AN: This is a fanfic idea I've had for a long time. I had posted it at one point but ended up taking it down because life was getting in the way of me being able to finish writing it (also I was young and my writing sucked). However I couldn't let it go, so now I finally sat down, read through what I had written before, fixed it and am now ready to start sharing it again. I hope you all enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I just enjoy the plot bunnies that came with the movie.
Do As I Say - Prologue
It was a cold spring night at the Fae High Court. Fae had retired to their homes for the night, servants had finished their chores, and the night guards were patrolling around the castle. As the last few lights in the castle were going out a side door to the castle slowly creaked open. A head poked out and looked around before quickly ducking back in as two figures walked past. When they cleared, the door opened fully and a male in a dark hooded cloak quickly ran to the far wall. When he reached the wall he glanced around before climbing up and over the wall, gracefully landing on the other side. The fae slowly worked his way through the city streets, stopping every so often to check his surroundings, before continuing on. Close to the edge of the city he walked up to a house, but before he could knock the door opened.
"I had a feeling I would be seeing you tonight, your majesty." A female spoke as she curtsied to the man before her. "Please, come in."
He quickly stepped inside and lowered his hood. His eyes swept the room. It was warm and inviting, not so lush compared to the other houses in the court. His gaze landed on the woman. Her red locks hung loose and she wore a robe, no doubt was preparing for bed.
"I'm sorry for arriving at such a late hour."
"Don't be, your majesty. Would you like some tea?" She turned and walked towards the back of her home to where he knew her kitchen was located.
"No thank you Adrina. I can only stay a moment. I need…"
"A favor?" Adrina interrupted. When he didn't respond she continued. "What sort of favor would you be needing your majesty?
"As a Fae gifted with the sight of the future I would think you would already know that."
"You know I don't look."
"Then how did you know I would be here tonight?" The king smirked.
"Just because I don't look doesn't mean I don't get feelings. You know as well as I do that when you don't use your magic it finds other ways to get out. In my case I get senses, feelings."
"Yes I know. But I need you to look. It's about Celeste. Our son was born today, she had no complications, but she isn't faring well. I just need to know, to prepare myself if she doesn't…" he paused and took a breath.
"You always look at the negative. Give her time and I'm sure she will be just fine."
"Adrina, please. I need you to look for me. I know you don't use your gift like the other few seers out there."
"Then go see one of them." Adrina pleaded.
"I don't trust them. I trust you. You and I have been friends a long time. We've been together through both our weddings, my wife has taken to you, especially through her pregnancy since you recently went through it yourself. It's just, I trust you to keep my visit to yourself, and I need a friend right now."
"Alright, but only this once. One shouldn't know too much about their future." She gestured for them both to sit down. Adrina relaxed her shouldn't and let out a deep breath. She lifted her hand and produced a small crystal. The king stared at it but couldn't see anything, and then suddenly it swirled as if full of smoke and a moving picture appeared inside of it. Both watched as a beautiful fae woman laughed as she picked up and held a child. "Your wife looks like she fit right into the role of motherhood." Adrina then leaned closer and smiled, "And it looks as if you will be blessed with more than one offspring." The king leaned closer and saw that sure enough his wife was very pregnant while walking around with the older child in her arms.
"More than one? That's wonderful news. Fae have such a hard time reproducing, which is why I was thrilled that my first born was a boy. Ha, first born! To say it in such a way that I know I will have a second!" The king was booming with pride.
"Not all fae have a hard time with having children. Myself included." Adrina smiled.
"What do you mean? You only have your son...you aren't pregnant again so soon are you?"
"No. I just have this," she smiled, "this feeling."
The king smiled at her and stood up. "Thank you Adrina. This means a lot to me."
Adrina smiled and went to go release the crystal when it turned black. The king sat back down and stared at it in confusion.
Adrina looked worried as she looked into the crystal. Slowly an image appeared. "It's the labyrinth."
"Labyrinth? What of that horrid place?"
"It's dark."
"It's always been dark." The king shrugged off.
"This looks darker, like if it were cast in shadow. There is a girl. A human girl. She's shining. Lighting up the labyrinth." Adrina frowned. "I don't know what this means. It's rare that my gift shows me something that I am not looking for. Something must be coming, something bad for it to show me this."
"Think nothing of it Adrina. My kingdom is in peace and whatever that horrible place could be doing won't affect us while I am here. But I will look into it to see if anything about that place has changed."
