Voila! Here is yet another chapter in the ongoing story:) I'm sure y'all are curious about Giric, just who and what he is, and this should shed some light on that... but only some light...:D
Thanks for all the lovely reviews, y'all are just wonderful!
All alone, tucked into the curve of the great hornlike decoration of the throne with knees drawn up to her chest, was Sarah. She cut a strange figure, almost insignificant against the size of the massive chair, and the pink of her gown was a bright spot against the otherwise dull colors of the room.
What she was doing on the seat that only the Goblin King was allowed to sit on was anyone's guess, but the dull truth was that she just wanted to get a few quiet moments of peace and solitude to herself after spending all day out in a goblin filled city. They might not realize it as it was normal for them, but hordes of the ugly creatures made such a racket that it left her head spinning and ears screaming for rest.
Her hoped for quiet and rest was short lived however by the sudden rumbling of thunder coming down the halls and entering the throne room like a storm. Her eyes shot open at the noise, and the serene expression that had settled on her face vanished in a split second and was replaced by one of curiosity and partial terror.
Please don't tell me that was Jareth losing his temper at something or other! She begged, gaze fixed on the stairs that led to the Escher Room, or so she assumed they still did. All this time she had not gotten up the courage to go all the way back up those stairs lest she be trapped in that impossible room again. Not that she was worried about being stuck in there forever, but thinking back on what had gone on in that room gave her such a strong feeling of vertigo that she banished all thoughts of going back in there for quite a while.
Jareth's voice followed another roar of thunder, and then, as if he had been blown in by the force of the sounds behind him, Hoggle raced into the room. He didn't see her there, but ran blindly to the throne and threw himself behind it with a terrified cry. Slowly Sarah peeked over and saw him shaking, his head ducked low and covered with his hands as if to protect it from some heavy object that was about to come crashing down on it.
"Hoggle?" Sarah kept her voice low and soft, not wanting to scare Hoggle anymore than he already was, but it still made him jump and look up in terror. "It's okay, Hoggle. It's just me."
"Oh, Sarah." he said with a great sigh of relief, his mouth turning up in a happy grin. It vanished when another angry shout rolled into the room, the voice unmistakably that of the Goblin King. "Jareth ain't happy right now; but I'm guessin' the whole realm knows that. He didn't scare ya, did he?"
Sarah nodded, a weak smile on her pale lips. "He did a little. Don't look so surprised at my admission, Hoggle. You aren't the only coward here; even a champion gets scared of things sometimes, and I am no exception. But we need never admit so much to anyone but each other."
Hoggle smiled suddenly, glad that he was not alone in being a coward.
"I hears ya had a time last night." he didn't mean to say the words, they just slipped out. He thought Sarah would be angry or at least a little upset at having the subject brought up, and was much surprised at her composed attitude. "Ya doin' alright?"
She nodded, and Hoggle took note of how tired she looked. Her face was pale and a little drawn, and her eyes, though still glowing with their inner light, had a lackluster about them that made Hoggle feel concerned. "It is just going to take time, that is all. I guess one doesn't get over having their whole life ruined in one day, no matter how much one might wish it. But dad and I made a good start of things today."
He stood up on a little stool and slipped his hand in hers. "Jareth said somethin' about him goin' back to the Aboveground tonight. Ya goin' ta be ok with that? If ya ain't ready fer it he can stay here fer as long as ya wants; there ain't no limit on how long a mortal can stay in the Labyrinth, so long as he ain't runnin' it of course." Hoggle said helpfully, wanting her to understand without a shadow of a doubt that there was no need to rush things. But she seemed to understand that already.
"In some ways I want him to stay very much, but in others I think it is best if he goes. Being crammed together is as bad as being permanently separated; if there is space for us to both live our lives and deal with things in our own time I know everything will work out perfectly." Sarah's head shot up when Jareth's shouting voice came rolling up on them again. She fully expected him to make an appearance, to blow in like a storm, but there was only an uneasy silence after the echo had died down. "What has him so upset?" there was a light tremor in her voice. Though it was silly she hoped that she wasn't the cause of his current upset.
