Disclaimer: Not mine, though David Bowie is my hero… Cause he is just that
cool.
Comments, flames and love letters can all be sent to the review box please. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Chapter 5: Arden's Tree
The sun was shining brightly and the birds sang songs of spring and joy. It was completely depressing Jareth. He sat under the tree, looking somewhat less then regal. His daughter had shown up and demanded that he meet her under the tree in the middle of the Glade just a few hours ago. Arden had been adamant about it and for the first time in his life he didn't argue the point.
He just went for some reason, not sure of what the child had in store but he was anxious to get it over with. He had promised himself that he would spend more time with Sarah, she was growing distant, and more cross every day. A month in the castle of the Goblin King was enough to make anyone cross, but she had seemed so mellow and sweet when she came, he was sure that she would have adjusted by now. Of course, the best-laid plans are often lead astray and he was sure that he was doomed to be with this moody woman for the rest of his life with no respite.
Sitting under the tree was making his legs protest, but he was in complete control of his body and he urged them to be quiet, Arden would arrive soon and everything would be over with.
Arden did not arrive soon, she waited in the underbrush, in the disguise of the smallest animal she could morph into. She was anxious and didn't want to confront her father just yet, he was always so difficult to deal with, and today would be no exception. She morphed into her Fae form and walked to the tree. She smiled at him, his greeting was the smile and nod that was customary. "Why have you called me here today, Arden?"
She looked at him, and bit her lip. "Papa, I have to talk to you about something that you aren't going to like."
He looked at his daughter for a moment as if she were an interesting bug. She was always bringing up things that he wasn't going to like. He wasn't happy about her taking over the glade, or the first time she got married, or when she decided that she would rule alone. He wasn't usually happy about anything, but his daughter's happiness was important to him. He wondered if she was pregnant, that would be lovely. He would lose another woman he loved. He dreaded these meetings with her. They always put him on the defensive. She was so much like her mother, always walking on tiptoes around him until she finally just talked herself into spewing whatever information she had like a tidal wave until he was drowning. He missed her mother, if Annalisa had been there perhaps he would have been a better father, perhaps they would have been closer, perhaps he would understand her better, he thought that it was a possibility but far to late to find out whether or not it would have mattered. His daughter was a powerful woman now, and there was little he could say to dissuade her from what she wanted to do. Even if he didn't like it.
"Just tell me what is wrong, girl, I will be happy to help in any way I can."
"I don't think you can help with this." She said enigmatically.
"Get on with it, Arden."
She nodded and paced. She'd been thinking about this for days, but how to approach it. She took a deep breath. "Mama was reincarnated." There it was said. It wasn't everything, but it was enough to get his interest peeked, hopefully.
He stood his eye's wide. "Where, who? How do you know?" He started to pace himself.
"Papa, Sarah has been the only woman to beat the Labyrinth in any of the annuals right?"
"Yes, what does that have to do with anything."
"Sarah also came through the void with out any protest from the Labyrinth, even children trying to beat her get protest, and usually have at least a headache."
"Yes," Jareth was being extremely dense all of a sudden. His brain refused to make the connections that his heart had been making for weeks.
"But this fifteen year old girl, who read a book, managed to get here with no side effects made friends with a Rock Caller, a Dwarf and a Fox and then beat your Labyrinth, with you trying to stop her, even blatantly cheating. Perhaps she got a little help."
"Yes, from the Rock Caller and the Dwarf."
"No, I mean, the only people that I have ever known to be able to go through the Labyrinth with out being hurt was someone that knew the way very well." Arden was waiting for it to sink it. She didn't feel like just handing over the information for him to inspect.
Jareth took in this information and was confused even more by it. "So, Sarah is the reincarnation of your mother? How did that happen?"
"How does anything happen, Papa? The Mother decided that she needed to be reincarnated for some reason. Good grief, don't look a gift Pegasus in the mouth." Arden frowned and shook her head at her father. He was being exceptionally dense. He looked at her blankly. "King Jareth Le Fae, the woman that you have brought to the Labyrinth with no recourse is none other then the reincarnated soul of your past wife. The only woman you have ever loved before. Good grief! Do I have to spell it out for you, man! You don't have to be guilt ridden anymore! You can be happy with her!"
Jareth stared at his daughter, digesting. This was incredible news, but what did Sarah think of it. He didn't want her to think that she was just a replacement, even if, in a sense she was. It wasn't her fault that she was once Annalisa Kildalton, wife to the Goblin King, mother of the Druid Chieftain. "What should I do?"
The sigh that Arden gave him was hard enough to sail ships. "Go to her you stupid man!" With that she disappeared in a shower of glitter and light. Leaving her father to make his own mistakes. It would at least be fun to watch.
