Disclaimer: Yeah, Labyrinth isn't mine.but hey, my supercool friend Katie
gave me Labyrinth and Dark Crystal movie posters for Christmas soooo..I'm
feelin pretty darn special! ;) However, Riona, Naroth, Waneira, Talrond,
and Elroth are all my brand spankin new original characters. Yeah! Oh,
one more thing. The lyrics to the song I used in this chapter are not
mine. They belong to that totally awesome band, The Doors.
Chapter Eight:
Riona sighed in relief as she spotted the castle in the distance. She and her four guards had been passed through the gates of the Goblin City a few hours before dawn and had been riding since then, stopping twice to rest and water the horses.
"My lady, the castle is in sight. Do you wish to stop?"
"No Alastair, let us ride on. The sooner we conduct our business with the King, the sooner we can return home."
He nodded, "I agree milady. If you don't mind my saying so, I still think it would have been best for Lord Jareth to have come on this trip."
Riona smiled at her most trusted guard, "It does seem the more sensible thing, but it really doesn't matter now."
"Will King Talrond ride out to meet us?" he asked.
"I don't see why he would," she answered simply.
As they rode out the woods and into the moors surrounding the castle, they were greeted by the sight of twenty guards on horseback moving towards them from the castle gates.
Alastair raised an eyebrow at Riona and then called for the other guards to halt. "Look to the middle Lady Riona," he said with an amused look.
Riona shielded her eyes from the sun and gazed toward the center of the group of riders. There, riding tall upon a snowy white steed was King Talrond.
King Talrond was by no means an unattractive man. Riona could easily appreciate his patrician features and the short, but thick auburn curls that adorned his head. However, in the few times she had actually spoken with him over the years, she had never gleaned any hint of passion, no underlying zeal for life.
She shrugged at the look Alastair was giving her, "I'm as surprised as you are," she whispered.
"Lady Riona, I bid you welcome to the North Kingdom," Talrond said formally as he nodded his head in greeting.
"Thank you my lord, but you really show me too much honor by riding out and greeting me in this fashion."
"Lady Riona, it is highly doubtful that any man could ever do you too much honor." With that he called for the guards to start the ride back to the castle.
As Riona rode beside Talrond, she thought upon the peculiarity of his words and actions. 'Perhaps this visit will not be as uneventful as I previously anticipated,' she mused.
********************************************************************
You're lost little girl
You're lost little girl
You're lost
Tell me who
Are you?
I think that you know what to do
Impossible? Yes, but it's true
I think that you know what to do, yeah
I'm sure that you know what to do
You're lost little girl
You're lost little girl
You're lost
Tell me who
Are you?
I think that you know what to do
Impossible? Yes, but it's true
I think that you know what to do, girl
I'm sure that you know what to do
You're lost little girl
You're lost little girl
You're lost
Sarah's eyes jerked open and then closed them against the tears that threatened to fall. She had heard his voice as clear in her dream as it had been the first night she'd laid eyes on him. 'It feels like it happened a lifetime ago,' she thought as she looked around the room. The sunlight was streaming in through the tall windows and everything seemed very peaceful.
As she lay in bed she remembered that Riona had left the kingdom early that morning and that she was alone. 'Well, not completely alone,' she mused as she glanced at the crystal that was sitting on the bedside table.
She found the prospect of confining herself to her chambers in order to avoid Jareth, unpractical and incredibly boring to boot. So she resolved to get dressed and attempt to find her way back to the library that Riona had shown her yesterday.
After dressing in what she viewed as the plainest and least complicated dress that she found in the wardrobe and tying her hair into a long plait, she opened the door to her room very slowly and looked down the hall before tiptoeing quickly towards what she hoped was the corridor that led to the library.
************************************************************************
Jareth idly twirled his riding crop between his fingers as he gazed out of the window to the north. He felt deep down that his decision to send Riona in his stead was the right thing, but there was a small tug on his conscience at not revealing to her the true purpose of this trip. She believed that she was to negotiate trade agreements between the two kingdoms, as well as to promote further friendship in general. He sighed, "It is for the best," he murmured. "In time she will come to see the sense in it and forgive me for misleading her thus."
