Whiew, finally finished this chapter! I had a hell of a writers block, and a lot of homework, so forgive me. I'll try to put more time in it fromnow on.

IMPORTANT QUESTION/ POLL: I have an ending for this story in mind, and it won't take much longer to get to it (don't expect a happily-ever-after. If you do, you don't know my style well .), but I was just wondering. Most likely, you won't like the ending (like you didn't like the 'death' for Jareth in chap 13) so here's my question: Finnish with the original ending, and start a new and differetn story, OR make it seem like it ended, but continue anyway till a different ending.
P
LEASE CHOOSE! I really don't know what to do!

Moonjava: as usuall, thanks! Need to say more? .

Queen of the Damned Lilly: I can't tell you, but this chapter will give some answers, the rest is for the coming chapters (I'm not the type of writer who gives away the entire plot in one time, so just wait and see). I liked the sentence 'can he really be that cruel?' So I used it in the story. BE PROUD! .

WickedGame: hihi. Badbadbad Jareth! Can I punish him +nervous and girlish giggle+

BatteredChild: Thnks for the compliment. I worked really hard on that chappy, so it seems to be worth the effort. I already have a beta (grammar helper), but she is fron New-Zealand, so the spelling might differ from American and Great-Britain English, and mistakes can be made eh? .-

LadyKamura1: Hoggle RULES! If my longer story plan is the winner of the poll, he'll get a very important role in the story. VERY important.

yes, I know you can also review on reviewers with that new button, but I think this is nicer for everybody and me. wants to be different
And now: the story!


Chapter 19 'Reborn from the Fear of the Enemy'

The room was silent. No-one made a sound, but Kranlar. When one would listen closely, they would have heard him softly cry over the loss of his parents. Then the sound stopped, and the uncomfortable silence crept back over the creatures. Nobody moved. The companions stared at the Goblin expectantly, waiting for the rest of his story. Even Jareth had grown silent. His face had turned from anger to surprise. This was something he had never heard before. Never before, from Kranlar's mouth.

Next to Jareth, Sarah looked from Kranlar to the King. Could he really be that cruel? Was the Goblin talking about the same Goblin King she loved? Sarah wondered how it could have happened, a thousand questions more racing through her mind. Her thoughts were interrupted by Kranlar's voice.

"I hate you Jareth, for killing my parents. But I hate you more for killing me," Kranlar suddenly spoke with a bitter voice. "You always hated me, even when you said you did not."

The Goblin's cape fluttered in the strong wind that howled through the chamber of the Castle, alike to Kranlar's heart.

"You took me to the Labyrinth, wishing me to become an heir to the Throne, a replica of your own selfishness and cruelty as ruler of the Underground one day. You taught me the history, manners and everything you found necessary, but forgot to care for me. I was only 10 years old, but you expected me to turn children older than I, into Goblins already. You expected me to do things no young child should have to do. But you did not care. No one did," Kranlar sighed, his heart weary of the memories. He turned around, his face lit by the little light that escaped from between the grey clouds. He walked to Jareth, who struggled to free himself from the spell that had been put upon him.

"I will destroy you, as you destroyed me," Kranlar hissed to the King of Goblins, his teeth clenched and his eyes full of hate. Jareth could do no more than to stare back, hoping for forgiveness or strength to leave from this place.

All of a sudden, Markla, who had watched this scenario in awe, took a step towards the male goblin.

"Who are you, to speak of things that are none of your business? How can you speak of Samuel, the human Prince, like you know him?" she said briskly. Sarah nodded and mumbled an agreement. She had been thinking the same thing.

Kranlar simply smiled.

"Ah, Markla. You have always been the smartest. Always alert of what was going on. No wonder Jareth chose you to be his trustworthy and most loyal personal servant," he said. "You would have been a threat to him otherwise," he continued, hoping to break the nerves of the king. Kranlar was pleased to see Jareth close his eyes in disgrace, and Markla turn red with anger. But before Markla could say anything, Kranlar continued his explanation.

"Indeed, Kranlar should not speak like he knows Samuel," he said. "They are two entirely different people."

The others looked surprised at him, wondering why he was referring to himself in third person. Kranlar smiled devilishly, and walked to the window where he had stood several moments ago. Without wasting one more word on his prisoners, he raised his hands up to the dark grey cloud, and he began to chant in a tongue, unknown to many, and spoken by even less.

