Chapter Four: Adjusting
A small female goblin darted about the kitchen. Her small, beak-like mouth was moving a mile a minute. Occasionally she would pause to glance back at the curly haired boy sitting at the island counter and shake her head disapprovingly. The boy was simultaneously stuffing his face with what looked like leftover roast, and occasionally reaching over his shoulder to offer small bits of the meat to a red-harnessed ferret who was peaking out of his back pack. The ferret ate with gusto, completely oblivious to the goblin's rant.
"Rats, in the castle – the child has brought rats in the castle. Oh my, as if the chicken filth was not enough," the goblin muttered as she pulled a loaf of bread from a cupboard and begin to slice off fats chunks of it.
"He's not a rat – he's a ferret. Completely differen' animals," Toby explained around a mouth full of food.
"Well, I none to sure of that, young Sir. He certainly looks like a rat, and he don't smell much better than one," the goblin squawked as she brought a plate of bread slices to the boy's side.
"Yeah but..." Toby paused to swallow his food. "But, ferrets are cleaner. Plus, he's not even a...um...a rodent. He doesn't even look like one. He's more like a weasel – no offense Frack." The ferret continued on with his meal, completely indifferent to the conversation. Clearly no offense was taken.
"So you say, but you be sure the Master doesn't catch you with that animal – and don't you go letting him run wild in the castle, neither. He mustn't chew holes in the curtains. I just sewed them last week," she reprimanded the boy as she slid two large chunks of bread onto his plate.
"Yes ma'am," Toby answered before biting into the toughened piece of bread he'd been given.
At this point the spectator in the entryway stepped forward, making themselves known to the two others in the room. Toby beamed momentarily before taking another bite from his bread. The small goblin bowed and greeted the abruptly.
"Good evening, Miss Sarah, may I get you something to eat?" the goblin inquired.
"Thi' meat is awe'ome," Toby added. Sarah could see the half-chewed bread threatening to spill from his mouth as he spoke.
"Toby, don't talk with your mouth full. It's gross," She reprimanded, ignoring his muffled and unintelligible protest in response."If you don't mind, I'll have a little bit of whatever Toby is eating, thanks."
"A little? Not hungry miss?" the goblin asked as she began to carve into a obscenely large haunch of meat.
Sarah shook her head in response. "I could eat, though."
"As you should, Miss. It's not healthy to miss a meal," the goblin added sagely as she transferred the meat to a plate and proceeded to set up Sarah's dinner. When she was done Sarah was seated in front of a plate of unknown meat, with two slices of bread and a glass of water. She thanked the goblin and experimentally picked at her food. The meat tasted smoky, and pretty good, in Sarah's opinion. Preferring not to guess at exactly what it was she was eating, Sarah ate slowly and quietly, listening to the back and forth between her baby brother and the goblin about his ferret.
When they had both finished their dinner, Sarah moved to gather Toby's empty plate, only to be stopped by the goblin.
"No need for that, Miss. We have maids for a reason," she said, gently coaxing her away from her place at the counter.
Ignoring Sarah's half-hearted protests, the goblin insisted upon showing them to their rooms, at which point Sarah relayed what Jareth had told her about her sleeping situation. The Goblin nodded in understanding, and led them up a stairwell to the the right of kitchens. The next floor was dimly lit and in dire need of dusting. Sarah reckoned this floor had been uninhabited as long as she had been alive – perhaps longer.
"Excuse the mess," the goblin beseeched them, her embarrassment at the state of the hall obvious. "We don't see many visitors here...that stay long, anyway. The sheets were changed, though," she added, as she pushed open a large oak door that squeaked in protest.
Inside was a modestly sized room with a four-poster bed. Parallel to the bed was a large window heavily curtained with navy blue draperies. In the farthest corner, a simple dressing screen colored to match the drapes stood a good few feet out into the room. Behind the screen stood both a half concealed door and aged cast iron bath tub. A small dresser with a wash basin sat opposite the foot of the bed, in the center of the wall. It was like stepping into a Renaissance or Elizabethan era bed room, Sarah mused.
With almost inhuman speed, Toby lunged forward and belly flopped onto the bed. To Sarah's great relief, a cloud of dust did NOT arise from the impact. As the goblin had said, the sheets had been changed. The goblin chuckled at the boy's antics.
"Sarah, this bed is SUPER soft, you've gotta try this," he all but moaned.
"Toby," Sarah sighed, half in admonishment, half in exhaustion.
"Oh yeah – this IS my room, right?" he asked, raising his head just enough to look at the goblin.
