Chapter 9
Jareth fought the urge to drop his head into his hands and groan - somehow he didn't think that would be very king-like. Everything seemed to be crashing down around him, he knew he should have just stayed in bed this morning.
The fairy child was free of her chains at the request of the Thief Lord, couching up against a wall, and Jareth wondered how such a delicate creature - both in physique and emotions - became involved in thievery. Zail himself was staring out a window down into the changing labyrinth while Sarah paced back and forth in front of Jareth. He was still trying to believe that Sarah was in his kingdom - had been for years!
Kail turned towards the King. "So what exactly is this Labyrinth? I just assumed it was something you created for your own amusement."
Jareth rallied between wanting to punish the insolent elf and laugh at his outward attitude. It reminded him so much of Sarah. Instead he settled for explaining. "Much better question to ask who then what. I am not the original ruler of the Underground. Over fifty thousand years ago there was another who ruled his subjects with fear and pain. The entire land reflected his character - fires scorched the skies, the terrain dipped with endless pits and rose into jagged mountains. I lived under his rule when I was a child and I was about seven when I first met one of the few resistance groups at the time."
***
- In the backstreets of the city Quenlya thousands of years ago -
The young fey boy skidded down to the end of the street, the stones of the street scraping the skin off the back of his legs. But as soon as he fell he got back up again and kept running throwing a glance back down the alleyway to see if the King's guards were still behind him. He could hear loud shouting above the pounding in his ears and he ran faster. Was this worth stealing a loaf of bread for? It would be if he could get away with it
Flinging himself around a corner he collided with a woman and they fell heavily to the ground. Struggling to get up they both froze as guards yelled out. The woman caught the fey child's eyes, noticing the bread clutched in on small hand and felt a tug of empathy. "Come child" spoke the woman, "there is a safe place to hide."
The child made an instant decision and followed the woman into a door hidden within the shadows. He pushed the door shut after they had entered and lent against it gulping in air to his deprived lungs. Outside he could just hear the guards passing by.
He shielded his eyes as a light flared up in the darkness and the woman's face appeared in the soft glow of the torch. "This way child, quickly now." He followed the bobbing light down through endless corridors until he had loss sense of direction and knew not how long they had walked for. Eventually there came a sound of a long wail and it grew in volume as they continued along their path. They stopped outside a door where the screaming emanated from and as the door opened words were clearly definable.
"Kashi upoed gueta ep nupe ep landa!"
"Mac you better be getting this down."
Gattic, where have you been, what is this boy doing here."
"Jash upiritic mendafic fic slririr nash di banda!"
"I'm can't get this all down, she's going too fast." "Those words or your life Mac."
"He was being chased by the King's guards Klic, he-"
"I don't care if he was being chased by the King himself!"
"Getric lumbna di gety pol polib di hash!"
The fey boy pushed himself up against the wall as he watched the maddening scene. A woman of blue skin convulsed violently upon a bed as she yelled a strange language. Blood ran from her hands where her long nails were embedded deeply within her own flesh. Black hair clung to her face held there by the beading sweat. At the foot of the bed sat a thin man - Mac - who scribed furiously to paper.
Suddenly the blue woman gave a loud piercing scream before collapsing, silent and unmoving on the bed. The male - Klic - took three long strides to the woman and felt for a pulse. Looking back at Gattic, the woman who had brought the fey child in, he shook his head. "She's dead." He paused for moment before continuing, "Mac, what did you get down?"
Mac flicked through a few pages scanned what was on them, "the long or the short version?"
"The short for now."
"Basically the prophecy translates to about someone who is extremely powerful with the magic, who will unite the people and defeat the present King." Mac looked up; "it means hope for us."
Gattic creased her forehead, "where are we meant to find this one?"
All occupants of the room spun around to the blue women who suddenly sucked in air and sat up. Opening eyes that only showed the whites she turned her head towards the fey boy, pointing at him with one long, bony finger. "HE," she screamed, "HE IS THE ONE. HE HAS THE POWER!" She dropped back down and remained motionless.
"Well," said Mac after a long silence, "that answers that question."
"What's your name boy?" asked Klic.
"Jareth" came the reply.
***
"Over the next decade I rounded up everyone who was willing to fight and organised them to the point where they were strong enough to attack the castle and I thought I had harnessed my powers to the point where I could take on the King" continued Jareth. "I began a war, ignorant of how powerful the King was. Ignorant of all that he was capable of and exactly what he was."
