Chapter 11: The Point of No Return

Guest: Thank you! I am right nowww :)

Named for the lovely song from Phantom. Or from Kansas. Take your pick.

I request your indulgence, ladies and gentlemen, as I am about to present one of the most cliché twists in all of fandom history- though it will take an extreme amount of explaining to do later, which I will most certainly regret.

But, alas, here is the eleventh chapter- somewhat short, and somewhat vague. I can promise you now, however, that everything will be explained in due time. I encourage you all to sit back and enjoy the ride!

Thanks so much for the continual feedback! Here we go~

Zanaphelyus' chambers were draped in black and red silks, imitating the flow of blood.

It made him salivate.

The heartbeat he heard in his tender ears was so soft, so pure, so young- he could hardly stand it. Already, he had spent countless hours pacing in his large, crumbling castle, awaiting word on who the delicate heartbeat belonged to- but, still, he had heard nothing at all. Feeling almost completely defeated, the slender form slouched back into his spiked, blackened throne and heaved a strangled sigh. Zanaphelyus closed his rose-colored eyes.

"Don't you dare touch her."

Eyes still closed, he smiled. This was quite an unexpected twist- but, of course, he wouldn't expect anything less from the Goblin King.

"Hello, Your Majesty," the ashen-skinned form reopened his eyes. "What brings you to my humble abode at this time of night?"

"You know exactly why I am here, Zanaphel. I can see it in your eyes, you're craving her."

"Ah, so it belongs to a girl? How delightful," the man rose from his throne and approached the glittering royal with a smirk etched into his cheek. "Is this girl, in fact, the very same one which beat you at your child's play, Jareth? Your Champion?"

"Indeed, but that is no business of yours," Jareth's brows drew together menacingly.

"Oh, isn't it? Though, I do recall being informed that this castle I exist in, along with everything else inside it, happens to inhabit the fair Underground. Is this not so, my King?"

"Enough of this-"

"So, if that is the case, then I am still a denizen of said Underground, which happens to surround a majestic Labyrinth created in order to confuse and trick little children into mere insanity. And this girl, your 'Champion', did in fact defeat it, and you. Thus, the matter is very well my business, and you'd do well to get down off your high horse about the whole damn thing. Have a drink."

"I will do no such thing, Zanaphel. You should be careful; you've allowed far too much of the Aboveground to influence your way of life," Jareth lounged in a red velvet chaise close to Zanaphel's throne, tapping his riding crop impatiently.

Zanaphel straightened up from pouring his drink and burst into a fit of laughter. "Do you actually care?"

Jareth watched him closely. "I care about the safety of my kingdom and all its inhabitants, despite my typically casual manner in which I rule over it. The human world has no place here."

"Have you told this to your precious Champion?" Zanaphel's eyes blazed in black humor. Seeing that his comment made Jareth quiet, he continued to pour his drink.

Meanwhile, Jareth's head was spinning. This small oversight would almost certainly ruin his new plan of action. The fact that Sarah knew nothing at all about what her return meant for the kingdom- and for himself- would eventually prove detrimental. Why hadn't he told her immediately? What was he afraid of?

…He was a coward.

The mighty Goblin King was a coward.

"So, what's her name?" Zanaphel sat across from him in the same lounging manner, sipping his green, fizzing drink.

Jareth's eyes watered at the thought. "Sarah."

The pale man gulped his drink quickly and stared. "My god, Jareth. You're in love."

And, indeed, Jareth's emotions were plainly visible to Zanaphel, whereas a human would not recognize the signs.

"Nothing is going according to tradition, Zanaphel. So I must break with it."

And Jareth relayed every detail of the past day's events he could remember to the man across from him in a split second, using their shared telepathy. Zanaphel's face shifted from one of gentle amusement to one of stricken disbelief.

"What a charming girl," he managed to whisper.

"I know."

"I can see why this will be such an issue now."

"Exactly."

"And, unfortunately, the issue will become even more complicated, as of now."

Jareth immediately leapt from the chaise and stood over the figure, eyes black with rage.

"I came to you in order to convince you not to go near her, Zanaphelyus. And I thought maybe, just maybe, you would consider helping me instead. But I suppose I miscalculated things once again. Is this truly how you choose to act?"

The same black look came into the other man's eyes. "This is how I've chosen to act since the second we were conceived, my brother."

"You could have chosen differently. We could have ruled together. I would not have had to cast you out to these dreadfully bleak regions of the Underground had things worked differently."

"And yet…" Zanaphel hissed in Jareth's face, baring his sharpened, black fangs treacherously.

"I see that this is finally going to become our destiny. As you wish, dear brother."

"I've always wanted a good fight," the ashen one snarled, settling into his throne once again. "The Goblin King and his stupid little minions against…

…the Blood Nymphs."

Hmm… what is a Blood Nymph, you ask?

To be blunt, they are a rare race of vampires- except, well, they can choose whether or not they wish to be one. Technically, Jareth is also considered to be a Blood Nymph, which will be clarified in a later chapter. But Zanaphelyus is a prime example of what one actually is. Ash-colored skin, rose-tinted eyes, a slight figure. His hair is not like Jareth's; it's long, black, and sleek. But the brothers share a few characteristics in common, such as their facial expressions, which are identical. The skin around their eyes has the same pinkish tint and shape. And they both have an affinity for tight pants and poet's shirts. But this is where the similarities end.

More next time! ^_^