Author's Note: Just a note to any of you out there who deem it necessary to send reviews that only correct grammar/spelling, you are assholes. I don't mind being corrected when I'm wrong about something, but there are more tactful ways to do it. Don't create a review for the sole purpose of telling me I spelled something wrong (and do it on a guest account so I can't even message you back about it! WTF?).
To the rest of you who have left lovely reviews (even if they're short), thank you. I appreciate your support, and I hope you enjoy the new chapter!
Chapter 21: In Which The Final Confrontation Begins & Bronwyn Is Rather Sharp With Jareth
Because Sarah now had all of the powers of the Labyrinth at her disposal without the hindrance of the Labyrinth controlling her body, they were able to quickly move through the maze with walls simply leaping aside for them then closing back up once they had passed. They were off to the castle at the center of the Goblin City to confront Bronwyn. Jareth had told her that without Bronwyn's dark magics supporting them, the army out front would shrink back in defeat. Sarah hoped this was true, because honestly she would much rather be going to find Toby at the moment.
Instead they made their way first through the hedge maze and then into the swampy forest. They received little resistance until they were closer to the Goblin City. A wall at least twenty feet high and made of long thick thorns blocked the path leading to the city. It stretched as far as they could see through the forest on either side of the path, and Sarah suspected it surrounded the city and parts of the Labyrinth that Bronwyn's forces had infected. "This could be problematic," Jareth eyed the thick thorn wall.
"Well, I am the Lady of the Labyrinth now, aren't I?" Sarah asked as she stepped forward.
Jareth waved a hand gesturing her forward before stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest. Sarah moved forward and raised both hands to confront the thorns. She imagined them parting for her just as the walls of the maze had done earlier, and was surprised to hear the snapping and rustling of thorn branches brushing against each other as they moved aside for her. "Jareth, it worked!" she exclaimed with a grin.
"Of course it did, my dear. I never had any doubt." He grabbed her hand and led her through the opening, moving quickly. The thorns closed back up after they had passed, but that left them with the giant stone wall surrounding the Goblin City. "This way," Jareth whispered as he ducked to an overgrown trail leading off into the woods.
"Where are we going?"
"Back entrance," he explained.
"There's a back entrance into the city?"
"No, there's a back entrance that leads directly into my suite of rooms."
"Well that's handy," Sarah murmured.
"It's an insurance policy. If I ever needed to get out of the castle quickly, this would allow me access."
"Or if you ever wanted to sneak out to get away from the goblins?" Sarah grinned.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Jareth replied with a grin of his own. He continued along the narrow path weaving through the woods until Sarah was sure they had gone at least halfway around the city. Eventually Jareth stopped next to a section of wall that, to Sarah, seemed like every other part. Jareth quickly pressed his palm against a large block of sand colored stone and Sarah suddenly heard a grinding noise as that section of the wall shifted to reveal a set of stone steps leading down into a torch lined tunnel.
"How did you know which block to press?" Sarah asked in amazement.
Jareth simply pointed to a small part of the block in the lower left corner that had a triangular shape that matched his badge of office. "I carved this myself when I created these tunnels," he said proudly before starting down the stairs.
"You made this?!" Sarah exclaimed.
"I did indeed," Jareth nodded as they started to jog down the tunnel.
"That's amazing!"
"It certainly helps when you have magic," Jareth laughed.
They continued down the tunnel racing by the torches that lit as they approached and winked out again as they passed by. It almost felt like they were racing the darkness as it closed in behind them, and Sarah felt a thrill of adrenaline that helped her to keep speed with the long-legged fae beside her. When they finally arrived at a set of stone steps leading back up, they paused for a moment to catch their breaths.
"Okay, at the top of these stairs is my personal library. The entrance is hidden in a smaller section and warded from view by several bookcases, but we will still have to be careful. It's a possibility that Bronwyn will notice the noise if he's in the library."
"Is that likely?"
Jareth shook his head. "It's possible. My personal library has volumes on battle tactics and warding spells. He may be referencing those or he may have one of his minions doing it for him."
"Okay, so what's the plan?" Sarah asked.
"We get out and incapacitate anyone we meet. We'll sweep through my suite of rooms first to see if he's there and I'll grab my badge of office if it's still there."
Sarah raised an eyebrow, confused as to why this was necessary. "What good will that do?"
"My insignia has power in it. It's a key to the heart of the Labyrinth and to the gate Aboveground. I would like it back in my possession if for no other reason than that."
"Okay, so we get your insignia, then what?"
