Another, Already?
"You're back!"
In moments, the trio was bombarded by Terra and Jessie.
"Who is it?"
"Is it Rachel? Please tell me it's Rachel!"
"I don't think so."
"Yeah, Rachel's too old to believe Big Sister's stories."
"Is it Big Sister?!"
"No, there's no way she'd leave everyone else like that."
"You're right."
"So who is it?!"
Alice flinched at the loud voices, taking refuge behind his leg as Jareth laughed. "Well, if the pair of you would give us a chance to talk, perhaps you would already know."
"Oh, sorry," Jessie muttered, abashed.
"It's quite alright, young one," he replied, patting her head. She winced slightly but the King was pleased to see that she did not pull away as she did such a short time ago. "Now, shall we move this to the throne?"
His four charges made their way back to their plush cushions that lined the stairs. Terra at a much more sedate and uncertain pace until Didymus returned to her side. Jareth took his place with a flourish.
"You're all quite the lively bunch today, aren't you?" Miren dotted, materializing behind Jareth's throne. "I'd swear I could hear you all the way from the study."
Marie and Terra giggled amongst themselves. Jessie smiled shyly. But Alice, still unused to his friend's sudden appearances, shirked back into her cushion, wrapping her arms around herself. Miren rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish.
"I take it we have a new charge?"
"Indeed we do, my dear friend, and not just one."
"Is that so?"
Jareth nodded. "Alice, would you like to do the honors?" Alice jumped slightly at being addressed and hunched her shoulders, staring at her knees.
"It's the twins," she mumbled with a small smile. "Allie and Lexie are here."
Terra gasped. "You mean Allison and Alexis?!" she exclaimed. Alice nodded.
"They shortened their names when I got there because Alice and Allison sound like each other," she said, answering his unspoken question.
"The twins arrived about five months after I did to replace Samantha," Terra explained, looking in Jareth's direction, a dark tone in her voice. "About two months after Marie disappeared.
Silence fell heavily on the small group, each lost in their own thoughts. The only sounds that could be heard were the slight shifting and an occasional sigh. Such a disheartening sight was so common among his wards, yet that was one of the things Jareth never grew used to. He knew, once the newest girls arrived, their melancholy would only worsen.
"King, sir?" A small voice brought him out of his reverie.
"Yes, Alice?"
"Um…how long will it be until Allie and Lexie come here?"
"That's impossible to say. As Ghilanna often takes joy in reminding me, healing takes as long as it takes. We waited for you for about six hours. Terra, only four. I awaited Marie's arrival for nearly a full day. Fortunately, those two did not appear to be as grievously wounded. With luck, it won't be as long a wait for them." The smallest girl nodded her understanding and averted her attention back to her knees.
"You need not wait if you have not the desire to do so, my dear," Miren assured. She cast him a startled glance before shaking her head and hiding her face in her skirt. "Alas," Miren cried, dramatically draping himself over the arm of the throne and laying his head on Jareth's knee. "Despite my best efforts, still I am feared. What must I do, Jareth?!" His amethyst eyes implored the King, who only rolled his icy ones.
"You can start by getting off of me," Jareth scoffed, shoving his friend into a graceless heap on the stone floor. Marie and Jessie scurried out of reach of his flailing limbs, laughing as they went. "You are the advisor of the Labyrinth Realm's sovereign ruler. Have some dignity."
"Jareth, you wound me," Miren exclaimed, placing a hand over his heart in offense as Terra joined in the laughter. He scrambled to his feet. "I am nothing if not a dignified Fae," he huffed.
"Nothing indeed," Jareth smirked.
"Am I to stand here and be insulted thusly until the new ones arrive?" Miren demanded.
"By all means, have a seat," the King quipped, gesturing to a newly conjured cushion next to Terra.
"I'll pass if it's all the same to you, Sire," his friend replied, dangerously close to pouting. The expression only served to increase his amusement as well as that of his charges.
"Suit yourself. Indulge me, Alice," Jareth turned to his small, bewildered ward, "what is it about this scoundrel that continues to frighten you?"
"A scoundrel, am I?! I shall remember that the next time you decide to laze about, leaving me to fulfill your duties on your behalf."
