Disclaimer: Still own nothing regarding the Labyrinth. Except the DVD and soundtrack.
Chapter 24
I never lost control
You're face to face
With The Man Who Sold The World
"It's really quiet," Sarah mused. Conducting a quick survey of where they were, she realized that they were outside the kitchens. "This area is usually loud and busy all day."
Avitus seemed less concerned with the noiseless halls. "Many are off to fight in battle or to assist in some way," he shrugged. "I assume there are not many people to cook for. So where to?"
"I don't know," Sarah admitted. "I didn't really think that through."
Avitus rolled his eyes. "Really?" he mocked. "I'm so shocked that you haven't thought this completely through."
Sarah lightly slapped him on the shoulder. "Shut up."
"Is the throne room still in the South Wing?" Avitus asked.
Sarah nodded. "Yeah, we should go to the western part of the palace," she said as she started walking.
"And why is that?" Avitus asked, trying to catch up with her.
"My parents took over that entire wing a few decades ago," she explained. "One or both of them should be there."
That last word nearly died on Sarah's lips at the sight of red smeared along the castle's marble floors.
"Oh my god," Sarah choked out. She started to follow the trail when Avitus's arm reached out to halt her steps.
"You don't see blood on the floor and then barge forward," he hissed. "Stay behind me." Sarah apprehensively nodded as she waited to follow him. They tracked the blood all the way to western wing when they noticed that the blood ended, but there was no body.
"Where'd they go?" Sarah wondered aloud; panic lacing her voice, as she moved around the alcove, searching for any clues. "How'd they get out of here?"
Avitus was kneeling over the spot and arrived at the only conclusion. "Seems whoever this is had enough strength to magically go somewhere else," he stated. "This is a lot of blood. But I believe it's from only one person. I'm guessing either your father or mother."
"I realize that!" she hissed. Sarah brought her fingers to her temples, attempting to massage the pain away. "Sorry. You're only helping." Then, Sarah ran down the hall turning right. Avitus scrambled to his feet, jogging after her. They came to the foot of the grand stairs. Sarah began climbing when Avitus grabbed her by the wrist.
"Where are you going?" he whispered.
"Someone is dying, and that someone is up there," she explained as she pointed to the double doors at the top of the stairs.
"You don't want to do that, Sarah," Avitus said, shaking his head.
"I didn't come here to play in my room," she said as she snatched her arm away. "You can stay here and keep watch."
As he watched her climb the stairs, Avitus stood watch at the bottom. "Oh, Fates, help us all."
When Sarah came to the door, she rested her hand on the knob. Sarah breathed a shaky breath before she heard a small voice come from inside.
"Open the door, Sarah," came the voice, weak, yet determined to sound as strong as possible. Sarah opened the door to see that the room was dark, the curtains pulled shut.
To her left, against the wall was a large bed, and in that bed, the Queen of the Seelie laid prone.
"How did you know it was me," Sarah asked as she stood in the doorway.
"Oberon marches up those stairs like a troll," she explained. "That king has no grace."
Sarah continued to stand in threshold, not moving.
"Shut the door; you're letting the light in," she order as she weakly waived her hand. "Even now, you have to be so dramatic." Titania let out a wet heavy cough. "It will serve you well in the future."
Sarah rushed to her mother's side. Although Titania demanded no light, Sarah could still see what has happened to her. She lay on the bed, gaunt and pale, with black lines etched across her skin and blood stained linens surrounding her body.
"What happened to you?" Sarah whispered. Titania pointed a shaky finger to the chair in the corner.
"Sit down," she ordered. Sarah grabbed the chair and brought it over to the bed.
"You're not supposed to be here, Princess," Titania said before releasing another retching cough.
"I couldn't just stay away after reading your letter," Sarah reasoned. "I had to do something."
"When I said to keep yourself safe, that means the last place you should be is here," Titania chastised. "He's going to murder you."
"No, he's not," Sarah rebuked.
