Alia had walked for several hours through trees and more trees, when she came to a split in the path. "Tieran?" she asked as she sat on a convenient fallen log to rest, "The path divides. Do you know which way I should take?"
"What direction do the new paths lead in?"
"I don't know. Left and right. I can't tell. The sun looks directly overhead and the path has curved around some, so I don't know which way I'm headed now."
"This is the first fork you have encountered?"
"I haven't seen any others, but I can't guarantee I didn't miss one."
"I think I have found you on the map."
"How can you tell where I am? Do you have a tracker on me?"
"No, only a simple magnifying glass," Tieran answered with a mental smile, then added with a little disappointment, "You have not traveled as far as I thought you would have by now."
"That means this is going to take even longer." Alia sighed. "Great. So which way do I head?"
"Go to the right."
"All right, I bear right," she started down the right fork, trying to pick up her pace.
Alia's stomach soon started complaining. When she found an inviting rock in a small, sun-filled clearing, she stopped to rest and eat. She had just chosen some bread and a handful of nuts and dried fruit from the satchel, when a pair of ebony birds flew in under the edge of the trees and started foraging among the leaves. They called back and forth to each other, ignoring Alia.
"Tieran, are you there?"
"Yes. What is it? Another turn?"
"No, I was just wondering if you knew what these birds are?" She concentrated on an image of the pair of birds. "Can you see?"
"Yes. They look like mourning doves to me."
"That's what I thought they sounded like. But mourning doves are gray, not black."
"Gray? No, they are always black. That is why we call them mourning doves. Why would you call them mourning doves if they are not black?"
Alia shrugged, forgetting that Tieran could not see her as they conversed. "I always assumed it was because of the mournful sound they make. Is it safe to feed them?"
"What do you mean 'Is it safe to feed them?'"
"They don't turn into monsters or chase me down begging for more until I feed them all I have or anything like that?"
"No, they are perfectly normal birds. Wherever did you get that idea?" Alia could feel the amusement in his voice.
"I didn't know and I wanted to be sure. Judging by the movie you've got fairies that bite, rocks that talk, creatures that dismember themselves for fun, and hands that grow on walls like fungus not to mention a fungus with eyeballs that grows on walls. I thought you might have monsters in dove's clothing." Alia fed the rest of her bread to the birds, even managing to coax one close enough for her to stroke its breast. After a while she remembered her reason for sitting here, in the middle of the forest, and decided she should get moving again. She stood up, startling the doves, which flew off deeper into the forest the way she had come. She arranged her satchel and knapsack and started off again.
A few hours later, but still several hours before sunset, Tieran contacted Alia. "You should start looking for shelter. Try to find a cave. There is a strong storm moving in your direction."
Alia looked up to find the clouds massing on the horizon. "I'll keep an eye open for one, but I don't remember seeing anything so far."
She was still looking a half hour later when the storm broke. In a few minutes the rain had soaked her to the skin, despite the semi-waterproof cloak she wore. "I had to worry about getting a shower," she thought.
"I'm in the mountains and there's not a cave to be seen. Aren't mountains usually riddled with caves?"
"You could try standing under a tree," Tieran suggested helpfully.
"And be struck by lightning? No, thank you. A fried heroine will do nothing for your prophecy. Besides, I'm soaked now anyway, I might as well keep going as long as I can see."
Alia finally spotted a promising dark opening in the slope of the mountainside. She had almost missed it in the gathering darkness and heavy rain. She veered off the path and headed for it, eager to get out of the downpour. She could not see any animal prints in the dry dirt inside the entrance of the large cave and she heard nothing from inside the dark cave, only the storm outside and the water running off her cloak.
She shrugged off the cloak, satchel and knapsack and sat near the mouth to look for a way to light a fire.
"Matches! Thank goodness. I was afraid I'd have to figure out a flint and tinderbox."
"We do use some of your modern conveniences. You will still need something to burn."
Alia groaned. There was no way she was going to find anything dry out in that downpour. "I hope there's something in this cave, otherwise I'll never get a fire started." She looked back into the cave, into the almost palpable darkness. "I don't suppose you packed something like a flashlight in that knapsack, did you?"
"There should be one. As I said, we do use some of your technology."
Alia looked through the pack and could not find it. Before panicking, she started taking things out and laying them on the floor of the cave. She pulled out a small pan, but, not realizing it contained other things, she turned it sideways. Dishes and utensils fell with a clatter to the floor. As she nested them back together, Alia heard a noise from deep inside the cave. She froze, waiting for it to repeat. When she heard nothing more, she finished replacing the utensils and continued going through the knapsack. Finally, at the very bottom, she found the flashlight. She flipped the switch, and a circle of light appeared on the opposite wall.