"This is your room, for now," the goblin assured. She moved into the room and opened the curtains. Outside a waning moon shined as bright as it dared. The goblin unlatched the ancient iron latch keeping the windows closed and pushed one of the panes open. A cool moist breeze wafted in, causing the candle flames to stutter and Sarah to breath deeply, as if to rid her lungs of the old stagnant air that overwhelmed the room.
"The night will be cool, this should keep you room comfortable," the goblin explained, as she moved to turn down the sheets on the bed.
Toby ignored her, and instead launched himself from the bed a ran to the window.
"Sarah, I can see the whole city from here!" he exclaimed. "Hey...where does that door go?" he inquired, his attention suddenly diverted by the door behind the dressing screen.
"That, young Sir, is the water closet," the goblin replied matter-of-factly,
"The water closet?" Toby repeated, clearly confused.
"The toilet, Toby. A water closet is a room just for the toilet," Sarah explained, still not moving from her place in the door way. Toby's face lit up in understanding, though he did open the door and peek inside as if to assure himself that Sarah was telling the truth. Once his curiosity was sated, he returned from behind the dressing screen, his nose wrinkling in distate.
"It smells funny," he remarked, rubbing his nose as if trying to get the offending odor out of his nostrils.
"It's a bathroom, it's supposed to smell funny. What I'm worried about is getting you cleaned up and finding a place to put Frack so he can't run off. He can't stay in your back pack all night," she told him, finally leaving her post at the door and crossing the room to the dresser. She opened a drawer and, after a moment of examination, closed it with a contemplative look on her face.
To Sarah's surprise, Toby didn't argue with this. Instead he dashed past her and out the door, but before she could chase after him, he came right back and leaned through the door way, keeping one hand on the frame to hold himself up.
"I just had an idea. I'll be right back," he told her before he pushed off from the doorway and took off again. Sarah ran to the door and called after to him stop.
"It'll just be a minute," he called back as he reached the end of the hall.
Sarah growled in frustration and moved to go after him, but a hand on her thigh stopped her.
"Don't worry miss, none will hurt him in this castle, and the exits are guarded. He can't leave. Come, I show you to your room," Frilla assured. The small goblin beckoned her to follow. Sarah grumbled under her breath but followed the goblin without complaint.
She was led to a door across the hall. It wasn't directly across from Toby's room, but it was as close as any of the rooms on the opposite side got. When the goblin opened the door, Sarah gasped in shocked awe.
The room before her was twice the size of Toby's. It was set up much like the room before, though far more elaborately furnished. The draperies and matching screen were a burgundy red. In place of the dresser was a cherry-wood vanity, and a large matching wardrobe stood to it's left. Beneath the large window sat a plush reading bench large enough for a fully grown adult to recline comfortably. The pièce de résistance, however, was the dark stoned fireplace set in the corner by the window. It faced diagonally into the room, so that no matter where you stood, you could always gaze at the flames unobstructed. Sarah envisioned herself lying on her side in bed, staring simultaneously at a roaring fire and a starlit sky outside the window. Her daydream was broken by the small goblin tearing opening the window as she had in Toby's room to let in the cool night air.
"Is this...am I staying in this room?" Sarah asked, her voice hushed in disbelief.
"Yes Miss. The Master must think something special of you to give you the best of the guest rooms. I always did like the view from this room 'n particular," the goblin said, sighing somewhat dreamily as she looked out the window at something below. Curious, Sarah approached the window to see what the goblin was talking about. To her great surprise, her window did not look out upon the goblin city like Toby's. Instead, her window faced what she assumed could only be the courtyard – and what a courtyard it was! Even cast in shadows, the dancing torchlight below revealed a miniature maze of flowering bushes and lush trees. In the center stood a large fountain, at least a story high. Sarah thought she could almost here the trickling sounds of water, though her rational mind told her she was too far for that too be possible.
"Wow," Sarah remarked dumbly.
"Yes. It's not as nice as it once was, like everything else in the Kingdom. Still - Master has worked very hard to keep it alive and tended," the goblin explained a little sadly. She turned away from the window and shuffled to the bed to turn down the covers. When Sarah had turned away from the window, the goblin had already finished that task and was busy laying a plain white nightgown out on the bed. Sarah smiled thankfully at the little goblin, still amazed that there existed goblins that weren't so crass and mischievous.
A thump and exclamation of pain outside the door alerted the occupants of the room that Toby had returned. Sarah hurried out to find Toby trying (and failing), to haul a large wooden crate into his bedroom. Sarah rushed over and took the box from him.
"What's this for?" she asked as she followed him into his room.
