King of Dreams, Owner of None
by Bunniko
AN: Feel free to email me at fieryfaerie@yahoo.com This one's a good bit longer, so I hope y'all enjoy. And again loads of thanks to my reviewers and especially to my busy beta-reader, Keiko-sama. Thanks for making time and being a part of KoD!!! Another chapter with oblique references to me and my friends. So yet again, there's some stuff I own. I own: Trixie/Jeannie, Melinda, Deborah, Rikki, Solei, Kiori and other things as they appear. I do not own: Texas (bummer), England (yay!), the Labyrinth (sniffle), Jareth, Sarah, etc. To my real life friends: See if you can find yourself. Did I write you in? lol
Please Note: The story is set 5 years after the movie.
Chapter Eleven - Falling Down
Several days had passed since her conversation with Sarah, which had taken such a strange twist. Though she had said she would call Sarah back, she found she couldn't. Just looking at the crystal filled her with a nameless fear. She'd seen something in Sarah's eyes, something she couldn't quite pin down. But, she nibbled her lip as she thought, Sarah had definitely not wanted to look at her. Was Sarah upset with her? It was clear she had a deep distrust of Jareth; one that Jeannie wasn't quite sure was justified by their awful confrontation five years ago. Everything she had learned about Jareth so far told her that he was a sensitive and caring man, even if he did have very 80's-ish fashion sense.
Well, she mused, looking down at the gown her maid had helped her into, perhaps his fashion sense wasn't exactly 80's. She smoothed one hand almost reverently over the gown's velvet skirt. It was very old-fashioned, centuries behind what was popular above ground. She laughed a little at herself. Now she was talking like him, too. This place definitely did things to one's mind. She wondered how she looked, certain she looked very out of place and turned towards the mirror.
And did a double take, for about the twentieth time since she'd awakened. She sighed, wondering if she'd ever get used to the mirror's refusal to show her face. She could see how the dress accentuated her waist and bust, how the color set off her skin perfectly. She could see some of her hair, piled up in tiny ringlets. But her face was fuzzed, much like on those shows where they protected the identities of people who were innocent until proven guilty. She frowned in frustration. She'd asked Jareth about it, of course. He'd merely laughed, warning her that in the Underground, everything had a mind of its own.
She was still chewing on that answer as well. Did everything have a mind? Turning, she could see the Labyrinth, well, a section of the Labyrinth, from her window. She remembered the conversations she had with Sarah about running the Labyrinth. They'd both figured Jareth had creatures that controlled everything, like the goblins that ran the Cleaners. But if the Labyrinth itself chose its form . . . She smiled thoughtfully. Jareth had told her that when she was up to it, she could have free rein of his library. She knew just what she wanted to read about. Maybe if she could find some answers to the mysteriousness of the Labyrinth, she could call Sarah and reassure her. Maybe, well, cheat a little, give Sarah an edge. Hopefully that would motivate her reluctant friend to face this place again.
As she waited for her escort to come, she wondered for the millionth time if it was the Labyrinth Sarah was afraid of or its King. Bitsy, her maid, suddenly interrupted her musings.
"All ready, are we?" she smiled in a bright manner, and for a brief moment, Jeannie wondered just what the perpetually happy Fae woman was so happy about. She shrugged it and her increasingly morbid emotions away as she rose to follow the neither young nor old maidservant to the dining room.
***
Jareth was holed up in his library, poring over yet another medical tome. He spent long hours every day researching, seeking out any advice, anything he could do for the young girl. But it seemed that magic had been little researched when it came to healing humans. Then again, given the history of Fae-Human relations, that shouldn't come as a surprise, he reminded himself archly. Leaning back in his armchair, he rubbed his tired, watery eyes and let his thoughts wander back to the girl.
It had been nearly a week since she'd summoned him when she'd finally awakened. Now that she was recovering, he was disappointed that her body was not healing itself as efficiently as it should. He was very concerned, because although she had healed herself of her many scrapes and bruises, her color was still very bad.
He was puzzled a great deal by her coloring. A few days ago, she had confessed to him that she couldn't see her reflection. He had reassured her that she looked lovely, without revealing that he had enchanted the mirrors to do so. He knew how fragile her self-esteem was. He had not needed to watch over her, though he had checked in on her periodically, an odd tingling of his sixth sense telling him when she was in danger. And that girl, he groaned mentally, seemed to live for danger.
