The Truth of a Lie
a/n: I do not own Labyrinth. Quote from the poem "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll. Don't own that either. Some non-consensual sexual situations in this chapter, but not full on lemony non consensual. Beta-ed by AngelaScarlet. BTW, I am sorry I have not been more diligent. I experienced some writer's block, and then Halloween came. Halloween week for me is like Xmas. I watched horror movies all week and goofed off. Then I got a nasty case of the flu, which I am still getting over. I promise to try harder. BTW, another thing: Some of you have been alluding to the fact that this is the climax of the story. It isn't. This is about the seventy-five percent point. There is more story after the fight with the Order.
Chapter Eight –For The Greater Good
Jareth opened the wooden door to the chamber where the Carreg Teithiwr dwelled, and let Sarah step through. He was still trying to reconcile himself to how many people they would potentially have to fight. Sarah had estimated that there were about ten Founders, and about twenty Founds. Foundlings were more numerous, coming close to fifty. All in all, there were not very many people. It was just that the Founders and Founds had magical powers of some sort, although their skills differed. Some were away on assignment, and some would hide when it came to fighting this kind of battle. Sarah and Jareth agreed that he would seal the door to the castle after she left, and that it would be re-opened when she sent a crystal signal.
"Sometime tomorrow you should hear from me," Sarah stepped onto the stone, "I can temporarily seal the stone until you arrive. How long will you need to permanently disable it?"
"Without interruption? A good five minutes or so. It is a complex spell. How many people will be able to get through before then, do you think?" Jareth asked her.
"About twenty of their best people. Founders and Founds," Sarah calculated, then sighed. It would be difficult, "How many goblins do you have?"
"About five hundred scattered here and there. I will bring as many as I can in," Jareth assured her.
"If anything, the noisy buggers will distract the Order and make it harder for them to cast. Most of them do not have magic like ours, where we can cast at will. Most of them need a little prep time or concentration," Sarah mused. This was something Jareth already knew, although he did not tell her that.
"Well, you need to go now," Jareth told her. Sarah stared at the stone beneath her feet and concentrated. She flickered, and then she was gone.
Jareth stared at the stone for a moment and then went upstairs. He could prepare a few surprises for this Order, and make sure that not too many of them survived.
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Sarah stared at the walled chamber around her. Aboveground. The castle she had called home for her whole life. Not anymore. After these next twenty-four hours, she would no longer be a Found, no longer a member of the Order. It was like ripping a rug out from under yourself, not knowing where or how you are going to land. A lot was riding on the one male she never knew whether to trust or not. He could just leave them Aboveground. Sarah knew she would just have to believe in him, because what she was going to do would definitely earn her a death far beyond imagining.
Sarah opened the door and strode through the halls, holding her head high. Her heels clacked loudly on the slate tiled floors, and she turned corner after corner until she reached Toby's room. She knocked twice, then knocked twice again.
" 'The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!'" his tiny voice whispered.
" 'Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the frumious Bandersnatch!'" Sarah answered, completing their password sequence. Toby opened the door, and Sarah slid inside the darkened room.
Toby looked wan, and a little pale. Sarah offered him a bit of chocolate from her pouch, and hugged him tightly. Toby rarely saw such affection from Sarah, and he hugged her back readily. She rifled around his room until she found the clear threads usually used for ligature strangulations, and she wrapped it around her wrist lightly. It was thin, and nearly invisible.
"See anything?" Sarah asked him when she was satisfied.
"No. Everything has been quiet. You know you will be punished for not reporting to Founder Corsair immediately, right?" Toby reminded her.
"I know it," Sarah nodded, and then she slipped back out of the room. It was two floors up that she came across her Founder's room. She knocked, then waited with her hands folded in front of her and her head down, looking subservient. The door opened, and Founder Corsair roughly grabbed her and dragged her into the room. Sarah was reminded of how strong he was. She did not flinch as she was slapped across the face, her mouth tasting blood as her lip was split.
"Why did you not come directly to my room when you arrived, Found?" he sneered as he undid his leather belt. His customary black robes were hanging on a hook near his bathroom, Sarah noticed.
"My apologies, sir. I just wanted to drop off something in my rooms," Sarah said softly, knowing it would make no difference. He was in the mood to be rough, and Sarah knew she would receive the brunt of his punishment.
"Take off your clothing," Found Corsair said rudely. Sarah did as she was told, and slowly removed her weapons and catsuit. The clear wire on her wrist remained, but the Founder never even saw it. Sarah waited to be commanded. Her Founder gestured for her to lay face down on the bed. She did as she was told.