"So sure of yourself, are you?" Titania replied. "Seems to be a personality defect of our family. Must be hereditary."
"Did he do this to you?" Sarah asked. "Is this the result of iron?"
"Iron's a bitch. Don't ever forget that. I never thought he'd kill me," Titania said with a smirk. "Everyone is disposable to him."
"Have you gone to a healer? We can still get you help," Sarah said as she began to stand up.
"It's over, Sarah, for me," Titania said as she feebly gripped Sarah's shirt. "Oh, and I do wish you would not wear men's clothing."
Sarah sat down and realized that her mother was referring to her jeans. Even when she was dying, Titania had to criticize her daughter's clothes. Sarah let out a sad chuckle.
"I don't deserve to have my last moments be with you, but I'm glad the Fates granted it to me," Titania confessed. "I'll be damned if I died in that dining hall. I at least want to be comfortable. I do love this bed." A moment of silence stretched between them.
"Since you have a habit of not listening to anyone," Titania said, her voice becoming frailer than before. "I'll have you know that Oberon is in the throne room."
"How do you know?"
"I just do," Titania answered. "In case you forgot, various weapons decorate the walls, some are iron. Do be careful." Sarah grasped her mother's hand, trying to hold back tears.
"Are you ready?" Sarah asked.
"To go to the Fade? No," Titania softly chuckled. "Why do you think I'm still here? I wanted it all, yet in the end, I obtained nothing." She released a volley of coughs before she pointed to the curio desk across the room. "When all this is over, I have some papers in there that will be of use to you. You'll know what to do with them when the time comes."
Titania released her hand from Sarah's and gazed up at the ceiling. "You should go. Stop delaying whatever the inevitable may be."
"Goodbye, mother," Sarah said as she placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Goodbye, Sarah," Titania whispered without looking at her.
When Sarah closed the chamber doors behind her, she let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. She leaned against the door and tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. With one final sniffle, Sarah set her shoulders straight with determination and resolve that would hopefully carry her to the throne room. As Sarah made her way down the stairs, she searched for Avitus but didn't see him waiting. How could she not see him? The fae had purple hair for goodness sakes.
"Avitus," Sarah hissed. "Where are you?"
Avitus slowly made his way around the corner, but he was not alone. A fae guard held a carefully placed knife at his throat; two more guards flanked him.
"My apologies, Princess," Avitus carefully said. "It seems we've been had."
"His Majesty requests your audience," said the burly fae holding the knife.
"Bloody bastard!" Lochlan yelled as his potential kill was swept away by a sluagh yet again. If Jareth didn't let him have his fun, he was going to go up there to tackle his fun sucking brother. Wars don't just happen every day. Why do big brothers have to ruin everything? Lochlan grabbed Nealon by the collar and dragged him behind the ranks.
"Have any ideas on how to stop that?" Lochlan asked as he pointed with his sword at the trolls loading the boulders onto a catapult.
"No," Nealon gasped out.
"Find my general, Varden, and tell him to focus the harpies on the trolls and giants," Lochlan ordered.
"But the orb—"
"Forget the orb!" Lochlan yelled above the chaos. "Go find Varden!"
Nealon fell back further into the ranks, trying to fulfill the Unseelie king's orders. Lochlan had his reasons as to why he gave those orders, all of them justifiable in his mind. Although he never admitted it, the idea of one of those boulders being able to cause harm to the maze and castle his mother built made him furious. Yes, they could easily rebuild it all, but he be damned if he allowed it to come down without much of a fight. He would be remiss if he didn't want to have the battle rage on for a little bit longer. Oh, how he loved the thrill of battle.
"What is he doing?" Kalin called out. She was the first to notice the harpies move from the back of the battlefield, where Aiden had been hiding, to the sides where the trolls and giants were located.
"Idiot," Jareth gritted out to himself as he brought the entire Host back to the top of the castle. He started to walk away when Kalin stopped him.
