Thanks so much to everyone sending feedback. I really appreciate it,
especially now that the chapters will be longer.
@)------
"Stephan, where are we?" Aislinn asked as she gazed around at the
forest of huge trees.
"The Land of the Howlers," the Eastern Fey King replied,
helping the petite girl to her feet.
"How far are we from the herb?"
"Well, I'm not sure. The last time I came here with Jareth was about
twenty years ago. But what I am sure of is that we need to find the
Red Chive and get out of here before-"
A faint howl sounded in the distance, and Aislinn
shuddered. "Before what, Stephan?" she asked nervously as she
unconsciously grabbed his hand.
"Before the Howlers come," he replied. He sighed. "I knew this would
happen. I'm sorry... in the rush of things, I didn't tell you, but,
you're scared, aren't you?"
Aislinn looked at him strangely. "Yes, Stephan, but what-"
"The Howlers can sense your fear. They can sense any emotion you
posses, and they'll entertain it."
"I don't understand."
The Eastern Fey King knelt down and looked into Aislinn's emerald eyes
with his own. His face was dead serious. "Aislinn, listen to me.
The Howlers will become whatever you imagine them to be, so if you
imagine them to be fierce and frightening, they'll conform to that."
"That's... eerie," Aislinn replied, as she could find no other way to
describe it.
"Well that's the way this kingdom is," replied Stephan, smiling
slightly. "I suppose you just have to get used to it."
"Yes, I suppose so..."
Stephan's face suddenly became solemn again as Aislinn gazed at
him. "But now we must find the herb. We haven't much time, and
Jareth's life depends on it."
* * * *
Stephan and Aislinn walked along quietly, each thinking of Jareth,
but in quite different ways. Aislinn gazed slowly around the forest
as her mind drifted from Jareth to his younger brother. Stephan
turned his head to gaze down at Aislinn, noticing the way the soft
sunlight shimmered on her auburn hair.
Suddenly the couple's thoughts were pierced as their heads jerked up
to the sight of a huge wolfish creature jumping directly out in front
of them. Aislinn gasped as its gigantic emerald dragon wings upon
its hairy back began to flap in rage, and was about to turn and bolt
when Stephan grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Aislinn, remember
what I told you!" The Eastern Fey King warned urgently as he watched
the beast slowly begin to advance.
"Yes, Stephan, but- but how?! How do I imagine *him * to be sweet
and gentle?! It's..." She gulped, looking up into his desperate
emerald eyes. "It's impossible," she whispered.
Stephan looked up from the Aislinn in horror to see the monster
about to lunge. "Aislinn, you must do it *now *!!"
"Ok, Stephan, I- I'll try," she whispered. The young girl squeezed
her eyes shut desperately trying with al her might to imagine the
howler as just the opposite as what he appeared.
"Aislinn!" Stephan screamed as the creature changed positions and
began its descent, flying closer and closer. If she was going to do
this, she was going to have to do it immediately.
* * * *
Aislinn hesitantly lowered her arms and opened her eyes. One can
imagine how struck with surprise she was to find sitting up atop the
creature's back. "Stephan! Get off there!" Aislinn screamed as she
jumped back in alarm.
"Don't worry, Aislinn," the Eastern Fey King replied. "You did a
good job. He won't hurt you now, will you, Hank?"
Aislinn smiled up at Stephan's dark emerald eyes and within gasped..
his eyes.. did.. something to her. But she shook it off and smiled
shyly up at him. "Hank?"
Stephan shrugged casually. "That's what Jareth calls him."
"Did he tell you that?"
"No, Hank did," Stephan replied nonchalantly.
The young girl's jaw dropped. "You can do that?" she asked in
amazement.
"Yes, and soon you'll be able to as well, Aislinn," Stephan replied,
smiling.
"I can't imagine having that kind of power," Aislinn whispered.
Stephan just smiled again and replied, "Neither could I almost 800
years ago, but come on- hop on."
"What- where are we going?"
"Hank knows where the patch of Red Chive is, and he agreed
immediately to take us there after I told him about Jareth."
