9

Caleb decided to be upfront with his abductor.

"Caleb. Caleb Purkis. My brother is the Goblin King." It still sounded strange to say that sort of thing. The three creatures behind Caleb murmured quietly to each other.

"Jareth..." the Princess spat the name. "Doesn't have a brother."

"I think you'll find he does. We only found each other last year. Funny story that one...so...Princess..." Caleb waited for a name.

"I have no name. Not for your kind." She snapped.

"My kind? Apart from that being blatantly racist, my kind is our kind, Highness. Now are you still planning on using that thing on me or can I get up now?" he gestured to the riding crop she still had in her hand. The Princess glared at him, and then up at the three oafs behind him.

"You brought me THE WRONG HUMAN!" she shouted. "Bring me the Goblin King now!"

"Yes Your Highness!" They all shouted and bolted out of the room. The Princess sighed and rubbed her eyes in the same pained expression Caleb had seen Jareth use when the Goblins got too much to handle.

"Rough day?" he asked sympathetically. She frowned at him.

"Why are you here?"

"Honestly? My little boy is in that city your soldiers are about to attack. I had the choice to let Jareth be taken and the rest of us all die, or take his place and hope he comes through and saves the day."

"You have no idea the plans you ruined."

"I have a vague idea." He gestured to the riding crop. "So what did he do to you anyway? The whole running of the Labyrinth and forced marriage thing he tried with Sarah?"

"No. Not that it is any of your business but we were to be married once." Caleb blinked.

"Really?" It wasn't really surprising. They would have been the only two humans Underground for a long time, and she was very attractive. "What happened?"

"He called it off." Caleb waited for the rest of the story.

"That's it?"

"He called it off after defiling me."

"Ouch."

"It was an insult to this entire Empire for him to treat the Princess in that way." Caleb watched, entertained as the self-righteous anger built up.

"Of course it was. Why did he call it off?"

"He said he had given his heart to someone else, and that I wasn't his type." She spat.

"Bastard."

"Yes. He is."

"And I suppose you were left holding the baby?" he finished her story for her. She paused.

"Baby? What baby?"

"There wasn't one? I just assumed what with all the pent-up rage and all..." Caleb said. She looked disgusted at the thought.

"Of course not!" Caleb rolled his eyes.

"Well then I hate to break it to you, Princess, but that's really not worth going to war over. Yeah he deserved a good slap across the face or something but seriously, getting screwed and dumped isn't exactly the end of the world. It happens all the time. This doesn't make you special, it makes you pretty ordinary."

"You are just like him aren't you? I suppose you did the same to your boy's mother?"

"No, actually, we were married. She left me with our son to run off with a work colleague." She blinked.

"Oh." Caleb felt her invisible grip on his body loosen. He slumped to the floor, feeling a bit dizzy after his ordeal. "Make a move and I'll hang you upside-down from the ceiling." She warned.

"I'm sure you would." Caleb was new to all this but he could tell she was using the same sort of magic as Jareth and Sarah did, not the alchemy/chemistry/sorcery blend of the other creatures. "What are you going to do with me?" he asked. She threw her hands up.

"I don't know! I wasn't expecting you!" she snapped.

"Well...not that I mean to be a problem or anything but I lost my breakfast on the trip and could use some freshening up."

"The bathroom is over there." She gestured towards another door. "Don't try anything stupid. If I don't get you the hundreds of guards in this castle will." Caleb had no intention of doing anything stupid. As self-absorbed as this woman was he much preferred to be in her presence than face an uncertain future in a dungeon somewhere.

Caleb found a nice bathroom with a flushing toilet (of which he was grateful for), sink and a deep, round bathtub. He was also relieved to find toothpaste. Clearly whoever these people were they had links to his world just like his brother and the Goblins did.

He emerged with a clean face, neater hair and without the taste of vomit in his mouth. The jacket was growing on him too. He'd liked the look of it in the mirror. Jareth definitely not getting it back now. He felt rather dashing even with his faded jeans and Converse AllStars, like a medieval rock-god Dr. Who.

The Princess sat at a table looking out of the window absently spinning three crystals in her small hand. Caleb wondered if anyone would ever teach him to do that.

"So what exactly is the plan in Goblin City if you don't mind me asking?"

"Destruction. Domination. Acquisition of a magic that can destroy the world." She answered calmly. Caleb raised his eyebrows.

"In Goblin City? I hate to tell you, Princess, but that place is a dump."

"Yes it is but my brother has plans for it anyway."

"Your brother...is the king of those creatures?" he asked.

"Our father...his father adopted me after I was wished away by...someone. I appeared in this land and was brought before the Emperor as a curiosity. He took me in and raised me as his own. Now he is gone and his son rules."

"Are you and the new Emperor...you know?" Caleb couldn't imagine anything worse than having to sleep with one of those things.

"No." She glared. "They find us as repulsive as..."

"As we find them." Caleb finished the sentence. She looked away from him. "Then why are you here?"

"I was supposed to be the Goblin Queen, married to another human."

"Spying for your brother?" Caleb guessed. She didn't answer.

"I have nowhere else to go." She said.

"What about Above? Find your family and live as a normal human."

"Whoever wished me here didn't want me. My family doesn't want me. This is my family now."

"That's what Jareth thought. My mother insisted he was somewhere magical and was happy but she missed him until the day she died. I never forgave myself for teasing him so badly he wished himself away." She stared back out the window.

"It's too late for me. And for your brother. The Emperor has started the invasion and will have his prize."

"And my son?"

"Would not be harmed deliberately." She sent a crystal floating over to him. "See for yourself. We are not in the business of hurting innocents. I'm sure he is safe and well somewhere." The crystal floated in front of Caleb. He took it.

"Show me Jay." He told it, feeling a bit silly talking to a bubble.

Clouds formed and shifted in the bubble. He could see what looked like a hedge maze and a small boy running around inside it. Caleb could almost hear him giggling. He felt tears come to his eyes, and a sense of relief when he recognised the Dwarf running after him. "He's alright." He said. The princess walked over to where he was and gazed into his crystal.

"He is...cute." she spoke the words as if they were unfamiliar to her. "Isn't he a bit young to be trying his luck at the Labyrinth?"

"The what?" Labyrinth? What would Jay be doing in there? He looked closer and shouted; "Damn you Jareth! Is this your idea of keeping him safe?"

I know, I know enough with the OC's (although I do quite like Caleb. He's a smart arse.) I promise we'll get back to our favourites next chapter...