Chapter 10: No Way Out
Linda was alone in her own room, thinking over everything that had happened that evening. In her chamber filled with calming shades of royal blue, and gold, she still could not find sleep. She didn't want to hurt her daughter, by forcing her to marry Jareth, but she had already signed the contract. But she didn't want to force her to be Queen, either. And Jareth was obviously not willing to let that go so easily. She decided she would talk to Sarah about it in the morning...
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Sarah wasn't particularly affected by anything that had happened the previous evening. She woke up, and convinced herself that it was all just a bad dream. Then she argued with herself that if it was, she was never going to sleep again!
She was already up, and dressed in a simple white cotton dress, when her mother entered the room. "Does no one feel the need to knock anymore?" She grumbled.
"Nonsense. You're my daughter," Seeing that was not helping the situation, Linda skipped to the point. "I know you are not happy about your betrothal to Jareth-"
"To the Goblin King," Sarah corrected.
"Yes, to him... I do not wish for you to be unhappy. But your father and I signed a formal contract with Jareth's parents long ago. This was before you were ever born. Our agreement was that if we ever had a girl, she would be betrothed to their son, who was already a few centuries old. He grew up knowing that he was ne day to wed a beautiful Princess... But it took us longer to have children than we would have liked. You see, Fae are not nearly as fertile as humans."
"I'm confused," The girl admitted, while toying nervously with a few strands of her hair. That was a habit she had picked up when she arrived in Ankaa. "Am I Fae or am I a human?"
"You are a Fae," Linda stated proudly. "Through and through. You were under the guise of a mere mortal in order to keep you safe, until we felt you could your own. The Labyrinth was a test of your will. We did not count on Jareth having such strong feelings for you."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you've got to learn to give the poor guy a break, Sarah. He spent his whole life never knowing what love was. He didn't want to fall for someone, and then be torn from them when it was time for him to marry you."
"Can I see it? Then contract, I mean."
"Certainly..." She conjured several pieces of golden parchment, and handed them over to the girl.
It was actually a prety simple contract. It said exactly what her mother had said it would. But Sarah had tried, at least. They had thought of everything, and there was seemingly no way out of it, for either party. But then, she imagined, that was how marriage contracts were suppsoed to work. It was intended to strengthen the power of the Goblin Kingdom, but that clearly left Ankaa behind in the cold. Even the Princess could see that. It hardly seemed fair.
"This isn't fair at all!" She gasped.
"Nobody ever said life was fair, Sarah."
"I know, but... Isn't there a way out of this?"
"I'm afraid not," The Queen's gaze shifted to the floor, uncomfortably. "I had hoped that you would fall for Savina's brother. But I had also hoped that Jareth would not care, one way or another. That would make him a free man, to do as he wished, were it not for the contract. But it is completely legal, and binding. There is no way out."
Sarah accepted her fate as fact now. "What made you and Dad pick Jareth for me? I mean, why him and not someone else?"
"We chose him because he was the son of a very powerful and virile King. His mother was a wonderful lady, but she was killed by the evil forces that plague the still plague the Underground. Your father and I both agreed that it was a smart match."
"Evil forces?"
"Nothing for you to be concerned about. We sealed the evil forces away, and they don't bother anyone much. Perhaps this would be a good suject for you to ask Jareth about," Linda's tone turned cheery when she though of this idea. "He knows much more about it than I do. He has studied the subject for many years, in his role as Goblin King."
"I don't think he'd want to talk to me," Sarah looked away, sadly. She stood, and turned to look out the window. "Not after what I did last night. I guess that was pretty mean of me..."
She offered her daughter a kind smile. "I'm sure he'll understand. Now, let's discuss the details of your ceremony..."
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He was dreaming again. He dreamed of the one with the power; the one who could help him. Devlin dreamed of her... She was so beautiful, with her angelic eyes, and wistful smile. Sarah always smiled as if she kenw a secret that the rest of the world didn't.
But then, she changed... She was something else, something more sinister. Her hair got even darker, twisting into long braids at her sides, and her eyes went black as coal. Her face was overtaken by shadows, and the darkness filled her soul. Why was he having this dream? The Princess kept changing, until Yvette stood before him, in all her wicked glory. She smiled at his dream self unnervingly.
