A/N: Well, I have net now. But only an hour a week o.0... and this is the
sixth chapter I need to post. I guess now I'm just being lazy. *crosses
fingers* I promise, promise, promise I'll get this up within the week.
*uncrosses fingers* Nah, I'll take a rain check-next week. Anyway, you
didn't come to hear me ramble. Let's get this show on the road! Labyrinth
is, sadly, not mine-it's property of Henson, etc., etc.; "Lady '95" belongs
to Styx ((lyric snippet));
:~:*^*:~:
"Evening when you lay down beside me Just take me gently into your arms. You're my lady of the morning Love shines in your eyes; Sparkling, clear, and lonely- You're my lady."
Chapter Six: Love-Forever?
Jareth woke sometime in the middle of the night. Beside him, Amber was trembling and whimpering in her sleep, and the blanket was quivering with the force. He turned towards her and shook her gently in an attempt to wake her, "Amber, Amber..."
Amber woke with a series of rapid blinks. Jareth noticed wet lines on her cheeks-she had been crying in her sleep. Before he could stop her, she had wrapped her arms around him and was crying harder now, talking about a battlefield and blood and death and soldiers and cannons incomprehensibly fast.
"Sh, it's okay-it was only a dream." he soothed, rubbing her back gently.
"But it seemed so real!-Good Lord, if only you had seen it! It was horrible... there's no way to describe it, everything I saw and felt and..." she broke off and seemed to just collapse against him. She was still shaking.
Jareth tried to calm her again, "It's alright. I'm here. Go back to sleep, I promise you won't have any more nightmares-at least not tonight. Just go to sleep."
Amber clamed down a little, and stopped trembling altogether. Her breathing slowed. Jareth realized she had fallen asleep in his arms, and though he knew the right thing to do would be to let go of her, he held her still. He closed his eyes, and remembered his promise. Easy enough to keep-just have to do a little dream-walking. He fell asleep quickly, and neither woke again that night.
:~:*^*:~:
Jareth woke up while the room was still dark. He felt like he had only fallen back asleep seconds ago, though he knew it had been hours. He yawned, "I wonder what time it is...?"
Amber, who was still lying happily in his arms, and who had happened to have awakened some time ago, answered quickly, "About 2 AM-so you've had your eight hours. Up you get, now."
Jareth smiled down at her, "Aw... but I don't want to move. Not an inch. Ever." He tightened his hold on her slightly, though not to a point of discomfort.
She smiled back, "Neither do I-but we have to. The game must go on. I still have 12 days to go, if you count today-and that's going to be a lot to accomplish, on my own."
He kissed her cheek gently and hopped up, stretching, "Who said you'd have to go alone?"
"Well, I was only assuming, since Keswyin left, that I would be alone." Amber shrugged and got to her feet as well, taking wobbly steps off the pillows.
"To assume makes an ass out of you and me." Jareth winked at her and went on, "Besides, how could I let you go alone? You won an ally, it wasn't your fault you lost her-so I'll take her place."
Amber stared at him in disbelief, "You? But you know the Labyrinth-you live here. Most likely, you'd help me along, and that would be cheating."
Jareth shook his head, "No, I don't know the Labyrinth. Just the basic points of it, and of course I know a lot of the residents. I only know it has 13 exits because a groundskeeper-Hoggle, I think his name was-counted them once and told me. He also made up a little set of instructions for your journey, as a favor for me-to help you find the right exit."
Amber nodded, "The 'glamorie' is certainly playing a huge role in pulling the wool back from over my eyes."
Jareth smiled, "Well, we're not going to get anywhere if we just stand here, now are we? So, I'd better read the poem for you, and we'll head out."
He pulled out a folded sheet of paper, unfolded it, and read, "13 exits has the Labyrinth, this we already know. Each has its own number, and reading clockwise from the front door of the Castle, they are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13-quite presumably. Each odd number leads back, while the evens lead forward. Each prime number holds a battle to the death, while composite numbers lead to the Bog. 1 has its own certain doom- it leads you all the way back to the Right Room. So what does this leave? 12 exits to reach and test, and 12 days in which to test them. At each I have placed another clue, but if you can find the hidden clue in this message, it will save you some time. Good luck-you have until sunset on Day Thirteen."
Amber nodded, "Alright, and the hidden clue would be... well, combining all the information he gave on exits, it can't be one. Because it has to lead to some kind of exit, and not the Bog, it can only be prime, so that rules out 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 12. I'm assuming that the exit has to lead forward, therefore it can't be odd, so that also eliminates 3, 5, 7, 11, and 13. Well, that narrowed it down a bit-the only exit left is 2."
Jareth nodded, "I'm pretty sure this will be accomplished in less than 13 days, then."