To Jareth's trepidation, he recognised the words. It was an old language that had died long before his birth. It had been used in the Old Days to announce the death of a King, and the coming on a new one. Jareth had been afraid during his entire conversation with Kranlar, but now, fear got an all new meaning. It was like all Darkness in the world stood around him, hunting him with forgotten memories and guilt, whispering about his incompetence as King, and his failure as a Fae. He felt his strength leaving his body, like it was being pulled out by the hands of a Demon. Jareth began to moan from pain, his arms shaking under the weight of his body that he held upright. The pulling got stronger, and it felt like a thousand sharp claws tried to rip the power from his flesh, burning and scratching on his skin. Jareth screamed, his face red of anger and pain, tears falling from his eyes. No matter how fiercely he wished it to stop, no matter what power he had left he tried to vanquish the Darkness with, it was no use. The dark whispers in his head laughed at his weakness, and the soft voice of Kranlar kept on whispering 'you destroyed me'. Faces of Samuel's dead mother came past, together with the mutilated body of the father.

Darkness. Blood. Both of his own hands. Both his own fault.
'You destroyed me…' the voices continued. 'I hate you more for killing me… killing…' Jareth screamed of pain and loss, of hate and destruction and above all: failure. He yelled, screamed and hissed in all tongues he knew curses to Kranlar, to the world, and to himself. The voices had been right…

'You destroyed me…'

-

Sarah could not find words nor thoughts to match the feelings she had. No emotion whatsoever seemed to equal what she had just heard. Why? Why had Jareth been so cruel? There was no reason for the crime of killing parents in front of their child, and neither was there any forgiveness for such deed. Sarah could not feel anything. No emotions seemed in place, none of it was as great as it should be to describe the hate, the astonishment, the pity and the mourning. Sarah had learned to love and hate, but never like this. Never had she had the unpleasant position of having to see a thing like this, and she found emptiness in place where hope and comfort should be. She had lost her love, and found her enemy. It was like black and white had been switched…

And yet…Something was missing. Something was not right. It was like a switch had been turned from emotions to plain logic thinking inside Sarah's mind. How could Jareth be a cruel and heartless killer at first and her charming lover after that? And the Goblins...They had told a story of Istosar Samuel's Dark gift, and his wish to kill his own parents. How come that they knew other things? It meant one of them had to be lying, but why… Why? …

-

As a strange dark glow started to appear around Jareth, Sarah, Markla, Hoggle, sir Didymus and Ludo backed off. It was alike to the glow Kranlar had extracted from Markla, though this was larger, more magnificent in a dark way. The glow stretched towards Kranlar, who now turned around to face the defeated Goblin King. The clouds had grown almost black, and Kranlar looked but like a shadow in the light of his force that extracted Jareth's strength from his body. He was surrounded by the dark, black glow, with Jareth's power, and his soft chanting had turned into yelling in a useless attempt to be louder then the storm outside. Sarah wanted to run to Jareth, she wanted to make it all stop, but a strange and sickening sense of interest made her stand still. It was like she was hypnotised by the dark glow, by the power and the chanting.

Kranlar's chant had been the same four lines all the time, but now the speed and words changed in a crescendo that outwitted even the roaring of the storm. Kranlar lifted his head to Heaven and let out a long, thundering scream.

A sudden light flash...

Thunder…

Screams…

Silence.

Thought the grey clouds still covered the sun, the great and smothering darkness that had been before had gone. In comparison, the world seemed lighter and almost hopeful. Everybody let out an exhausted sigh, thinking this was all over. But unfortunately, it had only just begun.

When Sarah looked around, the first thing she noticed was Kranlar. He still stood in the light from the window, but instead of an aging Goblin, Sarah saw a handsome young man. He was about a head taller then Sarah and had a long, slender body and face. His black hair was tight back into a loose knot with a grey ribbon, and he wore leather armour with a grey blouse and trousers. His skin was pale and matched the grey clothing. Everything about him was black and grey, even his heart. Yet his eyes were greener then the leaves in a summer forest and shone like the stars. It was like the eyes contained all life of the youth.

Sarah found herself strangely attracted by the young man. He was in no way ugly, and even though he was obviously surrounded by the Dark gift, it made him somehow even more attractive. Sarah looked around and saw the others look at him as well, yet without the same ideas as Sarah had. They had surprised and questioning eyes, wondering what was going on. Wondering where Kranlar had gone to, or perhaps even worse, what he had turned into. They watched with their minds ready to attack how the youth lifted his hands and watched them with a grin on his face. He ran his long fingers over his armour and through his hair, looking very pleased. Then he noticed the prisoners in the middle of the room. He smiled, and Sarah noticed a pair of fangs sticking from under his thin lips. Then, all of a sudden, he broke the silence that laid like a heavy blanket over them all, and spoke with a deep voice:

"From the ashes of Abandoning arisen. From the turning of the Earth awoken. Reborn from the Fear of the Enemy. I am Samuel Rà Istosar, wielder of the Magical gift, heir to the Throne of the Goblin City, and new King of the Labyrinth."


You really did not think I was going to reveil everything now were you+grin+ Hope ye still like it! More secrets reveiled in the next chap, and the chap after that, and after that, and after that...

Don't forget to answer my bold-printed question above. Please! The future of this story is in your hands!