Holidays
Summary: Dave goes home for the holidays. Unfortunately, Prime Merlinians, it seems, do not get vacations.
Disclaimer: All Publicly Recognizable Characters, Settings, Ideas, etc. are the Property of Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Productions. The Original Characters and Plot are the Property of the Author. The Author is in no way Associated with the Owners, Creators, or Producers of Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Productions. No Copyright Infringement is intended.
Author's Note READ: This chap won't make much sense unless you read my other fic 'The Veil' if you don't want too here's what you need to know Balthazar has a few contacts in the Underground the Goblin King is one of them (Yes people Jareth is in this chapter and ONLY this chapter. For those of you who don't know who he is, all you need to know is he's the Goblin King) Dave and Balthazar fought a group of sorcerer who had a changling named Tara as a slave Dave was captured by said sorcerers and Tara was one of his guards. Once said sorcerers were beaten Jareth took Tara in as a servant.
Chapter II - Goblin Gifts
Dec 23, 2010, 10:00 am - Goblin King's study, The Goblin Kingdom
Jareth sat at his desk, wondering when the assassin wielding the iron-tipped dagger would try to kill him. Things between the Goblin and the Sluagh kingdom were not going well, but then they never were. Sighing the Goblin king attempted to focus on his work he needed to finish work so he could make time for his in-laws tomorrow which, fortunately, wasn't as horrific a prospect for him as it was most husbands. Actually, it wasn't horrific at all—Irene was a bit shallow, but she truly loved her family, and Roger was amiable and loved how happy Jareth made his daughter. As for Toby, well, the boy lived in the Underground.
The main problem with the assassin was not that he was distracting the king from his work but that Jareth was expecting a visit from his wife soon.
"You behind the curtain, could you try and kill me now? I'm beginning to lose patience. My wife is coming down the hall and will be here shortly."
A shadow darted out from the curtain towards the Goblin King's back. Jareth was still seated in his chair, back to the window—then he wasn't.
"As I said, my wife will soon be here," Jareth drawled from behind the assassin.
Not wanting to have to deal with a corpse, as they had a tendency to kill the romantic mood, Jareth waved his hand and transported the would-be assassin to an oubliette.
He had just sat down when he heard a knock on the door. Jareth raised an eyebrow at the oddity. Sarah must be with someone—normally, she wouldn't bother to knock.
"Enter."
Sarah opened the door and walked in with one of the serving girls, Tara, a mute changeling with gravity defying hair and green cat eyes.
Jareth looked over his wife, caressing her with his eyes before turning his attention to the serving girl.
"I take it there is something you desire?" He glanced at his wife's face. Sarah was a kind and gentle soul, and even more generous then he was. She took a personal interest in all the servants—Tara in particular, considering the odd way she had come to them. He was not surprised—the young woman had suffered much.
The girl stepped forward and held a piece of folded paper across the desk.
Jareth smiled warmly and took the offering. The girl was terrified of him, not that he blamed her. She had watched him literally turn a man inside out. It had been a slow, agonizing death and in retrospect he should have made sure no one was around to witness the event.
Sire,
As you know, the people are celebrating Christmas in the Aboveworld. I have made a gift for David Stutler as well as Balthazar and Veronica Blake. I would appreciate it if you could see to it that my gifts reach them.
Your servant,
Tara
"Your handwriting has greatly improved," said Jareth. The girl's previous owners had never even bothered to teach the girl to read. As soon as Jareth had learned this fact, he had arranged for the girl to be taught. It just would not do to have anyone in his kingdom, much less his employ, who did not have at least a basic grasp of reading, moronic goblins aside—some goblins simply could not be taught to read. Still, everyone in his kingdom managed to have at the very least a level equal to that of an Aboveworld first grader. Tara, however, was a quick study and the note was devoid of any spelling mistakes. He suspected his wife had had a hand in that.
Jareth leaned back in his chair before holding out a hand and summoning a crystal.
"Dave is in Washington, visiting his father." At least that's who Jareth assumed the taller greyer man was. He rotated the crystal and saw Veronica and Balthazar enjoying an intimate meal. Balthazar frowned and turned to look at Jareth through the crystal. Jareth smiled, knowing Blake couldn't in fact see him but merely sense him watching. Blake was powerful—the sorcerer had learned to tell when magical means were been used to observe him. Even Jareth could not watch the man without him knowing. Frankly, it was annoying. Jareth didn't like the fact that there were beings out there whose magic rivaled his own in any way. He kept his kingdom safe because he was one of the most powerful magic users in existence. The Goblin King tossed the crystal in the air where it vanished and he turned to Tara. "We will go tonight. I'll summon you when it is time."