"A place for Frack to stay. I saw it in the kitchen when I was eating," he said, pointing at a spot next to the dresser to indicate where he wanted it. "It's got holes so he can breath, and a lid so he can't get out. I even got him a little bowl for his water dish."
"What about bedding?" Sarah asked, examining the empty crate.
"I can use all that homework paper in my backback," he answered.
"You didn't do any...you mean all that homework paper you didn't turn this year that got me in trouble with your teachers? That homework paper? It's been in your backpack the whole time?" she seethed.
"Well, uh," Toby faltered, realizing he'd just outed himself. "Well it's a good thing I DIDN'T do it, because if I did do it Frack wouldn't have any bedding tonight."
"Uh huh," Sarah huffed, rolling her eyes in irritation. Angry as she was, it was too late and she was too tired to fight about this. "Well it's too late now to do anything about it, but you OWE me for all that time I had to sit there and listen to your teacher chew me out for your laziness, buster."
"Okay," Toby shrugged. He unzipped his backpack and set to work making a comfortable home for his furry friend.
"Excuse me, Miss," Frilla interrupted from the doorway. Sarah turned towards her and inclined her head as a silent indication of her attention.
"The young Sir's bed clothes have been lain out and his bathwater drawn. Would you like me to assist in putting him to bed?" she asked.
"No, I've got it, thanks," Sarah replied. The goblin nodded and offered a small bow before leaving them.
Sarah yawned and turned towards the task of getting her brother bathed and in bed. This could be a while.
An hour later Sarah shuffled into her room and groaned in exhaustion. Getting Toby to bed when he was so excited proved to be difficult, but she eventually got him scrubbed, dressed, and settled down enough to crawl into bed. He was out once his head hit the pillow. The lucky little snot.
"Ah Miss, you've returned," a shrill voice remarked. It was Frilla, much to Sarah's surprise. She thought the goblin had left for the night.
"Your bath water is still hot. I stayed to tidy only until you came back. I leave you now," the goblin declared with another small bow.
"Frilla," Sarah called when the goblin had reached the door. The goblin turned and regarded her.
"How do I..." Sarah gestured to the candlees, not quite sure how to phrase her question. Turn them off? Put them out?
"Tell them 'good night', Miss, and they will stop burning," the goblin said.
Thoroughly confused, but wanting desperately to have the room to herself, Sarah thanked the goblin and closed the door behind her. She'd figure it out later. Right now, a bath was her number one priority.
Leaving a trail of clothes behind her, Sarah made her way over to the tub and eased herself in. The steaming water made her muscles scream in relief. After a few minutes she reached down and picked up a smooth stone from the water and rolled it lazily across her thigh. She had discovered during Toby's bath that the taps did not have temperature control, so the baths were warmed by stones which heat up when touched by water, and cool down once dry. She and Toby had a bit of fun testing it out and hypothesizing how they might work. They settled decidedly on magic.
When she'd been in long enough to prune, she finished her bath and dressed for bed. She slid under the downy comforter and glanced at a lit candle. She chewed her lip anxiously for a moment before giving in to Frilla's advice. Silly as it sounded, it couldn't hurt to try, right?
"Good night," she said, still staring at the candle. Every flame flickered before dying down and smoldering out completely.
'Well, that was easy enough,' Sarah thought. She turned over on to her side and stared out the open window until an uneasy sleep finally took her.
"Toby don't run down the stairs, you'll break your neck that way," Sarah yelled as her brother raced passed her and Frilla to beat them to the bottom of the stairs. It was too early for this, she decided. She should have just stayed in bed and refused to come downstairs for breakfast. Unfortunately, Toby, who had took it upon himself to help the goblin rouse his sister, wouldn't have it. After he had jumped around on her bed and yanked her covers off for the umpteenth time, Sarah begrudgingly crawled off her downy mattress and dressed in the get-up Frilla had laid out for her. To the goblin's credit, she had good taste. The dress was a simple cut, red, with gold trim. The boots were brown leather, and kind of sexy looking in Sarah's opinion. It was comfortable, but best of all it was clean, which couldn't be said for her normal clothes.
Toby, on the other hand, was not quite receptive to Frilla's choice of apparel. He wore the black trousers and blue linen shirt without complaint but drew a line at the boots. Sarah had not been there to help him dress so Frilla gave in, and the result was rather laughable. Modern tennis shoes clashed with 17th century style casual wear, and Sarah was too tired to correct it. As long as he wasn't running around naked, Sarah didn't see what the problem was.
Toby and Sarah were led through a set of heavy oak doors into a large circular room. In the center sat an aged oval table with three occupants. In the largest most ornate chair sat none other than Jareth. To his right a few chairs over sat Cavin, the healer from last night. To Jareth's left sat a dwarf that Sarah had not seen before. He looked older than Hoggle (if that was even possible), but dressed in a cleaner, more fine version of the attire Hoggle normally wore.
