Jareth was faster than she ever would have believed, and Ginny gagged as his arm hit her neck. Gasping for breath, she stumbled backward, swinging her wand up and trying to gasp out a spell, but she couldn't pull in enough air to say anything. If she'd had a chance to learn nonverbal spells, she realized she might have stood a chance, but that would have been if she had a proper Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year instead of a Death Eater who Neville wouldn't let her duel. As it was, the most she could do was try to get away from Jareth until she could speak again.
But Jareth wasn't about to let her escape him. "Poor, brave, little girl," he said, circling her. "They dressed you up like a Witch Queen, didn't they? Do you really think your magic will save you now? Give up, and I'll be merciful."
He looked like a predator circling its prey, and Ginny turned in a circle as well, making sure never to turn her back on him. She wouldn't go down without a fight, and she gave him only a glare. "I don't trust your mercy," she rasped. Her voice sounded terrible, but at least she had a voice again.
"Your magic is what you shouldn't trust," he said, and stopped, spreading his arms. "I remember how well it worked last time. Cast a spell. Any spell." A slow smile spread across his face, and Ginny was sorely tempted to forgo her wand and simply punch him. "I won't do anything to try to stop you. I won't even try to get out of the way of whatever you want to do."
"Don't do it!" Cassidy yelled from his place by the door, his voice thin and anxious. "It's a trick! It has to be!"
"Have I ever tricked you, Ginny?" Jareth asked. "Have I ever done anything that might lead you astray? I've been completely open about my motives the whole time you've known me. I want you here, by my side." He took a step forward, then stopped himself and smiled. "But there will be time for that later. Go on. Cast your spell. I'll even close my eyes." He did so, and Ginny swallowed nervously. She couldn't try to stun him, and she was sure that any sort of offensive spell would backfire somehow. Defensive spells would be useless, though, at least for this.
But she had to do something. Crossing her fingers for whatever luck they might bring, she said, "Impedimenta."
Jareth didn't move. He didn't even seem to breathe, and after a moment, Ginny lowered her wand. It hadn't worked. She wouldn't give up, but the exhaustion of before had started to catch up to her, and she found she was more tired than she had expected. Maybe he was right and she wouldn't have a chance to win. Being the Witch Queen had been a foolish idea, and the best that had happened was that she had saved Cassidy. Even if it was better than nothing, it wouldn't help her get home.
It did mean she wasn't indebted to him any longer. "Head on out, Cassidy," she called. "Get as far away as you can and hide. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." She didn't move, not sure when Jareth would decide to open his eyes and attack again, but after a moment where absolutely nothing happened, she glanced to the door. If she had to drag Cassidy out of the castle, she would, but she would rather not turn her back on Jareth.
Cassidy hadn't moved.
It wasn't just that he had stayed in the same place; he held the exact same position as he had when Ginny had last seen him. Nearly dropping her wand from shock, she ran to the doors, not caring that Jareth might come after her. She knew, though, that he wouldn't. Everything else in the room was frozen, and as she knelt by Cassidy, she had the eerie feeling that she was moving around in a dream.
"Cassidy," she whispered, shaking his shoulder. "Cassidy, come on. Get out of here."
It was useless, and she supposed she should have known it would be. The spell had affected everything in the room, possibly even beyond that, and the only way to free her friend was also by freeing Jareth. She supposed she could wait until the spell wore off, but around here, that could take longer than the few minutes it took back home, and as far as she knew, it wouldn't wear off at all but would linger. Her heart sank, and she knew she would have to keep fighting, tired as she was. With a sigh, she got to her feet and pointed her wand at Cassidy, hoping that perhaps it would only affect him and leave Jareth frozen forever.
"Finite incantatem."
Cassidy blinked, and when he caught sight of her, he yelped and jumped to his feet. "How did you get over here so quickly?" he asked.
"I used a spell," she said. There wasn't enough time to explain, and she grabbed Cassidy's hand to pull him toward the door. "You've got to get out of here. Find somewhere to hide while I deal with Jareth. I'll come find you after I win." And if she didn't win, then he wouldn't have to watch her fail.
"I don't want to leave you," Cassidy said, clinging to her hand. "Can't I stay and watch?"
Ginny shook her head. "I went to too much trouble to save you to have you get locked in a cell again. There are people waiting outside who will help. They'll take you to a safe place. Trust me."