Alia shone the light toward the blackness of the back of the cave and still saw nothing. "It must be deeper than I thought," she said to herself. She crisscrossed the floor, working her way back into the cave, but found nothing, not so much as a twig.
The flashlight flickered, then steadied, then flickered again. Alia shook it and flipped the switch on and off. The light steadied and she went on. Just as she caught a glimpse of something on the floor, it flickered again and went out. She shook it again and flipped the switch. There was no response from the light.
"Water must have run down into it," she muttered. "Great." "Tieran, next time make sure the flashlight is waterproof. And tell Irielen I should have brought a change of clothes after all." She looked back toward the mouth of the cave. She could still see the outline of the opening, but just barely.
Alia tucked the flashlight under her sash and got down on her hands and knees, feeling for whatever she had seen just before the flashlight died. She hoped for a large branch, as unlikely as that would be this deep within the cave.
She reached further and further, making wider and wider circles with her hands, but still found nothing. Turning to look for the opening, she found she could no longer distinguish it from the surrounding darkness. She moved to sit more comfortably, waiting for another lightning strike to light the sky and show her the opening. As she moved, the flashlight slipped from her sash and hit the stone floor with a resounding crack. As she felt for it she again heard a noise from deep in the cave. The noise resolved itself into a rustling – closer this time – that did not stop. She ducked down expecting the bats seen in all the horror movies.
"Bats would be good," she reminded herself. "They will show me the way out. But I'm still not getting in their way."
The breeze of their passing stirred her hair and clothing and she made a note of the direction, but sat still waiting for them all to pass. Eventually, no more soft wings and bodies brushed lightly against her arms over her head, but still the noise continued. She peered blindly back into the cave. Suddenly, two silver lines of light appeared and gradually widened.
"Tieran, there's something in the cave with me. I think it's something big."
"Are you sure it is not bats?"
"No, the bats were smart and just got the hell out of here." She started backing from the lights toward what she hoped was the cave mouth. "I'm seeing two silver lights. They look like eyes."
"Who is there? Who is it that disturbs me?" demanded a powerful voice.
"It talks! Tieran what do I do?"
"Who are you ? I know you are there. I can hear you, see you, smell you." It was a low, hypnotic voice, warm and soothing.
"Well, answer it." Tieran prodded Alia.
"M-my name is Alia."
"Alia, why do you disturb me?"
"I did not intend to disturb you. I sincerely apologize. I only sought shelter from the storm," Alia explained, then, almost as an afterthought, added, "May I ask your name?"
"You may call me Arten'barad."
"Arten'barad! She is just a legend, thought to have died long ago," Tieran exclaimed. "She was – is – one of the great dragons. Be very polite," he warned.
"Are you the Arten'barad, the dragon of legends?"
"Am I a legend?" the voice sounded surprised. "I did not realize that. I know that I am Arten'barad and that I am a great dragon."
"You have not been seen in a long time. You are now presumed dead or thought only a legend."
"That would explain the lack of visitors lately," the voice said thoughtfully, the line of eyes nodding. Then they narrowed and turned at an angle. "But that does not explain why you are here."
"I sought shelter from the storm."
"Yes, you said that, but why are you traveling through the mountains?"
"I suppose you could say I am on a quest. I have to get something to save a friend."
"I see." The eyes narrowed further and came closer. "This quest does not have anything to do with dragons, does it?" The tone implied that if it did it would likely not last much longer.
"N-no, definitely not. Fruit. Peaches to be exact."
"Peaches?" The eyes widened and drew up and back. "What has the world come to when gardening is a quest?"
"I am supposed to steal magic peaches from the Goblin King to heal a friend," Alia added quickly.
"The Goblin King?" The eyes returned from their musing and focused again on Alia. "What is his name?"
"Jareth." Alia shivered.
"Ah, so Jareth is still the King. Trying to fool him, eh?" The eyes and voice registered amusement. "You have your work cut out for you there."
"It-t seems th-that way," Alia managed to get out through her chattering teeth.
"Are you cold? Why do you not have a fire?" suddenly the voice grew concerned.
"I was looking back here for dry wood when I disturbed you."
"You will find no wood in here. You will need to go out to gather some."
"I was afraid of that. I hope it will light. Everything is drenched out there. I'm soaked to the skin."
"Then you will not notice a little more wet will you? Do not worry about lighting it. I will take care of that."
