XI – Gilding the Lily

Lily had been panicking for several hours, reading every medieval book she could lay her hands on in her bedroom. She found a book of medieval mythology, a book on fairies and another on folklore, but nothing had anything about the Labyrinth. She was hoping that any minute Sarah would breeze through the door and everything would be okay, back to normal, but nothing happened. The little red book was gone, Sarah was gone and the little note Jareth had left burned a hole in Lily's pocket. She read it so many times just to make sure it was still there, still real. Eventually she descended onto her bed in a fit of hysterics and cried loudly, "How do I get there?"

Then a surge of inspiration caused her to sit up quickly and demand in a clear, deep voice, "I wish the goblins would come and take me away. Right now!"

Jareth's ears pricked. His eyes gloomed. Lily was gone.

She was swirling in a sea of glimmering bubbles that looked like they were made of glass. She felt weightless, like she was a feather, but still she fell slowly and steadily. Lily eventually landed in a heap on a pile of gorgeous silk cushions. Looking around her, she gasped and took in the cold, crystal air.

She was in a pure white room that was like a ball room contained in a marquee. There were grand chandeliers and spectacular stairs, and everyone around her swayed to an enthralling tune. No one spoke or stopped dancing, but through the crowd Lily saw a solitary figure stride towards her, dressed in blue. He was ghostly and enchanting, almost translucent, and when he reached her he took Lily in his arms and began to swirl her onto the dance floor. It was in this moment that Lily caught sight of her reflection in one of the many floating mirrors and saw that she was no longer in her comfy jeans, but in an elegant white ball gown that was decorated with many crystals and diamonds. Against her pale skin and blond hair it made her look positively angelic, and she was muddled by this new vision of herself.

The mysterious man glided with Lily across the floor and murmured the words to the song seductively in her ear. Lily wanted the dance to last forever. The man lent in to kiss his partner, exposing his chest and revealing a magnificent pendant that radiated its own light. Then, without warning, she saw a girl's face reflected in one of the hovering mirrors. She had dark hair, red lips and a worried expression, as if she was trying to solve something unsolvable. Lily felt her entire being pull her away from her partner and dash towards the mirror. She felt as though she was running in slow motion. Every dancer around her stopped and began to shriek at her like banshees as she ran helplessly to the mirror, which kept evading her grasp. She turned and ran straight into the arms of her mysterious partner, who, with gloved hands, ran his fingers down over her eyelids. She fell under his spell.

Lily awoke to the sounds of rough language and instructions being barked around. Her eyes felt heavy and refused to open, until a pail of water was chucked over her face.

"Hey! Watch it!"

A small, hideous woman replied. Lily thought she looked almost human, but then not human at all. A goblin. Oh my god.

"You watch it! You should be workin' like the rest o'us! Get up off there and get ready, we're performin' soon and you've got an act to prepare!"

Lily rubbed her eyes in disbelief and looked down. She appeared to be wearing a circus outfit, a tight red and black body suit that looked like a jester's clothes. An ominous whip was tucked into her belt. I'm a lion tamer? All around her was the hustle and bustle of a circus dangerously behind schedule. The ugly woman cried out, "Come on you lot, we got to put on a show for the king! And he won't be happy unless it's perfect!" All the performers except Lily were goblins; some were small and pathetic, others massive and impressive. Some juggled, some breathed fire, and one even contorted itself into a barrel. Lily shuddered at the scene but somehow felt it was where she belonged. In fact, she hardly knew who she was. I feel funny…I don't remember being a lion tamer, but then…what do I remember?

A small goblin approached Lily and offered her a peach. Nothing struck her as odd and the fruit run off no alarm bells, so she smiled, thanked him and took a large bite out of the peace. As the juices ran into her throat, so did malice soak into her gaze. She threw the peach at an unsuspecting goblin and yelled, "Runt! Stay out of my way!" Lily then proceeded to stride into the circus tent beside her and seek out her lion. She had a show to prepare for.

Jareth watched Lily from his throne, a crystal balanced casually in his hand. He purred gently, "Look Sarah, I have your friend. She's mine now. All you need to do now is eat those berries, and you'll wish you'd given in to begin with. Soon, I shall own everything you care about." Jareth laughed loudly and stretched up his arms in victory, the crystal shattering on the ground. All the goblins around him jumped a few inches off the ground and a haze of chatter ensued.

"Quiet! We have a show to put on!"

The room fell silent.

AN: So know you know why Jareth shot off in the previous chapter! The chapters are becoming a bit shorter and a bit more episodic, which I hope won't put readers off. Things are beginning to pick up towards the thirteenth hour.