"Then we find Bronwyn and end him," Jareth said, his mouth in a thin line and his brows furrowed. "While I distract Bronwyn, I need you to head down to the dungeons to release any of my people he has placed there. It's very likely that he captured and caged the higher ranking nobles in order to ransom them for their safe return. Once you have freed them, come find us. I'm not above admitting that I may need help to take out Bronwyn."
Sarah nodded and suddenly pulled Jareth into a tight hug. "Please be careful," she whispered.
"You as well, Caraid," he whispered back. He pulled away and squeezed her arm tightly. "Let's go," he said simply before starting up the stairs.
Their exit from the tunnel went smoothly. There was no one else in the library at the time, which allowed them to sneak out the door and into Jareth's parlor with ease. Once again, there was no one in the parlor. However, there was someone in the bedroom and they came very close to being discovered when they peeked through the door. Inside was a small furry creature that looked halfway between a human and a goblin. It was searching the various drawers and closets and looked to have already amounted a small cache of jewels and shiny bits and bobs on the rug. "Why that little…" Jareth growled.
"What is that?" Sarah whispered.
"A hobgoblin by the name of Gnukt. He usually inhabits the forest near the bog of eternal stench, but apparently Bronwyn's reign has given him the opportunity to steal me blind. Gnukt has never been a big fan of mine. I've had to ban him from court because his tricks have been dangerous to others," Jareth explained.
Sarah studied the small furry hobgoblin now rummaging through a writing desk and throwing the papers and writing supplies behind him. She had an idea, and wanted to see how well she could control her powers. "Let me try something," she whispered. Jareth raised a curious eyebrow, but nodded. Sarah looked around the room and spotted a vase with nearly dead roses in it. She hoped this would work. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the roses and what little life they still had. She fed a bit of her magic into them with a gesture from her hand and they started to bloom in full color again and grow. Roots formed and thick thorny vines grew out of the vase. They crept across the floor towards the hobgoblin and started to form a cage around him. It wasn't until the last second that the creature threw the drawer he'd emptied away and saw the thorny cage surrounding him.
"HEY!" he cried out, and Sarah quickly closed the gaps and encased him in a cage of thorns and fragrant white roses. "LEMME GO!" he called out trying to find a gap between the vines, but any gaps that did exist were filled with sharp malicious thorns.
Jareth fully entered the room now and sauntered over to the hobgoblin. "Gnukt," he drew the creature's attention. "I see you've disobeyed my orders and returned to the castle. Whatever shall I do with you?" His voice was arrogant and reminiscent of when Sarah had first encountered him. There was nothing of the soft gentle fae she'd come to know.
"Yer Highness!" Gnukt cried. "I… er… didn' espect ter be seein ya here!"
"Yes, well as you can see I am back."
Gnukt growled and narrowed his eyes. "Bronwyn will be killin ya shortly then," he said in harsh low tones. "I espect ya won' live ter see the light o' day tomorrow and then Gnukt can has all the shinies in yer room."
Jareth merely raised an eyebrow and gave the hobgoblin a skeptical look. "I say, you're not exactly in a position to be threatening me, Gnukt, and if my Lady here so desires, those thorns will keep growing larger and larger until there's hardly any room at all in that little cage." At this Sarah stepped into full view.
Gnukt seemed to finally realize the position he was in and his face dropped from a sneer into full grovel mode. "Sire," he pleaded. "Please Sire, I can tell you where Bronwyn is."
"Oh you can, can you?" Jareth grinned, showing his pointed teeth. "I never said I wanted anything from you Gnukt, and besides, what makes you think I'd believe you?"
"Gnukt is sorry, Sire. Gnukt will never enter castle again!" The hobgoblin was now on his knees begging.
"I should say not," Jareth replied in a low voice his hands coming up to rest on his hips. "Because when I win back my kingdom, you will no longer be welcome in it."
Gnukt's eyes widened in fear. "But… Sire! I… nowhere…."
"Would you rather I spared your life and threw you out of my kingdom, or forfeit it here and now?" Jareth threw the ultimatum at the hobgoblin, and Sarah glanced over at him. She wasn't sure she could kill a creature with her magic. It just didn't feel right considering her magic was based in life and nature.
"I – I… I will leave, Sire," Gnukt bowed his head in defeat.
"Excellent. You'll stay here in that cage of yours until I'm finished. I suggest you start thinking of other places to live." With that, Jareth crossed the room to a nightstand that Gnukt hadn't touched yet and opened the drawer. He pulled out several things then opened a false bottom in it before pausing. He let out a low breath and kicked at the nightstand, sending several items on top of it crashing to the floor. "Come, Sarah," he grumbled as he marched across the room and out the door.
