JR: Long awaited chapter 8 has arrived. Hope you enjoy it, it explains a
lot.
Chapter 8: Ishtar's Story and the Plan
Jareth awoke to a bright light stinging his oversensitive eyes and a soft, warm hand caressing his fevered forehead. Turning into the hand brushing lightly across his skin, he was a bit startled to find Sarah kneeling beside him with something close to worry and concern in her eyes. "Hi, how are you feeling?" she asked in a whisper. Jareth tried to sit up a little and then cleared his throat. His voice still came out raspy despite his efforts, "I feel like someone tried to beat the life out of me, which is about what happened." "So, you can remember what happened?" Sarah inquired. "Of course I can," he replied. Sarah stopped stroking his forehead and took his hand and squeezed it gently, looking intensely into his questioning gaze. "Jareth, Ishtar and I need to know everything that happened so we can figure out how they're draining the colors from the kingdoms they take over. We think it has something to do with their power," she explained. Jareth smiled an enigmatic little smile and said, "Figuring out how they did is the easy part, but getting them to stop is another story." Turning a little angry at his evasiveness, Sarah stood and placed her hands on her hips in annoyance. "If you know how they're doing it, then why don't you just tell me how so we can find a way to stop it." Jareth chuckled, but then starting coughing a little. "Dear Sarah, I do think you're angry. But, there's no need to be, because I've already thought of a way to stop them, too. It's going to take a lot of effort to pull it off though." Sarah, intrigued by this new information, kneeled down to Jareth's level once again, and he leaned in to whisper and explain his plan to her. Meanwhile, Ishtar was impatiently pacing the floor in front of his throne back and forth, while running a nervous hand through his disheveled hair. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and his whole body felt on edge from the threat of invasion. Just when he thought that maybe Sarah had decided to stay in Jareth's room a little longer, she appeared in the entrance to the throne room smiling brightly. "Sarah, how's Jareth faring?" Ishtar asked. "Oh he's fine," she replied, "he's still a bit tired though. I have good news; he knows how they're draining the color and how to stop them. He said he's going to need all the troops you can summon to back him up though if the plan fails." "Great. So." Ishtar started. "They have night crystals." "How did they get bloody night crystals?" Ishtar injected heatedly. "The trolls mined them from the Dwarf's caves. They suck the color out of the kingdoms and that's what they draw power from. Jareth thinks that if we can somehow destroy the crystals it will rid them of the power and restore the color. Now, here's the plan. Jareth is going to make a mass quantity of fake night crystals, and then someone is going to switch them for the real thing." Ishtar frowned, "So, someone is going to have to be a decoy while the person is switching the real crystals for the fake ones?" Sarah nodded. "It's a good plan, but it's too risky. Who would actually volunteer to be a decoy anyway?" A bright light emanated from the doorway and flew into the room. The little ball of light circled over Ishtar and Sarah's heads. The glow faded to reveal Yetzel hovering a few feet in front of them. "Oh no, Yetzel is not going to be a decoy. Why doesn't Jareth use one of his own subjects?" Ishtar sulked. Yetzel placed her tiny fists on her hips and stamped her foot in the air. "I am too going to be a decoy. I'm the only one who can fly and change my size," Yetzel insisted. Defeated, Ishtar sighed. "OK, I don't like it, but you're right. Who's going to escort her?" Sarah spoke up; "I already summoned my friends from Jareth's kingdom. Sir Didymus and Hoggle will be undercover protecting her, while Ludo and I sneak in the back and switch them. While we're doing this, your army should be ready at the gates to the city so once we get them switched the enemy will be defenseless." Ishtar nodded his head in approval. "Right, I'll rally the troops. Let me know when your friends arrive. Oh, and also when Jareth is finished making those fake crystals." With that said Ishtar faded from view to the outside. Yetzel changed her size to that of human height, and sat down beside a tired looking Sarah on the throne steps. "You know Sarah, I never have seen Ishtar put so much trust in a mortal before. You must really be special. Ishtar was in love with a mortal once, and she betrayed him." "Really?" Sarah asked. " Really. They say that's why he hates mortals now." Sarah turned to look at Yetzel. "Well, go on. You can't start a story and then not finish it," Sarah insisted. Leaning back on her elbows, Yetzel continued, "She was a pretty little thing, long blonde hair, sky blue eyes, and was kind. That's why he never suspected that she would turn on him, but I am getting ahead of myself. They were