The Truth of a Lie
a/n: You know, I do not own anything from Labyrinth. Nope. I am sorry it is taking me a while to get from chapter to chapter, but I cannot even begin to explain everything that is going on right now. Drama sucks. Toby's quote is attributed to Alfred Lord Tennyson. Brief medical terminology contained therein. Bad language too. I decided to give my beta the week off, since it is a holiday, so this chapter is unbetaed. That is so not a word.
Chapter Nine – Do or Die
Jareth stared at the wooden door, wishing for once that he had that second sight, or anything that would allow him to see what was transpiring Aboveground. He hated admitting that he worried for Sarah, but it seemed the most obvious thing, besides saving his kingdom from these usurpers.
"Damn and double damn! Sarah, what is taking you so long!" Jareth muttered fiercely under his breath. True, she had said she would be back tomorrow, and it was tomorrow, but it seemed to him that she would be back by now. He could only think that something had gone wrong, while trying to convince himself that she was just being thorough about whatever it was she was doing.
About two hundred goblins of various sizes and attributes stood behind him. Alis and Alun sat stood to his right and left, both clad in new outfits befitting their new roles. The boots they wore had hidden blades in the toes. They both wore long black pants that fit easily over the boots, and both wore sleeveless black tops that molded to their bodies. They each had knives strapped to their wrists, and another strapped to each thigh. They would be formidable foes to almost anyone. After Sarah had left, they had quickly taken to sparring, to see what skills they still had. The training was intact, the skills remained, even if they were slightly rusty. They felt like they had a mission, and they were intent on completing it.
Jareth was about to start pacing, much to his own embarrassment, when a crystal sphere magically floated through the door and into his hand. Jareth briefly had time to register that her crystals had grown slightly bigger before he magically unlocked the door.
"Toby! To the door! Stay near it, and run if things get to rough!" Sarah yelled at the young boy. Toby did as he was told, but he still readied himself for battle. Sarah raised an eyebrow at him quickly and he shrugged.
"Ours is not to reason why, ours but to do and die," he simply stated, and Sarah nodded. She had no right to ask him to run when he was fighting for freedom as much as she was.
Sarah, Alis and Alun stood around Jareth, leaving him just enough room to see the stone, not twenty feet from them. He needed to be able to see the stone in order to work the spell. This spell was old magic, and not associated with his crystal magic. He used a bottle of sand to make a circle around himself.
"Here they come!" Alun warned, even though it was apparent to all of them what was happening. There was a slight shimmer to the air before the first Found stepped out.
"Found Alastair," Sarah muttered, trying to remember what this particular Found's power was.
"The fingernails!" Toby shouted, using his power of recollection. Alastair frowned, but flicked both hands just the same, and they were suddenly faced with two hands that had razor blades for fingernails.
Sarah drew her wazikashi and charged, knowing she did not want Alis and Alun anywhere near this one. As she engaged Alastair in battle, she briefly saw the shimmer again, and a female Found stepped off the stone.
Toby tried hard to remember this one's power, but before he could even remember who she was, she was on Alis with a vengeance, sweeping glowing hands. Ah, scratch that. She was sweeping flaming hands. Alis engaged her in hand to knife combat, using whirling kicks to try to get to the Found's hands with the blades stuck in the toes of her boots.
Sarah swung fiercely at her opponent, engaging those razors, making terrifying noises and showering the ground with orange sparks. Sarah fought like a samurai, or even like a ninja when warranted. This man fought like he was possessed, sometimes spinning around fast enough to catch Sarah a little off-guard. She stepped back and thought quickly about her plan of attack before charging again.
Jareth knelt on the ground, seeing Alun leave his side to engage the Found and Founder that had come through the stone, one after another. He muttered a few words of the incantation and mixed the liquids in front of him. He saw Sarah behead the Found that had emerged from the stone first, and he saw the crimson blood spatter her face and hair. He looked back and down and concentrated.
