DISCLAIMER: I claim Gorbath and all of his army. The rest is just wishful thinking.
Chapter Three
"Where is the Goblin King?"
The shaggy white dog peered fearfully at the twisted creature sitting on Jareth's throne. He trembled. Then his teeth began to chatter in terror. The Warlord raised an eyebrow at the animal, apparently trying to decide if he should be amused or annoyed.
"Stop that at once, Ambrosius!" The small fox standing beside the dog lowered his spear and rapped his steed sharply on the nose. Ambrosius whined at the sting and his teeth stopped chattering. However, he continued to tremble. Didymus sighed and then jumped as the Warlord slammed his fist against the arm of the throne.
"Answer the question!" He demanded. "And do not try to lie!" Didymus swallowed nervously and drew himself up to his full, yet still unimposing, height.
"Your Majesty," he began grandly, "I, Sir Didymus, have sworn my allegiance to the ruler of the Underground. And since thou dost appear to be ruler now, I can truthfully say that the Goblin King is in his throne room at this very moment!" Didymus nodded his head in satisfaction. A few of Gorbath's guards looked around uncertainly, but the Warlord only sighed at the fox's stupidity.
"No, no, no," he growled. "Where is that pitiful coward Jareth, the, ah...former Goblin King?" Gorbath smiled condescendingly, stroking his chin absently as he waited for Didymus to answer. The fox frowned in confusion for a moment and then his face brightened.
"Ah, your Majesty, if thou dost not know the former king's whereabouts and thou art truly the Goblin King, then I must say that there is only one possible solution." The Warlord leaned forward eagerly.
"And that would be?" he prompted.
"He must have left the Underground." Didymus again nodded proudly, not noticing the mystified expressions of those around him. "My task here is complete, your Majesty." The fox bowed and climbed into his saddle, saluting the Warlord with his spear. Gorbath's face was frozen in a mask of shock, but only momentarily. Then it darkened into a murderous glare.
"He must have WHAT?!?" He roared at the two creatures before him. That was the last straw for Ambrosius and he bolted for the door without a backward glance. Unfortunately, Didymus hadn't been expecting such a flying start and the poor fox was nearly jerked from the saddle before he caught himself. He clung to his steed with one hand, the other waving the spear madly as he called for Ambrosius to slow down. Someone darted forward to block their escape but Didymus's wildly flapping spear smacked him in the face, barely missing his eye and leaving a long red scratch.
"Guards!" Gorbath roared. "Stop them! I need more answers!" His face had turned a dark purple in rage but he forced himself to settle back in the throne and wait for the guards to return. After a few minutes, he shifted impatiently. After ten minutes, he was about to yell for the guards again when a soldier marched into the room, bowing low to the Warlord. Gorbath frowned when he saw the red marks on the man's face.
"Speak," he commanded. The soldier immediately kneeled before his king.
"Forgive us, your Majesty, but the fox and the dog have escaped."
"WHAT?!?" Gorbath roared, more in surprise than anything else but the soldier flinched as if expecting a blow. "How?" the Warlord demanded. The soldier bowed even lower and his face turned red with humiliation and shame but he refused to speak. He couldn't tell his king that a creature that had been merely waving a spear hysterically while trying to calm his dog had defeated the guards.
When it became clear that he would get no response from the guard, the Warlord howled in wordless rage. The guard barely had time to realize that Gorbath was holding a sword before he fell to the ground, his head sailing across the throne room. Gorbath glared at the decapitated soldier and then flung his sword to the ground with a clatter. Then he stormed over to the wall and pounded his fist into it so hard that cracks ran up the side of the palace. The foundation seemed to quiver, much to Gorbath's delight.
Feeling better, he returned to the throne and shouted for another guard. A timid looking man entered and gulped nervously when he saw the remains of his predecessor. He carefully bowed very low to the Warlord.
"W-what do you wish, your Majesty?" he stuttered. The Warlord sneered at him.
"Bring the next captive." The guard bowed and hurriedly left.
