Disclaimer: not mine, copyright Labyrinth Enterprises (at least, that's what it says on my copy of the movie), and Monty Python and the Holy Grail', copyright The National Film Trustee Corporation Limited. No copyright infringement intended. Not making money of this. Thank you Mr. Jim Henson way up high for creating such loveliness, thank you Pythons for being so marvelously loony.
Gnome jokes and references either inspired by or pinched from Mr. David Bowie's 1967 song 'The Laughing Gnome". No copyright infringement intended, just being an inspired fan here.
The song of the clouds is all me.
Enjoy
Ramowen
Diamond Tears
5. Of Evil Fay And Happy Gnomes
When my soul takes flight
Where rain is trapped no longer
I shall go
I shall be free
In a place where tears are not held back
And the rage of fire may be healed
I shall go
I shall be free
The language of her trapped clouds was one Enalkyrah still did not understand. She heard them whispering on the edge of her consciousness and found the sound of their voices somewhat pleasing, but the actual words she could not make out. Besides, she was too tired, too spent, to waste her meager energy on something as trivial as the song of young clouds.
Oh you beautiful ones
With hearts pierced by lightning
Haven't you learned
Freedom lies in letting go?
In flying with the wind
In letting the thunder out
In meeting the other
In riding the storm
Enalkyrah needed power to keep her floating castle flying, to keep dominance over those who served her, willingly, enchanted or enslaved. She needed power to maintain the spells of bitterness and anger over those she once regarded as family. A spell she to her dismay found in tatters. Her Mirror of Magic had shown it to her. Mother and son, after three hundred years, talking. Not shouting, arguing, accusing. Talking.
At least she was spared the defeat of their embrace! If up to her, they never would.
Leaning back in her marble chair in front of her mirror, Enalkyrah pondered the hopes she now had and the dangers she feared. All because of one silly little human girl with more damn luck than she deserved!
Enalkyrah lay her right hand over her heart and stilled herself. This would not do. If even -she- was falling under the Woman-child's spell, what hope did she have in destroying Jareth?
This Woman-Child. Trusting and therefore being trusted. Caring- and therefore unraveling the spell of bitterness Enalkyrah had woven. Forging lasting friendships- And being so naive that those around her reacted with awe.
Courageous and strong willed-
A feast to break!
Not kill- the spur of the moment spell over the ghost-horses had been a mistake. Jareth had noticed something wrong. Azurmandi had deemed it necessary to protect the child- It had seemed a good idea, though. Think, just think of the Kings horror and anguish to find the child killed by the untamed horses -he- would have brought her!
No. No direct approach. Not again. But it would take an enormous amount of power to carry out what had formed in her mind originally- and it still might not work!
In the back of the vault was a little gap in the wall, just above the floor. In front of it there lay a plate and an empty flask. Enalkyrah sighed, performing the only menial task she would entrust no other. She ungloved her fine, elegant hands, picked up the flask and filled it with crystal clear water from a tap in the wall. Out of a rack next to the tab she picked a loaf of stale bread, blew over it so it would be warm and smelled invitingly. She put the bread on the plate and the flask beside it, but shoved both backwards. And waited.
It was never a long wait- not anymore.
A sound. Moving, a scraping over the floor. A smothered cough. A labored breath. Nails searching the wall for the opening.
Enalkyrah kneeled silently next to the gap.
A gray-white mess of scars and ancient bandages groped for the bread. Enalkyrah caught the mockery of a hand within her own, disregarded the terrified hauls on the other side of the wall and held on.
Sunlight, a meadow, laughter, darkness, darkness, fire. Hatred! Power- energy strength. She drained it all from him. It flooded through her veins, invaded her mind, made her head light, her muscles unclench and the world so much easier to bare. She laughed, joylessly, hysterically.
The being on the other side screamed and felt his strength stolen. There was no mind there, only pain and anguish. The screaming stopped, soft whimpering wrenched from the creature.
Not planning on it's death, Enalkyrah let go.
She stood, straighter, taller. Silver strands of energy flickered over he body and she held her hands up to her face, laughing, watched them shine with their again powerful aura. The hand weakly searched for the food, and obliging it she kicked it through the gap.