Alis had her knife drawn, and the blue eyed blond in front of her was bleeding in several places from where Alis had sliced her. They still fought on, until the blond made a fatal mistake, slipping on her own blood. Alis landed on her in less than a second and slit her throat, not even having time to watch the life fade from the Found's eyes.
The room now held ten enemies, and Sarah could feel them start to get a little overwhelmed as she fought off two men with maces.
"Toby, release the goblins! The Founders are coming through!" Sarah shouted. Toby nodded and opened the door, releasing Jareth's subjects into the room. Half of them made a barrier around their king, and the other half started to cause trouble for the enemy.
Founders that came out found themselves blinded by goblins that latched on to their faces and would not let go. Founds all of a sudden found themselves being scratched, clawed, and some fainted from strange odors.
Jareth was finally able to finish the spell, and the last step was to pour this liquid that resembled wine onto the stone.
"Sarah! Cover me!" Jareth shouted. Sarah abandoned her battle with a Found when a goblin latched onto his face. She ran to him, a gore spattered mess, and got behind him. He carried the chalice with both hands as he walked, and Sarah fought off anyone who tried to approach. Finally, Jareth stood in front of the stone.
"Chwalu hwn gallu carreg!" Jareth yelled, and threw the liquid on the stone. It sparkled, then it shimmered, then it faded, until only smooth ground was left. That was the end of the Stone of Traveller's, and the end to the invasion. Satisfied, Jareth and Sarah turned back to the enemy, ready to fight.
Alis and Alun both had wounds, but not so severe that they could not continue to fight. There were a few dead goblins here and there, littering the floor. Sarah and Jareth split up, and each went a different way.
Jareth hurled crystals at Founds and Founders a like, and then came upon a Founder that was weaving a spell in the air with his hands. He did not both to stop as Jareth approached, even though he knew he had no chance.
"You know you will lose," Jareth told him.
"Yes, but I still fight. By the way, I heard your little Found girlfriend over there is quite the good fuck," the little man sneered. Jareth did not bother with wasting a crystal this time. He just reached out and snapped the worm's neck.
Jareth threw crystals at the remaining foes and those fighters suddenly found themselves encased in unbreakable crystals, floating in the air. Sarah looked at him, unperturbed.
"Ruin the fun, why don't you?" she asked him, amused.
"I'll teach you to do it too," he told her.
Alis and Alun started to gather up the little goblin bodies, and stacked them in the corner, for Jareth to deal with. Toby sat down on the ground, looking around him in amazement. A little blood had gotten on him, but he had not had to defend himself. Sarah was glad for that. Her catsuit was casually sliced in a few places, and her thigh in another.
"I thought that they would have more powerful spellcasters," Jareth mused, looking at Sarah speculatively.
"I took care of Founder Corsair and Founder Gabriel before we came, as well as Found Morwen. I chopped off her head," Sarah commented.
"How did you kill the Founders, Sarah?" Alis asked.
"You do not want to know. They are dead, that is what matters," Sarah told them. She saw no need to reveal the lengths she had gone to. It was do or die, as Toby had quoted.
"Sarah, you are covered with blood," Toby commented.
"Stating the obvious, Toby," Sarah said wearily as she wiped her forehead, smearing the crimson there. She winced in pain, and Toby knew something was wrong. Sarah never winced. She never even showed pain. He got up and held her hand.
"Is it bad?" he whispered to her, trying to make sure no one else heard. Sarah would not like the Goblin King to see her as weak.
"I need a doctor," Sarah told him. Toby's eyes went wide.
"What do I say?" Toby asked her.
"Tell him I need sutures for some of my cuts," Sarah told Toby as she sank to the ground, lying down on her stomach. She felt so weak, and she hated that. She was so tired…
"Your Majesty?" Toby asked politely. Jareth turned around and saw Sarah lying on the ground. He sprinted the few feet over to her and squatted next to her still form.
"She is unconscious, nothing more. She needs to see a physician," Toby told him. Alis knelt down also, and checked Sarah over.
