Chapter 10: Father Mine

The door had closed.

He had been so close! Jareth and that child had simply vanished. He had watched as the former Goblin King led the girl through the shining hole in the wall. No telling where that door had led. Not without the key. Ugh! It was almost too much, the largest bounty available and they simply vanished.

He shook his head and studied the wall. His large boots made deep prints in the dirt as he stomped around. Stealth was not his strong point, but it didn't have to be. He was a Bounty Hunter: the Underground trembled at his approach and breathed a sigh of relief at his passing. Nobody knew what he looked like, he always wore his armor: a full bodysuit of strong fibers meshed together to make the strongest shield possible. It beat the humans' Kevlar hands down. Well, it wasn't as light, but it had saved his life more times than he could count.

He stood to return to Luc's castle, which was the last place his prey had been. The Bounty Hunter knew that he could persuade that sniveling mage to tell him what he needed to know. And, it was fully within his rights to torture said mage into revealing everything. He had helped a convicted noble escape a Bounty Hunter after his twenty-four hour grace period. Poor mage. Maniacal laughter filled the crisp night air as the Bounty Hunter jumped to Luc's castle. Poor, poor little mage.

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"Where are we?" Alex whispered.

Jareth was at a loss as to how to reply to the girl. A single sun burned in the sky, but seemed so far away. It was small and pale and gave little light to the surrounding area. The sky above was a deep blue with a multitude of diamond-like stars spread out as far as the eye could see and beyond. The sand on which they stood spoke of a blistering desert, but their breath came from their mouths as clouds of ragged mist.

The sand was another reason for confusion. No wind blew, the air was perfectly still. It seemed as quiet as the grave, but for their ragged breathing. And yet the sand moved. Dunes of the desert rose and fell as if blown by the fiercest sandstorm and the pair of travelers remained steady on their feet, not buffeted at all. In fact, the sand acted as waves of water tossed about by something underneath.

Jareth became aware that Alex was watching him expectantly and replied, "I believe this is a nexus realm."

"Great! What's that?"

He chuckled, "They are believed to be nothing but rumor: realms of the Underground that are connected to all others, a part of all others, and separate from all others. Nexus realms can only be reached with a key when standing by the appropriate door, but there are keys for doors on all realms. One could travel to any realm from a nexus realm without using magic at all."

"And that explains the--"

"Nothing in a nexus realm can be conceivably explained." Jareth interrupted. "These realms are enigmas. Enigmas that are believed not to exist. Only a few people have ever reported seeing one, or it, or…" He trailed off simply staring at the landscape that defied all laws of physics.

"So, Jareth has come at last to our haven." A voice behind them said softly.

Jareth whirled around, his hands glowing with some uncast spell, "Who are… no. This is impossible… Deram…"

"Killed me?" supplied the man with a faint light of amusement playing behind his eyes. "Oh, I have no doubt that that is what the entire Underground believes. He saw me disappear into this realm and knew that I'd never come out again. Therefore, he claimed the Bounty I had on my head. So like your dear brother, really."

"But how…?"

"It was Adrian who got the key to me, and I got the key to you, you are next to get the key to whomever our leader sees fit."

"Your leader?"

The man smiled and Alex could see that he had once been a happy man, but now had little cause for joviality. "You will meet him soon enough. I have answered all of your questions that I may. If you will follow me, please."

Jareth glowered at the man's back as he turned and walked away down… up one of the sand dunes. Then he shrugged and followed along. Alex and Jareth walked silently along behind their guide until they topped a mound of sand and saw a massive area where the waves of sand broke up against a cliff of some clear, crystalline substance that served as the foundation of a large and sprawling building. As they neared the cliff, Alex noticed stairs carved into the side that wound their graceful, shimmering way up to the top of the thing.

Their guide led them toward these stairs and up. The climb was going to take a while, so Alex decided to try and figure out what the cliff was made of. Halfway to the top she stopped and gasped. Jareth turned abruptly to see what was wrong and saw her simply staring at the cliff wall.

"So the cliff is made of diamond, let us be on our way." Jareth said testily.

"Diamond, Jareth? No, I think it's… um…"

"Water." replied the guide. "The sea is sand and the cliff is water, yes. I assure you that it is completely stable. I would advise you to stop trying to figure this place out and simply accept it. It saves loads of headaches."