Adrina stared for a few more seconds before making the crystal disappear. She nodded and then followed him to the door. "When your wife has recovered I look forward to meeting your son." She curtsied as he left.
The king quickly pulled his hood back on and followed the same path he took earlier back to his castle. He quickly found one of the healers that was taking care of his wife and was updated that she was asleep in their room and that after a night of rest she would most likely be on the mend.
Once he made it back up to his chambers he smiled down at his sleeping wife. His wife would be fine and he would have a second child, that's all he needed to know. He would send someone to scout the labyrinth and its goblins, but he wouldn't let something silly like that take him away from knowing his family would be fine. He walked over to the bassinet on his wife's side of the bed and looked down at his son. His son, so young, and already he could see himself in his face, except for his hair. His son would have brown hair just like his mother.
When he joined his wife in bed she stirred and rolled towards him. "Why are you so late darling?"
"No reason. But do remind me in the morning to go over night patrol regulations with the guards in the morning."
"What? Why?" She said, though she sounded like she was fading back to sleep.
"Nothing my love. Go back to sleep." He kissed the top of her head and settled down himself.
Five years later, the kingdom was celebrating another prince's birth. It was something to celebrate, for not many Fae could reproduce more than one child, let alone have more so close together. The king couldn't be happier. His wife was alive and well, and he now had two sons. His first, Amir, was a wonderful son, though at times had his huge tantrums, which now that magic was starting to show, was becoming dangerous. However, in due time he will learn to control it. He looked down at the new baby in his arms, he was dressed in the finest of silks, ready to be introduced to the kingdom. His wife walked over and brushed some of the baby's blond hair trying to make it look a little neater. The baby opened his eyes and looked up at the king with his bright blue eyes. The King smiled, he never knew having another son would bring so much more joy to his life. "Have we finally decided on a name for him?" Celeste asked, smiling up at her husband.
"What was the name you mentioned a while back, love?"
"Jareth?"
"Then that will be his name."
The King came running into the room when he heard the screams of pain. He scanned the room, and saw fifteen year old Amir with his back on the wall, staring at ten year old Jareth on the floor. Jareth was screaming in pain, and holding his head. Next to Jareth he saw his son's shadow, although it looked three dimensional. He ran over to his son, and knelt next to him, getting a better look at the shadow. It was three dimensional and was starting to move, but moved differently then Jareth. He looked back up at Amir, "WHAT HAPPENED?" The King yelled, grabbing a hold of Jareth trying to sooth him, while trying to look at him for injuries.
"I don't know! I was teaching him a few tricks, and that's it!" Amir yelled back.
"He hit me!" Jareth cried out, holding onto his father more, while holding his head at the same time, still crying in pain.
"Amir, tell me what you did!"
"I don't know!"
"AMIR!"
"I was showing him tricks like I said, then he stopped listening, I told him to pay attention, and when he didn't I got mad and yelled at him. I didn't mean to, but when I yelled I hit him with something. I'm sorry." Amir was starting to cry as he explained to his father, "I don't know what I did...I didn't mean too."
The King looked back down at Jareth and the new moving shadow who stared up at the King, then at Jareth in his arms. It finally dawned on the King, Amir used accidental magic on Jareth, accidental dark magic.
He didn't have long to think about it because his wife came running into the room. She saw the shadow and stopped dead in her tracks. "What?" She started but then when she saw Jareth in her husband's arms she ran over and pulled Jareth to her. She rocked him back and forth, looking up at her husband wanting an explanation. The King told her what he knew, and she looked back down at her son. She pulled Jareth back to look at his face, he looked up at her, trying to stop crying. She gasped, causing the King and Amir to come look at Jareth's face. What they saw was a pair of mismatched eyes. His beautiful blue eyes were no longer a pair. He still had one blue eye, but the other was dark brown, and very dilated.
"What happened to his eyes?" Amir whispered, sounding very afraid.
The king looked back at the shadow who looked so much like Jareth, they could be twins. The shadow was sitting up and staring at Jareth. "I'm not sure. I've never heard of anyone's shadow being separate from them, being its own being. His eyes could be a result of that."
"Can't you just put them back together?" Amir questioned.
"I don't know how." The king faced the shadow and spoke to it. "Do you understand us?"
The shadow looked up at the king and nodded.
The king sighed. "Come, let's go seek the healers and I will call for a meeting with my council. We'll figure this out." He helped Celeste to her feet as she refused to let go of Jareth who was still softly crying.
