Chapter 7: The Terrified Ones

Destiny had found the girl lying naked on the floor of one of the rooms last night. The girls had been afraid because word had filtered down to them that one of the mortals captured had angered him that day. Destiny had no sleep to work on, and then she had come across the girl. She had put a gown of the Terrified Ones on her but secured it around her waist so it would not be bloodied. She'd laid the girl on the bed with padding beneath her to protect the bed linens then sat down beside her to wait for her to wake up.

Elaine's eyes refused her first few commands to open. When she did finally get them open, the first thought that came to her was that she was not in her own room. Then she realized that she was bare naked from the waist down. She thrashed a bit trying to sit up only to be rewarded with a searing pain.

"Stop! Do you want to lose more blood!"

Elaine obediently stilled, but the voice didn't sound like the King's. The Goblin King! She looked around but saw only a very pretty girl sitting on the edge of the bed she herself was laid on

"You need to be still," the girl said. "You must give yourself time to heal..."

"Who are you?" Elaine asked.

"My name is Destiny," the girl said sadly. "I take care of the Terrified Ones as best I can..."

"The Terrified Ones?"

"Those of us who pay for our mistake by pleasuring the King and enduring pain..."

Elaine's eyes filled with tears, and she could no longer hold back the painful memory of the previous night. Destiny let her cry. The first time was always the hardest. She'd had a distinct impression that this girl had fought the King. She hadn't seen so much blood and pain since her own experience... She too had been a fighter.

"May God forgive him!" Elaine managed through her tears...

Destiny looked at the girl on the bed. How could she possibly pray for the King's forgiveness? Elaine's cries had lessened as she seemed to have come to terms with her situation.

"My name's Elaine by the way..."

"You're certainly a strange woman, Elaine..." Destiny commented. "Usually the girls that come here are cursing the King to his death!" She knew she had done just that after her first time and nearly every single girl after her had come the same way. Cursing and crying...

"I gave him nothing, Destiny. He stole from me and Joseph; nothing more..."

"You had someone back home..."

"I still have him. Sarah will find a way out, of that I can be sure!"

"Sarah?"

"Sarah Williams..." Elaine said looking at Destiny. "Everyone here seems to know her for some reason..."

"How could we not know about the one person to ever beat the Labyrinth?" Destiny asked in shock.

"I wished myself, her, and her two boys away," Elaine said glumly.

"That would explain why he used you instead of her..."

"What do you mean?" Elaine asked suddenly afraid for her friend.

"Fear not, Elaine. Sarah is at least safe for now."

"How? What do you mean?" Elaine asked insistently.

"By the laws of the kingdom, King Jareth must give away all wished away humans to be either bondservants or adopted. Sarah is old enough that she will probably not be adopted. While she remains within the Labyrinth, she is safe from the fate we as wishers come to. Outside of the Labyrinth she may not be so lucky." Elaine took it all in. It was the first she considered that Sarah would not remain to figure a way out. "Your bleeding has stopped," Destiny remarked. "You should lie still the remainder of the day as much as possible." Destiny then replaced the soft padding before she covered Elaine with a blanket with another admonition against movement. Elaine settled as much as possible before she drifted into sleep.

Sarah had been walking with her sons for hours she was sure. She was beginning to wonder if they would ever find Elaine in this labyrinth Jareth called a castle.

"Look over there, Mommy," Daire whispered. Sarah looked down the hall and noticed a young woman sitting outside a door.

"Excuse me..." Sarah said. The girl jumped to her feet and ran down the hall into a different room.

"Well, that was rude..." Daire commented.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" a voice behind them asked. Sarah and her boys spun around in surprise. They found themselves staring at a young woman who was pretty, but a little thin. She reminded Sarah of a fire that had nearly died out but yet struggled to live in glowing embers.

"My name is Sarah Williams. These are my boys Daire and Darien. We've come to find my friend Elaine..." Sarah looked around and noticed that over a dozen girls had come out of the surrounding rooms. Destiny wasn't surprised to learn Sarah's identity for she'd already suspected it from her talk with Elaine.

"My name is Destiny," the girl said softly. "We are the Terrified Ones..."

"Terrified?" Sarah questioned.

"We are alive yet so the King may use us at his pleasure," Destiny said quietly mindful of the two boys. Sarah shook her head.

"Then Elaine must be among you somewhere..."

"Wait, Lady Sarah, she is recovering..." Destiny said when it seemed Sarah would break down every door until she found her friend.