A moment later, an old man hobbled into the throne room, escorted by one of the soldiers. He was wearing a strange hat that seemed strangely alive. The old man settled in front of the throne and closed his eyes. He snored. The hat sighed and blinked brightly at Gorbath.
"Well? Whaddaya want? You won't get much out of this one." The old man's eyes opened blearily.
"Will you be quiet?!?" he grumbled. The Warlord's eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"Silence!" he ordered. "Where is the Goblin King?" At this, the old man suddenly brightened and peered closely at Gorbath.
"Oho!" he exclaimed. "So! You wish to be King of the Goblins." Gorbath sighed. Why were all of the subjects in this land so incompetent?
"Yes," he repeated as if talking to a small child. "I want to be King of the Goblins. So where is Jareth?" He spat the name like a curse. The old man continued to look at the Warlord alertly.
"Ah, yes. And where is the pendant of the Goblin King?" he asked. Gorbath growled.
"That's what I'm trying to find out, if you would just answer the question!" His voice rose as he spoke and the last bit was loud enough to shake the castle. The Warlord had rose from the throne again and was standing above the old man, glaring balefully at him.
The old man seemed to be deep in thought. Finally, he said, "You must learn to color outside of the lines if you want to be an artist." Gorbath turned away in frustration.
"Isn't there a single intelligent being in this entire kingdom?" he muttered. He waved his hand negligently at the guard. "Take him away. And don't bring any more. I can't handle this many idiots in one day." He massaged his head in annoyance. All he had learned was that Jareth had left the Underground and even that seemed impossible. How could someone just leave the Underground? Where else was there?
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The door to the dungeon creaked open and many small faces blinked in the sudden light. A guard appeared, dragging an old man with an odd hat behind him. He pushed the man into the cell and slammed the door shut. There was the sound of a lock being turned and then footsteps receding as the man left.
"Well, that went well," the hat chirped. The old man seemed to have fallen asleep.
"What's happening?" a rough voice questioned. The hat twisted towards the voice to see Hoggle.
"He ain't got the pendant and he ain't got the king. He ain't too happy about neither!" Hoggle thought about this for a minute.
"Does he know where Jareth went?"
"Uh uh," the bird shook its head. "He just know he ain't here."
"Jaweth...gone?" A low voice rumbled. Hoggle patted Ludo's arm comfortingly.
"Don't you worry. I'm sure he'll be back. He probably just went to, uh...get reinforcements!" Ludo accepted this and lumbered back into the corner to sit down again but a few other worried faces were watching Hoggle from the shadows.
When they had been dragged out of the Labyrinth by the shadow warriors and thrown into the castle prison, everyone had immediately looked to Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus for guidance. They all knew that the trio had defied one king already. And they may not like Jareth much, but he was still better than the Warlord of Baccha.
"Alrights, this is what we're gonna do." Everyone gathered closer to hear Hoggle's plan. "No one says anything about Earth. No one says anything about Sarah. Most of all, no one mentions that Jareth probably left the Underground. Got it?" The fearful faces nodded.
"Good, now we just waits for Jareth to come back and set everything straight," Hoggle said confidently. He settled back against the wall near Ludo and closed his eyes. Others began to drift asleep as well. Suddenly, Hoggle bolted up again.
"What happened to Didymus?"
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On the outskirts of the now-deserted Goblin City, a fox finally convinced his noble steed to stop running.
"Ambrosius!" he shrieked. His voice was a bit hoarse from all the yelling. As the shaggy dog slowed, Didymus swatted him on the head with his spear. "You're going the wrong way, Ambrosius!" The dog whimpered and Didymus frowned at him.
"We have to go back to King Gorbath, Ambrosius! He has demanded our services and we have yet to tell him of Lady Sarah. She may be able to help the king find the king...er, former king!" Didymus forced Ambrosius to turn around.
"Onward, my brave steed! For king and coun-tree!" His words ended in an unknightly shriek as his voice became more hoarse. Sir Didymus rode proudly back towards the castle, unaware that he was about to betray not only the true Goblin King, but his friend Sarah as well.
