I know that this was a really long time in coming, but I moved to Florida since I posted the last chapter. I was busy. But, hopefully this story will be done in the next few weeks. Only a few chapters more. Thanks to all who have reviewed. You help me more than you know.
Chapter 10
Jareth left the little cottage more confused than he had been when he arrived. The old woman had spoken in riddles and rhymes, never giving too much away yet never supplying him with enough information to fully understand what she was saying. He was bursting with questions, and even though he had asked them all, she had somehow avoided answering them. So, with a full stomach and an even fuller brain, he left the old woman at dusk.
Anxious to get back to Emmaline, he pushed on through the woods at break-neck speed. He couldn't shake the feeling in the back of his mind that there was something dreafully wrong, even though he had left Em and Katie in the capable hands of the house staff. The feeling had begun soon after his arrival in the house, but he had dismissed it at first. Now it was overtaking him like a cloak of darkness. All he wanted to do was feel his love in his arms again. Then everything would be fine.
The sky was an inky black when he finally reached the top of the last hill. Down below, he saw the candlelight in the windows of the house and began to feel better. He scoffed at his doubtful feelings and eased up on his horse. Calmly he drew nearer to the house, near enough to see Em and Katie safely inside, dressed for dinner. A smile spread upon his lips and he turned toward the stables to put his horse away. Swiftly and silently he performed his tasks, whistling a tune that Katie had taught him when they were very young. He would have been lighthearted had the terrible feeling passed when he saw Em inside the house. But, it was determined to hang about his heart like a shroud.
With a spring in his step, Jareth left the stables and approached the house. He stopped in his path when a pain began to rip at his chest. Not from without, but from within. Feeling like he was being torn in two, Jareth doubled over and began to call upon his magic to find out what was causing the pain. Feeling sick and unsure, he got response from that which he had relied all of his life on. It was silent.
Almost as sudden as it had started, it stopped. He was left feeling weak and wretched, but the pain was gone. As much as he wanted to go into the house to see Emmaline, he had to have an explanation. Without so much as a blink, he disappeared from the Aboveground world and reappeared in the Underground.
The sounds of battle filled his ears before he was even aware of his surroundings. Standing in his bed chamber he could hear metal against metal, metal against stone, the terribly agonizing cry of death mixed with shouts and loud footsteps and the sounds of splintering wood. Fear filled him when he realized what was going on, then swiftly ran out into the hall, towards the throne room.
* * * * * * * *
Katie looked nervously out of the window. Em's father would be returning at any moment, and they hadn't seen Jareth all day. She knew that he had gone to see the old woman, but he should not have been gone this long. Em had passed the day in an odd tranquility. She had barely spoken a word, yet the look on her face said volumes more than could be said. Katie grinned happily at the sight of Emmaline practically floating down the stairs when she had come down for dinner. It made her overjoyed that her two best friends should find love with each other. Now that Jareth and Em would be settled, perhaps Katie could finally return to the Underground that she had missed so much.
The sound of a horse outside broke her out of her reverie. She smoothed the folds of her skirt and waited for either Jareth or Em's father to walk in at any moment. For endless moments she waited, going over what she would say to each when she finally saw them. Through the window, she saw Jareth's shadowy figure walk out of the stables, then disappear. Filled with concern, she leapt from her seat to go to him. At the door that lead to the stables, she was stopped by a familiar figure. When she realized who it was, her eyes widened with fear.
"Hello, Katherine. Going somewhere?"
* * * * * * * *
Jareth was taken aback when he reached the throne room. The king and queen lay on the floor, forever silenced by the terrible cold steel of a blade. Over them stood a dark stranger, obviously Fae but not one that Jareth recognized. In his hand was a sword, handle carefully wrapped in leather strips and covered in angry red blood. He was staring at the doorway expectantly, as if he had planned Jareth's arrival right down to the moment when he walked in on the scene that lay before him. Jareth paid the man no heed, but ran directly to the motionless king.
"Father!" Jareth kneeled next to his parents, not sure whether he would get a response. Desperately he hoped for any sign of life from either parent, but deep in the back of his mind, he knew he would get none. At that moment, the beginnings of a cold and emotionless facade began to creep their way into Jareth's brain. He had to defeat this dark stranger, and showing emotion would only hamper the deed. Until this point, the man had remained silent as he watched the Goblin prince mourn over his dead parents. Now, he began to circle the threesome.
"Ah. The good son returns. Unfortunatly, there will be no welcoming party, your Highness."
Jareth turned a cold and menacing eye towards the stranger. "Who are you? Why have you done this to us?"
"Look inside your self. You know who I am. You have always known. You can feel it just as I felt it all those years ago. You know, yet you are determined to ignore what your brain tells you."
"What do you mean? I have no idea who you are, but I intend to find out before I have the pleasure of seeing you die."
"Oh, I think not. You couldn't kill me even if you wanted to. You have no idea what it is like to kill, and the shock just might be fatal for you as well. You who are so innocent and have so much to learn about how the world really works. You really have no idea who I am, do you? I suppose that they never did tell you, did they? No, I don't suppose that they would. After all, it would have been quite awkeward, would it not?"