He liked to beat her with that leather belt. He had been doing it for years. And today, it came down hard, turning the flesh on her back, bottom, and thighs red as boiled lobsters, and then they turned black and blue from repeated bruising. Sarah took it all without a whimper, even when her flesh finally split in places, and she began to leak crimson blood on the white sheets. It would be over soon, and then she could move on.
Founder Corsair's wrist began to tire, so he threw his belt aside and stripped off his clothing.
"On all fours, Found," he told Sarah, and Sarah rose up so she was on all fours. This part would hurt. She was bruised and bleeding, and he would slam into her from behind until she hurt even more. He liked it when she was hurt.
And it did hurt. Over and over, for what seemed like hours, he thrust into her, making her feel it. When he finally had enough, he pulled out of her and shot his load all over her bruised back. Then he collapsed. His breathing was hard as he lay on his stomach. Sarah turned over and pretended to be positioning herself to be more comfortable. The ligature wire came off her wrist easily though. She had thought to pump this vile man for information, but now, she only wanted his death.
Found Corsair had no time to react, no time to scream. No time to cast a spell or defend himself in any way. Sarah did not care. She quickly wrapped the ligature wire across his throat, and tightened it with all her might. He made choking noises as he died, and when it was over, a line of red blood snaked across his throat from where the wire had cut into his pallid skin.
Sarah stared at the man who had raised her, and there was no regret, no remorse. He had been a monster, and he deserved to die. She gathered up his body and stuffed it into a closet. She washed the blood and semen from her body, and then she redressed. She had missed the information, but she had gained some closure when it came to the man who had found her so long ago in Bangor.
"One down, two to go"
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Sarah walked down the hallway, and turned left. She followed that hallway down past a suit of armor to the wooden door she knew belonged to Founder Gabriel. She was about to repeat what she had done to Found Corsair. She didn't like it, but she had no choice. Founder Gabriel was too powerful to let loose. He was behind this all. She knocked, and then waited patiently, looking as submissive as she could. Founder Gabriel answered the door wearing only a robe, and he looked at Sarah with scarcely veiled contempt.
"What do you want, Found?" he asked her, sneering.
"Founder Corsair sent me to you. He told me I am to please you, as punishment for not completing my assignment sooner. May I come in, please? It is cold in this hallway," Sarah needed to get inside before someone saw her. Founder Gabriel moved aside and motioned for her to come in. Sarah moved in, and closed the door behind her. She knelt, her hands in her lap. Founder Gabriel only contemplated her for a moment before moving in front of her. He opened his robe to reveal a half hard member.
"Please me, and maybe I will not hurt you," Founder Gabriel commanded. Sarah did as she was told, employing all her knowledge in the arts of oral seduction. It worked, and soon Founder Gabriel was pulling her up.
"Remove your clothing and get on the bed. On all fours please," Founder Gabriel told her. Sarah did as she was told, careful to make sure he did not see the clear wire. She climbed onto the silk covered bed. Would be a shame to stain such lovely sheets.
Sarah got on all fours and waited patiently. When Founder Gabriel go onto the bed, and started feeling for a hole different than Founder Corsair had used, Sarah knew she was in trouble. He would not be gentle with her, he would not care that she had never had anal intercourse. He was about to rape her ass, and she could do nothing about it.
She was right. He did not care. He forced himself in, and continued to force himself in, over and over. She could feel blood start to course down her thighs, hot and fresh. She did not cry, did not make one noise. She let him use her. He used her until he shot his semen into her tight, injured ass. It burned as he pulled out of her, and it would continue to burn for hours.
Founder Gabriel sat on the edge of his bed, contemplating the sweet ass he had just fucked. The blood had been an unexpected treat. He had wanted her to suffer, but he had not known she would hurt that much. He was glad –
Sarah silenced Founder Gabriel's thought processes with one sharp twist of her wrists, locking the clear wire around his throat. He too, was now silenced. And she was once again vindicated. She silently cleaned up the scene and hid the body.
Only Morwen left, Sarah thought to herself, and then Toby and I can start a new life.
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Sarah did not have to look far to find Morwen. The Found was in the gardens, staring into a pond. Sarah sauntered up to her, acting as casual as possible. She did not get within ten feet of Morwen before her fellow Found threw up a barrier.
"What do you want, Sarah?" Morwen asked her nastily.
"Your plans did not work, you know that right? You know all your plans are falling apart now?" Sarah needed Morwen to drop the shield. Her plan worked. Morwen stood, and dropped the shield to make her way into the castle.
"You know, Founder Gabriel would be happy to hear those words from you. I always knew you were a traitor. What, couldn't resist the Goblin King's charms? Sloppy seconds honey, I already used him. You could have had him back when you were younger, but you were too pure for that, too virtuous. He offered you the world, and you turned it down. Well, I have got news for you. I am going to be Queen. I am going to show them, show you. Jareth would marry me in a second!" Morwen rushed for the door, but Sarah was faster, and cut her off.
