Courting
Gabrielle wasn't sure exactly what happened. All she remembered was Xena and Bartlby talking and the creepy guards in the doorway. She remembered how Xena told Bartbly that the deal he was offering was not going to happen. He grabbed her and Xena disappeared from Gabrielle's sight.
She remembered the gust of wind and the shimmer of glitter as Xena disappeared. After that, she couldn't remember anything until she woke up. Gabrielle felt the warmth of the sun on her face. She needed to get up. Xena was probably already up and searching for food while Joxer was preparing the fire to fix breakfast.
She stretched out and sighed as sleep left her. She would have to tell Xena about the weird dream. She had dreamt that they were in some weird labyrinth and had to save Eve from some king who had a perpetual bad hair day. She knew Xena would really get a kick out of the king, I mean really, tights.
Something, however, caught Gabrielle's attention. She didn't remember her blankets feeling so much like silk. She opened her eyes and sat bolt upright in a bed, as everything came back to her in a torrent. She realized that her weird dream was an unfortunate reality. Looking around, Gabrielle slowly took in her surroundings. Large room, stone walls, one large window with heavy, burgundy curtains hanging down from the top.
Gabrielle couldn't help but smile at the bed. It was one of the largest she had ever seen. It was a four-post bed with burgundy sheets to match the curtains and drapes hanging down from the posts. Gabrielle got up and tried to stand but she got caught up in the sheets on the bed. She tried to disentangle herself but she soon realized that it was not the sheets that she was entangled in but a long, flowing dress.
She pulled up some of the skirt to examine it closer. It was a pale blue with cross ties starting at the waist and stopping at the collar. The sleeves were tapered and hung down with the skirt. The skirt itself was a flowing skirt decorated with the design of vines and ivy.
She had not noticed, in her examination of the room and dress that in one corner next to the door stood Bartlby leaning casually against the wall. She looked up and upon seeing him put the bed between her and him.
"Where am I, why did you bring me here and what is with the dress," she asked angrily.
Bartlby smiled slowly and shifted his weight to walk toward her. Gabrielle tensed her body for any incoming attacks.
Bartlby stopped halfway across the room and his smile fell. He raised his hands to her as he spoke softly. "Please, Gabrielle, don't believe that I will hurt you."
Gabrielle, being caught off guard by this open showing of emotion let her hands fall back to her sides.
"Let me go," she asked flatly.
Bartlby looked pained but only slightly for any emotion he showed was quickly covered by a cool smirk that Gabrielle had seen on another certain Goblin King.
"I'm afraid that I can't do that because our deal has already taken effect. I have placed Xena in a situation that will help her significantly in solving the Labyrinth."
"So you will hold me here against my will."
"No, not against your will, you are free to go at any time."
Gabrielle eyed Bartlby skeptically, "I can leave any time I wish."
He smiled at her. "Yes, you may go anywhere in the castle and on the grounds, even the Goblin city is open to you. The only restriction is that you cannot go back into the Labyrinth."
Gabrielle's face flushed red as she filled with anger. She stormed over to where Bartlby stood and faced him eye to eye.
"So this all a game to you," she demanded coldly
"No," he responded, "it is only a game to my brother."
"Then what do you have to gain from all this," she asked.
Bartbly smiled shyly as he grabbed Gabrielle's hand and brought it to his lips. "I have more to gain than anyone."
Gabrielle pulled her hand away quickly and slapped him across the face with the other.
Bartlby looking slightly hurt stepped back from her and breathed in deeply. "I will leave you to settle in, dinner will be at sunset, hopefully you will join me."
"Get out," she hissed as she turned from him looked for some type of weapon. Without a word Bartlby bowed to Gabrielle and disappeared into a cloud of glitter.
Gabrielle walked over to the window and looked out on the Labyrinth before her. She looked down to see if climbing down the window was an option available to her. It wasn't, as she could not see the ground below her. She sighed as she looked once again to the Labyrinth. "Be careful, Xena," she whispered, "this game is getting complicated."
Xena saw Gabrielle but didn't react in time. She jumped forward to grab for Gabrielle, but they had disappeared. She stumbled forward catching only air and tumbled to thee ground. When she stood up she was in new surroundings.