Hoggle wished she hadn't asked that question, wished she would have asked just about any other question in the world than that one. Being her friend he wanted to tell her anything she wanted to hear about, but he didn't want to get into trouble by speaking on a matter that was no doubt best left to Jareth; besides, Jareth knew more about it than he did, he could tell her things that Hoggle couldn't.
But Hoggle didn't know if Jareth would tell Sarah anything about it, even if she were to ask. Hoggle didn't want her to be left hanging, wondering what was going on with no answers, so he decided to tell her as much as was possible.
"I tell ya what I can, then, if ya want more, ya will just have ta talk ta Jareth." he leaned forward, keeping his voice low so that only she could hear. "But ya will have ta promise not ta tell him ya heard it from me. He don't like ta talk about this, and he don't like ta hear others talk about it, and if he finds out that I was the one who let it slip ta ya-"
Sarah made a zipper motion across her lips. "I just heard this here and there. Goblins talk a lot, they say things. I can't say who they were; all goblins look the same to me."
Hoggle looked around the room, turning his head back and forth cautiously; he didn't want anyone to overhear him. Goblins couldn't keep their mouths shut most of the time, and if it got out that he had spoken about this forbidden subject then he was likely to suffer some terrible consequences that he didn't even want to think about.
"Ok, this is all I knows. Ya haven't heard the name Giric spoken around here, have ya?" Sarah shook her head. "Well, ye ain't heard the name because no one is allowed to talk about it. But we all do from time to time, but only when we is sure Jareth won't hear. I'm not sure of the whole history between them, but I do know that Giric is Jareth's first cousin, and they had some sort of a fallin' out over somethin' or other not long before Jareth inherited the throne. Anyway, he is in a fit now because of something ta do with Giric, seems that he returned from the Unknown, that's what the uncharted places in the Underground are called, and Jareth is all in a rage about it. He is giving the guards a dressin' down they'll never forget for letting Giric get past them in the night."
Though she couldn't see why she found herself astonished that Jareth had a cousin. She supposed it shouldn't have been a surprise, she had cousins of her own, but somehow she had the hardest time picturing Jareth as having any kind of family at all. "Who or what is Giric? I mean, being Jareth's cousin he must be royalty of some kind, right?"
Hoggle rubbed his chin. "Now ain't that the question I was just askin' myself! He wasn't meant ta be king, second son of the then living Shadow King I think, but now that that kingdom is gone, along with his whole family, I have no idea what he is. A king without a kingdom, I guess ya could say, sorta like Rosalinda. A queen without a land ta rule."
"What?" Sarah cocked her head in surprise, wondering if she had heard correctly what Hoggle had said. It was the first time she had heard anything about Rosalinda being royalty.
"Yeah, sure-" Hoggle stopped short, realization dawning on him. "Ya mean, they ain't told ya yet?" Sarah shook her head. Hoggle sighed in disgust and rolled his eyes. "Well, ya was bound ta find out sometime, though I can't imagine what they would be keepin' it a secret fer. It ain't like she is in hidin', the whole Underground knows who she is and where she is!"
Sarah couldn't imagine why Jareth, or Rosalinda for that matter, would want to keep it hidden from her either. If it wasn't a secret then why was she the only one who knew nothing about it? From Rosalinda's point of view she could understand a little about why she would hesitate to bring the subject up, having lost one's kingdom and family to a demon wasn't exactly something that one would like to talk about. But Jareth? His motive was unclear. She felt an irritation that he had kept something from her and planned to have a talk with him in the very near future about it.
But for the moment she let it slide. Her curiosity about Jareth's cousin was piqued, and she wanted to hear more about their little falling out, so urged Hoggle to go on with it. He seemed hesitant to say more, as if afraid of revealing too much on a private matter that was none of his business, and tried to end the conversation before it could get going again.
