Disclaimer
As mush as I wished I owned any characters or rights at all, I don't. Not for Inkheart, Labyrinth, or any of the stories included in my story. All characters and rights belong to The Jim Henson Company, Cornelia Funke, and other correct authors of the other stories. I just play with the characters. Cue the music. One Step Closer By Bon Jovi.
Italics = thoughts
{Squiggly Brackets}= Jareth mind speak
/ / = Silvertongue magic at work
More indications will be added or changed as needed or required.
Ch. 7
One Step Forward and Two Back
Aboveground
"Moirai!" Sarah stopped in her tracks. They had started to leave the park when she recognized the name.
"Humph. So he did tell you." Moirai said, a little dejected. "Let me just say... well... actually... its complicated." She hesitated.
Sarah was grateful that Moirai had helped rescue her, for that she could forgive her. Besides its wasn't like she was in cahoots with Hook, right? From how things transpired, that's how it looked at the moment to Sarah. "Alright."
"Don't ask pl..." Moirai was taken aback. There was a little suspicion in the back of her mind that that was a ploy for an explanation.
"Enligh..." Jareth was also taken aback, he thought Sarah would have had a hissy fit and complained about unfairness. Such a pity, he had wanted a reason to send Moirai where she belonged.
Sarah knew Moirai wouldn't want to talk about that sort of thing right now, she herself had been the same way. Of course she did want to know, but only when Moirai was ready to tell her. She also didn't want to go home alone at the moment, nor did she really want to be alone with either of the two either. "That doesn't matter. I'm still a little shaken, I just... want to go home." Which was true for the most part, it was kind of all a ploy too, it had been a good chance to practice using her right words too.
They continued walking to Sarah's home, in silence. Though, along the way, it did seem like Moirai wanted to say something every once in a while.
Underground
Linda found the garden, the flowers chosen were specific. She walked the garden in surprise. There were Mallows, Ipomoeas, Pink and whire roses, primroses, Anemone. There was lots more flowers and their meaning was the same, more or less. Mallow meant deep love. The pink and white roses, I still love you. Anemone, unfading love. Wow. She thought in amazement. As he said she would, she did like the garden, it was beyond beautiful. Where Sarah was concerned, Jareth was tenacious. She sighed. I don't even know how Sarah feels about him, and she is still only fifteen. But just look at the message. In the Middle Ages girls were married off at her age. Juliet was just fourteen. I don't remember, but her betrothed before Romeo must have been in his mid to late twenties as was Romeo. It all just isn't fair. She thought. Other things were on her mind too. The more she thought of home and her family, she grew more anxious to go home. Then again the more time she spent in the underground, the more she felt she couldn't go back either. She walked the gardens until she got hungry, then went to see about getting something to eat.
"Wha..." A surprised Linda arrived at the throne room, she didn't know where the kitchen or dinging room was.
The goblins were up to their usual shenanigans, this time they invented a new game that somehow involved walking on the chickens.
"D-don't walk on the chickens!" Linda couldn't help but chide, regardless, the goblins just ignored her.
"Your Ladyship, you is wasting your breath, they only listens to His Majesty." The same goblin who brought Linda to see Jareth said with a chuckle. " Is you done looking at the garden?" It asked.
"Uh-huh. I am getting hungary though." Linda stated.
"I sees, this way. I'll show you to the kitchen and dining room." The goblin beckoned and lead the way.
Linda nodded and followed the goblin.
Aboveground
It was quite a shock for Jim to see Sarah come home so soon and with two others, it took him a while to recognize Moirai, but the man he did not. He noticed the man was not dressed in modern clothes, but a poets shirt with a brown cropped leather jacket with tails, and tight pants. It was sort of a relief that Sarah wasn't alone with the man, but he didn't like the fact it was Moirai. He and Dustfinger had planned to leave while Sarah was still at the park but this changed his mind. Jim went outside to meet them as they came up the drive way. "What happened? Why are you home so soon? And with them?" He asked, with acid in his voice as he looked from the man to Moirai, where most of it was didrected.
Moirai hung back, a sheepish and hurt look on her face. She knew she deserved that though, she hurt him first.
Jareth wasn't expecting such a welcome, he knew it wasn't all directed at him though, what had Moirai done. He caught a look at Moirai, by the looks of it, it was something she knew she deserved this for.