A feeling of intense relief washed over the young girl as she climbed
onto Hank's back behind Stephan. "Ready?" the Eastern Fey King asked,
turning halfway around. She nodded, grasping the Howler's dark brown
fur.
Stephan immediately focused his eyes on the creature's head.
Within an instant, the Howler's wings began to flap, and before
Aislinn knew it, they were high in the air with the Land of the
Howlers rushing in colors of emerald below them.
@)------
Talius sat at the desk of the study within the Goblin Castle, trying
desperately to concentrate on the papers in front of him, but unable
to keep his mind off Jareth. Under the direction of the doctor, the
goblins had
managed to keep from destroying the place while Jareth
was "unavilable". Talius had taken dinner that night, but was to be
found by the goblin cook simply picking at his grilled spinach and
carrot salad. Several goblins then "excused" themselves from the
table then, jumping up and exclaiming, "We gotta go, Lord Talius!" He
sighed again. He could use some of his own headache medicine right
about now.
When the goblins reached their destination, there were already several
creatures crowded into the tiny space of packed dirt. "Why are we
here, anyway?" asked one blue scaly goblin. "It's not like the King
can do anything if we aren't, and besides, no one is going to say the
words."
"Stop talking like that!" a green furry goblin reprimanded.
"The King will live! Remember what Lord Stephan said? He's out
getting the herb right now, and besides, how do you know no one will
say the words? We've had *two* girls wish *themselves* away in the
past three years! King Jareth will be very upset if he learns we
weren't listening, especially for Sarah, for she swore she would come
back after she got her thoughts together and everything... whatever
that means. The goblins scratched his had in confusion. "I'm not sure
*why* the King *wants* another human girl here, but-"
"Oh come on!" the first goblin interrupted. "And why are you sad
about this? Do you not remember how King Jareth treated us?! I, for
one, think we'd be better off without him!"
The rest of the goblins gasped. They couldn't imagine one of their
own saying such things abut His Majesty. Sure, he didn't treat them
that well, but he was their King, and besides, if he did die, there
was no heir. Jareth had no children, meaning they would be
rulerless... This frightened them, for as little as they wanted to
admit it, they needed to be ruled, and they knew it.
Suddenly one of the goblins perked its ears. "Shh! Listen...."
* * * * *
On her tiny bed in her dorm, Sarah lay staring up at her statue of the
Goblin King that she held gently above her head. 'Oh Jareth... why
have I waited a whole month?' Sarah didn't know the answer to her own
question. She supposed she simply had to get used to and accept the
fact that she was leaving the world she had known for over nineteen
years. She had been born and grew up on earth. She knew she had to
leave it all behind now and try not to look back. She wanted this
new life so badly and she knew her heart would break if she wasn't
with Jareth for the rest ofher life... however long that would be
now. Sarah knew Jareth was over 500 years old.
Suddenly, Sarah's roommate Marissa burst through the door in her usual
hurricane-esque manner. "Sarah," she breathed, catching her
breath. "You're still here?" She sounded confused, though a slight
tone of relief could be hinted in her voice. "I though you would
have called Jareth by now."
"I'm about to, Mar."
"Oh, well-" her friend paused. "Good..."
The brunette leaned to finish packing her belongings, remembering her
return to the Labyrinth approximately nine months ago; the previous
December. Her freshmen year in college- she never thought it would
change her life so dramatically. Nothing had seemed to have any
point until the Goblin King's return in her life. Back in Jareth's
kingdom, Sarah had finally realized her true purpose in life.
Sarah remembered staring into Jareth's longing azure and hazel eyes
on the night of her return to the Labyrinth. That night she had seen
true love in his eyes... the love she had mistook for desperation as
a fifteen-year-old girl. She remembered how she had seen Jareth
sitting so lonely by his window, whispering her name. She remembered
how he had so gently placed her head on his shoulder as they embraced
and watched the moon rise over the Labyrinth. But most of all, Sarah
remembered how deeply she had fallen in love with him that night.
Sarah now concluded that indeed, her only reason for temporarily
returning to earth a month ago was to bid farewell to her world of
her birth. Sarah would do the same to her friends... if she had any.