"My- I am surprised at you- So much memories still, old fool?" Her voice turned venomous. "Still not mad enough eh? Still hoping to return to the light? They won't come for you- they will never come for you. They have forgotten you!"
No reaction from the dark. Enalkyrah had not expected one. She went back to her seat in front of the mirror to start another search. She did not notice the soft sounds of muffled crying.
Once again in front of the mirror, the Grey Witch grounded herself. Feet a little apart, hands on the armrests, back straight. Concentrating.
Another plan was needed. A trap for him was set, but he might escape. A trap for the girl to break her- to bring her under a spell. To end it all, if necessary. A plot within a plot. A plan behind a plan.
"Mirror mine,
"Show me dine
"Show me
"Where I need to be
An image appeared. A restless cold sea, forever attacking a barren split of land, a smoking island near the end of the world.
Enalkyrah nodded.
"Castle tall
"Hall's so clear
"Take me there
"Bring me near
Slowly the walls and towers obeyed the command of their mistress and began the journey.
But now the harder task. To find with her mind yet another key to the kingdom. So many uncertainties- He would work for her though- the price was right. If the price would be his.
Concentrate!
Back, back the mind is cast, the inner eye unveiled. Out the cry goes to far beyond. Down through the clouds, over the desert past the Labyrinth. Away from the Goblin City and It's castle, away from the gardens and down again. Down along the cliffs and over the valley, down alongside the river away from the lake. The forest deep and silent and dark even in daytime. One clearing, silver dancing. The call.
"Glanconer!"
A memory interfering.
"You are so stubborn sometimes, just like your father."
Oh- if he but -were- just like his father!
"Glanconer! Don't tease me. Come!"
One eye blue, one eye brown with golden highlights, in pain.
Hers or his?
"Glanconer!"
Two blue eyes- the horror of betrayal, the pain of scorching flesh, eyes turning white and blind-
Past the memory- truly in the glade, calling.
"Glanconer."
A mist of darkest green, rising from the mosses, purple highlights, nightshade blue.
"Come to me."
Mist condensing to a slender body of mythical beauty, naked in the shadow, silver dust dancing. Sharp features, a stance like a man, but a smile like a reptile. Light from within, flashes of it crowning him, eruptions of energy.
A voice soft and sweet as honey, seductively whispering, the voice of the Love Talker.
"Who calls for me?"
In his mind the answer came and he smiled. Onyx black eyes turned to the sky.
"In twilight, my Queen, we -shall- meet."
"Look- what was your name again?
"Ludo."
"Look, Ludo- you can't go after them. They are going to fast and they are too far already. You won't be able to find them, you don't even know where to start looking!"
The townspeople, startled from their normal daily life by the mad dash of the Aughiskies, tried to comfort the poor friendly monster that had been left behind. They huddled around and gave too many good advises and Ludo understood none of them. Neither was he willing to take any. He pointed at Ambrosius and said stubbornly "Friend knows find friends!"
Ambrosius enthusiastically sniffed the road, pointed professionally one paw lifted and his nose in the right direction. Finally understanding talking to Ludo, or trying to distract him, was of no use, they cursed the King, fed the beast and his dog, gave him something in a -large- knapsack for along the way and waved the unlikely pair goodbye.
Nose to the ground, Ambrosius took the lead and the both of them went the direction of where the sun would set.
"Thou art truly a mighty Enchanter, oh Tim, to catch us like you did!" Didymus said, trodding alongside of the tall magician.
"Yes, we are really grateful-" added Sarah.
"Ach- I would wish that were truth, lassie, Sir knight. For although I am the greatest with -this- (another couple of rocks were blasted with a wave of the wand and a bang) I am by no means powerful enough to protect ye from such a tumble. No- that was Fay magic- fer sure."
"Fay magic- did you say -Fay- magic."
"You don't hear so well, lassie?"
Hoggle grunted. "She hears just fine! But if this was Fay magic then somebody we know must be watching us and we don't likes that!"
Sarah fell silent, walking behind the Enchanter and next to the Dwarf. She should -not- like it now, shouldn't she? On the other hand- a certain Fay looking after her… No- but spying on them was certainly not beneath him. Still, he did not seem to want any of them to get hurt. A concern apparently different from the last time she was struggling through the Labyrinth, now wasn't it?