Alex shook her head and followed Jareth and the other man up the stairway. Upon reaching the top they saw the building more clearly. The thing was as big as a castle, only out instead of up, for the most part, anyway. There were three floors in some places, one in others, and nine in others. It spread across the ground in a haphazard, meandering kind of way with rooms seemingly added on when they were needed and then forgotten about. It was made of stone in some areas, wood in others, crystals and gems of staggering quantities and qualities in yet others.

Their guide chuckled, "This building had been here for who knows how long, but it suits our needs. We have rooms for the two of you already prepared and hot baths being drawn up for you as well. New clothes can be found in your wardrobes; you will be expected to come down to dinner tonight to meet with the leader of our, hmm, community. You are advised to remember that you must obey all laws set down by our leader and to remember that without him you would be targets for the Bounty Hunters. We will provide you with anything you need for the first three months of your stay without payment, after that you are required to contribute to the community. Welcome to our Haven."

Jareth frowned at him, "You've become quite the formal greeter, Salid."

Salid grinned, "Just doing my job, Jareth. If I do it well I get everything I want, provided it doesn't hurt, impair, or offend anyone else in the Haven."

Jareth nodded, "Well, we'll get to our rooms and wash off, then. Do we have guides?"

"I will show you there." Salid replied and led them into and through the Haven. Their rooms weren't that far apart, Jareth was shown to his room first and Alex was led down the hall a ways and shown to hers. As she walked in she was greeted by the scent of those warm vanilla candles that she loved back home. She was in not a room, but a suite. She was standing a small room with a dark, hardwood floor and walls. Plush, dark green carpets covered the floor and a small divan was colored to match. Rich green curtains of a similar shade were pulled away from the large window to reveal a fantasy landscape: the deep blue sky studded with diamond-like stars, a large crescent moon illuminating the landscape more than the pale sun, the crystalline landscape twinkling like the sea with tress of amber and emerald rising from its shining depths.

To her left was her bedroom, with a beautiful four-poster canopy bed made of a deep brown-red wood and a forest green canopy. Her wardrobe was made of matching wood and contained exquisite dresses of green, brown, purple, and blue, all in deep colors to compliment her pale skin. The room to the left of the sitting room contained a large bathtub built into the floor. It wad already filled with warm water and candles burned on the shelves on the walls, giving off the enticing smells of vanilla, roses, and… that elusive forest scent that was a part of Jareth.

She washed and dressed in a gown that shimmered strangely. It was made of some silvery cloth that was incredibly soft and looked very much like a fantasy costume in the way it was cut. She felt like she was wearing robes made to look like a dress. She looked down at her skirt and noticed that the entire dress was shades of royal purple that shifted suddenly to silver when she became amazed. She giggled and spun around as the dress changed to a pale blue. She figured it changed color based on emotion, but wished it would return to the beautiful purple that it had been earlier.

As she got ready to walk out the door she heard a knock, "Come in."

"You are ready to meet whoever their leader may be?" Jareth asked as he stepped in through the door.

"I think so." She said.

He chuckled, "I see they have provided you with suitable attire. That dress quite fits your personality. Luc's robes are made of the same material. You may wish to guard your thoughts, little one, as people like me can read your emotions based on the color of your dress."

Alex frowned as she looked down at her dress again, "Can you will it to be a certain color?"

"Of course, Luc is quite good at that."

"Good, because I want it to be purple."

He chuckled, "Whatever you wish, little one. But we are expected. Salid shall lead us to the dining hall; he is waiting outside your door. Shall we join him?"

"You're being rather formal."

"This leader of theirs seems to enjoy formalities."

"Might I remind you that this is a safe haven for renegades, not a palace for visiting dignitaries?"

His smile was tight and forced, "All who are here were once rulers of territories of the Underground, and they are only here because their leader saw fit to invite them: meaning that they were all deserving of retaining their titles, but people like my brother had them deposed."

She snickered, "Yes, but they are all renegades and all equal with us because we merited an invitation. We have no need for such rigid formalities. Some, yes, but not all."

"Of course, little one."

"Why do you call me that?"

"Because you are a little one."

"But, why do you have to point it out to me?"

"I must remind myself that you are a human of only a few years and not a goddess of hundreds." He replied quietly. "Surely your wisdom speaks of more years than sixteen, yet you are only sixteen years of age. I must remind myself of this, not you."

"Jareth," she said, "you are a shameless flatterer."

"I know."

Alex giggled as Jareth smiled, but regained her composure and allowed herself to be led out the door and along the halls toward the meeting that she secretly dreaded. Along the way she barely noticed her surroundings, her mind kept wandering to the major question in her mind: who was the leader of this Haven? Her dress was an inky black as her trepidation grew with each step.

