Chapter 4
"Is it done?"
"I have received a positive report my lord: the object is in place."
"And the village?"
"The Satyrs are being quelled as we speak."
"Excellent. Give any surviving ogres their payment and plant the distraction. Our new course will be as smooth as the Goblin Babe's skin if we proceed as planned."
"Of course, my liege." The young elf bowed low and made a hasty departure from the quarters of the dark elf king, who sat upon a decrepit chair next to a window. The window, covered by moth-eaten drapery, could only view the Langston Mountains, a nearly desolate arch in the earth. It was once a flower covered landmark, rising high like the sun in all of its delicate glory; now, it was a symbol of fear, made barren by the dark magic of the evil elves living in its perimeter. For all of its history, the mountain was now overlooked with disdain for its neighbors, and the perfect place for a dark elf to raise an army.
Satyrs, as a species, were mildly tempered and hunters of the pleasures in life. They were marvelous company with a cup of fine wine and even better with a woman on their arm. Satyrs, in the simplest situation, were kind and pure partners of nature, but their survival instincts were unmistakably keen and brutal.
When he arrived at the scene, Jareth was amused by the ultimate chaos shown before him. Just as he saw in the crystal, Satyrs were running wildly back and forth to put out fires and launch arrows at the ogres who were stomping and swinging their limbs to destroy as much of the peaceful city as they could. Counting about six of them, Jareth assumed that the Satyrs managed to take out one or two of them already because his father had mentioned there being about seven or eight in the pack. Using his bond to the kingdom and its ruler, Jareth sought out the satyr king.
It only took a few moments to locate the monarch. He an average sized satyr known as Haluk, underestimated by his size and calm disposition, but lethal in combat against his foes. He had a quick wit about him and a cursory reflex that allowed him to dodge as well as attack his opponent. Jareth was rather surprised his presence was needed at all; Haluk had not called on help from the fae since his father had ruled as the Goblin King. The satyr was currently climbing the back of a howling ogre, his hoofed feet finding purchase on the many arrows stuck in the heathen's back.
"Need any assistance, King Haluk of the Satyr realm?" Jareth called towards his fellow king as the satyr balanced on the ogre's shoulder with a blade.
"None at all, Goblin King Jareth, ruler of the Labyrinth!" the satyr shouted back, using the ogre's ear to scale its head. The monster attempted to bat the satyr from its scalp but Haluk was too quick to be caught by such a bumbling enemy. "Enough of you vile ogre! Be gone you fiend!" suddenly the sword in his hand was embedded in the ogre's thick skull, pulverizing the dull brain within. The ogre roared with anguish as it stumbled and crashed to the ground, Haluk holding onto his sword to keep on both hooves. The ogre twitched once more before walking through death's door while the satyr king approached the other monarch.
"Why did you call for me, King Haluk? You seem to have the situation under control."
"Ah King Jareth, I thought you would enjoy such an easy battle. Rumor has it that your wife keeps you stuck in the study with paperwork. Why a man would settle down, I cannot fathom."
Jareth good-naturedly shook hands with the satyr before turning to look back at the mayhem around them. "Do you know why they've come this city, of all places?"
Haluk frowned. "I sent for you because I am unconvinced of their agenda. The ogres have never had a reason to war with the satyrs; occasionally, they've made a meal out of one of my kind who happened upon their den, but they've never blatantly attack our city like this. We outnumber them by an outrageous amount; this was a suicide mission. Would you like to contain one for questioning?"
"Of course. But let us not allow them to continue this battle, I want to be home in time to kiss my wife goodnight." Jareth pulled out his own sword and the two kings locked eyes before launching themselves into the fray. There were only about three ogres left and they seemed intent to keep fighting until death. While Jareth began slashing at the legs of one foe, the satyr king yelled orders at his men.
