Trial By Fire
Chapter V
By Sailor Northstar
"JARETH! GIVE ME BACK INDROS OR DIE!"
Nothing could have said it better than those words just how annoyed Galadrea was. Jareth heard those words echo throughout his castle, and for the first time, he was more than a little apprehensive. Briefly, his mind passed over the various options left open to him. Running for the hills is a good one! came a nasty little voice that sounded suspiciously like himself. Closing his eyes, The King of the Goblins then remembered exactly why he never went up against mages of any type. While sounds of destruction echoed through the castle, Jareth put his last-ditch plans into motion. Of course, with the distraction provided by his beloved elder sister, Indros had no problem finishing extricating himself from the bonds.
While J's busy with Gala, I think I should take the opportunity for a little payback. Grinning, Indros silently raced into the Escher room, not knowing that that was exactly what Jareth had planned.
Striding purposefully through the abandoned corridors of the Goblin Castle, Galadrea went out of her way to damage anything that looked in the least bit valuable. Steadily making her way to the throne room, she allowed just the barest hint of triumph to linger in her laughter. Of course, Jareth had used such to his advantage for hundreds of years. Arrogance similar to his own was always so easy to manipulate.
"Come out, come out wherever you are, Goblin King!" Galadrea taunted, cheerfully causing as much havoc as she could. Finally, she found herself before a pair of well-ornamented doors. Found you, you conceited jerk! she thought as she barged through the golden portal...
...and into a world of mist and mirrors. All around her, like a dream, figures came and went. Here one minute, gone the next. The whiteness of it all was very intimidating. Every angle she looked at reflected her own face, pale and nervous. The feeling of a hand on her shoulder made her spin around, but nothing was there. Her courage and feeling of triumph ebbing, Galadrea drew her glowing dagger. Brandishing it, she rushed at one of the mirrors. The mirror shattered, only to have one directly underneath. Unlike the first, this one showed a warped, ugly reflection.
Backing up in horror, she heard phantom voices all around her, laughing. Turning, she stumbled back the way she had come, only the golden doors were no-where to be seen. Frantically, she searched for others in the mist, but everytime she found someone, they faded away, leaving her to face another mirror which reflected a warped version of herself. It was then the voices began. First one, then more joined in.
"Hmph. She'll never amount to much. Half-breeds never do!" spoke an elvish voice. *Oh Mystra, that was my mother's brother! Please, lady of Magic, not again.*
"Your father had hoped for a first-born son. That's why he left, girl!" *Oh gods, mother please, don't hate me!*
"Pathetic. Her own father an archmage, and he won't even look at her."
"That's the only reason she got into the tower, you know. Riding on the hem of her daddy's robes!"
On and on they went, then it got worse. A figure dressed in the regal robes of an archmage approached. "Pathetic! Cowed by simple voices? You are no child of mine!" came his harsh baritone, the same that had condemned her at the triumvirate.
Sinking to the ground, Galadrea dropped her dagger and began to sob. All around her, her reflections stared at her, laughing in horrid silence. The voices joined in, and Galadrea began to sob. "It's not my fault! I didn't ask to be born! Father, why do you hate me and Indros so much? I'm a good student, I got in on my own merit! I'm not a failure!" she screamed. The laughter got louder, and the figure of her father joined in.
"Of course you're not a failure, my dear," a soft, gentle voice whispered into her ear. "A father like that doesn't deserve to have as brilliant a child as you." The robed figure backed away, a strange look on his face. All around her, the voices quieted. Slowly, Galadrea looked over at the face of the one who had made the voices stop. A gorgeous pair of mismatched eyes reguarded her with respect and sympathy. A gloved hand reached out and gently wiped the tears from her face.
"No more crying, eh?" he said, a small smile tugging at his mouth. Galadrea felt that same smile tug at her heart. Nodding, she took his offered hand. Swiftly, he pulled her to her feet. Whispy blond hair framed his angular, lean face. Garbed in a white tunic open to the waist and black tights with black boots, the man was the perfect picture of gallantry. For some reason, Gala felt as if she should know him, but couldn't think of from where.