Amber smiled, "Well, if my reasoning is up to par, one would think so. In any case, we can get to exit 2, and if Asherlynn isn't there, we can use the clue there coupled with those already collected to figure out where I went wrong in my reasoning."
Jareth opened the door, "Well, let's go. After you."
Amber shook her head, "Oh no, after you."
Jareth smiled slightly, "Oh no, after you, I insist."
"Well, if you insist... I'll just have to say it again-you first, Jareth."
"Don't make me push you through."
"You wouldn't."
"I would-don't you dare say I wouldn't."
Amber stuck out her tongue defiantly, and Jareth came around behind her, pushing and prodding her out the door before him, "Told you I would."
Amber laughed, and they walked on down the hall. But Amber was already wary, now-it seemed as though every time she started to feel a bit at ease something terrible would happen. Jareth, too, seemed to tense up a bit, now that they were out in the corridor. They came to the foyer, and Jareth opened a side door, "Now am I going to have to push you through again?"
Amber shook her head and walked through first, obediently. Jareth stepped out behind her, closing the door gently. The two walked to the outer gate of the Castle, the one separating it from the Goblin City. Amber started to climb up it, and Jareth pulled at her foot gently, "Hey, what are you doing?"
Amber looked down and answered, "I've always thought it might be easier to get through the Labyrinth if you climbed on top of the walls and walked along them that way."
Jareth laughed, "Well, that's certainly an idea-as to whether it's good or bad, that remains to be seen." Just the same, he jumped up to the top of the wall, and held his arm down to help Amber up. Amber took it and, rather than having to climb the rest of the way up, Jareth just pulled her up in one swift motion.
Amber gasped, "Whoah... how did you do that?"
Jareth just shrugged. It seemed as though he had a lot of uncommon talents. Amber just sighed, and walked on. They made it over the City walls in mere minutes. However, rather than come to a junkyard next, they came to a forest. A forest carefully organized into interlocking rows so that it made itself a part of the maze almost as organized as the very outside, where the walls were of carven stone.
Amber looked out at the new obstacle before them, "Well, guess we'll be hoofing it."
Jareth threw her a puzzled look, "Huh?"
"Walking," Amber explained shortly, and hopped off the wall, landing in a crouching position. Jareth swung down to hang from the wall and drop- obviously, a lesser distance.
"So... which way to exit two?" Amber asked, looking at their surroundings.
"Eh... follow the sun-due east." Jareth said after a moment of consideration.
"Due east? But the sun is setting, not rising." she said perplexedly.
"Here, things are different, remember? The sun sets in the east, here-and rises in the west." Jareth explained patiently.
She looked at him suspiciously for a second. He looked back at her, as if to say 'What? You don't trust me?' Amber just shrugged, and walked on into the labyrinthine forest, following the orange light that signified the sun's presence. She wondered vaguely, once again, what time it was-because now, time was of the essence. She realized she was ahead of Jareth, and slowed up a bit. He drew up beside her and they walked in silence for a minute.
She was the first to speak, "Is it required by the rules that you try and distract me?-you know, like in Sarah's case, that Ball."
Jareth looked at her shrewdly for a minute, as if sizing her up, and replied, "Yes and no-it depends on other factors. I don't have to in every case. The rules do require me to affect decisions made by the Traveler, but that doesn't mean an elaborate distraction."
Amber frowned. Her mind was working overtime now, and she took a minute to collect her thoughts. She stopped for a minute, and looked at Jareth. He stopped, a few paces ahead, and looked back at her.
Amber spoke one sentence, "You know what, I love you."
She stood there for a second longer as mixed emotions crossed his face. Amber blushed a bit, and walked on ahead of him. He ran to catch up with her, but couldn't seem to find anything to say.
Finally, he spoke as well, "I love you more."
Amber turned to smile at him, still walking. She winked. "I love you most." She turned back to look at the road ahead. He came up beside her and the two walked on in happy silence for a while.
Amber broke the silence once more, "So, are you going to try to elaborately distract me?"
He shrugged, "Why should I?-If it turns out you were right about the exit issue, the two of you still have to stay in the Labyrinth until time runs out. That's another rule-but I can't take her away again in that time. So there's no real reason to distract you now when if we get to Asher faster we have time left over."
Amber nodded. She didn't really want to talk about what would happen after they rescued Asher-she didn't want to think about it. He quietly and gently took her hand, and the two walked on, again in a contemplative silence.
:~:*^*:~:
*crying* Don't you just love a dramatic love story?-Uh, anyways...
NEXT CHAPTER: ONCE AGAIN, WILL ASHER EVER APPEAR? WAS AMBER RIGHT IN HER ASSUMPTIONS? SO THEY ADMITTED THEIR LOVE, SO WHAT-BUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN THEY FIND ASHER? COME TO THINK OF IT, WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO HER? WHAT FATE AWAITS OUR HEROES? AND...WILL WE EVER MEET HOGGLE? WANNA FIND OUT? TOO BAD, CAN'T TELL YOU-YOU'LL HAVE TO READ THE NEXT CHAPTER-AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!!!!!!!
