The Most Unlikely Foe
Author's Note:
Thanks so much for reviewing, the story gets going a little bit more from this point on. Please let me know what you think. Hope you enjoy this chapter and please review.
Two
The Entrance to the Labyrinth
"Where are we?" Boromir asked as he gazed about the desolate landscape, his feet shifting slightly on the sand he stood on.
"The Underground." Jareth stated broadly.
"Is that your castle?" Aragorn asked as he pointed out the sinister looking castle in the distance.
Jareth nodded and waited for the next inane question.
"And that's the Labyrinth we have to get through?" Gimli questioned.
Jareth nodded again.
"Well then, let's get going." Aragorn said as he hurried down the sandy slope.
Everyone started after him before Jareth, who appeared suddenly before Aragorn forcing to stop him dead in his tracks, stopped them.
"One more thing. You must solve the Labyrinth in thirteen hours."
"What!" Boromir exploded. "You failed to mention that!"
Jareth smirked at them as his form faded from view until he completely disappeared.
"He's an odd one isn't he?" Pippin smiled. "Can't say I'd live here by choice."
"Yeah," Merry added, "his castle isn't even much of a castle."
The two Hobbits laughed between themselves before a stern look from Aragorn silenced them.
"Come on, this is serious. We have to find our way through this Labyrinth and we only have a limited time in which to do it."
"I wish Gandalf were here." Merry sighed. "He could probably cast a spell to show us the way through this maze or something."
"Well he's not now is he master Hobbit, so we will just have to get by without him." Gimli added.
They continued their trudge down the sandy slope, everyone careful to watch their step so as not to slip. They reached the bottom quickly enough and hurried over to the worn looking outer wall of the Labyrinth.
After following it for some minutes and finding no way in Aragorn stopped to pound his fists against the wall.
"Oh this is useless, there's no way into this accursed maze!"
"Well he can't lock us out before we've even been given a chance to run his Labyrinth. There must be some way in."
Boromir felt his way along the wall until his hands disappeared into a mess of ivy. The vines grew thickly over this part of the wall and as Boromir felt around inside them his hands brushed over what he thought like metal hinges.
"Quickly! I think there's a door here!"
Frantically they all began tugging at vines, which much to everyone's horror issued a horrible shrieking noise as they were ripped from the wall. Despite the awful noise they continued as slowly a door was reviled to them.
As they removed the last of the strangling ivy two heavy wooden doors stood before them, their handles and hinges were wrought iron. Aragorn pushed against them but they would not yield. He put more of his weight into it as he slammed his shoulder into the door. Again nothing. Boromir joined him and even with the two men throwing their entire weight against the doors they still could not get them to budge.
"Maybe you should just ask nicely." Merry pipped up.
Aragorn and Boromir gave him an odd look before he continued.
"In the story my mother used to tell the Underground was a place full of magic and almost everything, even things we wouldn't think of, was alive."
"What?" Pippin interjected. "We just say 'hey door, do you think you could be so kind as to open up for us? Please?'" Pippin laughed until he heard a creaking noise behind him.
He spun around just in time to see the two doors swing open on rusty hinges. Everyone stood in shocked silence and Pippin stared wide-eyed at the door before turning his look of disbelief towards the others.
"Let's not ask question huh? Let's just get inside." Gimli suggested.
The group of five hurried in through the doors and found themselves face to face with a crumbling stonewall. The doors slammed shut behind them and the group all exchanged a look. To their left was a seemingly never-ending hall of stone and to their right, much to their disappointment, was exactly the same thing. Merry was the first to speak.
"So, which way do we go?"
"I think it will take your friends awhile to find you." Jareth said as he flicked away the crystal he'd been watching the group in.
He was lounging across his throne, his back propped up against one side with his legs thrown over the other.
"Where am I?"
The missing Elf stood in the sunken pit at the centre of the Goblin King's throne room. Goblins hurried about all around him, chasing chickens, drinking and behaving worse than any Dwarf Legolas had ever seen. He wrinkled his nose at their behaviour and Jareth laughed.
As the man who had introduced himself as the Goblin King had still not answered his question he tried again.
"Where am I?"