Tara's brow furrowed and she pulled out her notebook and pen. She wrote quickly and held out the open pages.
"Yes, child, you are coming. You may give your friends their gifts personally. It will be a bit early for the holiday, but I will be busy tomorrow and the day after, and we don't want your gifts to be late, do we?"
Tara's skin paled and she clenched her notebook tightly. Jareth could understand why. She had helped a group of sorcerers who had tried to kill David Stutler. She was understandably nervous about facing the three Merlinians again.
"They will not hold your past against you, child. They arranged for you to come here after all. Now, if there is nothing else, I have work to complete."
Tara bowed and darted out the door.
Sarah turned to her husband. "Thank you, Jareth. That was kind of you."
He waved the praise away. "It is nothing. It will be good to see Balthazar again," he added after a brief pause.
"Not planning on causing the man trouble again, are you? You remember what happened last time."
"I was just planning on having a… bit… of…" but what Jareth was hoping to 'have' was lost as his wife had walked around the table to his side and had started nuzzling his neck. The king's skin hummed as the action effectively rendered him incapable of uttering a coherent sound.
oo0oo
"Beloved?" questioned Veronica as her husband continued to stare into space.
Balthazar blinked and turned to his wife, his frown vanishing at the site of her.
"What's wrong?"
Balthazar opened his mouth to tell her 'nothing' but quickly changed his mind—she would be able to tell he was lying, and that might spoil the mood.
"The Goblin King scryed us. It was only for a few moments."
"Is he the sort who would visit friends during Christmas?" asked Veronica thinking that maybe a visit might be the reason.
"No," snorted Balthazar. "He doesn't even visit the in-laws, he has them come to him. Not that they mind," he added after a pause. Balthazar had met the Williams family once about fifteen years ago when he had attended Jareth's wedding. He had been the one to show them around at Jareth's request. The Goblin King thought it best if that job went to a human from the Aboveworld, and aside from Sarah, Balthazar had been the only one.
He wondered if Jareth planned to cause mischief out of boredom. Balthazar doubted it. After all, all Balthazar would have to do would be to give a number of goblins noise makers. He had done it before when the Goblin King had decided to become annoying. The sorcerer and king had ended up with a small feud. It had been relatively harmless, nothing that would actually endanger either party, just annoying pranks, in retrospect. It was funny at the time, however… Well, he was grateful the Labyrinth had come under attack at the time. The two had put aside their 'petty squabble', as Queen Sarah had put it, and worked together.
Thus far, they had managed to avoid taking it up again.
Jareth was the only one on the planet capable of making Balthazar regress back to the mentality of a pranking teenager. The Goblin King was well suited to his subjects. Both king and goblins loved to cause trouble and could be dangerous if provoked.
A few hours later, the couple were sitting in the living room watching A Christmas Carol. Balthazar wasn't sure which one, he had long ago lost track of just how many cinematic versions there were of this particular tale, but it was black and white.
Suddenly, the Goblin King appeared just off to the side of the television, at the edge of Balthazar's vision.
Veronica started at the intrusion and stood, smiling in greeting. Balthazar frowned at the reaction, not understanding it but long used to the glittery king, and merely returned his gaze to the television.
"It's called a 'door'," he informed the king, not taking his eyes off the T.V. "You stand outside and knock on it when you wish to gain entrance to someone's home and enter only when they answer."
"Peasants, perhaps," replied Jareth with a wave.
It was this movement that drew Balthazar's attention to the waif of a girl standing next to the Goblin King.
He snapped his head in her direction. "Tara?" he questioned, getting up to properly greet the young woman. Now at least he understood his wife's warm smile a moment ago. Veronica had been the one to tend Tara's wounds once they had reached the safety of the apartment when they rescued Dave from Bartholomew. As a result, she had formed an attachment to the girl.
"Please, have a seat," he told her pleasantly as he waved to a nearby chair. Tara looked at the floor and walked over to the piece of furniture, gently placing her bag beside it.
Jareth coughed.