"Now where are you going?" Kalin asked. "I'm going to start freaking out if everyone keeps changing things!"
"Continue your focus on the dwarves," Jareth ordered as he walked away. "Don't worry about anything else."
"Stupid brothers," Kalin muttered to herself.
Sarah and Avitus quickly made their way toward the throne room. They were only walking quickly thanks to the swords at their backs. When they made it to the doors, a wave of nostalgia hit her. Although not a lot of time passed since she last stood in front of these doors, a lot had happened. One of the guards approached the door and knocked once.
"Enter," a deep voice ordered. The doors opened, and the pair was forced inside. Oberon sat in front of them, alone, on the dais. Whatever he was thinking, he was not wearing it on his face. When they finally came to the bottom of the dais, Oberon shooed the guards away.
"But Your Majesty…"one of the guards objected.
"Leave. Now," Oberon ordered. The guards quickly left and shut the doors behind them, leaving only three of them in the throne room.
"How's your mother?" Oberon asked with a sickly sweet smile.
"Dead," Sarah spat. "Are you happy now?"
"Yes, actually," he replied. "That fae has been a sore in my side for centuries now." Oberon turned his sights to the fae next to her.
"Avitus? Had enough of mending clothes?" Oberon asked. "Rather chaperone troublesome princesses?"
"Remember me, do you?" Avitus asked, holding his head high. "I thought you murder so many people that you wouldn't be able to recall them all."
"I will always remember the death of a witch," Oberon sneered. "Wretched creatures. You should be thanking me for unloading you of that burden. Imagine if you had spawn together."
Sarah noticed Avitus slowly turn and lower his head to the side.
"You're a disgusting, horrid excuse for a king," Sarah said. "All you've ever done is leave death and heartache in your wake."
Oberon snorted. "Since when did you become so poetic? That's a brilliant piece of prose."
"Do you even know how to rule? Or do you just kill those who annoy you?" Sarah asked, ignoring his snide remarks. "You killed your own wife, his wife, and countless others in the guise of war. Is it true that you killed Jareth and Lochlan's father?" That particular accusation hit a nerve as Oberon left his throne to tower over Sarah.
"Faolan had no business being with that thing," Oberon hissed in her face. "Of course, Unseelie have no sense of what is appropriate and what is not, but Faolan knew better. He got what he deserved. I should have destroyed them all, but no, Aiden said that would be cruel to kill children or leave them orphans. Imagine if I did do away with those half breeds and their whore mother; we wouldn't be in this predicament. And, you would have had no one to run to."
Sarah swung at Oberon but he ducked out of the way and struck Sarah down to the ground. Avitus charged at the king but was knocked clear against the wall by magic. Sarah lay on her side on the ground and noticed that he wasn't moving.
"Avitus!"
"You twit!" Lochlan yelled as his blade went through an elf's torso. "I told you to stay at the castle."
As his sword left the side of his opponent, Jareth joined his brother, back to back.
"You decided to change the plans, and so have I," Jareth called out.
"Please don't tell me you shoved my Host into a crystal!" Lochlan yelled.
"All right," Jareth shouted. "I won't tell you then." Lochlan let out an irritated grunt as he brought down a fae who nearly took out one of his men. He turned around and saw Jareth swiftly decapitating an adversary. Noticing Jareth covered in blood, Lochlan was sure he saw a small smile cross his brother's face.
"Having fun?" Lochlan bellowed.
"Don't tell Sarah," Jareth smirked as he turned to clash swords with another fae.
Sarah sat on the throne room floor, staring at Avitus's unresponsive body.
"Is he dead?" she asked softly.
"Have no idea," Oberon answered as he grabbed her by the arm and dragged Sarah to her feet. "Does it really matter?"
"Yes! You idiot! It all matters," Sarah screamed as she snatched her arm away. She began breathing heavily and ignoring the fact that she was starting to feel warm. "People outside of you matter!"