Meanwhile, Tim was bragging about a fight he had witnessed between a group of silly knights and a rabbit with nasty big pointy teeth. And how after the battle the knights had passed the cave of Cair Bennoch where the rabbit had lived, to find the bridge on the other side. A monster had once stalked those caves, an ugly thing with a tremendous amount of eyes- but it had vanished mysteriously and now a colony of gnomes inhabited them.
"In yesteryear all of this lay strewn with the bones of no less then fifty men! That was how evil this monster was!"
Sarah looked down upon a neatly kept field of gravel, with shrubbery's at the sides. A couple of old gray and scarlet clad gnomes sat on a bench, drinking ale, chuckling and watching over some tiny young ones. The gnome children were playing some miniature version of cricket. It all looked extremely neat and peaceful, especially in the middle of these desolate hills.
"You mean the rabbit-" Sarah asked.
"A vile creature!"
"The rabbit."
Didymus shivered as if he were talking about some bogy-man type of monster and whispered with awe "A white one."
"Quite-" Sarah deadpanned. Perhaps there were some ferocious rabbits in Underground- just like biting fairies.
Tim turned to Sarah. "This me dear, is where I tell you goodbye. And good luck."
Without waiting for an answer or any other word of thanks, Tim turned away, walked a few paces, spread his arms and disappeared in a column of fire. The same instance Sarah saw him appear on a hilltop quit a distance away, happily continuing with blowing up rocks.
Turning to the cave's entrance again, Sarah found herself faced with four very small boys, the most curious of the gnome children apparently. They looked up at her smiling and chuckling.
"Ello," one of them said. "Well what are you doing 'ere then? What's your name?"
Sarah smiled. "My name is Sarah, and these are my friends Sir Didymus and Hoggle. We are looking for a way to get to the Bridge of Death. We need to ask the guardian of it some questions."
"Ask 'im questions? Ask 'im questions you say?" The little gnomes started giggling.
"Well that's something else."
"Yeah, that's a laugh."
"Where are we anyway?" asked Sarah. She liked the happy little critters."
"Gnomansland, off course."
"O good-" Hoggle sighed relieved. "They are Laughing Gnomes."
"Well, you people better come inside, 'ave a talk to me dad then."
"Yeah- an' 'ave a cup 'o tea."
"Tell us all about yourselves."
Sarah chuckled. This would be fun.
Gnome jokes and references either inspired by or pinched from Mr. David Bowie's 1967 song 'The Laughing Gnome". No copyright infringement intended, just being an inspired fan here.
The song of the clouds is all me.
Enjoy
Ramowen
Diamond Tears
5. Of Evil Fay And Happy Gnomes
When my soul takes flight
Where rain is trapped no longer
I shall go
I shall be free
In a place where tears are not held back
And the rage of fire may be healed
I shall go
I shall be free
The language of her trapped clouds was one Enalkyrah still did not understand. She heard them whispering on the edge of her consciousness and found the sound of their voices somewhat pleasing, but the actual words she could not make out. Besides, she was too tired, too spent, to waste her meager energy on something as trivial as the song of young clouds.
Oh you beautiful ones
With hearts pierced by lightning
Haven't you learned
Freedom lies in letting go?
In flying with the wind
In letting the thunder out
In meeting the other
In riding the storm
Enalkyrah needed power to keep her floating castle flying, to keep dominance over those who served her, willingly, enchanted or enslaved. She needed power to maintain the spells of bitterness and anger over those she once regarded as family. A spell she to her dismay found in tatters. Her Mirror of Magic had shown it to her. Mother and son, after three hundred years, talking. Not shouting, arguing, accusing. Talking.
At least she was spared the defeat of their embrace! If up to her, they never would.
Leaning back in her marble chair in front of her mirror, Enalkyrah pondered the hopes she now had and the dangers she feared. All because of one silly little human girl with more damn luck than she deserved!
Enalkyrah lay her right hand over her heart and stilled herself. This would not do. If even -she- was falling under the Woman-child's spell, what hope did she have in destroying Jareth?
This Woman-Child. Trusting and therefore being trusted. Caring- and therefore unraveling the spell of bitterness Enalkyrah had woven. Forging lasting friendships- And being so naive that those around her reacted with awe.
Courageous and strong willed-
A feast to break!