Balthazar gestured to another chair. Once Jareth had seated himself, Balthazar grabbed the remote and muted the TV before turning back to Tara.
"Jareth treating you well?"
Tara nodded vigorously and Balthazar seated himself on the sofa once more next to Veronica.
"To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit, Goblin King?" Asked Veronica.
Jareth waved at Tara. "Tara, it seems, is grateful to both of you for helping her during that incident with the Veil. She wanted me to send you Christmas presents, but I thought it would be more fun to drop by and allow her to give you your gifts personally."
Once again, he waved at Tara. The girl pushed her now long hair behind her ear and reached into the bag. She pulled out a package wrapped in brown paper tied with a white string and held it out to the couple.
Veronica, being closer, reached and took the offering. As soon as it was in the older woman's hands, Tara shrank back.
Veronica placed the package on her lap. Slowly, she unknotted the string and unwrapped the gift to reveal a folded cloth. Balthazar examined a corner and saw the fragment of a pattern. Using his magic, he levitated and unfolded the cloth so he could see properly.
It was a tapestry, a fairly small one five by six feet, and it was… "Beautiful," breathed Veronica.
It was a story—it was their story. In the top left corner was Balthazar, Veronica and Horvath sitting beneath a tree, children. Next to it was an image of Horvath and Balthazar fighting, as they had been when Balthazar had learned of Horvath's betrayal, just before Horvath had rushed off to the keep. In the top right hand corner was an image of Veronica disappearing into the Grimhold as Balthazar held the prison. Tara had captured the master sorcerer's expression of agony perfectly.
Beneath the three images was Balthazar fighting an Egyptian sorcerer, then him fighting Abigail Williams. Next to it was an image of his battle with Sun Lok, then him trapping Horvath in the Grimhold. Below those images were still more—Dave and Balthazar standing over (well next to, in Dave's case) the urn. Then it showed Balthazar coming on the giant steel eagle to rescue Dave from Horvath at the station. Another image depicted the fight Dave had had with Morgana, Balthazar and Veronica behind him as he blasted the evil woman with a series of plasma bolts, and finally Dave and Becky flying off on the giant eagle.
Each of the images flowed into the other with no clear border between them—the closest thing to a border was between the image of Balthazar and Dave standing next to the urn. The edge of Balthazar's back appeared to be flowing into an open urn the lid forming part of the eagle's wing and rails coming out of the main body of the urn.
The best part was the image of Balthazar and Veronica standing in the middle, surrounded by the other images, holding hands and looking lovingly into each other's eyes.
Balthazar eventually turned from the gift to look at Tara. Her hands and nails were those of a dishwasher or cleaner, not a weaver. He turned to Jareth, about to ask the Goblin King if he was seriously wasting the girl's talents as a servant when he saw that the monarch was gawking at the tapestry.
"Tara," said the king his face now a mask of dry humour. "I do hope you're not fond of cleaning. As soon as we return to the Goblin Kingdom, I will make arrangements for you to be Madame Lauren's apprentice. She is the most skilled weaver in the land."
"How did you make this in two months?" asked Balthazar. A feat like this should have taken years.
Tara scribbled something in her notebook and held it out.
"Magic," read Balthazar sighing at the vague explanation.
"Perhaps I can solve the mystery," said Jareth. He held out his hand and a crystal appeared. He walked towards Tara.
"Hold this and think about making the tapestry."
Tara nodded and took the offering, holding it in both hands. She closed her eyes while the other three gathered around and watched.
Inside the crystal, they saw Tara seated at a loom, her hands moving through the threads almost too fast for the sorcerers to see.
The girl was a machine.
Balthazar couldn't keep track of her movements. Her fingers moved with speed and precision as she wove the images onto the tapestry.
Balthazar knew it was not uncommon for the magic in Otherworld to give changeling children enhanced strength, speed or hand-eye coordination. The last two Tara had in droves.
"Well, that explains it," said Balthazar mildly. He turned to Tara. "You're very talented. The gift is beautiful."
"Yes, thank you, Tara. We shall treasure it," said Veronica.
Tara looked at the floor, her face obscured by her hair. Balthazar felt sorry for the girl, sorry that kind treatment put her so… off balance. Her previous 'owners' had cut off her tongue when she had become too talkative. She was used to been told what to do. Being treated with kindness was still new to her. It made her unsure of where she stood, and as a result, more shy.