"Ready the nets! We are going to take this bloody son of a bitch to hell!" the satyrs cheered as they prepared the cannons for firing and the battle to be won. "Hold steady men, at my order." Haluk watched and waited for the signal from Jareth, who was currently running circles around the nearest fiend. Alternating between stabbing and slashing at the creature, Jareth hurled insults from the ogre's large and smelly feet. The monster was furious with injury and swung blindly to hit the man butchering his limbs. Jareth ducked and shuffled to avoid the dancing arms that were as big as two fully grown horses while luring the fiend to just the right position for Haluk to seize him. Dashing out of the way, the Goblin king gave the signal they were waiting for. "Ready men, aim and fire!"
A barrage of weighted nets hits the ogre, taking its enormous frame to the ground. It kicked and groaned in outrage as the satyrs moved to hold it down. Swiftly, Jareth drove the hilt of his sword into the ogre's head, rendering it unconscious for the time being. For a bit of insurance, he summoned a sleeping crystal and crushed it above the monster's closed eyelids. He turned to the nearing form of the satyr king and nodded in acknowledgement of their fine teamwork.
"Many thanks, King Jareth. You have not lost your combat skills to impending parenthood, that I must salute." Haluk scanned the calming city. The last two ogres had been killed while they captured the last one, and the townsfolk were working fast to demolish any remaining fires. "We shall have to send for resources from the goblin kingdom I'm afraid, as much as it wounds me to increase your menial tasks by signing forms. Even without properly evaluating the damage, I can tell it will take some time to repair this city to its former glory."
"Have no worries, King Haluk. I shall see whatever you need is here as soon as possible. But first, I must interrogate the prisoner. Is there anything I can assist you with immediately? If not, I shall return to my personal dungeons with the assailant."
"I see no reason to keep you any longer than necessary, King Jareth. I am grateful for your help and hope that you gain all of the information you are searching for. Best of luck to you and your growing family." Haluk bowed to the greater king before assuming his role as leader and directing his people.
Right as Jareth was preparing to leave, a familiar face called his attention. "King Jareth of the Labyrinth, I am surprised to see you here."
"General Maddock," Jareth faced the man in question with condescension. "You just missed the battle. I must say I'm surprised that it took you so long to catch up with these lumbering fools. What will you tell my father, I wonder?"
Instead of retaliating with a jab at Jareth's position and power, the general gave him a blank look. After a few moments, the man shook his head and responded. "May I return with you to the castle beyond the goblin city?"
Jareth was stunned by this request. The general and the goblin king had never been on the best of terms, something about their personalities calling for immediate hostility between them, so they did not come to each other for help. This was entirely out of character. "Why in heaven's name do you want to visit my castle?"
"Um… I just need to go there…" Maddock looked positively confused by his own answer. "May I please return with you?"
"I think you might be sick." Jareth squinted at the other man before giving in. "Fine, you can return with me. But only long enough to make sure you aren't going insane. My father will expect a full report from you as soon as he hears of the battle we've just had."
General Maddock nodded dumbly as Jareth summoned another crystal, this time to transport the general to his castle and ogre to the deep and sinister dungeons hidden underneath the labyrinth.
Reaching her husband's study, Sarah went straight for his desk. If there was any clue as to his abrupt departure, she assumed it would be there. Maybe there was an urgent letter regarding an attack or a shortage of resources that he had to attend to. But one glance at a tedious report on a dwarf skirmish made her quickly realize this might not be the most strategic form of research. It almost made her pity Jareth's tiresome job and consider lending a hand, but then another peek at a report on chicken bile production made her laugh at the thought. He already had an assistant and the queen had her own humdrum responsibilities.
Stumped and frustrated with her findings, Sarah collapsed on Jareth's desk chair. She sighed in relief at its wonderful cushioning and allowed herself to relax for a moment. This wasn't worth getting worked up over, Jareth had probably gone to buy another crib or trinket for the baby. He spoiled the unborn child ridiculously, ordering the seamstress to make hundreds of cozy blankets and unisex clothing at Sarah's insistence that he couldn't be sure it was a boy. He also lavished Sarah with gifts to make up for her morning sickness and foul moods. But he had always over-indulged Sarah, from the very beginning of their relationship.