She gritted her teeth as she looked around. "I guess our deal has taken affect."
She was in a forest now. It was a dense forest and dark from the lack of sunlight getting through. The foliage was dark green and hung low to the ground. Xena started walking all the while looking at her surroundings for any attacks that might appear. She walked quickly and tensely, her hands constantly close to her chakram and sword. She listened intently to the sounds of the forest around her. It sounded like any ordinary forest with the whistles of birds, the chirping of crickets and the rustle of leaves in the wind.
"So how are you enjoying my Labyrinth," came a male voice out of nowhere.
Xena whirled around to see Jareth lounging comfortably against a nearby tree. Without any hesitation Xena hurled her chakram at him. Jareth quickly disappeared and the chakram became embedded in the tree he had been leaning. He promptly appeared behind her.
"Now, now, you must control yourself," he smoothly said.
Xena stalked over to the tree and dislodged her chakram. She placed it back on her belt before turning to face Jareth. "I thought I told your brother to tell you to let us run your course in peace."
Jareth smiled wickedly, "I'm afraid Bartlby has other things on his mind right now."
It took a great deal of self control for Xena not to throw her chakram once more, knowing that he would only disappear, and she needed information.
"All right, why are you doing this," she asked as she folded her arms across her chest.
Jareth casually drew a crystal from the air and began twirling it around his fingers before he looked at her once again. "You, as well as your friends intrigue me. You should feel honored that I am allowing you to run my Labyrinth."
"Is that all," she asked, "this is all just for you amusement."
"For the most part, yes, it is," he replied.
Xena narrowed her eyes and grinned maliciously. "I knew it," she hissed, "you couldn't have come up with this plan all by yourself. You are working for someone else, doing their dirty work."
Xena turned and started to walk away. "Go back to your master, lackey," she said sarcastically over her shoulder.
Enraged Jareth materialized in front of Xena. He smiled wickedly at her, "How I do love the way your mind works, trying to rile me like that. You are an exceptional creature. Don't worry, we will chat another again. You still have work to do." With that he disappeared and Xena walked deeper into the forest.
Gabrielle wasn't sure exactly what happened. All she remembered was Xena and Bartlby talking and the creepy guards in the doorway. She remembered how Xena told Bartbly that the deal he was offering was not going to happen. He grabbed her and Xena disappeared from Gabrielle's sight.
She remembered the gust of wind and the shimmer of glitter as Xena disappeared. After that, she couldn't remember anything until she woke up. Gabrielle felt the warmth of the sun on her face. She needed to get up. Xena was probably already up and searching for food while Joxer was preparing the fire to fix breakfast.
She stretched out and sighed as sleep left her. She would have to tell Xena about the weird dream. She had dreamt that they were in some weird labyrinth and had to save Eve from some king who had a perpetual bad hair day. She knew Xena would really get a kick out of the king, I mean really, tights.
Something, however, caught Gabrielle's attention. She didn't remember her blankets feeling so much like silk. She opened her eyes and sat bolt upright in a bed, as everything came back to her in a torrent. She realized that her weird dream was an unfortunate reality. Looking around, Gabrielle slowly took in her surroundings. Large room, stone walls, one large window with heavy, burgundy curtains hanging down from the top.
Gabrielle couldn't help but smile at the bed. It was one of the largest she had ever seen. It was a four-post bed with burgundy sheets to match the curtains and drapes hanging down from the posts. Gabrielle got up and tried to stand but she got caught up in the sheets on the bed. She tried to disentangle herself but she soon realized that it was not the sheets that she was entangled in but a long, flowing dress.
She pulled up some of the skirt to examine it closer. It was a pale blue with cross ties starting at the waist and stopping at the collar. The sleeves were tapered and hung down with the skirt. The skirt itself was a flowing skirt decorated with the design of vines and ivy.
She had not noticed, in her examination of the room and dress that in one corner next to the door stood Bartlby leaning casually against the wall. She looked up and upon seeing him put the bed between her and him.
"Where am I, why did you bring me here and what is with the dress," she asked angrily.
Bartlby smiled slowly and shifted his weight to walk toward her. Gabrielle tensed her body for any incoming attacks.
