Chapter 20 - Compassion's power
After the meal Gerard had led his guests into an adjoining room. This was slightly more decorated with sea ornaments than the dining room, yet still much less extravagant than Jareth's tastes. A band had begun to play music and a few couples had started to dance. Most however stood around in little groups discussing the various lands politics. It was whilst part of one of these discussions that Sarah began to despair that anyone would speak one word to her. She was also beginning to wish this world ran more like Aboveground, a nice sign indicating where the restrooms were would save her a lot of hassle. She didn't need to use them, but it seemed like a good reason to excuse herself from the conversation. Sadly there were no signs, so with an almost imperceptible sigh of resignation, she excused herself from the party and aimed towards a serving maid handing out yet more wine. She tapped the maid on the shoulder and was about to ask where the restroom was, but when the maid turned round she gasped in surprise and forgot everything she'd been about to say.
The girl that stood before her had changed immensely, she was thinner, much thinner, paler too, her cheeks had lost all their colour. Her clothes were now the rags of a serving wench, no longer the bright colours of a fourteen-year-old girl. The biggest difference though was her expression, gone was the happy smile that seemed permanently planted in her heart, instead of the lively chatter Sarah remembered, all that was left of young girl she'd known, was the eyes. Eyes that despite being filled with pain and hatred, still held the hope of a girl who refused to accept that this harsh life was her fate.
For a few seconds they both stared at each other in silence, before the serving maid lost her composure and dropped the tray of drinks she was holding, it was only Sarah's instinct for her new Fae magic that prevented the tray and drinks reaching the ground. Using her powers to place them safely back in the girls hands she quickly steered her out of the ballroom by the nearest exit and down the corridor. At that point the girl seemed to regain her senses a little, taking the lead and showing Sarah into what appeared to be a waiting room of a sort. Although it contained the usual chairs and couches along with low tables for tea, there were shackles on the wall and the door had a bolt on it, which the maid quickly pulled closed, before settling on a couch next to Sarah.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, both shocked by what they were seeing, before Sarah slowly reached out and straightened a piece of the maids hair that had become dislodged. This small act was all it took to break the silence.
"Sarah…. dear god Sarah is that really you?"
Smiling slightly Sarah replied "Yes, it's really me." Suddenly the smile was gone "But geez Kara, what are you doing here? I mean you disappeared years ago, there was no trace of you, nothing at all."
At that point Sarah saw the first hint of tears in the eyes of the girl who'd been her best friend up until her mysterious disappearance at the age of fourteen.
"He took me. I was out walking, it was after a fight with Graham it seems so stupid now, so pointless. He'd grounded me for staying out too late again. I screamed at him, said he wasn't my father, that he couldn't order me around…. It was so childish, we argued, so I ran out, I didn't even know where I was going. I was just so angry, angry that my dad had left, angry my mum had remarried, angry that Graham was grounding me. It all seems so small now… but I guess when you grow up childish things like that do seem small."
She paused, gathering her thoughts and calming her breathing before continuing.
"Anyway I was walking and this man appeared in front of me, I mean he just appeared, from nowhere. I was stunned, I just stood there watching, then he reached out to me, I screamed and turned to run, but he was there behind me. No matter where I turned he was always there in front of me. Eventually he just laughed and grabbed me. I think I blacked out then, I don't know, the next few days are a bit blurry. I remember waking up in some kind of cell though, dark, underground it seemed, damp. I was chained to the wall, and hungry, so hungry. No one came for a few days and when they did it was only to give me mouldy bread and some water. I was there weeks, I screamed but no one came, I begged to be let free when the food was brought, but they just ignored me. Eventually I gave up hope, I thought I was going to die down there, but then someone came and let me out. They put on these chains, gave me these rags and set me to work…. I've been here ever since…"
The sorrow was clear in her voice, regret at her childish mistakes, but the hope was still there in her eyes, grown stronger now by seeing Sarah.
"Oh Kara, if only I'd have known…"
"How could you? But what are you doing here? And like that! You've got wings Sarah, and you're dressed like… like a Queen, what's going on?"
There was no anger in her voice, only complete wonderment at having her childhood friend turn up, looking so well. Quickly Sarah explained her story, skimming through the part about her attack, although the pain at hearing it was clear on Kara's face. There were a few moments silence at the end as they both tried to take in each other's lives after so many years apart. Something was nagging at Sarah though, something she didn't want to ask, but she had to know.
"Kara, I'm sorry, but I need to know. How does Gerard treat you?"
At the question Kara visibly shrank back away from Sarah, her fear blazing out of her eyes. That was all the answer Sarah needed. The anger that had been building up inside her since discovering the slavery in this place finally spilled over at the silent, yet obvious, revelation at how Gerard had used her friend in every possibly way. She could feel the magical energy of the castle begin to draw in close around her, as if her anger siphoned it off from the very walls. Kara's eyes grew wide in shock as light began to emanate from Sarah's body, most noticeably her eyes and wings. Suddenly they both heard a crack as loud as thunder but it came from within the castle itself, and at the same moment Sarah's eyes lost all colour, simply turning white, along with her wings. Slowly Sarah stood and walked out the door, Kara could do nothing but follow in fear, not of her friend, but of the repercussions of her friend's actions.
