White water crashed down around them sweeping their feet from beneath them
and dragging them under. Each tried to keep a grasp on the other as they
fought to catch brief lungfulls of air before being overwhelmed once again.
The water tossed them about, slammed them into the walls of the cavern and
their entwined hands broke apart.
Jareth was swept away faster than Sarah and though she fought the water to stay near him, she soon lost sight of him in the foaming white channels. In her search for adventure over the years, Sarah had explored the thrills of white water rafting, she had been dumped before into a raging river and this wasn't to much different. Well except for the fact that there was a ceiling of rock above her and it was getting increasingly difficult to stay near the font of the cascading water, which was the only place where she was able to surface to get her breath.
The water continued to push her along, but rushed ahead of her even faster. She was surrounded by water and letting the current take her where it would while she searched for a pocket of air. Her lungs burned, the air that she held wanted to explode from her and continue the breathing process, but she knew that if that happened, she would try to fill her lungs again as they emptied, and succeed in drowning herself.
She felt a hand on her arm, at first she thought that Jareth had found her again. Arms enfolded her and the body that buffeted her own against the current was more muscular, wider than that of the Goblin king. He hugged her tightly, forcing the air from her lunge. Lips found hers beneath the water, she tried to push away from who ever had grasped her, and then they were parting her lips.
Instead of the invasive kiss she had expected, her rescuer breathed sweet air into her mouth as she started to gasp from the sudden release of air. The burning in her lungs started to subside. He kept his lips pressed to hers, and when she needed to breath, he would exhale into her mouth.
He guided her through the water keeping her from ricocheting off the stone walls. As the tunnels started to split off into various directions, the water began to drain out into the separated tunnels leaving Sarah and her rescuer on the floor of a tunnel.
Sarah could not tell how far the water had carried her, this tunnel looked the same as where she had started. She took a couple of breaths on her own as she pushed away from the person who still held her close. "Thank you.." She managed to choke out around the strange sensation of breathing fresh air.
"It was my pleasure, my lady, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Boto."
She looked over at him. His eyes were pure black and his skin had a pink tint to it. He had a long face and dark hair poking out from her the edge of a red cavalier's hat. He wore a dark red shirt, black breeches, and no shoes. While his clothes were amazingly dry, she was soaked. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she tried to wring some of the water out of her shirt as she talked. "Boto, do you know where we are?"
A laughed, a delightfully merry sound. "Of course, we are under the labyrinth."
"I mean, where under the labyrinth are we?"
"We almost beneath the Goblin Castle." He sauntered up to her, grabbing her about the waist and twirling her around in a bit of a dance. "And tonight, there is to be a feast and dancing, and I wish to escort you."
Almost beneath the castle. The idea that she had been swept here in so short a time amazed her. "Do you know where Jareth is?" she could barely keep the excitement out of her voice. If he was near by, then they could find him, bring him back here, and they could be finished with plenty of time to spare!
"Jareth? Oh him. Yeah, he didn't come this way. Now what shall you be wearing, I want to make sure we match, we'll be the envy of all in attendance!"
Sarah placed her hands against his shoulders and pushed herself away from him. "I'm sorry Boto, I don't think that I will be able to go with you to the feast. I need to find Jareth." She remembered what Hoggle had told her about needing help in the Labyrinth. "Can you help find him, Boto?"
He shook his head and laughed again as if she had made an absurd suggestion. "Oh no, I won't help him. If I help him, then we won't be invited to the feast, or worse. You shouldn't even say his name this close to the castle, it might bring Thanier's attention to you. You wouldn't like that, very unpleasant, best to just forget him, look forward to the party instead."
Sarah shook her head. "I can't forget him. I said I'd help him, so that's what I'm going to do."
The laughter faded from Boto's eyes, his smile gone. "You shouldn't have told him that. We were told not to help him, it could be dangerous if we do."
"What about me?" Sarah asked an idea kindling.