End Chapter Three.
Chapter Three
"Where is the Goblin King?"
The shaggy white dog peered fearfully at the twisted creature sitting on Jareth's throne. He trembled. Then his teeth began to chatter in terror. The Warlord raised an eyebrow at the animal, apparently trying to decide if he should be amused or annoyed.
"Stop that at once, Ambrosius!" The small fox standing beside the dog lowered his spear and rapped his steed sharply on the nose. Ambrosius whined at the sting and his teeth stopped chattering. However, he continued to tremble. Didymus sighed and then jumped as the Warlord slammed his fist against the arm of the throne.
"Answer the question!" He demanded. "And do not try to lie!" Didymus swallowed nervously and drew himself up to his full, yet still unimposing, height.
"Your Majesty," he began grandly, "I, Sir Didymus, have sworn my allegiance to the ruler of the Underground. And since thou dost appear to be ruler now, I can truthfully say that the Goblin King is in his throne room at this very moment!" Didymus nodded his head in satisfaction. A few of Gorbath's guards looked around uncertainly, but the Warlord only sighed at the fox's stupidity.
"No, no, no," he growled. "Where is that pitiful coward Jareth, the, ah...former Goblin King?" Gorbath smiled condescendingly, stroking his chin absently as he waited for Didymus to answer. The fox frowned in confusion for a moment and then his face brightened.
"Ah, your Majesty, if thou dost not know the former king's whereabouts and thou art truly the Goblin King, then I must say that there is only one possible solution." The Warlord leaned forward eagerly.
"And that would be?" he prompted.
"He must have left the Underground." Didymus again nodded proudly, not noticing the mystified expressions of those around him. "My task here is complete, your Majesty." The fox bowed and climbed into his saddle, saluting the Warlord with his spear. Gorbath's face was frozen in a mask of shock, but only momentarily. Then it darkened into a murderous glare.
"He must have WHAT?!?" He roared at the two creatures before him. That was the last straw for Ambrosius and he bolted for the door without a backward glance. Unfortunately, Didymus hadn't been expecting such a flying start and the poor fox was nearly jerked from the saddle before he caught himself. He clung to his steed with one hand, the other waving the spear madly as he called for Ambrosius to slow down. Someone darted forward to block their escape but Didymus's wildly flapping spear smacked him in the face, barely missing his eye and leaving a long red scratch.
"Guards!" Gorbath roared. "Stop them! I need more answers!" His face had turned a dark purple in rage but he forced himself to settle back in the throne and wait for the guards to return. After a few minutes, he shifted impatiently. After ten minutes, he was about to yell for the guards again when a soldier marched into the room, bowing low to the Warlord. Gorbath frowned when he saw the red marks on the man's face.
"Speak," he commanded. The soldier immediately kneeled before his king.
"Forgive us, your Majesty, but the fox and the dog have escaped."
"WHAT?!?" Gorbath roared, more in surprise than anything else but the soldier flinched as if expecting a blow. "How?" the Warlord demanded. The soldier bowed even lower and his face turned red with humiliation and shame but he refused to speak. He couldn't tell his king that a creature that had been merely waving a spear hysterically while trying to calm his dog had defeated the guards.
When it became clear that he would get no response from the guard, the Warlord howled in wordless rage. The guard barely had time to realize that Gorbath was holding a sword before he fell to the ground, his head sailing across the throne room. Gorbath glared at the decapitated soldier and then flung his sword to the ground with a clatter. Then he stormed over to the wall and pounded his fist into it so hard that cracks ran up the side of the palace. The foundation seemed to quiver, much to Gorbath's delight.
Feeling better, he returned to the throne and shouted for another guard. A timid looking man entered and gulped nervously when he saw the remains of his predecessor. He carefully bowed very low to the Warlord.
"W-what do you wish, your Majesty?" he stuttered. The Warlord sneered at him.
"Bring the next captive." The guard bowed and hurriedly left.