"Sarah, Sarah," he chided as he gently stroked her face. "That's too much humanity for a fae."
"Are you going to kill me?" Sarah asked, unafraid.
"Now that all depends on you, really," Oberon said as he began to circle her.
"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.
"No more lies here," he admitted. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't planning to get rid of you and that mouth of yours once and for all." Sarah let out an irritated growl but said nothing. Oberon stopped his pacing and lifted her chin to look at him in the eyes.
"You still have use to Kiernan," he said. "You were promised to him and to him you shall go, but first, you'll need to relinquish that magic of yours. How about we make a deal? Agree to this and I'll send word immediately to Aiden to have Jareth and his brother spared. See how accommodating I can be? I have no reason to offer you this deal and yet here we are."
Sarah closed her eyes and thought about the proposal he offered. To Oberon, she looked as though was mulling over his deal. He was quiet proud of himself that he was able to trick Sarah into giving up her magic. When she went to Kiernan, Sarah would finally be out of his hair. Hell, he'd even build them their own castle somewhere.
"No," Sarah said evenly as she back away from him. "You can take your deal and all the bullshit you believe and go fuck yourself."
"You little chit," Oberon spat as he formed a crystal. However, Sarah threw one first, causing him to fly towards the wall, crashing against it.
Avitus slowly raised his head as he saw Sarah knock the king against the opposite wall. When he noticed her marching toward the monarch, he tried to call out to her but found himself too weak.
Sarah dropped down on Oberon and pinned him to the floor, her hands around his neck.
"Soon, everyone will know what a monster you are," She hissed as she continued to put pressure on his neck.
Without warning, Sarah found herself flying through the air and hitting the floor. She was still conscious but barely. Moaning in pain, she brought her hand up to check her head for blood yet found none. Sarah looked up to see Oberon standing over her, frowning.
"I'm sure that genetic atrocity over there in that castle taught you how to use your magic," Oberon sneered. "When you see him in the Fade, tell him that he should have told you the importance of disarming a fae's hands."
Oberon moved out of the way to reveal a sword falling down toward her. She mustered as much strength as she had to roll out of the way. The sword planted itself next to her, cracking the marble. Oberon turned to see Sarah avoid the blade, but before he could react an earthquake resonated throughout the Palace.
Avitus managed to pull himself up to a sitting. He still couldn't call out to Sarah, but he saw her narrowly avoid being killed. She was lying face down next to the sword with her hair blocking her face, but he could tell she was still breathing. Suddenly, the ground trembled.
"Oh dear," Avitus whispered.
Jareth grabbed Lochlan from the midst of battle and transported them to a medic tent set up near the Labyrinth walls.
"Argh! You ruin all the enjoyable things in life," Lochlan protested.
"Focus on what's really important, and it's not your entertainment. Stop acting childish," Jareth snapped. "You called off your harpies. So how are we getting to Aiden?"
"The two I sent over to him were shot down by arrows," Lochlan mused. "I don't want to risk losing anymore if I can have them messing with the trolls without getting themselves killed."
"So far the barrier is holding," Jareth noticed as he returned his sword to its sheath.
"I actually have a plan," Lochlan said. "But I'll need you to control the sluagh again." Jareth reached under his armor to reveal a small crystal.
Lochal was outrage. "You placed my sluagh in that tiny crystal? At least place them in larger one. They deserve better."
"What's your plan?" Jareth asked, ignoring his brother's outburst.
"I'll need you on the Labyrinth wall using the Host to help cover my back as I make my way toward finding Aiden."
"And you will be covering your front?" Jareth asked.
Lochlan waved his hand and nearly seven foot tall draugr stood in front of them. Jareth covered his nose with his hand. With exposed rotting flesh and bones, those undead creatures never smelled the best. How Lochlan could be around them, he would never know. Yet with its large battle axe and shield, the draugr would provide more than enough cover for its king. Lochlan looked to his side and noticed Jareth was no longer there. He looked up to see his brother on the Labyrinth walls, unleashing the Host from its crystal.