Bartlby stopped halfway across the room and his smile fell. He raised his hands to her as he spoke softly. "Please, Gabrielle, don't believe that I will hurt you."
Gabrielle, being caught off guard by this open showing of emotion let her hands fall back to her sides.
"Let me go," she asked flatly.
Bartlby looked pained but only slightly for any emotion he showed was quickly covered by a cool smirk that Gabrielle had seen on another certain Goblin King.
"I'm afraid that I can't do that because our deal has already taken effect. I have placed Xena in a situation that will help her significantly in solving the Labyrinth."
"So you will hold me here against my will."
"No, not against your will, you are free to go at any time."
Gabrielle eyed Bartlby skeptically, "I can leave any time I wish."
He smiled at her. "Yes, you may go anywhere in the castle and on the grounds, even the Goblin city is open to you. The only restriction is that you cannot go back into the Labyrinth."
Gabrielle's face flushed red as she filled with anger. She stormed over to where Bartlby stood and faced him eye to eye.
"So this all a game to you," she demanded coldly
"No," he responded, "it is only a game to my brother."
"Then what do you have to gain from all this," she asked.
Bartbly smiled shyly as he grabbed Gabrielle's hand and brought it to his lips. "I have more to gain than anyone."
Gabrielle pulled her hand away quickly and slapped him across the face with the other.
Bartlby looking slightly hurt stepped back from her and breathed in deeply. "I will leave you to settle in, dinner will be at sunset, hopefully you will join me."
"Get out," she hissed as she turned from him looked for some type of weapon. Without a word Bartlby bowed to Gabrielle and disappeared into a cloud of glitter.
Gabrielle walked over to the window and looked out on the Labyrinth before her. She looked down to see if climbing down the window was an option available to her. It wasn't, as she could not see the ground below her. She sighed as she looked once again to the Labyrinth. "Be careful, Xena," she whispered, "this game is getting complicated."
Xena saw Gabrielle but didn't react in time. She jumped forward to grab for Gabrielle, but they had disappeared. She stumbled forward catching only air and tumbled to thee ground. When she stood up she was in new surroundings.
She gritted her teeth as she looked around. "I guess our deal has taken affect."
She was in a forest now. It was a dense forest and dark from the lack of sunlight getting through. The foliage was dark green and hung low to the ground. Xena started walking all the while looking at her surroundings for any attacks that might appear. She walked quickly and tensely, her hands constantly close to her chakram and sword. She listened intently to the sounds of the forest around her. It sounded like any ordinary forest with the whistles of birds, the chirping of crickets and the rustle of leaves in the wind.
"So how are you enjoying my Labyrinth," came a male voice out of nowhere.
Xena whirled around to see Jareth lounging comfortably against a nearby tree. Without any hesitation Xena hurled her chakram at him. Jareth quickly disappeared and the chakram became embedded in the tree he had been leaning. He promptly appeared behind her.
"Now, now, you must control yourself," he smoothly said.
Xena stalked over to the tree and dislodged her chakram. She placed it back on her belt before turning to face Jareth. "I thought I told your brother to tell you to let us run your course in peace."
Jareth smiled wickedly, "I'm afraid Bartlby has other things on his mind right now."
It took a great deal of self control for Xena not to throw her chakram once more, knowing that he would only disappear, and she needed information.
"All right, why are you doing this," she asked as she folded her arms across her chest.
Jareth casually drew a crystal from the air and began twirling it around his fingers before he looked at her once again. "You, as well as your friends intrigue me. You should feel honored that I am allowing you to run my Labyrinth."
"Is that all," she asked, "this is all just for you amusement."
"For the most part, yes, it is," he replied.
Xena narrowed her eyes and grinned maliciously. "I knew it," she hissed, "you couldn't have come up with this plan all by yourself. You are working for someone else, doing their dirty work."
Xena turned and started to walk away. "Go back to your master, lackey," she said sarcastically over her shoulder.
Enraged Jareth materialized in front of Xena. He smiled wickedly at her, "How I do love the way your mind works, trying to rile me like that. You are an exceptional creature. Don't worry, we will chat another again. You still have work to do." With that he disappeared and Xena walked deeper into the forest.