with a gulp.
"Yes. But, Shogú, the river guardian, well, guards it. No one passes without a toll," he replied, giving Anna a gentle tap in the sides, "We best get a move on missy, or we'll lose the idiot,"
Anna nodded, "Hold on, Mr. Spek," she said before galloping off after the Goblin King. When the pair caught up, Jareth crouched behind a large bush, and turned on his heels to face them.
"Ah, Spek," he said with a fake smile, drawing his face closer to the gnome.
The small being was wary, "What?"
Jareth wound up and smacked the gnome on top of his head, causing a rather large bump to rise, "That's for calling me an idiot," he shouted in a hushed tone, grumbling something about being ungrateful as he turned to face the river.
The cat giggled and Spek whined, hurt, but knew he deserved it. Anna walked up to stand beside Jareth's right calf, and Spek climbed on top of her head to push the branches away. As the leaves were cleared from her view, the young girl looked down from there perch to the blue water below. It seemed endless. The white foam from the roaring waterfall churned in the blue water, looking like a bubble bath. The cascade was monstrously tall, and crashed down on the rocks below. A rocky staircase seemed to rise out of the water and led into the deep cave behind the waterfall, no doubt the home of Shogú, the river guardian of Spek's description.
A deep rumble erupted from the cave, causing the very earth to vibrate beneath their feet. The sound grew closer as its host came closer to the entrance, it sounded more like a chuckle than a growl. Jareth leaned nearer to the edge and looked out on the water. He listened closely at the voice in the cave, and quickly discerned that it was not alone. Occasionally, a female voice joined the deep titters. Both Anna and Spek heard it as well, "There's a girl down there," Anna whispered, not wanting to draw attention to their position.
The Goblin King rolled his eyes at the feline for stating the obvious, but did not crush her lime light. Spek turned his beady eyes up to the king, "So will you be rescuing the damsel or shall I?" he asked, twisting his beard between his fingers.
Jareth resisted the urge to squash the cocky gnome, but held back, choosing instead to gaze over the edge as the young woman ran from the cave. As she dashed through the water, her face hit the sun revealing her fair complexion, and gliding across her long brown hair. The Goblin King guessed her to be a woodland spirit, for her feet were bare and her attire seemed rather similar to the gnome's; a moss green skirt the stopped at her knees, and her long hair covered her bosom. Her soft brown eyes stared back into the cave as she made an attempt to clamor through the water. The earth and water began to rumble and ripple as the river guardian emerged from his home. His appearance was that off a giant, his face craggy and moss infested, covering his face where a beard should be. His body looked to be made of stone, as if he was carved from the earth by the very river he guarded. His beady eyes were a foul yellow, staring down at the girl as if he owned her. He stepped closer and she backed further away, doing her best to dodge hidden pools and soon found herself at the mercy of the river guardian.
Now, being a selfish person, Jareth hesitated, but not wanting to hear a lecture from the petite gnome, he made motions to the edge, searching for a way down to rescue the girl. Lucky for him, the guardian was too busy ogling the poor girl to notice his noisy climb down to the river, which was a fortunate thing, for had Shogú looked up, he surely would have crushed the Goblin King. Anna clawed the edge and looked over, Spek holding on for fear of falling off and watched Jareth make his way to the river's edge, and dive behind a bush. Shogú reached out to the girl, his deep voice loud and forceful, "It's very rude to run away from your master," he shouted.
The girl found herself facing the large being, her eyes no longer soft as she searched herself for strength, "You don't own me…" but her sweet voice was brutally interrupted.
"DON'T OWN YOU!" he called out, his voice causing a swift wind to race across the water and rustle the bush that Jareth hid behind, "YOU AND YOUR KIND HAVE DRINKED FROM MY RIVER! BATHED IN HER HOT SPRINGS! CROSSED MY BRIDGE! I ASKED FOR PAYMENT AND THEY THREW YOU ON MY MERCY! YOU ARE THE CURRENCY FOR WHICH THOSE LUXURIES SHALL BE PAID! YOU BELONG TO ME!" he screamed, causing her to cry as she toppled into the water, barely escaping his grasp.
Spek grew impatient from the King and shouted out as loud as a gnome could, "Let's not wait for the grass to grow, Kingy!"
Jareth rolled his eyes at the minute being and looked around the edge of the shrub. He heard the guardian chuckle in delight as he watched the nymph splash into the water, and seized the opportunity to make his presence known while the giant was distracted. His leather boots made squishy sounds on the moss that grew on the rocks near the pool, as Jareth made his way towards the two beings, "I say, good fellow," he called up to Shogú. The mountain of a creature stopped chuckling and turned his face down to stare at the Goblin King. Jareth cleared his throat and began to speak again, "Might I have a bit of water to quench my thirst. You see I've been travelling all day, and the day has been quite hot…" but he stopped abruptly as he watched the guardian walk towards him.
As he drew nearer, the King could see the age on his face, and smell the rankness of his breath. Shogú leaned forward, still towering over the young woman, and brought his face quite close to his new visitor, "This water is mine, and none may have any. Especially the likes of a pretty-boy spoiled punk like you," he said with a snort through his nose.