Jareth chuckled. "Of that I have no doubt. Your methods of retaliation never cease to amuse and irritate."
"What do you mean?" Marie asked, laughing.
"Shall I tell you, young one?" She nodded eagerly. "Once, when he had to assume the duties of the Crown, he responded in turn by forcing me to attend a meeting with the High King and Queen. I was before them for three hours!"
"Big Sis said you could control time. If that's true, couldn't you have sped it up?" Terra asked.
"I have a limited amount of control over time, but only within my own Realm. I have even less control over time in the Aboveground. There, I can only stop time temporarily. Here, I can stop it, speed it up, and even slow it down. However, I have no power over time in any of the other Realms."
"You can't go backwards?" Jessie asked. Jareth shook his head.
"To rewrite the past is something that even the High King and Queen cannot do. What's said is said and what's done is done. No being, regardless of how powerful, can change that." The midday bell tolled. "Shall we traverse to the Great Hall for our meal then?" He asked, rising from his throne. Miren held out a hand to Marie and Jessie while Didymus began to assist Terra. Alice stared at the group in confusion. "Is something troubling you?" She bit her lip, sinking into her cushion.
"What's wrong, Alice?" Marie tried. The smaller girl relaxed slightly.
"It's just…I thought we were going to wait for Allie and Lexie."
"We are, but we can attend to our midday meal while we wait since we don't know how long they're going to be."
"But what if they come while we're not here?"
"You need not worry about that," Miren assured with a flourishing bow. "I will be staying behind to ensure our new friends are properly greeted." Alice nodded and allowed Marie to help her up. "Enjoy your meal, young ones. Rest assured I will still be here when you return."
"I had better not catch you on my throne again or I swear to you, Miren I'll make it so you won't be able to sit for a week." He smirked as his friend yelped, covering his backside, and lead his giggling wards to the Great Hall.
Upon their return, they were presented with quite an interesting sight and Jareth was forced to fight back the amusement that threatened to overtake him. Standing to the right of his throne was a bemused and baffled Miren. One of the girls, Lexie if he had to guess, stood between his friend and the other, with her arms splayed out in defense. Ghilanna casually strolled to the King and his wards with a hand over her mouth, muffling her quiet laughter.
"Care to explain?" Jareth muttered while the four looked up in anticipation of the same information.
"Apparently, their 'Big Sister' never mentioned that you had an advisor, so the one on guard believes Sir Miren is but a trick of the Realm, despite his attempts to convince them otherwise."
Jareth nodded, chuckling inwardly at his helpless friend and bade his wards to move forward and ease the two newcomers. The four of them surged past, surrounding the suspicious girls and attempting to soothe them.
"Why are they already awake? And unhealed?" He asked the elf in a low voice, eyeing the very prevalent bruises littering both sets of too-thin arms.
"They are healing and the bruises will be gone by the evening bell," she assured. "However, through the examination, the two requested that I not put them to sleep. They wanted to know exactly what I was going to do and what affect it would have. Both girls are highly distrustful of anything and anyone their 'Big Sister' did not inform them of. More so than any of the others."
Jareth sighed. "Each one has presented us with her own unique challenge. It would appear these two are no different. Perhaps, as wary as they are, it would be wise for the others to lead the conversation. I believe these twins might be more willing to divulge their information if questioned by familiar faces from their familiar circumstances."
"I quite agree, your Majesty. If that is all, Sire, I shall retire to my room."
He bade her leave and watched her depart with a graceful bow, his brow furrowed. Jareth knew the situation was taking its toll on the elder Healer. With each new ward, he watched her grow ever more worn down and sent a silent prayer to the stars that she not break before this was all over. He shook his head and sighed again, pushing aside those morose thoughts in favor of the gaggle of wards in front of him.
"Now, now, young ones," he called, silencing the smiling group instantly. "Shall we venture to a more comfortable place while we continue to get to know one another?"
Marie, Jessie, and Terra nodded eagerly and Alice grabbed a hand of each twin in her own, leading them to the cushions at the base of his throne. Terra followed at a much more sedate pace with Ambrosius matching her step-for-step. Jareth conjured an additional pillow which Miren neatly placed next to the one conjured earlier in the ever-growing circle. Jareth took to his throne with a flourish, reclining casually against its molded back.