"Ah, Sarah...Toby, so good of you to finally join us. Have a seat," Jareth said, gesturing to two empty chairs on opposite sides of the table with plates in front of them. Sarah moved to sit next to Cavin, when Jareth commanded Toby take his seat next to the healer. Toby obliged, too excited about the prospect of food to care where he sat. Sarah shot a heated glare at Jareth, which he answered with an arrogant lift his brow that dared her to make a scene. She didn't. She quietly took her seat next to the dwarf, who had not stopped shoving food in his mouth since they'd first entered.
Frylla and two other female goblins rushed to fill their plates and refresh the drinks of the 3 earlier occupants. Toby dug in without having to be asked twice, but Sarah picked absently at her fried egg with a fork. The slurping sounds coming from beside her did nothing for her appetite.
"Are you well this morning, Sarah? Your head isn't bothering you, I hope?" Cavin asked, clearly noticing Sarah's disinterest in the food.
"I'm fine," she answered, giving him a reassuring smile. "You did an excellent job, Cavin. Thanks again."
"Yeah – I don' eben hab a scab," Toby butted in, barely containing a whole fried egg in his mouth. Sarah shot him a warning glare and he smiled sheepishly. He swallowed with some effort and apologized.
Cavin nodded and smiled. "Healing magic has it's uses every now and again," he said. Toby nodded vigorously in agreement and both Sarah and Cavin smiled at his enthusiasm.
"Always the modest one, Cavin," Jareth mockingly chided. Cavin's smile widened and he bowed his head to the King. It would have been a humble gesture, if not for the playful look in his eyes.
"Toby," the Goblin King began, leaning back in his seat and settling his gaze on the boy. "Has your sister yet mentioned to you yet that you'll be staying with us for a while?"
"Really, we are? Awesome!" Toby exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement.
"Yes, you are staying. Both of you. However, there are conditions you must meet during your stay," the King continued.
"O...kay?" Toby answered. Sarah wasn't sure if he was hung up on what those conditions are, or – more likely – he was wondering what a condition was.
"First, Sarah will be taking care of you. Second, you may go anywhere in the castle or goblin city, but you may not go into the labyrinth OR outside of it without my permission. Last, the first four days of every week you will spend in the library being tutored by Dublin," he said, gesturing to the dwarf who was now picking his teeth with his fork " On the fifth day you will be tutored by myself," he added.
"You mean I'm still gonna have to go to school? Do I have to?" Toby whined.
"Yes," Sarah and Jareth answered in unison.
"Well, I guess so, if it means we can stay," Toby said after a few moments of deliberation.
"Excellent, so then it's settled. After breakfast Dublin will take you to the library to begin. You will break for lunch and be done by dinner time," Jareth commanded. He rose from his seat, indicating that he was done with their conversation, and strode to the door.
"And what about me?" Sarah asked. Jareth paused and regarded her, a wicked smile upon his face.
"What about you?" he parroted. Sarah raised a brow and cocked her head to to the side. Her posture practically screamed 'give me a break, you know what I mean.'
"You do still enjoying reading, don't you?" the King jeered, before turning on his heel and leaving the room.
The library it was.
By dinnertime, Sarah was exhausted. She had followed Toby and his tutor to the library in hopes of finding a good book to read to occupy her time. She had thought that maybe she could even help with the tutoring, if it turned out Toby need a familiar teacher.
Though Dublin lacked any knowledge of table manners, he had not lacked in knowledge of academia. Once they'd been seated in the library, the dwarf probed Toby relentlessly for all the things he'd learned up to this point. He deemed the boy up to speed on mathematics and english, for his age, and had decided to give him a crash course in Underground geography, culture, and government. Sarah, who seated herself nearby, was often pulled from her leather bound copy of 'The Divine Comedy' towards the lesson being taught by the dwarf.
The Underground was divided into four Kingdoms: the North, hidden in the Carrig mountain was the Mons Montis – the kindgom of the dwarves. Dwarves. Sarah and her brother learned, were industrious miners which lived in a patriarchal society. Their government was a democratic monarchy – meaning that the kind and queen were voted into power, and once in power, ruled with authority until the death of the king. Males mined, ruled, and protected while females kept the home and raised the children. They were not religious – rather, they revered their ancestors and their elderly. They didn't trust easily as a rule, but were loyal once a friendship was forged. They were not warlike, but had strong defenses due to the mountains they lived in. They cared more for productivity than academia, and because of this were rather dull-witted.