Jareth fought the urge to drop his head into his hands and groan - somehow he didn't think that would be very king-like. Everything seemed to be crashing down around him, he knew he should have just stayed in bed this morning.
The fairy child was free of her chains at the request of the Thief Lord, couching up against a wall, and Jareth wondered how such a delicate creature - both in physique and emotions - became involved in thievery. Zail himself was staring out a window down into the changing labyrinth while Sarah paced back and forth in front of Jareth. He was still trying to believe that Sarah was in his kingdom - had been for years!
Kail turned towards the King. "So what exactly is this Labyrinth? I just assumed it was something you created for your own amusement."
Jareth rallied between wanting to punish the insolent elf and laugh at his outward attitude. It reminded him so much of Sarah. Instead he settled for explaining. "Much better question to ask who then what. I am not the original ruler of the Underground. Over fifty thousand years ago there was another who ruled his subjects with fear and pain. The entire land reflected his character - fires scorched the skies, the terrain dipped with endless pits and rose into jagged mountains. I lived under his rule when I was a child and I was about seven when I first met one of the few resistance groups at the time."
***
- In the backstreets of the city Quenlya thousands of years ago -
The young fey boy skidded down to the end of the street, the stones of the street scraping the skin off the back of his legs. But as soon as he fell he got back up again and kept running throwing a glance back down the alleyway to see if the King's guards were still behind him. He could hear loud shouting above the pounding in his ears and he ran faster. Was this worth stealing a loaf of bread for? It would be if he could get away with it
Flinging himself around a corner he collided with a woman and they fell heavily to the ground. Struggling to get up they both froze as guards yelled out. The woman caught the fey child's eyes, noticing the bread clutched in on small hand and felt a tug of empathy. "Come child" spoke the woman, "there is a safe place to hide."
The child made an instant decision and followed the woman into a door hidden within the shadows. He pushed the door shut after they had entered and lent against it gulping in air to his deprived lungs. Outside he could just hear the guards passing by.
He shielded his eyes as a light flared up in the darkness and the woman's face appeared in the soft glow of the torch. "This way child, quickly now." He followed the bobbing light down through endless corridors until he had loss sense of direction and knew not how long they had walked for. Eventually there came a sound of a long wail and it grew in volume as they continued along their path. They stopped outside a door where the screaming emanated from and as the door opened words were clearly definable.
"Kashi upoed gueta ep nupe ep landa!"
"Mac you better be getting this down."
Gattic, where have you been, what is this boy doing here."
"Jash upiritic mendafic fic slririr nash di banda!"
"I'm can't get this all down, she's going too fast." "Those words or your life Mac."
"He was being chased by the King's guards Klic, he-"
"I don't care if he was being chased by the King himself!"
"Getric lumbna di gety pol polib di hash!"
The fey boy pushed himself up against the wall as he watched the maddening scene. A woman of blue skin convulsed violently upon a bed as she yelled a strange language. Blood ran from her hands where her long nails were embedded deeply within her own flesh. Black hair clung to her face held there by the beading sweat. At the foot of the bed sat a thin man - Mac - who scribed furiously to paper.
Suddenly the blue woman gave a loud piercing scream before collapsing, silent and unmoving on the bed. The male - Klic - took three long strides to the woman and felt for a pulse. Looking back at Gattic, the woman who had brought the fey child in, he shook his head. "She's dead." He paused for moment before continuing, "Mac, what did you get down?"
Mac flicked through a few pages scanned what was on them, "the long or the short version?"
"The short for now."
"Basically the prophecy translates to about someone who is extremely powerful with the magic, who will unite the people and defeat the present King." Mac looked up; "it means hope for us."
Gattic creased her forehead, "where are we meant to find this one?"
All occupants of the room spun around to the blue women who suddenly sucked in air and sat up. Opening eyes that only showed the whites she turned her head towards the fey boy, pointing at him with one long, bony finger. "HE," she screamed, "HE IS THE ONE. HE HAS THE POWER!" She dropped back down and remained motionless.
"Well," said Mac after a long silence, "that answers that question."
"What's your name boy?" asked Klic.
"Jareth" came the reply.
***
"Over the next decade I rounded up everyone who was willing to fight and organised them to the point where they were strong enough to attack the castle and I thought I had harnessed my powers to the point where I could take on the King" continued Jareth. "I began a war, ignorant of how powerful the King was. Ignorant of all that he was capable of and exactly what he was."