Disclaimer; I do not own The Labyrinth.
Note; Woo! Longest chapter yet! Only by a hundred or so words, but still! I almost made you guys wait until I finished the second eliminations, but I decided that I make you guys wait too much. So here it is, hopefully you enjoy it. If there are any errors, let me know - it is three o'clock in the morning here. Also, I have a question for you readers; would you rather that I update often (meaning shorter chapters) or that I have you guys wait for longer chapters? Thanks, guys. :]
The First Challenge
Remy rolled out of bed much earlier than the other girls. She quietly slipped out of the room and into her workout room, making sure to keep the noise level down. She was surprised that she was able to go through her normal workout routine without being interrupted. Remy was happy to be left alone to her thoughts, which seemed to be more and more confusing by the day. She knew that she had at least felt some sort of connection with Jareth from the moment they had met – she assumed that it was friendship. But, after spending so much time with him, she was unsure of how she felt about him. She banished these thoughts quickly, scolding herself for her selfishness. I'm not actually a contestant; I'm just here to help Jareth, she reminded herself firmly. After finishing up, she made her way to the bathrooms for a nice, hot shower.
Ailis knocked lightly before entering the room full of girls, not wanting to anger them in even the slightest of ways. His eyes quickly scanned the room, noticing that no one was awake yet. He placed the note on one of the vanity chairs, which he moved to the center of the room. As he turned to leave, his ears faintly heard the sound of the shower running. Confused, he looked a little more carefully at each of the beds; his eyes caught the empty bed that Remy claimed. He smirked, making a mental note that no one was as early of a riser as the Goblin King, except for her. He exited the room, before any of the girls had even noticed that he was there, and returned to his duties.
Jareth paced the throne room, obviously anxious for today's task. The girls would be running a small portion of the Labyrinth, his pride and joy. It was supposed to be an easy race in one of the safer parts; Jareth didn't want to have to save anyone today. Jareth finally slouched into his throne, trying to calm his nerves. He waited as patiently as possible for the girls to get ready and come down for breakfast. Ailis, had given them a note with the instructions to dress comfortably and come down. The doors creaked open, slightly, to allow one person to slip into the large room. Jareth smiled at Remy as she slowly walked over. "I see that you're the first one awake; why am I not surprised?"
"Because you know that I wake up in the mornings and work out." Remy almost resisted the urge to stick out her tongue, but failed miserably.
Jareth smiled at her childish behavior, filing the moment into his memory. He took another sip of wine and took in Remy's appearance. She had worn black track pants, white running shoes and she had layered two white shirts over one another. She had pulled her smooth, strawberry blond hair back into a pony tail, allowing her bangs to escape and hang over her eyes. She sat gracefully and dished up a modest amount of food. She felt him staring, and tried not to say anything. After a few more moments, having started to eaten, she was unable to ignore his stare – oblivious to the obvious fondness in his stare. "I told you that I was going to hide, and you don't want to engage me in a battle of hide-and-seek."
Before Jareth could respond, however, the doors opened and the girls flooded in. Happily taking the empty seats and subtly fighting for Jareth's attention. He was trying his best to give each girl the time of day, so to speak, but he couldn't help but notice that Remy just smirked as she sipped at her orange juice. He tore his eyes away from her and allowed himself to focus on the other girls. After all, Remy isn't even technically competing, he reminded himself. Myaerr slowly brought a strawberry to her mouth and sucked, capturing Jareth's full attention. Andra noticed his stare, rolled her eyes and cleared her throat.
Andra smiled at Jareth. "How did you sleep, my king?"
"I slept fairly well, despite the little amount that I got." He shined his pearly whites in her direction, noting that she was truly interested in his well being. He stood, calling all attention – not that many weren't already paying attention to him – and smiled. "I do believe that it is time for the challenge to begin, wouldn't you agree?"
The girls frowned, they didn't want to traverse the Labyrinth; it was known for its difficulty. They murmured to each other as they stood, making it known their distaste. Remy, however, merely glanced at the others, noting that Andra was obviously mentally preparing herself. Remy tried to predict the outcome, hoping that she didn't have to lose purposefully. Jareth allowed the girls five minutes to stretch, if they wished; Remy just observed. Myaerr stood in the back looking smug, as if she was guaranteed to win. Andra, Riona and Donella stretched together, talking about their strategies. Aiccea and Dierdre, however, murmured to each other with slight smiles as they half heartedly stretched.
Ailis appeared and demanded the girls' attention. "You will be placed at seven different entrances, and, when I blow this whistle, you may start. Jareth will be monitoring you via his crystals, but still use caution and don't cheat."
The girls nodded before they were directed to their entrance. They all sat on edge as they waited anxiously for Ailis' whistle. Time seemed to move slowly for Remy as Ailis blew into the whistle. She immediately darted into her entrance and started making her turns, the other girls doing the same. Jareth watched, waiting in anticipation; who would win? He tried to ask himself who he wanted to win, but quickly stopped. He put his full attention on the girls in his crystals, Ailis watching over his shoulder. Myaerr was showing promise, pulling ahead of the others, but was soon passed by Andra after she took a left – if she had taken right, she would've won.
Jareth took a moment to sweep his assessing eyes over the layout of the Labyrinth. He had sectioned off a a square mile, with the old man in the center. Once one of the girls reached the old man, they would be determined the winner. The old man would most likely be asleep as always, but his companion should be awake and excited for the company. Hopefully the girls wouldn't run into any danger, but Jareth was ready to step in at any moment. Jareth had warned the creatures of the Labyrinth to stay away, or be on their best behavior or there would be dire consequences. The Bog of Eternal stench will have a new, permanent resident. Jareth's attention flew back to the crystal, where Andra was so close to winning. Ailis noted that Remy was close, but she was purposefully trying to take the wrong turns. Ailis also noted, with a little disappointment, that Jareth's eyes were on everyone else, but Remy.
