Disclaimer; I don't own anything from The Labyrinth yada, yada, yada...
Note; Here's a fairly long chapter, and I managed to push through the second elimination. I almost posted it about halfway through, but decided not to. Oh, another question to anyone who cares to answer. I've noticed that I've been switching from 'Deirdre' and 'Dierdra'. Which spelling should I actually use? Anywho, enjoy. :]
The Disagreement
The girls were excited to see Jareth again, and quickly scattered about to get ready. Riona debated between a skirt or a sun dress. Myaerr contemplated a black number that showed way too much cleavage. Remy rolled her eyes and sat back on her bed, waiting; there was absolutely no need to get ready twice. Dierdre and Andra must have agreed, because they soon sat on her bed as well. They struck up an easy conversation while they waited. Once the other girls were finished, they headed down to where Jareth waited.
"Girls, how are we on this fine afternoon?" Jareth smiled at his entourage.
A chorus of similar answered met his ears, making his smile grow into a grin. He led the girls out into the gardens for lunch. The girls audibly gasped at the sudden assault of lush color. The table that they were to eat at was surrounded with a multitude of flowers – some Remy recognized, some she didn't. The colors contrasted next to each other, but, Remy noted, they blended together in a way. Her eyes then landed on the table. The table sat in the shade of a tree, whose branches were littered with apple-sized fruit that were unknown to the human. The girls immediately took up the seats that were closest to the largest of the chairs.
Jareth elegantly sat in his large throne-like chair, surveying where everyone sat. He frowned, when he noticed that the same girls always sat close to him. He raised his hands, ceasing all chatter, and turned to the girls sitting closest to him. "I do enjoy your company, but I do believe that it's best for the other girls to have a turn."
He motioned that everyone stand and he asked them to step back a bit. He rearranged them to his liking, and allowed them to sit again. To Jareth's left, sat Dierdra, Andra and Myaerr; to his right, sat Aiccea, Donella, and Riona. Directly across from him sat Remy, who quietly noted that she hadn't been moved – she also noted that Myaerr noticed and snickered. Remy rolled her eyes at both Myaerr and the sudden stab of jealousy and sadness; those feelings were beyond irrational. Jareth immediately struck up a conversation, which she only vaguely listened to. She preferred to subtly watch the girls closely. No one noticed her stare – if you could call it that – as they unknowingly allowed Remy a glimpse into their mind.
Remy's first victim was Aiccea. She was staring fondly at Jareth and drinking in every word he said. Aiccea truly cared for Jareth, and was obviously glad to be by his side. Her eyes sparkled whenever Jareth's attention was on her. Remy smiled at her genuine nature, but moved onto Dierdra. Remy was startled by the amount of turmoil in her eyes. She was looking at Jareth politely, but it was blatant that it was mostly out of politeness. Her gray eyes were genuine, but they were tainted by the sadness. Remy's eye brows furrowed in confusion, but she continued on. Andra was next on her list. Her green orbs stood out among the group's because they were the only green ones – if she ignored her own color shifting ones. They were sparkling with joy as her infectious laugh sounded. Andra was very compassionate, even when it came to her feelings for Jareth.
Donella's brown pools captured her attention next. Her eyes were riddled with innocence, but also with a knowledge that kept her from being naive. They were locked with Jareth's own mismatched eyes and Remy watched the fondness cloud her eyes. Remy looked away, subconsciously making excuses for her hurt behavior. Riona's pale blue eyes were then assaulted with Remy's hazel ones. They oozed with confidence, something that Remy immediately envied. But, Remy noted, she was being oddly quiet; either something was bugging her, or she wasn't really as attention hungry as one would think. So, Remy moved onto to Myaerr – whom she dreaded looking at. Myaerr looked laid back, like she already had this in the bag. Her eyes held no warmth, but they definitely held spunk. Remy became perplexed; assessing Myaerr's words and her attitude. Something was definitely up.
Jareth ceased all conversation, and departed gracefully. The girls dispersed, several of the girls wandered into the gardens, while the rest headed back to their room. Remy was the last to leave before slipping into her workout room. Jareth was waiting for her, reading through her list. Remy stayed silent, allowing him to digest her opinions, and sat in front of the mirror again. She was fiddling with one of the holes in her jeans when Jareth slid down next to her again – this was their thinking position, one could say. Remy broke the comfortable silence. "What do you think?"
"I think that we should send home.." - he hesitated - "Aiccea."
"Why?" Remy was beyond confused. She turned half of her body to face him and waited for his answer.
Jareth's breath caught for a moment when his eyes met hers. He lowered his eyes before answering. "Just like you said, she's not accustomed to the kingdom. She could ruin my reputation at balls or even offend another kingdom and start a war!" Jareth paused for a moment, believing his argument. "Who do you think that I should send home?"
Remy contemplated his question for a minute. She had a sick feeling about Myaerr, but she didn't know why. It was obvious that she was a sexual person who was attracted to the King of Goblins, but did she just want to be a sex buddy? Something just wasn't right about the woman. She sighed, turning so that her back was against the mirror again. "I think you should eliminate Myaerr."