:~:*^*:~:
"Evening when you lay down beside me Just take me gently into your arms. You're my lady of the morning Love shines in your eyes; Sparkling, clear, and lonely- You're my lady."
Chapter Six: Love-Forever?
Jareth woke sometime in the middle of the night. Beside him, Amber was trembling and whimpering in her sleep, and the blanket was quivering with the force. He turned towards her and shook her gently in an attempt to wake her, "Amber, Amber..."
Amber woke with a series of rapid blinks. Jareth noticed wet lines on her cheeks-she had been crying in her sleep. Before he could stop her, she had wrapped her arms around him and was crying harder now, talking about a battlefield and blood and death and soldiers and cannons incomprehensibly fast.
"Sh, it's okay-it was only a dream." he soothed, rubbing her back gently.
"But it seemed so real!-Good Lord, if only you had seen it! It was horrible... there's no way to describe it, everything I saw and felt and..." she broke off and seemed to just collapse against him. She was still shaking.
Jareth tried to calm her again, "It's alright. I'm here. Go back to sleep, I promise you won't have any more nightmares-at least not tonight. Just go to sleep."
Amber clamed down a little, and stopped trembling altogether. Her breathing slowed. Jareth realized she had fallen asleep in his arms, and though he knew the right thing to do would be to let go of her, he held her still. He closed his eyes, and remembered his promise. Easy enough to keep-just have to do a little dream-walking. He fell asleep quickly, and neither woke again that night.
:~:*^*:~:
Jareth woke up while the room was still dark. He felt like he had only fallen back asleep seconds ago, though he knew it had been hours. He yawned, "I wonder what time it is...?"
Amber, who was still lying happily in his arms, and who had happened to have awakened some time ago, answered quickly, "About 2 AM-so you've had your eight hours. Up you get, now."
Jareth smiled down at her, "Aw... but I don't want to move. Not an inch. Ever." He tightened his hold on her slightly, though not to a point of discomfort.
She smiled back, "Neither do I-but we have to. The game must go on. I still have 12 days to go, if you count today-and that's going to be a lot to accomplish, on my own."
He kissed her cheek gently and hopped up, stretching, "Who said you'd have to go alone?"
"Well, I was only assuming, since Keswyin left, that I would be alone." Amber shrugged and got to her feet as well, taking wobbly steps off the pillows.
"To assume makes an ass out of you and me." Jareth winked at her and went on, "Besides, how could I let you go alone? You won an ally, it wasn't your fault you lost her-so I'll take her place."
Amber stared at him in disbelief, "You? But you know the Labyrinth-you live here. Most likely, you'd help me along, and that would be cheating."
Jareth shook his head, "No, I don't know the Labyrinth. Just the basic points of it, and of course I know a lot of the residents. I only know it has 13 exits because a groundskeeper-Hoggle, I think his name was-counted them once and told me. He also made up a little set of instructions for your journey, as a favor for me-to help you find the right exit."
Amber nodded, "The 'glamorie' is certainly playing a huge role in pulling the wool back from over my eyes."
Jareth smiled, "Well, we're not going to get anywhere if we just stand here, now are we? So, I'd better read the poem for you, and we'll head out."
He pulled out a folded sheet of paper, unfolded it, and read, "13 exits has the Labyrinth, this we already know. Each has its own number, and reading clockwise from the front door of the Castle, they are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13-quite presumably. Each odd number leads back, while the evens lead forward. Each prime number holds a battle to the death, while composite numbers lead to the Bog. 1 has its own certain doom- it leads you all the way back to the Right Room. So what does this leave? 12 exits to reach and test, and 12 days in which to test them. At each I have placed another clue, but if you can find the hidden clue in this message, it will save you some time. Good luck-you have until sunset on Day Thirteen."
Amber nodded, "Alright, and the hidden clue would be... well, combining all the information he gave on exits, it can't be one. Because it has to lead to some kind of exit, and not the Bog, it can only be prime, so that rules out 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 12. I'm assuming that the exit has to lead forward, therefore it can't be odd, so that also eliminates 3, 5, 7, 11, and 13. Well, that narrowed it down a bit-the only exit left is 2."
Jareth nodded, "I'm pretty sure this will be accomplished in less than 13 days, then."
Amber smiled, "Well, if my reasoning is up to par, one would think so. In any case, we can get to exit 2, and if Asherlynn isn't there, we can use the clue there coupled with those already collected to figure out where I went wrong in my reasoning."
Jareth opened the door, "Well, let's go. After you."
Amber shook her head, "Oh no, after you."