"Aaahh... So good of you to meet me here."
"What is it?" He fell to his knees before her, having no control over his own actions. It was like he was being forced to bow down to her. "Why are you here? What did you do with Sarah?"
The Drallick Witch pointed to her heart, or rather, where her heart should be. "She is safely tucked away, do not worry about her. I must give you... a present."
Across the big empty black room, he saw his bed. In a flash, she was to it, and leaning over his sleeping form. She slipped something silver under his pillow as he turned in his sleep, resembling some sort of demonic tooth fairy.
"What is that? What have you done?" He found himself speaking in another language, but he could understand it. And he could understand her, as well. He felt the heat radiating off her, as she slithered her smoky way back to him.
"I have given you a gift," She crooned, and leaned forward to nip at his neck. "Do not worry. You will know what to do with it, when the time comes."
"Thank you..."
The words were forced from his lips, from someone else. He had wanted to ask her more questions. But now, her soft cold lips were kissing him, and there was nothing he could do. In the dream, Devlin was enjoying it. Yet something inside him longed for the torment to end. It was certainly a passionate kiss, but not a very loving one.
The young Fae awoke in a cold sweat, the likes of which he had never felt before. It was like he was covered in... lake water? That was bizarre. Then, with startling clarity, he remembered the dream. It was rare for any member of the Fae race to recall their dreams, if they had them at all. He knew she had placed something under his pillow, which is what made him check. When his fingers searched the darkness, and finally found it, he held up a fine silver necklace. The quality was stunning, and she had been right. He did know just what to do with it.
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Jareth was in his castle, as usual, and visibly agitated. He was not happy about what taken place yesterday. His pleading with Linda to tell the girl the truth had all been for nothing! Yet, he knew he could do nothing about it. And that was perhaps what irked him the most.
A short, dingy Goblin guard entered the throne room, stepping around the others who had gathered in their usual places. "Sire!"
"Not now..." The King growled.
"But your Majesty, we are under attack! We await your orders, and until you tell us, we can do nothing!"
"Oh, very well," He rolled his eyes, and walked casually over to the window. "It's just as I thought... It's just those pesky dwarves again. Do with them as you like! I grow tired of their games. Return fire, and dispose of them as you please."
The Goblin bowed, and was about to leave, when something, or rather someone, caught Jareth's eye. The short, grumpy old fool that had traversed the Labyrinth with Sarah. He was their elected leader?! This really was too much for the grinning Fae to bear...
"Wait just a moment," He put a finger to his chin contemplatively. "I've a better idea... The dwarves are no real threat to us. Why not have a little 'fun' with them?" He knelt down to the Goblins's height, to make sure he understood the orders. "I want you to bring me back their leader, Higgle, or what's-his-name, and bring him to me alive. Do you understand?"
The disgusting thing nodded a bit too enthusiastically for Jareth's liking, but he let that go. "Yes, sire! It will be done, you can count on us!"
"Yes, well... Whatever. be gone, and do as you were told."
He returned to the same bored, yet still slightly manacing, pose on his throne. Jareth had thoughtit was a serious threat, from the way his minion had spoken. When he had seen that it was only the rebellious dwarves that he had enslaved some two or three hundred years ago, he had repressed the urge to laugh. He had plans for Hoggle, that was for certain. And they involved striking a deal with the insolent dwarf, and hoping he could lead him down the right path to a certain young girl's heart. But hopefully allowing his Goblins to attack them would put the rest of those creatures back in their place. The Goblin King cracked a sinister smile.
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Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth, etc.
A/N: Well, looks like they're all in for some trouble. Not what you expected, eh? I love to keep people guessing. And yes, there are some serious J/S moments comign up real soon, like in the next couple of chapters or so. So just bear with me for now. What a delightfully evil chapter, with the plotting and all. SO far no one has anything too bad, yet... We'll see what awaits Sarah and Jareth in the awaiting chapters, woohoo! Thank yuo all for the lovely and wonderful and pletiful reviews, I love it! (::hands out free donuts for everyone this time::) Hooray!!! -Kaline Reine