Another chapter! Thanking very muchly everyone who reviewed!
*~*~*~*
Darian was almost two months old before the next uproar caused Corey's life to change. It was a fine sunny day, but she sat inside with her son, always within an arm's reach of him. Sarah came and went as she pleased, bringing them wildflowers and pretty rocks she found outside. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, until...
A terrible scream sounded outside. Corey snapped her head up.
"Penny?" She called. There was no answer. Thomas had left early that morning, travelling to retrieve a herd of gertlings from the other side of the forest. Penny was supposed to be outside picking berries. What if...? No.
"Sarah, you hold on to Darian, hold him tight and don't let go," she thrust the boy into her daughter's arms and ran outside.
"Penny?" she cried. The woman came running out of the bushes on the other side of the clearing.
"Corey? I heard a scream, are you all right?"
"What? I thought it was you..."
"Mama!" Sarah screamed from inside. Corey realised with a horrified gasp what had happened and she dashed inside. Too late. The little girl fell into her arms, sobbing.
"Darian... I couldn't hold onto him... Father... took him..." she cried. Corey narrowed her eyes.
"Don't you worry, darling. We'll find Darian," she whispered, but on the inside she was raging with fury.
"I'll take you to him if you want," said a casual voice behind him. Corey whirled around.
"Of course, you'll have to stay in the castle if you want to be with him," Jareth smirked.
"Give me back my son!" She yelled, lunging forward with her hands shaped like claws. He put up a magical shield, and the woman was thrown to the ground with a yelp.
"Restrain yourself, or you will never see him again," he looked down at her triumphantly. Corey leapt to her feet.
"I'll kill you," she panted, and rushed forward again. This time she was blasted backwards to hit the stone wall at the back of the cabin with a crack. It took a moment for her to regain her senses, but she staggered to her feet and looked at him with a mixture of wounded fury and frustration.
"Threats won't change the fact that I have the boy. I assure you, a perfectly suitable nursemaid will raise him well. And he shall be re-named, something more royal and fitting than 'Darian'," he turned to leave with a triumphant smile, but Corey had already thrown a chunk of wood carved like a gertling that Thomas had carved one winter at him. It hit the arrogant King in the head before he could put up a shield, and gave Corey grim satisfaction as he let out a yelp of pain.
"I'll get my son back, mark me," she snarled as he glared and faded out at last. When he was gone she fell to the ground with an anguished sob. Darian... brought up by a nursemaid? Absolutely not.
*~*~*~*
Jareth sat back on his throne victoriously. It was two days since he took the boy. When tonight was over and he still had him, then by Underground laws he was the boy's lawful guardian. If Corey tried to take him away, the King could use any means necessary to get the Prince back. Now... a name...
Before he could think of anything, a warning flashed in the crystal that viewed the main hall. Conjuring up another sphere, he saw a cloaked figure stealthily tip-toeing past the snoring guards. An arrogant, twisted smile formed as he waved a hand and faded to the entrance hall. Corey had come for the child. But the foolish mortal thought she could get past his defenses...
*~*~*~*
Corey waited until Blackberry gave her the thumbs up before she took the servant's stairs to the high tower. The sprite was one in a long line... sort of like a bucket line for fighting fires. Rose was hidden in the entrance hall. When she saw Penny dressed as Corey sneaking past the guards, she gave Lilyberry who was hiding in a nearby tapestry a signal. Lilyberry passed it to Burdock, and it made the way along the line until it got to Corey, who was now dashing towards where her son was kept.
It was an ingenious plan. The sprites knew how Jareth's monitoring system worked; a crystal flashed red when there was trouble, and he went to the scene. So it he didn't see the next crystal flash, she was free to go without him noticing! Penny was the distraction.
Corey let herself quietly into the high tower, smiling as she saw the cradle in which Darian slept peacefully. The sprites had proved a thrice blessing; the guards had all been drawn away. She gathered her sleeping child into her arms and started downstairs again happily. She was never going to let go of Darian again.
*~*~*~*
Penny was running along a corridor in the opposite direction to Darian's tower when she ran straight into someone. One glance at his shoes told her it was the King, but she kept her head down so the hood covered her face.
"Corey, I really thought you were smarter than that," he drawled. She said nothing.
"But I suppose, what can you expect from humans," Jareth continued airily, not yet noticing she hadn't looked at him.