"Looks like he's hiding behind the archers," Jareth called out. "Our left. His son is there as well doing absolutely nothing."
"All right, you beast," Lochlan said to the draugr. "Let's move."
As Lochlan made his way deep into enemy territory, he couldn't help but inwardly shake his head in disappointment. All Jareth was using the sluagh for was to push the Seelie Army aside. What they really wanted to do was shred everyone apart. But no, Jareth had to have a conscience. An arrow in his side disrupted Lochlan's inner reflecting.
"Bloody hell!" Lochlan cried out as he broke off the fletching while keeping the arrowhead embedded in his flesh. The draugr briefly stopped its onslaught to look back at him. "Keep going," he yelled back, as he continued to follow behind. "At least, it's not iron."
Soon, the sluagh spread out, trapping Lochlan and his draugr in a circle along with Aiden and his son Kiernan. The concentrated sound of beating wings and their sickly howl was almost deafening to the Elf king and his son.
"You," Lochlan barked, pointing his sword at the Elf king. "You have gotten us all in a lot of trouble. First, I'm bleeding, and I hate bleeding."
Aiden and Kiernan backed into each other, ignoring Lochlan and focusing instead on the deadly Host surrounding them.
"Please don't kill us," Kiernan pleaded. "We're of no use to you dead."
"You have no idea in what state I have use for you," Lochlan sneered. He noticed the large pack slung around Aiden's chest. "Give me the bag; Give me the orb."
Aiden was taken off guard. "How did you know about that?"
"I'm not a patient fae," Lochlan proclaimed. "I'm not one to repeat myself."
Aiden's hand hesitated around the strap.
"Father, just give it to him," Kiernan said. "If you don't, he'll kill us and still get the orb."
"Smart kid," Lochlan said with a smile. "All those who call you a fool are wrong."
"Thank you," Kiernan said. "Wait… Who says that about me?"
"Here," Aiden said as he tossed the bag on the ground.
"Call off your troops," Lochlan ordered.
Aiden let out nervous chuckle. "So that you can just slaughter them? I never intended to send them all to their deaths."
"Lucky for you, I'm not the one in charge here, and my brother is more forgiving than I am," Lochlan stated. "Otherwise, yes, you would have a slaughter on your hands. Call them off!"
Aiden formed a crystal and spoke into it. Moments later, loud horns rang out across the battlefield and the Seelie troops began their retreat from the valley as did the sluagh to the castle.
"Hey!" Kiernan protested.
"Back off," Lochlan snarled, pointing his sword at the young fae. "Or I'll drop you were you stand."
"You promised not to kill me," Aiden sobbed as he was being dragged out into the middle of the field. Kiernan quietly followed his father.
"No," Lochlan said. "Your foolish progeny said that."
"Pull back," Taggert yelled as he sheathed his sword across his back. "Everyone, move back to the maze!" Taggert reached down to grab a wounded soldier and place him over his shoulder. He didn't believe he had the strength to add another body across his back. Three was just too much.
"What if this is a trap?" a centaur soldier asked as he too gently hoisted a wounded soldier across his back.
"They're moving all the way back toward hills," Taggert explained as he marched onward. "And I doubt Aiden being dragged into the field is any trickery on his part."
The centaur soldier turned to the field to see what his king was referring to.
"What the hell?" he asked.
"That's always a good question to ask when Lochlan is involved," he quipped.
Taggert made his way to the first tent he came across. Luckily for him, it was a medic tent. As he discharged the last human, he heard his name ringing through the camp.
"Taggert?"
The centaur king smiled to himself as he back out of the tent, searching for the voice that called for him.
"Taggert!" Kalin yelled as she ran toward him. She nearly tackled him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Are you injured?" She asked without releasing him.
"I am now," he chuckled. Kalin noticed that several individuals were taking in the spectacle that she caused. She cleared her throat and back away from him.
