A small update this time. A short chapter, but important! Enjoy, you labby fans!
By the way, this chapter was totally fueled by Charm's Blowpops. Cherry flavored. Lollipops = Fuel of Champions. Maybe if Sarah had a blowpop, she'd have solved this mystery already!
The Slumbering City
Chapter Six
The Faery Tree
"Never mind!" Alice said in a soothing tone, and, stooping down to the daisies, who were just beginning again, she whispered, "If you don't hold your tongues, I'll pick you."
Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll
It really wasn't fair, Sarah decided, that no matter how much sleep she seemed to get here she never woke up feeling rested. In fact, she usually woke feeling even more tired and restless than she had before she'd ever closed her eyes.
And, then, of course, there were the dreams. Half-remembered, hazy images swam through her mind. She tried, as she stumbled after Twitch, to puzzle the dream together, to make sense of what she could remember -- a garden, a swing, The Goblin King... But just as soon as one part of the dream seemed to come into focus, the other parts dissipated like a mist under the heat of the sun. It was frustrating to say the least. And worrisome.
The only thing she could clearly remember from the dream were Jareth's eyes – the mismatched orbs glowing brightly as he stared down at her terrified face, his fingers clenched tightly around her chin, refusing to let her look away as he whispered softly and menacingly to her, "Never."
Terrifying. And more frightening still when she had woken up with clear, finger-shaped bruises across her chin.
More than a dream, but less than reality. All the more frustrating because she could not remember the encounter any more clearly than the last, the vivid image of the Goblin King, glowing, frighteningly beautiful, glowering down at her like some sort of angel of vengeance.
In the waking world, as if the ever present fatigue wasn't enough, it also seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of time to get to the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. When she had first run the Labyrinth, it had taken her less than thirteen hours to reach the center (Jareth, the cheater, had subtracted two hours away from the original thirteen). Of course, with unchanging orange and purple sky above, Sarah had no idea how much time had passed since she'd first woken up outside the Labyrinth's walls. It felt like days.
Her steps faltered and she looked around, a slight frown on her lips. She supposed that she should take into account the fact that this Labyrinth was much, much older than the one she had conquered seven years ago. Older and, she felt, more dangerous. She wasn't sure why it was more dangerous; after all, this Labyrinth seemed to be lacking everything the old Labyrinth had had in abundance: life, in particular. Also, while the Labyrinth she'd beaten had been old and crumbling, this Labyrinth had almost completely fallen apart.
So far, while following Twitch, Sarah had seen where many walls of the Labyrinth had toppled, and even several passages that had collapsed in on themselves. It was a depressing sight. With so many paths closed to them, the two had been forced to search for clear passages. Sighing, the young woman ran a hand through her dark, messy hair. No wonder this was taking so long. Up ahead, Twitch paused, straightening his back and tilting his cowled head upward.
"What is it?" She asked, stepping up behind him. Twitch sniffled, then turned to her, orange eyes bright.
"Twitch smells something, un," he muttered distractedly.
Sarah frowned, looking around. They were in a narrow corridor, the glittering walls on either side leaning inward at a perilous and claustrophobic angle. She took a deep breath, but caught only the scent of damp stone. Dust in the air caught in her throat, and the dark-haired girl coughed, tears springing into her eyes.
"I don't... smell anything..." She managed to wheeze. Twitch shifted from foot to foot, audibly sniffing the air. Her coughing fit dying down, Sarah watched the creature, her hand on her chest as he scurried from one side of the passage to the other.
"Smells it..." He muttered, "Know I smells it..."
Appearing to pick up the scent, the creature babbled excitedly and motioned to Sarah with one long, clawed finger. "This way, un! Follow the Twitch!" He turned, his little form moving quickly down the corridor, and further away from her. Blinking, Sarah dashed after him.
Twitch turned down a small corridor and the young woman had to crouch, crawling through the tight space until it opened again and she could once more stand. Twitch was already way ahead of her, his brown-clad form practically prancing around yet another turn. Sarah took a deep breath, jogging to keep up. This continued for several minutes, Twitch racing through turn after sinuous turn, and Sarah trying to keep pace, the constant sharp turns and running making her dizzy. Finally, she spotted Twitch as she rounded yet one more corner. He stood with his back to her.
"Finally," She panted, limping up behind him, "What on earth --" She paused, her green eyes widening as she finally saw what Twitch had been chasing after.
They stood in the remains of a small garden. A small, white marble fountain stood off to one side, picturing a maid and a unicorn. Water had once poured from the tip of the unicorn's horn into a cup in the maid's hands, but the fountain had dried up years ago. Dead leaves crunched under Sarah's feet as she stepped further into the garden, barely noticing the fountain or the dead, stunted trees that stood in dark silhouette against the twilight sky.
In the center of the garden, something was growing. Both she and Twitch stood, holding their breath at the sight.
A small tree grew out from the rubble that cluttered and choked the ground. A slim, silver trunk grew upward and branched out, sprouting crystal leaves that chimed sweetly when a dry gust of wind ruffled through them. The breeze made it to the two observers, and this time even Sarah smelled it. The scent of sunshine. Of green. Of life.
Together, they approached the small tree. It's highest branch was level with Sarah's eyes.