"Oh I'm sure that you're not supposed to be helping him either. Thanier said no one..."
"No," she interrupted. "I mean, you're not allowed to help Jar.." She saw his eyes widen a bit in alarm and she changed what she was going to say, "my friend, but are you allowed to help me?"
Boto seemed to think about this for a moment. "He did not say that I could not help you. He did not think that you would actually come to help someone you already defeated. Besides, if we help him, then there will be no feast."
"How about this, you help me to find him. This way, you're not helping him, your helping me, and you won't get in trouble. And in return, when we get to the center of the labyrinth, I'll have the king throw a victory celebration, and there will be feasting and drinking, music and dancing. What do you say? Will you help me?"
This idea brought a wide grin to Boto's face. "If you promise me a dance at this celebration, then I will help you."
"It's a deal then." Sarah grinned back at him. "You take me to Jareth, and we'll dance at his feast."
"This way then!" With a light bounce to his step, Boto turned and lead the way back through the tunnels.
Jareth was not worried about drowning. As one of the immortal fae, the only thing he worried about killing him was iron. He was however very worried about Sarah. She was not immortal, and could probably not keep her breath under this assault of water.
"Or perhaps being dashed to pieces," he thought as his shoulder struck hard against the wall of the tunnel. He tried to stay in the center of the path, but the water churned him about. He was carried away through passage after passage, with each division of the path, the water level dropped until it finally dwindled away enough to let him stand his ground.
He waited for the rest of the water to drain away, and then made his way to the side of the tunnel. He could barely make out the stairs of a ladder just behind him in the passage way. He had no idea where he was under the maze, and the only way to find out was to climb out. He headed for the ladder, intent on finding out where he was. The more he moved toward it, the further away it seemed to be. What had at first been only a couple dozen feet had quickly grown until he could barely make out the ladder at the end of the passage way. Figuring that walking toward it made it move away, he started walking backwards away from his destination.
Within just a few steps the ladder was close enough to grab. He pulled himself up the ladder. He was just going to see where he was, a quick look around and then he would come back down here and look for Sarah, then they could continue towards the center.
The ladder lead to a small ledge with just enough room for him to stand on it. In the wall, was a narrow wooden door that was about his own height. He turned the door knob and pulled, the door didn't move. He tried pushing and the door moved a few inches, but then wouldn't move again. Determined to get past the door, he leaned his good shoulder into the wood and put all his strength to forcing it open.
He stumbled forward and then he was falling. His mind dazed as he fell, a sensation of vertigo. He landed on his feet, a flashlight in one hand, Sarah's bag in the other.
"Well, you did mange to find a way out of that field." The words spilled out of his mouth before he could even think them.
"I think I preferred the field. I hate rats." Her voice shook slightly and she moved closer to him. He had the urge to pull her close and protect her, to soothe away her fears.
He opened his mouth to tell Sarah that they had done this before. Instead though he said, "This appears to be an oubliette. If so, there should be a way out." He was moving without any control, swinging the flashlight around the rat entwined walls looking for the way out. Even though he already knew how to get out of this room, he still moved forward, pressing past the wall of rodents. "There is an open way beyond there, that should lead us onward."
Once again Sarah refused to move past the wall. He felt a frustration building, not at her, but at his inability to stop himself from repeating things he had already done. Once more he carried her through the wall of squirming bodies with her cursing him. He felt the teeth and the claws of the rats against him, felt Sarah writhing trying to get away from the same sensation.
He put her down in the tunnel beyond and held her soothing those fears away again. He looked at her, her perfect skin covered in bites and scratches. He wanted to fix heal her the way that she had healed him. Surely a little magic would be safe to use, just enough to mend the tears in her skin.
He reached pulled off his gloves, and started to heal her wounds starting with her arms. Her skin was soft as velvet beneath his hands. She closed her eyes and he knew she was savoring the feeling of his hands on her. Her lips parted and her cheeks grew flush. He carefully kept his magic in check, allowing just a trickle to pass, just enough to accomplish the task.