"I mean, I'm glad that you remained unharmed and are in good spirits," she stated with her trademark queenly speech. Taggert let out a loud laugh and grabbed her hand to lead her away from the small crowd.
"Miss me?" he asked when they finally stopped behind the camp. Taggert gently grabbed her around the waist, quickly lifting her in the air before placing her back on the ground.
"I couldn't look for you because you were at the opposite side of the field," she said, slow tears falling down her face. "I just had to keep hoping that you'd be okay."
"Oh, Amhuirnín," Taggert sighed, more than touched by his ice queen's concerns. "When is the last time you even cried?"
Kalin stepped back and wiped the tears from her face. She looked up at the sky, pondering the question.
"On my thirteenth birthday, when I was presented to Court for the first time," she replied in earnest. "I noticed that the color arrangement was magenta. But I told mother that I wanted violet. I was adamant about this, yet she never listened to me. The results were so repulsive."
Taggert stared at Kalin for a moment and then blinked twice. He let out a hearty laugh as he hugged her tightly.
"Oh, that's understandable," he said, still laughing. "Brings tears to one's eyes."
Jareth left the Labyrinth's wall and called for his troops to make a retreat as well as he made his way to his brother.
When Lochlan and Aiden made their way to what previously was the middle of the battlefield, bodies both Seelie and Unseelie were scattered along the ground. Lochlan pushed Aiden to the dirt.
"Lochlan!" Jareth called out as he made his way to his brother. "What are you doing? You're not killing him."
"Again with the ruining of my fun," Lochlan groaned. "I have no intentions to kill him… yet. No one will believe us. The explanation must come from his mouth."
Lochlan produce a crystal and shoved it against Aiden's throat, melting into his skin. King Rhys, King Cillian, and Prince Brennus started to make their way down to the valley to aid their fellow ruler. But, Aiden waived them away. Although confused by his actions, the monarchs returned to their retreated positions.
"Explain yourself to your Court," Lochlan sneered.
"Father, don't," Kiernan protested. "We'll be kicked off the throne." So far, the elf prince had gone unnoticed by Jareth but no longer.
"Why are you here?" Jareth sneered as he advanced and pressed his sword against the Prince's chest.
Kiernan quickly unhooked his sword and threw it on the ground and held his hands up in surrender.
"I have no quarrel with you, Goblin King," Kiernan said as he backed up, but Jareth continued his advance.
"Your whole life has been a fight against me," Jareth spat. "First, your father and now you. I'd advise you keep that snake tongue of yours silent while I still feel like sparing your life."
"I don't know what you speak of," Kiernan quickly said. "I never meant to take anything from you."
"I suggest you stop talking," Lochlan called out. "Fun fact: he does not care for you."
"Sit down," Jareth order to the elf prince. "And no more chattering from you. One more word and I'll slit your throat."
Lochlan knelt down, sword still against Aiden's throat.
"This dance is over, Your Majesty. Your audience is waiting," Lochlan said as he nodded to the confused standing Seelie Army. "Time to come clean, you little rat."
Sarah brought her hand up and felt blood dripping from her head as she moved to sit on her heels. Various items were falling to the floor around the throne room.
"Damn you, Oberon," Sarah muttered, her head bent, staring at her blood dropping to the ground.
The king, barely keeping himself upright due to the unsteady floors, turned to regard Sarah, still kneeling on the floor. Her head snapped up, revealing her eyes had turned completely red. Oberon lost his footing, falling backward, but quickly scrambled to his feet. Sarah reached out her hand toward the main doors and magic locked them.
"You have no idea how pissed off I am right now," she snarled as she flicked her wrist to produce not a crystal but a ball of fire. Sarah threw the fire at him, and he tried to block it with his own magic but failed.
"Argh!" he cried out in pain. Sarah continued to march toward him as he walked backward. Oberon produced a crystal and threw it at her. She swept his crystal away with a blaze of fire emanating from her arm as she moved it through the air. Oberon's eyes went wide when he realized that not only were her eyes red, but her skin started to glow red as well.
