Hey, I'm finally back- I had a whole bunch of tests and papers and stuff that kept me from writing more, but I am back. ^_^ I don't know how satisfied I am with this chapter but it's up at least. It's been so long that I figured a chapter I might edit sometime is better than nothing.
Special thanks to: Prettylittleowl, Jenny, JLF and Sierra_Falls! As always, I am incredibly thankful. prostrates self on the floor I'm not worthy; I'm not worthy!
Anyway, onto the fic!
Previously:
"Is that all that you…" Linda's comment is interrupted by Jareth's sudden appearance with Sarah squirming in his arms.
Jareth ignores Linda and turns to Mikal. "She won't shut up! I ordered her to and she won't listen to me! How dare you stick me with this obnoxious baby?" Sarah glares at Jareth and reaches out for her mother.
Linda smiles in relief and reaches her arm out. "Sarah!"
Mikal gestures for her to stay where she is. He faces his impudent son. "Jareth, I told you to wait until I..."
"I was tired of waiting!" Sarah looks up at Jareth for a moment and laughs at him. Her little hand grabs some of his wild, blonde hair and begins pulling on it slightly. Jareth looks at her with disgust as he tries not to flinch.
The king sighs in exasperation. "The damage is done." He turns to back to the mortal woman who watches the scene with growing fascination. "Linda, I am somewhat pleased to introduce you to my son and heir, Jareth- the Goblin King who will build the magnificent Labyrinth." Jareth puffs up his chest in pride. "Hopefully you can excuse his rude and childish behavior, because there are parts of the prophecy that he finds distasteful." The Goblin Prince shoots a death glare at his father.
Part 5: The Babe with the Power
"Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connait point." - Pascal The heart has its reasons, whereof reason knows nothing.
"Love is like a mushroom- you never know if it's the real thing until it's too late."
Linda drops into a short curtsy and tries to be respectful to the son of her host. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." She looks longingly at Sarah, which is not lost on Mikal.
In response, Jareth looks Linda over with an appraising eye. More annoyed than impressed, he nods his head and turns back to his father and tries to keep Sarah from falling to the ground. In disgust, he makes an obnoxious face at the baby girl and instead gets lost in her hazel eyes. Suddenly quieting for a moment, Sarah stops pulling on Jareth's hair and notices the mismatched pair of eyes that are looking down at her in wonder.
Mikal realizes that his son is transfixed and again addresses Linda. "He'll stay out of this… I hope."
Linda looks at the two kids and smiles. "Excuse me, but what do you mean about parts of the prophecy that are distasteful to your son?"
Mikal looks over to where his son stands. "Jareth, would you please take Sarah and go outside? Linda and I still need to talk so that we will not be distracted. I will signal you when you can come back. Do not disobey me again or you will face the consequences… do I make myself perfectly clear?" Jareth grumbles but manages to nod before popping out again. After his son disappears, Mikal turns back towards Linda. "Forgive him, my dear- he's young and extremely stubborn. But you wish to know more about the Labyrinth… As I previously mentioned, Jareth will build the Labyrinth to protect the kingdom. The inside of the Labyrinth shall have its own special magic and everything in it will be more than what it seems. As his control grows with experience, Jareth will think that he has tamed the world he shall build, but he cannot conquer it. His overconfidence and pride shall likely be his downfall. The one who can defeat him is known as the babe with the power of voodoo- that is all we know of the person. We know the babe shall have unseen magic and the capability to beat Jareth at his own game. This person will not leave the same way that they came in. Win or lose, the rival shall bring balance to the Labyrinth, although we do not know why. I believe that the prophesized babe to be your baby daughter."
Linda gasps. "My daughter Sarah?"
"That would be the one."
"We have no magical powers."
"Even if you did, could you accept their existence?"
She shakes off the question. "So my Sarah will run through an enchanted maze in a battle of wits against your son? I don't know if I can…"
Mikal cuts her off. "You could if you so choose. Do not be hasty; think of your daughter. I am a desperate fae and if you refuse, I might be forced by the laws of the kingdom to change your Sarah into a goblin. Why did you think I was called the Goblin King?"
"So what would I have to agree to?"