Not kill- the spur of the moment spell over the ghost-horses had been a mistake. Jareth had noticed something wrong. Azurmandi had deemed it necessary to protect the child- It had seemed a good idea, though. Think, just think of the Kings horror and anguish to find the child killed by the untamed horses -he- would have brought her!
No. No direct approach. Not again. But it would take an enormous amount of power to carry out what had formed in her mind originally- and it still might not work!
In the back of the vault was a little gap in the wall, just above the floor. In front of it there lay a plate and an empty flask. Enalkyrah sighed, performing the only menial task she would entrust no other. She ungloved her fine, elegant hands, picked up the flask and filled it with crystal clear water from a tap in the wall. Out of a rack next to the tab she picked a loaf of stale bread, blew over it so it would be warm and smelled invitingly. She put the bread on the plate and the flask beside it, but shoved both backwards. And waited.
It was never a long wait- not anymore.
A sound. Moving, a scraping over the floor. A smothered cough. A labored breath. Nails searching the wall for the opening.
Enalkyrah kneeled silently next to the gap.
A gray-white mess of scars and ancient bandages groped for the bread. Enalkyrah caught the mockery of a hand within her own, disregarded the terrified hauls on the other side of the wall and held on.
Sunlight, a meadow, laughter, darkness, darkness, fire. Hatred! Power- energy strength. She drained it all from him. It flooded through her veins, invaded her mind, made her head light, her muscles unclench and the world so much easier to bare. She laughed, joylessly, hysterically.
The being on the other side screamed and felt his strength stolen. There was no mind there, only pain and anguish. The screaming stopped, soft whimpering wrenched from the creature.
Not planning on it's death, Enalkyrah let go.
She stood, straighter, taller. Silver strands of energy flickered over he body and she held her hands up to her face, laughing, watched them shine with their again powerful aura. The hand weakly searched for the food, and obliging it she kicked it through the gap.
"My- I am surprised at you- So much memories still, old fool?" Her voice turned venomous. "Still not mad enough eh? Still hoping to return to the light? They won't come for you- they will never come for you. They have forgotten you!"
No reaction from the dark. Enalkyrah had not expected one. She went back to her seat in front of the mirror to start another search. She did not notice the soft sounds of muffled crying.
Once again in front of the mirror, the Grey Witch grounded herself. Feet a little apart, hands on the armrests, back straight. Concentrating.
Another plan was needed. A trap for him was set, but he might escape. A trap for the girl to break her- to bring her under a spell. To end it all, if necessary. A plot within a plot. A plan behind a plan.
"Mirror mine,
"Show me dine
"Show me
"Where I need to be
An image appeared. A restless cold sea, forever attacking a barren split of land, a smoking island near the end of the world.
Enalkyrah nodded.
"Castle tall
"Hall's so clear
"Take me there
"Bring me near
Slowly the walls and towers obeyed the command of their mistress and began the journey.
But now the harder task. To find with her mind yet another key to the kingdom. So many uncertainties- He would work for her though- the price was right. If the price would be his.
Concentrate!
Back, back the mind is cast, the inner eye unveiled. Out the cry goes to far beyond. Down through the clouds, over the desert past the Labyrinth. Away from the Goblin City and It's castle, away from the gardens and down again. Down along the cliffs and over the valley, down alongside the river away from the lake. The forest deep and silent and dark even in daytime. One clearing, silver dancing. The call.
"Glanconer!"
A memory interfering.
"You are so stubborn sometimes, just like your father."
Oh- if he but -were- just like his father!
"Glanconer! Don't tease me. Come!"
One eye blue, one eye brown with golden highlights, in pain.
Hers or his?
"Glanconer!"
Two blue eyes- the horror of betrayal, the pain of scorching flesh, eyes turning white and blind-
Past the memory- truly in the glade, calling.
"Glanconer."
A mist of darkest green, rising from the mosses, purple highlights, nightshade blue.
"Come to me."
Mist condensing to a slender body of mythical beauty, naked in the shadow, silver dust dancing. Sharp features, a stance like a man, but a smile like a reptile. Light from within, flashes of it crowning him, eruptions of energy.
A voice soft and sweet as honey, seductively whispering, the voice of the Love Talker.
"Who calls for me?"
In his mind the answer came and he smiled. Onyx black eyes turned to the sky.