Amir entered his room and sat down on his bed exhausted. The celebration ball of his twenty-fifth year was enjoyable; he danced with many beautiful young women, shared drinks and laughs with his friends, and was praised by his family.
Even Jareth seemed to be having an enjoyable night, given the circumstances. Ever since Amir tore Jareth's shadow apart, they were treated like twins. Jareth and his shadow went everywhere together, did everything together, even got in trouble together. But his shadow was also dangerous. He could only perform dark magic and when you try to not use your magic, it always finds a way out. Well a few months ago, the shadow's magic found a way out and nearly killed their little sister. After that, the king ordered the shadow to be kept locked up and refused to allow Jareth near his shadow.
Amir reflected on the night's events. All seemed fine, but he was worried. He was the eldest and he was next in line for the throne. All who attended the ball tonight mentioned to Amir how he would make a fine king once his father stepped down. But he was worried. His father had mentioned to him before the ball that he would be sent to the Goblin City that was surrounded by a massive labyrinth. His father explained that it would help Amir with preparing himself for the role of king.
The labyrinth. It was a project of his fathers. All his life Amir knew his father to be spending time away at the labyrinth and the Goblin City, trying to control it he guessed. Amir heard stories of how horrible the place was, but the way his father spoke about it, it just seemed like any other place. Amir didn't want to go. He felt like he should stay here and start following in his father's footsteps. But when he voiced his opinion he was ignored. Amir was determined to speak to his father again and decided not to wait. He got up and left the room in search of his father.
Jareth was sitting in his room when he heard yelling. At first he tried to ignore it, but when the yelling was followed by a loud crash he got up to investigate. The sounds lead him to his father's study. When he entered Jareth's heart dropped. His father sat in his chair, soaked in blood. Movement drew his attention away from his dead father. Amir was struggling to fight with someone. When he turned Jareth was face to face with his Shadow.
Jareth went into a rage. He pushed Amir out of the way and grabbed his Shadow before shoving him into the wall behind them. "How could you do this? You were my brother, a part of me!" His Shadow looked like it was getting ready to speak when Jareth punched him in the face. "I guess everyone was right about you. You are so dark that nothing good could ever come from you. I'm glad you are no longer a part of me."
The Shadow looked defeated by that statement and just disappeared into the shadows on the walls.
Amir ran to the hall and yelled at the guards who were finally running up to the scene. He ordered them to search for Jareth's shadow. He then turned to his brother, who was kneeling next to their dead father. "I'm sorry Jareth, he took me by surprise. I tried to stop him but it was already done. We will find him and punish him for his crimes."
Over the next couple of days, the kingdom mourned the death of their king. Amir stepped up and was crowned King of the Underground. Slowly he gained an understanding of what was expected of him and he led the kingdom through an easy transition into his ruling. After a month he called Jareth to see him.
"You called for me your majesty?" Jareth spoke as he entered what used to be their father's study.
"None of that Jareth. I am king now, but I am still your brother. No need to call me majesty."
"What do you want Amir?" Jareth sighed and sat in one of the spare chairs across from the desk.
"I want you to travel to the Goblin City." Amir noticed Jareth sitting up as if to protest. "No, please don't interrupt. You know that the Goblin City and the surrounding labyrinth was always a fascination of father's. He's always spent time there trying to study it."
"Yes, a waste of time on his part. I never understood his interest. Nothing changed with him there, it's still a waste land full of goblins."
"I said don't interrupt. I found one of his journals. It's full of information about the labyrinth. According to what he wrote, it seems like the labyrinth itself is alive. I want you to take his journal and travel there. Continue his studies. See if you can't complete what he started. See if you can't take control of the labyrinth's magic and its inhabitants."
"Why me?" Jareth took the journal from his brother and opened it to the first page.
"Before he passed, father told me he wanted me to go. He said he thought it would be a good experience building project for me, before I took the crown. After reading through his journal I can better understand why he wanted someone there to control it, have it be on our side if you will. Since I can no longer go I ask this of you. I have faith in you. You are stronger than you know, and you are stubborn enough I think you could handle a few goblins."
"Amir…"
"If not for me Jareth, then do it for father. Read the journal, let father's notes convince you." When Jareth still didn't respond, Amir sighed, "Just do as I say."
Jareth nodded and left the room. At the end of the day Jareth had finished reading the journal and was saying goodbye to his mother and sister before heading off to see the labyrinth for himself.