"Have you four managed to convince the twins that my dearest friend is by no means a trick?" Jareth asked, chuckling lightly. Identical blushes rose to both their cheeks as their heads hung low and their shoulders hunched forward.
"I think so," Marie answered, giggling, causing the matching heads to sink lower.
"I certainly hope so," Miren sighed dramatically. "I do enjoy your company and I should have to distance myself until it passes." The girls, sans the new ones, each gave him a bashful smile.
"Young ones, I believe Miren has grown rather fond of you all," Jareth remarked.
"'Fond'? Nay, I absolutely adore these girls. They have brought life and laughter back to this castle."
"Miren, you are turning into quite the doting Uncle," he replied, chuckling lightly.
"With this, I have no qualms. These children deserve a fair bit of spoiling after the ordeals they have suffered."
"So, Allie, Lexie," Marie interjected with a small laugh, "how's Big Sister? Is she okay?"
One of them scoffed but they both turned downcast. "She's probably still recovering from the client she took for Eliza," the one who scoffed muttered, anger in her tone.
"Yeah, she hides it like she always does but we could hear the whip cracking all the way in the basement, so we know she has to be in pain."
Jareth's eyes bulged and his stomach churned. Glancing around, he was not the only one affected by such a claim. Miren, Marie, and Terra paled. The seven goblin attendants immediately began whispering furiously to each other. Didymus had his paws clamped over his muzzle, staring at him incredulously as Ambrosius growled low. Most disturbing of all, Jareth discovered, were the winces that ran through Jessie and Alice. With only those subtle twitches, he knew that this came as no surprise to them.
"W-whip?" Marie squeaked. Around half the group nodded.
"Lord calls it his new toy and sometimes he lets the clients borrow it," Jessie mumbled.
"Big Sister's the only one who can stand it without screaming," Alice whispered, her dark eyes glistening.
"I honestly do not know why I continue to be surprised anymore," Miren remarked, shaking his head. "Words cannot express how sorry I am for the things you girls have suffered."
"What's changed? You know, since I wished myself here?" Alice asked, a slight warble in her voice. Both twins rubbed at their wrists.
"They chain us to the bars of our cages at night now and we were moved to a new house again," Lexie muttered quietly. She looked away, still clutching her wrist which he could now see were both encircled in thick, red-lined, purplish bruises. Allie had similar markings.
"How is everyone else?" Terra asked. Jareth could hear the nerves in her voice as she did so. "Anyone new?"
"Since Alice escaped? Only Sonja. We were moved the day after that happened and they got her about two days later."
"That fast? They must have been watching her since before the move," Terra grimaced. "And everyone else?"
The twins exchanged uneasy glances. "Rachel was getting punished right before we got here," Lexie mumbled, her lip quivering and tears glistening in her hazel-colored eyes. "We stopped hearing her a while ago though. Before Big Sister even finished her story about the Labyrinth."
"Ra-" Marie gasped. "No, not her too." The more timid of the twins, Allie, nodded.
"We could hear her screams all the way down in the basement. It was horrible." The girl curled in further on herself. "She's been getting herself punished a lot lately."
"We've been thinking she's been trying to take the faster way out because she won't let Big Sister take them for her anymore." Jareth watched as a shiver ran through his girls and felt himself slightly chilled.
"What is the faster way?" Miren asked, soft enough to not startle them in their solemnity.
"Before Marie escaped," Terra explained, turning her head in the direction Miren's voice came from, "the only way out of the house was when Lord decided we were useless and shot us. Some of us couldn't take it and did whatever we could to make Lord and the Masters mad so he would shoot us faster. When Marie got away, it gave us hope and most of us stopped doing that. Once in a while, someone still did it. Like Sam for example. Remember how I said she didn't last long? She was one of the ones who went for the faster way out."
"To be so utterly without hope that you would intentionally antagonize your oppressors for the sake of a quicker death," Miren surmised mournfully. "Had I not recently witnessed a similar thing, I might have dismissed it as beyond belief. Young though you may be, you have survived far more than even our elders would be able to bare. It is a wonder there are as many of you left as there are."