Now that he knew the taste of her, he had even less ability to resist the urge to lean forward and kiss her. His lips teased gently across hers, nipping and then tenderly soothing the sting away. She leaned forward, hands resting against his chest. Her touch through the soft fabric set his skin on fire, and he wanted more of her. He wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her against him and deepened the kiss.
She opened her mouth to him, allowing him to explore her with his tongue. She moaned softly and tried to press herself closer to him. He broke away from her lips to taste the tender flesh of her neck. Her head tilted back and she sighed his name.
He realized that this was different now. He was no longer forced to the path of the past. He pulled away from her, his hands moving to rest at his shoulders. She opened her eyes and met his gaze with her own. "Sarah." Speaking was hard for him, what he wanted right now had little to do with words, but he had to tell her what was happening. "Sarah, something's..."
He didn't have time to finish as cascade of rushing water began to descend upon them. He reached for her, tightening his arms around her. He would not let himself get parted from her, not this time.
The water crashed around them, it pulled them under and tossed them about. They struck the wall and his grip on her slipped and he was moving away from her. He tried to fight his way back to her. The bag hanging from his shoulder slipped off and was swept away. The current was to fast, he was being swept away again.
He was twisted and tossed through the tunnels, his injured shoulder struck the wall and a flash of pain shot through him numbing his mind. He went through several different tunnels before the water started to drain away. Once he managed to get his feet under him, he stood, dazed, until the water had drained to a mere trickle.
He could see a ladder behind him. As he moved toward it, it moved away from him. This seemed familiar to him, and he thought it might be something he had set up himself. Rather than continue walking forward, he walked backward until the ladder was next to him. He grasped the rungs and pulled himself up to a ledge just barely wide enough for him to stand upon. A narrow wooden door stood in front of him. He grasped the handle and pushed. It wouldn't move beyond a few inches. Putting his right shoulder against the door, he pushed with all his strength. The door gave way and he stumbled forward, then he was falling.
Jareth was swept away faster than Sarah and though she fought the water to stay near him, she soon lost sight of him in the foaming white channels. In her search for adventure over the years, Sarah had explored the thrills of white water rafting, she had been dumped before into a raging river and this wasn't to much different. Well except for the fact that there was a ceiling of rock above her and it was getting increasingly difficult to stay near the font of the cascading water, which was the only place where she was able to surface to get her breath.
The water continued to push her along, but rushed ahead of her even faster. She was surrounded by water and letting the current take her where it would while she searched for a pocket of air. Her lungs burned, the air that she held wanted to explode from her and continue the breathing process, but she knew that if that happened, she would try to fill her lungs again as they emptied, and succeed in drowning herself.
She felt a hand on her arm, at first she thought that Jareth had found her again. Arms enfolded her and the body that buffeted her own against the current was more muscular, wider than that of the Goblin king. He hugged her tightly, forcing the air from her lunge. Lips found hers beneath the water, she tried to push away from who ever had grasped her, and then they were parting her lips.
Instead of the invasive kiss she had expected, her rescuer breathed sweet air into her mouth as she started to gasp from the sudden release of air. The burning in her lungs started to subside. He kept his lips pressed to hers, and when she needed to breath, he would exhale into her mouth.
He guided her through the water keeping her from ricocheting off the stone walls. As the tunnels started to split off into various directions, the water began to drain out into the separated tunnels leaving Sarah and her rescuer on the floor of a tunnel.
Sarah could not tell how far the water had carried her, this tunnel looked the same as where she had started. She took a couple of breaths on her own as she pushed away from the person who still held her close. "Thank you.." She managed to choke out around the strange sensation of breathing fresh air.
"It was my pleasure, my lady, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Boto."
