Any Questions so far? Well of course, the question 'what's wrong with her' that I left you with last chapter. Well, that'll be answered now! Go ahead and read.
*~*~*~*
"You're with child. Did you know?" Rose's voice echoed in her ears. Corey couldn't speak. It was impossible. She was only seventeen, turning eighteen in a few months. She was too young to be a mother.
"I didn't know, Rose. What am I to do? I- I can't keep it.." She trailed off. There were no advanced doctors to abort her baby here. Magic? Probably not. Rose laid a small hand on her shoulder.
"Dear, it is up to his Majesty whether you keep it," the sprite told her sadly. Corey grew angry.
"Him? He will have no say. I'll do as I like, he can go-"
"Go where?" Jareth said from the doorway, following Lilyberry inside. She scowled at him.
"You can go jump off a cliff." She declared, glaring daggers.
"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, there are no cliffs around here. And as to your child, I believe I would have a say, being as I am the father and the King of this castle," he seated himself on her bed, and she promptly moved to the other side. The sprites had vanished out the door.
"And what if you aren't the father?" She challenged him. The look that he gave her said everything. They both knew the answer.
"Corey, as you might have noticed, you can't have the child aborted by specialist doctors here. It's not that easy. And any healer whom you would go to for that kind of working would be under oath to consult me first. You have to keep it," he stood.
"I will leave the sprites to take care of you," and vanished. Corey collapsed on the bed, suddenly sobbing. She didn't want this to happen. There had to be some way to fix the problem. And get home, she must get home.
*~*~*~*
But try as she might, Corey found no way. Every day she cursed Jareth, taking her anger out on the weeds and small tasks that Burdock allowed her to do. No more carrying buckets, of course. And then, one day, she stumbled apon a certain plant while leafing through a plant book.
"Pansy," she breathed with excitement.
"Be careful using pansy while pregnant, as it will cause miscarriage," the girl felt like laughing, but instead settled with putting the book away and nonchalantly wandering out into the gardens. Pansy had been planted the summer before; Burdock had showed her the beds of it.
She knelt near one of the plants and separated some of the petals and stems. With her glorious handful Corey sauntered back to the kitchens, preparing a tea from her treasure, and sat in a secluded corner with her mug. The days from here on would be painful, she knew, as her body rid itself of the fetus. She raised the mug to her lips...
"Stop!" Someone knocked it from her hands. The liquid spilt over the floor; her mug cracked on the stone. Corey gaped, then brought her gaze up to see Jareth glaring at her. Her face changed, and she heaved herself up and angrily stormed back to her bed.
"You have to ruin everything, don't you!" She cried. Her plan had failed. Failed miserably. Damn him! She would just have to escape, then.
*~*~*~*
With her newfound determination to defeat him, Corey prepared for her great escape.
It took her months to organise the plan and gather her materials; every step had to be thought over a million times to make sure no one would know. But she wasn't alone.
Rose and Burdock were there for her every day, every week. They were like the parents she had never known; her own mother Linda had never meant much to her until the very end when she had to run the Labyrinth.
But now Corey would win the game. She'd find another way to get home. There was always another way, there had to be.
"I'll make another way," she growled through gritted teeth as she painstakingly sewed every stitch of her bedspread. The bedspread that was her marvelous cloak, made of midnight black velvet that Rose had found for her.
The sprite had gone to great lengths to make sure no one noticed that the length of velvet was gone, and Corey owed her for it.
"Rose, I can't thank you enough," she said when the day finally came. Rose just smiled up at her through eyefuls of tears, and handed her more things to pack into her bag.
"We've come to love you, dear. Even though you insist on leaving us, we want the best for you. Come, Blackberry will show you to the gate." Rose wiped her eyes with a hanky. Corey shouldered her pack and swept the marvelous cloak around her shoulders, careful of her large stomach.
She had decided an important thing whilst preparing for this; she would keep the baby.
It was now only a few days from the due date as she reckoned it, and Corey prayed with all her might that the child would wait until she found somewhere safe to shelter.
"I'm coming, Rose," she walked slowly after the woman. Blackberry, a sprite youth known for his tricks, had offered to bribe the guards at a side gate of the Labyrinth to let her out. Bribing in Blackberry's language meant knocking them out with large stones, but at least it worked.
He led Corey through a secret way that led straight to the gate, and waved her off.
"Best of luck to you, miss! Best of luck!" He waved cheerily and disappeared through the hedge. Corey sighed and faced the road ahead. It led into the forest. She started walking, one hand on her belly, on a small knife at her side.
It was going to be a long night.