"Honestly, if it wasn't for Big Sister, I don't think there would be," Marie replied. "I think a lot more of us would have done that if she wasn't there to cheer us up with stories and songs and hold us after punishments she couldn't take."
"My gratitude grows ever greater towards that girl," Jareth said.
"As does mine, my King," Miren smiled softly.
"How did you guys even get to the house anyway?" Alice asked. "I realized I never asked before." The twins' matching faces darkened immediately.
"Ask our mother," Lexie sneered. Jareth blinked, rather taken aback by her sudden transition from melancholic to almost vicious.
"What do you mean, little one?"
Lexie glared at him as Allie seemed to almost shrink beside her twin. "I mean, she's the one who gave us to them! She gave us up!" The girl deflated. "All for another hit."
"Hit?" Miren questioned.
"Of drugs," Allie mumbled, clarifying. "She was addicted. She would go crazy when she was on them and was even worse when they wore off. She always wanted more. We were already living on the streets when Master Johnathan said he'd give her drugs if he could take us."
"Mom told us we were going with a nice man to a new house with a bed. And she gave us up." Lexie scoffed. "Well, there was a bed anyway," she added, sneering.
"What about your dad?" Jessie asked, subdued.
The bolder twin laughed derisively. "He was gone before we were even born."
Silence followed the young girl's scathing statement. Jareth turned from one small face to the next, each one shadowed and hardened.
"I see," the King muttered. He slid to the floor and looked them both in the eyes as he spoke. "I understand now why you both have such reservations in trusting the word of others. To have been betrayed so deeply as you were, I'd be concerned if you did not show this level of hesitation. However, I hope you will believe me that no harm shall ever befall you here and your every need will be met. You may not receive the parental affection you have been unjustifiably deprived of, but you, both of you, are protected, cared for, and wanted here. And, as previously mentioned, Miren is happy to dote on you if and when you allow him to. Until then, you have my word that he will keep his distance."
Each pair of matching hazel eyes glistened with unshed tears and both lower lips quivered. Both sought the hand of the other and entwined their fingers. Mirror images sniffling and struggling not to break. Jareth recognized this moment. How could he not? He'd born witness to it four times now. The moment signifying the shattering of the walls built to protect the child from further hurt. Though this was the fastest such a moment had come to pass, and it had never occurred so easily before. Certainly not in front of anyone else present. He was concerned with how that might affect them later.
"Thank you-you," Allie warbled, trying to smile. He saw their clasped hands tighten.
"Of course, dear ones. Do not force yourself to smile if you do not feel like smiling. I would rather see you feel your emotions than hide behind a false smile."
Jareth returned to his seat on the throne and the group continued talking for a few hours longer. During that time, he was surprised to learn that the soft-spoken Allie was actually the first-born of the pair. Lexie was extremely protective over her older sister and made no secret of it. It was nearing the evening bell when he felt the all-too-familiar pull of a wished-away without a wisher.
'Twice in one day?! That must mean…is this it? Is this what we've been preparing for? A sudden influx of children? Perhaps, but that doesn't satisfy everything the Labyrinth has been warning us about. Could this be how it starts then?'
"What troubles you, my King?" Miren asked laying a hand on his shoulder.
"It would seem another has arrived."
"Wha- already?! But Ghilanna hasn't even recovered from healing Allie and Lexie! Can Relde even find an attendant that fast?"
"It does not matter. Someone has wished herself safe, away from that place, and she will be taken care of just as the seven before her. Now, the girls are just about to eat so I will be retrieving this one on my own. I trust you will manage what must be done here?"
Miren scoffed. "I'd have to be capable of at least that much to serve as your advisor don't you think? But you know, this is the second meal today I have missed. I expect compensation." His friend winked saucily, causing Jareth to smirk.
"Come now, have you ever known me to not…reward you properly?"
Miren chuckled, his amethyst eyes gleaming. "I must admit, you are very generous when it comes to rewards, my King. I look forward to what you have in mind for this one."
Jareth clasped his shoulder as he brushed past to explain the turn of events to the girls.
"In that case, is it okay if I eat in the study?" Marie asked, wringing her hands together. "I'd…rather not eat in the Great Hall if you and Sir Miren aren't there."
"Me too," Jessie mumbled, just loud enough for him to hear.
