Chapter 11:Beyond The Point Of No Return
"Past the point of no return. The bridge is crossed so stand and watch it burn...Beyond the point of no return."
Morighana tried to ignore a nagging feeling that gnawed at her mind. Her carefree gait slowed to a sluggish crawl as though she was suddenly weighed down by a heavy burden. Her shoulders drooped and her feet plowed deep paths in the dusty road. A heavy-hearted sigh escaped from deep within her.
Ribito nudged her mistress's hand, disturb by the girl's obvious distress.
The Goblin Princess came to a stop. Her body simply refused to move further; she had not even the will to wish herself home. The tigress circled worriedly around the area where Morighana had collapsed to her knees. Midnight curls tumbled in disarray over thin shoulders, that heaved in an off-beat rhythm .
Poor Morighana. The little Undergroundling was at a loss. Perhaps sending Sarah to the Isle of Abandonment was the wrong thing to have done. Jareth would not be pleased; he had told her not to interfere.
No, no! Morighana shook away the remorseful thoughts. I did do the right thing! If I hadn't Sarah would have destroyed the Underground and ruined Papa! I hate you, Sarah! May the Seven Towers haunt your every waking moment and torment your dreams! I hate you! I hate you!
Tears of pure silver rolled down the princess child cheeks. The tears of an Undergroundling could be bottled and sold at a great price; but Morighana paid no heed to the precious tears. They continued to pour down her angled features, embedding themselves into her garments, glittering like a thousand minute diamonds.
Ribito felt helpless as she watched her charge weep. In a motherly fashion, the fiery tigress lovingly stroked the mass of curls with her immense paw. She sat close and let out a tiger's sigh. She knew the cause for her mistress's distress. The human girl from beyond the portal had brought the chaos of her world with her into Sominus. Though it was very easy to blame the girl for these problems- she also knew that Sarah was not entirely responsible. In many ways, Ribito faulted Jareth, more than anyone else. His selfishness and sometimes childish behavior had lent itself to the detrioration of the present state of affairs. His failure to properly handle Sarah's first trip through the Labyrinth was the source of such trouble. If only the Goblin King had not let his pain over Aurora's departure color his judgement when Sarah wished the babe away. If he had not tried to make the Princess jealous by showering affection on the human girl with that ball, they would not be in this state.
Ribito shook her massive head in resignation. In the end, the wise tigress concluded, it did not matter who was at fault; all parties involved were guilty of handling the situation poorly.
The fiery creature sniffed the air with apprehension. The wind bore news of the world beyond Sominus. Trouble was coming; she could sense a sinister force looming on the horizon between fantasy and reality; trying to bridge the worlds. Ribito involuntarily pulled Morighana close to her in a protective hold.
The tigress steeled herself against the wind's bitter herald; the worst was yet to come- He was returning.
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He lifted the sleeping child carefully out of his crib.
"Little baby, baby little," he cooed, cradling the infant in the crook of his arm. "Where's Mummy and Daddy? Mummy and Daddy's where?"
Step by step, he inched towards an open window. His step were unsteady and intoxicated. Several times he stumble, once he nearly dropped the child.
This world that he was trapped in had ruined his once astute mind. Such were the effects of reality on one such as he. Losing one's mind was not a quick or pleasant experience. It did not occur without one's knowing, rather one was acutely aware of one's fading grip on sanity. He shook off the morbid memories. His erratic thoughts turned to the window's view.
The window revealed to him a world that he had long since been banished from. But the human girl, she had reopened that portal that had been closed to him. He tossed his handsome head back and laughed- a bizarre, strangled laugh. The girl had read the Thirteenth Chapter and, unwittingly, freed him from his prison.
The child in his arms stirred as though subconsciously aware that a very bad person was holding him. He slipped a hand into his breast pocket and dusted the babe's eye lids with the glittery contents. The child went limp against him.
He returned his attention to the bi-level landscape before him. Anticipation tingled up his spine. He could almost taste his power returning. He only had to cross the threshold..
**************************************************************************** ****
"What on earth are you doing here!?!" Sarah finally managed to sputter after spending several minutes staring at the elegant beauty before her.
The other girl gave Sarah a shy, slightly sheepish smile.