"What is it?" She whispered, reaching out touch one of the glimmering crystal leaves. It was cool against her fingers, and smooth. Each leaf was no thicker than her fingernail, and the thickest branch was about the width of her thumb.
"Magic," Twitch replied sagely, keeping his clawed hands to himself. His words stirred excitement in her belly and she inhaled sharply, her green eyes eagerly taking in the sight of the strange little tree. This was the first glimpse of the Labyrinth's magic since she had conquered it seven years earlier. Did that mean that whatever sort of ennui had fallen over it was finally beginning to lift?
"Look!" Twitch cried, dancing excitedly from foot to foot. Sarah glanced down, watching in fascination as the tree began to blossom further, little round fruits beginning to grow from under the leaves. As they grew, they gained color and a scent that were wholly familiar to the dark-haired young woman.
Twitch's claws clicked sharply as he tapped them together, orange eyes wide as he witnessed the fruits growing rapidly from the miniature tree. Though the silver branches appeared to be fragile, they did not bend or sag under the new weight of the perfect fruits.
As Sarah watched the fruits blossom, she could feel her annoyance building. It crescendoed into a palpable thing, prickling along her skin.
"Of course," She croaked, back now ramrod straight and her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Of course it's a peach tree. What else would it be?"
"Food!" Twitch replied excitedly, reaching out and carefully plucking one from the tree. He tilted his head back to sniff the peach and Sarah caught a glimpse of a small pointed muzzle – almost like that of a bat. But she blinked and Twitch's features were obscured once more. With a frown, she turned back to the tree, regarding it suspiciously. She had a history with Underground peaches, one she did not wish to repeat.
A breeze set the crystal leaves tinkling and brought the heady scent of the ripe fruit straight to the young woman's nose. Sarah's stomach growled rebelliously and the dark-haired girl faltered, biting her lip and shifting indecisively from foot to foot.
She was more than reluctant to try one of the peaches that grew from the silver tree, especially since they were so obviously magical and she, well, had an unsatisfactory encounter with magical peaches in the past.
Since conquering the Labyrinth, she had not abstained from peaches entirely, but they had never tasted the same after her time in the Underground. They always left a bitter taste in her mouth and stirred up unpleasant memories of a drug induced slumber. Could the Goblin King never play fair?
"I shall see if I cannot provide something for you in the Labyrinth." The words rumbled through her mind and sent a shiver down her spine. Hadn't he said that? Hadn't that been in the dream?
Well, if it had then it was even more of a reason not to eat the damn peaches. Anything Jareth provided was bound to lead to no good.
The sound of sucking noises distracted her from her inner debate and she turned curious green eyes on Twitch, who had a peach in each hand was happily sucking the juices from the one in his right claw. The sight of someone else enjoying the fruit made her mouth water and she turned back to the faery tree, eying the fruits jealously.
"We must not look at goblin men, we must not buy their fruits," She mumbled, "Who knows upon what soil they fed their hungry thirsty roots?"
The poetic lines did little to still her hunger though, and, in the end, it was the hunger that won out. She reached out one dirty, trembling hand and plucked one of the soft, plump peaches from the tree. All sound dwindled as she raised the fruit to her lips, closing her eyes and feeling somewhat like Snow White as she took the first, fateful bite.
It was the most delicious thing ever to have passed her lips. Sweet, succulent juices ran down her parched throat, quenching her thirst. The taste was seductively sweet and crisp, tasting like no peach she had ever eaten before. The meat slid over her tongue like ambrosia, and she trembled as warmth spread through her body after she consumed peach upon peach.
They gorged themselves on peaches. And when they could eat no more, they plucked what remained from the tree and stuffed them into their pockets (or robes), before collapsing at the foot of the silver tree, both of them full and one of them content.
Twitch sighed and closed his eyes, but Sarah stared up at the pale moon and wondered.
She was full, finally, for the first time in recent memory. She was not cold, and she was even reasonably comfortable. But she felt more uneasy now than she had even upon waking from the frightening dream earlier that day. The uneasiness kept her from drifting off, though her body begged for sleep. The aches and pains she had accumulated since falling into the Labyrinth had faded since the first bite of the peach had passed her lips, and she felt warm, refreshed, and oh-so-sleepy. But every time her dark lashes began to drift shut over glazed green eyes, a sick, panicked feeling would rumble through her and shock her awake.
She felt as though she had done something awful. Or was about to do something awful. Frowning, her mind buzzing with a small, quiet alarms, Sarah drifted off to sleep.
Peach juice dripped over her frowning lips and over the bruises on her chin, leaving a sticky trail as it slid further down her neck.
Standing guard over the slumbering couple, the faery tree trembled in the wind, it's crystal leaves clinking together and sounding remarkably like the soft chiming of bells. But in the twilight so deep in the Labyrinth, no one heard.
Aaaand that's a wrap! For now anyway. Next chapter, some more yummy JS!
To those who spotted, there is a line from the wonderful poem, Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti. I realize it might be overplayed in Labbydom, but I thought it fit well with the situation.
By the way, thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! You guys are awesome, and really keep me inspired to write this fic. Please keep reviewing, the feedback (and lollipops) fuel my writing!
And thanks so much to mein beta, April. Without you, this fic would not exist.