With her friends, she did crazy things. With Melinda, they had gotten quite lost at night in an unknown neighborhood where they had been distributing flyers for a church friend of Melinda's. The friend had failed to locate them and left, assuming they had been picked up by their parents. But Jeannie, terrible at directions, had remained calm, thereby calming Mel down long enough for her to recall where the library was. It was amazing that no one had preyed on the two young teens, though he'd watched over them, ready to protect them if Jeannie called on him. With Debbie, they'd experienced a wild car accident. Debbie lost control of her car after hitting something in the road and they'd done a complete 360 degree spin out on a hilltop road. Jeannie, after they'd assessed the damage to the car, had laughingly asked if they could do it again. She wandered through woods alone or with friends, taking little risks that in the course of the day could add up to big mistakes in the Texas wilderness. And yet, it took a guy who couldn't accept rejection to actually threaten her life.
It amazed him that she had lived to twenty years old without more serious incidents. The stubborn little blonde had suffered no broken bones, no stitches, no snakebites or life threatening wounds whatsoever. She breezed through one silly stunt after another, a charmed life until her twentieth Halloween. A night that she knew brought out the weirdos and heightened the limited amount of magic left above ground. Not for the first time, he wanted to shake her and demand what she had been thinking that night! But that alabaster white face kept him from doing more than speaking to her in a gentle manner.
He knew she'd grown up to be a pretty young woman. Her body was curvy, her face more easily seen now that she'd chucked her glasses for contacts, her friendly smile free of those horrid braces. She was energetic and happy, friendly and had an easy smile and loved to laugh. She was a cute, pert, little college girl. Maybe she wasn't beautiful, but several of her friends had called her personality gorgeous, which she treasured more than her memories of being in 'Hamlet' or her dream of being a published writer.
But there was ugliness about her now. Her assault had marked her clearly. Her face was pale, her veins visible beneath the thin skin. Jareth had tried doing her make up, in a desperate attempt to conceal the whiteness, but the effect had been horrible. It had been worse than when someone paints vibrant colors on plaster of paris statuettes. He'd forbidden her make up and given standing orders to her maid that her hair was to be done carefully on the right side, so that it blocked her curious hands and so that if her hair were reflected, it would leave no hint that her head was misshapen.
He sighed in frustration, slamming the book shut. He'd saved her brain, but there had been nothing they could do about her skull. He would need a doctor skilled in treating humans, and where was he to get one of those? The shape of her head was merely aesthetic, one of the physicians had dismissed. "She should be grateful to be alive." he had sniffed in a superior manner. Clearly the physician had not enjoyed the saving of a human woman, one who obviously was not going to be able to join the Underground in the normal fashion. And that was another of Jareth's concerns. When was she going to be well enough for Sarah to challenge him for her so that he could get her out of here before something bad happened to her?
The soft tolling of his desktop clock, indicating the dinner hour had arrived, interrupted his thoughts. Time to stop hiding in the library and face his guest. He raked a hand through his hair perfunctorily as he headed toward the dining hall, one of Bitsy's ideas. He was going to have to have a word with that Fae.
***
Jareth was waiting when Jeannie made her entrance, his eyes staring morosely into the fire. To Bitsy's disappointment, he didn't look at Jeannie as if he'd missed her company, nor did Jeannie get adorably self- concious or shy. What did impress Jareth was the very comfortable way she moved about his castle and interacted with him. She didn't seem to feel any need for formality or uncertainty. Bitsy excused herself, heading into the kitchen.
Jeannie spoke, "Good evening, Your Majesty. I'm glad Bitsy thought I was ready to leave my room. Your castle is really interesting." She smiled at the surprised look on his face, but hid it behind a sip of water.
"Interesting? I wonder what Sarah would say to that." he murmured.
"Sarah was the only one to make it here, right?" Jareth merely nodded, glancing around at the dining room as if searching for what she considered interesting. "But then to her, castles are hardly unusual. We don't have castles in Texas, although my family and I did visit some while we were in Germany and England. Still, I was so young then, I hardly remember them. And I'm sure they didn't have nearly as many interesting people in them." Jareth looked up at her in astonishment.
"You don't find them freakish or scary?"
"Me? I've read about the wars between Fae and Humans in your book and I know more than a little about human nature. But surely you don't think they would shock me? I dreamed of one day having my own unicorn or swimming with mermaids. I devoured every fairy tale and myth I could find. I love high adventure and fantastic things. Above ground, my bookshelves are lined with science fiction and fantasy. Surely you don't think a little goblin chasing a chicken is going to make me faint." she reproved with a smile. "There are so many things to learn and see here! I do hope I get a chance to explore a bit."