"I know you must have a million questions, my dear friend," she said. Her voice had a gentle, soothing lilt to it that immediately put Sarah at ease. "But first you must rest. Mona," the girl motioned to the kindly woman who had tended to Sarah, "has informed me of your situation."
Sarah nodded numbly, her thoughts spinning at this new turn-of-events.
The girl identified as Anna stood up and walked to the head of the couch that her friend was reclining on. She knelt down and took Sarah's hand, her eyes shining in merriment.
"I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have you here. I've missed you so, Sarah!"
For the first time since she had arrived, a smile lit every corner of Sarah's face as happiness filled her heart.
"Oh, Anna!" she exclaimed wrapping the girl in a tight hug. "I've had a perfectly awful time here! I'm so glad to finally have a friend that I can trust!"
Anna smiled sympathetically as she returned the embrace.
"Well," she grinned, "any situation looks brighter with a companion. But, Sarah, how did you managed to find me?"
"By accident," Sarah admitted and settled back against the downy pillows behind her.
She tucked a lock of chestnut hair behind her ear and proceeded to tell Anna about her recent exploits.
Anna listened intently, her expression growing more and more solemn as the story proceeded.
Sarah's tale concluded with a recounting of Morighana's spiteful deeds.
Anna bit her bottom lip, regarding Sarah with large ocean blue eyes. She gripped her knees with her hands and then stood up.
"Sarah." Anna's quiet voice was barely audible. With her back to her friend, she ran her long, delicate fingers over the molding on the mantle above the meager fireplace.
"Yes?" Sarah wrinkled her nose. She was disappointed that Anna had not joined her in assessing how horrid the malevolent Goblin Princess was.
"Sarah, there is something you must know."
Anna turned to face her, her angelic features marred by a deep frown.
Sarah began to feel uneasy again and her pulse quickened. She tried to swallow, but her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth.
"Sarah," she said once more in a singular tone. "Jareth's Queenie is not a myth. She does exist."
"Oh," Sarah let out a breath that she had been holding. "Is that all?" She laughed nervously. "Morighana told me as much. I just didn't believe her completely."
"Sarah." The quiet intensity in which the girl spoke disturbed her greatly. "That's not all." She paused a beat, not certain how to break the news to her friend.
"Sarah, I am Jareth's Queenie. My name is Izella."
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Aurora tapped her long fingernails against the arm of the Goblin's Throne, her brow furrowed in contemplation while Jareth paced the area in front of her.
The princess cast a worried glance at the Goblin King who was intent upon etching a hole in the stone floor. Her thoughts turned to her niece whom she had yet to find. She was concerned about Sarah, though she knew the girl was relatively safe so long as she remained in the Underground.
"Rory." Jareth's voice broke through her clouded musings.
She looked at him quizzically as he shifted his weight from foot to foot with nervous energy.
Jareth ran an ungloved hand through his feathery hair. His mouth tried unsuccessfully to form the words he wished to voice. He fumbled with his speech as he struggled with his pride and ego: the obstacles between him and an apology.
Finally, he clamped his mouth shut, lips pressed tightly together, having given up completely. He seemed disgusted with himself but covered it with a hasty shrug of dismissal.
Aurora smiled ruefully to herself and rose from her seat. She wrapped her arms about Jareth's waist and lightly leaned her cheek against his shoulder.
"I forgive you," she murmured against the soft leather of his coat. "They would have found out anyway."
The corner of the Goblin King's mouth lifted and he seemed mildly relieved. He ran a finger down her cheek.
"Morighana has been too quiet," he stated darkly. "I'm afraid she may gotten to Sarah."
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Morighana's meanderings had lead her to the far side of the Haunting Woods. She could barely see the Bridge of Adon which led into the Crystal Kingdom. Before her loomed the ominous fortress of the Seven Towers. She had never spent anytime there; Jareth steadfastly refused to allow her to have any association with the treacherous empire- the only thing he had ever denied her.