While the Elf stood staring him down with fiery eyes the Goblin King swept his eyes up and down the Elf's body. This didn't escape Legolas and he shifted uncomfortably under the hungry gaze.
"You, my lovely Elf, are in my castle."
"Yes you said that before but where is your castle?"
"At the centre of my Labyrinth." Jareth teased as he swung a leg loosely against the side of his throne.
"And where exactly is that?"
"Underground."
Jareth laughed loudly but paused when his Goblins failed to laugh with him.
"How many times have we been over this!" Jareth yelled in frustration.
His outburst was followed by a chorus of laughter form all the Goblins in the room, which he shortly joined in. Once he felt he had laughed enough he motioned for silence and not a sound was made.
Legolas was less than satisfied with the Goblin King's cryptic answers to his questions. He was even less impressed by the fact that he seemed to have been devastated of his weapons. Something which he did not remember occurring.
"Do you think it's fair to house me here unarmed?"
"Why would I allow a prisoner of mine to hold onto his weapons?" Jareth tapped his ridding crop against a black boot.
"So I'm a prisoner?"
"For now."
"What do you mean for now."
"Well you're technically in a sort of limbo at the moment. Your friends have chosen to run my Labyrinth to bargain for your freedom."
Legolas perked up visibly and even managed a smile at that.
"Yes I thought that would cheer you up. Anyway if they win, which of course they wont, you are set free to return to your world, etc." Jareth waved a hand elaborately through the air. "But if they fail…"
Legolas looked worried, not so much by the threatening comment but by the sinister look in Jareth's eyes.
"If they fail?"
"Then you, my pretty blond Elf, belong to me."
Legolas swallowed hard as Jareth rose up out of his throne and stalked across the room to where he was standing.
"Of course normally I turn those wished away to me into Goblins once I've won them but rarely do I have one as beautiful as yourself wished into my possession. Yes," Jareth continued as he pressed his body up against Legolas' side. "I can think of far better things to do with you than turn you into a Goblin."
Sparkling blue eyes snapped around to meet eyes, one bright and one dark, gazing hungrily back at him. Legolas hoped desperately for Aragorn and the others to hurry, he wasn't sure he liked being alone with the Goblin King.
Jareth leaned harder into him and pressed his mouth close to the shell of the Elf's delicate ear. His tongue flicked out to wet the pointed tip before he whispered huskily.
"I think it will take your friends awhile to reach us. You and I have plenty of time to spend alone."
"We've been walking for hours and we're getting nowhere!" Boromir voiced his complaint loudly, mostly directed at Aragorn who seemed to be the appointed leader since Gandalf left them.
They had been walking non-stop down the straight passage, with it's high stonewalls, and it stretched for miles in front of them and miles behind them. They had no way to tell how long they'd been walking for but they could certainly tell that they were no closer to the castle than when they'd first entered the Labyrinth.
"It has not been hours Boromir." Aragorn said through clenched teeth.
"Sure feels like it." The other man grumbled. "We're not even getting any closer!"
"Well complaining isn't going to get us there faster! You know what?" Aragorn spun and faced Boromir. "We wouldn't even be here if it weren't for you wishing Legolas off to this hellish place!"
"How was I supposed to know that simply by asking for Goblins to come and take him away some guy and his pet Goblins really would come and take him away!"
Boromir shoved Aragorn hard in the centre of his chest and sent him flying back against the stone wall. Aragorn's back collided with the rock and he slumped to the ground amidst a shower of dust and pebbles.
Boromir stood over him as Aragorn stood and brushed himself off. He then dropped his shoulders and threw his entire weight into Boromir's stomach.
He was winded and flung backwards, but where Aragorn expected him to hit the wall behind him he kept going, crashing into another wall further back.
Aragorn looked down at him in confusion and Boromir shook his head to free his hair of pebbles as the dust settled around him. Aragorn slowly walked up to where his feet were, lying flush with what Aragorn had thought only moments ago was solid wall.
Boromir glanced from left to right before propping himself up on his elbows and addressing Aragorn.
"You wont get another free hit like that one friend but I'll tell you what, I think we may have just found our way into the next part of this ridiculous maze."