Cassidy nodded reluctantly, and Ginny had just pushed him toward the door when she felt a hand close over her throat. It wasn't tight enough to restrict her breathing, but the fingers curled around her neck, and she knew she wouldn't be able to get away, especially not with Jareth's body pressed against her back and his voice whispering in her ear. "You cannot leave this place, Ginny," he said, breath sliding across her skin. "You will always be here, and so will I. I will be with you every waking hour, and when you sleep, I will lie by your side. You cannot run, and you cannot hide. Take your place as my queen and end this foolish battle. You were meant to rule, Ginny, not to fight."
"I don't see why I can't do both," Ginny said, and slammed her foot against Jareth's instep. He snarled in pain, and she twisted her body, pulling easily free of his grip and pointing her wand at his throat. "Did you really think you could scare me that easily? Who do you think I am?"
"I think you're the girl who should be my queen," Jareth said. "If you disagree, then perhaps you'll need more convincing, and I have all the time I need. You can't escape, and neither can your friend."
Ginny took a step forward and felt a sharp stab of satisfaction at seeing Jareth retreat. "What the hell does that mean?" she asked. "Have you got some trick up your sleeve?" She thought he was bluffing, but she couldn't be sure, and if he did have a trick to pull, it would be better to find out by hearing him talk about it than learning what it could do to her first-hand.
"No trick," Jareth said, smirking again. "It's only that my goblins are currently slaughtering your little army outside. They won't hurt you, of course, and I'll have them spare your little friend, but only because you're so fond of him. Everyone else will die." Jareth took a step to the side, as though he was going to circle her again, but Ginny blocked him, determined to keep herself between him and Cassidy. Jareth's smile turned to a frown, but only for a moment, before it returned as infuriating as ever. "Cassidy will become a goblin, though. That, and your hand, are the only prices I'll ask for your lives."
Fred or George would have had some witty retort, but Ginny wasn't her brothers, and the only thing on her tongue was sheer rage. Her hand clenched her wand so tightly she was surprised the wood didn't snap, and her chest felt tight with fury. Even if she had known what to say, she wouldn't have been able to speak past her bloodlust.
"You could have done so well," Jareth said, spreading his hands. "If you hadn't been so hasty, then perhaps –"
"Incendio!"
Fire didn't shoot from the tip of her wand, but the spell was as effective as Ginny could have hoped for. Jareth's throne burst into flame, and as he turned, the fire spread to the straw on the floor. It moved more quickly than Ginny had thought fire could move, and for a terrifying moment she thought she must have created Fiendfyre. Then the terror turned into excitement, and with a flick of her wand, she sent the flames roaring to the ceiling. Jareth yelled, an incoherent cry of anger, and Ginny laughed, flicking her wand left and right so the flames would scorch the walls as well. Some of the stone began to glow red, and even the parts that didn't burn had black marks left where the fire touched them.
"You think I'm not doing well?" she asked, and even though she had to force every word past the lump in her throat, she was able to speak. "You think I'm weak and ready to surrender? You don't know a thing about me, Jareth. I'm a lioness, and there's nothing more dangerous."
"Ginny –"
Cassidy's voice shook as he spoke from behind her, but Ginny didn't turn to comfort him. Instead, she only sent the flames higher and said, "Run. Get out of here, Cassidy. I'm going to burn this castle to the ground if I can, and you shouldn't be in it when that happens." The air was growing hotter by the second, and even though the fire gave off no smoke, it was difficult to breathe.
"Ginny, I don't want to leave you!" Cassidy cried.
The throne room would be destroyed within minutes if the fire kept up in the way it was going, and Ginny realized that if she stuck around, she would be killed as well. "Okay," she said, "but you go first. I'll be right behind you."
Jareth had fallen to his knees, apparently in shock, and though Ginny knew it was possibly the dumbest thing she could do, she grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room and away with her. She'd already defeated him, she supposed, and she didn't have to kill him, but it still bugged her that her conscience demanded she save his life. Of all the things to have right then, a sense of honor had to be the most useless.
As soon as Ginny left the throne room, the fire exploded, and the shock wave at her back pushed her forward. Suddenly the air was full of smoke, and ash drifted past her face like dozens of little gnats. Coughing and choking, with the weight of the former Goblin King resting on her shoulders, she stumbled through the front gates after Cassidy and found a heavy battle in the hedge labyrinth. Goblins were fighting against all the various creatures who had helped her reach the castle, and though no one had died yet, it was only a matter of time.
Ginny let Jareth fall to her feet, and when that didn't get the attention of the fighters, she coughed twice before yelling. "Hey! Quit it!"