Producing a crystal, he decided to attempt looking in on Sarah, which he had been unable to do with Riona around to counter his magic. "Show me Sarah," he whispered to the crystal in the palm of his gloved hand. To his pleasure, the crystal did not fog up or shatter. Instead, he was able to see her clearly as she wandered cautiously through the halls. 'Where is she going,' he wondered as he looked closer. 'Ah, she's either heading towards the armory or the library,' he concluded, the latter probably being the more reasonable. He rose from his perch and closed his hand around the crystal, causing it to disappear. He smiled as he walked towards the door, 'Let me weave my web about your heart, Sarah. You couldn't keep me away if you tried.'
**************************************************************************** *
Riona allowed Talrond to escort her to the dance floor and as they danced, she thought on his behavior since her arrival. He had been so attentive to her as they worked out a trade agreement, agreeing with nearly every point she offered and then insisted that she accompany him on a tour of the castle when they had finished working for the day. It was now late in the evening and the court had been dancing long after dinner.
"My lord, I'm afraid this must be my last dance for the evening."
"But of course, Lady Riona, this has indeed been a busy day for you." He looked around the hall, a slight frown gracing his features. "I had hoped you would meet my brother Elroth before you retired for the evening."
"Your brother?" Riona asked in a somewhat confused tone. She had thought that Talrond's only kin was his sister Mabyn.
"Yes, Elroth has been away attending to certain matters, but he was supposed to return today and my guards reported his arrival this afternoon."
"Well, where is he?" she inquired curiously.
Talrond shook his head and his frown deepened, "I do not know. Elroth tends to return to the castle when the mood strikes him. His sense of propriety is..lacking to say the least."
Riona turned her head to the side and rolled her eyes, 'That sounds like something Jareth would say about me.'
***********************************************************************
Sarah breathed a sigh of relief as she slipped undetected through the doors of the library, pulling the thick doors shut behind her. She then moved towards the windows and pulled back one of the heavy drapes, letting the sunlight illuminate the room. She gazed in awe at the seemingly endless towering shelves of books that filled the room. As she moved towards the shelf nearest her, Sarah neglected to notice the pair of mismatched eyes watching her from the shadows.
Jareth took advantage of his concealment in the shadows and stared leisurely at Sarah. He noticed the way the sun revealed some hints of red in her deep brown hair that was bound in that plain braid. He found himself wishing that he could unravel it and let it fall wild near her waist. The direction of his thoughts quickly became rather inappropriate and for a moment he struggled with the desire to leap from the shadows and pin her against a bookcase. 'That probably wouldn't be well received,' he reasoned in dismay.
Sarah discovered a thick tome entitled Magical Beasts and Races and pulled it down carefully, so as not to drop it on her foot, which, judging by the book's size, would be very painful. She sat down at a desk and began to flip through the pages, stopping to read certain passages with fascination. 'I wonder if many of these creatures live in the Underground,' she mused silently.
Jareth soon discovered that his position afforded him a very pleasant view of Sarah's bosom when she leaned over the book. As he stared entranced at her chest, he felt his mouth go dry and began seriously reconsidering his decision not to reveal himself.
Sarah decided to continue exploring the library and as she rose, she looked around and decided to examine the shelves over towards the left.
Jareth watched as she stood and looked around. He panicked slightly when he saw her start towards the shelves where he stood hidden. It wouldn't do at all for her to discover him. Quickly, he conjured a crystal and threw it down to his feet, disappearing as it shattered. He reappeared just outside of the library doors. 'Now all I need is a reason to seek out her company,' he thought. After a moment of considering various options, Jareth came up with a perfect plan. He would invite Sarah to dine with him that evening, at which point he would gauge how receptive she was to his attentions. Jareth grinned, 'Once again, you have made a brilliant plan, old boy.' Feeling incredibly confident, he threw open the doors to the library and strolled in.
