Chapter 7
Nothing Tra-la-la?
Sitting in the disguise of a beggar Jareth waited patiently for Sarah and the Dwarf. Sarah was playing right into his hands and embedding herself further into his heart.
Sending a scouting crystal out, he grinned in the darkness as he heard the false alarms arguing with the Dwarf. They were getting close. Then the crystal rounded the corner and following close behind was the dynamic duo. The crystal disappeared in his begging cup and disguising his voice he asked a very leading question.
"Well what have we here?"
Hoggle squirmed he knew it was Jareth, how could he not? The crystal had been a dead give away.
"Nothing," the dwarf hedged and shifted guiltily on his feet, defying his king.
"Nothing? Nothing?" Jareth stood up and started to remove the disguise and as he did so his voice changed to the smooth baritone, albeit angry, it usually was. "Nothing tra-la-la?" carelessly tossing the outfit behind him it disappeared and he surveyed the two companions.
"Your Majesty, what...," Hoggle swallowed, and smiled haggardly, "what ... what a nice surprise."
"Hello, Hedgewart," said the King of the Goblins.
"Hogwart," Sarah corrected him.
"Hoggle," Hoggle said, gritting his teeth.
"Hoggle," Jareth said, in a kindly conversational voice, "can it be that you're helping the girl?"
"Helping?" Hoggle fidgeted. "In what sense?"
"In the sense that you're taking her to the castle," Jareth said.
"Oh," Hoggle replied. "In that sense."
"Yes."
"Oh, no, no, your Majesty. I was leading her back to the beginning."
"What!" Sarah exclaimed.
Hoggle forced his lips into a conspirator's smile for Jareth. "I told her I was going to help her get to the castle, a little trickery on my part..." He snorted with nervous laughter. "But actually..."
Jareth smiled pleasantly at him and noticed a bracelet around Hoggle's wrist. It was what Sarah had used to bribe him with… now if he could remember correctly she had called it plastic.
Jareth leaned down and until he was almost eye level with the dwarf, "and what is that plastic thing around your wrist?" he inquired proud that he had remembered the name of the Mortal's jewel.
"This? I ..." Hoggle looked wide-eyed at the bracelet, evidence of his guilt, and treason.
"Why," he stuttered, "er, my goodness, well, I never, where did this come from?" quickly and guiltily he hid it behind his back, hoping desperately that if Jareth couldn't see it he wouldn't remember it was there.
"Hoggle," Jareth spoke levelly. "If I thought you were betraying me, I would be forced to suspend you headfirst in the Bog of Eternal Stench."
"Oh, no, your Majesty." Hoggle's knees wobbled and collapsed. "Not that. Not the Eternal Stench." He begged.
"Oh, yes, Hoggle." Jareth turned and smiled at Sarah. "And you, Sarah… how are you enjoying the Labyrinth?" He leaned over her, pinning her against the cold stone of the walls around them. Her heart jumped at the close proximately of the powerful Fae.
Sarah swallowed, he was very close. Beside her, she heard Hoggle's feet shuffling. Determined not to allow Jareth to intimidate her, and to deny the attraction she was feeling for the Goblin King, Sarah tipped her chin up and stared defiantly into Jareth's beautiful mismatched eyes.
"It's a piece of cake."
Jareth raised one elegant eyebrow. How he loved her defiance and her fire, her absolute resolve to thwart him in everything. And right now all he wanted to do was kiss her, her face was in the proper position, chin tipped up, lips parted drawing in slightly fast breaths. Her face was flushed with a hint of color. She wasn't blushing, more like she was feeling a strong emotion. Jareth was betting on hate. He wanted to make her even angrier, hopefully she would lash out at him and he would have some excuse to touch her.
"Really?" Jareth faked intrigue. "Then how about making it a more entertaining challenge?" He looked up, and in the space of air before his eyes the thirteen-hour clock appeared. He gestured gracefully, and the hands visibly began to turn faster.
"That's not fair," Sarah said angrily, and Jareth was tempted to kiss her again.
He loved it when she said those words; it just made her seem like a petulant child. Which he knew she was growing out of, but still he found unimaginably amusing and he sincerely hoped that she never stopped saying it.
