The King arrived back to the battlefield in time to watch as Canaa's Elite entered the fight. They arrived from the earth itself, forming from sand into fierce warriors. Their features were pointed, eyes long, and their pants baggy in the desert style of the Djinn. The field was beginning to turn red in areas both from Garmethon and goblin. The Elite were able to disappear into the earth and reappear in other spots. It was a useful trick, especially when it came to battle.
With the new force arriving, the goblins regained a second wind and attacked with fervent gusto. Jareth watched and felt anxiety strike him. If he hadn't expected it, he perhaps would have thrown up from it clenching his stomach and chest. Jareth looked to his right side when he caught movement in his peripheral. Reginald sat upon a tiny horse and had enlarged himself to the height of about 3 feet, though he still had his dragonfly wings.
"It looks like we're winning" Reginald observed. There were still men on the field who were plagued by insects, some running in fear of whatever was near them.
"I believe you're correct" Jareth agreed. "Did you see Garmethon throw pieces of the petrified at us? It should be cleaned up."
"The petrified? Here?!" Reginald asked with disbelief. Jareth nodded.
"I have The Viper's Solution being worked on at my castle" Jareth reported. "I'll take care of it."
"Oh my" Reginald said in one breath. He tugged at his green shirt sleeves nervously.
The battle raged on. Garmethon's men were strong despite the majority being only human. Jareth watched as one of Garmethon's larger warriors hurried over to one of the Elite and simply was not fast enough. The Elite took one solid swing of the sword and cut the larger man into two pieces.
"My" Reginald reacted to the sight of the Elite. "There's quite a bit of blood, isn't there?"
"More than needed to be spilled" Jareth agreed. "But war is war."
The goblins, the flower fairies, and the Elite pushed Garmethon's men back after nearly a half a day of battle. With the overall realization of who was winning, some of Garmethon's men fled while others desperately tried to fight.
Reginald was a talker and after starting in with comments on the bloodshed, he started to give play-by-plays of the battle. Jareth rubbed his temples a few times and let the small fairy chatter away.
"Look at those Elite!" Reginald excitedly said pointing to a group of four who were approaching Garmethon. "I bet they get up there and take his horse out first, then WHACK! WHACK! Take him out!" They watched as the troops moved to encircle the large man on the horse. Garmethon was quick to dismount and had his large sword in hand. "WOO! What a turn of events! I wonder how much that sword weighs. What do you think? I hear that Garmethon has blood of Giants running through his veins. I bet—"
Garmethon swiped at one of the Elite with a blow that looked as if it would have taken out several men at once. He turned when his horse cried out. The horse hit the ground and the Elite were upon him. Garmethon never stood a chance with the Elite.
"Maple berries and springtime snakes! Look at that!" Reginald cried nearly bouncing in his saddle. "Small pieces!"
Chunks of what used to be Garmethon were tossed away from the body. The battle stopped cold. It was as silent as a bloody battlefield could get. The Elite let out a shrill trill until they all seemed to make the sound. They merged with the earth and left the battlefield. Jareth urged his horse forward and turned a trot into a gallop. He stopped near the site of Garmethon's destruction.
"The battle has been won!" Jareth boomed over the quiet soldiers. He moved to circle a soldier who stood alone. He wore the red shield of Abaton. "You! Go tell your people that you have been defeated and that any who declares war on my kingdom will suffer greatly."
The man looked around at the others, weighing in his options, before running off. Jareth passed his gazed over the crowd before him. One by one, the men of Abaton began to drop their weapons, accepting defeat.
"Get these fools out of here" Jareth said with a disgusted tone. There was a pause and the goblins cheered. They gladly took the men into custody. They bound their hands and chained them all together to form a line. They would be prisoners of war, tossed into oubliettes, and left there in order to make a firm statement to Abaton.
Reginald rode up to Jareth with a grin on his face. "You were fierce! What a show!"
"Thank you, Reginald" Jareth said. "Your assistance with Garmethon was greatly appreciated."
"I know you'd do the same for me, Jareth" Reginald said proudly. "Excuse me, I should tend to my people." Reginald's tiny pony moved its legs as quickly as it could across the battlefield. The entire way, Reginald was yelling to his people who lingered near the trees and bushes. "Did you see that? We won! You all were brilliant! We shall return and all have cake and tea!"
Jareth rode around until he found a goblin of rank. "Have the field cleaned up."
"Yes sir" The goblin hissed. The goblin ran off and secured some assistance for the cleanup of the field. The battle was never over when the fighting stopped, much to Jareth's chagrin. There was always the matter of prisoners, the cleanup of locations, nursing the wounded, burying the dead, and maintaining a proper face for the allies. Jareth was preparing for a long day and night.
Novy sat in a chair watching liquid drip from a glass tube into a jar. She had been working on The Viper's Solution for some time. There wasn't a clock in the room with her and she had reset the timer so many times she wondered if she had missed a meal. She had the next step prepared, just as the journal had instructed. It was a concoction of burnt oak and herbs, special dirt, and just enough blood from a nobir bird to make a paste. It smelled awful.
The liquid was nearly half way to the mark she needed it filled to and it had only taken…perhaps an hour? Maybe it was less time and her anxiety was making it seem as though time was slowing down. Novy moved around the study looking for something to do while she waited. Books were no good since she feared losing herself to reading, ruining the solution she was working on. She rummaged through a desk until she found a small portrait that furrowed its brow when removed from the desk.
"Unhand me woman!" The portrait yelled. Novy gave a startled yelp and dropped the portrait onto the desk. She felt silly and picked it up again.
"You startled me" Novy said. The figure in the portrait crossed his arms. He was dressed in blue and white with a large overcoat and a floppy hat.
"Who are you? You're not Jareth" The portrait snidely commented. Novy smirked. She might have found what she was looking for.
"I'm Novy" Novy replied with a nod of her head. "I'm helping the King. Who are you?"
"That young man has always been proficient in his work" The portrait praised. "He doesn't need the likes of you 'helping' him."
"He is busy right now and needs this concoction made" Novy said sharply. The portrait was not the nicest man. "Who are you?"
"Bedford Gee" The portrait said as if it were obvious. He stretched and tried to look at the equipment that was set up. "What are you making over there? No doubt you'll blow us up."
"It's called The Viper's Solution" Novy replied. She moved back over to the chair she had occupied before, only now she set the portrait up on a shelf so she could see the man and watch her experiment. The portrait of Bedford Gee rolled its eyes and proceeded to rant about everything that could possibly go wrong.
NOTE: I've been posting in the fan fiction forums. I'll see you on the boards!