Sarah whirled around at the sound of the doors opening and from the shelves watched as Jareth walked purposefully into the library. 'Maybe he's looking for a book,' a hopeful voice reasoned. While this was reasonable, Sarah couldn't help but think that with her luck this wasn't the case. 'I'm not coming out,' she cried inwardly, 'Not until he leaves.' Another voice reprimanded her, 'Don't be such a child. Won't you feel silly if he finds you hiding behind the shelves? You have nothing to fear from him, so reveal yourself.' She sighed, 'Damn reason,' and stepped cautiously from behind the shelves.
Jareth smiled, "Good morning, Sarah. I am pleased to see you are making yourself at home here in the castle." "Good morning, Jareth," she replied. 'Well, this conversation is going nowhere fast,' he realized with chagrin. 'I suppose I'll cut to the chase.' "Sarah, I have a proposition for you."
Sarah paled slightly, for in her experience a proposition from Jareth was no laughing matter. "Oh, have you?" she asked in a voice which was much calmer than she really felt.
"Yes. I have come here to invite you to dine tonight...with me."
"With you?" she asked somewhat surprised.
He smirked, "Well, yes. Unless of course my presence disturbs you that much."
"No!" she protested, "That's not what I meant. You simply surprised me." Jareth grinned, "Then you accept?" She paused slightly, but decided not to let him think she was afraid of him. "Yes Jareth, I accept."
"Wonderful. Dinner will be at eight o'clock. I'll be sure and send someone to help you get ready."
"That sounds fine."
"Good," he moved forward and took her hand in his. He raised it to his lips, a gesture that Sarah was beginning to get used to. "I look forward to speaking with you, Sarah, particularly about the past."
She started at those words, "What is there to talk of?" she asked nervously.
He stared at her for a moment before replying, "A great many things." He released her hand and bowed before leaving the room.
Sarah stared after him in confusion. "What could he possibly want to talk about?" she wondered aloud.
Author's Note: Mwahaha.Indeed, what does he want to talk about? I hope you all are enjoying the story because I'm having a great time writing it! Next chapter: Jareth and Sarah have dinner and Riona has an interesting adventure in the bedroom...yeah I know what you all are thinking...and I love it!!! :Grins: Thanks to all of the readers/reviewers, you all keep me going. Please Read and Review!!!
Chapter Eight:
Riona sighed in relief as she spotted the castle in the distance. She and her four guards had been passed through the gates of the Goblin City a few hours before dawn and had been riding since then, stopping twice to rest and water the horses.
"My lady, the castle is in sight. Do you wish to stop?"
"No Alastair, let us ride on. The sooner we conduct our business with the King, the sooner we can return home."
He nodded, "I agree milady. If you don't mind my saying so, I still think it would have been best for Lord Jareth to have come on this trip."
Riona smiled at her most trusted guard, "It does seem the more sensible thing, but it really doesn't matter now."
"Will King Talrond ride out to meet us?" he asked.
"I don't see why he would," she answered simply.
As they rode out the woods and into the moors surrounding the castle, they were greeted by the sight of twenty guards on horseback moving towards them from the castle gates.
Alastair raised an eyebrow at Riona and then called for the other guards to halt. "Look to the middle Lady Riona," he said with an amused look.
Riona shielded her eyes from the sun and gazed toward the center of the group of riders. There, riding tall upon a snowy white steed was King Talrond.
King Talrond was by no means an unattractive man. Riona could easily appreciate his patrician features and the short, but thick auburn curls that adorned his head. However, in the few times she had actually spoken with him over the years, she had never gleaned any hint of passion, no underlying zeal for life.
She shrugged at the look Alastair was giving her, "I'm as surprised as you are," she whispered.
"Lady Riona, I bid you welcome to the North Kingdom," Talrond said formally as he nodded his head in greeting.
"Thank you my lord, but you really show me too much honor by riding out and greeting me in this fashion."
"Lady Riona, it is highly doubtful that any man could ever do you too much honor." With that he called for the guards to start the ride back to the castle.
