"Sky's Eclipse"
Chapter 51
By Aiijuin
*Disclaimer: I don't own anything Jim Henson or Labyrinth. Gröeg was originally designed by Brian Froud and catalogued by Terry Jones in Brian Froud's "The Goblins of the Labyrinth". This fanfiction is rated M for some harsh language and adult situations. Gavin King is Jareth, the Goblin King, for those who have jumped into the middle of the story. Jeremy Eden is from the original Henson script of "Labyrinth" as the man who wrote the "Labyrinth" playbook that Sarah was reading from, in the beginning of the 1986 movie.
Be warned! Although this is a Sarah/Jareth romance story, it is also a profoundly dark fairytale!
**NOTE: Story numbering is behind by 1 chapter, because there is a prelude, which is not considered a chapter. Fanfiction . net automatically assigns numbers to the chapters by default, which I have not control over. Thank you!
Chapter 51: A Great Big Fish Tale.
Toby and Gavin walked harmlessly out of the d'Bourgeise Labyrinth that the Goblin Queen had created. It hadn't taken them that long to get out, because they had received help from the magic within. As soon as they were beyond the outer walls, the rod-iron gates relocked themselves. Toby turned to Gavin and asked, "So, where now? Home?"
Gavin had been pouring over the end of the book that Jeremy had flipped to. He was glancing over the map and its coordinates to the Isle Beyond Time. As Jareth, he couldn't make much sense out of the images and random numbers anyway, so he decided he was going to need some assistance on the matter.
He turned to Toby and answered, "No, not home, Master Williams… Here, I was reading this newspaper that I had taken before we left the airports of the United States."
Of course, Jareth was fibbing, since he and Toby had never really air-travelled to France. However, the newspaper was real.
As Toby looked at the paper and laughed, "Mr. King! I thought you were a reasonable, educated layer! This is the 'National Enquirer'! They are a bogus newspaper made for any sap willing to believe these ridiculous stories, or they are for the people who enjoy a good giggle. Get your international news from MSNBC or Euronews on television and 'USA today' or the 'New York Times' by paper if you want the real truth!"
Gavin chuckled and pointed to the cover of the paper, "Yes, but look what has made the front page news just before we left…"
Toby grabbed the paper out of King's hand and read outloud, "Fisherman Finds Talking Fish…. Oh, come on, Mr. King! This is retarded! You don't actually believe this crap do you?"
"But we both saw a talking, blue worm in the Goblin King's Labyrinth a while back," Gavin reminded him.
Toby shook his head, "Yeah, but that was in the Goblin Kingdom. That's probably normal for that kind of place… this is Earth, and here we don't have talking fish."
Gavin took the newspaper back from Toby and tapped at the front cover, "Are you familiar with the fable that tells of the Old Man and the Fish? I'm absolutely sure your sister told you that story when you were a baby…"
Toby blinked, "You mean that fish story where the guy's wife is a total bitch, and he keeps making wish after wish to the fish because his wife tells him too?"
"Yes! That one!"
Toby shrugged, "I guess so, but that's only a story, right? I mean fables can't be real, can they?"
Gavin began to walk down the hill away from the Labyrinth. It was mid-afternoon and the sun was bright overhead. Gavin could see a village far off to the east and decided to begin walking before he made another magical shift to a distant human land. He turned to the adolescent and finally answered after a few moments, "It is from my personal experience that I have come to apprehend: All fables and fairytale stories have an element of reality that they have been based off of."
"Yeah, but a 'talking fish'…?"
Gavin laughed and decided that it was time to change locations. Toby closed his eyes as the sun glared directly at his face, and when he opened them again, he was standing on a pier in…
Australia? Toby looked around.
He tapped Mr. King on the shoulder and said, "I think I need my meds again."
Gavin waved Toby to calm down and turned to his butler Gröeg, "Ah, good! Gröeg! You met us here like I asked. Then, I trust that Torok has taken care of matters back in America with Miss Williams."
The butler nodded and replied, "Gröeg helped make Miss Sarah as comfortable as possible in Henkies Mansion just like Master had asked him to… Gröeg also 'called' some friends to watch her and keep her safe while King is gone."
Toby turned to Gavin and whispered, "Dude, I never realized this before, but your butler speaks about himself in the third person… isn't that kind of weird? He sounds like that Gollum-guy from "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy" movies."
Gavin hushed Toby with a hint of amusement on his face. He couldn't help but agree with the boy. King turned towards the goblin-butler and asked, "Where is he?"
Gröeg pointed towards the end of the pier where an old man was standing with a fishing pole. He walked up toward the man, and Toby followed. The old man pointed behind him and said, "That fish… he comes here every day. At first, when I caught him, he told me he'd grant my wish if I set him free. They ALL told me I was crazy and tried to lock me away, but see? He's here again this afternoon…"
Gavin wasn't looking at the man or paying any attention to him as he casually strolled by. Toby was still distracted between the old man's words and his surroundings. Toby muttered to himself, "This looks like Sydney. I recognize that big, pointy, Sydney Opera House building. Oh, that is so freakin' awesome! I never thought I'd get to see Australia in my lifetime!"
Jareth turned to Gröeg and whispered, "Keep the boy distracted while I have a chat with our friend here…"
The goblin could tell that it wouldn't be such a daunting task, since Toby's eyes were wandering in every direction. The old man yanked on the teenager's sleeve and tried to assure him that his side of the story, regarding the talking fish, had really occurred. Gavin approached the end of the pier and saw a great big fish at the end peering out of the water. The fish turned its head to the side and said jovially, "G'day, Jareth! How are you doing? I've been hearing about all the mischief you've been causing in the Underground lately… Oh, you're in trouble with The Ancients now…"
"Hello, Kingfish. Still inhabiting these waters, then? What made you decide to leave Iceland anyway?" Gavin asked upbeatly.