At this point Sarah interjected. If dwarves were dull-witted as a species, then why was Toby being tutored by one? Dublin answered in a resentful huff that he was born out of place and cared nothing for his ignorant brethren, so he left to seek higher education in the world.
When the questions about the dwarves had been answered, he moved on to the next kingdom: the Skritek to the westernmost point of the Underground. The Skritek were trolls – larger than most goblins though not usually as large as a man. Theirs was a society and government of tribalism. They practiced a bloodthirsty religion which required annual virgin sacrifices to their god, Kira. They were mean, warlike, and plain unpleasant, in Dublin's opinion.
Next he described the Ittlekins, known as gnomes to humans. A vast desert separated their eastern kingdom from the rest, so little was known about them. What was known was that they were pacifistic cleptomaniacs. They mined, much like the dwarves, but preferred gems to ores. They were trustworthy in their advice, though not so much with one's possessions.
The southernmost point of the Underground lay the Goblin Kingdom, the youngest of the Kingdoms. Dublin felt Toby knew enough about the goblin kingdom to move on to the last kingdom in the heart of the Undergound – the Alfar Kingdom. It was populated by the Alver, though humans called them elves. They looked much like humans, though they possessed greater beauty, magic, and cunning. Theirs was a naturalistic society with a matriarchal government. Though Kings could rule, women had the greatest power because they were regarded as "life-givers". Above all else, elves revered life, and this was reflected in their fertility rituals, religion, and day-to-day habits. To end the day's education, Dublin noted that politically the elves were great adversaries, because they were adept at saying one thing but meaning another. "Never trust the word of an elf without a dictionary in hand." was his parting words of wisdom before he concluded the lesson.
Sarah sighed as she watched the door close behind Dublin. She regarded her baby brother with a questioning look. "So, what did you think of all that?" she asked.
"It was pretty cool," he answered, still gazing down at a picture in a book that the dwarf had told him to read. "I think Cavin is an elf – or half elf, at least," he stated after few moments of silence.
"It seems likely," Sarah replied, setting her book to the side.
"Does that mean the Goblin King is an elf, too? I mean, he looks human, but he has magic – so he can't be human, right?" Toby asked, finally tearing himself from the picture he was studying to look at his sister.
Sarah shrugged. If asked what Jareth was, she would have said he was the devil, leading a kingdom of demons – but that was hardly something she should be telling her eight year old brother.
"I'm going for a walk. Want to come with me?" she offered.
Toby shook his head and returned to his reading. For once he actually seemed interested in learning something, so Sarah didn't argue. She quietly left him to his study and set out in a walk in the halls. A half an hour later found her in the courtyard she'd been viewing last night. Even in the waning daylight, it's beauty was breathtaking. Joseph's coat rose bushes line her path, and she followed it to the fountain in the center. It was marble, she observed. Beautifully crafted with 3 rings, each of which displayed carvings of elves and humans in various poses. The water trickled down into a ground level stone basin which drained off to the four corners of the courtyard in small marble carved streams. Sarah lazily watched the progress of a fallen leaf down on of these streams until she was interrupted by a voice behind her.
"There is no sanctuary in this castle when you are present," the rich voice remarked.
"If I'd known you would be here, I wouldn't have come," she answered.
Jareth stopped at her side and joined her in watching the progress of the lone leaf making it's way to the corner of the courtyard. They stood in silence for some time before Sarah spoke up.
"Why are you keeping us here, Jareth?" she asked.
"For my amusement," came his instantaneous quip.
"Our lives are not a game," she growled at him.
"Oh?" he chuckled.
Sarah's lips thinned in annoyance and she turned to face the Goblin King.
"Do you really hate me this much?" she asked.
Jareth raised a brow, caught of guard by her question. He appeared to ponder her question for a moment before he gave his head a small shake and turned to look at her. Though he remained expressionless, his voice seemed – to Sarah's ear – to soften a little.
"I have never hated you," he told her.
A week had passed in the Goblin Kingdom and Sarah was finding herself quite bored with the daily grind. She had accompanied Toby to the library for his tutelage, but had grown tired with Dublin's lectures, which had eventually turned towards grammar and proper etiquette (the latter Sarah found laughable being taught by a dwarf that picked his teeth clean with his dinner fork). The only interesting day since the first one had been the day Jareth had taken over the teaching. He preferred a more hands on or visual approach rather than recitation or reading. By the end of the day Toby was enamored with the Goblin King, and Sarah was finding herself more frustrated. At this rate Toby would never want to leave. How would she convince him to return home with her when the Goblin King upheld his side of the bargain – if he upheld his side of the bargain?