A moment later, an old man hobbled into the throne room, escorted by one of the soldiers. He was wearing a strange hat that seemed strangely alive. The old man settled in front of the throne and closed his eyes. He snored. The hat sighed and blinked brightly at Gorbath.
"Well? Whaddaya want? You won't get much out of this one." The old man's eyes opened blearily.
"Will you be quiet?!?" he grumbled. The Warlord's eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"Silence!" he ordered. "Where is the Goblin King?" At this, the old man suddenly brightened and peered closely at Gorbath.
"Oho!" he exclaimed. "So! You wish to be King of the Goblins." Gorbath sighed. Why were all of the subjects in this land so incompetent?
"Yes," he repeated as if talking to a small child. "I want to be King of the Goblins. So where is Jareth?" He spat the name like a curse. The old man continued to look at the Warlord alertly.
"Ah, yes. And where is the pendant of the Goblin King?" he asked. Gorbath growled.
"That's what I'm trying to find out, if you would just answer the question!" His voice rose as he spoke and the last bit was loud enough to shake the castle. The Warlord had rose from the throne again and was standing above the old man, glaring balefully at him.
The old man seemed to be deep in thought. Finally, he said, "You must learn to color outside of the lines if you want to be an artist." Gorbath turned away in frustration.
"Isn't there a single intelligent being in this entire kingdom?" he muttered. He waved his hand negligently at the guard. "Take him away. And don't bring any more. I can't handle this many idiots in one day." He massaged his head in annoyance. All he had learned was that Jareth had left the Underground and even that seemed impossible. How could someone just leave the Underground? Where else was there?
-------------------
The door to the dungeon creaked open and many small faces blinked in the sudden light. A guard appeared, dragging an old man with an odd hat behind him. He pushed the man into the cell and slammed the door shut. There was the sound of a lock being turned and then footsteps receding as the man left.
"Well, that went well," the hat chirped. The old man seemed to have fallen asleep.
"What's happening?" a rough voice questioned. The hat twisted towards the voice to see Hoggle.
"He ain't got the pendant and he ain't got the king. He ain't too happy about neither!" Hoggle thought about this for a minute.
"Does he know where Jareth went?"
"Uh uh," the bird shook its head. "He just know he ain't here."
"Jaweth...gone?" A low voice rumbled. Hoggle patted Ludo's arm comfortingly.
"Don't you worry. I'm sure he'll be back. He probably just went to, uh...get reinforcements!" Ludo accepted this and lumbered back into the corner to sit down again but a few other worried faces were watching Hoggle from the shadows.
When they had been dragged out of the Labyrinth by the shadow warriors and thrown into the castle prison, everyone had immediately looked to Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus for guidance. They all knew that the trio had defied one king already. And they may not like Jareth much, but he was still better than the Warlord of Baccha.
"Alrights, this is what we're gonna do." Everyone gathered closer to hear Hoggle's plan. "No one says anything about Earth. No one says anything about Sarah. Most of all, no one mentions that Jareth probably left the Underground. Got it?" The fearful faces nodded.
"Good, now we just waits for Jareth to come back and set everything straight," Hoggle said confidently. He settled back against the wall near Ludo and closed his eyes. Others began to drift asleep as well. Suddenly, Hoggle bolted up again.
"What happened to Didymus?"
---------------------
On the outskirts of the now-deserted Goblin City, a fox finally convinced his noble steed to stop running.
"Ambrosius!" he shrieked. His voice was a bit hoarse from all the yelling. As the shaggy dog slowed, Didymus swatted him on the head with his spear. "You're going the wrong way, Ambrosius!" The dog whimpered and Didymus frowned at him.
"We have to go back to King Gorbath, Ambrosius! He has demanded our services and we have yet to tell him of Lady Sarah. She may be able to help the king find the king...er, former king!" Didymus forced Ambrosius to turn around.
"Onward, my brave steed! For king and coun-tree!" His words ended in an unknightly shriek as his voice became more hoarse. Sir Didymus rode proudly back towards the castle, unaware that he was about to betray not only the true Goblin King, but his friend Sarah as well.
End Chapter Three.