"Everything I've done, I've done for you."
Shaking her head, Sarah eyes landed on an old mermaid and conch trinket box. It was a gift he had given her on his second visit with after the whole labyrinth ordeal.
"Can he say trick or treat? Try saying trick or treat! Triiiiick orrrrr Treeeeeeatt."
Sarah frowned at the older woman who insisted Toby could request candy even though he could barely form a four-word sentence. This was the third time tonight that someone expected those three words for sweets and Sarah was getting tired of it. She would rather have gone out with a few friends to the movies, but once again she was stuck at home with the baby. She sighed as the woman finally gave up speaking gibberish and tossed a lollipop into Toby's pillowcase.
Karen had demanded that the two of them go trick or treating in total Halloween spirit, so Sarah was currently wearing a female pirate costume while Toby wore a cute little getup of the same idea. He was mumbling unintelligible things while chewing on his eye patch, so Sarah decided they'd bee at it long enough. They had to get home by eight o'clock anyways, because her parents had a company costume party to attend and Sarah had to hand out candy in their stead. She would gladly hand out candy rather than carry Toby for another hour, so off they went in the direction of home. They weren't very far, but Sarah was tired so she decided to take a shortcut through the park she used to play in as a child. To be more accurate, the park where she pretended to be the heroin in the red, leather-bound book she once loved.
'Give me the child. Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen. For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great…'
Shaking her head to dispel unwanted memories, Sarah pushed Toby's stroller with determination. As she approached the small bridge in the middle of the park, she heard tiny cackles and small splash to her left. Glancing around, she felt a shiver go down her spine. Oh no, she was not going to do this again. Ignoring the odd sounds from all around, Sarah hurried out of the park and down the street. She needed to get Toby home safe and sound before even beginning to acknowledge the idea of him showing up again. But as much as she wanted to believe they were safe at home, Sarah knew that he had no qualms making impromptu visits to Toby's bedroom.
Leaving the stroller in the driveway, Sarah picked up Toby and rushed into the house, quickly bolting all of the locks on the door. Toby began whining and pulling at her hair as she tried to calm her breathing. There was nothing to be afraid of; the laughter was probably just a bunch of kids. Everybody was out tonight, so she should just calm down.
"Sarah, is that you?" Karen's voice called from the kitchen. "How did it go? Did they love your costumes?"
Entering the other room, Sarah placed the bag of candy on the counter and handed Toby to his mother. "It went fine." Picking up a glass of apple cider, Sarah refused to look at the calendar next to the refrigerator. Any time she happened to glance at it, her pulse went up in fear of what she might see. It had since remained a harmless collection of mythical drawings, but Sarah was paranoid it would signal another uninvited interruption from the one and only Goblin King Jareth.
"Are you listening to me Sarah? I said we'd be back by twelve-thirty. Try not to go crazy giving out candy, I'm not sure we enough for more than one piece per person." Karen looked at Sarah expectantly. "You never answered my question: did the neighbor's love your costume?"
It was sort of a competition between her stepmother and the neighbor wives to out costume each other's children, and Karen had an advantage with the youngest child on the block. Sarah found it silly, but supposed there weren't a lot of other tasks the stay-at-home mother could be excited about. Giving her best impression of a genuine smile, Sarah responded. "Of course, they thought it was adorable."
"I'm so glad! I wonder what we should go with next year… How about renaissance? I'll make you a pearly white gown and- oh, we're going to be late! Robert, I'll be waiting in the car!" Kissing Toby on the forehead, Karen handed him back to Sarah and patted her shoulder. "Be good! Make sure he's asleep by nine."
Nodding and reassuring as she shooed her stepmother out of the house, Sarah placed Toby in his highchair and gave him some snacks to munch on. He giggled and threw them around in excitement as Sarah indulged in a piece of chocolaty goodness.
"Sarah, your mother wanted me to remind you not to use the stove while we're out, she's afraid of house fires." Her father called from the foyer. "Love you!" She heard the door open and close once more.
