Author's note: No, Jareth is NOT in love with me, and though I think David Bowie is cute and very beautiful, I do not love Jareth in this fan fiction! Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or anything.
Chapter 2: Questions and Answers
Jareth led me through many winding passages. Sometimes we would reach a dead end, but Jareth would command it to reveal the true passage, and usually the wall blocking our way would just melt away. Other times, a different passage would open up near the dead end. I was amazed at how maze-like his castle was, but I guessed that it had to do with living in the center of a maze. I was thinking about Jareth as we walked. He had called himself the Goblin King, and that he was Ruler of the Labyrinth.
These words brought to my mind an old legend, a legend that spoke about a Goblin King that lived in his castle beyond the Goblin City in the middle of a Labyrinth. This Goblin King took children that people wished away. But I had never come across a story in which the Goblin King took someone who wished them self away. I was mulling this over in my head when Jareth stopped in front of a large door that spread to the ceiling. He pushed the doors open, and I gasped.
The room I was now standing in was enormous. A long table dominated the room, with chairs around it, silverware in front of each chair. There was a huge chandelier made of what looked like diamonds hanging from the ceiling, lighting up the room with a soft light. Jareth spoke from behind me, causing me to jump a little.
"Do you like it? I changed it a little bit to make it more welcoming." I turned to him incredulously.
"You changed it for me? But why would you do that for me? I'm just a girl!" I exclaimed. Jareth shook his head.
"You really don't see yourself very clearly do you? As I said before, you are much, much more than just a girl." He replied, sounding as if he was torn between amusement and exasperation. I rolled my eyes behind his back as he led me to a chair to the right of the head of the table. He sat down at the head, and snapped his fingers. Magically, food appeared on the gleaming plates. I stared wide-eyed at him. Jareth smiled.
"Why are you surprised? Haven't I already shown you some of my powers?" He asked.
"I'm just waiting to see when I'll wake up." I replied.
"This is not a dream; it's all real." Jareth said. I shook my head disbelievingly, but I put my disbelief aside to ask some questions.
"I think I know who you are. You're the Goblin King that takes the unwanted children, the ones that were wished away, aren't you?" I asked. Jareth nodded.
"But then why did you take me?" I asked, my eyebrows furling in confusion. "I thought you took kids that were wished away. I wasn't wished away. Who am I that you would grant my wish?" Jareth sighed.
"It's a long story. But first, I want you to eat something. I know you haven't had anything to eat all day besides my peach." He said firmly. I looked at him incredulously.
"That was your peach? You left that on my bedside table?… Oh! That's why my alarm clock wasn't working!" I exclaimed. Jareth nodded.
"That's right. Now are you going to start eating? I won't answer your questions until I know that you've got some food in you." I looked at the food spread across the table. I didn't recognize a lot of the food, but I saw peaches (of course), steaks, some sort of pasta covered in a red sauce, crepes, and a fruit salad. I glanced over at Jareth. His arms were crossed over his chest, not touching anything, just watching me.
"Aren't you going to eat anything?" I asked him. He shook his head.
"I've eaten already today. Go ahead, you eat, and I'll talk." he answered, gesturing towards the food. Still watching him out of the corner of my eye, convinced that this was a dream, waiting for him to disappear suddenly, I put some of the fruit salad on my plate, as well as some of the pasta. I took a bite of the fruit salad, and I was pleasantly surprised at the burst of flavors. There were grapes, strawberries, apples, and some fruit I couldn't identify, that looked like a blue nectarine. The burst of flavors didn't clash like I expected them to, but blended in a sweet flavor. Jareth smiled when he saw me eating, and he started his story.
"What do you want to know first?" He asked. I swallowed, and asked,
"Who exactly are you?"
"I am not the Goblin King that human myths talk about. That Goblin King was my father, and his father before him, etc. By the time I took over my father's place, my family's story had faded into obscurity. Very few know our story, and even fewer believe. There is not many that wish their children away now. Usually when they do, they don't use the right words, so I can't take them." Jareth replied matter-of-factly. I gaped at him. He was talking about stealing children with no remorse whatsoever!
"But how can you do that? That's… monstrous!" I exclaimed. To my surprise, he laughed.
"Was it monstrous to take you away from your abusive father?" He asked. "You don't understand, my family only takes children who are unwanted. Is it so much a bad thing that we take unwanted children from a relationship that might destroy the child? Besides, those who wish the child away have a chance to get them back if they are so inclined. All they have to do is challenge us and get through the Labyrinth. Not that many could get through the Labyrinth, but at least they had the chance. I gave you a chance to take back what you wished, remember?"
I stared at Jareth, unsure. It didn't sound bad when he put it that way. I mean, how many kids turn out as drug addicts, smokers, gang members, all because their parents just never wanted them. If Jareth and his descendants prevented that from happening… then they weren't bad, were they? I was confused. It made sense in some ways, but in others it didn't. If hardly anybody knew the words anymore, then how was it helping anyone? But then, what was Jareth supposed to do, go up to people's doors and tell them that he would take unwanted children away if they said the right words? People would think he's crazy and police would lock him up, or try to, anyways, just in case he was telling the truth.
