"The way forwards is sometimes the way back..." or conversely, "The way back is sometimes the way forwards..." Maybe the Wiseman was trying to hint that if I want to own Labyrinth, I have to build a time machine and... naaahhh... perhaps I shall have to resign myself to never owning Labyrinth... *wanders off to find tool kit and Time Machine Building Manual For Dummies*
Chapter 9
The Goblin King paced through their quarters, pale brows knitted in a fierce scowl. Sighing, he ran his hands through his blond hair, ruffling it up even more than it normally was. The Council of the Fae Lords would meet again in thirteen hours to discuss what to do about the growing Darkness. He could only see one option, and it troubled him, pained him like no other decision he had had to make during his rule.
The soft creak of an opening door interrupted his thoughts. Before he could turn, two arms wrapped gently around his waist and he felt Nivienne press her cheek against his shoulder blades. The two Fae stood there quietly for a few minutes, not saying anything, until Nivienne's quiet query broke the silence.
"What are we going to do?"
Jareth slowly turned to face her, his eyes dark.
"I am going to motion for the Forest to be …contained… and it's magic sealed. If there is no magic for the Darkness to absorb, its spread will stop and it will eventually die." He said sadly.
Nivienne's eyes widened and she pulled away from her husband to sink down onto the couch. She looked at Jareth with a pale face.
"But… what of the Moonglade? What of my home, my people, my family? If you seal off the Forest's magic, they'll all die along with the Darkness! Elves cannot survive without the heartbeat of the Forest! Even if you got them all out of there before it gets sealed off, once the Forest is cut off, they will all fade into nothing!"
"I can see no other way to stop this. I hate it as much as you do... believe me, Pet."
"Jareth… if you raise this issue in Council… I will have to oppose it…. I - I cannot agree to sign my people's death warrant…"
Jareth sat down next to his wife. Very gently, he gripped her shoulders and turned her to face him. His eyes burned intensely into hers and his grip on her shoulders tightened.
"We need to be strong… united… during the Council meeting. Please, Nivienne… I need you to stand behind me, as my Queen. Don't defy me… not in front of the other Fae Lords."
Nivienne just stared at him for a moment, then quietly rose, gave Jareth's forehead a gentle kiss, and left, softly shutting the door behind her. Jareth's shoulders slumped. He dreaded the Council meeting tomorrow.
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The Fae Lords sat somberly around the large table, each listening intently as others proposed different ways of halting the Darkness's ever hastening spread. So far, every idea had been voted down. Finally, it was Jareth's turn to speak; a glance at his wife showed her to be very pale with slightly red-rimmed eyes – as if she'd been crying profusely. Sighing, the Goblin King drew himself to his full height and addressed the assembly.
"My fellow monarchs," he began, "I fear that the only option we have is to cut off the Darkness at its source. Therefore… I motion for the Forest to be contained, and its magic sealed away, until the Darkness dies and it is safe for its inhabitants once again."
Murmurs rose from around the table, and Jareth raised his hands to silence them. He looked sadly at his wife and at Gwidon, Lessa, and Alec.
"This decision pains me… for I regard the elves as my friends and as my own family… but I can see no other option, no other way to stop it..."
With that, the Goblin King sat down. Immediately, the other Lords burst out.
"We cannot seal the Forest! It's magic sustains half the nations in the Underground!"
"What of the elves… how are they to survive?!"
"The Darkness must be stopped by whatever means possible!"
"What if it fails? It will leave our lands severely weakened and defenseless!"
"But something must be done!"
The Oracle banged his rod against the table, bringing silence to the meeting.
"Silence! We shall have a vote."
The Elvenking was the first to speak. The older elf rose and looked out over the table at his son-in-law. He looked incredibly weary and drawn.
"These are dark times indeed… and they give rise to desperate suggestions. I bear the Goblin King no ill will in suggesting what he has… for each king needs to do what he feels is best for his own kingdom. As such, though… I cannot vote for what will surely bring about the destruction of my people. The King of the Moonglade votes against the sealing of our Forest."
Lessa nodded in agreement with her husband.
"The Queen of the Moonglade also votes against the sealing of the Forest."
The Elvenking sat back down. Jareth caught his eye, and nodded in understanding. Both kings shared a moment of mutual sadness as they waited for the rest to decide the Elves' fate.
Nivienne rose gracefully. Her face was a cool mask, but Jareth saw the torment behind her eyes. Her hands tightened around the arms of her chair as she began to speak.