Jareth smiled slightly, "Oh no, after you, I insist."
"Well, if you insist... I'll just have to say it again-you first, Jareth."
"Don't make me push you through."
"You wouldn't."
"I would-don't you dare say I wouldn't."
Amber stuck out her tongue defiantly, and Jareth came around behind her, pushing and prodding her out the door before him, "Told you I would."
Amber laughed, and they walked on down the hall. But Amber was already wary, now-it seemed as though every time she started to feel a bit at ease something terrible would happen. Jareth, too, seemed to tense up a bit, now that they were out in the corridor. They came to the foyer, and Jareth opened a side door, "Now am I going to have to push you through again?"
Amber shook her head and walked through first, obediently. Jareth stepped out behind her, closing the door gently. The two walked to the outer gate of the Castle, the one separating it from the Goblin City. Amber started to climb up it, and Jareth pulled at her foot gently, "Hey, what are you doing?"
Amber looked down and answered, "I've always thought it might be easier to get through the Labyrinth if you climbed on top of the walls and walked along them that way."
Jareth laughed, "Well, that's certainly an idea-as to whether it's good or bad, that remains to be seen." Just the same, he jumped up to the top of the wall, and held his arm down to help Amber up. Amber took it and, rather than having to climb the rest of the way up, Jareth just pulled her up in one swift motion.
Amber gasped, "Whoah... how did you do that?"
Jareth just shrugged. It seemed as though he had a lot of uncommon talents. Amber just sighed, and walked on. They made it over the City walls in mere minutes. However, rather than come to a junkyard next, they came to a forest. A forest carefully organized into interlocking rows so that it made itself a part of the maze almost as organized as the very outside, where the walls were of carven stone.
Amber looked out at the new obstacle before them, "Well, guess we'll be hoofing it."
Jareth threw her a puzzled look, "Huh?"
"Walking," Amber explained shortly, and hopped off the wall, landing in a crouching position. Jareth swung down to hang from the wall and drop- obviously, a lesser distance.
"So... which way to exit two?" Amber asked, looking at their surroundings.
"Eh... follow the sun-due east." Jareth said after a moment of consideration.
"Due east? But the sun is setting, not rising." she said perplexedly.
"Here, things are different, remember? The sun sets in the east, here-and rises in the west." Jareth explained patiently.
She looked at him suspiciously for a second. He looked back at her, as if to say 'What? You don't trust me?' Amber just shrugged, and walked on into the labyrinthine forest, following the orange light that signified the sun's presence. She wondered vaguely, once again, what time it was-because now, time was of the essence. She realized she was ahead of Jareth, and slowed up a bit. He drew up beside her and they walked in silence for a minute.
She was the first to speak, "Is it required by the rules that you try and distract me?-you know, like in Sarah's case, that Ball."
Jareth looked at her shrewdly for a minute, as if sizing her up, and replied, "Yes and no-it depends on other factors. I don't have to in every case. The rules do require me to affect decisions made by the Traveler, but that doesn't mean an elaborate distraction."
Amber frowned. Her mind was working overtime now, and she took a minute to collect her thoughts. She stopped for a minute, and looked at Jareth. He stopped, a few paces ahead, and looked back at her.
Amber spoke one sentence, "You know what, I love you."
She stood there for a second longer as mixed emotions crossed his face. Amber blushed a bit, and walked on ahead of him. He ran to catch up with her, but couldn't seem to find anything to say.
Finally, he spoke as well, "I love you more."
Amber turned to smile at him, still walking. She winked. "I love you most." She turned back to look at the road ahead. He came up beside her and the two walked on in happy silence for a while.
Amber broke the silence once more, "So, are you going to try to elaborately distract me?"
He shrugged, "Why should I?-If it turns out you were right about the exit issue, the two of you still have to stay in the Labyrinth until time runs out. That's another rule-but I can't take her away again in that time. So there's no real reason to distract you now when if we get to Asher faster we have time left over."
Amber nodded. She didn't really want to talk about what would happen after they rescued Asher-she didn't want to think about it. He quietly and gently took her hand, and the two walked on, again in a contemplative silence.
:~:*^*:~:
*crying* Don't you just love a dramatic love story?-Uh, anyways...
NEXT CHAPTER: ONCE AGAIN, WILL ASHER EVER APPEAR? WAS AMBER RIGHT IN HER ASSUMPTIONS? SO THEY ADMITTED THEIR LOVE, SO WHAT-BUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN THEY FIND ASHER? COME TO THINK OF IT, WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO HER? WHAT FATE AWAITS OUR HEROES? AND...WILL WE EVER MEET HOGGLE? WANNA FIND OUT? TOO BAD, CAN'T TELL YOU-YOU'LL HAVE TO READ THE NEXT CHAPTER-AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!!!!!!!