"Well, you know… It's all about location these days. I was getting tired of the cold weather up there, so I decided to migrate below the equator after I had heard that Australia was a nice place to be."
"And is it?"
"Most of the time, yes! Except when the sharks are on the prowl about these parts, then I have to run for cover, but other than that things are very nice indeed. So, what can I grant you today, Goblin King?"
"Ah, ah!" Gavin raised his index finger and wiggled it. "Wishes are my department."
"Bah," Kingfish responded. "You're only interested in granting the wishes of pretty, young girls… which leaves the other six billion residents on the human planet free for my wish granting… Oh, and of course only the coastal region populations at that…. You know, Japan, Australia, Bermuda, Iceland, New Zealand, and New Jersey…"
"Yes, yes," Gavin muttered impatiently, thinking about how good it was that the rest of the fish in the ocean didn't speak. "Have you ever heard of the Isle Beyond Time?"
The fish shook his head and said, "Naw, I can't say that I have, G.K."
Gavin knelt closer to the water and held the blue book "XIII" directly in front of the fish's face with the page turned to the map and coordinates for the obscure island. The fish shouted, "What are you thinking!? I can't see directly in front of me! My eyes are on the side of my head, so pick a side!"
Gavin sighed and held the book to Kingfish's left eye. The speaking fish hollered again, "Not that eye! That's my bad eye! Use the right one!"
"Oh, my god," Jareth grumbled and turned the book to the right eye of the fish.
"Nope," Kingfish began, "No good. I'm a fish and can't read."
Gavin narrowed his eyes and said, "You know, codfish, I'm about three seconds from turning you into one of those water-spouting fountain monuments…"
"Well, it's not my fault that I'm a fish! It's not like I have the ability to apply for financial aid and go to a university for a Ph.D. in book literacy!"
"I thought fish were already in schools…" Jareth replied blandly as the fish spat seawater toward his face. He dodged the water and continued, "Then, is there anybody that you can recommend who might be able to help me, and is good with maps or coordinates, preferably someone with sea-faring experience?"
The fish thought for a minute and then replied, "How about Captain James Hook of Neverland?"
"No, no. I want someone local if you don't mind," Gavin rubbed at his temples wearily. "Besides, I don't like dealing with those lost boys and their child leader… he falls under the jurisdiction of the Fairy Queen with that Tinkertwit who is always hovering nearby, and I really don't want to deal with the Fairy Kingdom right now. Torok is bad enough…"
"Alright," continued the fish, "How about The Sea King, Triton…or was it Neptune? Eh, you know royalty, they always have a million names… Anyway, he's the ruler of the merpeople 'under the sea'? He knows the oceans quite well…he lives in them after all."
Jareth interrupted again, "No mermaids! I don't want to deal with their kind either. And I don't swim…I fly, remember?"
"Argh," The fish whined. "Jareth, you're making this incredibly hard on me... you know that, right? What about the Royal British Navy? They're really good with maps and coordinates and the whole 'sea-faring' thing…"
"Nice suggestion, but it's a bit of an overkill, don't you think? Don't you know of anyone else who might serve as a proper guide for our expedition and mystery location?"
"Well, I'd suggest rub-a-dub-dub, but I don't think that you could tolerate traveling in a dinky, white bathtub on the high seas with three men paddling by oar…" The fish muttered until he finally splashed in excitement. "I know, I know! There are another three individuals that will definitely be able to find the Isle of Time, if it indeed exists, and they're right up your alley as well! You shouldn't mind working with very small children, since you take them into your Labyrinth all of the time."
"Children?" Gavin asked and Kingfish nodded. Toby had broken free from Gröeg and the old man in the background and walked up to the side of Mr. King. He saw the talking fish, but didn't seem too shocked. Nothing was going to surprise him anymore after what he had been through… or so he thought.
The fish continued despite Toby's presence, "Winkin', Blinkin', and Nod, the dream children that sail the evening skies in a wooden shoe and fish in a sea of stars will be able to take you to this island for certain."
Toby threw his hands up in the air, and walked away, "That's it! I quit. I'm going back to reality now!"
"Where can I find them?" The disguised Goblin King asked, ignoring Toby Williams.
"They only come during nightfall and sail the waves of dew, so I'd imagine that you'll have to wait until tonight to contact them," The fish replied.
Jareth didn't like the fish's recommendation on the account of the travel limits that the dream children offered. He turned to the fish and said, "Well, that won't give us much time to reach the island if they can only stay during nightfall…"
"Jareth, for crying outloud! Get updated already," The fish grumbled. "I thought Magellan and Christopher Columbus discovered that the earth was really round."
"You know this, and yet you can't read… So? What does that have to do with travel limitations?"
"Bah," the fish cried, "You're really a thick-headed git, do you know that? It's always night somewhere on a round planet! Sometimes I think that you have owl feathers for brains…"
Jareth pondered for a moment. There really wasn't any other way to find this place, since it was beyond his sight. He thought about Toby joining him in a wooden shoe and shook his head.
This isn't going to be easy, Jareth thought.
Sooner or later Toby would have to find out about him anyway. It was inevitable at this point, he decided that as soon as this quest for Sarah's cure was over, he would tell the boy about his true nature. He turned back to Kingfish and thanked him for his help. The big fish waved goodbye with his tail and swam back to the deeper waters.
After Kingfish was several miles out, he resurfaced and looked towards the coasts of Sydney. He whispered to himself, "I can't believe that the Goblin King actually thanked me, and they all told me he was so rude. Shows what they know…"
