Underneath the Crystal Moon
a/n: I do not own Labyrinth.
Part Three: Eamon
Chapter 9
As a new day dawned in the Goblin Kingdom, Sarah realized that this, this thing had been living in her castle for two days, and they had not seen one whisper of him. His food was being taken to his room, and he did not come out at all. They were all quite happy with this, as it meant they did not have to run into the mystery guest. But Sarah knew that if he was going to make a move, it would be soon.
And she was right. She rounded a corner and nearly ran right into the entity that had taken on the form of her oldest son.
"Excuse me Eamon," Sarah said with a smile. She wanted to act like nothing had happened, "I have not seen you since you returned!"
"Did you miss me?" the figure asked her, while still leering at her figure.
Sarah was repulsed by this. She knew it was not her son in there, and every instinct told her to run away.
"I must go, your father needs me in the audience room," Sarah made her excuses, and she ran away. She could hear a small chuckle echo in the hallway behind her.
"Now, that one is pretty. Let's see if we can find another pretty one," Erebus said aloud as he prowled the hallways. His long imprisonment had filled him with lust that had not been sated when he has bedded the pretty wench in the Ice Lands. He found this form to be pleasing to the eye, and knew he must have another soon. Then he could begin to get rid of the people who ruled this place. He whistled complacently as he explored his new home.
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Sarah was breathless as she ran for the audience room. Jareth stood as she entered, looking worried.
"I could feel your upset all the way down the hall! What happened?" Jareth asked her as he enfolded her in a hug.
"I ran into whatever that thing is that looks like our son. He was undressing me with his eyes, Jareth," Sarah shuddered at the memory. Jareth wanted to punch something. He settled for kicking an unsuspecting goblin out the window. Sarah swatted him on his shoulder.
"What? I have not done that in years!" Jareth protested. Sarah shook her head.
"Let's find Phoenix and Aidan. It is obvious this thing means harm. We are not stupid. Let's put it away before it hurts someone. Once Damien returns, we can figure out what to do," Jareth consoled his wife.
Sarah sent a crystal to Aidan, who was out in the stables working, "Phoenix should be in the library"
"Let us go then," Jareth held out his arm to escort his wife.
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Erebus opened the slightly open door the rest of the way and found that a woman, beautiful beyond recognition, was seated on a black couch, engrossed in a large tome. He cleared his throat to get her attention. A flicker of worry passed over her face as she saw him, but she smiled brightly.
"Eamon! So nice of you to join us!" she said.
The girl had red hair, mixed with black and blonde, and the most extraordinary eyes. She had lovely curves, and was obviously very royal indeed. She even looked vaguely like himself in this form, "So sorry to keep you waiting"
Phoenix shuddered as he came closer, in her brother's form. She did not like the look in his eyes. It was madness and lust rolled into one. She felt nauseous, and knew it was caused by his presence. She did not want to strike until the last minute, so she could catch him by surprise. He came closer and grabbed her arms. He started to back her up until she fell on the couch.
"So beautiful. Just like the other girl, except more," the figure muttered as he began to untie his breeches. His eyes went down to his crotch, already hard with need, and Phoenix saw her opportunity. She harnessed her inner flame and kicked with her foot, catching him straight in the balls. His crotch was now smoking as he gasped and fell down in pain. Just then, her mother and father walked into the room. Jareth created a crystal ball and encased the wounded figure in it. Sarah added her own power, as well as Phoenix. They held him there until he recovered. Then, one of them created a blindfold to put over his eyes, while another one of them created arm and leg cuffs made with trace amounts of iron. Not enough iron to poison the skin, but enough to restrict whatever abilities this creature might have. They walked down the corridors, and into the dungeon. They had not had much use for these in centuries, but today they would serve. They floated him to a large cell, and sent him, crystal sphere and all, into the cell that held trace amounts of iron. The prisoner had recovered.
"Stupid Fae," was what he said.
"And what are you?" Phoenix was bold enough to ask.
"I am Erebus, son of Chaos. You have no right to hold me here"
"You are wrong, you attacked the princess. I have every right," Jareth sneered, "Where did you come from, and what did you do with our son?"
"Your stupid son had come riding into my forest, where I had been imprisoned. The fool wished for something considering the Aboveground. I granted it. I do not remember now what it was. I took his magic, and his body," Erebus smiled sweetly, "I also had that young woman back in that castle. I would have had that one too," he pointed at Phoenix," if the lot of you had not come barging in"
"You have no clue what you did was wrong," Sarah said.