It was far from the most dramatic thing she could have said, but it got everyone's attention, and they looked up at her, blinking in surprise as though she were the sunrise. Of course, that could have been from the fire behind her, but Ginny preferred to believe it was because she was such a remarkable sight, though she was sure her Witch Queen costume was stained with ash and disheveled from being hit.
"Enough!" she yelled, though her throat was so sore it hurt to talk. "I've defeated Jareth, and now I have the crown of the labyrinth." Rather, she would have, but she suspected it was burning. "All of you are to stop fighting immediately! Or else…" She faltered a little and glanced to Cassidy, wondering what sort of punishment she ought to hand out.
"Or you'll be sent out into the Field of Night!" Cassidy declared. His voice sounded a little deeper than before, and Ginny decided he could do the talking for both of them. "Now, all of you, kneel to the Goblin Queen!"
As one, the people in the courtyard knelt, and Ginny suddenly felt very grand and important. A smile spread over her face, and even if her sudden coughing fit wasn't very dignified, she still felt like a queen. Being royalty was absolutely wonderful, she decided, even if she'd had to run through a fire to achieve it.
The first sign she had that something wasn't quite right was when Cassidy started to levitate and glow.
Ginny stared, and even her surprise couldn't stop her from noticing the little details around her – or perhaps her surprise made her more aware of the details. She saw how everyone else's gaze turned to the boy, and even Jareth raised his head to see what was going on, coming out of his stupor just enough to whisper, "Of course. Of course it was him."
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, and she kicked him lightly as a small punishment for what he had done. It wasn't the sort of punishment he likely deserved, but it was all she could give just then.
It was something that should have been painted on a theatre backdrop. Cassidy had turned entirely gold, and the only other color was the red light that came from the fire, which appeared to be dying down. Ginny glanced to the side and saw that, instead of being destroyed, the castle looked as though it had been completely rebuilt, this time out of gold and carnelian, and it shone in the light from Cassidy. As he turned his head to her, Ginny realized that the story playing out was one that was far older than she had expected, and she had played only a small part.
"Thank you," Cassidy said to her, and his voice now sounded like a grown man's. "You freed me from my enchantment, Ginny." He smiled a little, looking almost shy. "I might have wished for something more out of a fairy tale, though. I had a bit of a crush on you when we were younger."
"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked. She felt as though she could almost grasp the story, whatever it might be, but she still needed some small bit of explanation.
"Even back home, I was always different," Cassidy said. "I suppose I always belonged here, and it was only a matter of time before I was brought to the labyrinth. Maybe that's why I couldn't become a goblin; I was meant to be their king." The light suddenly vanished, and a tall, dark-haired man stood before her, still smiling shyly. "You could still be queen, if you wanted. I would make a far better king for you than Jareth ever would."
"Not a chance," Ginny said. "You're great, but I don't belong here. I belong at Hogwarts."
Cassidy bowed his head. "Of course," he said. "I won't try to keep you here. If you'd like, I can open a door directly to where you need to be, and you can leave at once. I would like it if you stayed a little while, though, if only so you can rest. You look exhausted." He reached out as though to touch her cheek, then drew his hand back.
She was exhausted, and a chance to rest would have felt wonderful, but there was no time for that. "Sorry," she said. "I've got another war to fight, and I don't think my other enemies are going to wait around for me to get some sleep."
"Time places strange limitations on us," Cassidy said. "If you ever want to return, there will always be a place for you here."
"Thanks," Ginny said. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to act in such a formal situation, and hoping to avoid any sort of awkwardness, she looked over at the courtyard. It was already changing; the statues and hedges were gone, and red grass was sprouting everywhere. A single leafless tree had grown in the middle, and as she watched, a few gold leaves appeared on its dark branches. "You too. If you ever come to Hogwarts, I mean. I could show you around."
"I'd like that." Cassidy reached out again, but this time he took her hand. "I still love you, Ginny, and I think I always will." There was such sincerity in his eyes that Ginny had to step back, pulling her hand away.
"I'm sorry," she said, though she was certain she didn't have to apologize. "You're great, really. But I don't belong here, and I don't belong with you, and I don't love you. Not that way."
She had been afraid she would see his heart break and have to deal with him being melancholy, but instead he only gave her a sad smile and pushed open the door to the castle, revealing a hall inside Hogwarts, the very same hall where she had fought Cokes. "I understand," he said. "Will you at least think of me, sometimes? As a friend. Nothing more."
"Sure," Ginny said. "It'd be pretty hard to forget you." With a grin, she stepped through the door.