Jareth sat back in his chair, silent as the first course arrived. When Bitsy slipped out again, he began to speak. "Jeannie, to tell the truth, your coming here is a bit of a" he paused, searching for the right word, "problem. You see, Fae life spans are very long, far longer than humans. There are many here who remember the war and well, since humans rarely come here and never stay . . . as humans, anyway . . . there are many nervous folk who I doubt would want to see you wandering about here. I'm afraid you will have to stay inside the castle, where it is safe." He mentally smacked himself, not having meant to tack on that last phrase. He must be more tired than he had realized.
"Safe? What's there that the King can't protect me from?"
Jareth sighed, reluctant to speak of his growing unease and yet somehow feeling he could talk to this slip of a girl. Finally, he spoke, needing to confide in someone. "It's the Labyrinth. It, well, it is changing. Perhaps, in my depression, I overlooked something or got lax. But it's like a mistreated dog. It turns on me when I enter it, instead of opening itself up to me. I should be able to walk through it as I wish, either quickly to get to the towns on the other side of the hills or to just wander through it in safety. Instead, it tries to trap me, to do me harm. Whatever malevolence it harbors isn't strong enough to hurt me yet, but I fear it has already harmed others."
"Like whom?"
"A few days ago, Hoggle and his friends returned from their self-imposed exile." He permitted himself a sharp laugh. "They thought they should hide from me, that I might be angry with them. As if anyone could hide from me here." He commented arrogantly, unaware of how wrong he was. "But when they entered the Labyrinth, they vanished. One of my goblins reported seeing a pack of Fireys talking about seeing them on the other side of the front gate. Fireys aren't supposed to be anywhere near there. I summoned one of them, and underneath his sass, I learned that they feel as if they are" again he paused, thinking, "almost as if they are part of a rebellion against me."
Jeannie was stunned. The Labyrinth? Rebelling? "Is there someone who could be leading this?"
Jareth shook his head. "None that I know of. The Labyrinth has been there since I created the spell that allowed humans to wish their children to me. It formed out of the same magic. I didn't understand why, but I soon realized it was there to allow the wishers a challenge, a way to undo their foolish words." He smirked, "Although it took the humans so much longer to figure out that they could challenge me."
Jeannie suddenly felt uncomfortable, remembering what she had read in the book he'd given her. She fiddled with her napkin, but since bold was her usual style, she found herself blurting out what she was thinking. "Jareth, do you hate all of us humans?" She could have kicked herself for the severe track change in the conversation, but, well, it was one of the things she was known for.
Jareth was silent for a very, very long time. Jeannie seriously regretted saying anything, and found her small appetite completely vanished. She aimlessly pushed her food around on her plate, desperately trying to think up a way to get out of this mess. When he finally spoke, she dropped her fork with a clatter, then turned beet red. "No, I don't hate all humans. I just . . ."
"Feel superior to them?" Oh, she could have bitten her tongue off after that tumbled out!
Jareth stared at her oddly. "You and Sarah seem to have that in common." he grumbled.
"What?" she queried, half-afraid he was furious with her.
"Both of you seem to have uncontrollable mouths. Do either of you think before you speak?"
Jeannie paused to think about that. "No, well, at least I don't think I do. Except around kids, or my mom. Well, I usually do at church."
Jareth laughed, but it sounded a bit forced. "So I guess shooting you mouth off seems like a good idea to you? Even when someone is attacking you?"
Jeannie honestly wasn't even aware of his deliberate changing of the subject. "What do you mean?" She considered a moment, then colored. "You're talking about what I said to Vincent." Jareth nodded tightly. "Well, what should I have done? Begged?" She sneered the last word, her pride showing through. "No thanks. I intend to go out fighting."
"You almost did." Jareth reminded her softly.
She gave him a cocky smile. "Don't let my size fool you, Jareth. I fought with my brothers and I will fight with anyone that tries to mess with me or mine. Guess I'm just a true Texan." She grinned devilishly and Jareth couldn't help smiling back, though he didn't quite understand her comment about being a Texan.
"I'm just glad you had the presence of mind to call on me." Jareth took a sip of wine and mentally congratulated himself on saving her life.
"I don't think I would have, honestly, if it hadn't been Halloween. Somehow, Halloween makes me think of you, even though I didn't want to."
"Is it so bad, then, to think of me?" Jareth sounded insulted.
"No." She hurried to reassure him. "It's just that Sarah and I have this agreement. We don't talk about you." She was silent for a long moment. "I don't really know why, but she . . ." Jeannie trailed off into silence, feeling like it wasn't her place to talk about Sarah.