She looked over at him. His eyes were pure black and his skin had a pink tint to it. He had a long face and dark hair poking out from her the edge of a red cavalier's hat. He wore a dark red shirt, black breeches, and no shoes. While his clothes were amazingly dry, she was soaked. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she tried to wring some of the water out of her shirt as she talked. "Boto, do you know where we are?"
A laughed, a delightfully merry sound. "Of course, we are under the labyrinth."
"I mean, where under the labyrinth are we?"
"We almost beneath the Goblin Castle." He sauntered up to her, grabbing her about the waist and twirling her around in a bit of a dance. "And tonight, there is to be a feast and dancing, and I wish to escort you."
Almost beneath the castle. The idea that she had been swept here in so short a time amazed her. "Do you know where Jareth is?" she could barely keep the excitement out of her voice. If he was near by, then they could find him, bring him back here, and they could be finished with plenty of time to spare!
"Jareth? Oh him. Yeah, he didn't come this way. Now what shall you be wearing, I want to make sure we match, we'll be the envy of all in attendance!"
Sarah placed her hands against his shoulders and pushed herself away from him. "I'm sorry Boto, I don't think that I will be able to go with you to the feast. I need to find Jareth." She remembered what Hoggle had told her about needing help in the Labyrinth. "Can you help find him, Boto?"
He shook his head and laughed again as if she had made an absurd suggestion. "Oh no, I won't help him. If I help him, then we won't be invited to the feast, or worse. You shouldn't even say his name this close to the castle, it might bring Thanier's attention to you. You wouldn't like that, very unpleasant, best to just forget him, look forward to the party instead."
Sarah shook her head. "I can't forget him. I said I'd help him, so that's what I'm going to do."
The laughter faded from Boto's eyes, his smile gone. "You shouldn't have told him that. We were told not to help him, it could be dangerous if we do."
"What about me?" Sarah asked an idea kindling.
"Oh I'm sure that you're not supposed to be helping him either. Thanier said no one..."
"No," she interrupted. "I mean, you're not allowed to help Jar.." She saw his eyes widen a bit in alarm and she changed what she was going to say, "my friend, but are you allowed to help me?"
Boto seemed to think about this for a moment. "He did not say that I could not help you. He did not think that you would actually come to help someone you already defeated. Besides, if we help him, then there will be no feast."
"How about this, you help me to find him. This way, you're not helping him, your helping me, and you won't get in trouble. And in return, when we get to the center of the labyrinth, I'll have the king throw a victory celebration, and there will be feasting and drinking, music and dancing. What do you say? Will you help me?"
This idea brought a wide grin to Boto's face. "If you promise me a dance at this celebration, then I will help you."
"It's a deal then." Sarah grinned back at him. "You take me to Jareth, and we'll dance at his feast."
"This way then!" With a light bounce to his step, Boto turned and lead the way back through the tunnels.
Jareth was not worried about drowning. As one of the immortal fae, the only thing he worried about killing him was iron. He was however very worried about Sarah. She was not immortal, and could probably not keep her breath under this assault of water.
"Or perhaps being dashed to pieces," he thought as his shoulder struck hard against the wall of the tunnel. He tried to stay in the center of the path, but the water churned him about. He was carried away through passage after passage, with each division of the path, the water level dropped until it finally dwindled away enough to let him stand his ground.
He waited for the rest of the water to drain away, and then made his way to the side of the tunnel. He could barely make out the stairs of a ladder just behind him in the passage way. He had no idea where he was under the maze, and the only way to find out was to climb out. He headed for the ladder, intent on finding out where he was. The more he moved toward it, the further away it seemed to be. What had at first been only a couple dozen feet had quickly grown until he could barely make out the ladder at the end of the passage way. Figuring that walking toward it made it move away, he started walking backwards away from his destination.
Within just a few steps the ladder was close enough to grab. He pulled himself up the ladder. He was just going to see where he was, a quick look around and then he would come back down here and look for Sarah, then they could continue towards the center.