"Ah, ha..." he shrugged, an attempted smile just tugged at the corners of his mouth before he gave up trying to make it spread across his face. He so didn't want to tell her more, he was breaking the rules just by mentioning Giric's name and going on with the story had great potential to get him in even deeper trouble. "Ya ain't needed anywhere right now? Yer Dad ain't waiting fer ya?"
She shook her head, determined to get as much of the story out of him as he was determined to sidetrack it. "That doctor Jibber is doing a final checkup on him. I'm free for a little while, so don't worry about that. I might as well brush up on my Underground History while I have nothing else to do."
"Where was I?" his voice was a low screech, much like a rusty hinge that hadn't been oiled in decades.
"Giric being a king without a kingdom was where you stopped at." Sarah prompted, picking at a strand of dark hair that lay over her shoulder.
Hoggle sighed, and chose his words carefully. "There ain't much more I can tell ya, just a little bit. Jareth, Giric and Rosalinda was all raised together, an' then Jareth an' he had a fallin' out, like I said before, and Giric left the Fae Realms ta go an' seek his fortune or destiny out in the Unknown. Funny how things work out, but his leaving meant he didn't die when the Shadow Kingdom fell."
Sarah asked him what Jareth and Giric had a falling out over, but Hoggle didn't know. The details were a little sketchy and no one really knew more than what he had just told her. Sarah knew, however, that she wouldn't be satisfied with just part of the story; she wanted to know more and hoped that sooner or later Jareth would tell her.
JSJSJS
The sun was sinking lower in the sky all the time, and the cold was quickly growing more pronounced. Rosalinda, though she tried to think the better of it, constantly found herself feeling concern for the dark Shadow King who brought up the rear of their little trio, wondering all the time if he were warm enough in those furs that were on his back. He had said nothing about it and for a time she assumed the cold didn't bother him, but the longer they were out there the more she was sure he must be feeling some sort of discomfort.
Ahead of her the Princess Penelope continued to lead the way, guiding them through a series of paths that only she seemed to know. Rosalinda didn't know what to make of the small lady; she was a confidant one, sure of where she was going and what she was doing, though she wasn't haughty with it. In every step, in every move she showed great pride, no doubt because of her royal status, but it wasn't anything like the hubris that her sister dripped with.
"I feel you are concerned." Giric said from behind, breaking the silence for the first time since they had entered the woods. Rosalinda shrugged, trying to put a blanket on her emotions. Among his many gifts and talents Giric was an empath and a telepath, the last of which was a very rare thing among fae, and though he couldn't read her mind unless in physical contact he could still tell what she was feeling though they weren't touching. He had once described her feelings as coming to him on a breeze; they were soothing and gentle, he had told her when they were children. "Is it something to do with where we are going?"
"I was just wondering if you are warm enough in those shabby things." she said plainly, know he would be able to tell if she were lying. She grabbed two handfuls of the heavy cloak and leaped high into the air to jump over a very large tree that blocked their path. She landed beside Penelope, who waited on the other side for Giric and wouldn't let Rosalinda go on until he had joined them. Though it hadn't been used as such for a long time she could just see the signs that the path they were on had once been a wide road that had been flanked on both sides by stone statues and walls. She had been very young when Clarissa's father had died, after which time the place was abandoned, so had never spent any time in the former seat of power of the High Monarchs. "But since you brought it up, would you mind telling me where we are headed?"
Giric looked at Penelope, who nodded. Rosalinda got the feeling he did whatever the princess told him to. What kind of hold has she on him to make him an underling? Or is he an underling at all? He is a devious one, what if he is the real power here? I just don't know enough to hazard a guess as to what is going on.
"As I said before, this is the abandoned ancestral home of the High Monarchs." he placed a hand on the small of her back and propelled her forward again. "At the center of these woods is the old castle in which all of the High Monarchs ruled from over the years. It is there that we are headed. I should warn you that we will be there until the moon rises, for what we are going to show you can only be seen in the moonlight, and that is also when the dangers come out in full force."