married, and she bore him a son, an heir to his throne. But, all this was just to take over his kingdom. All she wanted was riches and power, she could've cared about Ishtar or her son." "I never knew he had a son," Sarah replied. "Oh yes, he was such a nice boy, too. He looked just like his father. But, one night, she even tried to murder Ishtar, but he forgave her. That should've been a warning to him, but I guess when you love someone you tend to overlook their faults." "That's terrible. I can't believe she'd tried to kill him," Sarah said. "Yes, but that was just the beginning. Eventually, she had her father's army at her command, telling them how she had been taken advantage of by a fairy, and of course they believed her. She had them attack her own kingdom, killing many. She even held her own son for ransom," Yetzel explain. "That's absolutely horrid," Sarah said. "Ishtar tried his hardest to get his son back, but by then it was too late." "Oh no, you don't mean that she killed him, do you?" Sarah asked, shocked. "Yes, she did, or at least they think that's what happened. The poor boy was only ten years of age; barely old enough to fight back, so he was pronounced dead when they never found his body. By this time, Ishtar was furious with his wife. He had her put on trial, and they found her guilty. Watching her die was the final straw. He went crazy for a couple of years. Then, one day he just snapped out of it, and put the past behind him. So, now you see why it's a miracle that he even trusts you at all," Yetzel finished. Sarah wasn't quite sure what to say to that. Tears bordered her eyes, and she sniffed to hold them back. No wonder Ishtar had been so reluctant to trust her. Just as Yetzel finished the sad tale that was Ishtar's past, Sarah's friends, Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus atop Ambrosious walked wearily into the room. They immediately brightened once they saw Sarah, even if she did look tired. "Sawah!" Ludo announced and lumbered clumsily over to his friend. Sarah stood and embraced the large fury beast. Stepping back from him, Sarah said, "It's good to see you again, too, Ludo." Hoggle was the next one to be noticed by her, and she knelt down and embraced him and whispered in his ear, "I missed you the most Hoggle," and she stood once again, tears taking hold of her vision. Hoggle smiled knowingly back at her and winked. "Tis' good ta see ya again too missy." Ambrosious anxiously barked, wanting to be noticed by Sarah. As she knelt down to pet Ambrosious, Sir Didymus said, "Hoggle is right, it's very good to be in your striking presence again young maiden." Sarah blushed a little and said, "Thank you Sir Didymus. Always the gentleman." "Now," Sarah said, getting everyone's attention, "This is my friend, Yetzel. She'll be helping us in this plan. I'm not sure how much you know, but I'll explain it better. Hoggle, you and Sir Didymus will be escorting Yetzel and acting as her protection in the Dwarf's city that has been taken over. Ludo, you and I will be carrying the fake night crystals and switching them with the real one's. Once that is done, Jareth and Ishtar's troops will be at the outer gates waiting for our signal which Hoggle will deliver. There's a bell tower at the top of the city; you are to ring it Hoggle. If for some reason you can't make it to the bell tower, the troops have orders to attack three hours after we go in. So, does everyone understand and know what they are supposed to do?" Sarah asked. Everyone nodded, not including Ambrosious who barked, and they all really did seem to understand the importance of their mission. "Good, all that's left to do is wait for Ishtar to arrive and Jareth to finish making the." Jareth interrupted her speaking with a telepathic message to her brain. 'Sarah, there's a problem with the crystals. Send Ishtar to my room once he gets back," Jareth ordered gravely. Sarah sighed and looked around dejectedly. Great, she thought, if Jareth can't make them then we're screwed.' "My lady, what is the problem? Hast thought lost thy train of thought?" Sir Didymus asked concerned. "No, Jareth just sent a message that the crystals aren't ready yet, and probably won't be till Ishtar gets back," she explained sullenly. Yetzel sat down once again; she was tired of standing. Sarah rubbed her slowly turning bloodshot eyes and yawned, then stretched. Her mind wandered back to the problem at hand. They had to stop the trolls and evil demon-like sprites or else they could, if their powers weren't drained, get aboveground. Hoggle sat down beside Yetzel, and Sarah sat back down next to Hoggle, while Sir Didymus walked a nervous Ambrosious back and forth across the room. Ludo stood there, watching them with his big innocent eyes, understanding fully what was going on, but not knowing what to do about it. Ishtar arrived in front of the troubled group and asked candidly, "What's wrong?" Thanks for reading! Please be a good reader and do the right thing by reviewing. I'm a review-a-holic.
