Chapter 13: Shaken out of Apathy

The crystal glittered.

Alex watched as her dear friend flipped through pages of some research work. She didn't know what Lilly was looking for, but look for it she did. Alex sighed and dropped the crystal into her lap, so like Jareth it was almost scary. Lilly looked tired, worn out, and triumphant. It seemed as if she had found whatever she was looking for. Alex missed her.

It had only been a few days, Lilly had been gone on vacation longer than this before. Alex felt trapped. The building was interesting, the countryside beautiful, Jareth's company was more enchanting than ever, but she didn't have her Lilly. Jareth seemed distant, as well: only enchanting when he knew she was watching, but when he didn't he appeared distracted, lost, even afraid. Whatever Lilly was looking for made Alex wonder.

Lilly had never been one to simply look things up for the heck of it, she always had purpose. She was looking through mythology books and old stories. Alex remembered seeing the collection of Brother's Grimm stories that Sarah cherished among other such things in Lilly's stacks of books. Sighing again, Alex pushed the pretty crystal back where it belonged. She was bored.

She picked up a sketch book that Jareth had found for her and flipped to an empty page. With a piece of charcoal in her hand, she still couldn't think of anything to draw. Nor could she write anything that could pass as poem or prose. Song brought her no comfort, nor did silence. She was bored.

She turned as Jareth walked into the room, a mischievous smile on his face. He handed her a letter as the smile turned to a grin, "Read it, little one." he whispered.

She took to letter, written on modern stationary… her stationary! She ripped the paper apart and read the words penned in her own emerald ink:

Alex,

I hope this gets to you. I've been doing some reading, but I guess you know that. If you get this letter, and I'm sure you will, I want you to read it all. I've done research on the story that Sarah was given when she was very little. She was given it by an old woman in a tattered scarlet dress. This woman, by all records that I've found, doesn't exist. Alex, everything that's been happening has been played out according to some old lady's wishes. I'm certain that she's the same type of being that Matt… Jareth is. Please be careful.

I also know that somebody made a magical bond between the two of you. It's the strongest ever. Whoever gave Sarah the book is most likely the person who bound you to Jareth. I don't know if this person is friend or foe, but they're the reason for a lot of things that could have been avoided.

I'm not done with my research, yet. I still have some ideas to confirm. I do have something to ask you, though. If I'm not back home in a week, find a way to tell my parents. I may be getting in over my head here, and I want someone to know. I'm going to look for this old lady. I'm going to find her. I'm going to ask her who is making all of this happen and why. And I'm going to figure out how to get you home.

Please be careful, Alex. I miss you so much.

Lilly

"So?" prompted Jareth after Alex dropped the letter to her side.

"My dear, foolish friend…"

Jareth stiffened, "What do you mean?"

"I think I'm beginning to understand some things."

"What things?"

"Before you were born, the Lich attacked the Labyrinth. You were born, you lived to be two hundred, then you went mad. Luc stuck with you. You said he seemed to know something you couldn't, to see something in you that simply wasn't there. Sarah was given a book, she wished her step-brother away to the Goblins, she beat you at your own game. You were bitter and kept a watch on her for years. One day, I showed up. You kept your watch on me as well and one day realized that I could use your magic.

"Don't you think that if we'd been tied then, we would have felt something? We've been tied for a long time. I'd be willing to bet since one of three times: you were born, you went mad, or I was born. Things have been planned, Jareth. Lilly's going to find out who's doing the planning."

Jareth frowned, hundreds of thoughts floating through his head. "Why not simply give the book to you?"

"I'm tied to you, Jareth. Don't you think I might have figured out too soon if she had given the book to me?"

"Why Sarah?"

"She beat you, didn't she?"

"Why tie me to a mortal?"

Alex sighed, "I know less about this than you do, Jareth. I have no idea about any of this."

"Not to upset you, or anything, but was there a date on the envelope?"

Alex frowned as Jareth took letter and envelope from her and began to study them. She summoned one of his crystals to watch Lilly and was surprised to see her on the move. Lilly seemed determined and something about what Alex saw in her friend worried her. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and pushed the sphere away again.

"Hmm…" Jareth grimaced as a thought struck him, "Where might she go to look for said old woman, I wonder?"

"You have any clue?"

"One. It is far from a happy thought. I must speak with Mathis about this at once. Get some sleep, little one, it is late."

"Jareth," she called as he opened the door to her sitting room, "something is going to happen soon, I know it. I will find it difficult at best to sleep, can't I help you?"

He walked toward her, a faint smile playing on his lips, "Come, little one, you must have your rest." He took her shoulders and forced her to sit on the divan in the sitting room. She heard music, that strange lullaby that both he and his father would hum. It seemed to come from the very walls. His eyes were all she saw, those icy orbs that had ensnared her from the first moment. She had been so confused, then, but now she knew what she wanted, she wanted that kiss.

Again she was to be denied, he was only weaving a spell so that she could sleep. He knew it seemed like forever to her, but to him she had barely touched the pillows before falling asleep. What had he done to her? His life had been in shambles, and he had wallowed in it. Her life had not been much better, and she refused to allow self-pity to take a hold of her. Even now, as her artistic ability had left her and a feeling of apathy reigned, she worried more about her friend than herself. He wondered if she worried about him that way, then dismissed that thought, far better not to think of it… he would learn, when the time came.

Lilly wound through the forest. She had found the whereabouts of the mysterious lady that had given Sarah that book, it had been surprisingly simple. Sarah had said that it was one of her mom's friends, before the divorce. It really wasn't all that surprising that this old lady lived in a hut in a forest. Thing was, Alex had come to this very grove a lot over the past few weeks. This was where, according to Sarah, her friend had first seen Jareth as a white owl.