Not that she even cared to be reminded that she was of a place which tried numerous times to murder her father. Jareth's brother, Robin, her biological father, had habored bitter resent against his younger brother for decades. It began when her grandfather gave the Goblin Throne, Robin's birthright, to Jareth. It grew over years in part because Jareth had always been their mother's favorite son. Hatred gave way to violence and Robin used all sorts of devious mean to try to do away with the Goblin King. But Jareth was far more grounded and clever than the demented Robin and avoiding the rival king was simple.
When Jareth and Aurora first became betrothed, King Adimandus put a bounty out for Jareth's dead or alive capture and Robin showed up in the Underground eager to call a truce. In order to protect his brother and family or so he claimed. The Goblin King was too smart to trust his ilk, but played along anyway. Robin appeared truly reformed on the surface, but he was actually plotting against Jareth. One night an assassin from the Crystal Kingdom somehow managed to penetrate the Underground's defences. It was a night Morighana remembered all too well.
She was only seven on that fateful moon. She had awakened from a terrible nightmare and was wandering through the Castle halls trying to find Jareth's room. That was when she saw Robin, whom she referred to as Uncle Robin for she didn't yet know he was her real father, speaking with a fierce looking man dressed in black The man carried a nasty dagger dipped in blood.
They spoke in dark, frightening tones and Morighana hid behind a door. They suddenly froze as approaching footsteps were heard. It was Jareth, unaware that he had company.
The man in black slipped behind the door as Jareth opened it. The two brother faced each other coldly. Morighana could not hear what they said for her attention was riveted to the man behind the door. She saw him raise the dagger above his head ready to plunge it into her father's back. The child cried out in alarm, startling all three. It was just enough of a diversion to give Jareth a chance to fight back. There was scuffle. Morighana hid her face in her nightgown sobbing.
She raised her head in time see the evil glint of the dagger before it slashed into its victim. Morighana fled to Jareth's room and cried herself into a fitful sleep.
The following morning, she awoke, not in bed but in her father's arms. Jareth, uninjured, sat in a large rocking chair, his head resting against the window ledge as he slept. That evening, they attended the burial of Robin of the Seven Towers. As they walked back to the Castle Beyond the Goblin City, Morighana had vowed that no one would ever have a chance to harm Jareth in anyway so long as she could help it.
Remembering that vow, the older and perhaps wiser Morighana stared at the Seven Towers. Even if Jareth hated her for it, she had to protect him from the wiles of Sarah, whatever the cost. Jareth was all she had. She couldn't lose him. Ever.
The wind ran through her hair, billowing the curls out behind her like a flag. Stoically, she studied the horizon and sang softly to herself as she thought about her uncle.
"From my first moment you gave me wings Let me fly and believed in my dreams From that first moment you cherished me so The journey through life would be hard with out you You gave me all I have and all I know From my first moment you would be there In your arms lay the strength I now bear From that first moment each day I have you As seasons they change but your heart stays the same You gave me all I have and all I know
From my first moment as time goes by Witness endlessly through open skies The journey though life would be hard with out you You gave me all I have and all I know "
With a final look at the alien kingdom beyond the Underground, Morighana wondered briefly about her step-brother, Daric, whom she had seen only once in her short life. She turned back to the Haunting Woods and continued on her path.
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The portal was opened wide, he could see.
"One should always close the door behind one's self," he said to the wilted child draped over his shoulder. "Behind one's self the door should one always close."
He licked his cracked lips as he sized up the window. Slowly, he stretched his hand out past the window's frame. He was halted by an invisible shield. He withdrew his hand and his eyes sparkled with desire. He edge closer to the casement and reached his hand out again. This time he felt carefully around the safeguard until he found what he was looking for. A crack.
"A crack in time. A time in crack," he babbled incoherently. "Cracks. Cracks. Cracks. Should always seal the cracks."
He pushed against the weakness and continued to apply pressure to it. It took a great amount of effort and strain, but it finally gave away and he was free.
"Free me. Me free. Free is me!!" he crowed gleefully. He leapt to the sill, babe in tow. "Yes siree! Free is me. Me is free!"
He stood there and inhaled the other-worldly air. Already he could feel the energy surge through his veins. His gold eyes radiated with the power. His appetite for revenge grew insatiable. He absolutely must find the little lady who had freed him and. thank her. of course.
"Here I come. Here comes I."