"What is wrong or right? Who decided that? I took what I wanted, and would have taken it again. You had no right to stop me," Erebus tossed the remark off flippantly.
Jareth, Sarah, and Phoenix left the figure to stew in the cell. If he stayed there forever it did not matter. Revenge was a cold notion now.
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Rhiannon's cell phone rang just as they were about to pull out of the driveway. They had been up since dawn, packing and loading for a two week trip to the cabin.
"Yes?" Rhiannon asked, as she stepped out of the car and walked to one side of her garden.
"Rhiannon, Keito here," Keito began to speak of Rhiannon's finances. Rhiannon's face lit up as Keito let her know how much she was worth. Her grandparent's house was worth a cool million. The cabin and its' surrounding land were worth another two million. She had about five thousand in her checking account, and about another one hundred thousand in her regular savings account. That was what she had in cash anyways. There were stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate investments, the antiques collection. There would be enough. Keito assured her she was worth somewhere around fifteen million dollars.
"Are you sure?" Rhiannon asked.
"May a demon strike me down if I am not," Keito swore.
"In two weeks time I will tell you what I wish to be done. I only hope there is enough time," Rhiannon told her.
"I know better than to ask," Keito sighed, "Have fun"
Rhiannon made her way back to the car, and she slipped back into the driver's seat. They stopped at the grocery store, and then at the mall. They purchased more clothing for them both, along with some hiking boots for Eamon. It was afternoon when they finally got on the road to the cabin.
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Eamon was jerked awake when the car turned onto a gravel road. Tall trees surrounded them, and the air smelled incredibly fresh. Rhiannon looked tired. They finally stopped in front of a small cabin overlooking a large lake. The cabin was made of dark wood, and had a charming front porch with a swing and two rocking chairs.
"Wow," Eamon said as they exited the car.
"My grandfather built it. We own it, along with the eight acres surrounding it," Rhiannon smiled and inhaled, "Thank goodness it is only late summer"
"Why?" Eamon asked.
"In winter this place is snowed in, and remains buried until the spring thaw," Rhiannon explained. She fished the keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door. She moved to another wall to disable the alarm.
Eamon thought the place was wonderful. The floors were hardwood, but the fireplace was made from stone. It was one large room with just a few doors. One for the bathroom, made of wood, but with a large, sunken stone tub. Another door went to the laundry room, with state of the art washer and dryer. Then there was the front door, and then the French doors that led out onto the balcony. The balcony was also made of dark wood. It had a wonderful view of the lake. There were stairs off the balcony that led down to a trail. The trail went off into the forest.
Rhiannon hummed a tune as she passed him, heading for a box that was secured to the wall outside. One switch started a sort of motor, while another brought up the balcony lights. Rhiannon walked over to a large round object that was lying on the balcony. She moved it aside, and there was a tub filled with bubbling water.
"What's that?" Eamon asked her.
"A spa. In about an hour this water will be piping hot and ready to soothe my muscles. We should bring everything in right now," Rhiannon pointed out.
They brought in their groceries, and then the supplies. Eamon put the groceries away while Rhiannon made up the bed. Between the two of them their work was done in no time.
"Can we order pizza?" Eamon asked Rhiannon as she sipped from a bottle of water.
"Nope. No phone here," Rhiannon told him. She walked to the fridge and took out stuff to fix sandwiches. They ate them on the porch swing, looking out at the stars. After they were done, Rhiannon brushed off her legs and headed back inside. Eamon heard her rustling for something in her bag, and then heard the bathroom door close. He was content where he was. Soon the bathroom door opened again, and then Rhiannon came back out the front door.
"What to come in the spa?" Rhiannon asked him. Eamon was still trying to reason with what she was wearing. She was wearing a black thing, or two things. It was all very small and concealed nothing.
"Sure," he found himself saying. Rhiannon handed him a pair of shorts and left him inside, while grabbing a couple of towels. Eamon changed into the colorful shorts and headed outside. Rhiannon was dipping her toes in the spa, savoring the heat.
"It's perfect," she said, and then she lowered herself into the steaming water. She let out a loud moan that would have woken the neighbors if they had any. The sound of any kind of pleasure coming from Rhiannon's mouth made Eamon go wild.