"Now, Sarah," Oberon said as he ran his back into a wall. "Consider what you are doing. Do you really want to do this? I am your father—" His words were cut off by Sarah's hand to his throat. Her hand felt like pure fire against his throat.
"You don't get to call yourself father," she spat. "A father cares for his children, would die for them. You are no more than the scum on the bottom of my shoe." Sarah released him as he slumped against the wall, rubbing his neck.
Sarah was burning up. She had never felt this way before. Even the most horrible fever could not compare to how she burned from head to toe. She needed to control her emotions, ground herself as Jareth would tell her.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Her eyes returned to their normal jade as she turned to Oberon, still concerned over his neck. The Palace stopped shaking. Sarah's eyes began to water. She felt no emotions over this fae who only called himself father to further his agenda, but she couldn't bring herself to do him in.
"I can't kill you," she said, backing away from him. "I'm sure when Jareth gets here he'll have no problem doing it. Definitely Lochlan. But, I just can't. Consider that my gift to you."
"How grateful I should be," Oberon said as he finally stood firmly on his feet, "That I have a daughter like you."
The sword that was wedged in the marble struck Sarah in the side. She let out a gasp when she looked down at her side and then at Oberon.
"How many times do I have to tell you," he said as he stalked toward her. "Never allow a fae's hand to go unnoticed." Sarah released the sword from her side and dropped it to the floor. The Palace began to shake, more violently than before. Her eyes glowed red again.
"And you," she laughed mockingly, "Must learn to distinguish between blades that are iron and those which are not." She reached out and summoned another sword to her hand and then plunged the blade into Oberon's torso.
"This is iron, "she hissed. Oberon went wide with shock as he realized that he had been pierced with the deadly blade. He dropped to the floor.
"Enough from you," Sarah said as she reached out and snatched the circlet from his head. Unexpectedly, a sharp pain radiated throughout her body, causing her to drop to the ground.
Avitus knew he was basically useless but tried to crawl over to Sarah who was now kneeling on the floor, crying in pain. Unfortunately for him, he was clear across the other side of the room. When he finally found the little strength he had to pull himself on his forearms, he saw that Sarah had collapsed onto her side, and she wasn't moving.
"Sarah!" he cried out as loud as he could. "No, Sarah! Wake up, child." He kept crawling and still nothing from Sarah. Avitus finally made it over to her and rolled her over to her back. She still clutched Oberon's circlet.
"You can't be gone with that death grip," he stated while gently slapping her face, still finding her skin unnaturally hot. "Wake up, Sarah!" Avitus tried shaking her yet jumped back, because he nearly burned his fingers touching her.
"Damn," Avitus whispered. As he examined his fingers, he noticed Sarah transforming. A squall of fire engulfed her, and through the flames, he could see her body shifting. Arms changed into wings with plumes in vibrant red and orange. The twister disappeared and a grand bird raised its wings over its head and released a loud cry.
Avitus let out a chuckle. "A phoenix. How magnificent," he remarked. Sarah approached him and touched her beak to his shoulder. Then, she backed away from him screeching in pain.
"Sarah? What's happening?" Avitus asked. Sarah shook her head, licks of fire sloughing off her body like water off a duck's back. She reached down to snatch the circlet by her feet and screeched at Avitus before taking flight out of one of the throne room window.
The entire Seelie army dropped their arms after hearing all that Aiden had to say, most of them too numb to act on what they heard.
"Satisfied now?" Aiden sneered.
"Not quite," Jareth said. He walked over to Aiden's bag and uncovered the orb within it. Jareth lifted it up and peered inside it. The orb was very inconspicuous. No one would know that it was siphoning off the dead's magic. He dropped it on the ground, shattering it into pieces.
"Damn fool," Kiernan whispered. Jareth drew his sword and marched at the sitting fae.