After some time being led through the maze of the building, they were met by another man. This man dismissed Salid with a wave of his hand, never taking his eyes off of Jareth. They were the same height, or would be if Jareth took off his boots. His tawny hair hung down his back pulled together at the nape of his neck with a slender leather cord. He wore deep blue robes that seemed to hide an inner power. Though he stood meekly, his eyes burned with an icy fire that perhaps rivaled Jareth's own.

"Welcome to the Haven." he said quietly.

Upon noticing that Jareth wouldn't respond, Alex curtsied and replied, "We are glad that you saw fit to invite us."

He chuckled, "Indeed? You at least have manners, little one, but you have just lied to me. How is it that a human, female adolescent has difficulty in lying well? Your eyes betrayed you."

Alex studied him a little closer, he seemed… so familiar somehow. "I never really have had any need to lie, sir, and have therefore never gotten good at it."

He nodded, a twinkle in his eye to lessen the fires of power that burned there. "I see," he said, "Come, we shall sup. Then the three of us shall talk and I shall see if I was wise in bringing you here."

"Might we get your name, man?" Jareth hissed.

He stopped as he was turning around to open the door at stared hard at Jareth. Suddenly, Jareth seemed very young to Alex. Like a little boy who has just insulted a friend of his father, or a man who has insulted an elder. They stared at each other for some time, until Jareth lowered his eyes. "You shall have my name," the man whispered coldly, "when you remember it."

Alex followed them into the room. It was small and comfortably furnished with a small round table in the center of the room. Three chairs were spaced around it, none different than the other. The man was making them feel comfortable? At peace with their surroundings? Equal with him? Friendly? She didn't know and allowed herself to be seated at one of the three chairs while Jareth and the other man took their seats.

Dinner passed with strained yet polite conversation. There were three courses, fruit, meat, and desert. All were fabulous. After they had finished eating, however, the man began again to seem cold and harsh.

"Tell me, Jareth, you were the ruler of the Labyrinth, correct?"

"Yes, I and my brother had my father deposed and I, being the oldest, assumed the throne."

"Are you not an illegitimate child?"

Jareth's face became an unreadable mask, "I am."

"How is it that you knew your age, then?"

"A few weeks before, after my father had beaten me for not cleaning up after the goblins in time, I found I had magical powers. That could only mean that I had reached the maturity of two hundred years."

"Did you hunt your own father?"

"No, my half-brother did. He claimed that he killed Mathis and took the bounty, and six months in prison for it."

"Did you believe that your father had been killed?"

"No, I did not believe that Deram could have killed Mathis. Though Mathis was a drunkard, he could not buy alcohol while on the run. He had surely regained much of his former power before Deram found him. Deram is weak, a coward, and a fool."

The man chuckled, "Not so much a fool if he had you deposed, now is he?"

Jareth frowned, "No, he is a fool. I believe he had help. That he has had much help and for a long time. He has become more and more wicked, cruel, vile, and devious. I believe that he is merely the agent for some greater being to work through."

The man nodded, "Back to my questions. You refer to your father as Mathis, not father; why?"

Jareth's eyes burned with that inner fire again, "Because he may have been my father through blood, but he has never done anything for me. All that that man ever did was beat me and mock me. I strove for perfection so that perhaps I could make him proud, but in the end I went mad. I strove to be a good man to make him happy, and in the end I have become a monster. He is not my father, but my parent. I have no love for the man who made me what I have become."

The older man nodded his head slowly and Alex saw his eyes glisten with unshed tears. When he spoke again, she noticed the valiant struggle that he had in keeping his voice from breaking, "A just cause, then. You have been injured by the one man who above all others should have loved you and done everything in his power for you. I understand, now. Do you know much about your father? Do you know who he was and why he became a drunkard and a fool?"

Jareth shook his head, a single tear running down his hard face.

The man sat back and stared at the ceiling as if lost in thought, "Where to begin? Mathis was five hundred when he assumed the Goblin Throne. He was one of the best rulers the Council had had ruling the territory. He was just, kind, and powerful; one of the most powerful mages there were at the time! He had a beautiful wife that he loved more than life itself. She had become pregnant: a son. She wanted to name him Jareth, a name of power and truth.