It was hard to believe this girl had force-fed his apprentice drugged food.
"Tara, how do you know our story so well?" asked Balthazar.
Tara started writing in her notebook, then handed it to Balthazar.
"When I was with Bartholomew, I would look at his Incantus on occasion. I couldn't read it, but I saw pictures, and your story is well known in the Underground," he read before blinking a few times, surprised the girl had borrowed the Incantus of her owners. Chances were they wouldn't have liked that. He smiled. "Would you two like something to eat? We've got a few holiday treats."
"I think we can spare some time," replied Jareth pleasantly.
oo0oo
Dave's hands were intertwined behind his head as he leaned against the headboard of his bed, focusing on levitating the book on magic he had borrowed from Balthazar. Carefully he turned the page, his brow furrowed in concentration.
"You seem miserable considering the festivities," drawled a cool velvety voice to his left.
Dave jumped, ignoring the book as it hit the side of his head and tumbled to the bed. He stood, a plasma bolt forming between his hands as he aimed the projectile at the voice's owner.
A strangled yelp pierced the room and Dave saw the Goblin King looking down at him, eyebrow raised. Tara standing behind him.
"Tara? That you?" He noticed she was eyeing the plasma in his hands fearfully and dissipated the bolt. "Sorry you surprised me," he continued staring at Tara apologetically before turning to the otherworldly king.
"What are you doing here?"
"Tara wishes to give you something."
Tara hesitated briefly then stepped out from behind her sovereign, looking down at the floor as she held out a package, again wrapped in brown paper and tied with a string, the words 'To: Dave' written in black ink.
"Thanks… I didn't get you anything," he added guiltily, rubbing the back of his neck and looking at the wall just off to the side.
Tara smiled and motioned for Dave to open the package.
Dave sat down on his bed and undid the string. His brows knitted as he stared down at the gift—leather, bits and pieces of different colour leather stitched together. There was something familiar about it. He took hold with both hands and held out the gift, revealing that it was a jacket.
"Clever girl…" muttered Jareth.
Dave lowered his gift and looked at the Goblin King.
"That jacket, boy, is dragonhide. It will be far more effective against a gun then any Kevlar vest. It is expensive. Tara often goes to the village to pick up odds and ends. Evidently, she took the scraps from the tailor and stitched that jacket for you." He turned to the girl. "Did you take the scraps from the garbage, or do you have an arrangement with the tailor?"
Tara took out her notebook and wrote quickly.
"I cleaned his place once a week and did his laundry," he read.
Dave stared down at his gift. Dragon leather was expensive and made for excellent light weight armour. Hell, it made for excellent armour, period. No wonder it had looked familiar— Balthazar's favourite coat was made out of the stuff.
"Thank you," breathed Dave, having trouble believing he had been given such a magnanimous gift. He looked up at Tara. "This will probably save my life someday." He stood and tried it on. It was a little bulky, but all in all a good fit. He smiled.
"I can't believe you did this, thanks. Wish I had something to give you." He frowned in thought, but he had no idea what the woman could want.
Had Dave kept his head up, he would have seen Jareth stiffen at the word 'wish'. The Goblin King made a mental note to have a word with Balthazar about talking to the apprentice in regards to the power of words.
"I think I might have something," continued Dave. "It's not much, but…" He dove into his closet and rifled through it, tossing clothes aside as he searched for his quarry.
Tara held her hands out, fingers stretched as she waved trying to tell him she needed no gift, but Dave was paying no mind. Neither noticed when the Goblin King disappeared and reappeared a few moments later, would his absence unnoticed by his subject and the young sorcerer.
"Ah ha!" exclaimed Dave suddenly as he got off his knees and darted over to Tara. "I don't know if you have cameras in Otherworld, but this is a Polaroid camera."
Dave spent the next ten minutes showing Tara how the camera worked. He also gave her a small bag with a few extra film rolls and batteries.
"It's not much…" Dave trailed off, looking up to observe her reaction.
She was grinning so widely, he thought her face might split in two.
Jareth coughed and the two friends turned to him. Smiling, he held out a wooden box to Dave.
"A gift." Dave took the offering, examining it carefully. It wasn't special-looking in the slightest, just a ten by five inch plain wooden box. "It is a means of communication for you and Tara. Simply place a letter, small package and whatnot in the box, close the lid and the items will appear in the matching box, which will be waiting in Tara's room upon our return."