The suddenly empty house made her uneasy. There was Toby, but he wasn't very skilled in form of talking, let alone scaring away creeping Goblin Kings. The toddler was finally starting to eat the food in front of him when the doorbell began ringing. Grabbing the bowl of candy, Sarah neared the door with caution. It was probably just her parents forgetting the keys or harmless trick or treaters. "Not mythical creatures, Sarah." She scolded herself. Steeling her nerves, Sarah swung the door open.
"Trick or treat!"
Sarah swallowed the lump in her throat as she stared at a bunch of cutely dressed children, all eager for sugary snacks. "Happy Halloween." She passed out the candy and went back inside, but not before she heard the creepy laughter from earlier. Her gaze was sour with annoyance as she searched behind flowerpots and ornaments on the front porch for the source of the noise. She huffed and crossed her arms, heading back inside just as clueless as before.
After several hours of the doorbell ringing and being filled with apprehension, Sarah ran out of candy and the desire to be a smiling, spirited citizen. Halloween used to be her favorite holiday as a child, the one day she could be anything she wanted without anyone finding it weird. But when Karen showed up, Halloween became a competition and Sarah couldn't choose the mask she wore any more.
She had put Toby to sleep a tad later than she promised, but he was hyped on sugar from the little candy she gave him and took forever to settle down. Now that Sarah was peacefully by herself, she had no distractions to keep her from the consternation building in her stomach. For the life of her she couldn't understand why, but for some reason she knew he would come tonight. Whether it was because the holiday was so wicked, or the time and place was nearly identical, Sarah knew he would come.
Determined to do something about it, Sarah made her way to the kitchen. She had read somewhere once that fae were allergic to iron so she looked for any she could find. She grabbed a pan and an iron poker, heading for the front door. She was ready.
Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Nope, she'd been wrong. Sarah, now laying on the floor in the middle of the foyer took back her prediction and moaned in stupidity. She was a lunatic, a complete idiot with a pan on her head. 'God, could my life get any worse?'
Getting up and moving to the couch in the living room, Sarah was stopped by the doorbell. 'Trick or treaters stopped coming hours ago,' she though with dread. 'It's him.'
Taking a firm grip on the iron poker she collected, Sarah slowly made her way to the door. Counting to three, Sarah grasped the door handle. 'One, two… three!'
Sarah stared in disbelief at no one. There was nobody at the door, just a bunch of laughter coming from down the street. Stepping out onto her porch, Sarah realized she'd been ding-dong-ditched by some high school kids playing pranks to get off. "Imbeciles." Sarah grumbled, relieved that her nightmare hadn't come true. "That's it, I'm going to bed." She was closing and locking the front door when she froze.
"But the night is only getting started, precious."
Taking a deep breath, Sarah calmly turned to face her intruder. "I had a feeling you would come today." He was there, leaning against her stepmother's prized china cabinet, looking like he owned the place. A flair of irritation enveloped Sarah as she took in his form-fitting leather pants and V-necked poet shirt. He was the epitome of seduction and it made her sick that she even acknowledged it, given the circumstances. But she was also surprised because he had appeared in his original armor during his last visit, most likely to allude to their very first meeting before the labyrinth, and she was expecting that tone of attire again.
"Ah, but it's not the day anymore, now is it? The sky is bright with the moon and stars; I would say it's night. And you know what they say Sarah: Halloween is the time for things that go bump in the night." Jareth left the shadows to move closer, his voice taking on a mocking quality. "What is that silly thing on your head? If you were trying to repulse me with insanity, you've got a very good start- but I'm afraid you'll to work much harder than that to dissuade me."
Sarah turned scarlet with embarrassment, shoving the pan off of her person but raising the poker. "Stay where you are Goblin King. I have some questions for you and I demand answers."
Sighing as if this whole situation was utterly beneath him, Jareth crossed his arms. "If we're going to have a lengthy chat, you'll have to serve your guest some refreshments. How about some tea?" Before Sarah could protest, he had already left the foyer to heat the stove in her kitchen.