"And to think you thought you could retrieve your son from my castle was so much below the human standards, too,"
Penny was trying not to laugh. This arrogant man had not yet realised that she was just standing there staring at her feet.
"But now, I will be kind and give you a choice. You may return to the herdsman's cottage, or live here in the castle where you may see the boy once every so often. What will it be?" He asked, and finally Penny got her chance to act. She raised her head and removed the hood, savoring the King's shocked look.
"You really are too kind, giving me such a choice," she said sweetly, and grinned as he roared furiously and faded out. Penny cast her gaze around quickly and saw a sprite beckoning frantically from behind a tapestry. Time to get out of there.
*~*~*~*
Corey was running. It was all she could do. Running as fast as she could along the path to the cottage. Darian was whimpering in her arms, but she could not comfort him yet. The woman was reminded of the day she first came, the only other time in her life her legs had hurt as much as this. She had been running up and down stairs to save her mother then, she was running to save her son now.
She noted a particular tree as they ran; not far now. Only a few minutes...
"Stop!" A roar sounded from behind, but she kept running.
"Stop!" It sounded again in front of her, and she had just enough time to skid to a halt before she smacked into Jareth. He glowered at her.
"You thought you could get away with it, didn't you?" He said scathingly.
"I am getting away with it," Corey corrected him.
"Never," the King hissed.
"Actually, you'd be surprised. My friends, your servants, told me of a certain law. Lets see... you snitch my son, take him to the castle. If I can't retrieve him within three days, he's yours. But if I can take him from the premises, he's mine. And I will raise my son like no nursemaid can. Now step aside," she said, coldly. He hesitated.
"The boy needs a father," Jareth faltered.
"You are no father," Corey glared. Moments passed between them, then the King sullenly stepped aside. She walked past triumphantly, and continued on without a backward glance.
"But you'll still never leave the Underground! I am the only one who has the power to send you above!" He called angrily after her. Corey faltered, but kept walking determinedly. She would still find a way. There was always more than one way.
*~*~*~*
Long chapter for once! And she kicked his ass! Yes! Don't worry, Penny gets back to the cottage all right.
Please review!
Goddess Bless and Sweet Sunshine!
Seul Loup
*~*~*~*
Darian was almost two months old before the next uproar caused Corey's life to change. It was a fine sunny day, but she sat inside with her son, always within an arm's reach of him. Sarah came and went as she pleased, bringing them wildflowers and pretty rocks she found outside. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, until...
A terrible scream sounded outside. Corey snapped her head up.
"Penny?" She called. There was no answer. Thomas had left early that morning, travelling to retrieve a herd of gertlings from the other side of the forest. Penny was supposed to be outside picking berries. What if...? No.
"Sarah, you hold on to Darian, hold him tight and don't let go," she thrust the boy into her daughter's arms and ran outside.
"Penny?" she cried. The woman came running out of the bushes on the other side of the clearing.
"Corey? I heard a scream, are you all right?"
"What? I thought it was you..."
"Mama!" Sarah screamed from inside. Corey realised with a horrified gasp what had happened and she dashed inside. Too late. The little girl fell into her arms, sobbing.
"Darian... I couldn't hold onto him... Father... took him..." she cried. Corey narrowed her eyes.
"Don't you worry, darling. We'll find Darian," she whispered, but on the inside she was raging with fury.
"I'll take you to him if you want," said a casual voice behind him. Corey whirled around.
"Of course, you'll have to stay in the castle if you want to be with him," Jareth smirked.
"Give me back my son!" She yelled, lunging forward with her hands shaped like claws. He put up a magical shield, and the woman was thrown to the ground with a yelp.
"Restrain yourself, or you will never see him again," he looked down at her triumphantly. Corey leapt to her feet.
"I'll kill you," she panted, and rushed forward again. This time she was blasted backwards to hit the stone wall at the back of the cabin with a crack. It took a moment for her to regain her senses, but she staggered to her feet and looked at him with a mixture of wounded fury and frustration.
"Threats won't change the fact that I have the boy. I assure you, a perfectly suitable nursemaid will raise him well. And he shall be re-named, something more royal and fitting than 'Darian'," he turned to leave with a triumphant smile, but Corey had already thrown a chunk of wood carved like a gertling that Thomas had carved one winter at him. It hit the arrogant King in the head before he could put up a shield, and gave Corey grim satisfaction as he let out a yelp of pain.