As Sarah walked back into the great hall she barely registered that the crowd was almost silent, whispering quietly about the crack of thunder they'd all heard. What she did register was their reaction the moment they noticed her. Almost as a single entity every person in the room turned to look at her with both fear and wonder in their eyes. Rarely did the spectacle being displayed to them occur, and never had it happened in the Caves of Arnagoth. Unbeknownst to Sarah, she was calling on the very magic of the world itself, that of the Caves, the water and the world above. Very few creatures could do this to such an extent, it required not only immense skill on behalf of the creature in question, it also required a mutual understanding with the source of the magic. Just as the Somoth tree was the source of the power of the Labyrinth, so Arnagoth too had a source of power.
And right now this source was giving Sarah all the power in the kingdom to carry out her act of vengeance.
As Sarah walked slowly through the crowd towards the throne, there was no brushing against her wings as there had been before, instead the people backed off to give her as much room as she needed, most bowing or curtseying as she passed, proof that they realised what she herself did not. Sarah was barely aware of all this, she was staring straight ahead, into the eyes of Gerard, whilst his eyes went first wide in wonder at the power of his kingdom being given to someone other than himself, and an ex-human at that, and then narrowed in fear as he realised he was powerless against her wrath.
By the time Sarah reached the throne Gerard was cowering in it, reduced from the powerful and proud King that he'd been, to no more than a snivelling child. Sarah towered over him and as she began to speak, her voice resonated with the power flowing through her.
"From the second I entered this castle I learnt things about you that were like to make me sick. You've shown yourself both in actions and words to be a foul creature not worthy of the throne. You are King of these caves and yet instead of using that power for good you kidnap children from Aboveground and force them here as your slaves. You starve them, torture them, force them into service! You stole my fourteen year old friend! You are the lowest creature I have ever met and I swear to you I will not rest until I have destroyed every bit of evil you have poured throughout this land. King you may be, but no more a King of slaves. As I leave I will take with me every slave, every servant, every subject you've ever tortured or abused, and every subject who no longer wishes to be part of a land ruled by the likes of you. I will destroy you Gerard, of that you can be sure."
The hatred within her was clear with every word she spoke yet through his fear his eyes kept flitting between her and Jareth. At first she simply thought he was asking Jareth to intervene, yet a glance at her husband to be showed a different truth. There was a fear in his eyes that had no place there and as she looked back to Gerard, he sensed her confusion and through his palpable fear came a sense of gloating. Though she knew his next words could destroy everything, she was powerless to stop them coming.
"So Jareth, it seems you've found another powerful girl with a taste for slaves…"
The words hung in the air, the silence that followed them was crushing as Sarah tried to make sense of them. As she studied Jareth she saw the fear mix with shame, their bond so strong she could almost feel the hurt and humiliation for herself. Suddenly Jareth raised his eyes to look directly into hers and sent a thought so strong she couldn't help but grasp the meaning.
"You… you were his slave. He's the one your mother adopted you from. That's what Sir Didymus meant about you being human once… He stole you, just like he stole Kara… Oh God what did he do to you?"
As the horror ran through her mind her focus wavered, the power began to drift from her and her eyes and wings regained their colour. Jareth once again lowered his eyes, but not before Sarah saw the tears in them. Seeing her powerful lover reduced to such was an agony of torture in itself, but when she saw Gerard raise himself up in his throne, the fear gone from him now, replaced by a look of triumph all her anger returned with a force. The power returned to her with a second crack of thunder, this one deafeningly loud, as her eyes and wings lost their colour once more. Raising her hand in silence she created a rose sphere, and waving her other hand around it, it began to expand, slowly at first, then with a flash of light it filled the room then disappeared… along with many of the creatures in the room.
Gerard stared in shock and fear at the magical feat Sarah had just performed.
"Where… where have they gone? What have you done with them?"
"I told you I'd take them, think you it was an idle threat? All those that so wished are now subjects of the Goblin King. They are under my protection and you will NOT harm them, nor contact them in any way! Rest assured Gerard that I am no mere mortal to be trifled with. If I hear of you mistreating anyone, or taking another innocent mortal as a slave I will tear your Kingdom to the ground and make sure you share its fate!"
With another flash of light Sarah transported herself and the Goblin King back to the castle at the centre of the Labyrinth. Having reached there however, all the magic she'd been siphoning off Arnagoth left her and the sudden loss of power caused her lose consciousness, only the quick reflexes of Jareth stopped her crashing to floor. As it was, through all Jareth's shame and humiliation he could do no more than wait for Sarah to regain consciousness, terrified of what her awakening might bring with her.