Chapter 8- To Strive Against the Dark
The cottage was dark. The noise coming from the darkness outside should have been enough to scare her, but Sarah steeled her soul against any fear that threatened to overcome her. She was not a child anymore; she would fight for the one she loved. Taking a deep breath, she opened the cottage door and slipped outside.
She had expected something to hit her full force, to contend with a biting wind and an overpowering darkness. What she hadn't expected was the lack of sound; the complete, deadly silence that fell upon her ears. She could see the trees silhouetted against the darkness, bending against the wind; objects were carried through the air in every indication of the hurricane that raged through the land. But Sarah heard nothing. Her senses seemed dulled, and she felt only the cool air that surrounded her. Slowly, she lost any sense of who and where she was, and fell into something like a deep sleep.
Hours passed. Sarah could not see anything. She knew that her eyes were wide open, but the darkness was darker than anything she had ever experienced. Her eyes struggled to adjust to anything, but then gave up.
"Rest, little one," a soft voice called. Sarah tried to turn toward the voice, but found she could not move. She was not bound, but her limbs were relaxed and would not follow the instructions given to them by her brain. Something soft and warm touched her skin. Well, not so much touched, as encompassed. Whatever was caressing her skin had no substance; it was impossible to define. "Rest, all will become clear when you have rested." The voice somehow calmed her, and Sarah's eyelids drooped. Sleep overcame her.
Many hours later, Sarah awoke once more. She was still aware of the endless darkness, and the lack of sound. Thinking vaguely of the shadow she had sworn to defeat, Sarah wondered if this darkness would kill her.
"You are in no danger," the soft voice from before assured her.
"But. . .it is so dark," Sarah argued, feeling foolish for talking to the darkness.
"Not all that is dark is evil, my dear," the soft voice filled Sarah with warmth and trust. "In fact, there is much mingling of evil and good, especially in these times." Sarah's curiosity finally got the better of her.
"Who are you?" She asked. She sensed warm waves of comfort washing over her, making it difficult for her to feel angry or distressed.
"I am Madriel, guardian of the castle of light," the voice answered. Sarah gasped.
"But I thought. . . what about the stories? If you are the guardian of all that is good, why are you helping me, when I'm trying to help your enemy?" Confusion washed over her, and she had to stop herself from asking a hundred questions at once. The voice chuckled softly.
"I have become but a spirit since Jareth's removal of the stone," Madriel explained. "We are not enemies here. Jareth followed his heart, and I followed mine. He did what he thought the best course of action. That is all any of us can do. Now, we are allied with a common enemy, this shadow which vows to destroy all in its path. I have no doubts that the underground's founder would take back all he had done regarding that sword and division of good and evil, had he known the chaos his spirit would wreak in the future." Sarah was still very confused, but was getting a clearer picture of what was going on. Madriel must have picked up on her confusion, because he continued to speak.
"The division between good and evil was a mistake," the soft voice explained. "Jareth and I have been aware of this from the beginning. He is not, as you know, entirely evil, and I am not entirely good. The founder of the underground, whose name was Faor, felt that the two could be distinctly separated. He thought that by separating the good from the evil, the underground would be balanced, and he could live with things of good for the rest of his existence. The problem rested in the idea that every creature wants what it does not have. And one such creature was called Grishnak. Grishnak was a cloaked figure, whose heart was entirely evil. He was destined to live near Jareth's castle, and prey upon creatures within his labyrinth. But Grishnak felt the pull of greed, and wanted what he saw as the better life of those near my marble castle. He became a creature of deals, pulling innocent victims into intricate webs of deceit in order to gain access to the castle of light." Sarah nodded, trying her best to follow.
"Certainly you've heard of Grishnak's advice to Jareth." Sarah again nodded, eyes growing wide. "After Jareth removed the emerald, the creature reasoned that good and evil would become equal, and he could move in and out of the white castle at will. But in reality, the two castles remained pillars of dark and light, while the underground surrounding them melded together. Grishnak was furious. He found the emerald where Jareth had hidden it, intending to use the power it possessed to destroy Jareth. If he could return it to the sword, he knew that the goblin king would be destroyed." Sarah swallowed, fear rising in her throat. "But Grishnak hadn't known that Jareth had a small fragment of the stone in the amulet that he wears, protecting him from Faor's spirit, and preventing his own demise."