"I'll get my son back, mark me," she snarled as he glared and faded out at last. When he was gone she fell to the ground with an anguished sob. Darian... brought up by a nursemaid? Absolutely not.
*~*~*~*
Jareth sat back on his throne victoriously. It was two days since he took the boy. When tonight was over and he still had him, then by Underground laws he was the boy's lawful guardian. If Corey tried to take him away, the King could use any means necessary to get the Prince back. Now... a name...
Before he could think of anything, a warning flashed in the crystal that viewed the main hall. Conjuring up another sphere, he saw a cloaked figure stealthily tip-toeing past the snoring guards. An arrogant, twisted smile formed as he waved a hand and faded to the entrance hall. Corey had come for the child. But the foolish mortal thought she could get past his defenses...
*~*~*~*
Corey waited until Blackberry gave her the thumbs up before she took the servant's stairs to the high tower. The sprite was one in a long line... sort of like a bucket line for fighting fires. Rose was hidden in the entrance hall. When she saw Penny dressed as Corey sneaking past the guards, she gave Lilyberry who was hiding in a nearby tapestry a signal. Lilyberry passed it to Burdock, and it made the way along the line until it got to Corey, who was now dashing towards where her son was kept.
It was an ingenious plan. The sprites knew how Jareth's monitoring system worked; a crystal flashed red when there was trouble, and he went to the scene. So it he didn't see the next crystal flash, she was free to go without him noticing! Penny was the distraction.
Corey let herself quietly into the high tower, smiling as she saw the cradle in which Darian slept peacefully. The sprites had proved a thrice blessing; the guards had all been drawn away. She gathered her sleeping child into her arms and started downstairs again happily. She was never going to let go of Darian again.
*~*~*~*
Penny was running along a corridor in the opposite direction to Darian's tower when she ran straight into someone. One glance at his shoes told her it was the King, but she kept her head down so the hood covered her face.
"Corey, I really thought you were smarter than that," he drawled. She said nothing.
"But I suppose, what can you expect from humans," Jareth continued airily, not yet noticing she hadn't looked at him.
"And to think you thought you could retrieve your son from my castle was so much below the human standards, too,"
Penny was trying not to laugh. This arrogant man had not yet realised that she was just standing there staring at her feet.
"But now, I will be kind and give you a choice. You may return to the herdsman's cottage, or live here in the castle where you may see the boy once every so often. What will it be?" He asked, and finally Penny got her chance to act. She raised her head and removed the hood, savoring the King's shocked look.
"You really are too kind, giving me such a choice," she said sweetly, and grinned as he roared furiously and faded out. Penny cast her gaze around quickly and saw a sprite beckoning frantically from behind a tapestry. Time to get out of there.
*~*~*~*
Corey was running. It was all she could do. Running as fast as she could along the path to the cottage. Darian was whimpering in her arms, but she could not comfort him yet. The woman was reminded of the day she first came, the only other time in her life her legs had hurt as much as this. She had been running up and down stairs to save her mother then, she was running to save her son now.
She noted a particular tree as they ran; not far now. Only a few minutes...
"Stop!" A roar sounded from behind, but she kept running.
"Stop!" It sounded again in front of her, and she had just enough time to skid to a halt before she smacked into Jareth. He glowered at her.
"You thought you could get away with it, didn't you?" He said scathingly.
"I am getting away with it," Corey corrected him.
"Never," the King hissed.
"Actually, you'd be surprised. My friends, your servants, told me of a certain law. Lets see... you snitch my son, take him to the castle. If I can't retrieve him within three days, he's yours. But if I can take him from the premises, he's mine. And I will raise my son like no nursemaid can. Now step aside," she said, coldly. He hesitated.
"The boy needs a father," Jareth faltered.
"You are no father," Corey glared. Moments passed between them, then the King sullenly stepped aside. She walked past triumphantly, and continued on without a backward glance.
"But you'll still never leave the Underground! I am the only one who has the power to send you above!" He called angrily after her. Corey faltered, but kept walking determinedly. She would still find a way. There was always more than one way.
*~*~*~*
Long chapter for once! And she kicked his ass! Yes! Don't worry, Penny gets back to the cottage all right.
Please review!
Goddess Bless and Sweet Sunshine!
Seul Loup