*~*~*~*
Goddess Bless all who review! Sorry for the short chapter.
*~*~*~*
"You're with child. Did you know?" Rose's voice echoed in her ears. Corey couldn't speak. It was impossible. She was only seventeen, turning eighteen in a few months. She was too young to be a mother.
"I didn't know, Rose. What am I to do? I- I can't keep it.." She trailed off. There were no advanced doctors to abort her baby here. Magic? Probably not. Rose laid a small hand on her shoulder.
"Dear, it is up to his Majesty whether you keep it," the sprite told her sadly. Corey grew angry.
"Him? He will have no say. I'll do as I like, he can go-"
"Go where?" Jareth said from the doorway, following Lilyberry inside. She scowled at him.
"You can go jump off a cliff." She declared, glaring daggers.
"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, there are no cliffs around here. And as to your child, I believe I would have a say, being as I am the father and the King of this castle," he seated himself on her bed, and she promptly moved to the other side. The sprites had vanished out the door.
"And what if you aren't the father?" She challenged him. The look that he gave her said everything. They both knew the answer.
"Corey, as you might have noticed, you can't have the child aborted by specialist doctors here. It's not that easy. And any healer whom you would go to for that kind of working would be under oath to consult me first. You have to keep it," he stood.
"I will leave the sprites to take care of you," and vanished. Corey collapsed on the bed, suddenly sobbing. She didn't want this to happen. There had to be some way to fix the problem. And get home, she must get home.
*~*~*~*
But try as she might, Corey found no way. Every day she cursed Jareth, taking her anger out on the weeds and small tasks that Burdock allowed her to do. No more carrying buckets, of course. And then, one day, she stumbled apon a certain plant while leafing through a plant book.
"Pansy," she breathed with excitement.
"Be careful using pansy while pregnant, as it will cause miscarriage," the girl felt like laughing, but instead settled with putting the book away and nonchalantly wandering out into the gardens. Pansy had been planted the summer before; Burdock had showed her the beds of it.
She knelt near one of the plants and separated some of the petals and stems. With her glorious handful Corey sauntered back to the kitchens, preparing a tea from her treasure, and sat in a secluded corner with her mug. The days from here on would be painful, she knew, as her body rid itself of the fetus. She raised the mug to her lips...
"Stop!" Someone knocked it from her hands. The liquid spilt over the floor; her mug cracked on the stone. Corey gaped, then brought her gaze up to see Jareth glaring at her. Her face changed, and she heaved herself up and angrily stormed back to her bed.
"You have to ruin everything, don't you!" She cried. Her plan had failed. Failed miserably. Damn him! She would just have to escape, then.
*~*~*~*
With her newfound determination to defeat him, Corey prepared for her great escape.
It took her months to organise the plan and gather her materials; every step had to be thought over a million times to make sure no one would know. But she wasn't alone.
Rose and Burdock were there for her every day, every week. They were like the parents she had never known; her own mother Linda had never meant much to her until the very end when she had to run the Labyrinth.
But now Corey would win the game. She'd find another way to get home. There was always another way, there had to be.
"I'll make another way," she growled through gritted teeth as she painstakingly sewed every stitch of her bedspread. The bedspread that was her marvelous cloak, made of midnight black velvet that Rose had found for her.
The sprite had gone to great lengths to make sure no one noticed that the length of velvet was gone, and Corey owed her for it.
"Rose, I can't thank you enough," she said when the day finally came. Rose just smiled up at her through eyefuls of tears, and handed her more things to pack into her bag.
"We've come to love you, dear. Even though you insist on leaving us, we want the best for you. Come, Blackberry will show you to the gate." Rose wiped her eyes with a hanky. Corey shouldered her pack and swept the marvelous cloak around her shoulders, careful of her large stomach.
She had decided an important thing whilst preparing for this; she would keep the baby.
It was now only a few days from the due date as she reckoned it, and Corey prayed with all her might that the child would wait until she found somewhere safe to shelter.
"I'm coming, Rose," she walked slowly after the woman. Blackberry, a sprite youth known for his tricks, had offered to bribe the guards at a side gate of the Labyrinth to let her out. Bribing in Blackberry's language meant knocking them out with large stones, but at least it worked.
He led Corey through a secret way that led straight to the gate, and waved her off.
"Best of luck to you, miss! Best of luck!" He waved cheerily and disappeared through the hedge. Corey sighed and faced the road ahead. It led into the forest. She started walking, one hand on her belly, on a small knife at her side.
It was going to be a long night.
*~*~*~*
Goddess Bless all who review! Sorry for the short chapter.