"I have never opposed my husband in Council before… the Labyrinth is my home now, and its inhabitants are my people… I, too, feel the need to protect them… but I will not… cannot… vote for the death of my kin. The Moonglade was my Birth Home… the Forest, my protector… I must also vote against the sealing of the Forest."
The Goblin Queen sank down into her chair beside her husband. She looked at him pleadingly, silently begging him to understand her position. Jareth met her gaze in stony silence, before turning away to hear the rest of the vote.
Overcome, Nivienne quietly got up and discreetly left the Chamber. No one but her family and her husband noticed her early departure.
Jareth sat fuming in his chair. She had betrayed him! Gone against him even after he had warned her not to defy him! A king and queen must stand united in Council; any sign of friction or discord would be taken as weakness. The other Fae Lords could use it against him and take it as a sign to attack his kingdom. Blast that girl! Could she not see how difficult this was for him? Did she not see how much it pained him? All he had asked for was her support in this, and she had denied him!
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Shortly after Nivienne left, the rest of the Lords filed slowly out for a short recess. Her family caught sight of her and made their way over. A few whispered words of comfort and thanks were exchanged before Alec glanced behind him and then motioned for his parents to leave. Nivienne saw Jareth approaching and her eyes widened slightly. As Jareth drew near, the Elvenking placed a hand on his arm and gave him a sad, but understanding look, before moving off with his wife and son, leaving Nivienne alone with her glowering husband.
The Goblin King grabbed Nivienne's elbow roughly and forcefully ushered her down the hall into their chambers. Once the door had shut behind them, Jareth rounded on his wife.
"I warned you not to defy me, Nivienne," He growled, shaking her, "why would you betray me like this??"
"Do you think I found that easy? I spent all last night trying to reconcile my duty to you with my duty to my people! Jareth, I told you I could not support this! I cannot send my people to death just because you see no other option!!"
"The subjects of the Labyrinth are your people now!" Jareth had begun shouting. "What of them?? Must they suffer because of your soft heart?? You are my queen! You should have stood by me, no matter how hard it was!"
"And the Elves are my family! Would you have me desert them?? Just let them die??"
"So to spare them, you betray me instead?? Do you know what you may have done??" Jareth roared.
"I never betrayed you!!" Nivienne hissed, struggling to hold in her anger at her husband's stubbornness. "I gave my vote in Council! Just because I can think for myself, instead of following your every whim--!!"
"You defied me…" Jareth cut her off, his voice a deadly, cold whisper. "You went against me in front of the Fae Lords, possibly endangering our Realm. How is that not a betrayal of the worst kind?" He turned his back on her. "Go back to your family. Get out of my sight."
The room went deathly still. At long last, having heard no sound, Jareth turned, only to confront an empty chamber. Nivienne was gone, along with most of her possessions. The wardrobe had been emptied of her clothes, and her trunk was missing from the foot of the bed.
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To say that the Elvenqueen was surprised to see her daughter's trunk and clothes suddenly appear in the corner of her chamber in a puff of glittery smoke would be an obvious statement. It came as no surprise, however, when Nivienne came knocking at her door a few moments later. Lessa gently ushered her youngest in, sat her on the bed, and offered her some tea.
Nivienne had used the Crystal powers she had gained as Goblin Queen to transport her things to her mother's room and to transport herself out into the courtyard. She had thought the longer walk to the Elven Quarter of the Great Palace would help calm her a bit, but it had only heightened her hurt and outrage. By the time she reached her mother's chamber she had been trembling, she was trying so hard to hold back her tears. Almost as soon as the cup of tea was in her hands, the tears began to flow and, in between the angry sobs that racked her body and her shuddering breaths, she told her mother about the fight. Finally, she managed to calm down.
"I'm returning to the Moonglade with you, Mother. I'll keep up a façade until the end of the Council, but I will not return to the Labyrinth… not yet, anyway."
"Do you think that is wise, my daughter? Should you abandon your husband just now? What of the Bond?"
"Jareth told me to leave and called me a traitor, Mamma. He has made it clear that he neither wishes for me to stay nor cares if I leave, so unless he apologizes before the Council session is over, or gives me some sign that he wants to work this out, I will return home for now. He can come to me this time, when he's willing to be rational. He needs to learn that he can't treat people like this. He can't just fly off the handle and lash out blindly when he doesn't get his way. As for the Bond… the pain that it will give me can be nothing compared to the anguish I feel now."
Lessa's eyes were sad as she looked at her youngest, but she saw no chance of Nivienne changing her mind. She shook her head I resignation.
