The area that Xena and Gabrielle stepped into was far different from where they had been. Instead of a path going two ways, they were greeted with stonewalls that twisted in every imaginable direction. The duo stopped for a second to look around and to get their bearings.
"Well at least we're getting somewhere," remarked Gabrielle.
"Yes," replied Xena still looking, hand lurking close to the hilt of her sword just in case. She walked over to a column that stood in the middle of the winding paths and looked at the stone hands that jutted out on all sides pointing in every direction. Xena grumbled quietly
"The only directions they aren't pointing in are up and down," she muttered.
She turned to Gabrielle who was also examining closely her surroundings.
"Gabrielle, where's Joxer," she asked suddenly realizing that they were one person short.
Gabrielle stood up and starting to walk around looking around every corner and down the numerous pathways.
"Joxer...Joxer, this isn't funny", she called out.
"Joxer," Xena yelled out. Her own echo, but nothing more answered her.
Xena turned around and looked again up at the column of hands. Directly behind it was the castle beyond the Goblin City, in the distance she could hear a baby crying.
"Well", Xena fumed, "let's get going, maybe we'll meet back up with him. I seriously doubt that Jareth would do anything to really hurt Joxer. After all this is one big game to him."
"I hope you're right," replied Gabrielle as she followed Xena in the direction of the Goblin City.
Jareth continued to stare at the duo through one of his crystals. "Yes, my dear, your little friend is in good hands. At least he will be when he runs into Livia." With this, he tossed his crystal into the air where it promptly vanished. He stood up and disappeared in the same fashion. The only remnant of his presence in the room was his fading laughter.
Xena made good time, or at least that is what she kept telling herself. She wished to the gods that she had some way of knowing how much time had passed. She knew she was in a different realm or world and she did not know how the time ratio worked, if it even worked any different from back home. She despised the fact that there was so many things right now that she did not have the answers to. There was nothing she could do other than think about holding her child in her arms once again, that was what kept her going.
Xena and Gabrielle turned a corner and found themselves at a dead end.
"Damn," muttered Xena.
She turned to face Gabrielle who was already around the corner trying to retrace their steps. When she came back around she shook her head.
"There is a dead end behind us as well, the walls keep changing."
A voice called out behind them, "That's right, that the dead end behind you."
Both Xena and Gabrielle turned around to face what was no longer a dead end but a wall with two doors and two guards, or what could be called guards in front of them.
In front of the doors were guards attached to large shields with heads sticking up at the bottom as well as the top. On the sides, long, thin arms jutted out and over the shield itself and at the top and bottom with the head between it appeared two legs on each shield. Gabrielle stepped closer to them, "You weren't here before, where did you come from."
The two heads sticking out from behind the shields looked to each other and then back to Gabrielle grinning. "We don't know," replied one. "We can't tell you," replied the other.
"Why not," asked Gabrielle?
"Cause, we're not supposed too," remarked one of the heads on the bottom of the shield
"Who says," asked Gabrielle?
"I do, for one," answered a voice behind both Xena and Gabrielle.
The duo turned to face their new assailant and found themselves toe to toe with a man who was the mirror image of Jareth. The only difference was that this man had dark brown hair and not the blond that they had seen on Jareth.
"Who are you," demanded Xena as she drew her sword.
The man grinned at both Xena and Gabrielle and spread his arms wide. " That's not necessary. I am Bartlby, brother to Jareth. As you can most likely see, Jareth and I share many physical traits. I am here to help you."
"Help us, how," Gabrielle asked skeptically.
"I will take you both to the center of the Labyrinth," he answered.
"What do you want in return," demanded Xena, sword still pointed at Bartlby.
Bartlby grinned sheepishly at this question and cast a sidelong look at Gabrielle.
"I would like in exchange for taking you to the center of the Labyrinth the opportunity to court you." With this Bartlby made a gesture towards Gabrielle.
Xena saw red immediately; she knew where this was going. "Sorry, no deal." Xena sidestepped in front of Gabrielle.
Bartlby cast her a dismayed look, "My dear warrior, I have the noblest intentions with your friend. I mean no fowl play."
"No deal," she hissed.
By this point Gabrielle had been stepping away from Bartlby and accidentally bumped into the guards in front of the two doors.
Upon feeling their cold noses on her back she stepped quickly back to Xena's side.
"No deal, go back to Jareth and tell him to let us run this course with minimal interference from him and you all might survive," Xena bluntly said to Bartlby as she started to step toward him.
Bartlby stood his ground and met the warrior princess eye to eye.
"My dear lady, you must forgive my impertinence, but I always get what I want."
With this, Bartlby reached out grabbed Gabrielle by the arm, pulling her to him. Before Xena could react, or even make a sound both Bartlby and Gabrielle disappeared into a flash of glitter.
