The Most Unlikely Foe
Author's Note:
Nice to know there is at least someone still reading this and reviewing. Thank you very much to Ashes2 for your reviews, I'm very glad to hear you like the story and your most recent review inspired me to get this chapter out faster.
Nine
The Dungeons And The Forest
"You!" Jareth stormed into his castle's dungeons, fuming over his failed attempt to stall Aragorn.
"How did you do that!" He cried in complete frustration as he strode threateningly over to the cell that Legolas sat in
The Elf was huddled against the wall, his arms wrapped about his knees. He lifted his head as Jareth finally reached the cell and shook the bars firmly with both hands.
"Tell me how you did it!"
Legolas began to laugh hysterically and Jareth noticed a mad look in his eyes. The Elf staggered to his feet and slowly crept over to the bars, where Jareth stood on the other side. The Elf had only been in the dungeon for a few hours at most but he looked like someone who had been down there for years.
"Guess you forgot Elven magic lies mostly in dreams hm? Or did you fail to look that up when you learnt everything else about us?"
"I guess I missed that part." Jareth said through gritted teeth.
Legolas began to laugh again and it only served to frustrate Jareth further.
"Stop it! Stop laughing you foolish Elf!" Jareth rattled the bars of the cell in hopes of startling Legolas out of his hysterics.
Finally the Goblin King could take the Elf's madness no more and with an exasperated breath he stormed from the dungeon, spinning on his heel so his cloak flowed around him as he turned. His boot heels clicked loudly over the stone floor as he headed for the stairs but he paused as he heard a loud metallic clanging noise behind him.
"Wait! Please! Don't leave me here again…"
Legolas had leapt up from his spot in the corner on the floor and thrown himself against the bars of the cell. His blue eyes stared out through the darkness in desperation as he stretched an arm through the bars to reach desperately for the retreating Goblin King. His voice quivered slightly as he called out, the madness in his eyes morphing quickly into fear.
Jareth cocked his head to the side and gave the Elf and odd look. He stepped down slowly from the bottom step and took his time crossing back over to Legolas' cell. The Elf's eyes never fell from his own, as though by holding Jareth's stare the Elf thought he could keep him there and not have to face the darkness alone again.
"Why the sudden change Legolas. Only moments ago you seemed to be thoroughly enjoying your prison."
Jareth lent casually against the bars of the cell and watched with interest as Legolas drew his arm back inside and lowered his gaze for a moment in what Jareth could only guess was shame.
Tentatively Jareth passed an arm through the bars and reached a gloved hand out towards the Elf. Legolas did not move to escape his touch as he stroked a finger across his cheek, much to Jareth's surprise, in fact he seemed to lean into the touch, shocking the Goblin King.
Mismatched eyes flew wide in surprise though as the blond Elf gripped his hand in his own and tore the glove from it, throwing it clear across the room in frustration as he pressed the now bare flesh of Jareth palm to his cheek.
Jareth watched with interest as Legolas covered his hand with both of his and continued to nuzzle his face into his hand as if seeking something desperately from him.
"Don't leave me here alone in the darkness again." Legolas pleaded quietly. "Nothing lives down here. There is only stone and metal, there is not even water Jareth…please. I need to feel life again……I need to know that I'm alive…"
Legolas dropped his gaze, embarrassed by how needy he must sound in the presence of the one who was holding him captive but he was truly desperate at that point. He did not feel he would last a second round of solitude in the stone dungeon.
Jareth suddenly pulled his hand from Legolas and the Elf almost whimpered at the loss of contact but he managed to swallow the sound, fearful of showing any more weakness before his captor.
The Goblin King stepped back and for a moment Legolas was terrified that he would leave. Instead he heard the click of a lock and the door to his cell swung open. As he opened the cell door Jareth was ready for Legolas to come rushing from his prison and possibly disappearing up the stairs, after which he was guessing he would have to take up pursuit again.
What Jareth was not prepared for was to have the Elf burst from the cell and throw himself upon him; desperate hands tearing at the front of his shirt as he tugged it wide open and pressed cold hands against the warmth of Jareth's chest. The hands quickly sought out the now rapidly beating heart of the Goblin King and pressed hard against it, feeling the pulse race beneath his finger tips Legolas sighed heavily and allowed his eyes to flutter closed.
Wide eyes, one blue the other dark, started down at the Elf in disbelief as he felt cold hands roam across his bared chest. Behaviour he would have found appealing from the Elf only hours before seemed strangely disconcerting now.
It took Jareth only moments to regain his composure as he watched the Elf's breathing slowly level out, Legolas seemingly to take comfort in Jareth's life force. So Elves needed to be around living things it would seem. Of course being a Woodland Elf Legolas would be very accustomed to having life about him all the time. He really had no idea that locking him in a stone prison would have such an affect on the Elf, not that he was truly complaining.
