Chapter 36

(Late Summer, 2011AD)

A small black carriage, drawn by six brown horses, rumbled along a cobblestone path early in the morning. Inside sat a woman with golden blonde hair, loosely curling just below her shoulders, wearing a dark blue robe with pink trim over a pale blue low-cut gown. Beside her, holding the reins, sat a taller man with brown hair, wearing a pale beige tunic, accented with a triple-sun bronze medallion, with loose gold-colored material forming a sleeveless robe. The man hummed a medieval tune cheerfully, while the woman smiled as she took in the surroundings. It was such a cool, bright day that morning. The sky was a pure sapphire. The leaves on the forest edge were just beginning to turn, with tinges of red and yellow on the emerald green leaf tips. The air was filled with songbirds' melodies. Nothing could make them happier.

The man glanced at the woman with a grin. "Melora, milady," he asked in a suave voice, "your hair positively shimmers in the sunlight."

Melora smiled warmly. "Why, Prince Robin," she teased in a sweet and innocent voice, "should you not keep your eye on the road?"

Robin kissed her on the cheek. "Does my princess fear ogres and goblins, my love?" He patted his long sword attached to his waist with a leather clasp. "I will charge through any obstacle and battle any foe, just to keep one strand of hair on your head from falling into disarray," he boasted.

Melora laid her head on his shoulder and sighed dreamily. "Ah, Brave Robin, I feel my heart racing with anticipation!"

Robin nodded. Neither of them had stopped grinning for hours, despite how tired their cheeks were becoming. However, life was just so wonderful. They had fallen in love despite all their vexing trials, so nothing could tear them apart. "Would that I had a battle to win, milady. Only then would I be engaged in action that befits my muscles tensing!" He rested his head on hers for a moment. "This shall prove to be a monumental occasion, my love," he said more tenderly. "This council meeting will bring forth a millennium of good fortune for all involved, of that I am quite certain," he announced confidently.

"Jareth … of all the filthy rotten things you could ever request of me!" screamed a young adult woman with black hair tied into two pigtails, dressed in a crisp navy blue dress with gold trim. Her reddened scar over her left eye was nearly hidden by the redness of her face.

"You said you wished you could be more active on this trip, Moulin," Jareth teased with a deep suave voice. He wore nearly all black save for a pale shirt with a frilly collar. He couldn't help but smile.

"I am not bathing that … that … walking mound of fur!" she shot back, jabbing a finger towards Junior Gorg, a two-story tall brown furry creature with a pale bulbous nose and a slight speech impediment. The sentient cloud that was her ever-present companion flew around in circles anxiously, growing darker as a sign of impending rain.

They had stopped to rest some time ago, since Jareth had not wanted to go to the Council along with the two humans or the Queen of Trash. Every time Jareth met the Queen of Trash, she would hassle him about the junkyard surrounding the Labyrinth. She argued that trash outside his kingdom could be rightfully taken by her for repurposing. He claimed he was in charge of all goblins, including those who lived in that junkyard, and it wasn't generous to take away their home. Jareth had a frustrating habit of getting along with no one. Hence, before he had become the Goblin King, he had been known to his critics as Sir Hubris, a fae very strong-willed yet self-obsessed. It was his lack of compassion for those under his care that drove him to give his crown to Gorgous the Great, the first Gorg King (and the first being stupid enough to take the crown). After all, no matter how long or how hard he had worked to please his subjects, they always found something to complain about. Now, here was Junior, a descendant of that very King, who had denied his destiny until his home and his friends were in danger.

"May I say somethin'?" Junior asked timidly, adjusting his fraying purple robe. He had been walking alongside "Sir Hubris" for a couple of days now. The most frustrating thing was how slow they were. Junior could probably have been there by now … if he knew which way to go.

"No!" came the simultaneous retort as the argument continued.

Junior frowned and stomped his booted foot just feet away from the five-to-six-foot faes, sending them sprawling to the ground. He smiled as they gawked at him in surprise. His voice was smug. "If kings an' queens can tell uddah kings what to do, den I can tell you to keep yuh stupid mouths shut." He wagged a finger at them, smiling. "I don't wanna hear anuddah word outta either of ya."

A dark-skinned athletic woman with sea-green shoulder-length hair walked into a large hole in the hull of a ship deep in a jungle. Upon entering, she looked around for all types of items that could be useful in her abode, the Trash Kingdom. She wore a pale green dress and a crown made of discarded knick-knacks. Her foot snapped a dusty leg bone from a long-deceased sailor.

"You're different than the rest," a deep gravelly male voice commented dryly. The Queen of Trash's head jerked up to see, deep in the shadows in the stern, a brown-robed figure with a hint of green coming from the worn fabric. "Most of the humans I've seen like to wear browns and grays."

The Queen smiled. "I am Queen of the Trash Kingdom. I come for the Council." She nodded towards him. "And you?"

The other being grunted in surprise. His voice became somewhat younger. "The 'Trash Kingdom' … and you look like that?" he asked, his voice betraying the fact he was ogling her. He shook his head, careful not to reveal his face. "I don't mean to be offensive … but you're not what I imagined."

The Queen laughed, kicking away another pile of bones gently. "It appears we have some time to kill. Let's get to know one another then, shall we?"

The robed male figure shrugged. "Are we early?"

The Queen shook her head and shrugged playfully. "Jareth and the others could simply have teleported here. The island isn't that difficult to find." Suddenly, she frowned in confusion. "How did you get here?"

The robed male figure cleared his throat and backed away a few steps. "Uh … actually, I, uh … have great advisors," he stuttered nervously. "Yeah. I, uh … you know, there's a human village nearby with some great TV dinners. Maybe we could go pick up a couple."

The Queen no longer smiled. "Are you that quick to risk letting the humans know of our arrival?"

The male figure sighed. "Look, Miss Queen, ma'am … ever since I've been here it's been nothing but skeletons and jungle and humans with guns and some sonic fence thing and strange hallucinations. I don't think this place is too attached to reality to begin with."