Rosalinda instinctively felt for the dagger on her belt to make sure it was still there, and was surprised to find herself grateful to Giric for returning it to her. Doing her best to keep the uneasiness out of her voice, though she knew it would do no good to cover it up with the likes of Giric there, she asked the first question on her mind. "Just what kind of dangers are you talking about? The Underground is full of all sorts of dangers, no doubt more than we actually know about, and giving me an idea of the situation would be very helpful."
"Clarissa has a thing for using demons to do her dirty work, and a way of controlling them that is truly remarkable, but I suppose that comes with being a practitioner of black magic; one learns to use things to their advantage in sometimes the most cunning and cruel of ways. She wanted anyone who came here to either be scared away permanently or never return again, and made this place a home to all sorts of the foul creatures. This time of the year is when the Snow Demons are most dangerous, they seem to feed off the cold. Not that you need worry too much, not with the skill you showed in handling that dagger. Where did you learn that anyway? When last I saw you you had hardly any idea of how to hold a dagger, let alone use one properly."
A low hanging branch partly blocked the path ahead. Penelope had no trouble going under it, she was barely five feet tall and didn't even have to duck her head, but for Rosalinda it was a different story. She had just resolved upon bending as far down as needed to get past when Giric appeared suddenly at her side and lifted the branch as far up as it would go without breaking it off. She acknowledged his act with a stiff nod and went under it.
"It was Jareth who taught me." she said, waiting by the massive tree for him to join her. He carefully let the limb down until it rested in its original position, and then made his way to stand in front of her. Rosalinda noticed that the path they had just trod over was clear of any and all tracks; Giric obviously didn't want there to be any trace of their ever having been there. "You know by now that I am one of the most hated and feared ladies in the Underground, being accused of using black magic is enough to condemn me to permanent suspicion, and as such my life is in constant danger. Jareth didn't want me to come to harm should I ever need to leave the sanctuary of the Labyrinth, and so saw fit to train me in the ways he had been trained."
Giric's smile gave away the pride he felt at her being a skilled fighter. She had never liked the idea of having to use anything along the lines of force and had resisted learning the ways of a fighter her whole life, but her sudden change in circumstances had obviously changed her views on defense and offense, something that he was very glad of. Pacifism was a noble thing, but most of the time it was better to use a weapon.
That was his opinion, anyway.
"And how is my dear cousin doing these days? I have been back in this part of the Underground for quite a few centuries now, though such is not common knowledge, but getting first hand news of those closest to me is something I had lived without all this time."
"Closest?" Rosalinda scoffed, cheeks turning even more red than they had been and eyes flashing with rage. "I would hardly call your relationship with him or I close, not after that idiotic stunt you pulled on him! But, since you asked, your cousin is quite well and he wears the office of king as well as his father before him did. I dare say it is a pity you haven't been around to see him become a ruler he is now, you might have learned something."
Slowly he took a deep breath and let it out again, watched as it froze into a white cloud and floated quickly away into the woods. Her anger, directed at him, was painful in the extreme, like an icy blade, so cold it burned, pressing into his mind and on every nerve ending in his body. It was distracting, most dreadfully so, and the amount of concentration that went into blocking just some of it out was draining. So much of his strength was going into keeping himself warm, putting up a shield to deflect some of her painful anger away from himself was an added drain and something he couldn't keep up forever. He had to make it stop, even if was only for a little while.
A light cough came from his right and he glanced over at Penelope, who stood waiting for them at a bend in the path. He held up his hand, indicating she should give him a moment alone with Rosalinda. She looked up at the sky then back at him in an unspoken indication of the time, nodded once and then retreated out of sight, leaving not so much a mark in the snow to show she had been there.
"Rosalinda, we can't go on like this, with you purposefully directing your anger at me to cause pain. I know it is well deserved on my part, but now is not the time or place for you to take your hatred out on me." he paused a few seconds. "Can I call a truce, for the time being?"
"There is only one thing that will make my anger towards you less." she said coolly, ice blue eyes narrowing to mere slits. "And I don't think you have it in you to say what I want to hear."
