I had planned the next chapter to focus on Bobby, but this chapter insisted on going first.
Let me know what you think.....(beg, beg).
Standard Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.
Chapter 6--The Castle beyond the Goblin City
"Sarah," he asked softly, "I'm not a monster. Please say something; I'm becoming worried about you."
Sarah looked at Jareth, the tears that had been glimmering in her eyes started to fall and she shivered. "She-e-e-e," she stammered at first, "pushed me out the door, she couldn't wait to get rid of me. And he didn't even say anything to her." Sarah had begun to cry in earnest now.
Jareth wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry and stroking her hair to comfort her. "You should blame your Father too much. I did threaten him into not saying anything."
Sarah stared at him, "What do you mean?"
"I told him that if he did anything to try to keep your stepmother from allowing you to leave, I would leave and take Toby with me. I believe he was rather upset with her also. You see, I told him that if I could not convince her to allow you to come with me freely I would release you. He seemed content with the bargain."
"But she," Sarah began before dissolving into tears again.
Jareth comforted her for several more minutes before speaking again. "Ah, Sarah. I never meant it to be like this. I thought it would take several days to both convince your stepmother and actually make arrangements for you to go with me. When I first came I wondered if the arrangements for the Ball to be held in your honor in a week would have to be rushed."
"Ball in my honor?" Sarah said finally looking up.
"Oh course, how else would you expect your arrival to be celebrated?"
Her response totally surprised him. "Merlin."
"Merlin, your dog?" He asked in a puzzled voice.
"Yes, I bet she gets rid of him as fast. She never liked him."
"No she won't, you see he is already gone." He said, with a touch of smugness.
"Where is he? I bet she sent him to the pound him before I even came home." Sarah said with increasing anger.
"No, I sent him to my Kingdom." At Sarah's shocked face he continued. "I could see how close you were so I thought that you would want him to come with you. He also seemed very excitable so I thought that by bringing him first he could have time to get used to things."
Jareth produced a crystal "Would you like to see him?" He asked as he offered her the crystal.
"I'd rather see him in person," some her of usual stubbornness returning.
"As you wish," he threw the crystal over his shoulder. It rolled a short way on the grass before turning into a flash of light. When the light died, there was Merlin. Lying down and being brushed by Sir Didymus. Merlin was very much enjoying the attention.
Sir Didymus was speaking softly to Merlin as he brushed him. "Oh, what a fine beast you are." Before realizing that they were somewhere else.
Sarah jumped up from the bench, "Merlin," she called. Merlin nearly bowled over Sir Didymus in his eagerness to get to Sarah.
Sir Didymus got up to follow Merlin, when he saw his king he bowed "Your Majesty. Is yon fine animal not to live in the underground?"
"Yes he is, but his owner wished to see him before she herself arrived."
At first all Sir Didymus could see was Merlin all over someone seated next to Jareth, but soon she got him calmed down and he could see who it was. "My Lady." He strode over to Sarah and bowed to her.
Jareth waved a hand over them all and the park was empty.
***
Sarah and The Goblin King arrived in his throne room.
"Please stay here while I check to see if all the arrangements are ready." He said almost nervously. "You arrival at this time was most unexpected."
Sarah just stares at the room after the King leaves her. It is literally hip deep in goblins. If a goblin can stay on something without falling off, there's is a goblin on it. The only exception being the throne. Sarah is amazed; the room is so different. Last time it was a mess but totally empty.
As Jareth leaves the room he whispers to the guards standing at attention with long pikes at the entrance. "See that she stays in this room." After he passes through the passage the cross their pikes in front of the entrance.
Sarah hardly notices that Jareth has left. She is concentrating on how her stepmother had let her go. Becoming angrier and angrier, she starts to pace in front of the King's throne. Also unnoticed is the fact that despite the mass of goblins in the room, there is a constant yet shifting circle of space around her with no goblins in. Nor does she pay attention to the whisperings around her.
***
Jareth is halfway down the hall before he stops and produces a crystal. He tosses it up in the air and when it comes down again and hits the floor it is replace by a surprised looking Hoggle. "Hello, Hedgeworght."
"It's Hoggle." Hoggle sighed; he never gets his name right.
"Yes," he smiled brightly, like a cat that's gotten the canary's cage open. "I've got a new assignment for you. You remember, a few decades ago, Bobby and the child he wished away. What was her name?" Jareth paused for effect, as Hoggle became increasingly nervous. "Janie, wasn't it?"
Hoggle just nodded and began shifting his eyes around as if looking for the best route of escape.
"I made that bargain with the boy and now I've collected. I want you to help me by being her personal servant and making sure she stays out of trouble."
