J'attends le Vainqueur
by
Draco's Daughter
Disclaimer: The Labyrinth does not belong to me; it never has and probably never will. All original characters do belong to me and will forever more. Deal with it.
A/N: Yes, I'm still alive. I've just been extremely busy with school and Drama and other such matters. Forgive my lateness in updating. Feel free to flog me at will.
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Chapter Nine: Force
Sarah slowly opened her eyes, thinking she was back at home in her bed and everything had been a dream. When she tried to move her arms, she felt them caught in something leathery.
"Kidd skin. Soft yet quite strong," a voice stated, Sarah looked up to see Zephram, calm and collected, sitting in a chair, dressed in a long robe in a deep purple color. His eyes were half-closed and he was viewing Sarah as a hungry wolf observes his prey.
"Let me go," Sarah demanded, still defiant despite the position she was in. Zephram laughed a cruel and malicious sound.
"Sorry, my dear, but you are mine now. Your blood is in the vial of Thanatos, keeping me safe from any harm you could do me. It seems unnecessary, seeing as you are mortal and have no magic or abilities of any kind," Zephram stated, holding up the vial that hung around his neck. "Every slave in my service has a drop of blood in this vial." Sarah gave her binds another tug, checking for any weaknesses and pulling another laugh from Zephram. He stood and began walking towards her, untying the cord of his robe. Sarah turned away, back to pulling at the binds, trashing as best she could in attempt to keep him away.
"Stop! Leave me along!" She ordered. Zephram's smile was wide and laughter rang in her ears.
"Oh no, my dear, I won't, not until you understand the most basic rule in my court: What Zephram wants, Zephram will have," he pinned her down. In her hear he breathed, "And what Zephram wants is you."
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Jarlath, Scout, Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo raced as quickly and quietly as they could through the corridors of the Goblin Palace. Along the way, they were forced to duck into rooms and shadowy archways to avoid recapture by Zephram's guards.
"We're getting nowhere with this," Jarlath stated when they sneaked into a room for the umpteenth time.
"Zephram will probably have broken her by now. He's not one to waste his time," Scout added, slumping down against a wall. Jarlath thought for a moment, looking around the room for inspiration. Suddenly, the solution hit him like a ton of bricks.
"I haven't used it in so long, I've completely forgot about it!" Jarlath announced, slapping his forehead at his own stupidity before wincing thanks to his "chat" with the wall earlier.
"Furgot about what, Jarlath?" Hoggle asked.
"My second form. All royal Hobgoblins have one, it's a given. The only thing is that I haven't used it well, almost since I was imprisoned. I might get stuck in-between. It's risky, but it's worth it" Jarlath replied. Without another word, Jarlath took Asterik out of his pocked, handed him to Hoggle, and willed himself to transform. Nothing happened for a moment, as Scout was about to point this out, midnight blue cloth started to give way to feathers and, instead of Jarlath's twin, a blue jay was flying around the room. It swooped over their heads and out the room's single window.
"Well, I always knew he was a bird brain," Scout stated as they watched him fly away.
The small blue jay flew around the castle, pausing to land on window seals and look in the rooms for Sarah. Zephram's winged servants of various species attempted to shoo him away and delay his quest. The blue jay, on the other hand, showed what he was made of and boldly attacked his pursuers. Eventually, a harassed and angry little blue jay arrived at a window looking into a personal bedchamber. Weeping in one corner was Sarah. The blue jay flew into the room, flying around the ceiling for a moment to make sure there wasn't anyone else in the room before transforming back into Jarlath. The hobgoblin crossed to where Sarah sat and knelt next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and turned to see who it was, fear in her eyes. Seeing it was a familiar face, she collapsed into him, sobbing even harder than before. Jarlath had only dealt with someone in this state once before, and that was his mother. Memories flooded his mind…
Jarlath was younger, much younger. He heard sobbing coming from his mother's chambers as he passed by. Curious, he pushed open the door.
"Mother?" He asked. She looked up at him from her spot by the window. An open book fell from her lap. Tears ran down her face. Jarlath quickly crossed to her, picking up her book. "What makes you so sad?"
"Jarlath, my dear one, never forget that you are loved," She said, her voice barely above a whisper. She turned away from him, crying. Jarlath wondered what she meant. He wanted her to stop crying; crying for no reason wasn't good. Not knowing what to do, he embraced her.
Jarlath embraced Sarah as he had embraced his mother long ago. In this position, he waited until Sarah's sobs subsided. It felt like hours to Jarlath before Sarah stopped. Eventually, she looked up at him. With a soft smile, he gently wiped the tears off her checks with a thumb.
"Sarah, I promise you this, Zephram will pay for what he's done. By the next sundown, he'll be dead but you've got to be strong until then, okay?" Jarlath stated, searching Sarah's eyes. Sarah nodded and they stood. Jarlath swept his long coat off his own form and placed it around Sarah's shoulders. "I'll be back with the others before you know it." Jarlath transformed once again into his blue jay form and flew out the window. Sarah clutched his coat around her form, watching him go.
A crystal transport and some stolen clothes later, the group was reunited.
"How'd you all escape?" Sarah asked, dressing behind the living screen that was Ludo.
"Well, my Shadow friend, Silver, gave me the keys to their cells. We snuck up here to rescue you," Scout explained. Suddenly, there was a loud uproar coming from the courtyard.
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Zephram straightened his clothing as he walked to the dungeons, footsteps resounding through the stone hallways. Several guards, namely Kay and Mihos, trailed behind him. The execution would go on as planned, Jarlath would die, and Zephram's new slave would soon learn her place. Stepping into the dungeons, Zephram nodded to Silver. The keys gleamed at Silver's waist and again they switched hands. Zephram entered into the dungeon and looked into the cell that had held Jarlath. Upon seeing the empty cell, his face distorted into one of great displeasure.
"Where is he?" Zephram asked, turning to Silver.
"He's not there?" Silver inquired, his voice was too innocent sounding, as if he was covering up something, which he was. Zephram snarled and hauled the Shadow up off the ground by his throat.
"Traitorous scum! You've lost me this kingdom!" Zephram roared. The enraged being charged out of the room with the Shadow, guards parting the way. Kay smiled darkly.
"Looks like there's gonna be an unplanned execution today," he laughed. Mihos snarled in agreement. The pair followed their leader, not wanting to miss the action.
Outside, the sun was starting to rise. As Zephram dragged him along, Silver realized this. His eyes enlarged and he was hauled out into the courtyard and his protective cloak that kept the sun from reaching his skin was ripped away from his form. Even in the low light of dawn, the Shadow's skin sizzled and bubbled, melting off. His screams were heard throughout the castle and surrounding city, awaking any who were still asleep. This was the worst way to kill a shadow. Their realm was far in the north, where the sun barely ever showed its face. They had no way of protecting their sensitive skin from the sun, save their enchanted cloaks. Soon, all that was left of Silver was a charred and blackened skeleton.
"Our prisoners have escaped! I want this castle searched top to bottom, NOW!" Zephram roared. Guards scrambled to carry out his orders. Kay and Mihos followed him back into the throne room.
"Looking for me?" A light voice asked. There lounged Jarlath on the Goblin Throne, a smug look on his face.
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A/N: Good place to stop, eh? n.n Sorry it's been so long since the last update. Please forgive me.
Amethyst Panther: Scout was acting on Zephram's orders, not on her own free will. It'd be a different story if she had been.
Anij: Ooooops…. Thanks for pointing that out.
Jen: After a three month dry spell: HERE'S MORE! Woot!