That was another thing that plagued Sarah. She couldn't trust the Goblin King as far as she could throw him. They could very well be stuck here forever if Toby fell in love with this place. It's not like she could just leave him behind. She was convinced this was all just some twisted game of the Goblin King's that she would never learn the rules of. He practically lorded it over her every chance he got – which made their mealtimes together more than a little unpleasant.
At the very least, Sarah mused, she had made a friend in the castle. The third morning of their stay Sarah cut her breakfast short after another aggravated session of verbal sparring with the goblin king across the dining table. "Cut short", in this case, involved abruptly standing up and storming from the table and out of the castle without a word. Sarah paced the perimeter of the castle to work off the steam and found herself being joined by an unlikely companion on her second lap.
"Walking is a very old and efficient way of reducing stress and maintaining health, you know," the dark haired healer told her as he fell into step beside her.
"I think I'll be doing a lot of walking while I'm here. Like – every five minutes," Sarah replied.
"Then you will be a very healthy woman by the end of your stay,"
Sarah bit out a sardonic laugh. "If it ever ends – I'm pretty sure he has no intention of sending us back."
"The King is many things, not all of them good. However, I've known him fifty or more years and have never witnessed him break a promise or outright lie,"
"No, he just sets his promises up with conditions and twisted words so he can have an easy out," she snarled.
"That is his nature," the healer somberly explained.
"Well his nature makes him an asshole," she grumbled.
"That is elven nature,"
At Sarah's questioning glance, the healer elaborated.
"The Àlfar, what you would call elves, are not a forthcoming race. There are many facets of truth, and they exploit them all, but they do not, as a rule, lie. They may not always play fair, but they will always honor the conditions to which they've bound themselves. It's complicated to explain to someone who was not raised in the Àlfar kingdom. Even the other Underworlders find us queer natured,"
"So...Jareth is an elf..um, Àlfar?" Sarah queried.
"Àlfr in a singular reference, and no, not exactly. Like myself, he is a Skuld – a halfling. One with elven and human parentage. The popular term you humans use is mixed race, I think?"
Sarah nodded in affirmation. "So you're saying he can't help himself?"
"I am saying that it is in his nature to act as he does. I can't speak for some of his habits, such as provoking you. That is a personal fault all his own. However, what you perceive to be unfairness and manipulation and are simply traits that have been ingrained into him since childhood. Surely you have cultural traits that were bred into you and your fellow citizens that other humans may find odd or appalling?"
Sarah shrugged. She'd never met a human like that, but she watched the news. Plenty of people thought Americans were backwards or immoral. Even Americans thought Americans were backward and immoral.
"So then, all that stuff is in your nature, too?" she asked after a few moments of silence. His response was a sly smirk. She took that to mean 'yes'.
Their conversation material turned to lighter, more care-free matters. They discussed Toby and his lessons, Sarah's opinion of Dublin, and the books she'd been reading. Cavin recommended a few of his personal favorites and Sarah made a mental note to check them out the next time she was in the library. By the time they had ended their walk it was almost noon, and Cavin excused himself politely to return to his work. Sarah followed him into the castle and bid him good-bye once more as she made her way up to the library to check on Toby's progress.
Every day since then, Sarah would take a walk after breakfast and Cavin would join her. They'd talk about all matter of subjects, though the personal stuff was one-sided on Sarah's part. She could never get him to open up too much about himself, and if she probed for more, his answers became increasingly obscure and dodgy. She quickly learned to simply stop asking and wait for him to volunteer the information, which he did, in small amounts on very rare occasions.
Today, however, a kitchen mishap during breakfast had forced Cavin to busy himself healing the cooks and other servants who had gotten caught in the crossfire. A few singed chickens scattered out of Sarah's path as she passed the kitchen after he morning walk. Today was Toby's second week of schooling and she would join him in the library to read and help in whatever way she could.
"Ah, Sarah, there you are. How was the walk? Did that alone time help you clear your head?" came a silky voice behind her. Sarah stopped dead in her tracks just at the base of the stairs.
"I always enjoy my alone time, Jareth," she sighed tiredly, as she turned to face whatever fresh new hell he had for her now.
"I can tell," he replied sardonically, clearly aware that her walks were never taken alone.
"Did you need me for something?" she asked, cutting to the point.
"Not particularly, but I would like to show you something,"
Sarah rolled her eyes and turned her back to the king. "Pass," she sighed.
A hand on her arm stopped her from progressing up the stairs.