Sarah jogged to catch up and closed the door behind them. She could guess what Jareth had found in the false bottom of the drawer, and she frowned at the implications. "Why didn't you let him tell you where Bronwyn is?" she asked.
"Because I already know. He's a megalomaniac who desires power. Therefore he will be in the throne room," Jareth replied as he marched through the stone corridor. However he stopped at a staircase that divided the wall to the right. "This will lead straight down into the servants' quarters. If you go all the way down, then forward down that hallway and take the second left you'll find another set of stairs. Those will lead you down to the dungeons where Bronwyn will have caged any fae loyal to me. I need you to free them as soon as possible, Sarah, and lead them to the throne room."
"Down the stairs, forward, second left, down more stairs. Got it," Sarah repeated back. "How will I know how to find the throne room though?"
"Any of my loyal supporters can help you with that, don't worry," Jareth replied.
"Okay, what will you be doing in the meantime?" she furrowed her brows in worry.
"I will be distracting Bronwyn. I need to evaluate his powers now and get a read on just how desperate he is. The dark magics the UnSeelie taught him will have begun to break his mind by now and I imagine that he will be quite mad if not stopped soon."
Sarah's eyes widened and she frowned. "Please be careful," she whispered as she reached out to draw him into a hug.
He raised his arms to return the hug, burying his nose in her short hair. "I promise I'll be there when you come back for me, precious," he replied.
"You better be," Sarah grumbled as they pulled away. "Or else."
"Or else what?" Jareth gave her a sly grin.
"You don't want to find out," Sarah returned the grin before darting forward to give him a quick peck on the cheek and then turned to race down the stairs.
Jareth watched her go with a desperate desire to follow. With the power of the Labyrinth now completely at her command, she would be fine. However he still worried. What if she ran into UnSeelie fae or their minions? He turned and started down the corridor away from the stairs. There was nothing he could do for her now, and he needed to focus on Bronwyn. Even at his strongest, Jareth would have trouble defeating his cousin. Unfortunately, he wasn't at his strongest because of the iron poisoning, and Bronwyn had dark magics at his disposal. His best bet would be to confuse and distract Bronwyn to the best of his ability until Sarah returned with help. Bronwyn would have a much more difficult time defeating a group of Seelie fae.
Jareth drew closer to the throne room and could hear voices. One of them was definitely Bronwyn. Jareth recognized the enraged voice shouting commands. However he didn't recognize the others. He assumed them to be UnSeelie fae. This would be more difficult if Bronwyn wasn't alone. Slowly, Jareth moved down the hallway until he was right outside one of the side doors to the throne room. Peeking in, he could see that Bronwyn was marching back and forth shouting orders at three other fae who were shouting back something about a debt Bronwyn owed them.
"Now?! Now is when you want to be paid your debt? You have not earned it yet! I may stand in the Goblin King's throne room and carry his insignia, but I do not command the Labyrinth nor the gate to the Aboveground yet! And THAT was our deal!"
"Your forces have been pushed back against the wall outside the Labyrinth and are close to being destroyed. You will never command the Labyrinth at this rate," a brown haired fae with a long pointed nose sneered. "We demand our payment now while you're still alive to give it."
"You dare threaten me?" Bronwyn stopped marching back and forth in order to glare at the fae, who despite the rather insane glint in Bronwyn's eye did not flinch.
Another fae with dark skin and white hair tied back in several braids spoke up. "We will drain your life force and take back the magics we gave you if you refuse to pay us what we're due," he growled.
"And it will be painful," the third fae added on with a gleeful smile, almost like he wanted Bronwyn to choose this option.
Jareth stayed still, watching how this played out. If he was lucky, the UnSeelie would take care of Bronwyn for him. However it was at that moment that Bronwyn pulled Jareth's insignia from his pocket and clutched it in his gloved hand tightly as he concentrated. The ground began to shake and stone dust fell from the ceiling. Jareth quickly braced himself against the wall as small bits of stone fell. A terrible rumble filled the throne room as rock split and crumbled into the hole forming in the floor of the pit. The three UnSeelie fae toppled over as the floor beneath them heaved and groaned. "STOP!" the white haired one shouted, but Bronwyn allowed the earthquake to last a little longer, making the floor beneath the UnSeelie slant slightly towards the hole.
"Stop? Why, I'm just getting started!" Bronwyn laughed as the rumbling grew louder and the floor beneath the UnSeelie fae slanted even more making them slip towards the hole.