"But what now? Does he still have the emerald? What about the shadow?" Sarah was still filled with questions. She distinctly felt the spirit of Madriel grin.
"This is where the danger comes into play," Madriel continued. "Grishnak still holds the emerald. But he has decided to manipulate another to destroy Jareth. Grishnak's goal has now been altered. He lives only to see Jareth dead. If the emerald is returned to the sword, Jareth will die, although evil and good will be balanced at last. Without a ruler, however, Grishnak would take over Jareth's kingdom, and no doubt would become strong enough to topple my castle of light. This is where you come in, dear Sarah." Sarah had been trying to figure out a way in her head to defeat the forces which plotted against the one she loved. At the mention of her role, she paused.
"Me? My role?" she asked.
"Yes." Madriel sent waves of calm over Sarah once again. "If you can remind the goblin king how to love, the emerald will shatter, and Jareth will no longer be in danger. Evil and good will be balanced at last, and Grishnak will grow weak and wither away. In a few days, this nightmare will become a memory, and no one will be focused on the final outcome. The dead will be forgotten, the plight lost. But you must remember, Sarah. Remember Grishnak, attempting to kill the one you love. Help us to balance the underground. Teach Jareth to love." Sarah shook her head.
"It's too difficult!" She shouted in exasperation. "I'm no one important! How am I to do all this?" Madriel's spirit simply enveloped her in warmth and strength.
"You are Sarah," he said simply. "You have the determination of a goblin army. You will find a way. But Sarah, do not venture into the shadow; you may not survive. You cannot survive against it." Sarah fought the urge to shout back at him, that she had to; she had to save Jareth. Without further words of encouragement, Madriel was gone. At long last, Sarah could feel the bitter wind as it whipped through the underground, shrieking against the trees. Grasping a nearby fence post, she took a breath and steeled her shoulders against the gale.
Madriel watched as the stubborn girl stumbled her way toward Jareth's castle. The hours ran on, but she did not give up. The wind tried to knock her off her feet, but she stood her ground. As she approached the shadow's center, the elements seemed bent against her and her alone. Brave mortal, Madriel thought, as he watched. Then, as Sarah reached the doors to the castle, a branch fell from a tree and crashed into her. She dodged away from it as quickly as possible, but did not completely avoid injury. A bruise formed immediately on her forehead, and cuts and scrapes decorated her skin. Falling to her knees, the woman was on the verge of collapsing. Suddenly, the doors opened, and Sarah saw something that made her breath catch in her throat. Jareth.
"What are you doing here?" he shouted to her, raising his voice above the storm. Sarah couldn't tell if he was angry at her or just thought that she was the stupidest woman alive. She tried to keep from sobbing out loud as she looked up at him from her humbled position.
"Trying to. . .save you," Sarah rasped, trembling. Jareth shook his head, a mixture of worry and anger in his eyes. Sarah closed her eyes and huddled against his feet, losing the battle against exhaustion and slipping into a deep sleep.
"Foolish girl," Jareth breathed. Hair blowing wildly about him in the wind, he scooped her up into his arms, and carried her into the castle. Kicking the door closed behind him, he called for assistance, but no one answered. Indeed, it seemed that the shadow had done a particular amount of damage this time. Had it not been for the emerald in his amulet, it would have devoured him for sure. Cursing himself for past mistakes, Jareth carried Sarah into his own chambers, and carefully placed her on the bed. She curled up almost immediately, feverishly tossing and turning and softly calling his name. Despite his attempts to steel his heart toward this girl, the goblin king was failing miserably, and couldn't help watching Sarah for a long while after she finally ceased her fevered movements and surrendered to sleep.
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The next morning betrayed nothing of what had happened the night before. Sunshine shone in the windows of the goblin king's chambers, and brought Sarah slowly to wakefulness. Before opening her eyes, the previous night came back to her. Madriel, the shadow, collapsing at Jareth's door. It was all she could do not to fall back asleep. Some stubborn part of her, however, was damned curious about how the goblin king had reacted, and would not let her stay in bed all day. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and they adjusted to the scene surrounding her.