All Xena could do to keep herself from destroying every living thing within her reach at that point was to clench her fists and raise her head to the sky.
"Gabrielle," she screamed in vain.
*****************************************************************************************
Joxer jolted to.
"Xena!?"
"Gabrielle!?"
"Where are you guys?"
Joxer got to his feet and surveyed his surroundings. He had awoken in a lush green courtyard with pounds and pools throughout it. There were small benches and statues of odd little creatures scattered all around. The castle stood not too far off in the distance.
"I thought I heard Xena scream. That's were she'd be if she's near hear." Joxer said as he started off toward the castle.
"Not so fast, intruder."
Joxer spun around and came face to face with a beautiful woman. She was pale white with long black hair flowing down her back. She wore a simple white dress with silver trim on the V-cut neck, tapered sleeves, and hem. It gathered just below her breasts and flowed freely to her feet.
"Who.....Who are you?" Joxer said in wonder.
"I am Livia," the woman said. "Jareth's sister. How dare you trespass in my private baths."
"Baths!? Trespass!?" Joxer said in amazement. "I was just following my friends and ended up here." Joxer sat down on the nearest bench.
"Friends? Hmmmm.......Stay here. I will be right back."
Livia vanished before the very much-surprised Joxer and reappeared in the castle beyond the Goblin City. Jareth sat happily lounging on his throne twirling three crystals in his hand.
Livia stormed over to him green eyes flashing anger. "Jareth, one of your little playthings has invaded my garden. May I inquire as to why you let that happen"?
Jareth smiled at his sister never stopping the twirling of the crystals. "Dearest sister, I would think that you would like the gift that I dropped into your garden."
Livia fumed and she pushed a stray tendril of black hair off her shoulder, "Well you could have at least warned me, I do not like uninvited nor unexpected guests in my private garden".
Jareth flicked his wrist causing the three crystals to disappear and stood up. He walked over to his sister and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Dearest sister," Jareth purred, "enjoy the gift I have given you. He is one of three people who traverse my Labyrinth as we speak; I have split them up so they can lose. I felt that you, Bartlby and myself could enjoy the adventure of getting to know them."
He emphasized those last few words and with that Livia conjured a crystal that shown Joxer in Livia's garden frantically looking for a way out or any signs of the woman who had appeared before him and just as quickly disappeared.
Livia smiled at the image of Joxer and then looked to her brother. "Very well," she said, "I will amuse myself with him. He looks like someone I could thoroughly enjoy." With that Livia immediately disappeared.
Jareth smiled to himself, "I know you will sister, I know you will".
"Well at least we're getting somewhere," remarked Gabrielle.
"Yes," replied Xena still looking, hand lurking close to the hilt of her sword just in case. She walked over to a column that stood in the middle of the winding paths and looked at the stone hands that jutted out on all sides pointing in every direction. Xena grumbled quietly
"The only directions they aren't pointing in are up and down," she muttered.
She turned to Gabrielle who was also examining closely her surroundings.
"Gabrielle, where's Joxer," she asked suddenly realizing that they were one person short.
Gabrielle stood up and starting to walk around looking around every corner and down the numerous pathways.
"Joxer...Joxer, this isn't funny", she called out.
"Joxer," Xena yelled out. Her own echo, but nothing more answered her.
Xena turned around and looked again up at the column of hands. Directly behind it was the castle beyond the Goblin City, in the distance she could hear a baby crying.
"Well", Xena fumed, "let's get going, maybe we'll meet back up with him. I seriously doubt that Jareth would do anything to really hurt Joxer. After all this is one big game to him."
"I hope you're right," replied Gabrielle as she followed Xena in the direction of the Goblin City.
Jareth continued to stare at the duo through one of his crystals. "Yes, my dear, your little friend is in good hands. At least he will be when he runs into Livia." With this, he tossed his crystal into the air where it promptly vanished. He stood up and disappeared in the same fashion. The only remnant of his presence in the room was his fading laughter.
Xena made good time, or at least that is what she kept telling herself. She wished to the gods that she had some way of knowing how much time had passed. She knew she was in a different realm or world and she did not know how the time ratio worked, if it even worked any different from back home. She despised the fact that there was so many things right now that she did not have the answers to. There was nothing she could do other than think about holding her child in her arms once again, that was what kept her going.
Xena and Gabrielle turned a corner and found themselves at a dead end.
"Damn," muttered Xena.
She turned to face Gabrielle who was already around the corner trying to retrace their steps. When she came back around she shook her head.
"There is a dead end behind us as well, the walls keep changing."
A voice called out behind them, "That's right, that the dead end behind you."
Both Xena and Gabrielle turned around to face what was no longer a dead end but a wall with two doors and two guards, or what could be called guards in front of them.