Jareth probed. "She what? What does Sarah have to say about me?" He tried to sound nonchalant, like it didn't matter. But his heart had begun thumping erratically and his mind was hoping against all reason that she missed him.
"She hates you."
The whisper cut through him, confirming what he had tried to deny, despite her behaviors towards him. His eyes closed and his aquiline nose narrowed, even whitened as he tried to shut out the pain that accompanied those words. But, since that night when his temper snapped in Sarah's room, he'd found that pain often jump-started his temper. He clenched his fist, his face now flushing with the rage he was beginning to find uncheck-able.
Jeannie reacted to his pain with self-castigation, knowing he was hurting, but not daring to look up. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." But her apology was cut short, as Jareth's emotions broke free from the cage he'd locked them in. A bolt of energy seared past her left ear and burnt a hole in the tapestry behind her. An approaching goblin suddenly blinked out of sight, appearing over the Bog a second later. She looked up, but what she saw in his face terrified her. Sheer panic welled up within the girl, especially as another energy bolt barely missed her. Like one of the horses she'd once worked with, she bolted.
***
Jeannie ran, blinded by the panic that the magical temper tantrum had triggered. She didn't know what motivated her, why she was so frightened. But a haze in her mind kept her from thinking about anything. All she knew was something in her mind was screaming, "Run!" If she could have just stopped a second to think, she would wonder what had caused her to run. More importantly, she would wonder where she was running. But by the time the haze cleared, she was out the door, through the town and entering the very Labyrinth Jareth had warned her to stay away from. She collapsed, worn out from the run, a stitch in her side preventing her from breathing properly. She lay on the pavement, gasping for breath and very confused.
When she could breathe again, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. And once the haze cleared, she realized why she had run. Jareth's face had suddenly looked like her father's had before he beat the crap out of her for forgetting to clean her room or making the wrong move in chess. She felt tears forming as she tried to fight back what she had been really running from. She was running from the memories, not so much of the beatings, but of the words that went with it. Even after all this time, the memory of those demeaning words could still undermine all of her confidence, all of her self-esteem.
But, now that she had the answer, she could fight back that demon. She ignored her surroundings, ignored everything but the harsh words. Using every ounce of logic and positive thinking she possessed, she corralled her hurtful memories and struggled to push them back where they belonged. And when she finally did that, she felt strong enough to fight off a lion.
Meanwhile, the Labyrinth had been choosing the perfect torture for its new guest. The landscape around the kneeling girl changed several times, until it finally stopped. She still knelt on stone paving, but behind her a fountain merrily tinkled. All about her were stone walls, enclosing her, one of which was covered with vines. The walls reached very high, blocking off any view of the castle. Jeannie looked around, bemused.
The water called her and she struggled up, the full skirt of the gown causing her some problems. Finally, she wrestled the difficult fabric into place and crossed to the fountain. She glanced into the clear water, her hands already forming a scoop. But she froze, her face clearly reflected in the pool. As the vines behind her began to take on a human face and lean closer, as if to watch, Jeannie's mouth worked soundlessly, shock filling her. And then she screamed. Her soul-shattering scream echoed over the Labyrinth, filling the ears of everything in it and finally, faintly, reaching the ears of Jareth, who had only just begun to search for her.
The vine-woman reached out a tendril toward the screaming woman, covering her mouth to stop the horrid sound. Jeannie jerked away, spinning about before the vine-woman could retreat. The two faces were still, considering each other for a moment. "Sarah?" she queried, staring at a version of her friend's face made out of vines and blossoms. The vine-creature frowned, then seemed to want to reply. But an owl's cry turned both heads up.
As Jareth flew towards the source of the scream, the vine-woman lashed out, sending Jeannie tumbling backwards into the fountain. Jareth closed in, Fae form taking shape quickly, pulling the flailing girl from the water. But the vine-woman had vanished, her attack on Jeannie buying her enough time to hide from Jareth and his fear and concern for the girl over-riding any attention he might have been paying to her anomalous surge of power.