Comments, flames and love letters can all be sent to the review box please. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Chapter 5: Arden's Tree
The sun was shining brightly and the birds sang songs of spring and joy. It was completely depressing Jareth. He sat under the tree, looking somewhat less then regal. His daughter had shown up and demanded that he meet her under the tree in the middle of the Glade just a few hours ago. Arden had been adamant about it and for the first time in his life he didn't argue the point.
He just went for some reason, not sure of what the child had in store but he was anxious to get it over with. He had promised himself that he would spend more time with Sarah, she was growing distant, and more cross every day. A month in the castle of the Goblin King was enough to make anyone cross, but she had seemed so mellow and sweet when she came, he was sure that she would have adjusted by now. Of course, the best-laid plans are often lead astray and he was sure that he was doomed to be with this moody woman for the rest of his life with no respite.
Sitting under the tree was making his legs protest, but he was in complete control of his body and he urged them to be quiet, Arden would arrive soon and everything would be over with.
Arden did not arrive soon, she waited in the underbrush, in the disguise of the smallest animal she could morph into. She was anxious and didn't want to confront her father just yet, he was always so difficult to deal with, and today would be no exception. She morphed into her Fae form and walked to the tree. She smiled at him, his greeting was the smile and nod that was customary. "Why have you called me here today, Arden?"
She looked at him, and bit her lip. "Papa, I have to talk to you about something that you aren't going to like."
He looked at his daughter for a moment as if she were an interesting bug. She was always bringing up things that he wasn't going to like. He wasn't happy about her taking over the glade, or the first time she got married, or when she decided that she would rule alone. He wasn't usually happy about anything, but his daughter's happiness was important to him. He wondered if she was pregnant, that would be lovely. He would lose another woman he loved. He dreaded these meetings with her. They always put him on the defensive. She was so much like her mother, always walking on tiptoes around him until she finally just talked herself into spewing whatever information she had like a tidal wave until he was drowning. He missed her mother, if Annalisa had been there perhaps he would have been a better father, perhaps they would have been closer, perhaps he would understand her better, he thought that it was a possibility but far to late to find out whether or not it would have mattered. His daughter was a powerful woman now, and there was little he could say to dissuade her from what she wanted to do. Even if he didn't like it.
"Just tell me what is wrong, girl, I will be happy to help in any way I can."
"I don't think you can help with this." She said enigmatically.
"Get on with it, Arden."
She nodded and paced. She'd been thinking about this for days, but how to approach it. She took a deep breath. "Mama was reincarnated." There it was said. It wasn't everything, but it was enough to get his interest peeked, hopefully.
He stood his eye's wide. "Where, who? How do you know?" He started to pace himself.
"Papa, Sarah has been the only woman to beat the Labyrinth in any of the annuals right?"
"Yes, what does that have to do with anything."
"Sarah also came through the void with out any protest from the Labyrinth, even children trying to beat her get protest, and usually have at least a headache."
"Yes," Jareth was being extremely dense all of a sudden. His brain refused to make the connections that his heart had been making for weeks.
"But this fifteen year old girl, who read a book, managed to get here with no side effects made friends with a Rock Caller, a Dwarf and a Fox and then beat your Labyrinth, with you trying to stop her, even blatantly cheating. Perhaps she got a little help."
"Yes, from the Rock Caller and the Dwarf."
"No, I mean, the only people that I have ever known to be able to go through the Labyrinth with out being hurt was someone that knew the way very well." Arden was waiting for it to sink it. She didn't feel like just handing over the information for him to inspect.
Jareth took in this information and was confused even more by it. "So, Sarah is the reincarnation of your mother? How did that happen?"
"How does anything happen, Papa? The Mother decided that she needed to be reincarnated for some reason. Good grief, don't look a gift Pegasus in the mouth." Arden frowned and shook her head at her father. He was being exceptionally dense. He looked at her blankly. "King Jareth Le Fae, the woman that you have brought to the Labyrinth with no recourse is none other then the reincarnated soul of your past wife. The only woman you have ever loved before. Good grief! Do I have to spell it out for you, man! You don't have to be guilt ridden anymore! You can be happy with her!"
Jareth stared at his daughter, digesting. This was incredible news, but what did Sarah think of it. He didn't want her to think that she was just a replacement, even if, in a sense she was. It wasn't her fault that she was once Annalisa Kildalton, wife to the Goblin King, mother of the Druid Chieftain. "What should I do?"
The sigh that Arden gave him was hard enough to sail ships. "Go to her you stupid man!" With that she disappeared in a shower of glitter and light. Leaving her father to make his own mistakes. It would at least be fun to watch.