"Wait a second! Karen doesn't let me use the stove when she's out of the house." What Sarah didn't mention, as she slid in front of the offending kitchen appliance, was that she almost always used it anyways because she was fifteen for goodness sake- she was old enough to use the stove on her own!
He raised an eyebrow, giving her a look that clearly stated he knew her personal disobedience, but spun to lean against the counter instead. "I was only trying to appease your human tastes, but I suppose a little magic won't shock you into a comatose state." His hands spun to summon a crystal, which he then tossed behind him on the counter. Without blinking an eye, Jareth reached behind him to grasp a full pot of steaming tea, gesturing for Sarah to take one of Karen's china cups that had appeared as well. She gaped at how awfully at home he made himself with her family's dinnerware and pointedly refused to help him pour a cup.
"Come on, Sarah- now you're just being petty. It's only tea, I swear I haven't poisoned it." He held out a magically full cup.
Sarah crossed her arms. "Why would I ever take your word for it? The last time I ate anything associated with you, I was drugged!"
"It's unhealthy to hold grudges, precious." Jareth brought the cup to his lips and took a sip. "See? No drugs or poison." He held the cup out to her once more. "We can stand here all day, Sarah, but until you enjoy some tea like a good hostess, I will not answer your questions and I certainly will not leave."
They had a staring contest for several minutes, neither backing down from an unspoken challenge. Finally Sarah, in a fit of helplessness, threw up her arms and took the blasted teacup from the smirking Goblin King. Their hands brushed for a split second, and Sarah shivered from the unintentional contact. Reigning in her focus, Sarah brought the cup to her lips and tentatively took a sip. In only seconds she swung around to the sink, spitting out the contents of her mouth as if her life depended on it. "It tastes like peaches!"
Jareth laughed and nodded at the steaming teen, continuing to drink out of his own cup. "Peaches are by far the most succulent and juicy fruit in either realm; my absolute favorite."
Sputtering at the weird feelings Jareth's voice provoked, she set the cup down and hastily changed the subject. "Alright enough, Goblin King. Why and how are you here Aboveground? I didn't wish anyone away this time or the last, so how are you here? What do you want with Toby and me? Why didn't you die after I defeated the labyrinth? Did anything happen to the labyrinth? What did-"
Jareth held up a single gloved hand. "My, precious; you have far too many questions for an ordinary girl." He laughed as if it were the punch line to a joke. "I will only answer one at a time, and tonight my limit is three. I'm afraid I can only stay for so long, I have other business to take care of this evening."
"Fine." Sarah took a deep breath. "How are you in my house, standing in my kitchen if I didn't make a wish?"
"Simple really: it's Samhain." Jareth spoke the words plainly, as if they explained everything.
Sarah stared at him for a moment, expecting some sort of clarification but receiving none. Finally, after seeing that he was perfectly content with his answer, she asked the obvious. "What's Samhain?"
Chuckling lightly, Jareth gave her a shrug. "I don't have time for curiosity, Sarah; find out on your own time. The Aboveground has such exquisite technology, I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough. Last question, please and thank you."
His ridiculous explanations had been infuriating enough, but now he was evading her questions completely! Sarah's tempered burned at an increasing rate as her hands clenched into fists. "You have some nerve coming into my house full of riddles and peach tea, you pathetic fairy prick!" Marching forward, Sarah poked a finger into his chest. "What the fuck do you want with me?"