Eamon lowered himself gingerly into the hot water. It was almost too hot for him to take. His skin started to turn pink from the heat. He settled down, Rhiannon walked through the water over to him and relaxed against him, her back pressing into his chest, her bottom resting between his legs. His nipples were pressed against the skin exposed by the black pieces of fabric. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and put his mouth next to her ear.
"What is this fabric thing you are wearing called?" he asked her softly.
"A bikini," Rhiannon told him. He wrapped some strands of her hair around his finger and leaned in again, breathing softly on her ear.
"Why did you bring me here?" he whispered, the air still and quiet.
"You wanted to make the most of our time together. So do I. Here there are no computers, no phones, no television, no distractions…but there is an exchange here, Eamon. Something for something," Rhiannon sounded serious.
"And what's that?" Eamon asked, curious.
"You have to let go. Let it happen. Don't fight it. Forget that we are anyone except Rhiannon and Eamon. I'm not the witch you are depending on, and you are no crown prince. You are just you, and I am just me," Rhiannon let her fingers dance over the water.
"You and me, eh?" Eamon asked, holding her tighter.
"Mm-hmm," Rhiannon let her head fall back to rest on Eamon's shoulder. Her throat was fully exposed. He lowered his lips and kissed her there, opening his mouth and tasting her skin with his tongue. Rhiannon shifted restlessly, her bottom rubbing against his thighs. Then she scooted away.
"Why'd you move?" Eamon asked her, disappointed.
"You said you would not give it away unless someone loves you for you. And since you accused me of not being that person, I do not feel right pursuing actions that will lead to something you might regret," Rhiannon explained.
"I thought you did not remember anything from that night!" Eamon exclaimed.
"I didn't until just now," Rhiannon swallowed, "I'm sorry"
"What for? You were drunk," Eamon shrugged it off.
"No, I went about it the wrong way. I just did not know what to say or what to do. There were things I wanted to tell you but I was too scared to. Hell, I am busting at the seams with things I want to tell you, but I feel this enormous amount of guilt," Rhiannon swallowed, "Look, we have to share a cabin and a bed for two weeks. Let's not say things we will regret," Rhiannon shifted her gaze to the side, looking out over the lake.
"No regrets Rhiannon. I want you to act like I never have to go back. I want you to say everything you would say if I were not the crown prince of a magical land. Pretend I'm a man, not a Fae," Eamon pleaded. He wanted to hear what she had to say. She looked so fragile, and not a little bit lost. If what she was feeling was the same thing he was feeling then he knew it would mean breaking both their hearts when he left.
"Being Fae is one of the most magical things about you. It makes you who you are," Rhiannon pointed out as she continued to stare.
"If I were not a crown prince I would give it all up to stay with you. But having a title comes with a price. I have responsibilities. My future subjects depend on me. I do not belong to myself down there, I belong to them. Here, well here there is only one person I feel I belong to," Eamon confessed.
"You are no one's property!" Rhiannon snapped.
"What do you want me to say?" Eamon asked, frustrated. What did she want from him?
"I want to know you will hurt as much as I will when you leave. I want to know that I am not wasting my emotions on you. A week Eamon. A fucking week. That is all we have had, and it feels like so much more. Why can't it be different? Why did it have to be this way?" Rhiannon asked desperately, tears in her eyes.
"You care that much?" Eamon asked her.
"You are stupid for a Fae. Of course I do," Rhiannon started to get out of the spa. She wrapped a towel around her waist and walked inside.
Eamon climbed out of the spa and sat on the stairs. He could just make out the trail that led into the forest. A week ago life had seemed a lot simpler, even though he knew Underground life was just as complicated. But he had an investment here he had not counted on when he had woken up. Just how much the witch would mean to him. She was right, of course, why did it have to be this way? For both of them?
Mom and Dad always wanted us to marry for love. And here I am, in love, and I cannot make her my Queen. I must share my father's love of mortals. Was this how it was for him? The frustration, the feeling of being lost like this? For fear of sounding cliché, even to myself, I have to say: Why me?
Eamon resolved something in his mind. He would not be able to take her back with him. He could not give her forever. But he could give her tonight, and every night he could after that. He could even marry her before he left, if she would have him. He could give her every bit of him he had to give, and hope that it would be enough.
"It will never be enough," he told the nighttime sky.