She watched through the lichen's eyes as Jareth carefully checked the girl's pulse, while Jeannie tried to speak, but fainted as Jareth proceeded to blast a hole in the walls when they refused to allow him passage. She allowed him to think the Labyrinth subdued for the moment, giving him easy passage back to his castle while she thought about what she had learned. Jareth had a weak spot for that little human. The little human knew Sarah. And she had nightmares trapped in her mind that would give her more energy to feed on. With all that she had just learned, there was no way Sarah Williams would escape her. She would have to come. And with all the hate Kiori had planted in her soul, Sarah would be more than willing to help destroy the Goblin King. If the Will had possessed a body all her own, she would have rubbed her hands together in dark glee.
by Bunniko
AN: Feel free to email me at fieryfaerie@yahoo.com This one's a good bit longer, so I hope y'all enjoy. And again loads of thanks to my reviewers and especially to my busy beta-reader, Keiko-sama. Thanks for making time and being a part of KoD!!! Another chapter with oblique references to me and my friends. So yet again, there's some stuff I own. I own: Trixie/Jeannie, Melinda, Deborah, Rikki, Solei, Kiori and other things as they appear. I do not own: Texas (bummer), England (yay!), the Labyrinth (sniffle), Jareth, Sarah, etc. To my real life friends: See if you can find yourself. Did I write you in? lol
Please Note: The story is set 5 years after the movie.
Chapter Eleven - Falling Down
Several days had passed since her conversation with Sarah, which had taken such a strange twist. Though she had said she would call Sarah back, she found she couldn't. Just looking at the crystal filled her with a nameless fear. She'd seen something in Sarah's eyes, something she couldn't quite pin down. But, she nibbled her lip as she thought, Sarah had definitely not wanted to look at her. Was Sarah upset with her? It was clear she had a deep distrust of Jareth; one that Jeannie wasn't quite sure was justified by their awful confrontation five years ago. Everything she had learned about Jareth so far told her that he was a sensitive and caring man, even if he did have very 80's-ish fashion sense.
Well, she mused, looking down at the gown her maid had helped her into, perhaps his fashion sense wasn't exactly 80's. She smoothed one hand almost reverently over the gown's velvet skirt. It was very old-fashioned, centuries behind what was popular above ground. She laughed a little at herself. Now she was talking like him, too. This place definitely did things to one's mind. She wondered how she looked, certain she looked very out of place and turned towards the mirror.
And did a double take, for about the twentieth time since she'd awakened. She sighed, wondering if she'd ever get used to the mirror's refusal to show her face. She could see how the dress accentuated her waist and bust, how the color set off her skin perfectly. She could see some of her hair, piled up in tiny ringlets. But her face was fuzzed, much like on those shows where they protected the identities of people who were innocent until proven guilty. She frowned in frustration. She'd asked Jareth about it, of course. He'd merely laughed, warning her that in the Underground, everything had a mind of its own.
She was still chewing on that answer as well. Did everything have a mind? Turning, she could see the Labyrinth, well, a section of the Labyrinth, from her window. She remembered the conversations she had with Sarah about running the Labyrinth. They'd both figured Jareth had creatures that controlled everything, like the goblins that ran the Cleaners. But if the Labyrinth itself chose its form . . . She smiled thoughtfully. Jareth had told her that when she was up to it, she could have free rein of his library. She knew just what she wanted to read about. Maybe if she could find some answers to the mysteriousness of the Labyrinth, she could call Sarah and reassure her. Maybe, well, cheat a little, give Sarah an edge. Hopefully that would motivate her reluctant friend to face this place again.
As she waited for her escort to come, she wondered for the millionth time if it was the Labyrinth Sarah was afraid of or its King. Bitsy, her maid, suddenly interrupted her musings.
"All ready, are we?" she smiled in a bright manner, and for a brief moment, Jeannie wondered just what the perpetually happy Fae woman was so happy about. She shrugged it and her increasingly morbid emotions away as she rose to follow the neither young nor old maidservant to the dining room.
***
Jareth was holed up in his library, poring over yet another medical tome. He spent long hours every day researching, seeking out any advice, anything he could do for the young girl. But it seemed that magic had been little researched when it came to healing humans. Then again, given the history of Fae-Human relations, that shouldn't come as a surprise, he reminded himself archly. Leaning back in his armchair, he rubbed his tired, watery eyes and let his thoughts wander back to the girl.
It had been nearly a week since she'd summoned him when she'd finally awakened. Now that she was recovering, he was disappointed that her body was not healing itself as efficiently as it should. He was very concerned, because although she had healed herself of her many scrapes and bruises, her color was still very bad.
He was puzzled a great deal by her coloring. A few days ago, she had confessed to him that she couldn't see her reflection. He had reassured her that she looked lovely, without revealing that he had enchanted the mirrors to do so. He knew how fragile her self-esteem was. He had not needed to watch over her, though he had checked in on her periodically, an odd tingling of his sixth sense telling him when she was in danger. And that girl, he groaned mentally, seemed to live for danger.