"Past the point of no return. The bridge is crossed so stand and watch it burn...Beyond the point of no return."
Morighana tried to ignore a nagging feeling that gnawed at her mind. Her carefree gait slowed to a sluggish crawl as though she was suddenly weighed down by a heavy burden. Her shoulders drooped and her feet plowed deep paths in the dusty road. A heavy-hearted sigh escaped from deep within her.
Ribito nudged her mistress's hand, disturb by the girl's obvious distress.
The Goblin Princess came to a stop. Her body simply refused to move further; she had not even the will to wish herself home. The tigress circled worriedly around the area where Morighana had collapsed to her knees. Midnight curls tumbled in disarray over thin shoulders, that heaved in an off-beat rhythm .
Poor Morighana. The little Undergroundling was at a loss. Perhaps sending Sarah to the Isle of Abandonment was the wrong thing to have done. Jareth would not be pleased; he had told her not to interfere.
No, no! Morighana shook away the remorseful thoughts. I did do the right thing! If I hadn't Sarah would have destroyed the Underground and ruined Papa! I hate you, Sarah! May the Seven Towers haunt your every waking moment and torment your dreams! I hate you! I hate you!
Tears of pure silver rolled down the princess child cheeks. The tears of an Undergroundling could be bottled and sold at a great price; but Morighana paid no heed to the precious tears. They continued to pour down her angled features, embedding themselves into her garments, glittering like a thousand minute diamonds.
Ribito felt helpless as she watched her charge weep. In a motherly fashion, the fiery tigress lovingly stroked the mass of curls with her immense paw. She sat close and let out a tiger's sigh. She knew the cause for her mistress's distress. The human girl from beyond the portal had brought the chaos of her world with her into Sominus. Though it was very easy to blame the girl for these problems- she also knew that Sarah was not entirely responsible. In many ways, Ribito faulted Jareth, more than anyone else. His selfishness and sometimes childish behavior had lent itself to the detrioration of the present state of affairs. His failure to properly handle Sarah's first trip through the Labyrinth was the source of such trouble. If only the Goblin King had not let his pain over Aurora's departure color his judgement when Sarah wished the babe away. If he had not tried to make the Princess jealous by showering affection on the human girl with that ball, they would not be in this state.
Ribito shook her massive head in resignation. In the end, the wise tigress concluded, it did not matter who was at fault; all parties involved were guilty of handling the situation poorly.
The fiery creature sniffed the air with apprehension. The wind bore news of the world beyond Sominus. Trouble was coming; she could sense a sinister force looming on the horizon between fantasy and reality; trying to bridge the worlds. Ribito involuntarily pulled Morighana close to her in a protective hold.
The tigress steeled herself against the wind's bitter herald; the worst was yet to come- He was returning.
**************************************************************************** ****
He lifted the sleeping child carefully out of his crib.
"Little baby, baby little," he cooed, cradling the infant in the crook of his arm. "Where's Mummy and Daddy? Mummy and Daddy's where?"
Step by step, he inched towards an open window. His step were unsteady and intoxicated. Several times he stumble, once he nearly dropped the child.
This world that he was trapped in had ruined his once astute mind. Such were the effects of reality on one such as he. Losing one's mind was not a quick or pleasant experience. It did not occur without one's knowing, rather one was acutely aware of one's fading grip on sanity. He shook off the morbid memories. His erratic thoughts turned to the window's view.
The window revealed to him a world that he had long since been banished from. But the human girl, she had reopened that portal that had been closed to him. He tossed his handsome head back and laughed- a bizarre, strangled laugh. The girl had read the Thirteenth Chapter and, unwittingly, freed him from his prison.
The child in his arms stirred as though subconsciously aware that a very bad person was holding him. He slipped a hand into his breast pocket and dusted the babe's eye lids with the glittery contents. The child went limp against him.
He returned his attention to the bi-level landscape before him. Anticipation tingled up his spine. He could almost taste his power returning. He only had to cross the threshold..
**************************************************************************** ****
"What on earth are you doing here!?!" Sarah finally managed to sputter after spending several minutes staring at the elegant beauty before her.
The other girl gave Sarah a shy, slightly sheepish smile.
