DISCLAIMER: I claim Gorbath and all of his army. The rest is just wishful thinking.
Chapter 10
They sat huddled on the floor, piled together not for warmth or comfort, but because that was how it was. No one cared anymore. As time had passed, days turned to weeks, the defiance had slowly seeped out of the creatures of the Labyrinth.
Hoggle stared morosely at the floor. Things had gone well at first. Everyone had been willing to rally against the Warlord, screaming protests and banging on the door and walls at all hours. Their energy had fled quickly once the guards had refused to feed the prisoners until they were silent. Even after that he had managed to keep everyone's spirits up.
Then they overheard the guards talking about Didymus. Hoggle sighed. If Jareth ever returned, it was apparent that he would never rule as he once had. Gorbath had too firm a hold on the land and the people. After that, everyone had stopped fighting. Ludo was slumped in the middle of the floor, various creatures leaning against him. He couldn't even summon rocks anymore, although pebbles would rattle every once in a while when he tried. If he tried. He didn't seem very interested in rocks anymore.
The was loud laughter outside the cell. A few creatures stirred, realizing the guards might be bringing dinner. Most remained unmoving. Surprisingly, the guards didn't stop at Hoggle's cell but moved on to the next one. The was a thud and the sound of chains crashing to the ground. The door slammed and the guards left. Disappointed, the prisoners began drifting off to sleep again.
Hoggle looked at the barred window curiously. The guards had put someone in that cell, he was sure of it. With a groan, he climbed to his feet. He ignored the stares of the others and stumbled to the window. The other cell was pitch black and Hoggle squinted into the darkness.
"Who's there?" he asked the darkness, sure that there must be someone there. There was silence. Just as Hoggle was about to return to his place in the corner, something in the shadows moved.
"Oh, it's you, Higgle," a voice rasped. Hoggle's jaw dropped. He turned quickly and crashed into a goblin that had been looking over his shoulder.
"Well? Who is it?" the goblin demanded in a screechy voice. Hoggle pushed it aside.
"Never mind. Where's that candle?" He stumped over to the small light and grabbed the candlestick. Most of the creatures were awake and watching him now. Hoggle held the candle up to the window. In the flickering light, he could make out a figure, tattered clothes, wild hair...
"Yer...Yer Majesty!" Hoggle gasped. There was a collective cry of surprise from behind him as others began to clamber to their feet, wondering if their king had finally come to save them. Jareth laughed bitterly at the commotion.
"So surprised to see me? Did you think that I was dead? Surely you noticed that your new king has no control over the magic here? Or did that completely slip your tiny minds?" With one pale hand, Jareth caught the chain of his medallion and pulled it into the light. "My kingdom is destroyed, I am a prisoner in my own dungeon, and Sarah and Toby's lives are in that bastard's hands," he growled angrily.
"Sarah?" A voice above Hoggle rumbled. Looking up, he saw Ludo looming over him, staring at the dark window in confusion.
"The Warlord has Sarah?" Hoggle asked, but Jareth didn't reply. He was staring fixedly at his medallion. As Hoggle watched the medallion began to glow brightly and Jareth whispered something. Hoggle strained to make out the word.
"Sarah," Jareth repeated quietly, his voice sounding dry and raspy. Then the medallion flickered and Jareth lapsed into unconsciousness.
"We have to help her!" Hoggle told the others. "But first, we have to get out of this dungeon." Ludo nodded solemnly.
"Ludo call rocks?" He questioned.
"Right then, and they won't know what we're doing." The Wise Man's hat, as usual, added it's opinion.
"Yer right," Hoggle admitted, "but how else are we gonna-"
"Leave that to me, noble sirs!" Everyone started at the voice from outside the door. There was the sound of a lock being turned and then the door swung open to reveal Sir Didymus sitting proudly on Ambrosius, his spear in one hand and the dungeon keys in the other.
"Quickly now!" Didymus gestured. "I hath defeated the guard with the aid of my noble steed, but we must hurry if we are to save the Lady Sarah and her brother Sir Toby." Hoggle and the others stared at him distrustfully.
"Er...and I know that I have been fooled by this false king. Let us restore our true ruler, King Jareth, to the throne!" He added. A few of the goblins shifted impatiently on their feet and then Hoggle grinned at the nervous fox.
"Well, then, let's get to it!" Hoggle declared, starting towards the door. A roar of approval stopped him in his tracks as the entire remaining population of the Labyrinth rushed passed him excitedly. With a yelp, Didymus jumped out of the way just in time.
"Wait a minute!" Hoggle yelled, but it took a ferocious roar from Ludo to get everyone to calm down. They milled around uncertainly outside of the cell until Ludo lifted Hoggle up so everyone could see him.
"Listen," he began, "we have to face him together. That's the only way we're gonna win. So jes be quiet and hope they didn't already hear ya!" A few of the goblins muttered to themselves, but most managed to quiet down quite a bit.
"All right then, Sir Hoggle, shall we proceed?" Didymus asked, bowing gallantly to Hoggle. Hoggle nodded to him.
"Yeah, but we gotta bring Jareth, too." Didymus frowned in confusion but no one argued. Hoggle had gotten them through this far and they were willing to follow him the rest of the way.
A few minutes later, Ludo was carrying the unconscious Goblin King as the entire troop marched towards the throne room.