Moirai saw Jareth's glance and composed herself.
"Now, daddy, please don't worry. As you can see... I'm fine. I'll tell you everything, but promise not to get upset and just listen." Sarah said with a weary smile. She told Merlin to go to the garage, he listened.
Jim raised an eyebrow. He took a deep breath and let it out. "Alright, I can do that." Then he notice a small scratch on Sarah's neck.
Sarah saw that her father noticed the scratch on her neck. She covered it with her hand. "You promised to just listen." She reminded him.
Jim furrowed his eyebrows, then relaxed his face. He nodded and sighed, waiting for her explaination.
Sarah told him the whole story, what happened and who Jareth was (minus some details). No her father wouldn't like the certain information that she kept to herself. "Thats what happened." she concluded.
Moirai didn't hold her breath hoping Jim would forgive her, but now that she felt regret, she worried he wouldn't. She felt fidgety, she didn't think she would worry this much.
It was silent for some time.
"What are you here for Moirai? What have you got planned?" Jim broke the silence, you could hear the animosity in his voice.
Moirai flinched at the accusing questions. "I'm not up to anything." Her voice faltered."After Silver told Jadis about his little rendezvous with you, she was peeved. She was going to turn him to stone. I stopped her, I lied and said I would find out what was going on." she paused. "Jadis only told you she was planning something. It was coincidence that she discovered Linda nosing around, she was going to turn her to stone, I convinced her to let me read her in to a book and use her as leverage to keep you out of the way. She never told you what it was she was planning did she." It wasn't a question. She wondered where Linda was, she should be here since Jareth and the others were. "I didn't know either for a while." She was so stupid for ever believing Jadis could be controlled or be manipulated so easily by the distraction of being told she was brought out of a book or being in the actual world the kids in the book had brought her to.
"How do I know your not lying right now?" Jim tried to be civil but he said it through gritted teeth.
Jareth had wondered little about the how or why Linda was in his kingdom, let alone who put her there. Whats done is done, like whats said I'd said.
"What if I told you that you already have Linda. What if I also told you Jadis's plan." Moirai looked seriously at Jim, this wasn't a question either. She started to wondered if they even knew they had Linda all along.
"What are you talking about. My dad told m..." Sarah was confused.
"Yes, what are you talking about?" Jim interrupted and raised a hand to silence Sarah.
Jareth decided to change tactics since it was about to be revealed that it was his book that Linda was in. Besides if he still went through with the plan, yes he would have Sarah, but would he have her love.
"You really don't know!" Moirai was surprised at that.
"Isn't that obvious." Jim said with an edge to his voice. "Continue."
Moirai snapped out of the daze. "Linda was in the book your daughter read him out of." She gestured to Jareth. "She should have come out of the book to, I think. As for Jadis, she plans to destroy this world and every one like it. Ones that seem to have no magic. She heard of 'The Never-ending Story' and she wants to use the nothing."
"What!" Sarah and Jim said in unison.
Sarah looked at Jareth. She felt a little hurt. Her mom, Toby and she had been in the same vicinity and she missed a chance to see and perhaps save her mom. But she didn't know, how could she have known. She should loath Jareth with every fiber of her being because of Toby, her mother, and various other reasons (the cleaners, the bog of stench, the poisoned peach). Yet she was deep in denialville trying to fight the way she felt.
"So where is she now then?" Jim looked between Moirai and Jareth.
"I-I don't know. I thought she would be here." Moirai bit her lip.
"Jareth, where is she?" Sarah asked.
"You know very well where she is." Jareth answered. "I didn't know she was your mother when she appeared in my kingdom. She wanted to go home. I told her she could run my Labyrinth, if she won she could go home, she lost. I have never lied to you, nor do I plan to start. I admit when she lost I sent her to the dungeon. She is not someone who was wished away, only someone who is wished away is subject to being turned into a goblin. When I learned she was your mother, I let her out of the dungeon." Jareth defended himself.
"You're still not saying something?" Sarah grimaced.
Jim didn't like how any of that sounded in more ways than one. Or how familiar they seemed with each other. Technically keeping their gift a secret wasn't a lie, but it felt that way now, and this Jareth character said he had never lied, or so he says. He wondered if he really was the only liar here, he also wondered if Sarah would trust this Jareth based on that alone.