With her friends, she did crazy things. With Melinda, they had gotten quite lost at night in an unknown neighborhood where they had been distributing flyers for a church friend of Melinda's. The friend had failed to locate them and left, assuming they had been picked up by their parents. But Jeannie, terrible at directions, had remained calm, thereby calming Mel down long enough for her to recall where the library was. It was amazing that no one had preyed on the two young teens, though he'd watched over them, ready to protect them if Jeannie called on him. With Debbie, they'd experienced a wild car accident. Debbie lost control of her car after hitting something in the road and they'd done a complete 360 degree spin out on a hilltop road. Jeannie, after they'd assessed the damage to the car, had laughingly asked if they could do it again. She wandered through woods alone or with friends, taking little risks that in the course of the day could add up to big mistakes in the Texas wilderness. And yet, it took a guy who couldn't accept rejection to actually threaten her life.
It amazed him that she had lived to twenty years old without more serious incidents. The stubborn little blonde had suffered no broken bones, no stitches, no snakebites or life threatening wounds whatsoever. She breezed through one silly stunt after another, a charmed life until her twentieth Halloween. A night that she knew brought out the weirdos and heightened the limited amount of magic left above ground. Not for the first time, he wanted to shake her and demand what she had been thinking that night! But that alabaster white face kept him from doing more than speaking to her in a gentle manner.
He knew she'd grown up to be a pretty young woman. Her body was curvy, her face more easily seen now that she'd chucked her glasses for contacts, her friendly smile free of those horrid braces. She was energetic and happy, friendly and had an easy smile and loved to laugh. She was a cute, pert, little college girl. Maybe she wasn't beautiful, but several of her friends had called her personality gorgeous, which she treasured more than her memories of being in 'Hamlet' or her dream of being a published writer.
But there was ugliness about her now. Her assault had marked her clearly. Her face was pale, her veins visible beneath the thin skin. Jareth had tried doing her make up, in a desperate attempt to conceal the whiteness, but the effect had been horrible. It had been worse than when someone paints vibrant colors on plaster of paris statuettes. He'd forbidden her make up and given standing orders to her maid that her hair was to be done carefully on the right side, so that it blocked her curious hands and so that if her hair were reflected, it would leave no hint that her head was misshapen.
He sighed in frustration, slamming the book shut. He'd saved her brain, but there had been nothing they could do about her skull. He would need a doctor skilled in treating humans, and where was he to get one of those? The shape of her head was merely aesthetic, one of the physicians had dismissed. "She should be grateful to be alive." he had sniffed in a superior manner. Clearly the physician had not enjoyed the saving of a human woman, one who obviously was not going to be able to join the Underground in the normal fashion. And that was another of Jareth's concerns. When was she going to be well enough for Sarah to challenge him for her so that he could get her out of here before something bad happened to her?
The soft tolling of his desktop clock, indicating the dinner hour had arrived, interrupted his thoughts. Time to stop hiding in the library and face his guest. He raked a hand through his hair perfunctorily as he headed toward the dining hall, one of Bitsy's ideas. He was going to have to have a word with that Fae.
***
Jareth was waiting when Jeannie made her entrance, his eyes staring morosely into the fire. To Bitsy's disappointment, he didn't look at Jeannie as if he'd missed her company, nor did Jeannie get adorably self- concious or shy. What did impress Jareth was the very comfortable way she moved about his castle and interacted with him. She didn't seem to feel any need for formality or uncertainty. Bitsy excused herself, heading into the kitchen.
Jeannie spoke, "Good evening, Your Majesty. I'm glad Bitsy thought I was ready to leave my room. Your castle is really interesting." She smiled at the surprised look on his face, but hid it behind a sip of water.
"Interesting? I wonder what Sarah would say to that." he murmured.
"Sarah was the only one to make it here, right?" Jareth merely nodded, glancing around at the dining room as if searching for what she considered interesting. "But then to her, castles are hardly unusual. We don't have castles in Texas, although my family and I did visit some while we were in Germany and England. Still, I was so young then, I hardly remember them. And I'm sure they didn't have nearly as many interesting people in them." Jareth looked up at her in astonishment.
"You don't find them freakish or scary?"
"Me? I've read about the wars between Fae and Humans in your book and I know more than a little about human nature. But surely you don't think they would shock me? I dreamed of one day having my own unicorn or swimming with mermaids. I devoured every fairy tale and myth I could find. I love high adventure and fantastic things. Above ground, my bookshelves are lined with science fiction and fantasy. Surely you don't think a little goblin chasing a chicken is going to make me faint." she reproved with a smile. "There are so many things to learn and see here! I do hope I get a chance to explore a bit."