"Oh no, poor Morwen. Sorry, we figured out it was you that poisoned the king. Jareth kind of wants nothing to do with you. Your life is forfeit Underground. And as for telling Founder Gabriel, go ahead, tell him yourself. He wants to see you anyways. He told me to tell you to go right into his room. I'll follow," Sarah opened the door for Morwen, and the two walked down the halls. Morwen kept glancing over her shoulder, sure that Sarah would try something, but Sarah kept an expression of total neutrality.
"Aren't you in the least bit suspicious of me?" Sarah taunted her as they walked, "After all, I could be leading you into a trap"
"I could take you on any day, with my eyes closed. You wouldn't dare!" Morwen seethed, arrogance brimming over in her voice. She obviously thought herself the superior being. That suited Sarah just fine. Ego would bring her down.
Morwen opened the door to Founder Gabriel's chambers and stepped inside. Sarah stepped in behind her and closed the door. Sarah shook out the clear wire and jumped at Morwen, looping the wire around her neck. Unfortunately her timing was a second off, and Morwen ducked. Sarah dropped the wire and aimed a kick at Morwen's head. Morwen caught Sarah's foot and twisted it, sending Sarah into a spin that landed her on the ground. Sarah jumped up and threw a series of punches at Morwen. Morwen dodged them easily, and then she threw a roundhouse kick of her own at Sarah. Sarah backed off. They were at a stalemate when it came to fighting. They had been both been trained at the same time. But, Morwen was weaponless. Sarah drew her katana and stood in a proper stance.
"You think your little sword is going to help you out, you bitch?" Morwen laughed. Then she charged Sarah. Her mistake.
Fortune may favor the bold, but Morwen's position was too open for her to really survive, and Sarah was too well trained to ignore it. Her eyes did not even register the moment when her head was severed from her body. It flew through the air, her black hair fanning out slightly. And it landed, blood stump down, on the stone floor. The remaining part of her body collapsed in a heap. Sarah noted that blood spattered the walls from the arterial spurt, and she was also once again covered with it. She left the Found where she was, and cleaned herself up. Then, she ran down the halls. She was ahead of schedule, but someone would surely discover these bodies soon.
Once she was back in her room, she packed the very few things she had, and she took a bath. The water was tinted red by the time she got out, and the hot water burned her new injuries. She was torn in two sensitive places, and the welts on her back and thighs were slowly clotting. She put on her white robe as she emerged from the bath, and sat in front of her vanity.
The Sarah who stared back at her in the mirror was not the same Sarah who had left this place to rescue the Goblin King. She had changed. Her eyes held a deadness, an emptiness she could not shake. It was like someone had taken every light in her and put it out. She combed her hair like a robot, and braided it like an automaton. She was a young woman no longer. A full fledged woman stared back at her, and she wondered when she had began to look so old.
Once redressed, Sarah grabbed her small bag and walked out of that room for the last time. She knocked on Toby's door and gave the password. Toby stepped out of the room, clad in a black leather suit much like her own. His own short sword glinted from across his back, and a knife sat in a small scabbard on his thigh. Sarah sighed in regret and patted his head.
"This is it Toby. We walk slowly and without any kind of sign that something is wrong. If we can get out of here without anyone seeing us or finding out what we have done, then we can avoid any kind of conflict. I do not have high hopes for that, but we will see what we can do. Walk tall and look straight ahead. Let me do the talking. Ready?" Sarah asked the little boy. Toby nodded, his eyes assuming a blankness befitting a Foundling.
They rounded corner after corner, and then Sarah could faintly hear footsteps. Running footsteps. Sprinting footsteps. They had been found out. Sarah prayed she could summon enough crystal magic to seal the door temporarily. Just enough time to get to the other stone, in the Underground.
"Hey! Stop!" someone yelled at them, and Sarah stepped up her pace. Toby matched her. They had a good thirty yards on the Order, and they reached the door just before them. Sarah opened it, and ushered Toby in. She quickly conjured crystal spheres, noting in passing that they had grown bigger, and she threw them in rapid succession. They exploded on impact, showering the enemy with broken crystal. Sarah then removed three flash grenades from her belt and threw them down. They exploded, momentarily blinding the assembled assassins. Sarah closed the door behind her, and sealed it weakly with crystal.
"Shit!" Sarah yelled, hoping it would be enough. Toby already stood on the stone, "Concentrate on the stone, and then concentrate on an identical stone in a stone room!"
Toby flickered slightly, and then he was gone. The seal was beginning to crack, and Sarah jumped onto the stone herself. The last thing she saw was the seal finally breaking, and the room flooding with people who wanted nothing more than her death.