"It feels nice outside, can we eat in the West gardens instead?" Terra asked.
"Oooh, I like that idea better, can we do that?" Marie agreed, grinning.
"Of course, little ones. Here." The King conjured six crystals, one for each girl. "If you have not finished by sundown, toss these up and they'll provide you with extra light for exactly one hour. Now, I'll be back soon. When you're finished-"
"We know, we know, 'Gather in the throne room'," Marie recited, pushing on his hip. "Now go. The new girl needs you."
Jareth's chuckles joined the myriad of snickers that rose up at her insistence. He ruffled her hair before transporting himself in a haze of glitter to the same spot as he'd arrived for all the others. Before he could even start for where the girl was probably huddled in fear and pain, something small charged into the back of his knees, almost buckling him. He looked down to see large, teary, brown eyes set into an impossibly thin face, staring up at him, pleading at him through a tangled mess of black hair. She was every bit as small as Jessie and twice as thin.
"Hello," Jareth said awkwardly. This was not the sort of reception he was accustomed to and he was used to having Marie with him for first encounters. Tears broke free, streaming down her sunken cheeks as she muttered something too soft for him to make out. "What was that?" he asked, crouching next to her.
"Where are the twins?" she whispered in a raspy voice. He could see thick bruising encircling her too-thin neck and feared what had become of this one. "Allie and Lexie. Where?"
"They just sat down to their evening meal. They will join us after you've been looked over by my healer." She was shaking her head and crying harder.
"No, I need to see them now!" she rasped. "I ha…ve to tell th-them, please!" Her voice cracked as she strained it and she began working herself into hysterics.
"Alright, alright, I will take you to them," the King soothed. He was tempted to break a Calming Crystal at her feet to settle the poor thing so she wouldn't worsen her condition. "But you must accept Ghilanna's care without question in return, agreed?"
The girl nodded desperately. Jareth resigned himself to transporting the two of them to meet with the rest of his wards. The moment they appeared, the girl tore from his side, running headlong towards Allie and Lexie.
"Erin?!" they both exclaimed, dropping their utensils and crouching on the cobblestone to greet her, arms open wide.
"What's the matter?!" one twin demanded.
"Oh my god, your neck!" the other cried.
"Erin, are you okay? What happened?" the first twin asked again. By now, the others had crowded around and Jareth was close enough to hear the response she stuttered out between raspy breaks in her cries. He watched Miren appear with Cevesh at his side, both looking panicked, just in time to hear her halting words.
"It…it's…it's Big Sister," Erin cried, collapsing into the arms of the twins.
Allie and Lexie froze, blood draining from their thin faces. Marie and Terra gasped, their hands shaking. Alice whispered a barely audible "no", grabbing onto the table for support as her legs nearly gave out under her. Jareth felt his throat tighten and his stomach sink as his blood ran cold.
"What -?" Lexie asked, sounding strangled. She cleared her throat and tried again. "What happened?"
"W…w…w…" She was inconsolable, crying too hard to speak, making all of them more anxious with each passing moment. "Sh…she…"
Jareth produced a Memory crystal and held it between his fingers. "Erin. That's your name, right?" His voice sounded no less strained than hers. The tiny girl nodded. "This crystal will capture your memories for us to see and hear so that you do not have to talk about it. All you have to do is think about where to start. Can you do that for us?" He couldn't wait for her to calm down. Couldn't wait for her to be healed. This was too important.
"I d-…I d-…"
"If you don't know where to begin, start with what occurred after the twins wished themselves here," he replied impatiently. Miren placed a gentle hand on his shoulder though his own face was tight with worry for the brave girl who had protected the girls for so long. They both owed so much to that mysterious 'Big Sister'. "Lexie, give her this. Erin, I want you to think hard about what happened when the twins left, alright? The crystal will take it from there."
Jareth struggled to maintain a soothing tone for the child but it was not easy. He tossed the crystal to the younger twin who fumbled but caught it and handed it to his smallest ward. Erin clutched it in her tiny hands, her fingers not even long enough to encircle the now glowing orb. Erin's eyes drooped, half-lidded, while her body relaxed into a kind of trance as images began to fill the crystal and sounds erupted in the late evening air around them.