Jareth sat back in his chair, silent as the first course arrived. When Bitsy slipped out again, he began to speak. "Jeannie, to tell the truth, your coming here is a bit of a" he paused, searching for the right word, "problem. You see, Fae life spans are very long, far longer than humans. There are many here who remember the war and well, since humans rarely come here and never stay . . . as humans, anyway . . . there are many nervous folk who I doubt would want to see you wandering about here. I'm afraid you will have to stay inside the castle, where it is safe." He mentally smacked himself, not having meant to tack on that last phrase. He must be more tired than he had realized.
"Safe? What's there that the King can't protect me from?"
Jareth sighed, reluctant to speak of his growing unease and yet somehow feeling he could talk to this slip of a girl. Finally, he spoke, needing to confide in someone. "It's the Labyrinth. It, well, it is changing. Perhaps, in my depression, I overlooked something or got lax. But it's like a mistreated dog. It turns on me when I enter it, instead of opening itself up to me. I should be able to walk through it as I wish, either quickly to get to the towns on the other side of the hills or to just wander through it in safety. Instead, it tries to trap me, to do me harm. Whatever malevolence it harbors isn't strong enough to hurt me yet, but I fear it has already harmed others."
"Like whom?"
"A few days ago, Hoggle and his friends returned from their self-imposed exile." He permitted himself a sharp laugh. "They thought they should hide from me, that I might be angry with them. As if anyone could hide from me here." He commented arrogantly, unaware of how wrong he was. "But when they entered the Labyrinth, they vanished. One of my goblins reported seeing a pack of Fireys talking about seeing them on the other side of the front gate. Fireys aren't supposed to be anywhere near there. I summoned one of them, and underneath his sass, I learned that they feel as if they are" again he paused, thinking, "almost as if they are part of a rebellion against me."
Jeannie was stunned. The Labyrinth? Rebelling? "Is there someone who could be leading this?"
Jareth shook his head. "None that I know of. The Labyrinth has been there since I created the spell that allowed humans to wish their children to me. It formed out of the same magic. I didn't understand why, but I soon realized it was there to allow the wishers a challenge, a way to undo their foolish words." He smirked, "Although it took the humans so much longer to figure out that they could challenge me."
Jeannie suddenly felt uncomfortable, remembering what she had read in the book he'd given her. She fiddled with her napkin, but since bold was her usual style, she found herself blurting out what she was thinking. "Jareth, do you hate all of us humans?" She could have kicked herself for the severe track change in the conversation, but, well, it was one of the things she was known for.
Jareth was silent for a very, very long time. Jeannie seriously regretted saying anything, and found her small appetite completely vanished. She aimlessly pushed her food around on her plate, desperately trying to think up a way to get out of this mess. When he finally spoke, she dropped her fork with a clatter, then turned beet red. "No, I don't hate all humans. I just . . ."
"Feel superior to them?" Oh, she could have bitten her tongue off after that tumbled out!
Jareth stared at her oddly. "You and Sarah seem to have that in common." he grumbled.
"What?" she queried, half-afraid he was furious with her.
"Both of you seem to have uncontrollable mouths. Do either of you think before you speak?"
Jeannie paused to think about that. "No, well, at least I don't think I do. Except around kids, or my mom. Well, I usually do at church."
Jareth laughed, but it sounded a bit forced. "So I guess shooting you mouth off seems like a good idea to you? Even when someone is attacking you?"
Jeannie honestly wasn't even aware of his deliberate changing of the subject. "What do you mean?" She considered a moment, then colored. "You're talking about what I said to Vincent." Jareth nodded tightly. "Well, what should I have done? Begged?" She sneered the last word, her pride showing through. "No thanks. I intend to go out fighting."
"You almost did." Jareth reminded her softly.
She gave him a cocky smile. "Don't let my size fool you, Jareth. I fought with my brothers and I will fight with anyone that tries to mess with me or mine. Guess I'm just a true Texan." She grinned devilishly and Jareth couldn't help smiling back, though he didn't quite understand her comment about being a Texan.
"I'm just glad you had the presence of mind to call on me." Jareth took a sip of wine and mentally congratulated himself on saving her life.
"I don't think I would have, honestly, if it hadn't been Halloween. Somehow, Halloween makes me think of you, even though I didn't want to."
"Is it so bad, then, to think of me?" Jareth sounded insulted.
"No." She hurried to reassure him. "It's just that Sarah and I have this agreement. We don't talk about you." She was silent for a long moment. "I don't really know why, but she . . ." Jeannie trailed off into silence, feeling like it wasn't her place to talk about Sarah.
Jareth probed. "She what? What does Sarah have to say about me?" He tried to sound nonchalant, like it didn't matter. But his heart had begun thumping erratically and his mind was hoping against all reason that she missed him.