Hoggle has sped by panic and is now zooming straight into total doom. "How can I help you, I don't know nothing about how to look after a lady?"
"I intend to make her my Queen." He started
Hoggle muttered, "A bit young."
Jareth glared but continued, "As I was saying, I want to make her my Queen. But it will take some time. First her mother walks out on her for her career. Her father abdicates her care to stepmother who literally pushed us out the door. Then she finds out that she was given up before birth. She needs a friend to make her feel at home here. To help me win her and gain her consent. And you are just the dwarf for the job."
Hoggle just shuffled his feet but couldn't come up with the nerve to say anything.
Jareth seeing that Hoggle wasn't going along with his plan tried a different approach. "If you help me you will be rewarded." He suddenly swooped down and grabbed Hoggle's ear, "or I'll tip you head first..."
But Hoggle finishes the threat for him "...in the bog of eternal stench."
Instead of being angry at this defiance, Jareth smiles and answers conversationally. "Actually I'm considering a nest of fairies." Then changes to an angry shout, "Get into the throne room." He starts to walk away, then turns back to Hoggle. "Stay there until I return from seeing that her room is prepared and ready."
Hoggle, his shoulders slumped and in a slow shuffling walk made his way to the throne room.
Hoggle walks into the throne room under the crossed pikes of the goblins on guard duty. He hears the whisperings of the goblins and when he looks up he sees Sarah, and island in a sea of goblins. And an angrily pacing one at that. "Sarah." He whispers to himself before crossing the room.
He can only get to about halfway across the room before the press of goblins is too great. "Sarah!" Hoggle cries out to her.
Sarah stops her pacing and looks around at the familiar voice, "Hoggle?" Spotting him Sarah rushes over. Not noticeing that the goblins clear a path for her as she moves. "Hoggle, I'm so glad to see you." She says as she hugs Hoggle.
"Oh, Sarah, I heard whats happened to you." Sarah becomes teary eyed again. "Don't you worry; I'll looks after you. I'll always be around when you need me." Hoggle patted her shoulder as she cried.
Jareth had just return from checking to see if her room was ready stood just outside the arched entrance. But before he entered he heard the whispers of the goblins inside.
"That's the one that beat the King."
"Her army totally destroyed the city."
"It wasn't totally destroy, you fool."
"Well, she did a lot of damage."
"Why is she back?"
"Maybe she's taking over the kingdom."
"The King seemed nervous when he brought her here."
"Maybe she is forcing him to leave."
"Her army might be just outside the city, perhaps the king is afraid."
As much as he hated to, he couldn't let rumors like these spread. His kingdom would be a very tempting target if it as thought to be in disarray.
He softly cleared his throat. The goblin guards looked behind them. When the saw the King they jumped to attention and straightened their pikes. Jareth stalked over to Sarah. Paced around her before stopping behind her.
Jareth put a gloved hand on Sarah's shoulders. Looked out at the sea of Goblins in the throne room and informed them, "I've recently collected a long over due debt." He tightened his grip on one shoulder and starts to run his other gloved hand through her hair. Taking a lock of her hair he leans down, closes his eyes, inhales deeply and in a throaty voice almost murmurs, "but well worth the wait, hmmm?" Jareth then starts to laugh in a cold, cruel tone that shivers down the spines of everyone in the room.
Sarah tries to pull away. But with one hand clenched on her shoulder and another fist in her hair so can't even turn her head.
When Jareth starts to laugh in Sarah's ear the room is in a total hush except for the sound of her tears.
Jareth, at the total silence looks up at his goblins with a dark look in his eyes. They take the hint and also start laughing.
While all this is going on, Hoggle shakes his head before bowing his head and looking away.
Jareth's release of his grip is so sudden that Sarah almost falls. He then commands, "Hoggle, take my newest acquisition to the room I have personally prepared for her. See that she stays there until I say. Otherwise I'll tip you head first in a nest of fairies."
Sarah almost runs out of the room, followed by Hoggle.
Sarah stops a few yards into the corridor and leans against the wall.
Hoggle tries to comfort her. "There, there, Sarah, things aren't always what they seem here. You should know that." While he thought to himself, 'While I understand why he did it, I hope he has the sense to tell her. Or a fat chance he'll have of winning her.' Hoggle starts down the corridor. "Let me show you to your room."
Sarah follows, her rage at everything that had happened today boiling over.
Hoggle came to the door of her chamber and opened it waiting for Sarah to catch up.
"I should have known, all he was really after was revenge...." He voice trailed away on the last word as she looked into the chamber. Shock and amazement fought on her face at the sight before her and she was rendered speechless by it.