"But supposing I do?" he challenged, much to her surprise. "I know what you want to hear, I can say the words. Whether you believe me or not is quite up to you. All I want is for you to give me a chance. Will you?" Rosalinda didn't say yes or no, but he took the resigned set of her face as an affirmation. He took a breath, then began. "Having been gone so long gave me a great deal of time to reflect on past deeds, in particular the time I challenged Jareth to that duel. Believe me or no, whatever you will, I do very much regret what I did."
She bowed her head for an moment to hide the mist that had gathered in her eyes at the mention of the duel that had nearly resulted in the death of the man she loved. "This is quite a surprise; I never thought I would hear you say such a thing, nor did I think I could believe you if you had." she mumbled.
"Nor did I think I would ever say I regretted anything." Giric propped his arm up against the tree trunk above her head and leaned on it. Rosalinda took a step back and came up against the tree, never taking her eyes off of Giric. He meant her no harm, that she knew, but being so close was unnerving. "But being alone for centuries puts things into perspective, and I came to realize just what was lost when I acted so foolishly."
"And what was that?" she asked, hoping that perhaps he had gained some wisdom in his years in the Unknown of the Underground. Part of her laughed at the idea that he could ever change from the headstrong and rash boy she had grown up along side, but still she was hopeful. "If your conclusions are anything like mine about what was lost then I might consider withdrawing some of my anger."
For such a long time he had wanted to have this very conversation with Rosalinda, to show that he had changed, and that he had been in the wrong and could admit to it, but now that it had come he felt a painful blow being dealt to his pride. He had thought that his pride had diminished somewhat over the years, but at that moment he knew that it was still with him and wouldn't be going away any time soon.
Pride, it does indeed run in the family! he thought ruefully, wishing he could just shed it from himself like an unwanted garment. But such a thing was not possible, it was a part of him and the only thing he could do was deal with it at each turn, and try not to let it get in the way and rule his head again.
"Things were lost on all sides." the words were forced, but he was determined to get them out and hopefully restore some of Rosalinda's past esteem for himself, or at least make her hate him just a little less. "My actions betrayed a deep trust between our three families, nearly wiped out thousands of years worth of loyalty."
"Yes, and?" she prompted, hoping he could keep on with the list of things she was waiting to hear come from his lips. "You are doing good so far."
He took a long look at her, comparing her to the image he had carried in his mind. Her face, framed by the dark grey fur of his cloak, was luminous and perfect, and her eyes seemed to shine even brighter than he had ever seen. She was every bit as lovely as he remembered, if not more so. "I lost you." his voice was strained, barely audible, but she heard it and felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment well up inside.
"You never had me, if you remember. For an instant I thought you had learned something, Giric. You were so close-" she shook her head sadly and started to move away, but stayed her steps when he hurriedly spoke again.
"I never had your love, but I did have your friendship." the disappointment stopped building and receded as he went on. He had learned something after all. "That was something I would have always had, it went without saying, but I was too stupid to realize it. I ruined the one thing that held you, Jareth and I together. What is it Jareth was always saying, how you should never take things for granted?"
Rosalinda nodded, surprised that her icy anger towards him had melted somewhat; she hadn't expected it to do so. "That is right, though he normally applied it to the Labyrinth. Truth is you should never take anything for granted, no matter where you are."
"So wise, no wonder Jareth and I were in love with you." he smiled sadly, shaking his head. A strand of black hair fell over his forehead and into his eyes. "But I did, I took too much for granted, and I ruined nearly everything; trusts, loyalties and friendships, all nearly wiped away, and all because I couldn't accept that you wanted Jareth over me. Truth be told I still have a hard time accepting it, it still pains me, but at least I am able to now. He has you, and the best I can hope to have is some sort of forgiveness from you for what I did."
Without another word he pulled away and stepped back onto the path and waited until Rosalinda had gone on ahead of him before moving forward. The painful iciness that had burned his mind earlier had subsided into a mere ache, and he knew he had gotten what he wanted for the time being. But he wondered at the strange look that came into her eyes when he had said that Jareth had her, a look that seemed to say to him that things were not so simple as that. Didn't Jareth love her anymore?