As Riona rode beside Talrond, she thought upon the peculiarity of his words and actions. 'Perhaps this visit will not be as uneventful as I previously anticipated,' she mused.
********************************************************************
You're lost little girl
You're lost little girl
You're lost
Tell me who
Are you?
I think that you know what to do
Impossible? Yes, but it's true
I think that you know what to do, yeah
I'm sure that you know what to do
You're lost little girl
You're lost little girl
You're lost
Tell me who
Are you?
I think that you know what to do
Impossible? Yes, but it's true
I think that you know what to do, girl
I'm sure that you know what to do
You're lost little girl
You're lost little girl
You're lost
Sarah's eyes jerked open and then closed them against the tears that threatened to fall. She had heard his voice as clear in her dream as it had been the first night she'd laid eyes on him. 'It feels like it happened a lifetime ago,' she thought as she looked around the room. The sunlight was streaming in through the tall windows and everything seemed very peaceful.
As she lay in bed she remembered that Riona had left the kingdom early that morning and that she was alone. 'Well, not completely alone,' she mused as she glanced at the crystal that was sitting on the bedside table.
She found the prospect of confining herself to her chambers in order to avoid Jareth, unpractical and incredibly boring to boot. So she resolved to get dressed and attempt to find her way back to the library that Riona had shown her yesterday.
After dressing in what she viewed as the plainest and least complicated dress that she found in the wardrobe and tying her hair into a long plait, she opened the door to her room very slowly and looked down the hall before tiptoeing quickly towards what she hoped was the corridor that led to the library.
************************************************************************
Jareth idly twirled his riding crop between his fingers as he gazed out of the window to the north. He felt deep down that his decision to send Riona in his stead was the right thing, but there was a small tug on his conscience at not revealing to her the true purpose of this trip. She believed that she was to negotiate trade agreements between the two kingdoms, as well as to promote further friendship in general. He sighed, "It is for the best," he murmured. "In time she will come to see the sense in it and forgive me for misleading her thus."
Producing a crystal, he decided to attempt looking in on Sarah, which he had been unable to do with Riona around to counter his magic. "Show me Sarah," he whispered to the crystal in the palm of his gloved hand. To his pleasure, the crystal did not fog up or shatter. Instead, he was able to see her clearly as she wandered cautiously through the halls. 'Where is she going,' he wondered as he looked closer. 'Ah, she's either heading towards the armory or the library,' he concluded, the latter probably being the more reasonable. He rose from his perch and closed his hand around the crystal, causing it to disappear. He smiled as he walked towards the door, 'Let me weave my web about your heart, Sarah. You couldn't keep me away if you tried.'
**************************************************************************** *
Riona allowed Talrond to escort her to the dance floor and as they danced, she thought on his behavior since her arrival. He had been so attentive to her as they worked out a trade agreement, agreeing with nearly every point she offered and then insisted that she accompany him on a tour of the castle when they had finished working for the day. It was now late in the evening and the court had been dancing long after dinner.
"My lord, I'm afraid this must be my last dance for the evening."
"But of course, Lady Riona, this has indeed been a busy day for you." He looked around the hall, a slight frown gracing his features. "I had hoped you would meet my brother Elroth before you retired for the evening."
"Your brother?" Riona asked in a somewhat confused tone. She had thought that Talrond's only kin was his sister Mabyn.
"Yes, Elroth has been away attending to certain matters, but he was supposed to return today and my guards reported his arrival this afternoon."
"Well, where is he?" she inquired curiously.
Talrond shook his head and his frown deepened, "I do not know. Elroth tends to return to the castle when the mood strikes him. His sense of propriety is..lacking to say the least."
Riona turned her head to the side and rolled her eyes, 'That sounds like something Jareth would say about me.'
***********************************************************************
Sarah breathed a sigh of relief as she slipped undetected through the doors of the library, pulling the thick doors shut behind her. She then moved towards the windows and pulled back one of the heavy drapes, letting the sunlight illuminate the room. She gazed in awe at the seemingly endless towering shelves of books that filled the room. As she moved towards the shelf nearest her, Sarah neglected to notice the pair of mismatched eyes watching her from the shadows.