Jareth decided now would be a good time to act. While he didn't really want to save the UnSeelie, he was worried about how the earthquake would affect Sarah a few floors below. He braced himself against the door behind Bronwyn and drew a crackling ball of energy to roll and spark across his hands, allowing it to gain power before taking aim and throwing it his cousin. The crackling sphere of energy hit Bronwyn square in between his shoulders, making him topple forward to the ground, the yawning crack in the floor only inches in front of him. Just as Jareth had hoped, the fall distracted Bronwyn and the earth stopped shaking.
The three UnSeelie sent wide-eyed open mouthed looks at Jareth before scrambling to their feet and scattering. They slipped out the front door to the throne room quicker than either Bronwyn or Jareth could react, leaving the two cousins alone. The back of Bronwyn's fine jacket was smoking and Jareth knew for a fact there would be a large bruise forming where he'd been hit. With a grimace, Bronwyn levered himself up and dusted himself off. "Dear cousin," he sneered as he turned to face Jareth. "That wasn't very nice."
"Just returning the favor," Jareth replied as he started to slowly cross the room. He had a plan, but he needed to be closer to the other side of the throne room where the stairs leading to the Escher room lay. "Afterall, you did throw me down a chasm."
"Ah but that was only a bit of light hearted fun," Bronwyn grinned.
"Yes well, you've had your fun playing tyrant," Jareth retorted. "And if you don't mind, I'd rather you stop destroying my castle."
"Your castle? Cousin, have you looked around lately?" Bronwyn held his arms wide to indicate their surroundings. "I have rid the castle of those infernal goblins. I have thrown those loyal to you in the dungeons. I have sent an army to crush that pathetic resistance you mounted outside the walls. And I hold the insignia of the Keeper," he held up the triangular pendant he'd been drawing power from to create the hole in the floor.
Jareth eyed him warily, but smirked as he replied. "My goblins are more resourceful than you give them credit for, Bronwyn. And your army is currently being demolished. I heard what those UnSeelie fae said before you started your little temper tantrum." Jareth stopped as he reached the other side of the throne room. The doorway to the Escher room was only a few feet away. He crossed his arms over his chest and adopted a relaxed pose before look down his nose at his cousin. "And though you hold my insignia, you still do not command the Labyrinth and therefore do not control the gate to the Aboveworld."
Bronwyn frowned, his brow furrowing and his eyes narrowing. "That won't be a problem for much longer," he declared. "I will take command of your Labyrinth by force after I'm done destroying you."
Jareth let out an actual laugh at this. "By force? What have you been doing before now? Petting it nicely and asking pretty please?"
Bronwyn growled and let loose a small red crackling energy ball. Jareth dodged it, jumping backwards quickly. His arms wind milled as he caught his balance. "Oh ho!" he shouted. "Have I touched a sore spot?"
"You know not what you speak of, cousin," Bronwyn sneered. "I have shown the Labyrinth deference until now. It is a magical being unlike any other in our world, as ancient as magic itself. I hoped that by persuading it to my side, I could avoid destroying it."
"You thought you could persuade the Labyrinth to join your cause?" Jareth asked in amazement. "You're clearly deranged if you think that a force of nature such as the Labyrinth, a benevolent being with life magic, would ever join you, a bringer of death."
"I realize that now, and am ready to take the necessary steps to remove the Labyrinth from my path. If it will not join me, then it will be destroyed." As he said this, Bronwyn slowly began to toss a glowing red ball of energy back and forth between his hands.
Jareth twirled his own hand and drew forward an electric blue energy ball, letting it roll back and forth over his hands as it gained power. "If you think the other kingdoms of this world would let you destroy something so pure and full of life, then you truly are deranged. Four kingdoms worth of soldiers are outside the Labyrinth right now ready to fight for it."
"Then I shall destroy them too," Bronwyn snarled as he looked down at the red energy ball in his hand. "Just know, cousin, that I would have been honored to have you at my side if your love for humans weren't so disgustingly prominent."
"You never gave me the choice," Jareth spat back at him, his own ball of energy crackling louder with his anger.
"Had I given you one, would you have considered it?"
"Of course not! You wish to bring death to the Aboveworld!"
"And that is why I did not ask," Bronwyn gave Jareth a pitying look. "It pains me to kill my own kin," he said. "But needs must," he trailed off as he quickly pulled back and let fly the energy ball.
Jareth sidestepped, but not quite fast enough. It hit his left arm singing his sleeve and making his arm feel like it was broken. He sucked in a deep breath and threw his own ball of energy. Bronwyn easily dodged the messy throw and started to conjure another ball of energy. Jareth knew this was a fight he could not win though and decided to take a more defensive tactic. With a complicated twirl of his hand and a dramatic spin he disappeared from view. Bronwyn roared in fury and threw his energy sphere at where the Goblin King had stood. It crashed against the flagstone floor and burned out. "Show yourself, Jareth!" he shouted.