Of course, there was Marissa. She knew- she had witnessed it all in
Jareth's crystal. When Sarah first wished herself back, she wanted
to leave something just in case she became endangered. She still hadn't
been sure who Jareth was. Now she knew for sure. She had solved his
Labyrinth- again- and as she reached the castle, he was nowhere to be
seen. Of course, Sarah had found him in his bedroom, by the window.
Now, Marissa was the only person Sarah could
confide in. The hardest part had been Sarah's trying to say goodbye
to her family. Although she didn't wish to hurt them, she knew it
was too late to reveal to them the secret which had been locked in her
soul for almost four years. Sarah had simply told her family
she must leave, she could explain no further, and that she was
exceedingly sorry... what else could she do?
"I'm ready, Mar," Sarah said quietly.
She and her roommate hugged lightly. "Like I said before, I'm gonna
miss you."
"Thanks... I'll miss you too."
"Well," Marissa said, half smiling, half crying, "Say it... say the
words."
"Ok, Marissa, yeesh," Sarah, then held out her arms to
her roommate again, who hugged Sarah and then squeezed her, sobbing.
Sarah didn't let go until Marissa had finally calmed down. The two
girls separated several minutes later, and Sarah slowly walked over
to the other side of the small room to stand beside her large
trunk. "Well," she began as tears of both sadness and joy at the
same time ran from the corners of her eyes. "I guess this is
goodbye." She leaned down to pick up a small, unpacked object. The
brunette stood up, and , clutching her red leather "Labyrinth" book
to her chest, turned to her friend.
"You're completely ready, then?" Marissa asked.
"Yes, Marissa."
"I hope you and Jareth are happy," Marissa said sincerely.
"Thank you, I know we will be," Sarah replied.
'I am so sure I will be,' Sarah thought to herself. 'In his arms is
the only place I will ever want to be.' "Well, alright then... here
goes." Sarah held her breath for a moment, then released from her
lips the words she knew to be the most fulfilling she would ever
utter. "I wish for Jareth, King of the Goblins, to come to and take
me away... right now."
especially now that the chapters will be longer.
@)------
"Stephan, where are we?" Aislinn asked as she gazed around at the
forest of huge trees.
"The Land of the Howlers," the Eastern Fey King replied,
helping the petite girl to her feet.
"How far are we from the herb?"
"Well, I'm not sure. The last time I came here with Jareth was about
twenty years ago. But what I am sure of is that we need to find the
Red Chive and get out of here before-"
A faint howl sounded in the distance, and Aislinn
shuddered. "Before what, Stephan?" she asked nervously as she
unconsciously grabbed his hand.
"Before the Howlers come," he replied. He sighed. "I knew this would
happen. I'm sorry... in the rush of things, I didn't tell you, but,
you're scared, aren't you?"
Aislinn looked at him strangely. "Yes, Stephan, but what-"
"The Howlers can sense your fear. They can sense any emotion you
posses, and they'll entertain it."
"I don't understand."
The Eastern Fey King knelt down and looked into Aislinn's emerald eyes
with his own. His face was dead serious. "Aislinn, listen to me.
The Howlers will become whatever you imagine them to be, so if you
imagine them to be fierce and frightening, they'll conform to that."
"That's... eerie," Aislinn replied, as she could find no other way to
describe it.
"Well that's the way this kingdom is," replied Stephan, smiling
slightly. "I suppose you just have to get used to it."
"Yes, I suppose so..."
Stephan's face suddenly became solemn again as Aislinn gazed at
him. "But now we must find the herb. We haven't much time, and
Jareth's life depends on it."
* * * *
Stephan and Aislinn walked along quietly, each thinking of Jareth,
but in quite different ways. Aislinn gazed slowly around the forest
as her mind drifted from Jareth to his younger brother. Stephan
turned his head to gaze down at Aislinn, noticing the way the soft
sunlight shimmered on her auburn hair.