"I wasn't asking your permission," Jareth said before Sarah felt that familiar tug around her belly button. The world went black for a moment, and when it cleared, Sarah found herself in a dimly lit underground corridor. It looked vaguely familiar to the one she'd been chased down in years ago by the Cleaners.
"Jareth, what the hell!" she screamed in outrage.
"Perhaps you didn't take me seriously on the matter of fraternization with the help. So what is a Ruler to do with a headstrong girl who won't listen to reason? I believe you need to be reminded that the consequence is quite serious, no matter how little you care to believe it," he stated. He started forward and beckoned her to follow him with a wave of his hand. Sarah stayed put in obstinate defiance.
"Sarah, there is no dwarf to lead you out this time. If you ever hope to leave the dungeons, I suggest you follow me," he said, continuing on his path.
Sarah huffed in agitation but, after a moment of calculating her chances, followed him nonetheless. They walked in silence down the corridor, taking only one or two turns before they entered a large circular chamber with stone pillars. Carved into the wall between each stone pillar were horrendous looking faces. Sarah recognized these instantly.
"False alarms," she stated aloud to no one in particular.
"No, these alarms are quite real. The passage leads into the castle directly. These serve to confuse intruders as well as alert me to their presence," he explained as if it were obvious.
"Why aren't they going off?" she asked.
"There are no intruders, obviously,"
"Obviously," Sarah repeated, rolling her eyes at his condescending remark.
"That hall over there," Jareth said, nodding his head to indicate the direction, "follow it until you reach a door. Open it,"
"Why should I?" Sarah childishly spat, wary of whatever Jareth had planned. He arched a brown in response, as if the answer should be obvious.
"Right, because you won't get me out of here until I do. Fine, whatever," she huffed as she did what was instructed. The hall was musky and unlit. Sarah extended her arms to feel ahead of her until she felt solid wood beneath her palms. She felt along the damp wood until she felt a latch. She pushed against it with some effort and the door slowly opened. Her senses were immediately accosted by a stench so foul that Sarah instinctively covered her nose and fought to control her gap reflex. What the hell was Jareth trying to show her?
Sarah stepped into the small torchlit room and her question was immediately answered. A small crouched figure stood abruptly at the intrusion. Large eyes bulged in surprise, and a lopsided mouth fell open in a silent gasp.
"Hoggle?" Sarah whispered, dropping her hands shock, the stench almost forgotten.
"Sarah? Sarah? What're you doin' here? How'd you find me," the dwarf asked.
"Oh my god," Sarah squealed in happiness, stepping forward to embrace her friend. He immediately retreated from her approach, throwing his hands up defensively.
"Don't touch me. You don't want to get this stink on you," he told her.
Sarah nodded and stepped back in compliance. The smell was slowly creeping it's way back into her senses, reminding of her of why she was here in the first place.
"That bastard brought me here to use you as an example," she stated, a wave of indignant anger sweeping over her.
"You mean Jareth?" the dwarf asked. Sarah nodded.
The dwarf huffed and plopped down on a bed of ragged blankets.
"He threw me into the bog not long after you stopped calling us. I ain't ever seen him so angry before," he told her.
"Hoggle, I never stopped calling you. After a while, no matter how many times I called you just never came,"
"Well I ain't one to ignore a friend in need, Missy,"
"That's not what I mean. Sir Diddymus said the same thing, too. Even though I called, you guys couldn't hear me. He thinks someone was interfering with the magic that let us do that,"
Hoggle shook his head his denial. "I don't think so. That dumb fox don't know nothing. Things ain't been right around here for a while,"
Sarah shook her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know – I just know things haven't been right since before you came, and after you came the first time, it got worse. A lot worse. Much as I hate his slimy guts, that Jareth was pretty good about keeping on top of things in the kingdom when things went wrong – but too many too many things have been going wrong. It's like he can't even keep up. You've seen the weather haven't ya?"
Sarah nodded. "Crazy," she commented.
"Well, it's like that," he said. "Weather's been all wrong. Stuff happenin' outside it's season. The hedge maze in the labyrinth died overnight. One mornin' I went out to spray the fairies and they was all gone. Just disappeared, without a trace. Matter of fact, that was the day Jareth kicked me into the bog. Speakin' of the bog, that's goin' dry, too. Just something ain't right, Sarah. This whole kingdom is magic , and the kingdom is dying – so what's that say about the magic?"
Sarah contemplated her friend's words for a minute. "So you think the magic is dying in the Labyrinth?"
"Maybe, I dunno. All I know is somethin's wrong, and it's got me all itchy just thinkin' about it. But enough about me, how 'bout you? Why are you back here?"