"Why does everyone I meet here sound like my mother?" Alia wondered to herself. Aloud she asked, "Which way is out, please?"
"Turn around. Walk forward. The floor is flat, you will not trip. Bear a little left. That is better. Keep walking. Do you see the entrance, now?"
"Yes, I see it. Thank you."
Alia retrieved her sodden cloak from the pile of things she had left near the entrance and went out to search for wood. Most of the storm had passed by this time. The peak of the mountain behind her shielded her from the remaining flashes of lightning. The downpour had let up from a deluge to a steady rain. She headed for the trees to gather an armload of fallen branches.
"You will need more wood than that to last the night. Gather as much as you can find," Arten'barad advised from the darkness at the back of the cave when Alia returned.
While making the next trip, Alia thought of something, "Tieran, is this safe? Spending the night in a cave with a dragon?"
"If she was going to eat you she would have done so by now. She is not an ordinary dragon, but a great dragon. They are much more intelligent and are not known for eating people," Tieran reassured her. "The lesser dragons have the nasty habits that gave dragons a bad name. Arten'barad is not even an ordinary great dragon. She was always different, spending more time with other species than most dragons. That is one reason why she became a legend when she disappeared."
"Okay," Alia replied dubiously. "As long as you think it's safe."
"Just how would you leave? You might offend her by trying and that would be dangerous. It is always best to stay on a dragon's good side."
"Yeah, I see what you mean."
It took several more trips before Alia satisfied the dragon with the amount of wood she had gathered. Arten'barad then had Alia arrange some of it in the middle of the cave well back from the entrance, a challenging task to do in the dark, solely on the dragon's verbal instruction.
"That will do. Stand well back. It has been some time since I have done this."
Alia backed up against the wall near the entrance. Hearing the dragon move closer to the front of the cave, she pressed herself flat against the wall. A brilliant flare of flames caused Alia to turn her head and throw her arm up to shield her face and eyes. Then the light dimmed and she dropped her arm, blinking against the light until her eyes adjusted to the relative brilliance of the fire.
Once she could see, Alia turned to look across the fire at the creature she had been talking to for the past hour. The silver of the eyes flowed on and on, curled and coiled on the floor of the cave, finally reaching the tip of her tail. Alia understood one reason for calling Arten'barad a great dragon, for her head alone outmassed a small automobile. A shaded black streak running from the tip of her muzzle up between her eyes and continuing as a crest from her head down the back of her neck contrasted with the silver.
Arten'barad looked pleased with herself. "Just right." She looked at Alia. "You may come closer. I will not eat you. Come warm yourself."
"I know. I mean, I'm sure you wouldn't. You're just...larger than I expected." She gathered her things and brought them closer to the fire.
"If you take your wet clothes off you will warm faster and they will dry faster. Do you have a blanket in there somewhere?" She looked at the pile of things Alia had pulled out of the knapsack earlier.
"Yes, there's a blanket."
"Then I suggest that you wrap yourself in it and hang your wet clothes on several branches to dry," Arten'barad rose and delicately stepped over the fire. "If you will excuse me for a while, I think I will see what is happening out in the world these days."
Alia pressed herself against the wall as the dragon passed, despite the room to spare. She waited until the full length of Arten'barad's long tail passed over the fire, then she ran to the entrance of the cave. It had stopped raining and the storm clouds were unraveling. She reached the mouth of the cave in time to see Arten'barad, in a beam of moonlight breaking through the clouds, stretching out her wings and taking off. Alia watched the dragon fly until she could no longer pick the dragon out from among the clouds and stars, then returned to the fire.
She got the knack of propping the sticks up after a few tries. After hanging the wet clothes on them, she wrapped herself in the blanket and found herself something to eat. She was combing out her thick hair, trying to get it to dry faster, when Arten'barad came back.
The dragon curled herself up in the entrance of the cave and stared at the fire. She reminded Alia of a contented cat – Alia almost expected her to start purring. Alia worried that the dragon blocked the whole mouth of the cave, but the dragon soon explained herself.
"I am blocking the entrance not to keep you in, but to keep the cold out. You may leave in your blanket and wet clothes any time you wish." Arten'barad radiated amusement, but did not smile, for which mercy Alia was extremely thankful. She did not think she could quite handle a dragon's smile yet. Alia shivered and pulled the blanket closer around herself. When she did so, something caught Arten'barad's eye and the dragon swung her head around for a closer look.
"Ah, so you have been talking to one of them. I thought you were speaking with someone, but I did not see how or whom. I knew that family once. Who is the head of it now?"