"Very well…. I can see you are determined." Lessa sighed. "Come home for a while, but be discreet. Come up with a story that will keep the other Fae Lords from suspecting."
"I'll say that I'm going to give relief to the Elves, as they are on the front line against the Darkness…. Everyone knows I am a powerful healer, and it is only natural that The Labyrinth give aid to its allies."
"Very good, my dear. It's nearly time for Council to resume. You go back to your rooms while I inform your father and brother that you'll be returning home with us."
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The rest of the Fae Council was uneventful. As per tradition, Nivienne went in on her husband's arm and sat next to him. Neither said a word or even glanced at the other. Nivienne managed to keep up the façade of marital peace better than her husband, but not by much. By the end of the Council, both Fae were exhausted.
As soon as they had all filed out of the Council Chamber, Jareth let go of Nivienne's arm and disappeared off into the crowd, leaving his wife to deal with the gossips and scandal-seekers of the Court. No sooner had he left, than Nivienne was cornered by Lady Delphinea, Princess of the Faerie Kingdom and the biggest gossip in the Court. The dark haired elven girl grimaced as the bubbly, air-headed pixie began fishing for a scandal.
"Why, my dear Nivienne! How are you and Jareth doing?" The princess cooed with false concern. "You both seemed so grim during the meeting!"
"We are fine, Lady Delphinea. I thank you for your kind concern!" Nivienne forced a smile as she tried to appear friendly. Oh, how she hated gossip mongers!
"But is everything alright? It's not like the two of you to be so cold! Rumor has it that you two had a fight and you are leaving him! Oh! How horrible it must be for you!" Delphinea began to push a little.
Nivienne forced another fake smile and added a brittle laugh in an attempt to stave off the determined faerie.
"Oh no! My dear Delphi, you have it all wrong!" She cooed, imitating the infuriating princess. "I am merely going to the Moonglade to offer my services as a healer. You must understand how hard it is for me to watch my people suffer. If Jareth seemed a little grim… it is only because he is concerned for my safety." Nivienne lowered her voice, as if confiding a secret. "You know how men are about displaying emotions in public…"
"Oh! Tearing yourself away from your beloved to go serve your people! Oh! How utterly dramatic and romantic! Oh, look! There is my dear Lady Sedna! I must run! Do take care, Nivienne!"
With that, the scatterbrained pixie fluttered off to go gossip with her friend. Nivienne smirked as Delphinea left. Soon, news of her and Jareth's sacrifice would spread throughout the court and, hopefully, they could smooth their marital problems out in peace.
After Nivienne had made sure that all the other Lords had left, she and her family made ready to leave as well. Jareth had stormed off somewhere, so she didn't know if he was aware of her plans. It didn't really matter, though, he would find out soon enough. Ignoring the throbbing pain in her heart, she stepped into her family's carriage.
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Jareth strode down the halls to his and Nivienne's chambers. The Council Meeting had failed to keep his interest, so he had sat in his place and brooded. The vote had gone against him; instead of closing off the Forest, the Fae would try to find some other way to destroy the Darkness. The Goblin King was starting to feel rather depressed; not only was the Council no closer to finding a good defense against that growing threat, but he had managed to infuriate and alienate his wife, and all for nothing.
A sudden pang in his soul caused him to start in suprise and hurried his steps.
When he got to his chamber, he found it completely stripped. All of his possessions were neatly packed away, ready to be transported back to the castle, and Nivienne's things were gone. The only thing that seemed out of place was a roll of parchment sitting in the middle of the bed. Warily, Jareth began to read it.
My Lord,
I have returned to the Moonglade for the time being. The rest
of the Fae Lords and their wives believe that I am going to
offer my skills as a healer on the Front, so, fear not, your
reputation and standing has not been compromised.
The Dwarven King has requested I tell you that he is "Behind ye
all the way!" so if you have need, call on him.
When you return to the Labyrinth, you will find three scrolls at
my side of the bed. They contain the details, facts, and my verdicts
about some of the disputes between the goblins. Feel free to do
with them what you like.
That was it, none of her usual endearments or witty comments; she didn't even sign her name at the end. A small amount of remorse and sadness made its way into Jareth's heart upon reading her note, but it was largely overshadowed by his anger and his wounded pride. The Marriage Bond that connected their hearts gave a small twang as Nivienne moved further away, but Jareth suppressed his distress. Fine, let her play that game; he could wait. He could wait for as long as it took for her to cave.