Chapter 2: Unwanted Ties

The wind snatched at her purple hair.

She was trying to gather leaves for a biology project due the next day and the wind was not going to let up for her, even after she begged with it in Tolkien's elvish, the wind still seemed rigidly determined to hinder her attempts. Alex groaned as a sycamore leaf was whipped out of her hand and she ruefully headed back toward the tree she had gotten it from. The sun was setting and it was getting difficult to see. The wind carried hints of a thunderstorm that was being pushed forward with a near vengeance by the spiteful wind. She knew that she was going to be drenched shortly.

She was also hopelessly lost. Being unfamiliar with this forest she should have taken mental notes as to her surroundings, but she hadn't. She was lost in an unfamiliar patch of trees that she swore she'd seen twice already. She jumped at the sound of an owl coming from the edge of the clearing she was currently standing in. It was the biggest white owl she had ever seen! And it seemed intelligent for a bird. In fact, it seemed to be watching her cautiously.

She smiled and waved at it, saying a few words in Tolkien's elvish language as a greeting. It cocked its head as if interpreting, then flew off to a branch on the other side of the clearing and hooted twice. She shrugged and headed toward it, amazed to see that it watched her coming with no trace of fear. It flew off to another tree not to far away and waited for her. This continued for a few minutes until she was out of the forest altogether. She was still lost.

The owl hooted twice again, and then soared lazily through the sky, just slow enough for Alex to follow at a comfortable jog. It led her through the houses of the suburb and straight to where she was trying to go: Sarah's house. She thanked the owl, this time in English, and opened the door. The owl watched her enter with intelligence, and perhaps longing in its eyes…

Alex giggled, that was stupid! Why would an owl watch her go into a house with longing? She was being silly, that came from reading too many fairy tales. Then she noticed Sarah. The woman was clutching the arms of her chair, staring at the closed door, her face pale. Her green eyes were wide and plain fear was etched on her face.

"Sarah? Sarah, what's wrong?" asked Alex, rushing forward.

"That owl… why was he with you?"

"He led me here. I was lost in the woods and he led me back. That's the most beautiful owl I've ever seen and I could swear he understood everything I said to him!"

"Oh yes, very beautiful, very smart, and very dangerous. What exactly did you tell him?"

"The problems I've been having with my art. Somehow… somehow it made it a little bit better that he listened… But that's crazy. He's just an owl. I'll have to give him a name and--"

"Jareth," she breathed, "his name is Jareth. Never speak to him again, Alex, do you understand? He wanted you to feel better, I don't know why. His mind works in strange ways. Maybe he was… I don't know. Never speak to him again. Never. It will only mean pain if you do."

Alex simply stared at the woman who could give her confidence with a single smile and was now cowering in fear. This woman feared nothing, why should she fear an owl? What was she talking about? Jareth… the name rolled through Alex's mind as she walked away wordlessly. Jareth… Jareth… Jareth… It seemed to call to her, to give her comfort and to drive her to insanity. It seemed that that simple word was more powerful than anything she knew… Jareth… Just an owl, right? Jareth…

Suddenly she was very tired. She went to bed in her clothes, not bothering to put on pajamas. Sleep conquered her like a hunter destroying its prey. As she slept, she dreamed of something she had never heard of before: a castle in the center of a huge labyrinth, and a king whose name was Jareth…

"Why did you do that?" Deram demanded of his older half-brother.

Jareth sneered at him, "Must I explain my every action to you, brother? Are you my keeper? What do you care that I went to see who she was? What do you care about anything I do? All you want is the throne I rightfully won! Leave me be."

Deram sat expressionless in his brother's throne as Jareth's fury washed over him. "Are you quite finished?" he asked.

"No," Jareth replied flatly, "no, I'm not finished. But you may leave now, if you wish it."

Deram was about to come off with a snide remark but was cut off as Jareth forced him out of his realm. The goblin king sat down on his throne and pondered what he had learned about this girl. She was an artist and a brilliant girl. Much like Sarah. She was also having problems with her art. She had said that she was torn between herself: her math and artistic sides were at war.

He chuckled, she was a teenage girl with absolutely no confidence in her skills, intelligence, or beauty, for beautiful she was. She was also completely unaware of the intrigue surrounding her. She loved fairy tales, but didn't believe in them. She was as whimsical as one could get, but as logical as the most boring mathematician. She was so much like Sarah that it was almost painful, but she was also like him, which intrigued him.