"She could not bleed out from these wounds. They should only be causing her minor discomfort. She does need stitches though," Alis thoughtfully ran her fingers down Sarah's suit, and then, "Turn her over, Your Majesty. But carefully"
Alis worked very quickly but carefully, removing all her weapons and then easing off Sarah's catsuit. When it stuck to her back, Alis began to have suspicions.
"Toby, what did Sarah do?" Alis asked, fear in her voice. She remembered all too well how Founds could be punished.
"She did not go see her Founder right away when she came back. She stopped to see me first. That is a deliberate breach of protocol," Toby stated.
"Alun, would you please take Toby to a room? See that he bathes and is fed?" Jareth asked his valet. Alun nodded, and they walked from the room. Jareth looked at Alis. Alis started to peel Sarah's suit off her back, keeping hold of the soft, yet slick red leather.
Sarah's back was criss-crossed with welts and cuts, inflicted by a belt or strap. They continued to take the suit off, and then they saw the source of Sarah's blood loss.
"Oh, fuck!" Alis shouted as she saw the blood that stained Sarah's lower body, and the blood that continued to trickle out from her lower orifices.
"We need to get her to a bed. Go summon my healer. I will transport her to a room near mine," Jareth gathered the limp Sarah in his arms and transported them to a dark bedroom. It was clean, but had not been used for some time. He opened the drapes and let sunshine in, while also lighting candles. They would need all the light they could get. He grabbed some cloth from the closet near the bathroom and put it underneath Sarah. She was covered in blood.
"What the hell did you do?" Jareth whispered as he waited for the healer.
Alis came in a couple of minutes later, and Jareth was pacing. The healer, a Fae named Sian, raced to the bed. She checked Sarah over thoroughly, including looking between her legs. She sighed and stood.
"She needs to be put into a warm bathtub," she instructed. Alis moved into the bathroom and ran the water.
"Why warm? Won't that perpetuate the bleeding?" Jareth asked.
"I am going to put something in the water that will help her wounds heal quickly. But, I must warn you, Your Majesty. She has been very wounded. Not all these cuts you see, but…..she was raped. Both orifices, both within the last twelve hours. She is torn and bleeding. The poor girl," Sian told him. Jareth did not know what to say for once.
"The bath is ready," Alis told them. The healer went first, pouring the contents of a bottle into the water. It swirled green, then yellow, finally settling back to clear. Jareth picked Sarah up and carried her, and then set her into the stone bathtub. She was still unconscious. The water immediately turned pink from the blood on her skin, and then gradually became red.
Sian bathed Sarah while Alis and Jareth stood there, washing the blood and gore from her hair, and then she drained the water. Sarah started to involuntarily shiver as she became cold, but then she stopped as warm water filled up the tub again. Sian poured in another bottle, and the water turned lavender as Sarah soaked.
"What is that one for?" Jareth asked.
"To make her feel and smell good," Sian smiled at them, "Every girl likes that. In a few minutes move her back to the bed, lay her on her stomach and let her air dry on top of some cloth. The bleeding has stopped, but she needs time to heal. When she is dry call me again, and I will come back with pain medication and bandages"
Jareth watched the healer leave and then turned to Alis, "Raped?"
"Sarah was always willing to do whatever it took to get a job done. Chances are, this was how she got close enough to the Founders to kill them. She let them rape her, and then when they had their guard down she killed them. She did us a great favor, but at great risk to herself. Toby is the only family she has left, and she wanted to make sure he was okay," Alis explained.
"Toby is not family though," Jareth commented.
"Close enough," Alis smiled at him.
&&&
"She has been asleep for hours now"
Alis?
"Is she going to be okay?"
Toby?
"I think she might be waking up," Sarah heard Jareth say as her eyes fluttered. She blinked, and the room came into focus.
Soft bed, blankets, bandages on body, covered in thick nightgown, hair combed and braided, clean, drapes closed. Toby, Jareth, Alis, Alun, unknown person in room.
"Who is she?" Sarah asked, not liking how weak her voice was.
"Sian, my healer. She has been tending to you," Jareth explained.