"I know you must have a million questions, my dear friend," she said. Her voice had a gentle, soothing lilt to it that immediately put Sarah at ease. "But first you must rest. Mona," the girl motioned to the kindly woman who had tended to Sarah, "has informed me of your situation."
Sarah nodded numbly, her thoughts spinning at this new turn-of-events.
The girl identified as Anna stood up and walked to the head of the couch that her friend was reclining on. She knelt down and took Sarah's hand, her eyes shining in merriment.
"I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have you here. I've missed you so, Sarah!"
For the first time since she had arrived, a smile lit every corner of Sarah's face as happiness filled her heart.
"Oh, Anna!" she exclaimed wrapping the girl in a tight hug. "I've had a perfectly awful time here! I'm so glad to finally have a friend that I can trust!"
Anna smiled sympathetically as she returned the embrace.
"Well," she grinned, "any situation looks brighter with a companion. But, Sarah, how did you managed to find me?"
"By accident," Sarah admitted and settled back against the downy pillows behind her.
She tucked a lock of chestnut hair behind her ear and proceeded to tell Anna about her recent exploits.
Anna listened intently, her expression growing more and more solemn as the story proceeded.
Sarah's tale concluded with a recounting of Morighana's spiteful deeds.
Anna bit her bottom lip, regarding Sarah with large ocean blue eyes. She gripped her knees with her hands and then stood up.
"Sarah." Anna's quiet voice was barely audible. With her back to her friend, she ran her long, delicate fingers over the molding on the mantle above the meager fireplace.
"Yes?" Sarah wrinkled her nose. She was disappointed that Anna had not joined her in assessing how horrid the malevolent Goblin Princess was.
"Sarah, there is something you must know."
Anna turned to face her, her angelic features marred by a deep frown.
Sarah began to feel uneasy again and her pulse quickened. She tried to swallow, but her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth.
"Sarah," she said once more in a singular tone. "Jareth's Queenie is not a myth. She does exist."
"Oh," Sarah let out a breath that she had been holding. "Is that all?" She laughed nervously. "Morighana told me as much. I just didn't believe her completely."
"Sarah." The quiet intensity in which the girl spoke disturbed her greatly. "That's not all." She paused a beat, not certain how to break the news to her friend.
"Sarah, I am Jareth's Queenie. My name is Izella."
**************************************************************************** *
Aurora tapped her long fingernails against the arm of the Goblin's Throne, her brow furrowed in contemplation while Jareth paced the area in front of her.
The princess cast a worried glance at the Goblin King who was intent upon etching a hole in the stone floor. Her thoughts turned to her niece whom she had yet to find. She was concerned about Sarah, though she knew the girl was relatively safe so long as she remained in the Underground.
"Rory." Jareth's voice broke through her clouded musings.
She looked at him quizzically as he shifted his weight from foot to foot with nervous energy.
Jareth ran an ungloved hand through his feathery hair. His mouth tried unsuccessfully to form the words he wished to voice. He fumbled with his speech as he struggled with his pride and ego: the obstacles between him and an apology.
Finally, he clamped his mouth shut, lips pressed tightly together, having given up completely. He seemed disgusted with himself but covered it with a hasty shrug of dismissal.
Aurora smiled ruefully to herself and rose from her seat. She wrapped her arms about Jareth's waist and lightly leaned her cheek against his shoulder.
"I forgive you," she murmured against the soft leather of his coat. "They would have found out anyway."
The corner of the Goblin King's mouth lifted and he seemed mildly relieved. He ran a finger down her cheek.
"Morighana has been too quiet," he stated darkly. "I'm afraid she may gotten to Sarah."
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Morighana's meanderings had lead her to the far side of the Haunting Woods. She could barely see the Bridge of Adon which led into the Crystal Kingdom. Before her loomed the ominous fortress of the Seven Towers. She had never spent anytime there; Jareth steadfastly refused to allow her to have any association with the treacherous empire- the only thing he had ever denied her.
