Chapter 2: the agreement
"All right," Xena hissed out, "Jareth, King of the Goblins, what have you done with my child?"
"What you asked of me my dear," he replied his words wrapping around Xena's thoughts like silk. She quickly shook it off. More for fear of her daughter or where her thoughts were going she did not know nor did she want to think on it right now.
"What do you mean she asked," Gabrielle asked finally finding her voice.
"She said that she wanted all of her troubles to be taken from her and I have done as she requested." The Goblin King smiled a triumphant smirk that Xena so badly wanted to wipe off his face.
"By Hades you will give me back my child or I'll.."
"Or you'll what, WARRIOR PRINCESS", he hissed out practically spitting her title in contempt.
That was it. Her temper flared and she lunged at him screaming sword drawn. However, where her aim was fixed she soon found was thin air. She lost her balance with her attack and fell to the ground, thinking fast however, she somersaulted back to her feet.
"Come, come this is no way to act during first introductions and certainly not a good way to endear yourself to the person who now holds your child."
She stopped cold and turned around to face him. "What do you intend to do to my daughter?
"Nothing, at least for the next 13 hours, but after that she will be mine and turned into a goblin," he whispered.
"A goblin, why," Joxer asked.
"It's all very clear, she asked the child be taken, I took her, and I am after all the Goblin King. You are assuming that the title means nothing. However I digress, I assume that you would like to regain your child", Jareth asked.
"Yes, what do we have to do", Xena asked.
With that the whole clearing in which they had been camping dissolved and in a gust of wind they found themselves on a hilltop. "What you see before you is my Labyrinth, at its center is my castle. If you can, within 13 hours, solve my labyrinth you will have your daughter returned to you. If not she will be mine forever and turned into a goblin, no longer your concern and no longer of any claim to you."
With this, he disappeared into a cloud of glitter.
"Well, we had better get going," Xena said with a sigh.
"Xena, do you think the gods can find us here," asked Gabrielle.
"I don't know but as far as I'm concerned I trust this Goblin King about as much as I trust the gods," Xena replied.
Looking out upon the labyrinth, Gabrielle shuttered, "Do you think we'll get thru it in time."
"One way to find out," Xena replied as she started down the hill with Gabrielle and Joxer in tow.
"All right," Xena hissed out, "Jareth, King of the Goblins, what have you done with my child?"
"What you asked of me my dear," he replied his words wrapping around Xena's thoughts like silk. She quickly shook it off. More for fear of her daughter or where her thoughts were going she did not know nor did she want to think on it right now.
"What do you mean she asked," Gabrielle asked finally finding her voice.
"She said that she wanted all of her troubles to be taken from her and I have done as she requested." The Goblin King smiled a triumphant smirk that Xena so badly wanted to wipe off his face.
"By Hades you will give me back my child or I'll.."
"Or you'll what, WARRIOR PRINCESS", he hissed out practically spitting her title in contempt.
That was it. Her temper flared and she lunged at him screaming sword drawn. However, where her aim was fixed she soon found was thin air. She lost her balance with her attack and fell to the ground, thinking fast however, she somersaulted back to her feet.
"Come, come this is no way to act during first introductions and certainly not a good way to endear yourself to the person who now holds your child."
She stopped cold and turned around to face him. "What do you intend to do to my daughter?
"Nothing, at least for the next 13 hours, but after that she will be mine and turned into a goblin," he whispered.
"A goblin, why," Joxer asked.
"It's all very clear, she asked the child be taken, I took her, and I am after all the Goblin King. You are assuming that the title means nothing. However I digress, I assume that you would like to regain your child", Jareth asked.
"Yes, what do we have to do", Xena asked.
With that the whole clearing in which they had been camping dissolved and in a gust of wind they found themselves on a hilltop. "What you see before you is my Labyrinth, at its center is my castle. If you can, within 13 hours, solve my labyrinth you will have your daughter returned to you. If not she will be mine forever and turned into a goblin, no longer your concern and no longer of any claim to you."
With this, he disappeared into a cloud of glitter.
"Well, we had better get going," Xena said with a sigh.
"Xena, do you think the gods can find us here," asked Gabrielle.
"I don't know but as far as I'm concerned I trust this Goblin King about as much as I trust the gods," Xena replied.
Looking out upon the labyrinth, Gabrielle shuttered, "Do you think we'll get thru it in time."
"One way to find out," Xena replied as she started down the hill with Gabrielle and Joxer in tow.