"Is there a reason why you would think I wouldn't keep my promise?" he sneered. "Or do you believe that I'm hard of hearing?"
"Jareth!" Lochlan yelled.
"What!" he barked, not taking his eyes of Kiernan.
"There's a large bird in the sky," Lochlan replied. "And it's coming straight for us."
"What?" Jareth asked again, more confused than upset. "A bird?"
Lochlan grabbed his brother, trying to move them away from the field.
"Are you just going to leave those two there?" Jareth said as he ran with his brother.
"Not my problem now," Lochlan said as they came to a halt. It soon descended and landed between Kiernan and Aiden. The feathers and wings melted away to reveal Sarah, still glowing red with a vortex of fire surrounding her.
"Sarah?" Jareth whispered as he began to walk toward her, but Lochlan held him back.
"Wait," Lochlan said. "Just wait a moment."
Aiden and Kiernan were caught up in the small twister, the embers licking their clothes and skin.
"Sarah! Please," Kiernan pleaded. "I never meant to bring you harm. You must believe me."
"You two are a plague on the Underground," Sarah said in an unnaturally calm tone. "And like any infection, the sources must be removed."
Sarah reached both her hands out and they both became more transparent until they completely disappeared. Jareth finally freed himself from his brother's grasp. When he began to move toward her, Sarah dropped to her knees in pain as the inferno around her fanned out, causing Jareth and Lochlan to be knocked back to the ground. The embers retreated and circled around her faster and faster.
"Sarah!" Jareth yelled. She barely got to her knees and looked up at him with tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Jareth," Sarah moaned, clutching her side. "I should have listened to you." Jareth rose to his feet and walked toward her.
"No!" she warned. "Stop! You can't come closer."
"What did you do to them, Sarah?" Lochlan asked.
"The place they would hate the most: Aboveground without magic," she said with a small smile. "They'll live longer that way." Jareth refused to heed her warning as he walked closer to her.
"Jareth, stop it," she said, crawling away from him.
"You just need to be grounded again, Precious," Jareth said, trying to reassure her.
"I'm passed that," Sarah said as she finally stood up. "If you come any closer, my magic will kill you."
"What makes you think that?" he asked.
"Because it's killing me," she cried as the gust around her swirled faster. "I might have let my emotion get the better of me." She reached behind her and produced Oberon's circlet, dropping it on the ground.
Jareth looked down at the crown and then back at her.
"Oh, Sarah," Jareth sighed, remorse in his eyes.
"I didn't want to, but he gave me no choice," she explained. "Make sure you tell the Court that, okay? I didn't want to kill him. Well, maybe a little. Just a little."
"You'll tell them yourself when you get back to the Palace," he said through clenched teeth. Sarah then dropped to her knees in pain, but this time she didn't feel like getting back up. Jareth rushed toward her but was pulled back by Lochlan.
"Release me!" Jareth ordered as he tried to wrestle away from his brother.
"There's no point in losing the both of you," Lochlan snapped.
"Jareth, don't fight your brother," Sarah said, her voice growing faint. "He's right. Just stay away. I should have listened and stayed put, but I didn't and you shouldn't have to suffer the consequences. I love you, Jareth. Remember that, okay?" Sarah then slumped to her side, groaning in pain.
"Let her go, Jareth," Lochlan muttered in his ear.
"There has to be another way," Jareth said as he violently pushed his brother away with magic. He turned and ran toward Sarah where she had collapsed on the ground. She looked up to see him quickly approaching her.
"Jareth, don't!" She croaked out.
Lochlan scrambled to his feet to see the fleeting glimpse of his brother running into the conflagration. Suddenly, the flames that once surrounded Sarah swallowed the couple and imploded around them, sending Lochlan flying through the air again. He landed several feet in front of his troops. What lay before him was a giant crater. His eyes frantically searched for his brother and Sarah.
"NO!"
A/N: Please don't throw things! This isn't the end. The next chapter is coming soon.