Not ready to feel defeat, Jareth made another request, "Uh-huh. Well if you can't spare any water, might I have that pretty girl instead?" he asked, grinning widely.
Shogú could not help but utter a small chuckle as he admired the tenacity of this stranger, "She be mine as well," he said, reaching between his legs to scoop her up, the girl squirming in his grasp, as the giant moved to a deep part of the pool, the water rising as he continued to wade until his whole lower half was covered, "But there is something I CAN give you," he said, his foul mouth curling into a sadistic grin as he reached into the bowels of the foaming water.
He was confused as Jareth inquired, "And what might that be?" he said, folding his arms across his chest.
"THIS!" Shogú shouted, lifting his arm out of the water, a large rock club in his hand, aimed directly at the Goblin King.
However, the River Guardian was completely unaware of the other members of Jareth's party, and unintentionally was positioned under the ledge in which Anna and Spek were poised. The feisty feline screamed from her perch and involuntarily leapt from the cliff, "LOOK OUT!" she hollered, unleashing her claws as she continued to descend, sinking them into the beast soft, fleshy nose.
"AHHHH!" he screamed, flailing his club around trying to swat the pesky animal that refused to release his sensitive sniffer. In his movements, he dropped the girl into the deep water, and seeing as how Shogú was distracted by the cat, she was able to swim to the edge of the pool, where Jareth helped her out.
"Glad to see you aren't harm, my dear," he said with a coy smile and dazzling eyes.
The young girl was utterly smitten and a dark blush painted her cheeks, "Oh, no. I'm all right. Thank you for rescuing me," she said, her voice soft and gentle, like the wind whispering through the branches of a willow.
"Might I ask your name?" Jareth inquired.
The girl smiled again, her deep brown eyes taking a dark green color as she spoke, "I am called Kinai," she uttered, the blush still on her face.
"Beautiful," he said with a chuckle before introducing himself, but was rudely interrupted by the yowls of the river guardian and the sweet voice of Kinai.
"Isn't that your cat?" she pointed out, motioning towards the guardian and feline who were still in a wet and splashy brawl.
Jareth's eyes went wide as he saw the giant drop his club in the water and reach up to rip Anna off his nose, "Uh, yeah. Be right back," he said, grabbing the tree spirit by the shoulders to move her out of his way as he knelt by the water's edge. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a crystal. After uttering a short incantation, he tossed it into the water at Shogú's feet. Within an instant the crystal began sucking in the water and the pool turned into a raging whirlpool, spreading out to catch the giant by his feet and pulling him into the eye. He yelled and screeched as his body was sucked into the cyclone, swirling around as he desperately tried to break free. At the last instant, Jareth sent another crystal, this one to retrieve Anna, wrapping around her feline form, and leaving her floating above the water, as Shogú was sucked into the other crystal. Jareth gave a whistle and both crystals returned to him. Anna's crystal popped like a bubble as she reached the shore, and the other rested in his hand as he watched a miniature sized Shogú tap on the inside. His voice was inaudible and Jareth released the now tiny giant, "He shouldn't bother anyone for a while now," he said, tossing the minute thing back into the pool. Shogú's voice was nothing more of squeak as he uttered curses and protests from a rock in the pool, "Relax, you'll be back to your own size in a few days. Watch out for those minnows," he added with a wave of his hand as he led Kinai up the slope to the shrub where Spek was hiding, Anna close on their heels.
The gnome stepped back onto Anna and looked up at the young tree spirit, who had not taken her eyes off of Jareth for an instance, "So, young missy, do ye know where the bridge be?" he asked in his gruff voice.
Kinai tore her eyes away to gaze upon the minuscule creature, "Of course I know where it is, Gnome," she said with high emphasis on "gnome". Gnomes and tree spirits were often at odds with each other in this forest; nymphs growing things wherever they choose without any regard to the other beings, while gnomes left little presents in the tree spirits homes that were not very pleasant. Needless to say, Spek and Kinai did not like each other.
In a manner of minutes, the young nymph led the trio to the crossing and Jareth turned to her, "And here my dear is where we part ways," he said with a little bow of his head. Anna and Spek did the same, though Spek did so with a very wide smile, glad to be rid of the giddy thing.
A frown crept onto Kinai's face, "But good sir, I do not even know your names," she said with a short pout.
The King gave of wave of his hand and very regally introduced himself, "How rude of me. This is Spek and Anna," he said, motioning to his odd companions, "and I am Jareth, the Goblin King. We seek my sister Laiste who dwells here," he added.
Eyes wide and mouth a gape, Kinai was nearly speechless, "You're the Goblin King of the Labyrinth?" she asked in utter amazement, "Brother to the Starred-One?" Jareth simply nodded. The girl knelt on one knee, "Long have I desired to see Princess Laiste, and I am in debt to you for saving me, Prince Jareth. Please, allow me to accompany you until I have repaid you," she said, bowing her head.
Jareth pursed his lips, deep in thought. Having a nymph of the wood would be useful, and he looked down at the other two members of the group. Anna's expression was indifferent, and Spek was shaking his head, and nearly bouncing up and down in protest. Whether out of shear generosity or merely to spite Spek, he agreed to let Kinai join, and the now four beings stepped across the river's bridge and into the Skyless Trees, en route to the home of Laiste.