Chapter 4 – What May Come
He stood stiffly behind the ornately scrolled dock, watching without much interest as the robed and hooded members of the Seelie Court made their way through the centre of the round room towards their seats. He was too old and too experienced to have much fear for these people. He had been here under their gaze too often in the past.
The 3 High Seats processed up to their own raised platform and took their seats, motioning that the Court be opened. A young Fae stood up to one side of the circular floor and spoke the rituals from the scroll before him.
Jareth yawned. He heard Isenith behind him muttering under his breath and grinned, at least he would not be the only uncomfortable one here. The young fae sat down again and the High Seat in the centre of the 3 stood up and cleared her throat.
"Jareth, King of the Goblins and Keeper of the Labyrinth, you have been brought before this court charged with kidnapping an adult mortal, disobeying our law, and breaking your sworn promise. How plead you?"
"Not guilty." Jareth said scowling at the hooded woman as he folded his arms across his chest.
"Bring forth the first witness." The woman said, waiting for another court orderly to motion to Isenith to take the floor.
"State you name, status and race." The court orderly said glaring at the Darkling with disgust.
"My name is Isenith, I am a Darkling, and my status is that of slave to King Jareth." Isenith said ignoring the orderly.
"Slave, explain what took place before King Jareth returned with the mortal in question." One of the High Seats asked, trying not to sneer at the creature before him.
"I was waiting for instructions from My King with regards to a male mortal trying to defeat the Labyrinth to win back his wished away sister. We were in the Rose Garden. We were discussing what to do with the mortal boy when My King stopped and bade me listen." Isenith paused, for no other reason than that he could. Jareth hid a snigger, Isenith was always one for being dramatic, and now he had the whole of the Seelie Court to play to.
"Well go on! What happened?" The High Seat said, raising his voice in anger. Isenith bowed mockingly before continuing.
"I asked My King what was wrong. He replied that She had called him. I asked for clarification of who it was that had called him, and he replied yes."
"What was the question you asked him?"
"I asked if it was 'The Girl'."
"And he replied yes?"
"Yes My Lord. I then asked if she were 'The Girl who ate the peach and forgot everything'. To which My King replied 'Yes' again."
"And?"
"I then asked if she were the same one who denied the power of the Labyrinth. My King then replied, 'Yes damn it! How many more times?'" Isenith stopped again, letting the Court digest his words.
"Then what happened?" Sighed the High Seat.
"My King was angered, he strode around the Rose Garden for some time before finally stopping before me."
"And what did he say?" The High Seat asked again, trying to keep the impatience out of his voice.
"My King looked me in the eye and said 'Isenith, I may be some time.' He then walked between the worlds, presumably to answer her call. A call that he is forbidden to ignore, by your own ruling." Isenith finished glaring at the High Seats.
"Do not presume to tell this Court about its own rulings Slave! You are dismissed." The other High Seat screeched standing up and pushing her companion back into his own. Isenith smiled mockingly and bowed once more before turning and walking out of the circular floor to return to stand behind Jareth.
"Is this true Your Majesty?" The High Seat asked turning her attention to Jareth who was trying not to laugh.
"To the very word." He said composing himself.
"When you were summoned by the mortal female, where did you find her?"
"She was extremely ill, in a hospital, being tended by mortal healers."
"But she was coherent?"
"Yes. She knew exactly what she was requesting of me."
"What were her words?"
"Through dangers untold and hardships unspoken… I wish that the Goblin King would appear before me."
"Those were exactly her words?"
"Yes. They were very faint, but those are the words that she spoke."
"And she really is the girl that won against the Labyrinth 10 years ago."
"Yes." Jareth sighed, trying to keep the impatience out of his voice. This whole thing was a farce. The Unseelie Court must be laughing.
"Then you were not required to bring her back with you. She did not wish herself away." Crowed the High Seat leaning forward.
"She did not wish herself away until later. As well you know I am forbidden to take a mortal against their will, it is impossible. She spoke the words after I had found out why she had called me in the first place."
"And why did she call you?"
"She wanted me to forgive her before she died." Jareth said, ignoring the muttering from the fae on the benches surrounding the room.
"Did you forgive her?"
"I did. I may rule a cruel race, but I am still Fae. She was dying; I had no reason to deny her request for forgiveness. Particularly when she did not need to request it in the first place."
"What were the words she spoke when she wished herself away?"
"She said 'I wish… take me away… Jareth… I don't want to…be alone without you anymore.'" Jareth said quietly, not looking at the High Seats.
"She spoke your name?"
"She did."
"Then there can be no doubt, he was within his rights to bring her back, she has given herself to him."
"There is still doubt. She was dying, how could she have understood what she was saying?" The 3rd High Seat exclaimed pushing the other 2 back down in their chairs.
