100 Theme Challenge
Theme 50: Breaking the Rules (November 19, 2010)-dedicated to Michelle
Because most of this is exercise to help me with my actual story, in the way that I meat out characters and story line, they don't involve strictly Labyrinth characters. This is one of those stories, now because it's the "Labyrinth" challenge; of course, there will be some characters.
She'd always wondered what was so great about humans. How were they or rather, that one so able to draw him to them? She was a young girl, and Ivory had to admit, pretty enough, but there was nothing remarkable or remotely extraordinary about her. She'd gone with Jareth a few times to the AboveWorld while he watched the young girl. Since her leader mostly stayed in his owl form, it left Ivory to wander around the place. She was always close by, but mostly had to stay out of sight. She'd watched the humans carefully. They looked similar to the Undergrounders. She could see her own origins in some of them. She'd decided as a whole the race wasn't that great, and that he was much better choosing someone from his own kind.
In the past year, she'd grown weary of watching the children. They were all the same, petty and selfish. It was worse at night. Some nights, Jareth would spend hours on end watching that girl sleep, maybe he was weaving her dreams or something, but it was nothing that Ivory could take part in. She'd let herself wander around some nights, until she happened upon a very active area of the city. The neon lights are what attracted her at first. She hadn't seen anything like in the area Jareth seemed to stay too. She heard loud music and revelry coming from a particularly bright place. The words "The Blue Flamingo" were flashing in a particularly bright blue, and it had a blue leggy bird standing in a martini glass. She made a face as two people came out of the place. The woman was wearing a dress that came down to her thighs and a light jacket, and a pair of silver high-heeled shoes. She was laughing, and obviously tipsy. The man was helping her to their carriage, and once she was in, she started kissing him feverishly. Ivory heard Jareth calling her and went back to her original location.
A small plan devised itself in Ivory's mind. If her king could find a lover among the humans why couldn't she? They were closer to her blood anyway. She marked where she was in her mind and planned to return there on another night. She knew her clothes would never allow her to blend in very well here, so she would need something more appropriate for this place. She had a never-ending account with the royal tailor. She would draw up a dress for him to make. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could distinctly recall some boots that were to her thigh and high heeled. That was the last time the royal cobbler was allowed to touch her footwear.
Weeks passed nothing changed in their routine, sometimes, Jareth wouldn't go visit his "love" at night. Others he'd stay in and call for Ivory, and spend hours telling her about his Sarah. Lately though, he'd been bogged down with his more kingly duties and was inclined to stay home. Tonight was one of those nights when he'd locked himself away all day in his study and review treaties and pardons. She knew he would be busy and never called for her on these nights. She always had one or two crystals on her and decided to charm her mirror to be the portal, just so it would be continually open and wouldn't require her thinking of how to use a crystal.
The dress she'd had the tailor make was a short dress came to the middle of her thigh. She'd ignored the strange look she gave her when Ivory had requested it. She didn't explain. She didn't need to explain. It was off her shoulders and had large triangles that lay on their sides so the points touched and the bottoms met the seams and went to the waist of the dress. They alternated between cutouts showing her white skin and black triangles. The pattern continued all the way down the long sleeves of the dress. She regretted the boots almost. She'd forgotten how high they were. Originally, when she'd ordered them she'd asked for heeled boots so her feet wouldn't slip out of the stirrups of her saddle. The royal cobbler was used to making the high-heeled shoes for the fea women and gave the boots a four-inch heel. They were horrible for riding, so Ivory had no use for them, until now. She was almost glad hadn't thrown them out.
She sighed as she slipped her foot into them. She pulled the leg of the boot up and secured it around her thigh. She checked herself in the mirror. She had left her curly hair down and it stopped at the small of her back. I'm going to have to cut it soon. It's getting to long. She thought. She tried to seem poised, and give herself a battlefield mindset, but it made her scowl. Ivory sighed and tried to relax her face. She touched the mirror and the glass quivered to reveal the inside of the Blue Flamingo. She stepped through and turned around to make sure she remembered the spot where she'd left the glass. Carefully, she sauntered through the room, trying not to seem awkward. The strobe lights mildly disorientated Ivory, but she quickly overcame it. (Actually, she tucked it away for a form of training.) She walked the perimeter of the room, watching couples dance wildly. She wrinkled her nose and decided to take a seat.