"What are you talking about? Give me an answer now, or I will not wait to run you through."
"Don't get excited, you will know soon enough. Yes, I shall tell you right before I destroy you. And not to worry, I will get what I want in the end. I will reign over Underground and finally take over the human world as well. My only obstacle was you. You who have so much power, so much strength. So much more than your father did. Did you ever wonder why you had so much more power than he?"
"I was not aware that my abilities surpassed that of my father's. He is king, and as such I obeyed. I did not think to use my powers against him. Why would I?"
"Oh you are the simple one, aren't you? Didn't you ever feel that there was something missing in your life? Something that would have completed you? Havn't you ever thought an evil thing in your life? Has it all been sunshine and roses for you?"
"Why would I feel something was missing?"
"Because, something was missing. Something that you once had but was taken away before you knew any better. That something was me. I am your twin brother."
Jareth looked at the stranger in disbelief. "But that isn't possible. I was raised an only child. My parents would not have kept us apart."
"Silly, simple Jareth. We were born too close together. If I had been a few years younger than you, there would not have been a problem. But, since only a few seconds separated us, the king made a decision that day. Too bad it was the signature on his own death warrent. He deemed it too risky to have two heirs to the throne so close in age growing up in the same castle. He stripped me of my magical powers and gave them to you. Now no better than a mortal child, he sent me away, hoping that I would not live to see the dawn. Meanwhile, our mother had been told that her second son had died, yet the first was strong and healthy. In a way, I did die that day. I had to die from a life that I had known for only a few minutes of my life. Thankfully, I had been raised by a woman who knew who I was and could teach me to get my magic back."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because I want nothing more than to see my big brother writh in pain at my own hand. I want to cause you as much pain as you have caused me."
"But I did nothing to you. I didn't even know of your existence until just now."
"You are the only thing that is keeping me from what I want. You are the Goblin king now that our father has passed. With your death, it passes to me. And I want to make sure and take care of that right now."
Roan lunged at Jareth, sword poised and ready for attack. Jareth threw a spell at him,causing him to fall backwards, knocking the sword out of his hands and slide across the throne room floor. Roan scrambled to reach for it, only to have it slide even further away the closer that he got. As the minutes ticked on, Jareth was able to quickly outsmart his brother, causing him to fall several times, nearly impaling himself on his own sword. He had proved to be the stronger of the brothers, much more so than Roan had counted on. Still, he had a chance and was willing to take it.
"I've no time for games, brother. Be a good lad and stop this foolishness. You know that you cannot win in the end."
"Very well." The sword flew from its spot on the floor right into Jareth's waiting hand. He faced Roan, the tip of the sword pointed right at him. " I want you to know what real pain feels like. You killed your own parents, and for that you are lower than the lowest creature in the Underground. You are not worthy of a royal title. For the terrible deeds that you have done, you shall die slowly and painfully."
Jareth drew the sword across Roan's chest. The iron made a sizzling sound as it contacted with flesh, causing Roan to cry out in pain.Jareth grabbed him by the front of his shirt and brought his face directly in front of his own, "Know this now. I shall never think on you again. Be gone with you and never dare darken the labyrinth with your presence again." With that, he cast Roan aside and turned from his pale and trembling form. After a few seconds, he was gone and Jareth was left alone in the throne room. His parents' bodies had disappeared, as Fae do when they die. The only sounds were of the Goblins driving out the last of Roan's supporters. The battle seemed to have died down once the group had lost their leader.
A Goblin came tumbling into the room, expecting to see King Bertrel on the throne. To his surprise, Jareth was alone.
"Your Highness. We have driven them out of the Goblin city and back into the labyrinth. What shall we do with them?"
"Kill them. Kill them all. And, it is 'Your Majesty'. Now go away. I have parents to mourn."
The goblin sighed and answered quietly, "Yes, your Majesty."
Jareth turned and faced the throne room. His throne room. He hadn't wanted to be king so soon. He was scared and unsure as to what to do first, so he just stood motionless. Emmaline would help him. Katie would have to help her. He didn't want to have to tell her so soon, but he was confident that she would understand. Katie would be able to smoothe everything out.
Suddenly feeling very weak, Jareth sat in the throne. As he was fully seated, he began to see images and shapes before him. The past was paraded before him as clearly as if it was happening at that moment. He saw births, deaths, wars, the labyrinth when it was a small garden. He heard speeches from the great kings and ramblings from the ones that were not so great. He saw his own father become king, then celebrate with the kingdom when Jareth was born. When Jareth and Roan were born. He saw his own childhood, filled with lessons and studies, and long sunny afternoons with Katie. He saw his own parents telling him that he would be a great king. Slowly he began to gain knowledge of the stone floor beneath his feet, the stiff leather of the boots he wore, his own fingers lodged in his hair as he cradled his head in his hands. Faintly, he heard a voice calling to him.
"Jareth..."
"Rinny? Is that you?"
"Jareth...help"
"Rinny, I can't. Something has happened."
"He's here, Jareth...he's going to hurt her."