A low chuckle filled the room. "I think not Bronwyn," Jareth replied. He had used a significant amount of energy to do this little trick, but hopefully it would keep him out of danger until Sarah arrived. He had performed half of a transportation spell and was in limbo between the his throne room and a forest in Rhihart's kingdom. The forest he'd chosen meshed with the throne room so that he saw both at once in a sort of ghost image. It was a bit confusing, but he would deal with it for now. By doing this, he would remain invisible in both places, but could still be heard. He could not affect anything with his magic in either world, but neither could anything affect him. The only problem was that he wasn't sure how long he could remain in this state of limbo. It cost him greatly to get there, and remaining there was slowly seeping away at what was left of his magic.
"You would fight dishonorably, cousin? With disguises and backstabbing? That's rather unlike you," Bronwyn seemed to have regained some of his control. The rage that had consumed him earlier had simmered.
"I have you to thank for that, cousin," Jareth responded as he watched Bronwyn look around the room for him. "I take every opportunity I can to achieve my ends now."
"Every opportunity?" Bronwyn smirked. "That's rather ruthless of you, cousin. I'm impressed. However I do question if you really mean it?" He conjured a crystal with a twist of his wrist and gazed into it. "Ah, yes, there's the wench," he said. "I say, she's rather in a spot of trouble just now. Is she part of what you'll give up to achieve your ends now?"
Jareth sucked in a breath. Was Sarah actually in trouble? Or was Bronwyn trying to trick him into showing himself? "Sarah can take care of herself. Don't underestimate her," he declared trying to sound nonchalant.
Bronwyn smirked. "I can see why you lust after her, cousin," he twisted his wrist again and the crystal disappeared. "She is a beauty. It's unfortunate that she will be sacrificed for your ends."
"You lie," Jareth growled. He couldn't use magic to see Sarah for himself while in limbo. He had to trust that she was okay.
"Do I? Why don't you find out for yourself?" Bronwyn continued to walk around the throne room looking for any sign of Jareth. "Or are you so determined to keep me company?"
Jareth had no idea what traps his cousin may have left in the dungeons. He'd assumed that Sarah would be safe enough because the dark fae had already expended his soldiers in the army out front. Now he wasn't so sure. It had been a long time since Sarah had run down the stairs towards the dungeons. Shouldn't she have been able to free his subjects and return by now? Jareth calculated his chances of subduing Bronwyn on his own. If he reappeared behind the fae and caught him by surprise, he might actually stand a chance. He could hit him with a deep sleep spell then go find Sarah.
Mind made up, he started to move into position. "Keeping you company is the least of my concerns," Jareth replied. "Distracted though… that's another thing."
"Ha! Distracted," Bronwyn smirked. "And who's to say I'm not distracting you as my forces destroy your resistance?"
Jareth was right behind his cousin. He concentrated on his throne room and the forest of the Lemwyn disappeared until the castle's throne room was the only thing he could see. He raised his left hand to press a sleep spell into Bronwyn, but the fae spun on the spot, an onyx dagger clutched in his hand, and slammed the knife hilt deep into Jareth's abdomen. "Nice to see you again, cousin," Bronwyn welcomed from between clenched teeth. "Too bad you underestimate my senses. The dark magics you scoff at are more beneficial than you could ever imagine."
Jareth gasped and felt his legs go out from under him, dropping him to his knees. The blade was, thankfully, not made of iron. But the dark gem was ideal for carrying spells, and Jareth could feel something more than just the blade affecting his abdomen. He looked down and could see blood trickling out of the wound. If he were to pull the knife out he'd surely bleed out in minutes. Instead he clutched his abdomen and glared up at Bronwyn. He was having trouble getting a deep enough breath to speak, but he managed to whisper, "You won't win, Bronwyn. The Labyrinth has chosen a Lady, and they both will fight you to their last breath."
A troubled look crossed Bronwyn's face for a moment before he sneered. "I will destroy anything in my path to accomplish my goals, Jareth. If that means taking on the Labyrinth and its bitch of a Lady, then so be it. Perhaps I'll keep her as a pet after I break her," he grinned, sharp pointed teeth showing.
Jareth drew in a ragged breath and slipped sideways to crumple to the floor. However an anguished cry behind him gave him a small measure of hope. "JARETH!" Sarah's voice cried.
Bronwyn's head snapped up and he gave her a lecherous smile. "Look who's finally decided to join the party."