In front of the doors were guards attached to large shields with heads sticking up at the bottom as well as the top. On the sides, long, thin arms jutted out and over the shield itself and at the top and bottom with the head between it appeared two legs on each shield. Gabrielle stepped closer to them, "You weren't here before, where did you come from."
The two heads sticking out from behind the shields looked to each other and then back to Gabrielle grinning. "We don't know," replied one. "We can't tell you," replied the other.
"Why not," asked Gabrielle?
"Cause, we're not supposed too," remarked one of the heads on the bottom of the shield
"Who says," asked Gabrielle?
"I do, for one," answered a voice behind both Xena and Gabrielle.
The duo turned to face their new assailant and found themselves toe to toe with a man who was the mirror image of Jareth. The only difference was that this man had dark brown hair and not the blond that they had seen on Jareth.
"Who are you," demanded Xena as she drew her sword.
The man grinned at both Xena and Gabrielle and spread his arms wide. " That's not necessary. I am Bartlby, brother to Jareth. As you can most likely see, Jareth and I share many physical traits. I am here to help you."
"Help us, how," Gabrielle asked skeptically.
"I will take you both to the center of the Labyrinth," he answered.
"What do you want in return," demanded Xena, sword still pointed at Bartlby.
Bartlby grinned sheepishly at this question and cast a sidelong look at Gabrielle.
"I would like in exchange for taking you to the center of the Labyrinth the opportunity to court you." With this Bartlby made a gesture towards Gabrielle.
Xena saw red immediately; she knew where this was going. "Sorry, no deal." Xena sidestepped in front of Gabrielle.
Bartlby cast her a dismayed look, "My dear warrior, I have the noblest intentions with your friend. I mean no fowl play."
"No deal," she hissed.
By this point Gabrielle had been stepping away from Bartlby and accidentally bumped into the guards in front of the two doors.
Upon feeling their cold noses on her back she stepped quickly back to Xena's side.
"No deal, go back to Jareth and tell him to let us run this course with minimal interference from him and you all might survive," Xena bluntly said to Bartlby as she started to step toward him.
Bartlby stood his ground and met the warrior princess eye to eye.
"My dear lady, you must forgive my impertinence, but I always get what I want."
With this, Bartlby reached out grabbed Gabrielle by the arm, pulling her to him. Before Xena could react, or even make a sound both Bartlby and Gabrielle disappeared into a flash of glitter.
All Xena could do to keep herself from destroying every living thing within her reach at that point was to clench her fists and raise her head to the sky.
"Gabrielle," she screamed in vain.
*****************************************************************************************
Joxer jolted to.
"Xena!?"
"Gabrielle!?"
"Where are you guys?"
Joxer got to his feet and surveyed his surroundings. He had awoken in a lush green courtyard with pounds and pools throughout it. There were small benches and statues of odd little creatures scattered all around. The castle stood not too far off in the distance.
"I thought I heard Xena scream. That's were she'd be if she's near hear." Joxer said as he started off toward the castle.
"Not so fast, intruder."
Joxer spun around and came face to face with a beautiful woman. She was pale white with long black hair flowing down her back. She wore a simple white dress with silver trim on the V-cut neck, tapered sleeves, and hem. It gathered just below her breasts and flowed freely to her feet.
"Who.....Who are you?" Joxer said in wonder.
"I am Livia," the woman said. "Jareth's sister. How dare you trespass in my private baths."
"Baths!? Trespass!?" Joxer said in amazement. "I was just following my friends and ended up here." Joxer sat down on the nearest bench.
"Friends? Hmmmm.......Stay here. I will be right back."
Livia vanished before the very much-surprised Joxer and reappeared in the castle beyond the Goblin City. Jareth sat happily lounging on his throne twirling three crystals in his hand.
Livia stormed over to him green eyes flashing anger. "Jareth, one of your little playthings has invaded my garden. May I inquire as to why you let that happen"?
Jareth smiled at his sister never stopping the twirling of the crystals. "Dearest sister, I would think that you would like the gift that I dropped into your garden."
Livia fumed and she pushed a stray tendril of black hair off her shoulder, "Well you could have at least warned me, I do not like uninvited nor unexpected guests in my private garden".
Jareth flicked his wrist causing the three crystals to disappear and stood up. He walked over to his sister and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Dearest sister," Jareth purred, "enjoy the gift I have given you. He is one of three people who traverse my Labyrinth as we speak; I have split them up so they can lose. I felt that you, Bartlby and myself could enjoy the adventure of getting to know them."
He emphasized those last few words and with that Livia conjured a crystal that shown Joxer in Livia's garden frantically looking for a way out or any signs of the woman who had appeared before him and just as quickly disappeared.
Livia smiled at the image of Joxer and then looked to her brother. "Very well," she said, "I will amuse myself with him. He looks like someone I could thoroughly enjoy." With that Livia immediately disappeared.
Jareth smiled to himself, "I know you will sister, I know you will".