Jareth took advantage of his concealment in the shadows and stared leisurely at Sarah. He noticed the way the sun revealed some hints of red in her deep brown hair that was bound in that plain braid. He found himself wishing that he could unravel it and let it fall wild near her waist. The direction of his thoughts quickly became rather inappropriate and for a moment he struggled with the desire to leap from the shadows and pin her against a bookcase. 'That probably wouldn't be well received,' he reasoned in dismay.
Sarah discovered a thick tome entitled Magical Beasts and Races and pulled it down carefully, so as not to drop it on her foot, which, judging by the book's size, would be very painful. She sat down at a desk and began to flip through the pages, stopping to read certain passages with fascination. 'I wonder if many of these creatures live in the Underground,' she mused silently.
Jareth soon discovered that his position afforded him a very pleasant view of Sarah's bosom when she leaned over the book. As he stared entranced at her chest, he felt his mouth go dry and began seriously reconsidering his decision not to reveal himself.
Sarah decided to continue exploring the library and as she rose, she looked around and decided to examine the shelves over towards the left.
Jareth watched as she stood and looked around. He panicked slightly when he saw her start towards the shelves where he stood hidden. It wouldn't do at all for her to discover him. Quickly, he conjured a crystal and threw it down to his feet, disappearing as it shattered. He reappeared just outside of the library doors. 'Now all I need is a reason to seek out her company,' he thought. After a moment of considering various options, Jareth came up with a perfect plan. He would invite Sarah to dine with him that evening, at which point he would gauge how receptive she was to his attentions. Jareth grinned, 'Once again, you have made a brilliant plan, old boy.' Feeling incredibly confident, he threw open the doors to the library and strolled in.
Sarah whirled around at the sound of the doors opening and from the shelves watched as Jareth walked purposefully into the library. 'Maybe he's looking for a book,' a hopeful voice reasoned. While this was reasonable, Sarah couldn't help but think that with her luck this wasn't the case. 'I'm not coming out,' she cried inwardly, 'Not until he leaves.' Another voice reprimanded her, 'Don't be such a child. Won't you feel silly if he finds you hiding behind the shelves? You have nothing to fear from him, so reveal yourself.' She sighed, 'Damn reason,' and stepped cautiously from behind the shelves.
Jareth smiled, "Good morning, Sarah. I am pleased to see you are making yourself at home here in the castle." "Good morning, Jareth," she replied. 'Well, this conversation is going nowhere fast,' he realized with chagrin. 'I suppose I'll cut to the chase.' "Sarah, I have a proposition for you."
Sarah paled slightly, for in her experience a proposition from Jareth was no laughing matter. "Oh, have you?" she asked in a voice which was much calmer than she really felt.
"Yes. I have come here to invite you to dine tonight...with me."
"With you?" she asked somewhat surprised.
He smirked, "Well, yes. Unless of course my presence disturbs you that much."
"No!" she protested, "That's not what I meant. You simply surprised me." Jareth grinned, "Then you accept?" She paused slightly, but decided not to let him think she was afraid of him. "Yes Jareth, I accept."
"Wonderful. Dinner will be at eight o'clock. I'll be sure and send someone to help you get ready."
"That sounds fine."
"Good," he moved forward and took her hand in his. He raised it to his lips, a gesture that Sarah was beginning to get used to. "I look forward to speaking with you, Sarah, particularly about the past."
She started at those words, "What is there to talk of?" she asked nervously.
He stared at her for a moment before replying, "A great many things." He released her hand and bowed before leaving the room.
Sarah stared after him in confusion. "What could he possibly want to talk about?" she wondered aloud.
Author's Note: Mwahaha.Indeed, what does he want to talk about? I hope you all are enjoying the story because I'm having a great time writing it! Next chapter: Jareth and Sarah have dinner and Riona has an interesting adventure in the bedroom...yeah I know what you all are thinking...and I love it!!! :Grins: Thanks to all of the readers/reviewers, you all keep me going. Please Read and Review!!!