"You say that so often. I wonder what your basis for comparison is." He goaded her hoping for another reaction. He was disappointed, as she remained silent. He summoned a crystal in yet another effort to annoy her.
"The Labyrinth is a piece of cake, is it?" Jareth laughed. "Well, now we can see how you deal with this little slice."
Tossing it down the opaque tunnel they were suddenly accosted by a loud grating sound, like knives sharpening, from the darkness. Jareth still laughed as he disappeared and left the other two to freeze in fear. The crashing, whirring, trundling noise was getting closer all the time, and louder. Hoggle's face was a mask of panic. Sarah found herself instinctively shrinking away from the approaching threat.
"Oh no the cleaners!" Hoggle shouted in panic and grabbed Sarah's hand for comfort.
"What?" Sarah yelled over the din,
"RUN!" Hoggle screamed and dragging her with him he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him.
All the time the huge noisy machine was getting closer, and glancing over her shoulder Sarah saw the huge knives and sharp objects that twirled sharp and silver in the darkness.
They reached the end of the tunnel a huge padlocked door stood in their way.
"Hoggle! Push!" Sarah yelled as she pushed frantically against the door, it didn't budge. She looked around for another exit and saw another door to her right.
"Here Hoggle! Push!" they pushed against the unyielding door as the 'Cleaners' came ever closer, then with one gigantic heave the door flew open and they lay gasping for air as the noisy contraption went past peddled by two goblins, oblivious to what was in their path.
Back in the castle Jareth held a crystal in his hand, Sarah was so lucky to have him looking after her. If he hadn't snapped his fingers the door would never had opened and Sarah and Hogwart would have become mincemeat… that would not have done, but of course Sarah would never admit that he had saved her life. Rather she would claim the door opened to her because of her will etc. She was really tiring when in her self-righteous kick.
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"Ah Princess. To what do I owe this pleasure?" She said the word like it was smooth dark chocolate, something forbidden, dark and seductively tasty. Mecrinda shivered as the chocolate voice melted over her, making her skin tingle. In the dark intimate room there was nothing but rich furnishings and shadows, but sweet perfume scented the air and it wafted enticingly from a dark corner of the room, where everything was in shadow.
In the darkness Allera noticed the princess's reaction and smiled secretly. The princess was surrendering to her jealousy. Good that would make everything so much easier. She glided off the couch that she was reposing on and made her way slowly to Mecrinda's, each step she took the poor princess's eyes went wider. Laughing softly Allera sat on the couch next to her, lifting a bejeweled finger she stroked Mecrinda's cheek softly knowing exactly what would make the princess yield. It was the simple art of seduction, whether used on men or women the same tricks never grew overused, except on one such as Jareth, he alone was immune to such advances as he was a master himself. Damn him!
"You know what you have to do now," Allera paused and moved her face intimately close to Mecrinda's' face. "Has what I have said been true?"
A lone silver tear escaped from one of Mecrinda's closed eyes.
"Yes, it has been true. He has fallen for the Mortal."
She spat the name, all her hatred resounded with it, and her silver tear that had made it halfway down her cheek turned a sickly green and when it fell it burnt small tear-sized hole in Allera's robes. Allera threw back her head and relished the pain of the acid tear; it was the sweet feeling of victory. Soon she would have everything tied in a nice little bow. But right now she needed to plan.
"Mecrinda, maybe you should go back and try and reason with him, maybe he still is in love with you and is distracted by the Mortal. Scout out what you can and return to me with the information and I will advise you what to do… that is," she paused and turning her head smiled into the dim shadows, "unless you already know what to do?"
Mecrinda made not a sound; she stood up in the dim room and walked out the door.
Allera wondered over to the huge fruit platter her servants had placed there for her and her 'guests'. Picking up a ripe apple she savagely bit off a piece and chewed. Swallowing the sweet fruit she threw back her head and laughed. Everything was going exactly according to plan.
Jareth you will rue the day you rejected me, and in revenge I will take your fiancée and of course your Beloved Sarah…
A/N: well that is the next chapter for Prophecy... lots of secrets revealed in the next chapter!
Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers and my Beta Phantomsecretlove who has gone back and corrected everything.
Cassee
