Chapter Five: Weakness

Underground. The Castle Beyond the Goblin City.
Ten years after the fall of the Goblin King.

The castle had been all but abandoned for the last decade. Sarah was never there long enough to use it and her friends had no reason to enter without her. She had forbidden anyone else to enter its walls without her express permission. But now when she needed a fortress, someplace free of distractions and prying eyes, the castle suddenly became the perfect abode.

Always before, her Aboveground home had been her sanctuary, but since her injury there had been no peace from her worried family. Finally, Sarah told them she would take a vacation, someplace quiet where she could relax and heal. The castle was at least quiet, and she could relax there...provided no psychotic demon creatures were terrorizing the kingdom.

Still, she seemed to be recuperating even more quickly and her magic worked with more ease as well. Everything seemed to click into place, as if the land had been waiting for her to return to the center of her power. She shied away from those thoughts; the Underground was far too tempting and she did not want to leave her 'real' life.

But really, would it be so bad?

Then the summons came. Ludo, of course. Hoggle was still safely squirreled away in the palace and it wasn't possible to reach Didymus's Goblin City without first passing through the forest. Without even giving him a chance to relay the message, she summoned the owl to her side and stepped forward. This time there would be no death, no destruction, and no chance for surprise attacks by the enemy.

Ludo's beautiful forest was ablaze, the shaggy beast wailing helplessly as various small creatures clung to his fur and tried to burrow beneath it for safety. The queen's presence was felt before seen, a warm, wet breeze bringing a summer rain that easily tamed the flames. But Sarah paid no mind to the storm she had conjured, focusing all of her senses on locating the enemy.

And then he was there, not ten feet from her, a huge man with flaming red hair. He faced her alone; she saw no trace of the monster that Hoggle had mentioned.

"And you are?" she questioned coolly.

He favored her with a salacious grin. "Why, my dear, don't you know?" He held up a hand gloved in red leather and a glittering shape appeared on his palm. With a flourish, he tossed it to her with lightning speed.

Six inches from her face it stopped dead, Sarah having seen no need for elaborate gesturing. The slight tilting of her head as she examined the object was her only sign of acknowledgement.

"You're the Red King," she said finally.

The man beamed and bowed dramatically. "Bravo, your majesty. You are as wise as the legends say."

She merely stared at him.

"Well then," he shrugged, "to business. Do I have your surrender?"

A startled laugh escaped her lips. "My surrender?"

"Yes," his expression darkened, the light humor fading into a sinister glare, "you see, I have you in quite a bind." The forest fire roared to life again, flames jumping higher than before, the blinding heat searing Sarah's face and causing Ludo to roar in pain. In the center of the fire, the Red King stood, his features lost in a miasma of fire and darkness.

She smiled. "If you think a little fire-"

The summons hit her like a ton of bricks, bringing her to her knees as scattered flashes of the Goblin City overrun by stinging, biting insects and Didymus's hysterical babbling filled her mind. She cut off the images with effort, leaving the Red King's maniacal laughter bubbling in her ears.

"How much damage will be caused by your pride, White Queen?" He spat the title distastefully. "Give it up, dear. You're no match for me." The words echoed strangely and she heard the owl give an angry screech.

The owl. "Jareth," she gasped. Creating a crystal, she imbued it with as much magic as she dared part with, tossing it to him even as he transformed. He landed awkwardly, unprepared. "Go to the city! Protect Didymus and the others!"

"Sarah, wait!" he protested, but she shoved him backwards with a wave of her arm and he vanished from sight.

"Saaaraaah..." the Red King hissed, lunging for her, a black shape amid the flames. She stopped him a few feet from her.

"The White Queen to you," she growled, throwing him backwards with enough force that he tumbled head over heels, his fire extinguished. She advanced on him slowly as he lay in the snow. "You're nothing more than an elemental magician that's a bit too full of himself. King indeed!"

But the man merely laughed, his wild read hair splayed across the snow in startling contrast. Sarah frowned at him and he gave her an smirking grin. "Ezzedryx! Come!"

A shadow passed over them and Sarah backed away quickly. She had almost forgotten the beast; she didn't even know what she was up against. A shadow passed overhead and there was a roar from right behind her. She spun, but claws lanced through the delicate butterfly wings on her back. The pain momentarily staggered her before she let the wings dissolve...they were more illusion than reality after all. The extreme unsuitability of her usual attire struck her, but then she had never expected to engage in combat.

The creature swung at her with an arm as thick as a tree trunk and she raised her hands to erect a shield, but the Red King struck from behind and she cried out as she stumbled. The beast attacked again and Sarah was caught between them, their alternating blows slowly winnowing her strength. Gathering her remaining power, she prepared to attack.

Then a sharp pain twisted her abdomen and she gasped, falling to her knees with her arms clasped around her stomach, all thoughts of fighting fled from her mind. The next blow sent her reeling into darkness.

Underground. The Castle Beyond the Goblin City.
Ten years after the fall of the Goblin King.

She woke in pain with a vague fear nagging at her clouded mind. The healing of past weeks had been undone with a single battle. Sarah felt weaker now than ever before. She opened her eyes to a soft, red-orange light and she was unable to place her location. What had happened? She remembered fighting, the Red King and his beast, and then...

Sarah came fully awake with a gasp, her arms moving to protectively cover her abdomen...or trying to. It was then that she realized her predicament. She was lying on a stone slab, her arms bound at her sides by leather straps. Her ankles were similarly bound and her beautiful white dress had been nearly shredded in the battle and now hung scandalously on her form. With a thought, she repaired it...but nothing happened. She lifted her eyes to see the Red King lounging casually in a chair across the room, his eyes glittering darkly as he watched her.

"What have you done?" There was real fear in her voice.

He smiled a truly sinister smile. "Why, my dear, I've defeated a legend." He beckoned and the stone table lifted into the air. "And with it," he stood and approached slowly, "all the magic and power of the White Queen is mine." His face so close to hers. Sarah tried to draw away, but she was pinned helplessly. She could feel his breath on her cheek as his eyes roamed over her body. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling more helpless than she ever had before.

With a roar, the Red King slammed the slab back against the wall, Sarah's head cracking against it painfully. "You're a fool, White Queen! No, Sarah, a queen no more! You might have actually stood a chance if you had any knowledge of magical warfare, but you gave half your power to that bird and the battle was won then and there!" He sneered. "He is the former ruler isn't he? And you trust him so much? He's probably long gone by now, after being forced to your will for all these years. But no worries, I'll hunt him down soon enough and take his power as well."

Sarah's eyes widened. The power she had given Jareth was temporary and would soon fade, leaving him as helpless as she was. She could only hope that he had fled.

"So then, time to die." One of the Red King's meaty hands gripped her neck. "Beg for your life." A gesture burned away the leather straps, scorching her wrists and ankles, and he lifted her easily into the air.

She met his gaze coldly, haughtily.

His eyes narrowed menacingly. "Beg for the life of your child."