With a speed her brain couldn't process, Jareth had her pinned against the counter where he had previously been leaning. "Language and accusation do not become you, precious. I won't stand for such unlady-like behavior." He held her arms behind her in a crushing grip, the iron poker forgotten on the tile floor as Sarah watched him in fear. "As for your final question…" Jareth leaned closer, pressing the length of his body tighter against her own. "What do I want with you, Sarah? Oh, I want lots of things: I want to hate you and I want to love you. I want to tease you," he ran a hand down her torso, leaving a not entirely unpleasant tingling sensation in its wake. "I want to hurt you." The hand toying with the hem of her shirt grasped her side painfully. "But most of all I want to free you," he shoved away fro her suddenly. "and I want to rule you. But you are too young to understand these wants I have, precious. I bet my entire kingdom that someday soon you will- but not tonight." He looked up as if hearing something she could not. Turning his attention back to very scared and frazzled Sarah, he grinned. "Our time has unfortunately been cut short; allow me to leave you with a parting gift. Until next time, Sarah…"
The very alluring image of the Goblin King faded like dust in the wind as the sound of her parent's car pulling into the driveway reminded Sarah that she was a living being and she had to breathe. Eying the nearest clock, she realized it was already past midnight- that meant the Goblin King had stayed quite a bit longer than she'd unconsciously thought. Glancing back to where he had been standing, she saw a foreign object on the tile floor. Moving towards it slowly, as though it were a poisonous snake, Sarah recognized it as a trinket box. Picking it up gingerly, she admired the shiny texture of a mermaid's hair and a glimmering conch shell. It was a pretty gift, and Sarah had to catch herself before she felt gratitude. Filled with dreadful interest, she opened the box to find a single slip of paper.
"'Think of me fondly…'" rolling her eyes, she closed the box. "As if."
Shuddering at the adrenaline still coursing through her body, Sarah tried to compose herself. She hadn't thought her anger and curse words would incite him like that, but she was even more confused by her own reaction to it. Instead of rejecting his proximity, she let him stay there, no resistance whatsoever. Sure, she was shocked and scared, but when he came closer and touched her… she involuntarily found it welcome. Until the end of course, when he had to bruise her hip. 'What an asshole,' Sarah thought as she headed upstairs, deciding it would be best if her parents thought she was already sleeping. Halfway to her bedroom she heard Karen's voice call a shrill question.
"Why is my frying pan in the foyer? Sarah? Are you- WHAT IS MY CHINA DOING OUT IN THE KITCHEN!?"
"I'm sorry to interrupt, your majesty, but dinner is about to be served- will you be dining with the courtiers?"
Present Sarah jumped in her seat, startled from her reminiscing by a servant. "Yes, of course. Tell them to start without me."
The servant bowed before leaving her alone in the office once more. Chewing on her lip in concentration, Sarah resumed her search for clues regarding her husband's sudden flight. While rummaging through one stack of papers, she managed to let a few folders slip to the floor, earning an agitated groan. She was not in the mood to organize this evening. Carefully leaning down to pick up the papers, Sarah's attention was caught by one labeled 'Urgent'.
"Traffic report: Rogue Ogres." Sarah read out loud. "A pack of ogres have been spotted crossing the border between their lands and the dark elves' kingdom. Intentions: Unknown. Current location: Unknown." This was unusual and definitely worth mentioning, Sarah thought with suspicion. Why didn't Jareth bring it up to her as soon as he read it? The paper was dated to about a week ago, right after Jareth's parents visited. He had received plenty of chances to tell her about it if it was a serious issue. Could that be the reason took off earlier?
He's going to get a word or two about this, Sarah vowed. Standing back up, Sarah placed the papers back on the desk and made her way towards the door. She had best not keep the lords and ladies of the castle waiting, lest they begin to gossip about her whereabouts. She was rather famished, as it were, and the growl from her stomach only confirmed her destination. She only hoped the smell of whatever they served didn't make her blow chunks.
A/N: Another flashback! This chapter was so out of my hands, the characters blew whatever ideas I had away as I wrote them. That's what I love about writing; it just spills onto the page however it wants and you're just along for the ride. Coming soon some new characters will be introduced and some dark Jareth shall make an appearance. Can't wait!
The answer to last chapter's trivia: The running time of the Labyrinth movie is 101 minutes.
This chapter's trivia:
What is the significance of the Gaelic festival known as "Samhain?"
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Leave your comments, questions, concerns and answers to the trivia above in a review!