Chapter 4
Tiani saw the king fade away, and felt a mix of emotions. But she was mostly glad to be rid of him trying to take a peek in her mind.
"Better get on with it, Ti," she muttered and began the walk down the hill, towards the maze. It didn't take too long to reach it, and she soon heard a cracked voice counting;
"78! 79! ooh a good one there! 90!! Yah ha, ha!" Rounding a corner she saw a short stubby man with white hair peeking out from underneath a old fashioned cap, and what seemed to be renaissance peasant clothes, running around spraying fairies.
"Damn pest." he said and continued with his spraying before he felt being overlooked. Turning around to look at who it was he spotted Tiani leaning to a tree. Looking alarmingly alike the King in posture.
"Oh. 's you." he mumbled at her. Raising an eyebrow she allowed herself a slight smirk.
"As if you know who I am, dwarf." She replied sourly.
"'Course I knows who you are. You're the girl who wished her baby brother or sister away." he replied between sprays. "And now you're going to try beating the Labyrinth," the dwarf laughed its cracked high pitch laughter which made Tiani think of a badly oiled door hinge, and found it equally annoying.
"You are right in one out of your guesses, dwarf," he turned back to look at her, "I am going to run the Labyrinth," she paused, "But it will be of my own choice to spare my sister from the burden of it."
She began walking over to him, unaware of how her rolling steps made it look like she was slowly gliding over the ground. Stopping a couple of feet away from the short man, she assumed a posture and voice that was frightfully alike the kings.
"And what I would like to ask you is whether you know how I will get into the Labyrinth."
"Stop calling me Dwarf!" he growled, "My name is Hoggle!" he practically yelled at her.
Hunching down, and taking him totally off guard she kneeled down and gave him her hand and a dazzling smile in greeting.
"Pleased to meet you Hoggle. I'm Tiani." He took it unsure of what would happen next. Standing up again she straightened out the bodice, "But as I said before: do you know how to enter the Labyrinth?" Hoggle nodded and pointed at a seemingly solid wall.
"You gets in there." and a large gate cracked open.
Thanking him, she began walking towards the gate. But before entering, she found a thin silver chain from her bag, and tossed it to Hoggle.
"Hey, what am I s'posed to do with this!?" he yelled after her, holding the delicate chain between his clumsy fingers.
"Keep it!" she called back and disappeared, "I won't be needing it any more." the stone walls heard her say in a low voice.
~¨~¨~¨~¨~¨~¨~¨~¨~¨~
Outside Hoggle looked at the silver chain and its blue tear shaped stone pendant-
"What have you got there Hoggle?" a voice said behind him.
"The dark lady gave it to me." he said in a grim voice, as if the beautiful gift was a bad omen in itself.
Asking to see it, Jareth took it between slender gloved fingers, and saw the instant he saw the dazzling pendant that it was an extremely rare piece of jewellery. Touching the stone, he felt a slight electric current through his gloves, and realised it indeed was something important. Only he could remember what. . .
"She tells me to keep it," the dwarf said, feeling he had to explain it to the king.
"Then you shall do so, Hoggle," Jareths voice was anything like the harsh, arrogant one he usually had while addressing his subjects. Though handing the piece of jewellery back, Jareth still was uncertain whether it was a good idea to let a dwarf walk around with a magical implement.
"Go and see where she went. I'll be in my chamber."
Hoggle nodded, silently wondering why the king hadn't mentioned the Bog yet. That was the normal procedure: he threatened with the Bog at least once every conversation they had, but not now. Not that he minded it. It was actually a bit of a relief not needing to wonder whether he was going to end up head first, or last into the Bog any moment during the day. What was so different now? He had no idea, and was in a strange way determined to figure why.
Reaching the still open gate, he was met by a sight no one in the Labyrinth had expected or wanted to see ever again.
The third path was open!
Tiani saw the king fade away, and felt a mix of emotions. But she was mostly glad to be rid of him trying to take a peek in her mind.
"Better get on with it, Ti," she muttered and began the walk down the hill, towards the maze. It didn't take too long to reach it, and she soon heard a cracked voice counting;
"78! 79! ooh a good one there! 90!! Yah ha, ha!" Rounding a corner she saw a short stubby man with white hair peeking out from underneath a old fashioned cap, and what seemed to be renaissance peasant clothes, running around spraying fairies.
"Damn pest." he said and continued with his spraying before he felt being overlooked. Turning around to look at who it was he spotted Tiani leaning to a tree. Looking alarmingly alike the King in posture.
"Oh. 's you." he mumbled at her. Raising an eyebrow she allowed herself a slight smirk.
"As if you know who I am, dwarf." She replied sourly.
"'Course I knows who you are. You're the girl who wished her baby brother or sister away." he replied between sprays. "And now you're going to try beating the Labyrinth," the dwarf laughed its cracked high pitch laughter which made Tiani think of a badly oiled door hinge, and found it equally annoying.
"You are right in one out of your guesses, dwarf," he turned back to look at her, "I am going to run the Labyrinth," she paused, "But it will be of my own choice to spare my sister from the burden of it."
She began walking over to him, unaware of how her rolling steps made it look like she was slowly gliding over the ground. Stopping a couple of feet away from the short man, she assumed a posture and voice that was frightfully alike the kings.
"And what I would like to ask you is whether you know how I will get into the Labyrinth."
"Stop calling me Dwarf!" he growled, "My name is Hoggle!" he practically yelled at her.
Hunching down, and taking him totally off guard she kneeled down and gave him her hand and a dazzling smile in greeting.
"Pleased to meet you Hoggle. I'm Tiani." He took it unsure of what would happen next. Standing up again she straightened out the bodice, "But as I said before: do you know how to enter the Labyrinth?" Hoggle nodded and pointed at a seemingly solid wall.
"You gets in there." and a large gate cracked open.
Thanking him, she began walking towards the gate. But before entering, she found a thin silver chain from her bag, and tossed it to Hoggle.
"Hey, what am I s'posed to do with this!?" he yelled after her, holding the delicate chain between his clumsy fingers.
"Keep it!" she called back and disappeared, "I won't be needing it any more." the stone walls heard her say in a low voice.
~¨~¨~¨~¨~¨~¨~¨~¨~¨~
Outside Hoggle looked at the silver chain and its blue tear shaped stone pendant-
"What have you got there Hoggle?" a voice said behind him.
"The dark lady gave it to me." he said in a grim voice, as if the beautiful gift was a bad omen in itself.
Asking to see it, Jareth took it between slender gloved fingers, and saw the instant he saw the dazzling pendant that it was an extremely rare piece of jewellery. Touching the stone, he felt a slight electric current through his gloves, and realised it indeed was something important. Only he could remember what. . .
"She tells me to keep it," the dwarf said, feeling he had to explain it to the king.
"Then you shall do so, Hoggle," Jareths voice was anything like the harsh, arrogant one he usually had while addressing his subjects. Though handing the piece of jewellery back, Jareth still was uncertain whether it was a good idea to let a dwarf walk around with a magical implement.
"Go and see where she went. I'll be in my chamber."
Hoggle nodded, silently wondering why the king hadn't mentioned the Bog yet. That was the normal procedure: he threatened with the Bog at least once every conversation they had, but not now. Not that he minded it. It was actually a bit of a relief not needing to wonder whether he was going to end up head first, or last into the Bog any moment during the day. What was so different now? He had no idea, and was in a strange way determined to figure why.
Reaching the still open gate, he was met by a sight no one in the Labyrinth had expected or wanted to see ever again.
The third path was open!