Chapter 8: Ishtar's Story and the Plan
Jareth awoke to a bright light stinging his oversensitive eyes and a soft, warm hand caressing his fevered forehead. Turning into the hand brushing lightly across his skin, he was a bit startled to find Sarah kneeling beside him with something close to worry and concern in her eyes. "Hi, how are you feeling?" she asked in a whisper. Jareth tried to sit up a little and then cleared his throat. His voice still came out raspy despite his efforts, "I feel like someone tried to beat the life out of me, which is about what happened." "So, you can remember what happened?" Sarah inquired. "Of course I can," he replied. Sarah stopped stroking his forehead and took his hand and squeezed it gently, looking intensely into his questioning gaze. "Jareth, Ishtar and I need to know everything that happened so we can figure out how they're draining the colors from the kingdoms they take over. We think it has something to do with their power," she explained. Jareth smiled an enigmatic little smile and said, "Figuring out how they did is the easy part, but getting them to stop is another story." Turning a little angry at his evasiveness, Sarah stood and placed her hands on her hips in annoyance. "If you know how they're doing it, then why don't you just tell me how so we can find a way to stop it." Jareth chuckled, but then starting coughing a little. "Dear Sarah, I do think you're angry. But, there's no need to be, because I've already thought of a way to stop them, too. It's going to take a lot of effort to pull it off though." Sarah, intrigued by this new information, kneeled down to Jareth's level once again, and he leaned in to whisper and explain his plan to her. Meanwhile, Ishtar was impatiently pacing the floor in front of his throne back and forth, while running a nervous hand through his disheveled hair. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and his whole body felt on edge from the threat of invasion. Just when he thought that maybe Sarah had decided to stay in Jareth's room a little longer, she appeared in the entrance to the throne room smiling brightly. "Sarah, how's Jareth faring?" Ishtar asked. "Oh he's fine," she replied, "he's still a bit tired though. I have good news; he knows how they're draining the color and how to stop them. He said he's going to need all the troops you can summon to back him up though if the plan fails." "Great. So." Ishtar started. "They have night crystals." "How did they get bloody night crystals?" Ishtar injected heatedly. "The trolls mined them from the Dwarf's caves. They suck the color out of the kingdoms and that's what they draw power from. Jareth thinks that if we can somehow destroy the crystals it will rid them of the power and restore the color. Now, here's the plan. Jareth is going to make a mass quantity of fake night crystals, and then someone is going to switch them for the real thing." Ishtar frowned, "So, someone is going to have to be a decoy while the person is switching the real crystals for the fake ones?" Sarah nodded. "It's a good plan, but it's too risky. Who would actually volunteer to be a decoy anyway?" A bright light emanated from the doorway and flew into the room. The little ball of light circled over Ishtar and Sarah's heads. The glow faded to reveal Yetzel hovering a few feet in front of them. "Oh no, Yetzel is not going to be a decoy. Why doesn't Jareth use one of his own subjects?" Ishtar sulked. Yetzel placed her tiny fists on her hips and stamped her foot in the air. "I am too going to be a decoy. I'm the only one who can fly and change my size," Yetzel insisted. Defeated, Ishtar sighed. "OK, I don't like it, but you're right. Who's going to escort her?" Sarah spoke up; "I already summoned my friends from Jareth's kingdom. Sir Didymus and Hoggle will be undercover protecting her, while Ludo and I sneak in the back and switch them. While we're doing this, your army should be ready at the gates to the city so once we get them switched the enemy will be defenseless." Ishtar nodded his head in approval. "Right, I'll rally the troops. Let me know when your friends arrive. Oh, and also when Jareth is finished making those fake crystals." With that said Ishtar faded from view to the outside. Yetzel changed her size to that of human height, and sat down beside a tired looking Sarah on the throne steps. "You know Sarah, I never have seen Ishtar put so much trust in a mortal before. You must really be special. Ishtar was in love with a mortal once, and she betrayed him." "Really?" Sarah asked. " Really. They say that's why he hates mortals now." Sarah turned to look at Yetzel. "Well, go on. You can't start a story and then not finish it," Sarah insisted. Leaning back on her elbows, Yetzel continued, "She was a pretty little thing, long blonde hair, sky blue eyes, and was kind. That's why he never suspected that she would turn on him, but I am getting ahead of myself. They were married, and she bore him a son, an