"It would be as I told you- you must tell her the tale- elaborate some if you so wish. You are an actress after all. Also, one of you must publish the work- that would be best after she has gone through the Labyrinth. That will keep the incantation in people's heads."
The woman bites her lip. "Will you allow harm to come to her? What kind of mother would I be to send her off to some unknown, possibly dangerous, fate?"
"I won't lie to you; it will be a dangerous task. Still, she will not be harmed, no, not at all. I speculate that the Labyrinth itself shall protect her."
"Well I guess that's comforting. How can I be sure that she will keep her part of the deal?"
"She will return one day to this place; I will make sure of that. I will write it in her subconscious; the infatuation and memory will stay with her... provided that you prepare her. As dangerous as it is, she may very well prevail…"
Holding her head in her hands, Linda laments,"Why not me instead- why must it be Sarah?"
Mikal looks at Jareth holding Sarah in his arms through one of his transparent bubbles and smiles. "She is the one can tame my son and make him a better king." Linda does not know what to say. "Jareth, you may come back in now."
Jareth pops back in and sits down in the empty chair and bounces Sarah on his knee with her facing him. He nods at the two adults and returns his attention to the child.
"Are these conditions sufficient for you- if not, we can turn her into a goblin right this second." Suddenly jerked back to the present, Jareth unintentionally balks at this and hides the child he cradles in his arms. He looks deeper into her eyes and stares into her dilated pupils. As both of them remain extremely still, a few random thoughts pass through Jareth's mind… You remind of the babe with the power of voodoo… He remains lost in incoherent thoughts.
Linda gasps. "If I love my child…"
"If you love her, wouldn't you trust her to do her best… it's better than losing her to be a goblin, isn't it? You were the one who is so against turning children into goblins in the first place!" Linda opens her mouth but does not respond. After a few uncomfortable moments, she nods. "You will?"
"Yes, I agree to your terms, Your Majesty. I will tell her the tale and write the story in a book… and try to get her to publish it someday. I owe her hope and I do not see another way of giving it to her. We must simply do the best that we can with what we've been given. I wish I hadn't given her this burden; this is all my fault."
"Wait and see- perhaps good will come out of this."
"I know nothing of magic…"
"You may have more than you think or know, Linda."
She smirks. "Is that a prophecy too, Goblin King?"
He shrugs gracefully and his clothing moves gently with him. "Perhaps… you must simply wait and see, won't you?"
"I seem to have very little choice in the matter," she answered dryly.
"There are always choices- they just might not be the possibilities that we had previously envisioned choosing from… but as someone said, that's life!"
"C'est la vie. It sounds better in French, doesn't it?" She turns to him curiously. "Do you speak French?"
"Oui, bien sûr, madame. J'ai étudié douzaines de langues; il faut que je puisse parler avec beaucoup de gens de ce monde et de ton monde. (Yes, of course, madam. I studied dozens of languages; it's necessary that I am able to speak with many people from this world and from your world.)"
Linda laughs lightly. "Well that answers that question."
"Honestly, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your cooperation. You will help to save my kingdom and I am extremely grateful. I am forever in your debt."
She smiles sadly. "I only wish that someday Sarah will be able to forgive me when she finds out what I did and what I have chosen for her."
"I think that she will grow to understand. Children do not always understand what's best for them," he shares conspiratorially.
"Neither do I."
Mikal does not know what to say in response, so he puts his hand on his son's shoulder and wakes Jareth from the slight trance. Carefully, the Goblin King takes Sarah in his arms and passes her to Linda with a smile and a bow. "I assume that you are ready to return home to your world?" She nods. "Very well… it has been a pleasure. I know we will never meet again, but please take care of yourself and of Sarah." Before she could respond, the magic overtook her and her vision blurs. A minute later, she stands in front of an open window with a gentle wind blowing outside.
The storm now completely over, Linda sits on the sill with Sarah and wonders whether it was all a dream. A voice in her head sounds, "No, it was not a dream." A silver pendant appears in Linda's free hand and she stares at it. "This is my seal so that you will know what is and what is not real. He will come for her someday. You must keep your word." Suddenly filled with resolve, Linda looks down at Sarah and nods. I will not forget…
That's the end of this little installment- the next one should be the last. Its tentative title is The Future to Come. Please review, everyone and thanks for reading!