"The Labyrinth was attacked by a powerful enemy. A creature of evil and suffering that twisted the minds of those around him. He was once what we are, a fey noble, but hatred had transformed him and his terrible magicks kept him from death. He had become a lich, an undead mage, a creature of hate and rage. Mathis fought valiantly, used every spell in his power. The lich was nearly defeated, all his minions destroyed, but with one final shriek of rage before disappearing he cast a spell that killed Mathis' wife and unborn son.

"Mathis went mad with grief. For years he wore black in mourning and would eat naught but bread and water. He became gaunt and tired and saw the face of his wife in his dreams. He would see her face when he closed his eyes during the day. He heard her screams whenever all was silent. He took to drinking.

"The drink clouded his memories, took his wife's face from his mind, her screams from his ears. He never forgot her, but he forgot that he had failed her. He took a mistress and loved her, calling her by his wife's name. She became pregnant with a son and he named that son Jareth. He was happy in his stupor, and forgot to drink. Waking with a hangover one morning he noticed his mistress and knew that he had done a terrible wrong to the memory of his wife. He drove the woman out and found a nursemaid to look after his son.

"He couldn't stand to look at the boy. He hated himself for losing the love he held for his wife and he threw himself into the drink even more. He wanted to die. He missed his son's first steps, missed the fact that he was walking toward Mathis for those very first few tottering steps. His missed his son's first word: daddy. He missed his son's entire childhood. He hated himself for not being able to control his anger. He hated himself for beating his own son, but couldn't stop.

"Jareth tried to impress Mathis, but simply couldn't do it. He was always perfect, even engaged to a woman who didn't truly love him, though he loved her, because perhaps Mathis would be proud of her. He did everything he was told and never talked back. He had loved his father for so long, but simply couldn't love a man who hated him. Mathis destroyed his own son. He had neglected his other son, Deram. Deram was his son through a marriage. A marriage that Mathis hated. Like he hated everything else.

"In the end, Mathis sat in the trial, hearing his own son speak against him and realized just how much it hurt that he had done this to his own little boy. He ran as soon as Council was over. He had no friends to turn to for help in those twenty-four hours, so he simply ran. Years went by, decades, he couldn't tell. He became strong again and in body and mind. His magic returned to him twice as strong as before. He was finally proud of something, again. He could hide.

"One day he found that he had a key to a hidden door. He found where the door went, and found a safe place that no one else would find. He went to his makeshift hideaway to collect what few possesions he had and Deram cornered him. He was young and careless, but he knew how to fight mages. He spluttered out a few spells to make Mathis think that he would fight with magic, then rammed a knife in Mathis' side.

"It was the perfect opportunity. Mathis used various illusions and constructions as he fell and pretended to die. Then, invisible, he got up and left while Deram examined the fake body. He ran for all he was worth and found the door to the nexus realm that he had stumbled across, entered in and found the Haven. He went out only once more that ever since, to find the first person to join his group. That person found another, and so on. All the way down to you.

"You have now joined the Haven, Jareth, and must pass the key on to another. I will choose who, but you will deliver it." He sat back, his eyes damp from recounting the story, and watched his two guests.

"That's it, then. That's the whole truth about h-… about you, Mathis?" Jareth whispered.

"It is not, the whole truth would take far too long to recount and would put your dear friend quite to sleep, not to mention yourself." Mathis replied with a forced joviality.

Jareth shook his head, "No."

"No? No what? You are here. You are safe." Mathis paused, "She is safe."

Jareth shook his head and blinked back tears, "I cannot for-"

"Did I ask for forgiveness? Did I even ask you to call me father? You do what you want, call me what you will. I have brought you here so that I may begin to do things right. I have saved you from your brother, and from the Bounty Hunters. I have given you a place to stay, food to eat, drink to drink. All I ask is that you follow the rules that I have set down and have peace."

Many seconds passed in silence as Jareth stared at the floor and Mathis waited, watching. Alex saw the pain and hurt in Mathis and wanted to run up and hug him just to see him smile. She hated this hurt and pain in everyone. But she was to be denied. Jareth's head came up and his eyes and words were cold.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Mathis. We will be honored to join your Haven. Let us know the rules to be followed, and we shall follow them."

Mathis seemed to wilt, his shoulders drooped and his eyes closed in pain. He nodded, no strength in him for words and walked to the door to allow them to leave. Salid was waiting for them, and took them back to their rooms. Alex got ready for bed, but couldn't sleep. She sat in the sitting room, seeing only how hurt Mathis had been when Jareth denied him his love. Morning saw her staring out the window, dressed in that color changing dress. It suited her mood just fine that it remained black.