"She hates you."
The whisper cut through him, confirming what he had tried to deny, despite her behaviors towards him. His eyes closed and his aquiline nose narrowed, even whitened as he tried to shut out the pain that accompanied those words. But, since that night when his temper snapped in Sarah's room, he'd found that pain often jump-started his temper. He clenched his fist, his face now flushing with the rage he was beginning to find uncheck-able.
Jeannie reacted to his pain with self-castigation, knowing he was hurting, but not daring to look up. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." But her apology was cut short, as Jareth's emotions broke free from the cage he'd locked them in. A bolt of energy seared past her left ear and burnt a hole in the tapestry behind her. An approaching goblin suddenly blinked out of sight, appearing over the Bog a second later. She looked up, but what she saw in his face terrified her. Sheer panic welled up within the girl, especially as another energy bolt barely missed her. Like one of the horses she'd once worked with, she bolted.
***
Jeannie ran, blinded by the panic that the magical temper tantrum had triggered. She didn't know what motivated her, why she was so frightened. But a haze in her mind kept her from thinking about anything. All she knew was something in her mind was screaming, "Run!" If she could have just stopped a second to think, she would wonder what had caused her to run. More importantly, she would wonder where she was running. But by the time the haze cleared, she was out the door, through the town and entering the very Labyrinth Jareth had warned her to stay away from. She collapsed, worn out from the run, a stitch in her side preventing her from breathing properly. She lay on the pavement, gasping for breath and very confused.
When she could breathe again, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. And once the haze cleared, she realized why she had run. Jareth's face had suddenly looked like her father's had before he beat the crap out of her for forgetting to clean her room or making the wrong move in chess. She felt tears forming as she tried to fight back what she had been really running from. She was running from the memories, not so much of the beatings, but of the words that went with it. Even after all this time, the memory of those demeaning words could still undermine all of her confidence, all of her self-esteem.
But, now that she had the answer, she could fight back that demon. She ignored her surroundings, ignored everything but the harsh words. Using every ounce of logic and positive thinking she possessed, she corralled her hurtful memories and struggled to push them back where they belonged. And when she finally did that, she felt strong enough to fight off a lion.
Meanwhile, the Labyrinth had been choosing the perfect torture for its new guest. The landscape around the kneeling girl changed several times, until it finally stopped. She still knelt on stone paving, but behind her a fountain merrily tinkled. All about her were stone walls, enclosing her, one of which was covered with vines. The walls reached very high, blocking off any view of the castle. Jeannie looked around, bemused.
The water called her and she struggled up, the full skirt of the gown causing her some problems. Finally, she wrestled the difficult fabric into place and crossed to the fountain. She glanced into the clear water, her hands already forming a scoop. But she froze, her face clearly reflected in the pool. As the vines behind her began to take on a human face and lean closer, as if to watch, Jeannie's mouth worked soundlessly, shock filling her. And then she screamed. Her soul-shattering scream echoed over the Labyrinth, filling the ears of everything in it and finally, faintly, reaching the ears of Jareth, who had only just begun to search for her.
The vine-woman reached out a tendril toward the screaming woman, covering her mouth to stop the horrid sound. Jeannie jerked away, spinning about before the vine-woman could retreat. The two faces were still, considering each other for a moment. "Sarah?" she queried, staring at a version of her friend's face made out of vines and blossoms. The vine-creature frowned, then seemed to want to reply. But an owl's cry turned both heads up.
As Jareth flew towards the source of the scream, the vine-woman lashed out, sending Jeannie tumbling backwards into the fountain. Jareth closed in, Fae form taking shape quickly, pulling the flailing girl from the water. But the vine-woman had vanished, her attack on Jeannie buying her enough time to hide from Jareth and his fear and concern for the girl over-riding any attention he might have been paying to her anomalous surge of power.
She watched through the lichen's eyes as Jareth carefully checked the girl's pulse, while Jeannie tried to speak, but fainted as Jareth proceeded to blast a hole in the walls when they refused to allow him passage. She allowed him to think the Labyrinth subdued for the moment, giving him easy passage back to his castle while she thought about what she had learned. Jareth had a weak spot for that little human. The little human knew Sarah. And she had nightmares trapped in her mind that would give her more energy to feed on. With all that she had just learned, there was no way Sarah Williams would escape her. She would have to come. And with all the hate Kiori had planted in her soul, Sarah would be more than willing to help destroy the Goblin King. If the Will had possessed a body all her own, she would have rubbed her hands together in dark glee.