"Thank you, good sir," she whispered. There was suddenly something in his eyes, a flicker of emotion, but then it was gone. "Who are you?" she asked, her eyes pleading for an answer. The man just smiled.
"I'm someone who has come to offer you your dream, Galadrea. You can leave the tower, leave those spiteful fools, and that arrogant bastard of a father. All you need to do is give yourself into my service, and I can give you all the knowledge you desire. That's what you truly long for, isn't it? Knowledge of all things hidden?" As he spoke, he edged closer to her, until they were almost touching. Slowly, he brought his hand up to stroke her white-blonde hair. Flushed with pleasure that someone had recognized her worth, Galadrea couldn't respond.
"All I've ever wanted was to know who I am, where I fit in...or if there IS a place for me to fit in," she murmured, tilting her head slightly to gaze up into his eyes. *Aren't you forgetting someone?* Shaking her head slightly, she lowered her eyes.
"I can give you that place, my dear," Jareth murmured. "All you need to do is let go of your past. The here and now is where you belong. Specifically, here with me. What do you say?" Slowly, he tilted his head to hears, his lips at her ear. A shiver of pleasure ran down Galadrea's spine as his breath carressed her skin.
*Let go of the past? What past is that? Think, Galadrea! Aren't you forgetting something? What of those who are depending on you!*
*Shut up you. Always you get in my way! I'm never able to be myself when you are around. He's offering me all I ever wanted, acceptance and love. Besides, no one depends on me, I'm just an apprentice diviner who can't even finish simple research project. Who would WANT to depend on me? I wished my own brother away for Mystra's sake!*
*Exactly! What about your brother?*
*Brother? Omigod! INDROS!*
"NO!" Galadrea shrieked, violently shoving the Goblin King away from her. "You arrogant ass! How dare you!" Stumbling backwards, Galadrea bumped into one of the mirrors. Spinning around, she noticed that the mirrors had formed a circle around her, and in each one of them was a different Galadrea, but all of them wore the robes of an archmage.
"What's wrong, my dear?" Jareth said, all kindness gone from his voice, replaced by a taunting smugness. "Don't you like what I'm offering you?"
"Not at that price!" she said, and turning around, Galadrea rammed her fist into the mirror. Suddenly, the world around her shattered. Blazing light reflected off thousands of tiny fragments, each amplifying the light. A groan from behind her let her know that even the Goblin King was affected by the sudden rush of light. At that groan, the rest of the white void shattered.
The chime of a clock brought Galadrea back to her senses. As she opened her eyes, she found herself standing in a room that made no sense. Stairs and openings were scattered on all the geometric planes. Her mind swam with the sudden change of scenery. Looking down, she nearly lost what was left of the food in her stomach. As the chime sounded a second time, Galadrea started moving towards the nearest staircase. "INDROS! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" she shouted, her voice refusing to echo. It fell dead, as if there was nothing to carry it. As the clock struck twice more, she heard a longed for, answering voice.
"GALA? WHERE ARE YOU?" Indros's voice came from up above her. Looking up, Galadrea was horrified to see her brother standing on what looked to be a wall. Waving her arm, she caught his attention. A look of horror came over his face. "GALA! BEHIND YOU!"
Before she could spin around, Galadrea felt a pair of strong hands fasten on her arms. A cold voice came with it, yet it was oddly traced with amusement. "You'll never make it you know? The clock has just finished chimine 9 times. It would take you nine times that to find each other."
"The test was never to find each other, Jareth, it was for me to find my way through the labyrinth to this castle!" Galadrea replied, trying unsucessfully to move away from the Goblin King's addictive prescence. Slowly, Jareth spun Galadrea to face him.
"I don't like to lose, pretty one," he replied. Two strongwilled gazes met, and a staring contest began as the clock chimed an eleventh time. Neither noticed that Indros was actually managing to navigate his way towards them. "Galadrea, please, join me! I will teach you magic such as you have never seen. Your brother too, if he wishes. Not since Sarah has anyone managed to solve the labyrinth, or caused me so much irritation. The two of you make life interesting. Please?" Jareth pleaded, his voice falling to the barest whisper. The clock chimed for the twelth time. Just as it did, Indros made it to the pair.