Sarah sighed and launched into her tale from beginning to end. When she finished, Hoggle was sniffling loudly and shaking his head. "You don't deserve none of that. You're too sweet a girl," he bawled into a filthy hankercheif.
"Thanks, Hoggle, but I'm okay, really. I'm more concerned about you,"
"Don't worry 'bout me. I wasn't too happy at first about stinking like the bog but it ain't so bad. Now at least I get left to myself like I wanted in the first place. It turned out alright, I s'pose."
Sarah offered a sympathetic smile. She couldn't see how anyone could find a silver lining in the cloud of stench that surrounded them, but she wasn't about to tell Hoggle that.
Jareth's voice echoed down the hall, calling Sarah back. Hoggle's head snapped up and he dropped his handkerchief in surprise.
"Jareth came with you?" he asked.
"He brought me," she shrugged.
"Damned if I ever understand that man. You best be off. I've kept you long enough as it is. Gotta get back to counting my beads," he added.
Sarah allowed herself a chuckle at the dwarf's habits. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Sure, though if ya want to come by and see me again, you're always welcome, Missy," he told her, giving her a crooked smile.
Sarah smile back, wringing her hands to suppress the urge to hug her friend. He led her to the door and closed it behind her, giving her one last goodbye as the door latched shut. Sarah sighed and trekked back to the chamber where the goblin king stood waiting.
"What is that horrible smell?" the goblin king teased as she emerged from the hall.
'Your attitude,' Sarah thought, glaring daggers at the goblin king.
"Can we go now?" she asked.
If Jareth said anything in reply, Sarah didn't know, because at that moment the ground began to shake. Dust and small rocks fell from above, and Sarah didn't have time to scream in panic before she was thrust against a pillar and covered against the rain of debris. The gruesome mouths of the alarms flew open and ear piercing screams echoed off the walls of the chamber. Sarah screamed in panic and covered her ears, though it did little to block out the sound of the alarms.
She could feel movement from Jareth but didn't dare look up to see what was going on. The sound of the alarms died away, but they were left to ride out the remaining quake. When it was over, Jareth stepped back and examined Sarah momentarily before surveying the room. A few large chunks of rock had fallen, one uncomfortably close to where Sarah had been standing moments before. Sarah looked up and noted that the pillar she stood against was not just for decoration – it formed a weight bearing arch with a neighboring pillar.
'Quick thinking,' she thought, allowing herself a moment of positive thought for the goblin king.
"Now can we go?" she asked. Without reply the goblin king took hold of her, and Sarah felt a tug at her bellybutton.
"Are you alright," Jareth asked when they arrived in the empty throne room. Sarah nodded.
"You?" she asked, eyeing him for signs of injury. It hadn't occurred to her until now that he might have been hurt shielding her from the falling debris. Sarah wondered momentarily if she was that bad of a person that she would let her bias against another impede her worry for their safety.
"Of course," he answered, brushing dust from his shoulders.
"Thank you,"
"For what?" he asked, pausing in his self cleaning to address her show of gratitude.
"For...protecting me, I guess. Thank you. I'm glad you weren't hurt," she told him.
He smirked arrogantly. "Are you, then?"
"No, not really. You deserve to at least be a little banged up by something after throwing Hoggle in the bog for no good reason," she said, his attitude instantly activating her defensive mode.
He smiled in amusement.
"Disobedience is an excellent reason for punishment. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to make sure my Kingdom is still intact. Perhaps you should check on your brother to make sure he is not 'banged up'," he suggested, before he disappeared from sight.
Sarah rushed to the door and headed for the library. She threw open the doors and sighed in relief when she saw her baby brother picking up books that had fallen to the floor. He was okay.
"Sarah!" Toby cried when he saw his sister. "Did you feel that? It was an earthquake. A real earthquake! How cool is that? Are you okay?"
Sarah embraced her baby brother and kissed him on the cheek. He was okay. She way okay. It was all okay. She helped clean up the mess created during the quake, and as she was replacing a particularly heavy leather bound volume on the history of elves on the shelf, she came to realize something. She had lied earlier. She really was glad the goblin king was okay.
A/N: I'm a slow updater. Sorry. I'll try to update more frequently.
For those who feel like I ripped of Tolkien on the subject of elves – I used old Nordic mythology for my elven background. Nordic light elves appear human but fair featured and have pointy ears. Dark elves are ugly and dark featured (technically dwarves are dark elves but I doubt I'll go into that with this story). I figure Jareth has to be something beyond human since humans aren't particularly magical, so there you have it. He's an elf. Half elf, whatever. I have the whole background written out in my storynotes, I'll see if I can't work it into the fic.
As always, read and review. Criticism is welcome, as long as I can learn something from it.