"Will all of you please leave the room? I need to speak with Sarah," Sian asked. All of them filed out, closing the door behind them.
"Sarah, you have seriously injured your vagina and your rectum. Both were torn and needed to be repaired. You cannot use either orifice without pain for a few months. This means a liquid diet until then, and no sexual intercourse. You need to stay in this bed for a couple of weeks to let things heal. After that time you may get up for short periods of time. I am going to appoint an apprentice healer to stay in this room with you, not only to help, but also to keep you company," Sian told her patient.
"When will I be able to leave this place? This is not my permanent home," Sarah inquired.
"If all goes well, you will be able to leave in about two months. At that point you will be able to ride in a carriage, but not on a horse. That is about the best I can do. I will leave you to your visitors and rest now. Is that acceptable?" Sian asked.
"Fine, thank you," Sarah murmured. Sian walked out the door, and Jareth came back in.
"Thought you would like to know that none of us were hurt very much. About twenty of my goblins died, and they have already been taken to be buried," Jareth told her, but he still paced.
"It is very obvious that you have something to say, Your Majesty. Why don't you just get it off your chest now, instead of wasting time and wearing a path in the floor?" Sarah asked him wearily.
"What were you thinking, doing that? Tempting fate like that? You could have been killed, or worse!" Jareth yelled at her.
"I personally do not think there are much worse things than death," Sarah mused, but Jareth gave her a sharp look that made her shut up.
"Sarah, do not think we do not appreciate what you did in order to get out of there. But, you very nearly killed yourself. When we peeled that suit off of you, there was so much blood. Your whole body was caked with it. I know you say you are resilient and tough, but no one is immune to everything," Jareth told her.
"I knew what I was getting into. I am not going to mope about and whine about how two men raped me. I let them rape me. So, in a way, they did not actually rape me. I consented. I let them do this to me in order to get close enough to kill them soundlessly. Ligature wire may not be my preferred method of assassination, but it did the job. No one heard a peep. Got the job done, didn't I? I am sorry that I will be an inconvenience for some time. The healer says I will not be able to be moved for a couple of months. I am sure that I can repay your hospitality in some way once I am well," Sarah told him. Jareth waved his hand dismissively.
"It does not matter. I have a huge castle here, two more people will not matter," Jareth told her.
"May I see Toby, please?" Sarah asked politely.
"I will send him in," Jareth told her.
Toby was still wearing his battle gear, along with his weapons. Sarah guessed he refused to part with them. Even as a Foundling you were trained not to trust places you did not know. Even though Toby had been here when he was just a babe, he was only in two rooms of this place. If Sarah knew where they had put her weaponry she would have it next to her also.
"How long will you be out of commission?" Toby asked her.
"Two months. So, how does it feel, not being a Foundling anymore?" Sarah asked.
"How does it feel to not be a Found anymore?" Toby asked her.
"I don't know yet," Sarah told him, "But I have something I want you to do. Please, ask Jareth if you may have a tutor while you are here. A real tutor. You have missed out on a real education. Plus, this realm will be our home now, and you need to know all about it. Knowledge is power, right?" Sarah asked him.
"And power is everything?" Toby retorted.
"No, you know power is not everything. And you will come tell me everything you learn, every day," Sarah told him.
"Okay Mom," Toby sighed.
"Sis. I am too young to be your mom," Sarah teased. An awkward smile graced both their faces, and then Toby got up and left, closing the door behind him.
Sarah laid awake for a long time, thinking on how much had happened in the last couple of days. She processed it and stored it away in her memory. Her last thoughts before falling asleep again were of an unknown future. Before she had left to rescue Jareth she knew where her life was going and what she would be doing until the day she died. Now she did not even know what tomorrow would bring.
Translations:
Chwalu hwn gallu carreg – Welsh. It means word for word "Destroy this power stone"
Sian – Welsh form of the name Jeanne
Note: Do you like yaoi Gundam Wing fanfics? A fan of 1x2, 3x4, and 5x6? I am going to recommend a fic called "Broken Warriors" by pyrzm on mediaminer(dot)org.