The Accidental Return
PART SIX
"Married?" Sarah whispered, staring at the little goblin as he turned and went about preparing for the ferry to cross the Ocean of Grass to the Goblin City. She clutched the rail, unsteady. Ludo stayed by her incase she fell overboard again.
"Yup," said the little man as he worked, "Been in the works for a few months now. Maybe years, I dunno. I just know that His Majastyhas had us hoppin' like rabbits to get ready." He sounded a little disgruntled at the last part. "She even visited the city a while back. I just heard this from a friend. It's one of those arranged marriages. His Highness has been a wreck. Hasn't been out of the castle, hasn't sang or did much since that Queenie left."
Sarah turned at this, confused. "I 'aven't 'eard a lick of this." David said from the rail. Sir Didymus gave Lancelot the stink eye as his steed stuck his head through the slats in the rail to be sick. Didymus made a tutting sound and then turned to join in the conversation, "I have heard not of the nuptials of the Goblin King. Then again, since our last encounter, my Brother and I have avoided the Goblin City."
"Kiiiiiing meeeeeean…" Ludo said. Sarah patted him, a twinge of guilt building in her chest. Jareth had been mean to her friends because of her. She turned back to the rail to overlook the Ocean. It was a vast flow of honey colored grass. Like Little House on the Prairie, Sarah thought. In the distance, she saw the gleam of the Goblin City. It sparkled and shone in the sunlight. She squinted, trying to make out the castle.
So what if he got married, what did she care? He was just an annoying tormenting pain in the ass. He kidnapped her baby brother… Because you asked him to… Making her run the Labyrinth like a rat in a maze…You never would have met Hoggle, Ludo, Didymus, or David… Popping up in unwelcome, making her quest harder then it already was…He was never fair…You say that so often. I wonder what your basis for comparison is.
That last thing made her feel weak. That was what he had said when she had escaped the oubliette. Her little voice was being a traitor. "Why am I here…" She whispered.
The ferry got underway and they rode in silence. Ludo fell asleep sitting against the rail, making it creak. Lancelot curled up next to him and David made a little nest on top of Ludo's head. Sarah stood at the rail, where she had stood when they had left the landing. She was worried, they wasted an hour with this trip, but she had a good eight hours left to go. Going directly to the city with time to spare was a miracle. She went to sit by Ludo, feeling chilly, and saw that the sun was setting. Had she spent the night in the Labyrinth before?
Suddenly the ferry came to a jerking stop. She leaned up as the ferry captain appeared, "Sorry miss, just an engine. Nothing to worry about." He lifted two doors in the floor of ferry. Sarah could see several treadmills that turned the large back paddle of the ferry. On them panted small goblins, one of the treadmills was empty. Two goblins came from where the captain was, went down, and carried a goblin up that looked like he had had enough. She leaned back on Ludo, seeing Didymus had shifted so he looked at her from his place by Ludo.
"My Lady, I could not help but notice the distress you were in at the news of His Highness's coming nuptials."
Sarah looked at the little fox goblin and then down at her hands twined in Ludo's shaggy hair, "I… I was just mad. He's very frustrating. He plays cat and mouse with me as he plans his wedding… I don't like my life being turned inside out for some game."
Didymus nodded, "It is a coward's game, I agree. I shall do all in my power to protect you, My Lad-"
Didymus's sentence was cut off by the rocking of the ferry. Sarah thought it was fixed but when she stood, she knew it wasn't. It rocked again, more violently as the captain came up out of the engine room. He scanned the Ocean over the rail and then gasped, jumping, "OH! We've got a GRALE! GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALE!"
"What the hell is a Grale?!" Sarah said, trying to keep her balance as the ferry tipped violently side to side.
"A Grass Whale!" David said, waking up. As he shouted this, something very big and green breached the grass on one side of the ferry. Sarah reached the rail and clung to it as she watched as a large orca-like looking wale in different shades of green scales flew through the air and came crashing down back into the grass, disappearing under it.
"Scaaaaaared!" Ludo said as he flatted out over the floor of the ferry. Lancelot looked as if he tried to hide under Ludo.
"Be brave my Brother! I shall tame this beast!" Didymus shouted as he jumped onto the rail, brandishing his sword scepter. The ferry rocked again and Sarah caught him and fell back onto Ludo. Ludo caught her as the ferry rocked again and finally did what it had threatened to do, tipped over. Sarah screamed, holding onto Didymus as they went into the grass. It was like falling through warm suffocating air. She felt Ludo's grasp around her and they broke the air, several yards from the overturned ferry. Ludo waved his free air as Didymus woofed wildly, cursing and sputtering. Lancelot was dog paddling around them as Ludo went under again, Didymus swung his sword scepter too wildly and hit Sarah just above her left eye. She gasped, her eyes rolling back and her grasp going limp.