Just then Cornelia, holding Toby, came out to tell Jim he had another call. "Jim dear... Oh... Am I interrupting." She hesitated. This was a surprise, Sarah was back early and there were two others.
Dustfinger had heard the commotion and was right behind Cornelia. Not that he was concerned for her safety or anyone else's, besides there was no real danger here right now. Why would he loose his head over this family, when he couldn't for his own. He was such a coward, for a brief scary moment he considered not going home, that his family deserved a better husband and father. Yet Sarah's resemblance to his beloved Roxanne reminded him that he missed his family, the Wayless Woods (which he knew like his own scarred face), most everything back home actually. Except for Capricorn, Basta and the lot.
"Yes, what is it Cora?" Jim turned his attention to Cornelia. He saw that Dustfinger had been drawn out too by the scene they made.
"Right. You have another phone call and lunch is ready. I'm afraid... I wasn't expecting more guests." Cornelia continued.
Sarah let out a small sigh, just what was Jareth up to.
"I see, they weren't going to stay, in fact they were just leaving." Jim wanted to growl, instead he gathered up Sarah into a hug and ruffled her hair. "These two escorted Sarah safely home from the park."
"I am only to glad to have helped." Jareth gave a slight bow, glad for the interruption.
"Uh, yeah, same here." Moirai smiled, which oddly looked both forced and sincere.
Sarah was wide eyed and startled when her father gathered her in to a hug and ruffled her hair, he hadn't done that since she was small. It seemed everyone was acting a little different from themselves lately. They never heard what Jareth was holding back.
"Oh, are you sure? I don't mind making a couple more plates." Cornelia asked even if it seemed that wasn't what Jim wanted.
Jim was a little irked, he didn't want Moirai around.
"I'll decline, I really wouldn't want to impose." Moirai assured Cornelia, she knew that was the answer Jim wanted to hear.
"Only if you insist." Jareth replied.
"Of course your welcome." Cornelia said. "Though I feel I missed something just now. Did something happen?" She grimaced.
"Is everything ok?" Dustfinger asked.
"Yes... everything is fine now though." Sarah was still dumbfounded by her father's actions.
"All that matters is that Sarah is safe now. Now about that phone call." Jim went inside the house.
After a few seconds Cornelia with Toby followed Jim in to the house.
Dustfinger let Gwin out of his bag so he could stretch and run around.
Sarah thought it was sort of rude how her father treated Jareth and Moirai, true Moirai did deserve something of the sort, but she was trying to make up for what she had done; right? "Keeping an eye on me for my father are you Dustfinger?" Sarah snapped, she was not happy with how things turned out and was on the verge of having a hissy fit, things were starting to seem unfair.
"No, of course not." Dustfinger almost snapped back. "Cornelia insists I keep Gwin in my bag in the house."
"Look, I'm sorry, its just not my day." Sarah tried to apologize, it wasn't really his fault.
"I see, you don't have to explain. Much worse then not being able to get home." Dustfinger went inside. He had not trained Gwin, so the marten wouldn't have come when called anyway. Dustfinger wondered if Jim would still help him, he wasn't just upset about Sarah anymore. If not, perhaps he would see if Sarah would help. He knew Jim would kill him though if Sarah was involved, little did he know of Jareth's fondness for Sarah and what lengths he would go for her.
Moirai started to leave.
"Ugh." That's right he is from a book, and he was trying to get home. That is worse than how this day has been going. Sarah thought. She heard Moirai's receding footsteps. "Wait, I want to thank you. I'm sure.."
"Don't mention it." Moirai waved it off. "I... gotta book." She was going to say she didn't think she would be forgiven that easily, but changed her mind and walked off.
Jareth and Sarah were left alone in silence. An awkward moment for sure, probably wouldn't be the only one.
"Shall we go inside?" Jareth asked, he wanted to offer his arm and escort her properly, but now was not the time. So he gestured to the entrance to the house.
Sarah tried not to, but couldn't help but think it was like bringing home a boyfriend, it felt like it meant something. Or was she reading to much into it. If she uninvited him though, her father and Cornelia would say she was rude and wouldn't hear the end of it. She only nodded, she silently wished the day could be whitewashed of everything. It's not fair. She thought as they went inside.
Author's Notes
There's Ch. 7. I don't know whether or not to say I hope you like it cause of the angst. Anyway cue the music. Whitewash By Gin Blossoms.