"Are you lying?" She asked, turning back to Jareth.
"I am Fae, I can not lie." He snarled banging his fists down on the wooden edges of the dock. The Fae around him rose up as one, shouting and calling to the High Seats in their disgust.
"If you accuse me of lying, then you must accuse our race of lying too. If you wish to know the truth, then ask the girl. Ask Sarah." He said feeling his anger trying to get the better of him. He removed his clenched hands from the woodenbalustrade and silently crossed his arms back across his chest.
The High Seats rose as one and summoned the mortal girl to the Court. The room went silent as they waited for the fabled girl to appear through the closed door in the east wall. All noises stopped as she stepped through, being lead by the equally infamous White Fae, sister to King Jareth. A ripple of surprised gasps floated round the room as the Fae present at the Court hearing realised that she was just as beautiful, if not more so that the rumours had told. She practically glowed, as she was lead to the centre of the room, her black dress equally absorbing the light around her. Jareth bit his lip and did nothing as two elderly fae erected an impenetrable wall in front of him so that she wouldn't be able to see him, though he could still see her. She looked lost, and confused as she glanced around at all the people in the room, her hazel eyes finally coming to rest on the 3 High Seats who were still stood up.
"I, Lucia, Princess of the Goblin Realm, White Healer, do answer the call of the Seelie Court, and bring with me the mortal girl to whom the charges relate." Lucia said curtsying before the High Seats. They nodded in return and turned their attention back to the dark haired mortal standing next to her.
"State your name for the Court, your status and race."
"I am…" Sarah stopped and looked at them, confusion written plainly across her face.
"Where am I?" She asked again, angered by their unresponsiveness.
"State your name."
"I am… I don't know." She whispered looking down at her hands where they had knotted themselves into the fabric of her dress. One of the High Seats looked across at Lucia who nodded slightly, a motion only detected by Jareth who growled low in his throat, what had his sister done?
"Then what do you know Child?" Another asked her.
"I was… looking for someone." Of that she was sure, she knew it, like she should have known her own name. A memory flashed through her mind, a small gnome like dwarf asking her the same question as he stood beside a beautiful rose bush. She had answered him; she knew she had answered him…
"Do you know who you were looking for Child?"
Sarah shook her head… trying to remember what she had told the dwarf. The clarity came when she least expected it. She looked up at the 3 hooded Fae, recognising them for what they were.
"My name is Sarah."
"Very well Child. What else do you remember?"
"This is not my body."
"Explain yourself."
"The last thing I remember was being in hospital, I'd been in an accident, my family…" The tears came, as unbidden as the memories of pain.
"They all died, except me…" Sarah took her strange hands and placed them over her strange face and wept. She didn't notice when a chair was brought so that she could sit down to stop her from falling over. Jareth wanted to curse them all for making her go through this. They didn't understand humans the way he did, they couldn't comprehend the emotions that Sarah was experiencing, so he did the only thing he could do under the circumstances. She didn't notice above the noise of the courtroom as she continued to cry that there was now a smooth cold object clasped in her hands, when she did realise, she carefully opened her fingers slightly to catch a glimpse at the crystal she held and felt another flood of memories return to her.
"What is it?"
"It's a crystal, nothing more, but if you turn it this way, it will show you your dreams…"
She looked up and watched the Fae around her arguing amongst each other. She didn't remember who she was looking for, or why she was here in this strange body, but the only clear thing she knew she had to do was find her missing memories, they were the key to everything.
"I was paralysed, my body was dying, and I requested to come here." She said above the noise, making them stop and stare at her in surprise.
"Why did you want to come here?" One of the Seelie demanded glaring at her from behind the 3 seated and hooded Fae.
"The Labyrinth was calling me. I've been here before, and it called to me." The realisation that she had been in this strange dreamlike world before did not frighten her, or even make her feel uneasy, she knew she had been here, and had been called, but for what reason, she could not yet fathom.
"Why was the Labyrinth calling you?"
"I don't know, but I'd like to find out, just as much, if not more than you." She retorted, her eyes hardening under their glares.
"And just how do you intend to find out, Mortal?" Another of the Court demanded of her, slurring the word Mortal as though it felt rotten on his tongue.
"I don't know yet, but when I find out, I promise, you'll be the first to know." Sarah told them sarcastically as she stood up, tired of their questions and looks. She had to find out what she was missing, and fast.
"Will there be a time limit?" She wasn't sure why she felt the need to ask, but she asked anyhow.
"As ever you have…"
"13 hours." She finished for them. She nodded.
"How do I get into the Labyrinth?"
"You get in through there…" An old Fae said pointing his skinny finger at a door in the southern wall behind her.
"You really going in there are you?" He asked as she strode past him to the doors that were opening.
"Absolutely." She replied stepping through the doors into a scene she now remembered only too well.