Smiling sadly, Galadrea back up and draped an arm over her little brother's shoulder. "Good bye, Jareth. I am truly sorry for the mess we made, but we can't stay. It's time for us to go," she said. "Come on, bro. Let's get back to the tower, eh?"
"Sure thing, Gala. By J! I had fun." Indros and Galadrea turned their backs on the stunned Goblin King, and as the clock chimed for the thirteenth time, Galadrea and Indros Solardin vanished. Neither saw the final expression on Jareth's face.
"Almost one day ago, a mistake was made. This mistake put not only the life of one apprentice in jeapordy, but also the well-being of one of the Tower's best students." Galadrea and Indros's faces both registered surprise. "However, that mistake was rectified, and the one who caused the mistake was put into a situation that could never have been predicted, a trial by fire, as it were of all she had learned." As Master Soldis took a deep breath, whispers and mutterings broke out from among the rest of the inhabitants of the tower.
"SILENCE!" Master Soldis bellowed. "Galadrea Solardin, be aware that the council has monitored your activities since you went to reclaim your brother. Through each trial you came through with the ingenuity and goodsense that is vital for a true specialist in Divination. I seriously doubt that any of us could have done better. For this reason, it is the council's decision that you be given the status you have waited two years for. Journeyman Solardin, no longer apprentice, you are now accepted fully into the ranks of the Tower of Illumination."
Cheers broke out among all assembled, as Galadrea stood there, stunned. Indros smirked and patted his sister on the back. "Told you it would work out, didn't I?" he whispered. Then, Master Talikor spoke.
"Not only has Journeyman Solardin demonstrated the qualities of a diviner, but her brother, Indros Solardin has also shown a flare for the solving of riddles--and the causing of havoc," Master Talikor finished drily, to the amusement of all present. Indros merely blushed. "Now that this is all out of the way, and no one is getting expelled, LET'S EAT!" Archmage Talikor bellowed. As one, the students stampeded out of the meeting hall. The Archmages soon following by way of teleporting. Withing seconds, Galadrea and Indros were alone in the hall, face to face with the man that had turned his back on them and their mother years before.
Holding their breaths, Indros and Galadrea prepared for the worst. Suddenly, to their amazement, he smiled. "My children, I am so proud of you!" he exclaimed, delight playing over his face. Gala and Indros could never have been more shocked. Reading the expression on their faces, Master Soldis smiled gently. "I am truly sorry, my children, but I could not afford to play favorites. I also regret leaving your mother." Sighing, his face dropped. "I was younger then, and it was one of the more stupid things I have done, and believe me, I have done a lot of stupid things. Perhaps, now we can make up for lost time?" he asked, gently and hopefully.
Galadrea's face firmed. "Master Soldis," she began in a frosty voice, "I fully understand your reasons, though I do not agree with them. Indros, I am heading to my rooms to get some much needed rest. I hope you and your father can patch things up," and with that, she whirled and left the room. Indros sighed.
"I'm sorry father. Gala's been through hell, mostly emotional. Give her time, I'm sure she'll come around," good-natured Indros counciled his father. With a sigh, Master Soldis looked after his daughter.
"I hope you are right, my son. But I fear that the damage has already been done..."
Back in her new room, which was much more spacious than her old apprentice quarters, Galadrea sat herself at her mahogony desk and began to weep. "Bastard!" she muttered. "Do you honestly think you can make up for eighteen years of neglect with a few simple words, spoken only AFTER your daughter and son have risked their necks?" As she laid her head on her arms, she felt something brush the back of her neck. Horrified, she turned around in her chair, and tried to rise, only managing to stumble and entangle her legs in the chair. Looking down, her face paled, then went back to its normal shade just as quickly.
There on the floor was her spellbook and her enspelled dagger, which she had left in the Jareth's labyrinth. Beside it was a single, white rose, bereft of thorns. Picking the items up, Gala slowly walked over to her window and looked out into the valley. Her eyes fastened on a white glint, which may have been nothing more than an errant wisp of mist, but somehow, Galadrea doubted it.
Thank's Jareth, for showing me I don't need him.