Thanks be to all who have reviewed this story. I know that it wasn't one of my best, but it was my first try at writing non-J/S. Plus, I got incredibly busy and moved and my mind has not been on this story like it was for the others. I'm hoping that the next one I write will be better. It is shaping up to be, so keep your fingers crossed.
Chapter 12
Woolery staggered backwards, clutching the hilt of the sword with both hands. The iron of the sword proved to be too much for his fae origin, its chemicals running along his bloodstream like poison. He finally crumpled to the ground, one last sentence escaping his lips, echoing in the stillness of the attic.
"This is only the beginning."
Jareth watched the man disappear without moving. All he had loved in his life was gone in a matter of minutes, and he felt completely and totally helpless. Solemnly and methodically he picked up Emmaline's body and took it to her bed chamber, the place where he had first seen her through the crystal. He carefully placed her on the bed and arranged her hands over her stomach, not pausing to wipe away the tears that had fallen upon her sleeve. To him, she looked to be asleep, waiting for a lover's kiss to awaken her. Her eyes would surely open if he could only say the right words.
But, deep down he knew that it was a foolish notion that had taken a hold of his mind. Mortals could not be brought back to life with a simple kiss. That sort of thing only happened in the folk tales and fairy stories of Aboveground. As much as he wanted to be able to bring her back, he knew that he could not.
An odd presence filled the room, causing Jareth to look up from his beloved's face. Visible waves of energy were sweeping about the room, brilliant in shades of purple and red. They encircled Jareth and Emmaline, swooping and bending among the twists and turns. Jareth could hear faint laughter and his name being called. The beams of light stopped suddenly on the opposite side of the bed, twisting and bending until they formed the shape of a person. Jareth looked on in shock as Muirin's features became clearer in the bright light. Her spirit was shadowy, but still solid enough to make him want to run and hold her. He stayed next to Emmaline, gently stroking the side of her face and brushing away whisps of hair.
"Hello, Jareth."
He didn't look away from Emmaline's face. "Muirin. She's gone. I tried to stop it, but I was too late. There has got to be something we can do. We can do something between us, don't you think? We can bring her back. We can do something, I must be able to do something."
Muirin looked tenderly towards her friend, "You and I cannot. The power that holds her goes beyond anything that you or I can overcome."
He looked towards his friend in anger and disgust, "No, I won't believe that. There is something that can be done about this."
"It is time to say goodbye, Jareth."
Jareth pulled his mother's ring out of his breeches pocket. He watched the delicate golden band twist and shine in the dim light of the room. Very unlike the trinkets and ornaments that were so popular at the time, this was set with a single small pale stone, smoothed on its top so that the fluidity of the band would not be interrupted. A triumph according to the Fae jewelry makers, its equal had never been seen in either world. Jareth didn't know how old the ring was or where it had come from, although his mother had worn it for as long as he could remember.
"I meant to give this to her. Such a small thing, yet full of so much meaning. Take this, dear one, as a token of my love. For I will never love another as I love you."
Jareth took her hand and carefully slipped the ring onto Emmaline's finger. Before it could reach the second knuckle, the ring dissolved into powdery dust and fell into oblivion. Shocked, he looked with teary eyes towards Muirin's shadowy form.
"What happened? I wanted her to have it. What is going on?"
"It was never meant to be. You know that, don't you Jareth?"
"No. I don't understand."
"There is another whom is intertwined with this tale."
"Another?"
"Yes. They will come on the wings of uncertainty and determination."
"But you said that Emmaline would bring peace."
"No, I said she would bring peace. In a person's last moments, they don't always think clearly. I didn't mean Emmaline. I meant the other."
"What other? I wish you would tell me and stop talking in riddles."
"You will know when the time is right. I was not sent to help make this easier for you."
"What must I do?"
"Go home. You have a kingdom to run. Don't stay here. Emmaline's father will have murder on his mind when he returns, and I shouldn't like you to meet the same fate that I did. Now go."
Jareth took one last look at the figure of his love. He remembered every time her hand had shyly brushed his, every time she lowered her eyes when he caught her staring at him, every time they had shared a silence that neither dared to break. He would remember her this way for all time. Turning away from the painful images, he transformed and flew out of the window and began the long journey home.
* * * * * * * *
And so our tale ends. No one would remember the fair Emmaline who had been so cruelly taken from this earth. No one, except for the Goblin King who loved her.
The end
Or is it?