Not that she even cared to be reminded that she was of a place which tried numerous times to murder her father. Jareth's brother, Robin, her biological father, had habored bitter resent against his younger brother for decades. It began when her grandfather gave the Goblin Throne, Robin's birthright, to Jareth. It grew over years in part because Jareth had always been their mother's favorite son. Hatred gave way to violence and Robin used all sorts of devious mean to try to do away with the Goblin King. But Jareth was far more grounded and clever than the demented Robin and avoiding the rival king was simple.
When Jareth and Aurora first became betrothed, King Adimandus put a bounty out for Jareth's dead or alive capture and Robin showed up in the Underground eager to call a truce. In order to protect his brother and family or so he claimed. The Goblin King was too smart to trust his ilk, but played along anyway. Robin appeared truly reformed on the surface, but he was actually plotting against Jareth. One night an assassin from the Crystal Kingdom somehow managed to penetrate the Underground's defences. It was a night Morighana remembered all too well.
She was only seven on that fateful moon. She had awakened from a terrible nightmare and was wandering through the Castle halls trying to find Jareth's room. That was when she saw Robin, whom she referred to as Uncle Robin for she didn't yet know he was her real father, speaking with a fierce looking man dressed in black The man carried a nasty dagger dipped in blood.
They spoke in dark, frightening tones and Morighana hid behind a door. They suddenly froze as approaching footsteps were heard. It was Jareth, unaware that he had company.
The man in black slipped behind the door as Jareth opened it. The two brother faced each other coldly. Morighana could not hear what they said for her attention was riveted to the man behind the door. She saw him raise the dagger above his head ready to plunge it into her father's back. The child cried out in alarm, startling all three. It was just enough of a diversion to give Jareth a chance to fight back. There was scuffle. Morighana hid her face in her nightgown sobbing.
She raised her head in time see the evil glint of the dagger before it slashed into its victim. Morighana fled to Jareth's room and cried herself into a fitful sleep.
The following morning, she awoke, not in bed but in her father's arms. Jareth, uninjured, sat in a large rocking chair, his head resting against the window ledge as he slept. That evening, they attended the burial of Robin of the Seven Towers. As they walked back to the Castle Beyond the Goblin City, Morighana had vowed that no one would ever have a chance to harm Jareth in anyway so long as she could help it.
Remembering that vow, the older and perhaps wiser Morighana stared at the Seven Towers. Even if Jareth hated her for it, she had to protect him from the wiles of Sarah, whatever the cost. Jareth was all she had. She couldn't lose him. Ever.
The wind ran through her hair, billowing the curls out behind her like a flag. Stoically, she studied the horizon and sang softly to herself as she thought about her uncle.
"From my first moment you gave me wings Let me fly and believed in my dreams From that first moment you cherished me so The journey through life would be hard with out you You gave me all I have and all I know From my first moment you would be there In your arms lay the strength I now bear From that first moment each day I have you As seasons they change but your heart stays the same You gave me all I have and all I know
From my first moment as time goes by Witness endlessly through open skies The journey though life would be hard with out you You gave me all I have and all I know "
With a final look at the alien kingdom beyond the Underground, Morighana wondered briefly about her step-brother, Daric, whom she had seen only once in her short life. She turned back to the Haunting Woods and continued on her path.
***********************************************************************
The portal was opened wide, he could see.
"One should always close the door behind one's self," he said to the wilted child draped over his shoulder. "Behind one's self the door should one always close."
He licked his cracked lips as he sized up the window. Slowly, he stretched his hand out past the window's frame. He was halted by an invisible shield. He withdrew his hand and his eyes sparkled with desire. He edge closer to the casement and reached his hand out again. This time he felt carefully around the safeguard until he found what he was looking for. A crack.
"A crack in time. A time in crack," he babbled incoherently. "Cracks. Cracks. Cracks. Should always seal the cracks."
He pushed against the weakness and continued to apply pressure to it. It took a great amount of effort and strain, but it finally gave away and he was free.
"Free me. Me free. Free is me!!" he crowed gleefully. He leapt to the sill, babe in tow. "Yes siree! Free is me. Me is free!"
He stood there and inhaled the other-worldly air. Already he could feel the energy surge through his veins. His gold eyes radiated with the power. His appetite for revenge grew insatiable. He absolutely must find the little lady who had freed him and. thank her. of course.
"Here I come. Here comes I."