Jareth smirked as he casually slipped his arms about the Elf and drew him closer. Legolas' breathing hitched at first but he did not struggle nor fight against him and so Jareth, still smirking at his small and unexpected triumph, transported them back up to his throne room.
"Aragorn! Slow down! I know we have to find Legolas but we've been at this for hours and we can't keep up with you anymore!" Merry called out to Aragorn who was striding out ahead of them.
"All the more reason to hurry Merry, there probably isn't much time left."
And so Aragorn kept on with his hurried pace, Boromir being the only other who could still make this pace with relative ease.
They rounded another corner and came face to face with a dead end. The two Hobbits collided with the back of Boromir's legs as they failed to stop as quickly as the two Men and the Dwarf.
"No!" Aragorn screamed and banged his fists against the stone wall. "No! No! No! No!" He continued to pound his fists against the rock and as he did the others heard a low rumbling noise. They all stepped back, including Aragorn, as the rumble grew louder and the ground began to shake.
"If we end up down another hole…" Boromir started but stopped as the wall before them began to move.
They starred in disbelief as an enormous lizard, its skin the light tan of the stone walls surrounding them, picked itself up from the spot it had been laying and slowly shuffled away, leaving an opening where there had been none before.
"Perhaps you should try banging your fists on all the walls from now on." Gimli finally spoke up.
"My mother always said nothing is as it seems in the Labyrinth" Merry added.
"Kind of you to share that with us before." Pippin muttered before receiving the back of Merry's hand across the back of his head.
"I say we press on and hope this kind of luck continues on our side." Aragorn said as he proceeded to lead them through the new gap in the wall.
The group found themselves looking out into a dense forest, the ground littered with leaves and gnarled tree roots. Tiny eyes belonging to all manner of creatures starred out at the new intruders and the small group unconsciously bunched closer together.
"I thought this was supposed to be a maze." Boromir grumbled.
"It's a Labyrinth." Merry corrected.
"It's the same thing." Boromir objected.
"Oh would you two knock it off!" Aragorn hissed as they made their way deeper into the gloom of the forest.
The light from outside became dimmer and dimmer as the thick canopy above them cut of the sun's light. Soon only thin slivers of light managed to penetrate the dense foliage and the group was beginning to have trouble navigating their way through the forest.
"How do we know we're not going in circles?" Pippin finally asked, after they had been walking for some time.
"We don't but we really have no other choice do we, unless you can think of a better way to get out of here."
Without warning Gimli swung his axe in an arc, coming down against the thick trunk of one of the trees. A horrible shriek went up from the fauna and it seemed to try to cower away from the Dwarf standing at its base, now leaning against his axe.
"Alright tree or whatever you may be. We're sick of wandering about this here forest trying to find a way out. Now either you and your…….fellow trees show us the way out of here that will bring us closest to the Goblin King's castle, or I continue to let my axe bite into your trunk." Gimli's gruff voice boomed throughout the forest, the place having fallen eerily silent since the tree had cried out.
It shrieked again, but more quietly this time, and it trembled in the spot it was rooted to. Gimli waited patiently for it to do something other than quiver and as his patience began to run out he lifted his axe again and as he was about to strike the tree moved one of its large lower branches, positioning it so that the tree seemed to be pointing off to Gimli's right.
Slowly all the trees in line with this branch began to manoeuvre their branches in a similar fashion until a tunnel of sorts had been formed, presumably leading out of the forest and towards the castle beyond the Goblin city.
"Well done Gimli!" Boromir laughed as he slapped the Dwarf good-heartedly on the back.
"Lets get out of here then." Aragorn said with a smile.
So the small group hurried off down the corridor of trees, hoping to escape the darkness of the forest they had been stuck wandering in. It was not long before they could see light again and so broke out into a run, hurrying towards the forest's end.
Bursting from the dense tree cover they found themselves on the edge of a wide crevasse with no way across save for an old wooden bring off to their right.
"Oh what now!" Boromir threw his arms up in exasperation.
"The castle at the centre of the Labyrinth." Merry breathed.
"What?" Aragorn looked down at the Hobbit.
"Look! Over the other side! There it is can you see it? In the middle of the Goblin city, there's the Goblin King's castle.
They all followed Merry's gaze out over the gorge before them and the sight brought smiles to all their faces. They indeed had almost reached Jareth's castle. Only a wooden bridge, a dirt road, a set of large gates and the Goblin city separated them from their destination. The only question that remained was how long did they have to reach the castle before it was too late?