End Chapter Ten.
Chapter 10
They sat huddled on the floor, piled together not for warmth or comfort, but because that was how it was. No one cared anymore. As time had passed, days turned to weeks, the defiance had slowly seeped out of the creatures of the Labyrinth.
Hoggle stared morosely at the floor. Things had gone well at first. Everyone had been willing to rally against the Warlord, screaming protests and banging on the door and walls at all hours. Their energy had fled quickly once the guards had refused to feed the prisoners until they were silent. Even after that he had managed to keep everyone's spirits up.
Then they overheard the guards talking about Didymus. Hoggle sighed. If Jareth ever returned, it was apparent that he would never rule as he once had. Gorbath had too firm a hold on the land and the people. After that, everyone had stopped fighting. Ludo was slumped in the middle of the floor, various creatures leaning against him. He couldn't even summon rocks anymore, although pebbles would rattle every once in a while when he tried. If he tried. He didn't seem very interested in rocks anymore.
The was loud laughter outside the cell. A few creatures stirred, realizing the guards might be bringing dinner. Most remained unmoving. Surprisingly, the guards didn't stop at Hoggle's cell but moved on to the next one. The was a thud and the sound of chains crashing to the ground. The door slammed and the guards left. Disappointed, the prisoners began drifting off to sleep again.
Hoggle looked at the barred window curiously. The guards had put someone in that cell, he was sure of it. With a groan, he climbed to his feet. He ignored the stares of the others and stumbled to the window. The other cell was pitch black and Hoggle squinted into the darkness.
"Who's there?" he asked the darkness, sure that there must be someone there. There was silence. Just as Hoggle was about to return to his place in the corner, something in the shadows moved.
"Oh, it's you, Higgle," a voice rasped. Hoggle's jaw dropped. He turned quickly and crashed into a goblin that had been looking over his shoulder.
"Well? Who is it?" the goblin demanded in a screechy voice. Hoggle pushed it aside.
"Never mind. Where's that candle?" He stumped over to the small light and grabbed the candlestick. Most of the creatures were awake and watching him now. Hoggle held the candle up to the window. In the flickering light, he could make out a figure, tattered clothes, wild hair...
"Yer...Yer Majesty!" Hoggle gasped. There was a collective cry of surprise from behind him as others began to clamber to their feet, wondering if their king had finally come to save them. Jareth laughed bitterly at the commotion.
"So surprised to see me? Did you think that I was dead? Surely you noticed that your new king has no control over the magic here? Or did that completely slip your tiny minds?" With one pale hand, Jareth caught the chain of his medallion and pulled it into the light. "My kingdom is destroyed, I am a prisoner in my own dungeon, and Sarah and Toby's lives are in that bastard's hands," he growled angrily.
"Sarah?" A voice above Hoggle rumbled. Looking up, he saw Ludo looming over him, staring at the dark window in confusion.
"The Warlord has Sarah?" Hoggle asked, but Jareth didn't reply. He was staring fixedly at his medallion. As Hoggle watched the medallion began to glow brightly and Jareth whispered something. Hoggle strained to make out the word.
"Sarah," Jareth repeated quietly, his voice sounding dry and raspy. Then the medallion flickered and Jareth lapsed into unconsciousness.
"We have to help her!" Hoggle told the others. "But first, we have to get out of this dungeon." Ludo nodded solemnly.
"Ludo call rocks?" He questioned.
"Right then, and they won't know what we're doing." The Wise Man's hat, as usual, added it's opinion.
"Yer right," Hoggle admitted, "but how else are we gonna-"
"Leave that to me, noble sirs!" Everyone started at the voice from outside the door. There was the sound of a lock being turned and then the door swung open to reveal Sir Didymus sitting proudly on Ambrosius, his spear in one hand and the dungeon keys in the other.
"Quickly now!" Didymus gestured. "I hath defeated the guard with the aid of my noble steed, but we must hurry if we are to save the Lady Sarah and her brother Sir Toby." Hoggle and the others stared at him distrustfully.
"Er...and I know that I have been fooled by this false king. Let us restore our true ruler, King Jareth, to the throne!" He added. A few of the goblins shifted impatiently on their feet and then Hoggle grinned at the nervous fox.
"Well, then, let's get to it!" Hoggle declared, starting towards the door. A roar of approval stopped him in his tracks as the entire remaining population of the Labyrinth rushed passed him excitedly. With a yelp, Didymus jumped out of the way just in time.
"Wait a minute!" Hoggle yelled, but it took a ferocious roar from Ludo to get everyone to calm down. They milled around uncertainly outside of the cell until Ludo lifted Hoggle up so everyone could see him.
"Listen," he began, "we have to face him together. That's the only way we're gonna win. So jes be quiet and hope they didn't already hear ya!" A few of the goblins muttered to themselves, but most managed to quiet down quite a bit.
"All right then, Sir Hoggle, shall we proceed?" Didymus asked, bowing gallantly to Hoggle. Hoggle nodded to him.
"Yeah, but we gotta bring Jareth, too." Didymus frowned in confusion but no one argued. Hoggle had gotten them through this far and they were willing to follow him the rest of the way.
A few minutes later, Ludo was carrying the unconscious Goblin King as the entire troop marched towards the throne room.
End Chapter Ten.