She climbed into a barstool and leaned back slightly. The door opened and she actually recognized the woman who walked in. It was that supposedly dreadful stepmother the king's human always went on about. Her husband followed behind her. She was talking excitedly and moving across the room towards her. Ivory smirked. What are the chances?
Jareth sat up, suddenly, and realized that he was asleep at his desk. He was fairly exhausted from pouring over the treaty with the trolls. He'd been reviewing every clause for days now. He stretched and looked at the clock on the wall. It was later than he thought. He wondered for a moment how long he'd been sleeping, and then decided he would need someone to keep him up. He reached behind him and pulled a rope that rang the servants' bell. He started reading over his notes on the side of the paper trying to decipher what he'd written, while falling asleep. A few minutes a little dwarf came in the room.
"Yes, yer majesty," the dwarf said.
Jareth vaguely recognized him as the dwarf that was always puttering around the gardens. What was his name? Hobble, no. Hooel, no. Hickle-yes, "Hickle go get me General Ivory." He commanded. The little dwarf bristled and raised his bushy white eyebrows.
"It's Hoggle, your majesty." He corrected. Jareth looked up at him from his paper. Hoggle forgot completely that the king got his name wrong. "I'll go and get her, sire." He said quickly and ran out of the room. He slowed once he was in the half and leisurely walked to the General's room. How dare the king get his name wrong; he'd only been serving him since the king was a young prince. He was going to punish him by making the wait, and everyone knew King Jareth was not a patient man.
Ivory had sat there and warded off a few advances from men wanting to pay her for some type of favor. She engaged in conversation with a man, who would have been the equivalent of her human age. He was obviously trying to intoxicate her. He kept buying her drinks, each stronger than the last. She kept drinking them, not really feeling the effects of them, since fea liquors could kill a human. She sighed and listened to him talk. He was a computer engineer, had three sisters, and his mother was in New York, she wasn't doing well, but he was sending her money. He never really asked her anything, mostly just prattled. She had decided not too far into the night that she was not going to find someone here. Most of the men, were single minded, though there was young man sitting across the room that kept looking at her. She wished he would come and talk to her and get rid of the dolt. He kept throwing glances at her. Suddenly the room stilled.
Hoggle finally made it to the General's room. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He figured she was sleeping so he knocked a little bit harder, and still no answer. Hoggle fidgeted; he'd kept the king waiting long enough. He knocked again, but this time he opened the door. "General," he called into the room quietly. There was no response so he fully came into the room and found it completely empty. He saw the mirror and could see it quivering. Hoggle turned on his heel and ran back to the king.
"Yer Majesty! Yer Majesty!" He yelled opening the door. Jareth jumped to his feet.
"What is it Hokkle?" He said.
"OH, it's Hoggle! And the General's not in her room!" He yelled.
Jareth ignored the correct. He was more focused on why his General wasn't in her room. "What do you mean?" He said.
"The room is completely empty, and the mirror was enchanted." He yelled, excited. Jareth narrowed his eyes. He rounded the desk and strode to the room. It was always a possibility that Ivory would return to her homeland. That was strictly forbidden, and would be quiet sad if she did, since he was rather fond of her. Hoggle followed behind him.
When Jareth entered the room, he saw the same thing Hoggle did the enchanted mirror. He passed through the mirror and found himself in a human club. Of all the low places for her to go. He knew Ivory wasn't low. He easily spotted her across the room. She looked so different. The short dress high heels and loose hair made him wonder just what her intentions were. Jareth froze the club, so that only she was moving.
Ivory felt everything freeze and even saw a drink stop in mid air. The king was there. She looked towards the mirror and saw him standing there. She stood to her feet and walked to him. She didn't seem ashamed even though she knew she could be put to death for passing through a mirror to another world without the king's orders. She stood in front of him and he moved out of the way so she could pass back through the mirror. Once they were back in the room he removed the enchantment.
"I don't know what your motives for doing this are General, but I won't punish you. I'll just warn you to be careful with what you do." He looked at her. "If you'll please change back into something decent and come to my study, I need to you review the treaties with me." He said.
"Directly, your majesty." She responded, and he left the room. Ivory cast a one last sidelong glance at the mirror and changed back into her military garb.
Yeah this one is about my oc… but again, I'm trying to work on my longer piece and this was a bit of back story for her and Jareth. And it was the only way I could think of doing breaking the rules. Again guys r and r and vote for which one to be done next. Please, please, please?