The bird sitting atop the old man's head stared at the walls lethargically, waiting for one of the girls to finish; the bird quickly reviewed the instructions that Jareth pounded into his head. The old man was getting older with every day, and not in a good way. He was almost never awake, his breathing was labored and ragged and the sir around him was a sort of peace that only signaled death. He would be sad to see the old man go, but the bird did need his freedom; because, when the old man dies, the bird will detach – sort of like hatching – and be able to fly away. He would surely miss the old man, but he knew that he would enjoy his freedom as well. The bird's attention was drawn to the sound of feet pounding on the gravel, which halted just behind the old man's chair. The bird's voice broke the tension. "Come around here, I can't see you."
"Is this the end, or do I need to continue?" Andra's cautious voice tested the bird's intentions.
The bird chuckled, trying to follow his directions. "Congratulations! You've won first place!"
The girl remained skeptical; she had heard of the Labyrinth's deceitful ways, and didn't want to be taken for a fool. So she inched her way closer, allowing the bird's accented voice to continue. "The messenger will be here any moment to collect you."
The bird's words were confirmed when a warm hand was placed on her shoulder. She turned to meet the smiling face of Ailis, who happily congratulated her. "Congratulations, Lady Andra, you're the first to finish. If you'll come with me, we'll wait for the other girls."
Andra nodded and allowed Ailis to bring her back to the castle, and into their rooms. Ailis briefly explained that she'll be having dinner with Jareth alone tonight, and he will bring the other girls back to the room. Jareth peeked in on Andra as she celebrated with a crazy little dance immediately after Ailis left. Jareth chuckled and went back to monitoring the competition. Dierdre skidded into second, running into the old bird, whom she actually had a slight conversation with. She liked the bird, despite his facetious nature. The bird and Ailis delivered Remy and then Riona, much to Remy's dismay. Jareth waited patiently for Myaerr, Aiccea and Donella to finish with a frown. He had told the creatures that they were safe to resume their day after an hours time, but the competition was nearing two hours.
Jareth's fear was hardened as he heard a desperate scream. Scanning the Labyrinth for the girls, he noticed that Myaerr had run into a flock of faeries. Jareth immediately appeared next to the girl and cleared his throat, quickly growing angry. The faeries ceased all movement when they noticed Jareth glaring at them. He stepped towards Myaerr, pulling her behind him, and the faeries flew closer to each other. "I know that I only told you an hours time, but these girls are my guests. If you harm any of them, or even make negative contact with them again, I will banish you and all of your kind to Bog of Eternal stench!"
The faeries trembled during Jareth's scolding, and immediately dispersed when he finished. Jareth turned back to Myaerr and noticed her torn clothing and tears falling elegantly down her cheeks. Jareth sighed, pulling the crying girl into a warm embrace. "It's okay, you're in my hands now. As long as you're in my arms, nothing will hurt you."
Jareth brought Myaerr back to the castle, appearing in one of the girls' bathrooms. He broke the hug and brushed her slightly knotted blond hair out of her eyes. She looked up at him, and he brushed a tear away from her eye. "Draw yourself a hot bath and rest. There will be an elimination tomorrow, but I want you to come have breakfast with my tomorrow morning; just you and me."
Myaerr nodded, pulling him back into a comforting hug, and allowed him to leave. Jareth made it back to his observation area, where Ailis was waiting. Ailis met Jareth halfway, and informed him of what happened while he was with Myaerr. "Donella, then Aiccea have finished. They've been told what the game plan is and everything is set up. You'll be dining with Andra at half past six, so be ready and in your private dining room."
Jareth nodding, allowing Ailis to go back to his duties, and appeared in Remy's work out room. He knew that she would be coming here sometime soon, because it was her ritual. She liked to work out in the mornings and before sleep, refusing to stray from her routine. Remy entered the room, not surprised to see Jareth there. She smiled, and sauntered up to where Jareth stood. There wasn't an elimination tonight, but he wanted to talk to her nonetheless. He informed her of what happened with Myaerr, trying to make her sound brave. Remy tried to hold back her laughter, but failed miserably. Jareth admired her dedication again as she worked out. He laughed at her, before leaning against the mirror and sliding down to the ground.
Remy, taking a break, sat next to him. Her soft voice broke the comfortable silence. "How are you feeling right now?"
Jareth sighed, smiling happily. "When I first heard that I would have to marry, to say that I was depressed would be an understatement. I had wanted to marry Sarah, but I knew that she would never have me. But now... I have new hope! Not only have I realized that there are other girls that would happily befriend and marry me, but that I would happily befriend and marry them. Ever since you came up with this idea, the only thoughts of Sarah I've had were for her well being. I haven't wanted her in so long, that it's shocking.
I really do owe this all to you, Remy. This competition was a great idea; not only is this tripling the size of my ego, but it's also making me happy. Thank you; this means more to me than you will ever know." Jareth finished, grabbing Remy's had in his. They sat like that for several moments before Jareth needed to leave.
"You're welcome, Jareth. I do hope that this turns out well, and that you'll always be happy." Remy was the first to stand, and address what Jareth had said. Jareth pulled her into a hug, murmuring that he had to leave for his date. He brushed his lips across her forehead – a feeling that Remy enjoyed to no end – and left with a smile on his face. Jareth entered his private dining room and waited for Andra to attend their date.