heir to his throne. But, all this was just to take over his kingdom. All she wanted was riches and power, she could've cared about Ishtar or her son." "I never knew he had a son," Sarah replied. "Oh yes, he was such a nice boy, too. He looked just like his father. But, one night, she even tried to murder Ishtar, but he forgave her. That should've been a warning to him, but I guess when you love someone you tend to overlook their faults." "That's terrible. I can't believe she'd tried to kill him," Sarah said. "Yes, but that was just the beginning. Eventually, she had her father's army at her command, telling them how she had been taken advantage of by a fairy, and of course they believed her. She had them attack her own kingdom, killing many. She even held her own son for ransom," Yetzel explain. "That's absolutely horrid," Sarah said. "Ishtar tried his hardest to get his son back, but by then it was too late." "Oh no, you don't mean that she killed him, do you?" Sarah asked, shocked. "Yes, she did, or at least they think that's what happened. The poor boy was only ten years of age; barely old enough to fight back, so he was pronounced dead when they never found his body. By this time, Ishtar was furious with his wife. He had her put on trial, and they found her guilty. Watching her die was the final straw. He went crazy for a couple of years. Then, one day he just snapped out of it, and put the past behind him. So, now you see why it's a miracle that he even trusts you at all," Yetzel finished. Sarah wasn't quite sure what to say to that. Tears bordered her eyes, and she sniffed to hold them back. No wonder Ishtar had been so reluctant to trust her. Just as Yetzel finished the sad tale that was Ishtar's past, Sarah's friends, Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus atop Ambrosious walked wearily into the room. They immediately brightened once they saw Sarah, even if she did look tired. "Sawah!" Ludo announced and lumbered clumsily over to his friend. Sarah stood and embraced the large fury beast. Stepping back from him, Sarah said, "It's good to see you again, too, Ludo." Hoggle was the next one to be noticed by her, and she knelt down and embraced him and whispered in his ear, "I missed you the most Hoggle," and she stood once again, tears taking hold of her vision. Hoggle smiled knowingly back at her and winked. "Tis' good ta see ya again too missy." Ambrosious anxiously barked, wanting to be noticed by Sarah. As she knelt down to pet Ambrosious, Sir Didymus said, "Hoggle is right, it's very good to be in your striking presence again young maiden." Sarah blushed a little and said, "Thank you Sir Didymus. Always the gentleman." "Now," Sarah said, getting everyone's attention, "This is my friend, Yetzel. She'll be helping us in this plan. I'm not sure how much you know, but I'll explain it better. Hoggle, you and Sir Didymus will be escorting Yetzel and acting as her protection in the Dwarf's city that has been taken over. Ludo, you and I will be carrying the fake night crystals and switching them with the real one's. Once that is done, Jareth and Ishtar's troops will be at the outer gates waiting for our signal which Hoggle will deliver. There's a bell tower at the top of the city; you are to ring it Hoggle. If for some reason you can't make it to the bell tower, the troops have orders to attack three hours after we go in. So, does everyone understand and know what they are supposed to do?" Sarah asked. Everyone nodded, not including Ambrosious who barked, and they all really did seem to understand the importance of their mission. "Good, all that's left to do is wait for Ishtar to arrive and Jareth to finish making the." Jareth interrupted her speaking with a telepathic message to her brain. 'Sarah, there's a problem with the crystals. Send Ishtar to my room once he gets back," Jareth ordered gravely. Sarah sighed and looked around dejectedly. Great, she thought, if Jareth can't make them then we're screwed.' "My lady, what is the problem? Hast thought lost thy train of thought?" Sir Didymus asked concerned. "No, Jareth just sent a message that the crystals aren't ready yet, and probably won't be till Ishtar gets back," she explained sullenly. Yetzel sat down once again; she was tired of standing. Sarah rubbed her slowly turning bloodshot eyes and yawned, then stretched. Her mind wandered back to the problem at hand. They had to stop the trolls and evil demon-like sprites or else they could, if their powers weren't drained, get aboveground. Hoggle sat down beside Yetzel, and Sarah sat back down next to Hoggle, while Sir Didymus walked a nervous Ambrosious back and forth across the room. Ludo stood there, watching them with his big innocent eyes, understanding fully what was going on, but not knowing what to do about it. Ishtar arrived in front of the troubled group and asked candidly, "What's wrong?" Thanks for reading! Please be a good reader and do the right thing by reviewing. I'm a review-a-holic.