Let me know what you think.....(beg, beg).
Standard Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.
Chapter 6--The Castle beyond the Goblin City
"Sarah," he asked softly, "I'm not a monster. Please say something; I'm becoming worried about you."
Sarah looked at Jareth, the tears that had been glimmering in her eyes started to fall and she shivered. "She-e-e-e," she stammered at first, "pushed me out the door, she couldn't wait to get rid of me. And he didn't even say anything to her." Sarah had begun to cry in earnest now.
Jareth wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry and stroking her hair to comfort her. "You should blame your Father too much. I did threaten him into not saying anything."
Sarah stared at him, "What do you mean?"
"I told him that if he did anything to try to keep your stepmother from allowing you to leave, I would leave and take Toby with me. I believe he was rather upset with her also. You see, I told him that if I could not convince her to allow you to come with me freely I would release you. He seemed content with the bargain."
"But she," Sarah began before dissolving into tears again.
Jareth comforted her for several more minutes before speaking again. "Ah, Sarah. I never meant it to be like this. I thought it would take several days to both convince your stepmother and actually make arrangements for you to go with me. When I first came I wondered if the arrangements for the Ball to be held in your honor in a week would have to be rushed."
"Ball in my honor?" Sarah said finally looking up.
"Oh course, how else would you expect your arrival to be celebrated?"
Her response totally surprised him. "Merlin."
"Merlin, your dog?" He asked in a puzzled voice.
"Yes, I bet she gets rid of him as fast. She never liked him."
"No she won't, you see he is already gone." He said, with a touch of smugness.
"Where is he? I bet she sent him to the pound him before I even came home." Sarah said with increasing anger.
"No, I sent him to my Kingdom." At Sarah's shocked face he continued. "I could see how close you were so I thought that you would want him to come with you. He also seemed very excitable so I thought that by bringing him first he could have time to get used to things."
Jareth produced a crystal "Would you like to see him?" He asked as he offered her the crystal.
"I'd rather see him in person," some her of usual stubbornness returning.
"As you wish," he threw the crystal over his shoulder. It rolled a short way on the grass before turning into a flash of light. When the light died, there was Merlin. Lying down and being brushed by Sir Didymus. Merlin was very much enjoying the attention.
Sir Didymus was speaking softly to Merlin as he brushed him. "Oh, what a fine beast you are." Before realizing that they were somewhere else.
Sarah jumped up from the bench, "Merlin," she called. Merlin nearly bowled over Sir Didymus in his eagerness to get to Sarah.
Sir Didymus got up to follow Merlin, when he saw his king he bowed "Your Majesty. Is yon fine animal not to live in the underground?"
"Yes he is, but his owner wished to see him before she herself arrived."
At first all Sir Didymus could see was Merlin all over someone seated next to Jareth, but soon she got him calmed down and he could see who it was. "My Lady." He strode over to Sarah and bowed to her.
Jareth waved a hand over them all and the park was empty.
***
Sarah and The Goblin King arrived in his throne room.
"Please stay here while I check to see if all the arrangements are ready." He said almost nervously. "You arrival at this time was most unexpected."
Sarah just stares at the room after the King leaves her. It is literally hip deep in goblins. If a goblin can stay on something without falling off, there's is a goblin on it. The only exception being the throne. Sarah is amazed; the room is so different. Last time it was a mess but totally empty.
As Jareth leaves the room he whispers to the guards standing at attention with long pikes at the entrance. "See that she stays in this room." After he passes through the passage the cross their pikes in front of the entrance.
Sarah hardly notices that Jareth has left. She is concentrating on how her stepmother had let her go. Becoming angrier and angrier, she starts to pace in front of the King's throne. Also unnoticed is the fact that despite the mass of goblins in the room, there is a constant yet shifting circle of space around her with no goblins in. Nor does she pay attention to the whisperings around her.
***
Jareth is halfway down the hall before he stops and produces a crystal. He tosses it up in the air and when it comes down again and hits the floor it is replace by a surprised looking Hoggle. "Hello, Hedgeworght."
"It's Hoggle." Hoggle sighed; he never gets his name right.
"Yes," he smiled brightly, like a cat that's gotten the canary's cage open. "I've got a new assignment for you. You remember, a few decades ago, Bobby and the child he wished away. What was her name?" Jareth paused for effect, as Hoggle became increasingly nervous. "Janie, wasn't it?"
Hoggle just nodded and began shifting his eyes around as if looking for the best route of escape.
"I made that bargain with the boy and now I've collected. I want you to help me by being her personal servant and making sure she stays out of trouble."