Suddenly the couple's thoughts were pierced as their heads jerked up
to the sight of a huge wolfish creature jumping directly out in front
of them. Aislinn gasped as its gigantic emerald dragon wings upon
its hairy back began to flap in rage, and was about to turn and bolt
when Stephan grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Aislinn, remember
what I told you!" The Eastern Fey King warned urgently as he watched
the beast slowly begin to advance.
"Yes, Stephan, but- but how?! How do I imagine *him * to be sweet
and gentle?! It's..." She gulped, looking up into his desperate
emerald eyes. "It's impossible," she whispered.
Stephan looked up from the Aislinn in horror to see the monster
about to lunge. "Aislinn, you must do it *now *!!"
"Ok, Stephan, I- I'll try," she whispered. The young girl squeezed
her eyes shut desperately trying with al her might to imagine the
howler as just the opposite as what he appeared.
"Aislinn!" Stephan screamed as the creature changed positions and
began its descent, flying closer and closer. If she was going to do
this, she was going to have to do it immediately.
* * * *
Aislinn hesitantly lowered her arms and opened her eyes. One can
imagine how struck with surprise she was to find sitting up atop the
creature's back. "Stephan! Get off there!" Aislinn screamed as she
jumped back in alarm.
"Don't worry, Aislinn," the Eastern Fey King replied. "You did a
good job. He won't hurt you now, will you, Hank?"
Aislinn smiled up at Stephan's dark emerald eyes and within gasped..
his eyes.. did.. something to her. But she shook it off and smiled
shyly up at him. "Hank?"
Stephan shrugged casually. "That's what Jareth calls him."
"Did he tell you that?"
"No, Hank did," Stephan replied nonchalantly.
The young girl's jaw dropped. "You can do that?" she asked in
amazement.
"Yes, and soon you'll be able to as well, Aislinn," Stephan replied,
smiling.
"I can't imagine having that kind of power," Aislinn whispered.
Stephan just smiled again and replied, "Neither could I almost 800
years ago, but come on- hop on."
"What- where are we going?"
"Hank knows where the patch of Red Chive is, and he agreed
immediately to take us there after I told him about Jareth."
A feeling of intense relief washed over the young girl as she climbed
onto Hank's back behind Stephan. "Ready?" the Eastern Fey King asked,
turning halfway around. She nodded, grasping the Howler's dark brown
fur.
Stephan immediately focused his eyes on the creature's head.
Within an instant, the Howler's wings began to flap, and before
Aislinn knew it, they were high in the air with the Land of the
Howlers rushing in colors of emerald below them.
@)------
Talius sat at the desk of the study within the Goblin Castle, trying
desperately to concentrate on the papers in front of him, but unable
to keep his mind off Jareth. Under the direction of the doctor, the
goblins had
managed to keep from destroying the place while Jareth
was "unavilable". Talius had taken dinner that night, but was to be
found by the goblin cook simply picking at his grilled spinach and
carrot salad. Several goblins then "excused" themselves from the
table then, jumping up and exclaiming, "We gotta go, Lord Talius!" He
sighed again. He could use some of his own headache medicine right
about now.
When the goblins reached their destination, there were already several
creatures crowded into the tiny space of packed dirt. "Why are we
here, anyway?" asked one blue scaly goblin. "It's not like the King
can do anything if we aren't, and besides, no one is going to say the
words."
"Stop talking like that!" a green furry goblin reprimanded.
"The King will live! Remember what Lord Stephan said? He's out
getting the herb right now, and besides, how do you know no one will
say the words? We've had *two* girls wish *themselves* away in the
past three years! King Jareth will be very upset if he learns we
weren't listening, especially for Sarah, for she swore she would come
back after she got her thoughts together and everything... whatever
that means. The goblins scratched his had in confusion. "I'm not sure
*why* the King *wants* another human girl here, but-"
"Oh come on!" the first goblin interrupted. "And why are you sad
about this? Do you not remember how King Jareth treated us?! I, for
one, think we'd be better off without him!"
The rest of the goblins gasped. They couldn't imagine one of their
own saying such things abut His Majesty. Sure, he didn't treat them
that well, but he was their King, and besides, if he did die, there
was no heir. Jareth had no children, meaning they would be
rulerless... This frightened them, for as little as they wanted to
admit it, they needed to be ruled, and they knew it.