Lilly looked apprehensively at the small cottage sitting innocently in front of her and wished that Alex was here. As she knocked on the door she got a feeling of dread; how could she go through with her plan? What if she was wrong? What if she was going mad? She shook her head and raised her hand to knock again when she heard a song drifting from behind the house.

As she listened, she became calm. The words spoke of peace, she knew. She didn't know how she knew, they were strange words, old words. The tune itself seemed to be of peace, and it was old as well. She crept quietly around the outer wall of the house until she saw a woman working on a flower garden. She wore a green dress that was similar to the one that Alex had worn to the ball, but not nearly so nice. Raven hair spilled down her back in gentle curls and milk-white skin seemed affected not at all by the dirt around her.

The song finished, or she stopped singing, Lilly couldn't explain, but it seemed to go on. The woman laughed lightly, "Come Lilly, come see my flowers."

Lilly walked slowly toward the woman seated on the ground, "How do you know my name?"

"I have been watching you, Lilly."

"Watching me?"

"Oh, yes. You are a friend of the Lady Alexandria. I have been watching you."

"Lady Alexandria?" Lilly shook her head and almost laughed.

"Of course. Lady Alexandria, named for one of the greater members of the Council, long ago. Your friend is a special treasure, Lilly, do you know why?"

"No."

The woman laughed, a cool, crystal laugh that made Lilly feel even more at home. "Walk with me, Lilly." she commanded, and Lilly was happy to obey. "Your friend was bound before birth to a fey being named Jareth, fated to fall in love with a man who would be her doom. He will kill her, Lilly, because of who he is. The man he was died long ago and he has become nothing more that an empty shell. Lady Alexandria is the catalyst for change in him, but he has become so rooted in his selfish ways, that I'm afraid he will come to hate her for it.

"He will kill her, Lilly. He will take the life of the only one who ever truly knew who you were. He will relish in her demise and die along with her, free from his torment at last. And in the end, Lilly, your friend will be the reason why you will perish." The woman turned to face Lilly, red eyes glowing and sharp fangs now visible behind her ruby lips. "You see, Lilly, I hate you because of her. She stole Jareth from me, so I shall take you from her."

Lilly stared in disbelief, "You… What will you do to me?"

The pale woman seemed almost sad, "You would make a strong undead, girl, but I'm afraid that Alex must feel you die. She won't come running unless she does. I want Jareth back, and so I will break the bond between them. Then I will kill her, and force him to love me."

"Kill me? No… no! She won't come running… she can't feel me… I don't understand."

"I never said that I would kill you, just that Alex must feel you die. I know a way to make sure of that. Come, Lilly. Come look at my flowers. I'm afraid that my lilies are a bit sparse this year."

Lilly tried to run as screeching laughter filled the air, but she couldn't. She seemed rooted to the ground. She screamed in rage as she became trapped by the undead woman's spell. That night, the moon shone down on her as a beautiful lily flower in Elena's twisted garden.

"Alex? Alex what is the matter?" Jareth asked as he shook the shaking girl's shoulders.

"No, no! Don't touch me! Get away!" Alex shrieked, rage, fear, sorrow, loss, grief… so many cruel emotions demanded her attention. She threw a fireball at him, at everything. She seemed to be going mad! "You'll not take me! You can't! I won't let you!"

"Alex, what is going on? I'm not here to harm you!" He batted away the spells that she hurled at him, they were quite good, if it wasn't his magic, he may not have been able to deflect them. "Stop it this instant, child!"

"Don't touch me! Leave me alone!" Her shrieks were giving him a headache, or was it the blinding light the she had conjured? He hadn't taught her any of this! Mathis came into view waving his hands, and a cage of light appeared around her, shrinking, closing her in. None of the spells that she flung could get past the bright cage holding her. As she calmed down, the cage lessened its glow until, when it finally disappeared, she crumpled to the ground.

Jareth ran to her side and cradled her head in his arms, "Oh, dearest, what has happened?"

A whimper escaped her lips, a single sentence that enflamed Jareth's rage: Lilly's dead. Fire lit behind his ice blue eyes. Who would kill a friend of Alex's? His brother had pushed things too far. Jareth would not sit idly by and let things unfold, he would find Deram. He would kill Deram. He should have done it long ago, he should have… Rage overcame him, thinking was useless.

He left Alex in Mathis' care and jumped to the mortal world. The Aboveground was out of Council control, a fey could do what he liked here. This was the forest that Alex had been lost in the first time he went to see her. In fact, this was the very clearing that she had hailed him in Tolkien's elvish tongue. It was different tonight, he felt an evil presence here.

There was a small cottage, a flower bed, nothing looked wrong, he just… There. That lily. Who would plant a lily there? He knelt beside it and felt with his magic. There was something… strange about this plant, almost as if…

"Jareth? Is that you?"

He stood and turned to see a woman in an emerald gown, so much like the one he had given Alex… In fact, he had given one other person a dress like that before… "Elena? What are you doing here? What has happened here?"

"Oh… someone was snooping where they didn't belong." she whispered.

He shivered, there was something different about her, something… "Elena, stay away from me."

"Why, Jareth, are you frightened of little old me?" she asked as she looked up at him, rave hair falling away from her death-pale face, revealing blood reds eyes burning with a hellish fire.

He suddenly realized why Alex had gone mad. Vampires had that effect on people.