He pulled out one of a multitude of crystal spheres and watched Alex. She was asleep, and ill at ease. She murmured faintly and tossed her head from side to side. He caught the one word she said over and over: "Jareth". He frowned. He hadn't told her his name. Sarah must have seen him and told her at least something of him, but probably not all. He threw the crystal into the air and tucked it away where the rest of them were, in a magic place only he could get to.

Jareth thought back to what Deram had said, "She has a gift, you see, a gift like you". What gift? He could tell nothing special about the mortal child, what could his half-brother have meant? He shook his head and glared at the arriving goblin that didn't notice his foul temper in the least.

"Your majesty! Someone has arrived at the front door who wishes to talk to you!" it squeaked excitedly.

"Well, tell them to leave." Jareth said with impatience.

"He won't, sir."

Jareth sighed, letting his head fall backwards onto the arm of his throne while one foot was propped up on the other, his voluminous cape draped nonchalantly about him. He really didn't want to see anyone. He stood up suddenly, stretching to his full height, which was quite impressive even without his high-heeled boots. Sighing again he resumed the façade that people had come to respect and fear. It wasn't Jareth, it was the goblin king.

The goblin led him out to the front gate to where a very disgruntled man sat waiting with goblins surrounding him. Jareth chuckled inwardly to see his pets harassing his oldest friend, but kept his aloof air completely intact. The man with mousey hair looked up at Jareth's approach with obvious relief, his scarlet robes were all out of place and his hair had become nothing more than a mop of tufts pointing in odd directions.

"Jareth, my friend, how wonderful to see you!" he exclaimed as the goblins scattered.

Jareth frowned, wondering if he truly meant it, or if he was simply glad that the goblins had left, then inwardly shrugged and outwardly nodded. A single gesture motioned the man to follow him and he breezed through the castle, heading for his personal room. Though the room of staircases threw most people off, Luc would tolerate it. Probably by simply ignoring it.

Upon arrival Jareth conjured a pair of comfortable chairs and they sat down. "Now, Luc, what is it you wish to say?"

"I have heard that you went to see that girl who has moved in next door to… what was her name?"

"Sarah." Jareth replied tersely.

"Oh, yes. Sarah. That's the one."

"You seem uneasy, Luc."

Luc sighed dramatically and began to straighten his hair.

"Luc?"

He sighed again and studied the room while straightening his hair.

Jareth rubbed at his temples and growled. "What is it, Luc?"

"She has a gift, Jareth. A gift that you have, as well."

"So I've been told. I visited her, yes, and saw no signs of any gift."

"You looked for mortal gifts, Jareth."

Jareth stared at his friend. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she has gifts like you!"

"I still don't understand what that means!"

Luc shifted uncomfortably and started straightening out his robes, which suddenly changed from scarlet to black.

"Luc!"

"She could probably summon those pretty crystal balls you believe only you can reach." Luc said slowly.

Jareth silently panicked for a few seconds as he stared at his friend.

Luc grimaced and his robes changed to a deep navy blue.

"What is it now, Luc? You haven't told me everything, have you?"

Luc's grimace worsened and he squirmed uncomfortably, "She's tied to you."

This time he visibly panicked, "Tied to me? How? Fates above; did someone do that? In what manner is she tied to me? What aren't you telling me?"

Luc winced and sank deeper into his chair as Jareth's voice grew louder and louder, with no hint of lowering. This was definitely not the boy he had befriended long ago, the boy who loved order and was disgusted by chaos. Not the boy who could withstand anything but his father's rejection. Not the boy who had loved Elena. That boy had died the minute she took off the engagement ring he had made for her. Now there was only a seething lunatic left in his friend's body. But he relied on the prophecy. Luc had known long ago that Jareth would lose himself and that a mortal girl would bring him back. He had thought it would be Sarah, but it wasn't. It was this other girl, Alex. She was tied to him by magic stronger than anybody could break. She would give her heart to him.

Jareth finally stopped as he noticed Luc's eyes glaze over thinking about the prophecy he had heard when a child. He stared at his friend until Luc realized that the tirade was over. Luc stood and brushed off his robes that had changed to a wistful shade of lavender somewhere in the middle of Jareth's questioning, which had been the major hint that he'd stopped listening.

"Luc," Jareth began, but was cut off by Luc holding up a slender hand.

"Just be careful around her. She is tied to you, no matter how hard you deny it."

Jareth nodded, "Thank you for the warning, old friend."

"You are quite welcome, Jareth." Said Luc as his robe changed to the silvery hue Jareth was used to.

They continued talking for some time afterward, but Luc could tell that his friend was ill at ease and left before he wanted to. Jareth sat motionless as he hummed some long forgotten tune to himself and wondered about the girl with purple hair.