"Why?" Jareth was appalled. There was obviously an attraction, that was undeniable. Sure the woman was pretty blunt about her desires, but surely there was some good in her.
Remy sighed, pulling herself into a ball. "She's made it obvious that she's sexually attracted to you, but I wonder if that's all there is. And I just get this feeling about her that unnerves me."
Jareth scoffed and stood abruptly. He was angry, and he didn't understand why. Despite that, he stuck with his emotion and defended Myaerr. He paced in front of her, willing his anger to subside. "And I'm supposed to base my decision off of one of your feelings? No, I think not. I will send home who ever I want to."
Remy watched in disbelief as Jareth angrily disappeared. Her face was grim as she stared at the ground. She didn't want to comprehend the feelings inside of her; she was angry, jealous, sad and happy all at once. She was angry that Jareth would dismiss what she had to say; she thought that he was her friend, ya know? She was jealous that he would vehemently defend that rat Myaerr, when she knew that she was right. The happiness was because one more girl was going home, which means that this is almost over – or at least that's what she convinced herself it was. She was unwilling to believe that she was happy that she had less competition; she wasn't even technically competing! The only problem, she found, was that she couldn't explain the sadness. It made absolutely no sense.
Remy was completely still until it was time for elimination. She wandered to the throne room with the other girls, her stomach churning with every step. Her eyes never strayed from the cold stones that paved the hallway. Once the girls entered the grand throne room, they took their respective spots and waiting for Jareth. Ailis popped in first, but Jareth followed closely behind. They were silent, pensive. Each girl noticed and pondered the tension and uneasy atmosphere, each believing that she was the only one who noticed. Jareth motioned for Jareth to open the wooden case that held the pendants. Jareth grabbed the first one and turned to the girls.
Jareth scanned the girls' faces, noting their expressions. Myaerr, Andra and Donella looked confident, while Aiccea and Dierdra looked nervous. Riona was strangely blank, while Remy was hiding her face with a curtain of hair. He sighed before breaking the tense silence. "I want to thank all of you, but, sadly, I need to say goodbye to one of you. So, without further ado, Andra, will you please come up here?"
Andra let out the breath that she hadn't realized that she was holding. She smiled as she came to stop in front of the Goblin King, who, she thought, seemed to glow. He placed a pendent around her neck as he spoke. "I still find myself fascinated by you, and I enjoy everyday that I get to be around you."
Andra smiled, gave Jareth an innocent peck on the cheek and exited with a happy bounce in her step. Ailis held the box towards the king. Jareth turned back to the girls and moved on. "Myaerr, will you please come down?"
Remy's head snapped up at the sound of Myaerr's name. No one noticed the glare that Jareth sent her, making her bow her head again. Myaerr's smirk, however, widened as she stood in front of Jareth. "You're a beautiful girl and I find myself enamored with you. It would make me happy if you stay here and share yourself with me some more."
Remy became numb. She was unable to feel her body standing there, but even worse was that she was unable to feel anything emotion wise. Everything passed in a blur from that moment on; all she heard were the three names that were called before her own name would be. After Myaerr, it was Riona, then Donella and then Deirdra. Aiccea and Remy were the only girls left, and, even though she wasn't really competing, she was nervous that Jareth would send her home. Right then, Remy decided to stop pouting; she started listening again.
"-confession to make, Aiccea." He motioned for her to step forward. "Remy is only posing as a contestant. She's helping me decide who to eliminate. I'm very sorry to say that it's you. You just don't seem right for the royal lifestyle."
Aiccea's tears slid down her face quietly, her body wracking with sobs. Jareth looked at her red face and his heart nearly broke. Held grabbed her hands and place a light kiss on the back of them, waiting for her to speak. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Thank you, Jareth, for the opportunity. You're wrong, but that's okay; this is your decision." She turned to Remy, and gave her a huge hug. She pulled away and smiled sadly. "I think that you're great friend for helping a friend out like this. Maybe you and I can be friends once this is all over."
With one more sad smile and Remy and Jareth, she left. Jareth followed her progress and sighed when the giant doors closed with a thud. He turned to Remy, but she was already gone. She had left when Aiccea left, only while Jareth had his back turned. He thought about what Aiccea had said, about being a great friend, but dismissed it just as quickly. He exited the throne room and headed to one of his private rooms. Her tears wear silent as she hurriedly tried to wipe them away. She entered the room that she shared with the other girls, and was bombarded like last time. She answered the girls' questions and quietly slipped back out, heading to the gardens for some alone time. She knew that if she went to her workout room, Jareth would find her there. She wanted to be alone, so she chose to go to the gardens. She wandered as far out as she dared and she sat in the middle of a mini field, thinking. In this safe haven, Remy confronted things that she had been unwilling to face. She admitted her feelings for Jareth, she knew that she wasn't going to get him, and, lastly, she decided that she was going to leave the competition. She was going to let Jareth fend for himself.