Hoggle has sped by panic and is now zooming straight into total doom. "How can I help you, I don't know nothing about how to look after a lady?"
"I intend to make her my Queen." He started
Hoggle muttered, "A bit young."
Jareth glared but continued, "As I was saying, I want to make her my Queen. But it will take some time. First her mother walks out on her for her career. Her father abdicates her care to stepmother who literally pushed us out the door. Then she finds out that she was given up before birth. She needs a friend to make her feel at home here. To help me win her and gain her consent. And you are just the dwarf for the job."
Hoggle just shuffled his feet but couldn't come up with the nerve to say anything.
Jareth seeing that Hoggle wasn't going along with his plan tried a different approach. "If you help me you will be rewarded." He suddenly swooped down and grabbed Hoggle's ear, "or I'll tip you head first..."
But Hoggle finishes the threat for him "...in the bog of eternal stench."
Instead of being angry at this defiance, Jareth smiles and answers conversationally. "Actually I'm considering a nest of fairies." Then changes to an angry shout, "Get into the throne room." He starts to walk away, then turns back to Hoggle. "Stay there until I return from seeing that her room is prepared and ready."
Hoggle, his shoulders slumped and in a slow shuffling walk made his way to the throne room.
Hoggle walks into the throne room under the crossed pikes of the goblins on guard duty. He hears the whisperings of the goblins and when he looks up he sees Sarah, and island in a sea of goblins. And an angrily pacing one at that. "Sarah." He whispers to himself before crossing the room.
He can only get to about halfway across the room before the press of goblins is too great. "Sarah!" Hoggle cries out to her.
Sarah stops her pacing and looks around at the familiar voice, "Hoggle?" Spotting him Sarah rushes over. Not noticeing that the goblins clear a path for her as she moves. "Hoggle, I'm so glad to see you." She says as she hugs Hoggle.
"Oh, Sarah, I heard whats happened to you." Sarah becomes teary eyed again. "Don't you worry; I'll looks after you. I'll always be around when you need me." Hoggle patted her shoulder as she cried.
Jareth had just return from checking to see if her room was ready stood just outside the arched entrance. But before he entered he heard the whispers of the goblins inside.
"That's the one that beat the King."
"Her army totally destroyed the city."
"It wasn't totally destroy, you fool."
"Well, she did a lot of damage."
"Why is she back?"
"Maybe she's taking over the kingdom."
"The King seemed nervous when he brought her here."
"Maybe she is forcing him to leave."
"Her army might be just outside the city, perhaps the king is afraid."
As much as he hated to, he couldn't let rumors like these spread. His kingdom would be a very tempting target if it as thought to be in disarray.
He softly cleared his throat. The goblin guards looked behind them. When the saw the King they jumped to attention and straightened their pikes. Jareth stalked over to Sarah. Paced around her before stopping behind her.
Jareth put a gloved hand on Sarah's shoulders. Looked out at the sea of Goblins in the throne room and informed them, "I've recently collected a long over due debt." He tightened his grip on one shoulder and starts to run his other gloved hand through her hair. Taking a lock of her hair he leans down, closes his eyes, inhales deeply and in a throaty voice almost murmurs, "but well worth the wait, hmmm?" Jareth then starts to laugh in a cold, cruel tone that shivers down the spines of everyone in the room.
Sarah tries to pull away. But with one hand clenched on her shoulder and another fist in her hair so can't even turn her head.
When Jareth starts to laugh in Sarah's ear the room is in a total hush except for the sound of her tears.
Jareth, at the total silence looks up at his goblins with a dark look in his eyes. They take the hint and also start laughing.
While all this is going on, Hoggle shakes his head before bowing his head and looking away.
Jareth's release of his grip is so sudden that Sarah almost falls. He then commands, "Hoggle, take my newest acquisition to the room I have personally prepared for her. See that she stays there until I say. Otherwise I'll tip you head first in a nest of fairies."
Sarah almost runs out of the room, followed by Hoggle.
Sarah stops a few yards into the corridor and leans against the wall.
Hoggle tries to comfort her. "There, there, Sarah, things aren't always what they seem here. You should know that." While he thought to himself, 'While I understand why he did it, I hope he has the sense to tell her. Or a fat chance he'll have of winning her.' Hoggle starts down the corridor. "Let me show you to your room."
Sarah follows, her rage at everything that had happened today boiling over.
Hoggle came to the door of her chamber and opened it waiting for Sarah to catch up.
"I should have known, all he was really after was revenge...." He voice trailed away on the last word as she looked into the chamber. Shock and amazement fought on her face at the sight before her and she was rendered speechless by it.