"Family?" Alia frowned, extremely confused.
"I saw the pendant hanging from the chain around your neck. Those gryphons are the symbol of the Artali family. Or they were."
"I don't know anything about that family. I've never heard the name before. The person who gave it to me only introduced himself as Tieran. He didn't give me a family name." "Is it your family she is talking about?"
"Yes, that is my family's name."
"I do not recognize that name. He must be after my time."
"Ask her for the last name she remembers."
"He says that is his family name and would like to know the last name you remember."
"Ah..." The dragon closed her eyes thinking. "The last head of the family I remember was..." she shook her massive head, "...no, that was much earlier. I believe the last one was Meidat."
"That was my grandfather's name."
"He says that was his grandfather's name."
Arten'barad nodded, "He was very young when I knew him and had just succeeded his father. Why do you wear the pendant and mind speak with Tieran s'Artali?"
Alia narrated the whole story, explaining Cara's illness, the movie on television, the prophecy.
"I remember hearing about the prophecy, but I never heard the text of it. A traveling prophetess passed through Jareth's kingdom when he was young and foretold it. It was never made public, only rumors, but evidently someone heard enough of it and wrote it down for it to surface now. Tieran is convinced that it has implications for the Underground as a whole, not only you and your friend?"
"He thinks it is important somehow."
"It will be interesting to watch. In the meantime, I will also enjoy watching to see if you can outsmart Jareth. The expression on his face..." This time the dragon permitted herself a small smile, imagining the Goblin King's reaction, and the tip of her tail twitched with her anticipation and enjoyment.
"Outsmarting him seems to be only part of the task. I will still need to get away from him afterward. That will take a lot of luck."
"Yes, ...or friends in high places."
"Which I don't have."
"I could very easily take you wherever you like once you make it out of the castle. I could also take you part of the way there. Not all of the way, mind you, we would attract too much attention, but perhaps as far as this side of the desert would be safe."
"Would you really do that?"
"I would not mention it otherwise."
"That is very kind of you, thank you."
"Just see that you succeed. I would wholeheartedly enjoy that."
"I doubt I would have much need of you if I should fail."
"No, most likely not."
…..
...he falls, but lands on his feet...turns to run from the along the fence...she tries to run through the soft, sandy dirt...it slows her...she is certain they pursue her...tries to run around the end of the fence into the crowd...she feels the whole crowd looking for her but no one sees her...no one recognizes her...no one notices her clutching the disks...stumbling and staggering through more of the sandy soil under the green grass...it trips her up and pulls at her...she falls to her knees...staggers on...must get out of the crowd and reach the center of the field...if she can reach the desert she can lose herself in it and rest...must reach the center and the desert...
"Alia, wake up. Wake up, Alia."
"Alia?" She opened her eyes to find herself staring into the huge face of a concerned dragon.
"You have been dreaming and projecting it," Arten'barad explained.
"How long have you been having this dream?" Tieran asked.
"Dreaming? What dream?" Alia sat up, clutching at the blanket.
The dragon and Tieran explained what they had so vividly experienced.
Alia ran a hand through her hair. "I don't remember that dream. I know I've been dreaming lately. Only I never remember what I dream. If I have been dreaming for a while," she mused, "it would explain why the Goblin King in the movie seemed so familiar. So now what? If I was broadcasting it, have I blown my cover? How far do you think it went?"
"I do not think you have 'blown your cover.' Jareth would have found you by now if you had."
"If you take off the pendant when you sleep, it should not happen again," the dragon advised.
"That might be best, before you do attract his attention."
Alia slipped the chain over her head to place it in her pack and composed herself for sleep again. After staring into the embers of the fire for some time without sleeping, she ventured a question to Arten'barad.
"Arten'barad?"
"Yes." The dragon's eyes opened halfway.
"Why do you think I am so important to the Underground? Why am I in a prophecy?"
The dragon shifted a little and resettled herself before answering. "I do not know. As I said, I never heard the prophecy before today. Perhaps, since you must go to the Labyrinth, it is time for a new Goblin King and you will play a role in selecting the replacement. Perhaps you will become Goblin Queen."
"I hope not," Alia said emphatically. "I'm messy, but I could never live like that."
The dragon chuckled, "Go to sleep. There will be time enough to worry about your place in the great scheme of things tomorrow. Worry about the housekeeping after you become Queen."
Disclaimers, credits, trivia:
Labyrinth, etc. belong to the Jim Henson Company.
Eveything else is mine, including Arten'barad, although what I'm going to feed her, I haven't a clue.