She was in the goblin king's bed. That much was certain; the satin sheets and warm hide blankets were the picture of royalty. A virtual mountain of pillows inundated the bed. A red satin canopy draped across the bedposts gave the room a gothic feel, as did the stone structures adorning it. A washbasin, a full length mirror, bookshelves, a fireplace. The room's cold feel with warm, red coverlets mimicked Sarah's view of the goblin king. Sarah wondered vaguely where Jareth was, since he had so kindly given her the use of his own chambers. Perhaps the kindness he was showing her was a sign that he was giving in to his more emotional side? Fat chance, Sarah thought to herself.
Sarah stretched out her legs. The dress she had been wearing was dirty and torn, witness to the elements that she had faced the night before. She rose and went to the windows, to look out at the damage the storm had created. Amazingly, nothing looked out of place. Had she not been directly involved in the events of the night before, she would have sworn that nothing had happened. Another thought occurred to her. How had the goblin king survived? When she had seen him in the magic mirror, he had been at least unconscious. But he had found her at the door, and even carried her, presumably, to his chambers. Sarah remembered Madriel's story. The emerald, of course, his amulet had protected him.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the door to Jareth's bedroom opened, and the goblin king himself entered the room. Sarah's breath caught in her throat as she examined how gorgeous he was. The aura of magic surrounded him, and drew her to him as it had for the past 10 years.
"Jareth," she breathed. The goblin king walked toward her, a blank expression painted upon her face. Sarah sighed in frustration; she could not read the man, no matter how hard she tried. "What- what happened? The destruction. . ." she began.
"I've cleaned up," he answered simply, ice tainting the edges of his words. "What I'd like to know, Sarah, is what possessed you to leave the post that I set for you." Sarah swallowed. He was actually going to yell at her for trying to save his life?
"The mirror," she said, breathlessly, lifting her eyes to his own. "I saw you, lying there. I had to try to- to help." He scowled at this admission.
"Why?" he snapped. Sarah gaped at him. Was he really so dense that he could not see her feelings for him, even after she had proclaimed them? Anger began to rise to the surface of her emotions.
"Because I cared whether you lived or died," she barked back at him. "It seems that I shouldn't have bothered, you couldn't care less. And you seem to have survived just fine on your own." Tears threatened to overpower her, and she bit them back, knowing that he would only see them as a weakness. The goblin king turned, so she could no longer see his face. "How can you be so cruel?" Sarah continued. "I offer you my friendship, if not more, and you turn your back on me. There was a time when I could have sworn that you felt- felt- well it doesn't matter what you felt. I don't understand your coldness." Jareth turned to face her once more, and this time the look on his face forced absolute fear into her heart. He was burning with rage.
"Do you wish to know why I am so cold, Sarah? Why I cannot believe the words that you so easily give me? Perhaps I should show you." With a wave of his hand, Sarah dropped to the floor. She had fallen into a deep sleep. Had she been awake, she would have seen sadness creeping over Jareth's face. Lifting a hand, he formed a perfect crystal, and sent it toward Sarah with a puff of air from his lips. A dream, in the form of a perfectly round crystal, floated through the air toward the sleeping woman. Sarah stirred slightly as one disintegrated upon her head.
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Mean, I know! I also know that there are a lot of names and events in this and the previous chapter. Don't worry, all will eventually become clear! Hopefully the subplot is not too distracting. Thanks so much to everyone who has continued to review! It's so encouraging!
Dawnieangel76- I'm glad it was worth the wait! I've been slowing down; life has gotten busy again; but I'll do my best! And I agree, love is worth fighting for, and we know how Sarah and Jareth like to fight!
Lady of Shallotte- And oh, how it will continue to heat up. . . hopefully this chapter answers your questions about Madriel. I'll hopefully find the right balance between adversity and having Sarah obtain her goals!
Draegon-fire- I'm glad that you weren't too mad at me for adding new conflict! And yep, she's definitely gutsy. Hopefully, Jareth will come to appreciate her gustiness!
Shark3- I'm so glad you like it!
Cyber Keiko- Thanks! I'm going to play this story by ear, I think, as to how long it will be. I already have the ending written, I just have to decide how I'm going to get from beginning to end!
Daydreaming beauty- I'm sorry! That always seems to happen though, the best chapters end on a cliff hanger. ;-)
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