"I guess you're right." I replied. "But why me? I didn't wish anybody else away, I wished myself away. I didn't even say the words 'I wish.' It doesn't make sense to me. Why me?" I asked again. I was beginning to think that Jareth might… that he might like me! I was kind of freaked out by that concept, I was way too young, and for all I knew, he could be a hundred years old! Jareth paused.
"It's… complicated" He finally said, and fell silent once more.
"I think I can keep up," I insisted, "Besides, you said you would explain everything." I was distinctly aware that, because he was a King and that I was in his kingdom, which meant I had no right to expect anything from him, but I wasn't going to back down easily. Jareth sighed once more before beginning his story.
"You and I… we are brother and sister." He stated flatly, watching me warily out of the corner of his eye. I had frozen. Disbelief was coursing through me. Me, sister to the GOBLIN KING?
"We're half-brother and sister, of course, you are half mortal," Jareth continued after a few moments of silence. "After my mother died, about 50 years ago, my father separated himself from the rest of the family, me and my other brothers and sisters. About 20 years ago, on a mission to take a child, he fell for a mortal girl that had wished her brother away. She conquered the Labyrinth, and returned to Aboveground, and forgot about her adventure, thinking it to be a pretty dream. But my father did not, could not, forget her. Five years later, after retiring his position of Goblin King to me, his eldest child, he traveled Aboveground and pursued that mortal girl as a human." Jareth stopped speaking, looking at my surprised face.
"That mortal girl… she was my mother, wasn't she?" I asked. Jareth nodded, sadness passing over his face.
"My father, our father, was horrified when he realized that he had gotten your mom pregnant. He had never meant to have a child with a mortal, but… as a human, we experience life differently. Humans are more ruled by emotions and desires than my kind is. He knew that he had condemned you to a life of being shunned. The offspring of immortals and mortals are different. It is my understanding that you always stood out, and you had no friends." Jareth said gently. I stared at him, realization flooding through my mind. It all made sense now. I was different, I had always known it.
"Yeah, I always knew I was different." I replied. Jareth looked at me sadly.
"You were born with certain gifts. They are blessings, but I know that they can cause you a lot of grief sometimes. Anyways, when my father realized what he had brought to you and your mother, he proposed to your mom, hoping that she would accept and he would be able to take both of you here, in the Underground, where you would be accepted, and be able to use your powers, instead of not knowing about them. But your mom turned him down. She hadn't really loved him. So when your step-father offered to adopt you, my father let him, hoping that you would have a chance at a normal life, or as normal as you could. My father died of grief a few years later, and-" I broke him off.
"I thought you said that you were immortal." Jareth looked uncomfortable, almost ashamed.
"Well, we are. But we can fall in battle, and we can die of a broken heart. If we lose the will to keep living, especially one as old as my father, there is nothing to be done." I nodded. "Like I was saying, my father died of grief, and you were left in the care of your step-father. All of us, my brothers and sisters, knew what had happened. No one else cared about you; they were all too ashamed at my father for falling in love with a mortal and failing to bring her here, like he had done with my mother. She was also a mortal that defeated the Labyrinth, and she accepted my father, and became one of us. She died in a siege against the kingdom." He added, guessing my question.
"But I cared about you, mostly because I felt that someone had to look after you, to protect you. I knew that I couldn't interfere much with your life, because one, I have little power over mortals, and two, most of my powers that can be used over mortals have to be used with permission of a mortal. Until you asked for help, I couldn't do much. But I digress. When I checked up on you, right after my father died, I was horrified and furious when I saw what your step-father was doing to you. But like I said, there was not much I could do. I prevented some of his worse rages. I would hide you in a gap in time until he calmed down, and neither of you knew what was happening. I was the one who would leave you little presents. I sometimes prodded your mom into doing little things without realizing she was doing exactly what you needed. I sent James your way, knowing he would someday save your life. How little did I realize that my insight was needed. I was angry beyond belief when he betrayed you, but you solved it, and continued to get support from him and his family. I am ashamed to admit that I was surprised at your wisdom in dealing with him. I underestimated you. I wish I could have helped you more, but you are too independent for your own good. You didn't want to admit that you wanted, needed help, even to yourself." Jareth broke off suddenly, staring at me as tears flooded down my face. His eyebrows furrowed in worry.
"Did I upset you? I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, and I shook my head.
"No, you didn't upset me. I am just touched about how much you cared, how much you did for me, when I was so convinced that the entire world was against me, and that nobody cared about me!" I cried, and next thing I knew, he was holding me in a big hug. I hugged him back, crying in his arms.
Author's note: Well, that certainly was NOT what you guys were expecting, was it? Lol. Me, half-sister to the Goblin King? We'll see how that goes! Muah-Hahaha. There goes my evil laugh!
Dusknoir: You are so weird Haley.
Me: Yeah, I know.
Grovyle: Both of you are weird!
Me & Dusknoir: Shut up, Grovyle!
Me again: Sorry about that. Anyways, I do not own anything to do with the Labyrinth or David Bowie or Jareth. Awww man, If I really ran the Labyrinth, Jareth wouldn't know what to do, or what hit him, lol. I am crazy, just so all of you know. Don't worry if you don't get who Dusknoir and Grovyle are. They are just characters from my other fan fiction, Pokémon, the Paralyzed Planet. Hahahahahahaha! Ok, Flying Dragonite *poof*!