"In twilight, my Queen, we -shall- meet."
"Look- what was your name again?
"Ludo."
"Look, Ludo- you can't go after them. They are going to fast and they are too far already. You won't be able to find them, you don't even know where to start looking!"
The townspeople, startled from their normal daily life by the mad dash of the Aughiskies, tried to comfort the poor friendly monster that had been left behind. They huddled around and gave too many good advises and Ludo understood none of them. Neither was he willing to take any. He pointed at Ambrosius and said stubbornly "Friend knows find friends!"
Ambrosius enthusiastically sniffed the road, pointed professionally one paw lifted and his nose in the right direction. Finally understanding talking to Ludo, or trying to distract him, was of no use, they cursed the King, fed the beast and his dog, gave him something in a -large- knapsack for along the way and waved the unlikely pair goodbye.
Nose to the ground, Ambrosius took the lead and the both of them went the direction of where the sun would set.
"Thou art truly a mighty Enchanter, oh Tim, to catch us like you did!" Didymus said, trodding alongside of the tall magician.
"Yes, we are really grateful-" added Sarah.
"Ach- I would wish that were truth, lassie, Sir knight. For although I am the greatest with -this- (another couple of rocks were blasted with a wave of the wand and a bang) I am by no means powerful enough to protect ye from such a tumble. No- that was Fay magic- fer sure."
"Fay magic- did you say -Fay- magic."
"You don't hear so well, lassie?"
Hoggle grunted. "She hears just fine! But if this was Fay magic then somebody we know must be watching us and we don't likes that!"
Sarah fell silent, walking behind the Enchanter and next to the Dwarf. She should -not- like it now, shouldn't she? On the other hand- a certain Fay looking after her… No- but spying on them was certainly not beneath him. Still, he did not seem to want any of them to get hurt. A concern apparently different from the last time she was struggling through the Labyrinth, now wasn't it?
Meanwhile, Tim was bragging about a fight he had witnessed between a group of silly knights and a rabbit with nasty big pointy teeth. And how after the battle the knights had passed the cave of Cair Bennoch where the rabbit had lived, to find the bridge on the other side. A monster had once stalked those caves, an ugly thing with a tremendous amount of eyes- but it had vanished mysteriously and now a colony of gnomes inhabited them.
"In yesteryear all of this lay strewn with the bones of no less then fifty men! That was how evil this monster was!"
Sarah looked down upon a neatly kept field of gravel, with shrubbery's at the sides. A couple of old gray and scarlet clad gnomes sat on a bench, drinking ale, chuckling and watching over some tiny young ones. The gnome children were playing some miniature version of cricket. It all looked extremely neat and peaceful, especially in the middle of these desolate hills.
"You mean the rabbit-" Sarah asked.
"A vile creature!"
"The rabbit."
Didymus shivered as if he were talking about some bogy-man type of monster and whispered with awe "A white one."
"Quite-" Sarah deadpanned. Perhaps there were some ferocious rabbits in Underground- just like biting fairies.
Tim turned to Sarah. "This me dear, is where I tell you goodbye. And good luck."
Without waiting for an answer or any other word of thanks, Tim turned away, walked a few paces, spread his arms and disappeared in a column of fire. The same instance Sarah saw him appear on a hilltop quit a distance away, happily continuing with blowing up rocks.
Turning to the cave's entrance again, Sarah found herself faced with four very small boys, the most curious of the gnome children apparently. They looked up at her smiling and chuckling.
"Ello," one of them said. "Well what are you doing 'ere then? What's your name?"
Sarah smiled. "My name is Sarah, and these are my friends Sir Didymus and Hoggle. We are looking for a way to get to the Bridge of Death. We need to ask the guardian of it some questions."
"Ask 'im questions? Ask 'im questions you say?" The little gnomes started giggling.
"Well that's something else."
"Yeah, that's a laugh."
"Where are we anyway?" asked Sarah. She liked the happy little critters."
"Gnomansland, off course."
"O good-" Hoggle sighed relieved. "They are Laughing Gnomes."
"Well, you people better come inside, 'ave a talk to me dad then."
"Yeah- an' 'ave a cup 'o tea."
"Tell us all about yourselves."
Sarah chuckled. This would be fun.