Suddenly one of the goblins perked its ears. "Shh! Listen...."
* * * * *
On her tiny bed in her dorm, Sarah lay staring up at her statue of the
Goblin King that she held gently above her head. 'Oh Jareth... why
have I waited a whole month?' Sarah didn't know the answer to her own
question. She supposed she simply had to get used to and accept the
fact that she was leaving the world she had known for over nineteen
years. She had been born and grew up on earth. She knew she had to
leave it all behind now and try not to look back. She wanted this
new life so badly and she knew her heart would break if she wasn't
with Jareth for the rest ofher life... however long that would be
now. Sarah knew Jareth was over 500 years old.
Suddenly, Sarah's roommate Marissa burst through the door in her usual
hurricane-esque manner. "Sarah," she breathed, catching her
breath. "You're still here?" She sounded confused, though a slight
tone of relief could be hinted in her voice. "I though you would
have called Jareth by now."
"I'm about to, Mar."
"Oh, well-" her friend paused. "Good..."
The brunette leaned to finish packing her belongings, remembering her
return to the Labyrinth approximately nine months ago; the previous
December. Her freshmen year in college- she never thought it would
change her life so dramatically. Nothing had seemed to have any
point until the Goblin King's return in her life. Back in Jareth's
kingdom, Sarah had finally realized her true purpose in life.
Sarah remembered staring into Jareth's longing azure and hazel eyes
on the night of her return to the Labyrinth. That night she had seen
true love in his eyes... the love she had mistook for desperation as
a fifteen-year-old girl. She remembered how she had seen Jareth
sitting so lonely by his window, whispering her name. She remembered
how he had so gently placed her head on his shoulder as they embraced
and watched the moon rise over the Labyrinth. But most of all, Sarah
remembered how deeply she had fallen in love with him that night.
Sarah now concluded that indeed, her only reason for temporarily
returning to earth a month ago was to bid farewell to her world of
her birth. Sarah would do the same to her friends... if she had any.
Of course, there was Marissa. She knew- she had witnessed it all in
Jareth's crystal. When Sarah first wished herself back, she wanted
to leave something just in case she became endangered. She still hadn't
been sure who Jareth was. Now she knew for sure. She had solved his
Labyrinth- again- and as she reached the castle, he was nowhere to be
seen. Of course, Sarah had found him in his bedroom, by the window.
Now, Marissa was the only person Sarah could
confide in. The hardest part had been Sarah's trying to say goodbye
to her family. Although she didn't wish to hurt them, she knew it
was too late to reveal to them the secret which had been locked in her
soul for almost four years. Sarah had simply told her family
she must leave, she could explain no further, and that she was
exceedingly sorry... what else could she do?
"I'm ready, Mar," Sarah said quietly.
She and her roommate hugged lightly. "Like I said before, I'm gonna
miss you."
"Thanks... I'll miss you too."
"Well," Marissa said, half smiling, half crying, "Say it... say the
words."
"Ok, Marissa, yeesh," Sarah, then held out her arms to
her roommate again, who hugged Sarah and then squeezed her, sobbing.
Sarah didn't let go until Marissa had finally calmed down. The two
girls separated several minutes later, and Sarah slowly walked over
to the other side of the small room to stand beside her large
trunk. "Well," she began as tears of both sadness and joy at the
same time ran from the corners of her eyes. "I guess this is
goodbye." She leaned down to pick up a small, unpacked object. The
brunette stood up, and , clutching her red leather "Labyrinth" book
to her chest, turned to her friend.
"You're completely ready, then?" Marissa asked.
"Yes, Marissa."
"I hope you and Jareth are happy," Marissa said sincerely.
"Thank you, I know we will be," Sarah replied.
'I am so sure I will be,' Sarah thought to herself. 'In his arms is
the only place I will ever want to be.' "Well, alright then... here
goes." Sarah held her breath for a moment, then released from her
lips the words she knew to be the most fulfilling she would ever
utter. "I wish for Jareth, King of the Goblins, to come to and take
me away... right now."