The ladder lead to a small ledge with just enough room for him to stand on it. In the wall, was a narrow wooden door that was about his own height. He turned the door knob and pulled, the door didn't move. He tried pushing and the door moved a few inches, but then wouldn't move again. Determined to get past the door, he leaned his good shoulder into the wood and put all his strength to forcing it open.
He stumbled forward and then he was falling. His mind dazed as he fell, a sensation of vertigo. He landed on his feet, a flashlight in one hand, Sarah's bag in the other.
"Well, you did mange to find a way out of that field." The words spilled out of his mouth before he could even think them.
"I think I preferred the field. I hate rats." Her voice shook slightly and she moved closer to him. He had the urge to pull her close and protect her, to soothe away her fears.
He opened his mouth to tell Sarah that they had done this before. Instead though he said, "This appears to be an oubliette. If so, there should be a way out." He was moving without any control, swinging the flashlight around the rat entwined walls looking for the way out. Even though he already knew how to get out of this room, he still moved forward, pressing past the wall of rodents. "There is an open way beyond there, that should lead us onward."
Once again Sarah refused to move past the wall. He felt a frustration building, not at her, but at his inability to stop himself from repeating things he had already done. Once more he carried her through the wall of squirming bodies with her cursing him. He felt the teeth and the claws of the rats against him, felt Sarah writhing trying to get away from the same sensation.
He put her down in the tunnel beyond and held her soothing those fears away again. He looked at her, her perfect skin covered in bites and scratches. He wanted to fix heal her the way that she had healed him. Surely a little magic would be safe to use, just enough to mend the tears in her skin.
He reached pulled off his gloves, and started to heal her wounds starting with her arms. Her skin was soft as velvet beneath his hands. She closed her eyes and he knew she was savoring the feeling of his hands on her. Her lips parted and her cheeks grew flush. He carefully kept his magic in check, allowing just a trickle to pass, just enough to accomplish the task.
Now that he knew the taste of her, he had even less ability to resist the urge to lean forward and kiss her. His lips teased gently across hers, nipping and then tenderly soothing the sting away. She leaned forward, hands resting against his chest. Her touch through the soft fabric set his skin on fire, and he wanted more of her. He wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her against him and deepened the kiss.
She opened her mouth to him, allowing him to explore her with his tongue. She moaned softly and tried to press herself closer to him. He broke away from her lips to taste the tender flesh of her neck. Her head tilted back and she sighed his name.
He realized that this was different now. He was no longer forced to the path of the past. He pulled away from her, his hands moving to rest at his shoulders. She opened her eyes and met his gaze with her own. "Sarah." Speaking was hard for him, what he wanted right now had little to do with words, but he had to tell her what was happening. "Sarah, something's..."
He didn't have time to finish as cascade of rushing water began to descend upon them. He reached for her, tightening his arms around her. He would not let himself get parted from her, not this time.
The water crashed around them, it pulled them under and tossed them about. They struck the wall and his grip on her slipped and he was moving away from her. He tried to fight his way back to her. The bag hanging from his shoulder slipped off and was swept away. The current was to fast, he was being swept away again.
He was twisted and tossed through the tunnels, his injured shoulder struck the wall and a flash of pain shot through him numbing his mind. He went through several different tunnels before the water started to drain away. Once he managed to get his feet under him, he stood, dazed, until the water had drained to a mere trickle.
He could see a ladder behind him. As he moved toward it, it moved away from him. This seemed familiar to him, and he thought it might be something he had set up himself. Rather than continue walking forward, he walked backward until the ladder was next to him. He grasped the rungs and pulled himself up to a ledge just barely wide enough for him to stand upon. A narrow wooden door stood in front of him. He grasped the handle and pushed. It wouldn't move beyond a few inches. Putting his right shoulder against the door, he pushed with all his strength. The door gave way and he stumbled forward, then he was falling.