Dave looked up at the Goblin King, his mouth hanging open.
Tara, for her part, stared at the man in disbelief. She knew her sovereign could be generous, but this far exceeded her expectations.
"What, no 'thank you'?" inquired Jareth pleasantly with a slightly raised brow.
"Give me a minute," said Dave hoping the king wouldn't take the request the wrong way. The words 'thank you' were trying to find their way to his mouth but his brain was having to much trouble processing the wonderful gift to direct them. "That's… thank you."
Jareth smiled, apparently pleased with the reaction. Dave turned to Tara. "I'll send you a few more rolls of film when I get the chance."
"We should be going," said Jareth. He placed a hand on Tara's shoulder and the two disappeared.
Dave turned to the mirror, admiring the jacket. Aesthetically speaking, it was pretty good. It was made out of different shades of brown from different random pieces of leather. On the back was a bird made out of patches of a dull blue leather. It appeared to be a falcon, judging by the wings and beak. It's wings were spread as if it were about to take off from the black-coloured branch it's talons rested on. The bird and branch were set against a backdrop of red in a black circle.
His smile broadened. He could tell it would keep him warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It would protect him from flame, most bullets and swords, not to mention claws and teeth—he could use the protection for all manner of creatures he could find himself up against. He still felt bad about merely giving Tara a used Polaroid camera after she had given such a magnanimous gift considering all the hours she must have spent working for the tailor, then all the hours required to actually make the thing.
Dave frowned. Dragonhide was not only expensive because it was rare but also because it was hard to work with. One needed special equipment. His frown deepened as he remembered Jareth's surprise at the gift. The Goblin King hadn't helped her find the needed equipment, so who had?
He shook his head. Tara lived in the underground, in the Labyrinth. There was no shortage of strange powerful beings in that place. He needn't worry about who was helping her sew. Besides, he could always aske Tara in a letter now that he had the means to communicate with her.
He had never had a penpal before.
"David!" shouted his father from downstairs. "Come here!"
Dave sighed and headed for the stairs.
It wasn't until Dave saw his father's expression that he realised he hadn't taken off his new jacket.
"It's a Christmas present from a friend. She made it herself."
"She seems… eclectic," commented Daniel Stutler as tactfully as he could.
"She lives near a tailor, got scraps off of him," said Dave in response to the unspoken question.
"A tailor who works with leather a great deal, it seems. We're going to meet Carol for dinner. She had some unexpected time freed up. I suppose you want to wear your gift."
"Yeah, but if it's a fancy restaurant…"
Daniel Stutler waved his hand. "If you wish to wear it, you can."
Dave could tell his father was hoping he wouldn't, but he really didn't care. The jacket was warm and comfortable.
"What is that on the back, a bird?" asked Daniel as the two exited the house.
"It's a merlin," answered Dave with a smile.
oo0oo
Carol, Dave decided, was nice. She asked Dave about his courses and seemed genuinely interested in his life. He wondered if she was only taking an interest in him as a way to get closer to his dad, but he didn't get that vibe from her. After all, she was the one who was pushing the reconciliation between the father and son.
He asked her several questions as well—where she was from; where she went to school; how she ended up in Washington, Oklahoma, Cameron University, and her first job.
"Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?" asked Daniel as he and Dave drove back to the house.
"Never said it would be."
"You like her, then?"
Dave nodded, then remembered his father kept his eyes on the road and gave a verbal response. "Yeah, she's nice."
"Good. I've started saving up for a ring."
Dave smiled. "That's great, Dad."
"Glad you think so."
An awkward silence fell over the pair, and Dave occupied himself with looking out the window. As soon as they got home, Dave headed to his room to practice his magic.
His father watched his retreating back and sighed. This reconciliation attempt might take longer then a couple of weeks.
AN okay here's the deal normally I write the time and date of my next update here but… well I have class Saturday mornings and can't be all that precise. Normally I'd update before noon, but well class is at 8.30 in the morning then there's an hour of travel time so I may or may not feel like getting up early to post. So I can't be that precise this time I may update Friday evening or Sat afternoon/evening. There abouts.
So to reiterate. Have class, will update between Friday evening and Saturday evening, next week.
Please review. It means a lot to me.
